Crimson Storm

by Amy Patrick

  What a mess I was. Reece probably never even thought of me anymore, and I was still so consumed with him I couldn’t manage a simple kiss with another guy.

  A familiar, deep ache echoed in my chest. How would I ever bring myself to move on with someone new?

  No one was ever going to replace Reece in my heart.

  Tomorrow I would see him again—if Imogen didn’t kill me first for daring to return to the Bastion.

  Either way, my homecoming was bound to be excruciating.

  25

  Beyond My Expectations

  At nightfall, we left the barn and the 18-wheeler behind.

  Walking to my family’s home, we passed scenery as familiar to me as the sight of my own hands. Rolling hills and pastures dotted with farmhouses and wooden farm buildings.

  “It’s really peaceful here,” Kelly said, inhaling the scents around us—earth, evergreen boughs, chimney smoke. “It seems like such a nice place to grow up.”

  “It was, though I didn’t appreciate it at the time,” I confessed.

  “I’ve gotta admit there’s something to be said for being isolated from the rest of the world,” Heather said. “This seems like just about the safest place on earth. Especially these days.”

  It had been—once. Not so much after I’d turned, and my father had told me to leave the community. How would he react to seeing me tonight? Would he reject me again and refuse to help us?

  “Speaking of being isolated from the world, when we get to the Bastion tonight, maybe I should go in alone first,” I said. “If everything’s okay, I’ll come out and get you two.”

  Shane gave me an alert glance. “I thought you were going there to be safe. Is there some kind of danger to you at this place?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “As long as Imogen doesn’t give the off-with-her-head order,” Heather said.

  Shane’s expression changed from interest to anger. “Now hold on a minute. You told me you were thrown out. You didn’t say anything about the death penalty for returning.”

  He shot a glance at Heather. “You are joking about that off-with-her-head thing, right?”

  She scrunched up her face and shrugged her shoulders. “Not really.”

  Now Shane’s gaze returned to me. “You can’t go.”

  “I have to.”

  “Well then I’m going with you.”

  “No way. That would only make things worse,” I said. “Plus, there’s nothing you could do against a cavern full of vampires.”

  “I could try.”

  Once again, I got that soft, melty feeling in my chest. “Look, I appreciate the thought, but it’s out of the question. It would be literal suicide for you. I’ll be fine. In spite of her threats, I don’t believe she’ll actually do anything to me. Nothing permanent anyway. And we need a place to hide. It’s not safe for us outside of the Bastion anymore.”

  Reaching the front door of my family’s home, I hesitated before knocking, my heart doing a crazy dance in my chest.

  It’ll be okay. All they can say is no. You have to try. Your friends need help.

  Still, if they treated me like a stranger, I didn’t know how I was going to stand it.

  Finally, I knocked. My youngest sister Rebecca opened the door. When she saw me, her eyes bulged then she smiled and threw her arms around me.

  “Abigail! You’re home. I missed you so much. We all have. Mamm has been so mad at Dad since you left. We all worried we’d never see you again.”

  Shocked by her exuberant welcome, it took me a minute to respond. “I missed you too. Is... is he here?”

  I would not let myself get too excited about what Rebecca had said—that they’d missed me—until I saw my father’s face. This happy reunion would come to an abrupt end if he wouldn’t allow me in the house.

  She pulled back and looked up at me. “He hasn’t come in from the fields yet. I’ll go and get Mamm. She’s in the basement doing laundry.”

  She ran off, and a few moments later my mother appeared in the doorway at the top of the basement stairs. Her face reddened, and her eyes filled with tears when she saw me. Drawing me into her arms, she hugged me fiercely.

  “My Abigail has returned. You are truly a sight for sore eyes. I haven’t given your father a day’s peace since he sent you away.”

  She released me and gave my outfit a quick once-over. Clearly, she disapproved, but she didn’t say so. Instead, she smiled at my friends. “And who are these?”

  “Mamm, I’d like you to meet Heather and Kelly and Shane.”

  She made a come-here gesture with both hands. “You’re all welcome. Any friend of Abigail’s is a friend of ours. Do come in out of the cold.”

  I hadn’t noticed it being cold, but Shane stepped inside eagerly and headed for the fireplace.

  “May I offer you all some water or tea? Or something to eat?” Mamm asked.

  Kelly and Heather said, “No thank you.” Shane took her up on the offer of both. I felt guilty, suddenly realizing how little he’d eaten during the past few days.

  Mamm and I joined him at the table where he devoured a bowl of stew and then another. Heather and Kelly sat on the floor with Rebecca and my brother, Noah, and my youngest brother, Daniel, who had introduced my friends to his new kittens.

  They all laughed together and chatted like old friends about the antics of the tiny creatures.

  My mother took my hands inside hers. “How have you been, Abigail? I’ve worried for you, and I’ve prayed for you every morning and night.”

  My throat was instantly sore, and it was hard to speak around the lump lodged there. “I’m okay. It’s been hard, but I have friends. We’re there for each other.”

  Her face colored. “I feel sick that your family wasn’t there for you. Your father did what he thought was best to protect us all at the time, but I know he regrets it. He prays for you too.”

  “He doesn’t think I’m a demon?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “None of us knew anything about vampires—not really. We were afraid because we were ignorant.”

  “Maybe you were right to be afraid. Look what happened with Josiah.”

  “No. We were ignorant. After that night when your father returned from the hospital without you, I insisted we read some library books on vampirism. We understand a lot more now. We’re no longer afraid of you.”

  “Not even Dad?”

  “Him least of all. One of the things he’s prayed for is that you would return so he could apologize to you.” She smiled. “I can’t wait to see his face when he walks through that door.”

  I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but I couldn’t help it. I’d intended to ask them for the loan of a buggy to get us closer to the Bastion. A happy reunion with my family was so far above and beyond my expectations, I could hardly believe it was happening.

  But when the door did open and my father came inside and saw me there, it was just as Mamm had said. His tired face crumpled, and he moved toward me, literally falling to his knees in front of the dining chair where I sat and reaching for my hands.

  “Forgive me, daughter,” he said in a choked voice. “I’m so sorry for what I did, and I’m happy to have the chance to tell you.”

  I shook my head, almost too choked up to speak. “Dad... it’s okay. I understand. You were afraid.”

  “Have you come home to stay?” he asked, turning his head and apparently just now noticing the three strangers in his house.

  “No. We’re just passing through. I came to ask for help. We’re in trouble. We’re on our way to a safe place, but we need transportation.”

  “You must stay here,” Mamm insisted. “This is a safe place. This is your home. And we want to hear about where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing all this time. We’ll help you with whatever the trouble is.”

  “I’m afraid you can’t.”

  Dad rose and pulled out the chair on the other side of me, joining us at the table. Shane stuck out his hand.
“I’m Shane Eastwood. Nice to meet you, sir.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, son.” My father studied Shane’s brown eyes then turned to me with a quizzical look. “Tell us what’s happened.”

  I explained how Kelly and Heather and I had been falsely arrested and held at the Safety Center and how the circumstances of our escape had put us in grave danger.

  “The Amish community can’t help us now,” I said. “And I wouldn’t want to bring suspicion on you and Mamm and get you in trouble with the law for harboring fugitives.”

  “Are you a foo-ji-tive too, Shane?” five-year-old Daniel asked, clearly enthralled by the exotic sound of the word.

  Shane shook his head. “No. I’m just trying to help Abigail and her friends.”

  “She’s a vampire now,” Daniel announced. “But that doesn’t mean she’s bad.”

  Shane grinned and riffled the much younger boy’s hair. “I know that. I’m glad you do too.”

  “Thank you for helping my daughter. You’re a good man,” Dad said.

  Shane ducked his head, looking embarrassed by the praise. “Just trying to do what’s right, sir. Also, I’m looking for my parents who are vampires, so Abigail is helping me as much as I’m helping her. Hopefully we’ll be able to heal our relationship too.”

  My father nodded gravely. “There’s nothing more important than family. I hope you find them.”

  We spent the next hour catching up before I had to regretfully announce it was time to go.

  “Can’t you stay just one more day?” Mamm pleaded.

  “Each day that passes increases the chances we’re caught here,” I said. “I can’t have that happen. And Shane has to get back home to California. We need to get to the vampire stronghold before daybreak.”

  Dad pushed back from the table. “Noah and I will hitch up the horses to the old buggy. I was about to pass it down to him since we recently got a new one. You may take it and return it when you can.”

  “I have a friend where I’m going who can arrange to return it to you,” I said, thinking of Kannon. He was familiar with the area and the location of my village. I could give him directions to my family farm when we reached the Bastion.

  “No need,” Dad assured me. “I have a friend who owns a farm very near to the highway just over the state line. If you leave the buggy and horses with him, he’ll see to it they get home again.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for the clothes, Mamm—and your hospitality.”

  She had asked my sister Rachel to find some plain clothes for each of us to wear as we traveled the rest of the way. They would complete the illusion that would hopefully keep us from being recognized during the rest of our journey.

  “I only wish I was able to feed you and the other girls,” Mamm said. “But I understand why I can’t. At least I was able to meet your young man and fatten him up.”

  She patted Shane’s shoulder and cleared his empty plate and bowl.

  “Oh—no—we uh... we’re just friends,” I told her, but he winked at me.

  “You can fatten me up anytime, Mrs. Byler.”

  “Come back anytime,” she said. “All of you.”

  Thirty minutes later we were hugging goodbye at the door, and I was promising my siblings to return soon or at least to write. Daniel wrapped his arms around the long skirt that covered my legs to the ankles.

  “I wish I could come with you to the vampire house,” he said with a pout.

  I knelt so we were face to face. “I wish you could come too. But it’s very far, and Dad needs your help here on the farm. I’ll try to come back soon, okay? You be good until then.”

  He nodded and hugged my neck, sniffling a little, which brought tears to my eyes. I hoped what I’d said to my family was true, that I’d be able to return.

  I really didn’t know what would happen when we reached the Bastion or if I’d ever see them again.

  Pulling the buggy away from the house, I at least felt reasonably sure we’d make it there safely without any further interruption.

  26

  Sisters

  “You know, this getup is surprisingly comfortable,” Heather said from the back seat of the buggy. “I might start wearing Amish clothes all the time. I’d never have to worry about shaving my legs again. Or holding in my stomach.”

  Kelly laughed. “Or doing your hair. Just throw on a bonnet and go.”

  I twisted back so I could see them past my own traveling bonnet, which blocked my side view. It was strange to be in plain clothes again, driving a horse-drawn buggy. Dad said the team of horses could easily take us to the state line. From there we would go on foot.

  “Well, I don’t think I could ever get used to pants with no zipper,” Shane quipped. “And I’m not sure I’m a hat guy.”

  “It looks good on you,” I assured him. “You look very Amish. It’s a good thing we didn’t stay another day. One of my sisters might have snapped you up if you walked around dressed like that.”

  He beamed, a wicked gleam in his eye. “Would that bother you?”

  His flirty question caught me off guard. “Of course not. I would be glad for you to find someone to make you happy.”

  “You make me happy,” he insisted.

  I turned away and focused on the reins, willing my hands not to shake as I held them. As the miles passed, my heart grew heavier and heavier. It seemed impossible that after all we’d been through, we’d be going our separate ways in just a few hours.

  At least I knew he’d be okay. If the authorities discovered he’d been with us, he could simply tell them we’d kidnapped him and forced him to travel with us.

  No doubt they’d find it an easy story to believe. It was what they wanted to believe.

  When we spotted the Virginia state line checkpoint in the distance, Shane and I switched places, though I still kept control of the reins.

  If we were a real Amish family, he’d be doing the driving as the male. I didn’t want to raise any suspicions with the border agents.

  I turned to my friends in the back seat. “Pretend to be asleep. Close your eyes and turn your heads to the sides so the bonnets will shield your faces.”

  “Most of these guys are half-asleep anyway,” Shane said. “Or deeply involved in playing war games on their phones. They’ll probably just wave us through. An Amish buggy is the last place they’ll be looking for vampires.”

  “I hope you’re right. I lost one of my contact lenses. I’ll just keep my head down. You’ll have to do the talking anyway, as the man—otherwise it would look suspicious,” I said.

  Apparently, my worry was for nothing. When we reached the agent’s hut, the guy on duty looked drowsy and bored. He rose from his stool and stretched before lumbering to the curb.

  He pressed the button to raise the bar before even speaking to us. Obviously knowing Amish people didn’t have driver’s licenses, he didn’t ask for one.

  “Good evening folks. You’re out awfully late,” he said in a friendly tone.

  I focused on my hands folded in my lap as Shane answered and gave him the story we’d agreed upon.

  “Yes, sir. My sisters and I were visiting our cousins in Elkins, and we let the time get away from us. Chores to do in the morning though.”

  The guy chuckled. “Those chickens and cows don’t like waiting for their breakfast, do they? Grew up on a farm myself in Hickory.”

  Shane nodded. “Nice place.”

  The guard’s expression quirked. “You’ve been to North Carolina? You folks don’t usually roam that far.”

  “Oh, I thought you meant the Hickory in Virginia.” Shane pivoted, sounding nervous now. Having grown up in California, he wasn’t familiar with the town names in this area.

  The agent must have noticed the quiver in his voice because his expression grew more alert. Taking the flashlight from his belt, he shone it into the buggy’s back seat.

  The beam passed over the dark clothes and black bonnets Kelly and Heather wore. They remained motionl
ess with their faces hidden, feigning sleep.

  “Three sisters, huh?” The agent’s tone was less friendly now and more wary.

  The fingers in my lap twisted together, and I did a little mental self-talk to keep my fangs from emerging.

  It’s okay, He doesn’t know anything. He’s just making conversation. Don’t panic.

  “Lucky me,” Shane said. “The twins finally conked out and stopped chattering. This one’s the quiet one.” He hooked his thumb toward me.

  “And how are you tonight, ma’am?” the guard asked.

  Wonderful. Why had Shane referred to me? Now I would be obligated to speak to him.

  Keeping my head bowed, I said, “Very well, sir. Thank you.”

  “I told you. She’s shy,” Shane said.

  For a moment, the agent was silent. Then he stepped back onto the curb and twisted his head to the side, speaking into a radio attached to his collar. “This is Agent Eggleston at checkpoint forty-eight. I’ve got a possible 9-8-6.”

  Uh oh. I had no idea what a 9-8-6 was, but it couldn’t be good.

  Speaking to Shane again, the man asked, “You kids seen anything suspicious on the road? Groups of people out walking in the dark or anything like that?”

  Shane’s voice was even shakier now. “No, sir. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “Well, you should keep an eye out and be careful. There’s a large vampire population in Virginia, and one of our agents at a checkpoint in Pennsylvania reported a female vamp traveling with a young human male in a trailer truck. They were headed this direction.”

  “Is that unusual?”

  The guard rested his hand on his gun holster. “There was a breakout at a Safety Center in California a few days ago. Hundreds of vampires escaped. Some guards were killed. One was kidnapped and murdered by three females. That Pennsylvania agent said the little blonde vamp in the truck was a pretty good match for one of the killers. He suspected she might have been manipulating the human guy she was with. They do that sort of thing, you know.”