Aunt Kate is now dry, and Ryan must be forgiven because they are cuddling together in one of the chairs out of the smoke and watching the food cook. Joe and Tammy are on the opposite side of the fire in separate chairs with travel mugs in their hands.
“Find gold?” Ryan winks at me.
Glad to have a joke to start on instead of a lecture about my earlier behavior, I flop down in a seat next to them and laugh. “Yep. We’re rich! The miners left piles of gold over there.”
I wave my hand in the opposite direction I went earlier. I don’t want anyone going to that cabin for some strange reason.
Everyone laughs and begins to eat breakfast. I’m starved. Maybe it was the early walk, meeting Catherine, or sharing confessions with Megan. I gulp down my eggs, bacon and toast without stopping. I finish my third helping with some coffee. Breakfast has never tasted this good.
The conversation around me is about our plans for the day. I barely listened with my preoccupation of eating, but as they begin to narrow ideas down to a few possibilities, an engine rumbles in the distance. Everyone stops talking as a green Forestry truck bursts out of the trees and barrels toward us.
“Work,” Ryan says as he hands his almost-empty plate to Aunt Kate. He strides out to the dirt track.
Aunt Kate turns to Tammy. “I guess I should’ve listened to Ryan. He wanted to go farther into the mountains so something like this wouldn’t happen, but I didn’t want to go too far with Nic’s condition.”
Condition. I hate that word. It’s not a condition. It’s a type. And why do you have to tell everyone?
“Maybe they’re just visiting,” Tammy suggests.
“I don’t think so,” I respond. I don’t know why, but I know whatever is going on is bad.
Here we go again.
The disbelief, fear, horror, and the grief will all start again. This road is all too familiar. We have walked it enough times to feel comfortable on its path.
I don’t want to know what has happened. I want life to be what it was five minutes ago.
The truck stops by Ryan, but they leave the engine running. The two men in the truck begin talking as Ryan nods and listens. I watch the body language of the men in the truck. Something is wrong.
After a few minutes, he shakes his head and waves at us while he talks. Then Ryan comes back to the fire. His face is empty of his normal mischief and teasing he is full of. His forehead creases as he frowns.
When he speaks, his voice is harsh like he’s trying to hold back his anger. “They say there’s been an incident nearby–a serious one. The police are on their way, but we’ve been asked to monitor the site. They need all the hands they can get.”
I was right last night. I knew something bad was going to happen! Was it the demons again?
The thought makes my breakfast in my stomach feel like a rock. I remember Rob’s fangs and wonder if he had something to do with what happened.
“Should we wait for you before we go on our hike?” Tammy asks.
“No one is hiking.” Ryan’s voice is serious and stern. He’s a cop now like he used to be. “Joe, if you want to keep camping, head down to the river or anywhere else away from here. We are all packing up and leaving.”
“But don’t you have to go with them?” Aunt Kate wrinkles her brow with worry.
“They want me to,” Ryan says. “But I don’t going to. I can’t find another family.”
“You have to go,” Aunt Kate protests. “Ryan, you’re just new to this position. Don’t you think you should go? If you don’t have your job, what are we going to do out here? There aren’t very many jobs.”
“I have a Remington 30-06,” Joe speaks up. “I’ll keep it close. We’ll be okay.”
“Besides, it won’t take long to pack up,” Aunt Kate joins in. “We’ll throw everything in the back of the truck and deal with it when we get home.”
Ryan doesn’t say anything. He stares at the small fire we’re standing around.
Tammy breaks the silence. “What happened?” Her face is white as a sheet.
“I can’t tell you,” Ryan responds. “But I don’t want to leave you with whatever this is roaming around.”
Megan glances at me and silently mouths the word Shadows. I don’t know what to say. I shake my head.
“Let’s go!” a man in the Forestry truck yells.
Ryan hesitates again, torn between us and his job.
“Go, Ryan!” Aunt Kate repeats. “We’ll get out of here in no time. It’s okay.”
He glances at her, frustration pouring out of him. “Kate, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
She gets up and goes to him. “We’ll be okay. This Idaho wilderness is nothing compared to the streets of Chicago.”
Ryan doesn’t smile at her joke.
“Come on,” she says. “I took care of myself and Nic for years before you came along. We’ll be fine.”
Ryan sighs and runs his hands through his hair. “All right, then. Load up quickly. We can sort it out at home where it’s safe. Throw everything in and get out of here as soon as you can.”
“We’ll follow them back to town,” Joe jumps in. “I know I’m not a cop or anything, but we’ll be safe.”
The driver in the Forestry truck honks his horn. Ryan turns with a nod and then trots to his truck to put on his gun belt. He checks the gun, holsters it, and comes back to us.
“What are you waiting for?” Ryan asks, somewhat frustrated. “Let’s get moving!”
His words break the spell we were under. Aunt Kate launches herself out of the chair and rushes to Ryan. They embrace for a moment.
Mom’s last embrace.
I look away. Not because I’m embarrassed. I don’t want anyone to see the tears that are threatening to rise as I remember Mom’s arms around me.
“Be careful,” Aunt Kate says.
“You, too,” Ryan answers. “Just get out of here. I don’t care about what happens to the truck or our gear. I only care about you and Nic. Don’t bother to unpack. We’ll do that together, okay?”
She nods. “I love you.” Her eyes fill up with tears.
“I love you, too.” He gives her a quick kiss and steps away. “Joe, keep your rifle handy until you’re closer to town. Keep your eyes open for anything.”
Joe shakes Ryan’s hand and trots to the camper.
Ryan turns back to me. “You’re in charge. Make sure you guys get out of here and stay inside with the doors locked until I’m home.”
I nod.
Don’t go. I don’t want to be in charge.
He has to go, but the words circle in my head. I try to look brave and strong, but I feel weak and cold.
“It will be all right.” Ryan gives me a one-armed hug. “You’ll see. We’ll be fine.”
I nod again. He blows another kiss to Aunt Kate and jogs to the Forestry truck. He jumps into the cab and gives us a wave goodbye. His fake smile tells me he’s still unhappy about this arrangement.
Is this really happening?
Then he’s gone.
Aunt Kate takes a deep breath and exhales before turning to us. Her tears are gone, and she focuses on the task Ryan gave us. “Alright, you heard him. He wasn’t joking. Let’s go.”
The adults swing into action. Tammy begins by asking Aunt Kate what help we need. Joe bursts out of the camper with his rifle in his hand and starts packing up while keeping the weapon close.
Megan inches over to me. “Do we tell them?”
“Tell them what?” I snap.
“What we’ve seen in the shadows,” she whispers.
“That has nothing to do with what happened,” I protest, although I’m not so sure.
“Then maybe you should tell them about those people you saw right before I found you,” Megan speaks louder.
“I didn’t see any people!” I can barely stop myself from yelling. “Even if I did, they have nothing to do with what happened.”
“You don’t know that!” Megan argues. “What are yo
u afraid of? God says that He will take care of us.”
“And you believe that?”
“Of course,” she responds. “Why not?”
“Because you haven’t seen what I have. I’m not talking about it anymore!” I spin and begin pulling the tent pegs out of the ground. “And I didn’t see anyone this morning.”
I see Megan’s angry face as she spins around and follows Joe back to the trailer.
Good. Now you’ll leave me alone.
But, even over the shock of what’s happening, I feel rotten about fighting with Megan and then lying to make her go away. I don’t like lying, and she might be right about Rob and Catherine.
I can’t bring myself to mention them to anyone. A girl that beautiful wouldn’t be involved in anything so horrible.
Not my angel.
I can’t help but wonder what happened that would make it so urgent for Ryan to leave. Whatever had committed this new horror is still out there. It could be coming our way.
It could be in the trees, waiting for the right moment to strike. And I have the terrible feeling a gun won’t stop it.
Chapter Fourteen
Supplies
Rob hid in the trees, watching Nic to make sure that the boy didn’t suffer too much. His anger at Catherine’s tricks may have made him react a bit too strongly to the young human. Rob flexed his jaw once. Nic was stronger than he looked.
Nic stirred and leaped to his feet. Rob sank back in the trees when a girl with long, dark hair stomped up to Nic. He stared at her, wishing he hadn’t stayed. Her beauty, only heightened by her anger, awoke feelings that he didn’t think he had anymore.
A strange and new desire to join them overcame him so strongly that it made him forget the constant blood thirst for a brief moment.
The thirst always returned, and it brought a fresh wave of repulsion for what he had become. It was no use. He couldn’t go back. Any chance for love or friendship had been snatched from him. Now he was an empty vessel. Never aging, never having any friends, never loving, and never any hope of escape. His soul was gone, ripped away without his consent. He snarled and followed the path Catherine had taken.
He wished he had died. He was almost dead when Henry’s bite on his neck ripped his soul away. No matter how much he protested and fought, Henry made Rob what he was today.
Rob made his way to the southeast side of the meadow without any regard of being unseen. Humans never bothered coming this way. If they did, a feeling of unease set in on them.
As much as Rob didn’t like Blaise, he had to admit the demon had been clever with his planning. The winged creature set up guards along the edge of the meadow to whisper lies to humans so that they would leave. Nothing’s down there. Just turn back. This is boring. You’ve seen all there is to see. No human had any idea what was past Florence.
If the people did follow the small track and go around the far edge of the meadow, they would find a locked gate with an old sign that said No Trespassing. A steep hill continued past the gate.
On the other side of the hill, a meadow sat ringed with a rocky cliff on one side and trees on the other. A mansion sat in the cliff, hidden by the rocks. The large front door looked like an old log fallen off the cliff. Every inch of the house was designed so even satellite images would reveal nothing.
The meadow was a haven from the demons as well. Although the evil creatures guarded the site from within the trees, they were not allowed to venture farther. Any visits could only be made by the leaders of the demons. Henry made sure this rule was in place years ago even though it cost many vampires’ lives.
Across from the mansion, a tunnel led deep into the earth. Vampires enslaved humans to work the mine. A thick vein of gold had produced vast wealth since the gold rush of Florence began, and it still showed no signs of stopping.
Rob sighed as he thought of the slaves, both men and women, who labored in the dark until they died. But there was nothing he could do to stop the cruelty. And there were worse horrors inside the house.
He entered the house and checked the office Henry used as his command center, issuing orders to all the vampires. The plush office, with its dark cherry furniture and red carpet, was empty. The door behind the desk stood open.
He hated what lay at the bottom of those stairs. He hated his reason for going there as much as the actual sight. Rob clenched his jaw in anger. Hearing Catherine’s voice floating the small stairway, he knew he had no other choice.
A huge pile of paper on Henry’s desk caught his eye. Glancing over, he paused to skim the top page. Nic’s life and history lay in the stack.
So that’s what Liam has been using the computers for. He’s searching for why the demons want Nic so badly.
One lone piece of paper lay next to the thick stack. Rob skimmed it.
“Born on the darkest moon, a warrior will appear. Though washed from blood at birth, he will be bathed in blood till death. And his sword will slay all the enemies who come near.”
Do they think Nic is this warrior?
He plodded down the stairs, trying to forget what he just read, and braced for the tongue lashing he was going to get. At least he hoped that was all he was going to get.
As he entered the room, he was reminded again why he hated it. Rows of hospital beds lined the walls. Men and women lying in the beds unconscious and chained to beds while blood pumped from their bodies into bags hanging on poles next to them.
Milk cows. Bloody milk cows.
In the back of the room, there were several empty beds and a door to their supply room. When the blood thirst was too strong, all they had to do was take a bag and satisfy themselves for a short time.
Goddard and Blaise thought it was a great idea. The humans who lived nearby were unaware of the horrors that occurred so close to them. With the help of a few humans in town, they chose victims who wouldn’t be missed.
But it wasn’t working. The blood was stale. It didn’t satisfy as long, and the humans were dying for no reason. They lost three last week. Rob suspected that subconsciously they had given up the will to live.
The other vampires glared at Rob as he trudged past the beds and joined them. Henry stood with his hands on the side of a hospital bed where a middle-aged woman lay, making him stoop slightly over. At the sound of Rob’s approach, he glanced up, fury in his dark eyes.
Liam was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, relaxed yet ready to spring into action like a cat. Catherine stood in the aisle and pointed at Rob.
“And he stopped me!” Catherine whined. “I had the boy, but he attacked me and wrecked everything!”
“You had him?” Henry asked Rob, his voice dangerously low. “And you let him walk away? You’d better give me a good explanation.”
Rob shifted his feet. He had faced Henry’s wrath before. This calm frightened Rob more. Henry had an unrivaled strength, and his fierce determination and ruthlessness made him the constant victor. He also had a violent temper. Why is he so calm?
Rob had no idea why he had stopped Catherine. She was welcome to bite Nic’s neck and set in motion the process of the soul leaving the body, of the fangs growing long, of the thirst for blood to grow. He wanted no part of it. He had killed too often. As much as he longed for blood, he hated himself for those desires.
“Too many demons were watching,” Rob offered. He continued, knowing he had stumbled onto a good excuse. “You said not to let the demons know what we are doing. They were flocking in the trees. She wouldn’t have even started to change Nic before they stopped her. And then where would we be?”
“That’s exactly why we need this boy,” Liam drawled. “He has to be something special for them to pursue him like they are. Once we rid ourselves of those demons, we can feast on the humans as much as we want.” He let his teeth grow into long fangs.
“Like you have been doing already?” Henry snapped, his attention back on the lanky reddish-blond haired vampire. “You’ve had plenty of fresh blood lately, haven’t
you?”
“And I feel stronger for it!” Liam pushed himself off the wall and stalked over to Henry. As he passed Catherine, he brushed her cheek with his hand before she jerked it away with a disgusted look on her face. “It’s worth breaking the rules once in a while.”
“If the humans connect it with your mess on Lolo Pass, our whole plan will be in jeopardy!” Henry roared. His fangs grew long as his anger took control. “Did you stop to make it look like an animal this time, or did you just indulge yourself?”
“Oh, they won’t know what did it.” Liam laughed, and then his pale features flushed with anger. “But you’re changing the subject! I’m not using stale blood that weakens me anymore. We have to be strong to fight those arrogant spirits.”
“You are going to wreck our plans to overthrow them with your antics,” Henry barked. “Get yourself under control!”
“I should’ve taken the boy when I first saw him at the house. I knew he was different when Blaise took off like that.” Liam perched on an empty bed.
Catherine tossed her red hair over her shoulder. “What’s the fuss about that boy? I didn’t see anything special about him.”
Liam snarled. “I don’t care. If the demons think he is special, I don’t want them to have him!”
“Rob,” Henry snapped and spun around. “I ordered you to change Nic, and you didn’t. Can I trust you with this task again?”
As repugnant as this task was, Rob was even more reluctant to give it to someone else, especially Liam. He didn’t know why. But in the few minutes with Nic, Rob felt like maybe, in different situations, they could’ve been friends.
The word friend jolted through him. He hadn’t used that word since he had been changed. Friendship wasn’t an option anymore. But maybe…
“Of course you can,” Rob said, trying to convince both them and himself at the same time. “I can change him.”
“Make Nic want it. Promise him whatever he desires.” Henry turned to Catherine. “He saw you?”
“He drooled all over me,” Catherine said, a sulky expression sullying her beauty.
“Go with Rob, but be sweet to Nic. You could be the reason he wants to become a vampire,” Henry ordered.
Devil's Pathway Page 8