by Amy Patrick
The two of them climbed into the front cab, and we set off.
Leaving the curtain between the compartments open, I watched the miles pass through the windshield. It was a calm night weather-wise, and the highway traffic was sparse.
It was an hour before dawn when we reached the Pennsylvania state line. Seeing the state welcome sign pinged my heart with an unexpected sense of nostalgia.
“Hey—Pennsylvania. Isn’t that where you’re from?” Heather asked.
I gave her a terse nod and didn’t elaborate. Instead, I asked Kelly, “Remember your lines?”
We all wore our colored contacts in the hopes of preventing temperature checks, but we’d rehearsed an explanation in case of one.
“Of course. But I won’t need them,” she said. “These guys don’t even care.”
“Don’t get cocky,” I warned.
Heather and I stayed in the back out of sight. I fastened the privacy curtain, leaving a tiny gap to peek through. I’d be able to hear every word, but I wanted to keep an eye on the situation as well.
The truck slowed as it approached the squat, brightly lit government building. A door on its side opened, and a uniformed agent stepped out. He was middle-aged with thinning blond and gray hair cut very short. He looked sleepy, as if we might have caught him dozing.
Kelly lowered the driver’s side window, offering the agent a cheery greeting.
“Hi. Slow night?”
He gave her a guilty grin. “Little bit, but this time of night is always slow. Making good time?”
“It’s been great. I’m so glad it’s not raining.”
The agent nodded to Shane. “Evening.”
“How’s it going?” Shane said then joked, “I’m glad it’s not raining too. She’s a hell of a driver, but when the rain kicks in she’s ready to get off the road and find a hotel.”
“Hey—you’re making me sound like a wimp.” She gave Shane’s arm a playful slap.
The guard chuckled but didn’t wave them through or raise the barrier arm in front of the truck.
“May I see your registration?”
“Sure.” Kelly kept her tone calm, but when she turned away from him toward Shane, her eyes were wide with panic. “Would you get that out of the glove box, sweetie?”
Shane opened it and dug around, finally producing the document. Kelly passed it to the agent who studied it with a frown.
“This says the truck is registered to a Curtis Gaynor. Says he’s a vampire.”
To her credit, Kelly stayed cool. She told the story we’d agreed upon at the beginning of our trip. “Yes. He’s my uncle. He’s retired and selling his truck to a human driver. He doesn’t have an interstate travel pass anymore, so Uncle Curtis asked me to deliver it to the buyer.”
The agent’s eyes narrowed. Did he doubt her story? “I see. And where is this buyer?”
“New York. My uncle really needs the money now that he’s not working. And the buyer really needs it so he can start driving.”
The agent seemed somewhat assuaged. He nodded, and his tone turned snarky. “Well, it’s good to see some humans getting back to work now that the vamps aren’t taking all the jobs.”
As far as I could tell, Kelly didn’t flinch. Neither did Shane. In fact, he nodded along with the man’s statement, pretending to agree. At least I assumed he was pretending.
The agent handed the registration back to Kelly, and her shoulders relaxed.
“Thanks. Have a good night,” she said.
“One more thing.” Reaching for his utility belt, the agent drew out a temperature wand.
Oh no.
“We’re supposed to do random checks, and I’m low on my quota. Like I said, slow night.”
21
True Nature
I worked to calm my nerves.
It’s going to be okay. This was why we’d brought Shane along in the first place.
It was legal for a vampire to cross state lines—with a human or a special pass. But Kelly wasn’t just any vampire. She was wanted by the federal authorities, like the rest of us.
My hope had been that she’d pass for human and be waved through with no questions. My new hope was that the agent wouldn’t see through her disguise.
“No problem.” Kelly leaned toward the open window, giving the man easy access to her forehead with the wand.
The device beeped, and the guard squinted at the digital readout, looking unhappy. “Running a little cool there.”
“My boyfriend likes to ride with the windows down,” she said brightly. “Even when it’s cold out. Good thing he’s so cute.”
She smiled over at Shane, who played along. “I get carsick,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Of course I’d go and fall in love with a truck driver.”
The agent looked at the temperature device again, biting the inside of one cheek. Was this it? Was this where we got busted? The agent walked around to the passenger side, and Shane took his turn with the temp wand.
“Is it just you two?” the agent asked him. “No passengers?”
“Nope, just us,” Shane lied.
Panicked, I drew back from the curtains. Heather, who was able to hear the conversation as clearly as I was, growled quietly beside me.
“We might have to take him out,” she whispered.
“We’re not taking anyone out. It’s going to be fine.” Inside, I admitted she might be right. This might lead to an altercation.
“Sir, can I ask you to get out of the truck for a minute?” the agent asked Shane.
Oh, this wasn’t good. At all.
I could tell from the sound of the passenger door opening Shane had complied. Once the door shut again, the agent lowered his voice to a whisper—as if a vampire couldn’t hear that through a steel door—and spoke to Shane in a serious tone.
“Son... I’m not sure you realize it, but you’re traveling with a vampire.”
No response from Shane. The agent went on.
“Now that’s not illegal, and you’re welcome to do whatever floats your boat. I just wanted to make sure you’re aware of it.”
Finally Shane answered. “Yes sir, I realize that. That doesn’t bother me. But thank you for looking out.”
“Okay well, she’s wearing colored contact lenses. I thought she might be attempting to hide her true nature from you.”
The agent sounded almost disappointed. Maybe he was bored and hoping for some action?
“And I wanted to make sure you’re with her voluntarily—not under any sort of duress,” he said.
“No, sir. Nothing like that. I want to be with her. She’s my girlfriend. She thinks I don’t know, but I do. We just haven’t had ‘the talk’ yet. But I’m fine.”
Shane was doing an amazing acting job. He added, “She’s a really nice girl.”
“Yeah, well... you’re young,” the agent said. “You haven’t seen as much as I have, but like I said, you’re an adult. You can do what you like. I’d just... just watch your back, okay?”
“Yes sir, I will. Thank you.”
The passenger door opened and closed again. Seconds later, the truck rolled forward. Thank God.
As soon as we were away from the lights of the checkpoint, I ripped open the curtains.
“What do you think?” I asked Kelly and Shane.
They didn’t have to ask for clarification. They understood I was asking whether they thought the agent had reported a suspicious vampire.
“He radioed someone the minute we pulled away.” Kelly’s face was pinched with worry. “I saw him in the mirror.”
“I didn’t like the look in his eyes. I think we should ditch the truck,” Shane said in a grim tone.
I nodded. “That’s what I’m thinking too. There was something in his voice. I’m betting he flagged us.”
Glancing in the side view mirror again, I searched the dark highway behind us for colored flashing lights.
“If we ditch the truck, how will we get there?” Heather asked. “Are we c
lose enough to travel on foot?”
I looked out the window at a passing mile marker, knowing exactly where we were. “We could. I don’t know—it’s risky.”
We were still about three hundred miles away. We’d let Shane go on his way of course, but with all the police alerts out, three female vampires traveling on foot would raise suspicions.
“I can’t guarantee we’d be able to find good cover the whole way,” I told her. “And there’s the issue of daylight. We’d have to find somewhere safe to sleep. Fast.”
“Maybe we can steal a UV-treated car?” Shane suggested.
“There would be a theft report,” I said. “And we’d only be trading one wanted vehicle for another—not to mention the fact UV-treated cars get extra attention at checkpoints. Besides, if they do end up catching us before we can make it home, I don’t want them to have any legitimate charges against us.”
My mind turned it over as I watched the blackness of night begin to lift. “I’ve been trying to think about how Sadie would handle this whole thing. She’d say to ‘stay on the right side,’ not to lower ourselves to the level of those who persecute us. I’m sure when we’re able to contact her, the VHC will help us get good lawyers who can prove we had nothing to do with the break-in at the Safety Center and that you killed Glenn in self-defense.”
“Yeah, if the VHC still exists,” Heather said, sounding glum. “And if Sadie’s still alive.”
“She is,” I insisted. She had to be. Not only were we screwed without her, the whole world was. “Right now, we just need to focus on getting to safety.”
“And find a place to spend the day where we won’t get toasted,” Kelly added.
“I have an idea,” I said. “Take this next exit.”
“Where are we going?” She put on the right turn signal and switched lanes.
“I know of a place we can hide the truck—and find an inconspicuous vehicle.”
22
Scene of the Crime
The glow of impending dawn colored the horizon as we pulled into the village where I’d grown up.
Eying the lightening sky, Kelly tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Are we almost there?”
“It’s your next left,” I assured her. “We’re very close.”
A few men were already out in the fields—the day started early for Amish people—but I didn’t worry about them giving our truck any special notice. There were truck drivers who lived in our rural area. The farmers would assume this rig belonged to one of them.
Amish people tended to mind their own business anyway and not concern themselves overmuch with the affairs of “the English” outsiders.
I only hoped the barn where I planned to hide the truck still stood empty and unused.
As the members of my old community all had their own homes and farms, I doubted anyone would have moved into this one—especially after the ghastly thing that had happened there.
Sure enough, when we turned onto the long drive leading to the Yoders’ house and barn, there were no lights to be seen, no activity at all.
“What is this place?” Kelly whispered, though of course no one could hear her.
“It’s the home of an old friend. It’s... unoccupied. This is the village where I grew up.”
“Oh wow. I’ve never been in an Amish house before,” Heather said.
“You won’t be in one tonight either,” I said. “We’re going to sleep in the barn. We can pull the truck in through the barn doors and hide it in there. You all can sleep in the back. I’m going to sleep up in the hay loft and keep an ear out in case anyone comes down the drive.”
Shane craned his neck toward the dark house. “Darn it. I was kind of hoping for a real bed tonight—and a little more space—no offense, ladies. Any reason we can’t sleep in the house? You said it’s unoccupied. What, you think the owners will be mad?”
“The owners are dead,” I said and left it at that.
He didn’t ask any more questions, just stayed quiet until we pulled up to the barn doors. He and I got out and hurriedly opened them, and Kelly drove the big rig inside.
Only after we rolled the doors closed behind it, did I breathe a sigh of relief.
We were safe, and not a moment too soon. The slats between the boards of the barn walls turned bright orange as the sun crested the horizon.
Heather opened the truck’s back door and poked out her head, looking around. “That was tight. Thank God you thought of this place.” She yawned loudly. “I’m exhausted. See y’all tonight.”
Then she backed into the cab again, disappearing into the dark cocoon where we’d spent the past couple of days.
Kelly rolled down the truck’s driver’s side window. She looked beat as well. “You want me to take first watch, or...”
“No. Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You did your part by driving all night long. Thanks by the way—you did great.”
“Thanks.” She disappeared from view, climbing into the back with Heather to sleep.
Shane looked at me, lifting his brows. “So... I guess you’re on first watch again?”
I shook my head. “For the police or curious locals—not for you. I know that isn’t necessary. You more than proved yourself last night with the blood bags and the whole ‘my girlfriend’ story at that last checkpoint. You were very convincing by the way.”
He laughed. “High school theater. I thank you, and Mrs. Dunn, the drama program sponsor, thanks you.”
I started climbing the ladder. Instead of getting into the truck cab, Shane followed me. “What are you doing?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Figured you could use some company. Besides, I wasn’t kidding about the space issue in that sleeping cab. I couldn’t stretch out my legs all the way, and I got a wicked kink in my back. And... there are a few things humans can do that you can’t.”
“What do you mean?”
When we reached the top of the ladder, he demonstrated his point by going to the loft’s opening and closing the old plywood door to block out the morning light.
“Ta da.”
I smiled. “Thank you. I might have gotten a rude awakening as the day went on and the sun shifted positions.”
“You’re already hot enough,” he quipped. “No need for flames.”
He meant it as a joke—or a compliment—but the remark caused a stab of pain in my abdomen. On this very property was the spot where Josiah had stood and allowed the sun to end his brand-new vampire life.
Being here made me feel sort of like a criminal returning to the scene of the crime.
I settled onto the floor near the front of the loft where I could peek out and quickly identify any threats, to rouse my friends should I hear someone pull into the driveway or enter the barn.
Shane leaned back against a nearby hay bale and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles. Plucking a straw from the floorboards, he twirled it between his fingers, but his eyes were on me. It made me uncomfortable.
“Your wrists look better,” I said for something to say. His skin there was still pink but no longer raw.
“They feel better.” He checked himself, holding up one hand then the other and twisting them in front of his face. “I’m glad you trust me enough now to skip the cuffs. It would do me zero good to try to run away anyway. I have no freaking idea where I am.”
“We’re not that far from civilization. It only feels that way.”
“You grew up here?” he asked.
“Right next door. Of course, ‘right next door’ is a couple miles away. Welcome to the sticks of Pennsylvania.”
“So then... is this where we were heading all this time? Your home?” He seemed a little disappointed.
“It isn’t my home anymore. Hasn’t been for a while... since I turned. But we’re not too far away. Our destination is only about five hours from here.”
“Have to say, I never would have guessed you were Amish.”
“There are a lot of things you don’
t know about me.” And a lot of things you’ll never know.
“Like what?”
For a moment I just looked at him, this human guy who’d come into my life so suddenly and strangely. Our shared journey was almost at an end.
Tonight, we’d go our separate ways, and I’d never see him again. Never talk to him again. It was weird to think of a person playing such a pivotal role in your life—literally saving your life—and then—poof—they’re gone like they never existed.
There really was no point in a tell-me-your-life-story chat. Still, I answered him.
“Well, I can milk a cow. I can sew. I can make homemade butter, and I bake bread like nobody’s business.”
Placing a hand over his heart, he dramatically stretched the other arm toward me. “Marry me.”
He was joking, but I wasn’t laughing. He’d inadvertently hit on a sore spot.
According to Imogen I’d never be able to marry—not if I accepted my “destiny” in the vampire world anyway.
And suddenly I was overcome with irritation. Why were Shane and I sitting up talking instead of getting some sleep? We weren’t on a date. We weren’t even friends, not really. I wasn’t sure why he’d even be interested in knowing anything about me.
“I’ll never get married,” I said more harshly than I probably should have. “I’ll never have babies.”
“I’m sorry.” He paused, looking hesitant to ask, but he did it anyway. “Did you want to, you know, before?”
“One day, when the time was right. I always assumed I’d be a mother someday.”
“You would have made a great one.” He played with the straw in his fingers, pulling it apart. “It seems like the marriage thing is still on the table, though. I mean, I’ve met married vampires before. And plenty of human men don’t care about the baby thing and would love to be with you, too.”
