The sun was long gone below the horizon when two black SUVs inconspicuously pulled along the side of a dirt road a few miles away from I-49, still a good mile’s walk from their final destination but far enough away not to attract any unwanted attention from the residents of SouthWest Moe’s RV Park and Campground. Cadence had wondered if Moe was just a clever take on the abbreviation for the state of Missouri until she saw the website and realized the owner was an older fellow by the name of Moe Wilson whose parents may have had an affinity for slapstick and eye-poking. She wondered if he had any brothers named Larry or Curly.
Aaron continued to look at her questioningly for a second before he shifted his gaze back to the short field of high grass before him that ended at the tree line. “Okay—everyone know where you’re headed?”Answers came back from various team members. Aurora and Shane would head around to the very far side of the RV park, taking a wide entry angle so as not to be seen. Cadence was elated that Aaron had split Shane and Meagan up. They did not work well together. The making of the googly eyes at each other seemed to interfere with the Vampire hunting significantly.
Cassidy likely wasn’t too happy about that answer, but Cadence didn’t hear another peep out of her.“I think they know something’s going down,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot of heads popping up, looking around.”“Then let’s go get them,”
Looking over her shoulder, Cadence noticed Jamie reached down and retrieved his stake, something she didn’t even know any of the team was carrying anymore, before he leaned back against what was left of a dresser. She figured he just needed a minute, and then he’d be with them.It appeared to her that the situation in the other RV, with Hannah and Meagan, was under control, now that Elliott and Brandon were in there. Aaron had entered a small trailer on the other side of that one, and she headed that direction just as he was backing out the door, something she thought was unusual,
The odor of burnt coffee mixed with the scent of mildew as Cassidy entered the RV. The mildew might’ve been coming from anywhere, but she spied the light on the coffee pot still on over by the sink and thought it odd that Vampires would ever need a kick of caffeine to get through the night, but she tried not to speculate on that. Maybe it had actually been in that position since the last human lost their life a few days ago. It would explain the stench.Willamina sat in the middle of an old plaid sofa built into the wall of the RV. From the looks of it, the furniture was original, and th
Cassidy’s eyes flew open, and she parted her lips to speak, but Mina shushed her with ancient lips. “Now is not the time for revelation. Now is the time for mass destruction, child. They will move. They will come together, and as you have seen tonight, they can and will destroy their enemies, just as you’ve seen foretold.” Cassidy didn’t know what she meant by that last part. Seen when? Where? “If you are to end this without eradication, you must not wait. You must find them first. It will take everything you have, and you will be the key. You are physically strong, child, stronger than any of the others. But if you let the fear in, even a little bit, it will consume you. And once it claims your soul, it will not stop until the diabolical contrivance is complete.”Once Mina had stopped speaking, she closed her eyes, and Cassidy felt the finality of their discussion. She had a thousand other questions but couldn’t ask a single on
The women all rode together in silence, Aurora, who had secured the keys from Elliott while Cassidy was still inside, drove, and Cadence sat next to her sister who cradled the baby Vampire like she was her own.Cassidy’s tears stopped falling about the time they reached the outskirts of Kansas City, but Cadence could tell she was still profoundly upset by what had transpired. This was exactly what she’d been trying to keep her sister protected from. At sixteen, she technically wasn’t even old enough to have Transformed at all, and being just a child herself, how could anyone possibly expect her to understand what had just happened? Not only that, but Cassidy’s conversation with Willamina had left more questions than answers, and Cassidy couldn’t possibly expect them to take this child Vampire back to their apartment and let her live there, could she?The entire team had basically kept radio silence as they traveled. In all of the hunts the
The lights were bright, and since Vampires didn’t generally care for illumination anyway, Bonnie resumed her position, hiding her head in Cassidy’s shoulder. Cadence assumed she felt most comfortable that way anyway. The remaining female Guardian opened the door and Cadence walked in, followed by Cassidy. The rest of the women stayed in the vehicle.Cadence had no idea where she was going, so she was thankful when Aaron began to guide her without even having to be asked. He told her how to get to the intake center from there and to ask for Faye once she reached it. Cadence also didn’t think it was likely a coincidence that all of the other Guardians they encountered along the way were women.Eventually, they came to a set of double doors that had “Intake” written on the glass in the same sort of black bold letters one might expect to see at a doctor’s office. The butterflies in Cadence’s stomach, the kind she always felt when V
Cassidy took a step forward and lowered her voice. “But I promised I would keep her safe.”“And you have,” Faye assured her. “Here, she’ll be tagged and properly trained. This is her best chance for reentering the world as a Compliant Vampire, one who will never do anything to get herself into a situation where she has to face any of us again.”Cadence could see her sister trying to convince herself that this was what was best for the child. She put her hand on her arm. “Cass, this is what she needs. You know we can’t keep her.” Tears began to roll down Cassidy’s cheeks. “You’re sixteen, sweetie. You can’t be a…”“Mother?” Cassidy whispered. “No, I know that. I know. I don’t want to be.” She turned and looked at Bonnie who had two dolls now and was humming quietly to herself. “I just want to make sure… nothing happens to her