“Ah, a nice bit of wildlife to give you the full experience,” I replied with a wink.
Another snort.
“If we’re going to the city,” Alora said quietly. “Could you bring me to my parents’ house? It’s on Edmund Street just past the north side of the river.”
I glanced at her, something tightening in my chest at the thought of her leaving already.
“Sure. We’ll go and see if they’re there. If not, and there’s a big likelihood that they fled, you can stay with us.”
She nodded and took a sip of her coffee. She looked cute in the clothes I bought her, just like the pretty girl next door. Seeing her appear out of nowhere in that ethereal gown last night made her seem almost like an apparition, but now she was sitting beside me eating her scrambled eggs, a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks, looking like everything I’d ever wanted in a girlfriend.
Christ, I really was on the rebound.
I thought about the possibility of Alora’s family still being in the city. Would she want to stay in contact with me if they were? Perhaps when everything settled down, she might even let me take her out on a date. Asking her on a date wouldn’t be weird, right?
We finished breakfast and then everyone loaded into the van. On my way back from the shopping mall earlier, I had stopped by the parameter of Theodore’s enclosure and noted how even more people had gathered there. There was a frantic, desperate energy about the place.
Some people were saying the barrier was a sign of the apocalypse. Others thought that the devil had taken hold of Tribane. Most people were saying it was aliens. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was aliens, too, trapping us in a cage so that they could study us or some shit.
The motorway was practically empty on the drive into the city, and when we arrived, the streets had very few people on them. Those present scurried from building to building, afraid that if they stayed outside too long, they might get snatched up by a fanged monster.
An old homeless man was sitting on the doorstep of a shop next to where I parked the van. He had a bottle of liquor in a brown paper bag and was taking sips every once in a while. I glanced around, and saw two human policemen on patrol on the other side of the street.
“Any spare change?” the man asked as I got out of the vehicle.
I stuck my hand in my pocket and pulled out a twenty I’d forgotten was there. Ah crap, I hated when that happened. Now I’d look like a prick if I didn’t give it to him. His eyes lit up when I handed it over.
“Go wild,” I said before jogging purposely toward the two officers.
“How’s it going around here?” I asked them with a meaningful look.
They were both young, in their early twenties, with faces the picture of wary anxiety.
“Quiet,” the blond one replied. “Not many people are leaving their houses. This morning there were several raids in supermarkets. People are stockpiling food.” He paused and leaned closer, his voice turning conspiratorial. “There haven’t been any more … vampire attacks, but we’re all expecting them tonight. They can only come out at night, right?” He swallowed hard.
“Yeah, that’s right. You’re safe as houses during the day. What about the telephone lines and the internet, are they still not working?”
Both officers shook their heads. The dark-haired one eyed my DOH jacket.
“You’re one of those slayers, aren’t you?” he asked with barely contained fascination. “My uncle was one before he died. At least that’s the rumour in our family.”
“I am, not that it means much anymore. Most of us have been killed.”
His enthusiasm quickly deflated. “Is that why the vampires are killing people?”
“No. Listen, boys, I have to go, but you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work and stay safe.” I patted each of them on the back before returning to the others who were still waiting inside the van.
Just before I got there, though, I spotted someone passing through one of the alleys just off the street. A suspiciously familiar blond head of hair. Stealthily, I slipped down the alley and climbed up a ladder to a small nook on the side of the building. I breathed as little as possible and kept watching.
Seconds later, Cristescu passed beneath me. The fucker really could come out in the daylight now. He walked at human speed and had this weird look on his face as though every little thing he saw fascinated him. A moment later, he was gone, disappearing down another alley. I let out the breath I was holding.
Seeing him walk by like that was strange. He didn’t seem like the all-powerful, scary new being that he did on the roof. He seemed like his usual self, i.e. a confident, ‘knows all too well how good looking he is’ prick.
I pulled out my phone to call Tegan, before remembering the lines were down. I wondered where Cristescu was hiding her.
Keeping my little sighting to myself for now, I returned to the van and filled everyone in on what the policemen told me.
“We’ll take Alora to her house first, and then we’ll drive around, see if we spot anything unusual.”
“We should try to find Rita,” Alvie said. “If we can somehow convince her to leave Theodore, I’m sure she’ll be able to break the seal around the city. She’s the only one who can.”
“Have you not seen your witchy friend recently?” I asked him. “She’s gone to the dark side, and I’m talking Darth Vader dark side. It’ll be very near impossible to get her back.”
“I never would have taken you for a trekkie nerd,” Delilah commented snidely.
I pointed a finger at her and smiled. “Star Wars, babe, not Star Trek, though I am partial to a woman in one of those tight Starfleet uniforms.”
“You like a woman in uniform. How original,” Delilah deadpanned.
“Rita’s stronger than you know,” Alvie went on, unable to give up on his best friend. “If anyone can break through darkness, it’s her.”
I gave him a considering look before pulling the van out of its parking spot. I knew Rita was powerful, but I still thought the chances of her coming back to us were about as likely as me pulling Scarlett Johansson – in other words: nil.
Alora’s neighbourhood wasn’t too far from my own, a ten-minute walk at most. She told me the address, and I stopped once I reached her house.
“We’re here,” I told her softly before getting out and walking around to her side. I helped her out of the van and led her to the front door. The garden gate lay on the ground, torn off its hinges. I didn’t mention this to her because I didn’t want to upset her, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign. At least the front door was still intact. I pressed the button to ring the doorbell.
Radio silence.
I pressed again but still nothing.
“Maybe they’ve gone out,” Alora suggested.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“I wish I had my key to get in, that way you could leave me and get on with the other things you need to do.”
“I’m not leaving you until I know you’re with your family, Goldy,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. I hadn’t meant to touch her. It was just one of those instinctive things. She sucked in a quick breath, letting it out when I drew my hand away from her.