crying and driving in the pouring rain. I certainly wasn't in the mood to shop for cars today.
So I steeled myself and drove on. After a few hours, the rain finally let up a little. I decided it was a good time to stop for gas. If I waited, the rain might kick up again, and I was also not in the mood to spend the next couple of hours soaking wet.
As I climbed back into my car, I decided I better check in with Mack. He answered on the first ring; not a surprise to me, as he seldom let his phone ring more than once.
"How's the drive?" he asked, without even saying hi. I knew he had caller ID, but it still unnerved me sometimes when he would start out our phone conversations that way.
"Wet," I replied, sourly. I let him stop laughing before I continued. "Yeah, hilarious, Mack. How's the search going?"
"Nothing yet. We seem to be hitting dead ends everywhere. Except..." He trailed off. I could tell by his voice that it was something he didn't really want to share with me.
"Except what? Does this have anything to do with the other night?"
"The other night?" Mack tried his best to sound confused. It must've been bad.
"At your house. You looked upset when you came in. I thought it was me, but it wasn't was it? I meant to ask, but forgot. Mack, what's going on?"
He stammered, as if trying to find the words. I waited patiently. Finally he sighed heavily.
"I didn't want to say anything; not yet anyway. I thought we could handle it without you, and I didn't want to ruin your....your vacation."
"Spill it Mack!" I almost shouted. I hated it when he drew things out like that.
"It's Vyktor," he finally said, sounding defeated. A shudder ran through my spine. I slammed on the brakes, nearly losing control of the car on the still wet pavement. I managed to pull over to the side of the road, and threw the car into park.
"What do you mean, Vyktor?" No wonder he didn't want to tell me. God, could things get any worse? I closed my eyes and cursed to myself. Vyktor, like me, was a vampire. Unlike other vampires, Vyktor did not try to avoid me. Quite the opposite, actually. He hunted me, to put it bluntly.
I had spent several centuries making sure he did not find me. It wasn't that I feared for my own life, but I didn't want to have to kill him, and I certainly didn't want to endanger those around me. Part of the duties of the network was to do their best to keep track of him at all times. If we knew where he was and what he was doing, then we could avoid a confrontation. If Mack had any concerns about him now, then he had either found me, or was close.
"Where is he?" I finally asked, hoping like hell, he didn't say California.
"As far as we can tell, he is headed back home." Mack replied, trying to sound hopeful.
"So he was there?"
"No, not here. In San Diego, then Los Angeles."
"So what's the problem, then? That's not that close, Mack."
He paused before he answered. When he finally spoke, I could hear a slight bit of hysteria in his voice.
"Khallie, he was asking around about you.... by name. The name you have now." Yeah, that was bad. One thing I did to prevent from being discovered, either by Vyktor, or others who might piece together that I was a vampire, was to change my name frequently.
The last time I had seen Vyktor, I went by another name, and several others since. For Vyktor to know who I was now meant he had been doing some research. It was a bad. If he found out who I was now, he could track me down. He could find Mack, Marlene, and everyone else back home. He could even find out about the network, putting everyone I knew in danger.
"I'm coming back, now." I finally said. I had already put the car in drive, and was pulling onto the road to do a uturn.
"No," Mack said, so forcefully, that I instinctively slammed on the brakes again. "No, you’re not! He's left, Khallie. He’s already gone. There is no need to come back here, now. In fact, if he has gone home, you are in a better position to keep an eye on him in
So I steeled myself and drove on. After a few hours, the rain finally let up a little. I decided it was a good time to stop for gas. If I waited, the rain might kick up again, and I was also not in the mood to spend the next couple of hours soaking wet.
As I climbed back into my car, I decided I better check in with Mack. He answered on the first ring; not a surprise to me, as he seldom let his phone ring more than once.
"How's the drive?" he asked, without even saying hi. I knew he had caller ID, but it still unnerved me sometimes when he would start out our phone conversations that way.
"Wet," I replied, sourly. I let him stop laughing before I continued. "Yeah, hilarious, Mack. How's the search going?"
"Nothing yet. We seem to be hitting dead ends everywhere. Except..." He trailed off. I could tell by his voice that it was something he didn't really want to share with me.
"Except what? Does this have anything to do with the other night?"
"The other night?" Mack tried his best to sound confused. It must've been bad.
"At your house. You looked upset when you came in. I thought it was me, but it wasn't was it? I meant to ask, but forgot. Mack, what's going on?"
He stammered, as if trying to find the words. I waited patiently. Finally he sighed heavily.
"I didn't want to say anything; not yet anyway. I thought we could handle it without you, and I didn't want to ruin your....your vacation."
"Spill it Mack!" I almost shouted. I hated it when he drew things out like that.
"It's Vyktor," he finally said, sounding defeated. A shudder ran through my spine. I slammed on the brakes, nearly losing control of the car on the still wet pavement. I managed to pull over to the side of the road, and threw the car into park.
"What do you mean, Vyktor?" No wonder he didn't want to tell me. God, could things get any worse? I closed my eyes and cursed to myself. Vyktor, like me, was a vampire. Unlike other vampires, Vyktor did not try to avoid me. Quite the opposite, actually. He hunted me, to put it bluntly.
I had spent several centuries making sure he did not find me. It wasn't that I feared for my own life, but I didn't want to have to kill him, and I certainly didn't want to endanger those around me. Part of the duties of the network was to do their best to keep track of him at all times. If we knew where he was and what he was doing, then we could avoid a confrontation. If Mack had any concerns about him now, then he had either found me, or was close.
"Where is he?" I finally asked, hoping like hell, he didn't say California.
"As far as we can tell, he is headed back home." Mack replied, trying to sound hopeful.
"So he was there?"
"No, not here. In San Diego, then Los Angeles."
"So what's the problem, then? That's not that close, Mack."
He paused before he answered. When he finally spoke, I could hear a slight bit of hysteria in his voice.
"Khallie, he was asking around about you.... by name. The name you have now." Yeah, that was bad. One thing I did to prevent from being discovered, either by Vyktor, or others who might piece together that I was a vampire, was to change my name frequently.
The last time I had seen Vyktor, I went by another name, and several others since. For Vyktor to know who I was now meant he had been doing some research. It was a bad. If he found out who I was now, he could track me down. He could find Mack, Marlene, and everyone else back home. He could even find out about the network, putting everyone I knew in danger.
"I'm coming back, now." I finally said. I had already put the car in drive, and was pulling onto the road to do a uturn.
"No," Mack said, so forcefully, that I instinctively slammed on the brakes again. "No, you’re not! He's left, Khallie. He’s already gone. There is no need to come back here, now. In fact, if he has gone home, you are in a better position to keep an eye on him in
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