Chapter 19

    Katrina went to Bev's room, everything was still there. Bev had two phones, one was her old one. She didn't use it for anything, she was the one who would warn the rest of them not to use their phones for anything. Of all the people to be paranoid yet oblivious about her job of meeting new people all the time. The only thing that she couldn't find was her old phone.
    “She took her phone.” Katrina sat back down in the kitchen.
    “Not this one.” Dee held it up and shook it then threw it onto the table.
    “Should we call?” Miki stared at the note, same look of hope in her eyes. “When do you think she left?”
    “I don't know.” Katrina took the note. “Stupid b***h could at least told us when she left.”
    “Well, it's about three hours to where she's going. We should wait three hours before anything. Right?” Dee shrugged, to be honest, she didn't really need to know anything about Bev. She was already building a nice little life with Spencer.
    “I guess. You trust her to lead anybody away that's following her?” Katrina looked at the clock on the microwave and then looked at Dee.
    “I do.” Miki cut in before Dee could answer. “Bev is kind of a b***h to us, but she's the one who is always reminding us not to do anything stupid to draw too much attention. Lot of good it does to tell us that when she runs out and parties with everybody who can afford a two-four.”
    That made Katrina and Dee laugh.

    What they didn't know was Katrina missed Bev by just minutes. If she was paying any kind of attention to the traffic on the road, she would have seen her car passing in the opposite direction. Bev's heart froze when she saw who was calling. Her survival instinct kicked in and a bunch of scenarios went through her mind. It was really Earl, or someone just trying to find them, those two were on the top of the list. She didn't want to get stopped so she stayed just close enough to the speed limit to get to Chase Creek as fast as she could.
    The road was different than she remembered the last time she rode on it. Swirls of loose snow blew back and forth in the turbulence of the truck she was following. It looked like a slow moving snake sometimes. Every time she was nearing a well marked rest stop or a gas station she could pull over at, she seriously considered it. She would remember the kinds of things that she was up against. Things that wanted to kill her. Things that would rip open her stomach and start drinking her blood while she was still alive. Pulling her guts out while she screamed. Then she would hear Earl's voice and she would keep going. Just a little faster.
    Earl didn't sound too sure about meeting her at Chase Creek. A small town that was well inside the BC border. It was a very small town by a river. Just large enough to have a small motel, a restaurant, a single main street with small shops, and a hockey rink. It actually had a dock went out over the widest, slowest part of the river, but it was only for historic use. It really was just a train yard, like Wilkins Lake, but a lot smaller.
    The reason he wasn't sure about meeting her inside this “safe zone” was what Ryn told him. Bev didn't really know Ryn except for what Katrina and the others told her. What she knew of Ryn was all bad. Earl didn't want to talk too long on the phone, but he made sure Bev knew that meeting would be dangerous for them. Bev saw a familiar truck parked beside a closed gas station. All the lights were out and only the the small diner next door showed the silhouette of the guy sitting in the cab. Bev hopped out and jumped in Earl's truck.

    “What the f**k, Earl?” Bev reached over and punched his shoulder, hard.
    “What? S**t, by what it sounds like, you were living the easy life. I was out Manitoba way with those two maniacs.” Earl rubbed his shoulder.
    “You could've called! Texted! Any f*****g thing!” Bev was getting louder.
    “Shh, s**t,” Earl looked around, “if I get picked up by cops or something, everything's going to s**t. Stop f*****g hitting me!”
    “Sorry. It's just, I want to go home.” Bev scooted over and put her arms around Earl's neck.
    “No,” Earl pushed her back, “no, no. You have to go back. I only got away because I don't have that tattoo. And the guy looking for you scares the s**t out of Mimyr and Ryn. They're not even sure how long they're going to last out there. So they just handed me that,” Earl pointed to the floor beside Bev's feet, “and told me to go home.”
    Bev reached down, it was a pillow case filled with stacks of money. She could tell by the angular creases she felt. “Why the hell are they giving their money to us? What are we supposed to do with it?” It was the way that Bev and Earl were made, something about self-preservation, it made them wonder about why they did that.
    “Don't know. They just told me to go home and stay the f**k there. But I thought I could go to where you were. S**t, it's better than home and we'd be set for the rest of our lives.” Earl was looking down at his feet, there was something he wasn't telling her.
    “Earl?” Bev knew that look.
    “I can't. I should already be on the way back, but I waited a little longer.” Earl looked at Bev, guilt in his eyes.
    “Why?”
    “I stopped for gas just on this side of the border and this woman came up,” Earl could feel the fire flare in Bev's eyes, “no, nothing like that, but she told me things. About you guys and that guy hunting you. About a vampire named Derrik. S**t I can't remember most of it.”
    “What? We saw him, he told us to stay where we were. What else did she say?” Bev voice was quiet.
    “She said that I only have until tomorrow morning to get back out. Any longer than that and she can't, no, she won't guarantee you guys will stay safe. Said she'll ask 'real nice',” Earl put as much sarcasm into those two words as he could, “if the grey man will spare you guys. If he says no, she'll deliver you guys herself.”
    “What?” Bev sat up.
    “I don't know,” Earl put his balled fists on the steering wheel and rested his head on them, “it's some kind of stupid game they're playing seems like it. After he goes and kills a bunch of vampires, he'll kill all their Kin. It's what that tattoo means.”
    Bev reached behind her neck and rubbed.
    “But it's not really the tattoo. It's something they did to you. I guess I don't got it. But she knew stuff like how he saw you guys. She always sounded pissed off that you guys were inside and they had to protect you. He thinks you guys were going to go on and become vampires and she sees it like that too. You guys were going to ruin a bunch of lives. So she's the one saying that if I go there, you guys are getting to live the way you want. Getting things your way.”
    “So what? All of us have to pay? Those f*****g b*****s back there don't even know what they're running away from. They still think it's some kind of game. How come I have to pay for it? I just want to go home!” Bev had Earl's shirt in her hand and shook him.
    “I don't f*****g know!” Earl shoved her hand away. “I'm just telling you what I remember.”
    “So, that's it? For the rest of our lives? Trapped in that s****y little town?” Bev took his hand.
    “Probably. I don't know. But that woman said she'll ask for me if I can go there. That would mean that all of them are dead, including Mimyr and Ryn.” Earl didn't want to tell Bev that the woman, G, also said that she'd relieve him of the sack of money.
    “We can't just go home after that?”
    “No. The grey man is sworn to kill all of you. I don't know what that means. All I know is he'll find out if you left and he'll kill you.”
    “Well, just stay then.” Bev's voice was quiet for the first time. “I'm by myself here, even with Miki and them. They always make it feel like I'm not wanted.”
    Earl just shook his head, his throat clicked and he swallowed hard. “Can't.”
    Bev knew why. If he did, they would probably all die. A knock came from the other side of Earl. Bev leaned forward and recognized the face looking in. It was that easy smile. Earl looked and just waved him away asking for a few more minutes.
    “Benny?” Bev furrowed her brow.
    “You know him?” Earl heard that somebody went with Derrik to Wilkins Lake.
    “Yeah, he was with that vampire that came to give us a message. Dumb a*****e looked ready to kill us all.” Bev remembered the whole floor shaking when Derrik shuddered with restraint.
    “This guy?” Earl looked ready to jump out and give Benny a thrashing.
    “No, Derrik. Benny was there to pick him up.”
    “What?” Earl sounded surprised.
    “Yeah, treated him like a junkie or something.” Bev laughed, she hated Wilkins Lake, but liked Benny and his crew for things like that.
    Benny knocked on the window again, Earl rolled it down.
    “What?” Earl almost shouted.
    “Going to have to roll out pretty soon there, bud. Cutting it pretty damn close and G isn't in a great mood these days. Hello, lady.” Benny leaned forward and waved at Bev then looked back at Earl.
    “I know. Just a couple more minutes, okay?” Earl rolled up the window without letting Benny answer.
    “Earl, you better go. You seen what those things can do.” Bev pushed back to other side of the cab.
    “I know. Okay, I'll ask if I can see you again sooner than later, they can't hate me that much.” Earl tried to laugh, but it choked off.
    Bev reached over and took Earl by the back of his head and kissed him. “I'll have a word with Benny. Bye.”
    The truck door slammed and Earl didn't wait, he cranked his truck up and was off into the night again. Bev looked and saw Benny climbing into a car, she ran over and banged on his window. Benny looked over, there was Carl, they shrugged.
    “What is it?” Benny started talking as soon as the window cracked. He looked like he wanted to catch Earl before long.
    “You f*****g a******s, why can't he stay?”
    “Because we're adults, not playing any stupid little games. The grey man is sworn to kill all the vampires and people like you. The same way we're sworn to guard your stupid a*s. G has it right, the second he comes and asks for you guys, we're handing you over. We seen what your kind do to people. Sure, you act scared and righteous now, but when you're hungry,” Benny shook his head, “you stop caring who you hurt.”
    “I'm not,” Bev stumbled, “one of them, dumb a*s!”
    “Close enough, you four are the closest to becoming vampires we seen and let survive. The only reason you're better than that Derrik parasite is you didn't kill anybody yet. We get the slightest hint you girls are changing your ways, the rules change.” Benny gave that smile that Bev was starting to hate.
    “Can I at least keep in touch with Earl?”
    Benny looked over at Carl, he looked back and turned his hands over then dropped them back in his lap. Benny waggled his head back and forth while rockering his hand. “Up to you, but you sure you want to piss off two people in the world you should just avoid annoying? Just so you know, the grey man has the same resources we do and he'll know. Him and G hate that you guys are sitting on piles of money out there while using us to hide behind. Come to think of it, kind of pisses me off too.”
    “How do you know? No, nevermind. You guys think you know all the f*****g answers.” Bev thumped the top of the car.
    “Yeah, we're the problem here. Now if you don't mind, we have to make sure that guy makes it back across the border.” Before he was finished saying that, Benny had dropped the car into first and took off. Tires whirred away on the snow as he made his way to the road.