Page 37 of Abiding Blood

Julian nodded again and stood up, cradling the fluffy animal against him like a child.

“I assume we’re bringing your pet?”

“Oh, of course. I can’t just leave him here.” He glanced down at the creature, then shot me a sharp look.

“Relax, I don’t eat animals. Your pet is safe.”

Julian dropped his shoulders and relaxed a bit, but he didn’t move.

I left him standing there, hoping he would soon spring into action so we could get underway. It was understandable that he might need a moment to adjust, but we didn’t have time to waste.

I went out into the snow, jogging down the drive and onto the road leading off the mountain. Once past the driveway, the snow on the gravel had melted in the sun, leaving only a light dusting. I followed the road to the base of the mountain, where it reached a four-way stop. Several wrecked cars—thankfully without drivers—blocked the intersection. It took only a few minutes to push them aside and clear a path onto the main east-west highway.

I sped back to the cabin and moved Julian’s car into the driveway. I scraped as much snow off the vehicle and driveway as I could. With that done, I grabbed my pack and tossed it into the unlocked car.

I headed back into the cabin and found Julian busy at work. He was packing items into a suitcase laid out on the bed. I approached at a measured pace, making enough noise not to startle him.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“I don’t think so. I don’t really have much.” Julian paused his packing. “I’ve seen you before,” he said, looking up at me.

“Yes, I remember you too, from before. I saw you in a bar in Seattle, just before everything fell apart,” I recalled clearly. It had been the end of a reckless night. I’d had no control. I remembered that I’d planned to feed from this man, to kill him. Shame washed over me at the memory, and I looked away from Julian’s gaze.

“Yeah, it seems like a long time ago,” Julian murmured.

“It was in a different life, to be sure.”

Julian cleared his throat and went back to folding clothes. “You could pack the food I’ve laid out and anything else you think we might need, if you want to.”

He didn’t look back up, instead concentrating on his task. I left him to do as he asked.

I packed the food Julian would need into plastic bags I found on the counter. After some rummaging, I also found rubber tubing for siphoning gas, lanterns, fuel, several flashlights, a basic tool set, a padlock I thought might come in handy, and fire-starting supplies. The cabin was surprisingly well-stocked. It was too bad we had to leave it. I packed everything I’d selected into the car, along with the gun I’d left by the door and some ammunition.

Julian emerged from the bedroom, struggling with the suitcase and several smaller bags. I took them from him and put them in the car with the rest while Julian tended to the cat. I expected the animal to ride in a carrier or box, but it was allowed to roam freely in the car. Julian seemed surprised that the vehicle had moved since he last parked it, but he didn’t say anything. With everything packed, we were ready to leave. Julian extinguished the last lantern and followed me out into the darkness.

“Do you feel well enough to drive?” I asked. “I can technically drive a car, but it’s been a few years.”

Julian let out a soft chuckle. “Vampires don’t drive cars?” he asked.

I smiled back. “I ran from Seattle to Oregon in just a few hours.” The human’s expression was exactly what I’d intended, and I let out a chuckle of my own.

Julian shook his head and climbed into the driver’s seat. I took that as a yes and settled into the passenger seat. After several minutes of fiddling, the car started, and we were off. When we reached the main highway, we paused. I asked Julian what we would find in either direction, since I was unfamiliar with the area. I knew the lodge was south of us, and as long as we didn’t go that way, we would put distance between ourselves and the vampires’ nest. After discussing it, we chose east, avoiding the need to cross back over the pass, which would undoubtedly be clogged with snow.

We drove for hours, and the road gradually turned north. Neither of us felt like talking, and I sensed we needed time to adjust to each other. The silence seemed to calm us both. The roads remained blissfully clear of snow, but progress was slow. We had to stop a few times, once to refuel the car and several times for me to clear debris or move cars out of our way. This part of the state was less populated than the western region, and we didn’t encounter any humans or vampires along the way. Several hours before sunrise, we spotted signs for a small town ahead.

“I think we should stop for the day,” I said. Julian looked exhausted, and I wanted to find and secure a place for us well before dawn.

“For the whole day? You mean we’ll be there all day?” Julian asked.

“I’m afraid it’s necessary,” I said. “True to the legends about my kind, I can’t be out in daylight.”

“Oh, okay. I guess that means the others won’t be out searching for us during the day either?”

“No, you’ll be safe from them as long as the sun is up.”

“There might be other people, though,” Julian said, brightening a bit. “I haven’t seen anyone since this started. I didn’t even know anyone was living nearby until I heard the gunshots last night. I guess people have been locking themselves away to avoid getting sick.”

I hesitated before answering. “You and your neighbors were incredibly isolated up there. I think anyone we find will be in similarly isolated circumstances. The people I saw on my way here, along the main highway and in the city, were mostly dead or dying,” I said. “I’m not sure there are many uninfected humans left alive. It’s something you need to consider. If we run into other humans, that is.”