Episode Seventeen – The Safehouse

     The explosion was reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino film.

     The flames lit up our faces with a wild, golden glow as we drove out of the snow-covered parking lot and back onto the road.

     Black smoke hung thick in the fading darkness.

     Mixed with the smell of blood in my nostrils.      

     No one would question a faulty gas line in a room full of smokers surrounded by burning trash cans.

     It was just an accident waiting to happen.

     “I only threw up twice,” Patience said, beaming at me from where she sat, blood staining her chin like crimson pistachio dust.

     “I’m impressed,” I said, and I truly was. If I remember correctly, I threw up at least three times the first time I fed on a fresh body. Not from the taste, but from the guilt and the idea of it.

     It’s incredible what you can get used to when your very existence demands it.

     “Daylight will hit us soon,” Kendrick said. “I hope someone has a plan.”

     “There’s a safehouse less than fifteen minutes away,” I said.  “I’ve used it a few times. They can be trusted.”

     I entered the location into the GPS as Sterling drove, and then rested my head against the window. Sometimes I wondered if I would ever see the sun again. The memory of it had become fuzzy, like the face of a loved one long passed.

     We rode in silence until the turn off.

     I sat up, eyes scanning the grey dawn.

     “Here,” I pointed dead on. “Let me do the talking.”

     Sentinels were posted along the drive, covered head to toe in winter gear as hunters wear. White, with brown patches, indicating where the snow may have melted.

     They were armed.

     Sterling gradually came to a stop, and we rolled down the windows.

     I stuck my head out, and the closest one shone a beam of light on my face.

     I showed him who I was — a smooth, flowing transition, eyes, teeth, and then a smile.

     “Candy Holt,” I said. “Gandara knows me.”

     The man stood motionless, eyes hard on me. Then turned and motioned to the man behind him. Soft words were exchanged. The other radioed in.   

     Seconds later, the response.

     He nodded, and seconds later, they disappeared into the fading shadows.

     “Weird,” Patience said.

     “I wouldn’t expect anything less from Candy,” Kendrick said.

     “Just follow the drive, only pick up the pace. I can see gold on the horizon.”

     Sterling did little more than nod as he sped up the long drive, and as we moved along in the growing light of day, I could see eyes watching us, feel them in the night.

     Sterling pulled to a stop at the top of the hill, and the house rose out of the wilderness that surrounded us like a citadel.

     Gandara stood at the door, wrapped in black lace with that damn bird of hers.

     We piled out of the SUV just as the sun broke over the trees.

     “Hurry, my dear, or you will solve The Collective’s problem for them,” she said, ushering us in and slamming the door behind us.

     We were plunged into darkness.

     “Nice to know good news travels so quickly,” I said, and hugged her close.

     The bird poked at me and growled.

     “Twitch, mind your manners,” Gandara said. “I’m sure you remember Candy.”

     His eyes flashed at me, and I knew he did, the little bastard.

     “Oh, he remembers all right. He remembers that he stole my rings last time I was here,” I said, holding out empty fingers and wiggling them.

     “Don’t tempt him, my dear; he was always partial to worms,” Gandara said, smoothing out his ruffled feathers and kissing him gently on the beak.

     Lights grew in illumination around us, bringing everyone into view.

     “These are my…Friends,” I said, pulling Patience close to me. “She’s new. Patience, this is my friend, Gandara Temple.”

     “Ah,” Gandara held out her hand and took Patience aside, breathing deeply, learning her scent. “You are safe here, little one. We are neutral territory. We do not pick sides, nor do we tolerate violence. You can rest and know that you are watched over.”

     “Are you a vampire too?” Patience asked.

     “No, my dear, nothing like that. I’m just a simple woman, living a simple life,” Gandara said as she led us into the main parlor of the old house, where a fire blazed inside massive stone walls as if it no longer wanted to be contained.

     Twitch leapt from her shoulder and landed on a rough-hewn perch next to the fireplace, eyes flashing.

     “This is Sterling Pool, and Kendrick Stone, I think you may have heard me speak of Kendrick before,” I said.

     Gandara grinned widely, revealing her fierce white teeth. “Yes, I believe you’ve mentioned him to me once or twice before.”

     Kendrick cleared his throat. “A pleasure.”

     She moved to where Sterling stood.

     “A man on a mission, I see,” she said, moving closer to read his face. “Just so we understand each other, Mr. Pool. I do not tolerate violence in my home or on my land unless I’m the one doing it. I also may look like a sweet old lady, but I assure you… I’m not.”

     I saw Sterling’s spine stiffen from where I was standing, and I wondered what was going on in that head of his, but he soon relaxed.

     “I’m a guest in your home. I abide by your rules,” he said.

     She studied him a while longer and then suddenly turned.

     “Right!” she said, pulling a chain from around her waist and eyeing me. “Two rooms?”

     “Three, if you have the room. The boys aren’t exactly close, and Patience will bunk with me,” I said.

     “There’s only one other guest, a woman. She’s been here for the last three days. Doesn’t talk much. Not sure if you wish to make yourself known to her or not,” Gandara said, leading us from the room and up the back stairs.

     “Does she have a name?” I asked as she unlocked my door and handed me the key.

     “Raven, Raven Kemble,” she said.

     From behind Gandara, I could see the look that washed over Sterling’s face.

     He knew her.

     She pressed the key into my hand and held my eye. “Keep it locked. I’ll have a man walk the halls.”

     I simply nodded and pulled Patience in along with me.

     I glanced back at Kendrick, where he was waiting his turn in the dimly lit hall, and our eyes met. Then I closed the door behind us, sliding the key back into the lock and turning it.

     The room was dark and cold like a crypt, but I no longer felt sleepy.

     “I know I’ve never mentioned this, but I can’t sleep in the dark. Not completely dark, anyway. Do you think she has a TV or a night light or something?” Patience said, feeling around the room in the darkness. “This is going to be so fun. I haven’t had a girls-only sleepover in ages. Are you hungry? I bet you are. Do you know if she has anything good to eat around here? Like a well-stocked mini fridge and a coffee pot? That’s what they always have at the better hotels.”

     Raven Kemble’s name had sparked something in Sterling’s eyes, something I hadn’t noticed until tonight.

     Fear.

     Patience found a small table lamp next to the bed and clicked it on; a soft glow warmed the room around us.

     Faded wallpaper covered the walls, while crimson red velvet curtains hid the blackened windows. Cobwebs quivered as the wind gusted sharply against the side of the house.

     “There we go,” she said, beginning to strip off. “What side do you want? Left, or right?”