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Encroaching Darkness, Fading Light


Chapter four - Murderer on the Loose


Carla was curled up on the floor of Sammy's room, though it was no longer her room, what else was there to call it.

Carla stared out of the door, down the corridor, and at the back of the couch in the lounge room.

She had been laying here silently since the police had left, about three hours ago. It had taken them an awful long time to take away the body and collect all of the evidence. Budd, the sheriff, had told her that he would do all in his power to find out who had killed Sammy, but Carla wasn't confident.

Every time Carla breathed in, her nostrils were filled with the scent of Sammy's killer, heavy in fabric softener, as if his clothes were often washed. There was no other scent in the room, and no other evidence she could identify. The owner of the funeral home and corner of the town, a strange man by the name of Mike Spencer. He had a macabre personality, and a sense of cheerful brutality about him, which Carla supposed was good when you spent most of your time dealing with cadavers.

The ticking of her watch suddenly rose in volume, and she glanced down at its face, almost time for work, Carla sighed.

Carla dragged herself from the floor and headed for the bathroom, to wash herself up. Though she was getting out of her work clothing, she knew she would need to get back in to it, so she took a few minutes to spray the shorts and T-shirt with deodorant, so it didn't smell as bad.

She had no idea how she was going to manage to pay the rent, or the bills, or even find out who was responsible for Sammy's murder. The police said she was asphyxiated, but Carla could tell, considering the slightly brown marks around the woman's neck, the only bruising that could occur before rigamortis set in to her young frail body.

These thoughts continued to swirl around in her head, as she drove into the the bar and grill parking lot. Locking her car up, heading inside, and getting ready for work, as she made her way behind the bar, ready for opening time, she ignored the eyes that stuck to her like glue, stares that came from all of the employees in the place.

Carla simply got on with wiping down the surfaces and then leaning her back against the bar, ready for opening.

Sam came round the corner from his office, taking a double take when he noticed her behind the bar. Sookie pulled him to where the three waitresses were standing, and began whispering ferociously at him.

Sam sighed and walked over to Carla, she didn't need to hear them to know what he was going to say.

"Hey, Paula, are you sure you should be in tonight, considering?" Sam stood a couple of feet away from her, as if she might lash out at him in her grief.

"Considering what, Sam?" Carla looked up, locking her eyes with his, which caused his to glance down at the floor in uncertainty.

"Considering the murder" Sam added.

"Trust me, I have shed my tears for Sammy. I understand that news of this nature travels like wild fire in a small town such as this, but I am afraid missing a day of work would mean I would lose my house. Even though I doubt if I work from now until the end of the month, every day, full time, I will still not be able to meet my rent for next month" Sam frowned.

"Additionally, I cannot bear to be in that house another moment. Knowing what happened there, what some sick bastard did there, it drives me mad" Carla continued. "I don't even want to go home tonight" Her voice remained stiff, but a small tear trailed down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry Paula" Sookie came rushing past Sam, her arms out stretched, about to give her a charging hug.

Carla simply stood still and Sooke threw her arms around her, and Carla patted the telepath's back with one hand. Carla whispered a warning dangerously low into her ear, so that no-one else could hear.

"Don't you dare Sookie" Sookie was aware what she was referring to, and slowly ceased her contact.

"Well if you want to work, I won't stop you, but if you need a break, feel free to step into my office at any time during your shift. I can tend the bar while you cool off" Sam gave a tiny smile at the edges of his lips, he was a sympathetic man, if also secretive. His infatuation with a certain blonde waitress was not very secretive though.

Carla nodded, her eyes now fixed on the blonde. Arlene and Dawn left as Sam went back to his office, going back to stand by the kitchen, far enough away for the blonde to start questioning her.

"Did those people you were telling me about last night… that wanted you dead, kill your flat mate?" Carla stood up straight, turning away from the blonde as if they weren't talking.

"No" Carla checked her watch.

"Then who?"

"I don't know, but I would know if it was the"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sookie, please relax. If there is danger of that kind, you would be the first one I would tell."

Sookie let out a quick sigh.

"Okay" She went to leave, but stopped almost immediately.

"Carla, really, I am sorry, I know how it feels to lose someone"

Carla looked up at the blonde, and she could see the hurt in her eyes. She had lost someone close, Mother or father maybe, or a grandparent that was close maybe.

Carla gave a faint smile to her, and nodded.

"Thank you, Sookie"


Early in the night Sookie received a call from a woman, which she took and ended quickly, apologizing to Sam for taking a call during work, knowing that she shouldn't while she was working. This prompted Sam to bring up the issue of Arlene's phone usage during work.

"Hey!" Arlene exclaimed as she came round the corner from the kitchens. "I heard that!"

"Yes… I wish you would hear that Arlene!" Sam joked.

"Sam, I am the only one here that has kids!" Arlene complained as she continued to walk towards her table.

Just after this, Dawn came to the bar, holding her order book and tray in her hands, she paused next to Sookie to say "Mack and Denise Ratray are just about to sit down in your section" which caused both women to look over towards the two rednecks who were about to sit down. The woman rearranging her bra while the man forcefully swung his hand back and smacked her on the ass. At which she turned and yelled "What the fuck" smacking the man on the arm just as harshly.

Sookie let out a pained sigh, turn back around towards the bar.

At which Sam said, "Just put on that poker face… Cher" He then turned away and started washing up some of the glasses in the sink, at which Carla furrowed her brow.

Sookie turned away and went to serve the two.

"Who are they?" Carla asked, taking the opportunity to ask him a few questions while he was doing her work, which she neglected to inform him.

"They're just a scummy pair, thieves, drug addicts, drug dealers" Sam replied, Carla took interest in the last words.

"Don't look like the type to me" Carla admitted, leaning against the bar next to Sam.

"Well, here they are definitely the type, trust me, you don't want to be involved with them"

"Don't worry, I have no plan to" Carla agreed, as she was looking over at the two, who were staring up at Sookie. Who looked as if she was close to lashing out at one of them, her awkward false grin slowly becoming larger, and more like a sneer.

The phone began to ring and Sam went to answer it, where Carla picked up where he had left the washing. Sure enough, it was for Arlene, from one of her kids, and so she began a motherly lecture down the phone about scary movies and how the kids should listen to 'Rene', Arlene's boyfriend, Carla guessed.

Sookie left the table with the two rednecks, and walked to the kitchens at a hurried pace.

Sookie's friend Tara arrived soon after the brief phone conversation. Tara said that her and Sookie had known each other since they were very young, she sat at the bar, constantly ordering drinks, which Carla made without question. The woman continually spoke about the amount of racist rednecks in the town, and about how much she was discriminated against. Personally, Carla just thought that Tara was stewing for a fight, in any shape or form, and she had a very short fuse, something that didn't help when working with people, so Carla was calm and polite with her.

Sam was hanging around the bar tonight, not doing anything, just being a nuisance in the eyes of Carla, who had to keep asking him to move so that she could get to things he was standing in front of. He appeared to just be watching what was going on in the bar, but Carla saw his eyes keep trailing onto the same person, Sookie.

Whenever Sookie came over to the bar to ask for a drink for one of her tables, Sam would insist on making it for her. Carla sighed at how obvious he was, and yet Sookie seemed to take no notice.

When Sookie came over to the bar Tara began talking to her, but Carla wasn't paying much attention, she was more paying attention to the two red necks in their seats. She had pretended not to know them, playing the part, but Carla guessed that these were the ones who had been Sammy's V suppliers most of the time, before the incident with the vampire. In this town drug dealers must be few a far between, so it must be them, considering Sammy had told her they were 'Red necks'.

Carla had her thought pattern disturbed as Sam pushed past her to meet Sookie at the bar.

"Hey, how you doing Sookie?" He asked, grinning widely.

"I've had better nights" She admitted, giving a lazy shrug.

"Anything I can do to improve this one for you?" Sam asked, leaning forward over the bar towards her.

Sookie made a surprised face, blinking twice and then widening her eyes, wondering what he was hinting at.

Sam receded back, wetting his lips and breaking eye contact.

Carla rolled her eyes at the awkward exchange.

Sookie turned around slowly, as if she had heard something from behind her that broke her concentration, Carla immediately fixed her eyes on the source of the disruption. A vampire had just sat down in Sookie section, before promptly locking a gaze with the blonde waitress.

He was deathly pale, looked to be in his late thirty's wearing a brown jacket and black trousers. He slumped forward in his chair, clean shaven with little specs of black on his chin. His brown hair was short and messy, more like bed hair than any style, and his face had barely any color apart from a slight redness in his lips.

They stared at each other for a few moments before Sookie turned around to face the bar again, a big grin on her face, she leaned over the bar.

"Oh my-! I think that might be the first vampire we've ever had!" She explained excitedly, her voice hushed, glancing between the three of them. Carla didn't meet her eyes, she was now staring at the vampire completely rigid, and thankfully the vamp was just staring at Sookie's back.

"I think you're right" Sam just stated, the displeasure evident in his tone.

"I can barely believe it!" Sookie seemed so excited, while the others were wary, and Carla was contemplating running right now. "I've been so excited about meeting one for the first time-." Sookie snatched up her order booklet and pen, and walked over to go and serve the vampire. Carla stepped forward a moment too late to catch the blonde's arm, but she was gone.

"Shit" Carla said, but Sam stopped her.

"It's okay, if anything happens- I'll sort it out" he reassured her, and Carla realized there was nothing she could do but nod. She didn't want to lose her job for starting a fight in the bar, nor did she want to appear too anti-vampire.

"This isn't good" Carla sighed.

"Not at all" Tara agreed, all of them looking at Sookie and the vampire.

Sookie arrived at the vampires table and appeared to be making chit chat with him, then the vampire quickly glanced over at Sam and then moved his gaze to Carla's face. Carla turned away, making sure that he didn't get a clear look at her face.

When she looked back, Sookie had quickly exited and walked back towards the bar, and the Ratrays had turned around, coming to sit with the vampire, introducing themselves. Denise sat right next to the vamp, while Mack sat opposite.


"What a bitch" Sookie was stood next to Tara, who was still sat up on a bar stool at the bar. "You really think she's going to let him bite her?" Referring to Denise Ratray, who was now leaning up against the vampire like a bitch in heat.

"It wouldn't surprise me… honestly the amount of people having sex with vampires these days… then the ones that disappear" Tara commented, looking at the vampire warily.

"No… there's no way" Sookie shook her head. "He's not that sort…" she trailed of, still staring.

"Sookie… you spoke to him for five minutes…" Carla commented. "That's hardly an adequate stretch of time to judge his character…" She glanced around the bar, before eyeing the vampire again.

"But-… he's so charming, and polite. Not scary at all!" Sookie assured her.

"Sweet Jesus in heaven Sookie! He is a vampire!" Tara retorted "You shouldn't be so trusting!" Tara sighed, frustrated.

"Yeah- but the synthetic blood has changed-"

"Are you willing to give up all your favourite food and spend the rest of your life drinking slim fast?" Sam butted in, joining the argument. "That's exactly what it's like" He added.

Sookie replied by looking down at the floor then leering at Tara then rolling her eyes to the ground.

"Sookie, just, be careful…" Carla smiled, catching the waitresses eye.

Tara got up to excuse herself to the bathroom. Then shortly after Sookie went back over towards the vampire's table, to ask if they wanted anything else, Carla expected.

Carla turned back to her washing up, and when she looked up, she saw Sookie run off to the ladies room in some sort of hurry, something was wrong.

Shortly after Sookie came running around the corner next to the bar, pulling Tara by the wrist with her.

"No we do not, we don't have to get anywhere near that vampire!" Tara said, looking worried.

Carla walked over to small door to the bar, leaning against the door frame, listening to the two of them.

"Tara-! I am very disappointed in you and your narrow mindedness!" Sookie looked angry.

"Sookie" Sam pushed past Carla, joining in in their conversation again. "I am sure the vampire can take care of himself, he's done so for god-knows how long…" He leaned on the bar in front of Carla.

Sookie then turned around to see that the vampire and the Retrays where gone. "Shit!" She exclaimed, throwing her apron on the bar and running out of the back door.

"Sam, tend the bar!" Carla ordered, as she went running after Sookie.


Upon getting outside Carla saw Sookie running off towards some trees further away in the parking lot. Carla went into the bushes on the opposite side of the parking lot, and followed the tree line, making sure she wasn't seen. Sookie picked up a heavy chain from the back of a pickup truck that was parked in the car park, picking it up as quickly and quietly as possible. She started to move towards the loud voices of the Ratrays. Carla moved closer so she could see what was happening, so she could run out and help if she was needed.

As Sookie got closer, Carla saw the vampire turn and see her, but he remained silent. He was draped with silver across his throat and arms, with cannulas in his arms draining the blood out of him in to blood bags. He was completely helpless, the Ratrays were arguing with one another, keeping them distracted. Denise was fiddling with the equipment and Sookie raised the chain and brought it down on Mack's back, she fell to his knees, groaning in pain.

"You crazy bitch!" He turned around and got back to his feet, pulling out a knife from his back pocket. He lashed out towards Sookie.

Sookie stepped back and flung the chain at Mack's neck, and it curled itself around the man's throat, suffocating him.

A flash of white light in her peripheral vision caught Carla's eye, she turned her head and saw a tall black haired woman, her skin pink and full of life. She wore a long flowing dress, and light had come from her hand that she held up in front of her. Carla turned to walk towards her, but a stick cracked underneath her foot, and the beauty in the dress noticed her and evaporated into a flash of white light.

"Damn!" Carla cursed under her breath, remaining still to make sure the others hadn't heard the snapping. Turning back to see Denise Ratray dragging Mack away from Sookie, who was holding out the knife that Mack had pulled on her.

The Ratray's backed straight off, running farther up the parking lot, probably to where their vehicle was.

As soon as they were out of sight, Sookie threw the knife aside and descended on the weaken vampire, pulling the silver off him and watching him heal almost instantaneously.

Suddenly a car came rushing towards Sookie and the vampire, and she had to get up and help him pull himself out of the way of the oncoming tire. As the car went by Denise yelled, "You're a dead whore-!", before driving out of the parking lot at an alarming speed.

Carla couldn't hear the two as they began to converse, the vampire with his back against a tree, looking completely bemused.

Carla kept a close eye, just in case the vampire decided to try anything on. Knowing what vampires were capable of, and know that most could not be trusted, she got ready to go and get Sookie, now that she had gone and played vigilante.

Suddenly the vampire used his superior speed to move right in front of Sookie, and Carla knew what was going to happen next. She made her way quickly but silently out of the bushes and over to where to two of them stood.

"Sookie" she interrupted, meeting Sookie's eyes first, and then the vampire's, giving him an innocent but fiery stare of warning. "Sam wants you back at the bar, your sections ain't getting served and he's getting real grouchy" Carla did her best to sound as if she hadn't seen anything.

"Well" Sookie turned back towards the vampire. "Seeya Bill… I got work to get back too" Sookie stepped down away from the vampire. Carla gave him one last precise stare, before walking away beside Sookie, back to the bar.

Sam was waiting outside the door for them when they got close to the bar again.

"Sookie, Paula! Thank God!" He had his hands on his hips and was indeed looking grouchy, and worried. "You okay?" He was addressing Sookie mostly.

"I'm fine!" Sookie smiled smugly at the man, "And for your information, not all vampires can take care of themselves!" Carla smiled and glanced at Sookie, shrugging.

They both walked around him, Carla first, entering the bar by the back entrance again, leaving him outside.

Tara tended the bar with Carla for the rest of the night, helping to serve drinks and wash up cups, and also eat most of the olives that were meant for the cocktails.

When it got to the end of the night, and all of the patrons had finally returned home, clean up begun. Carla started working through the glasses that needed washing up, while Tara ate olives.

"Thanks for helping tonight Tara" Sam came over to the bar, holding an empty coffee mug, which Carla snatched out of his hands to wash up.

"How much you gonna pay me?" Tara questioned, a smile on her face.

"Well… twenty bucks?" Sam suggested, as if he wasn't sure she'd accept it.

"Sam… I dunno how you expect me to work here for twenty bucks a night…"

"Well it's good that I don't expect you to work here… then" Sam nodded decisively. "I mean, you covered tonight for what? An hour?"

"Yeah, but still, if I did work here-" she trailed off.

"It'd only be a matter of time before you bit someone's head off for saying something the wrong way" He scoffed "I don't wanna drive away my customers… and that's exactly what I'd be doing!"

"I only go off on stupid people!" Tara shot back, ready to give the sas. Carla began putting away all the washed and dried glasses, only half listening to the conversation.

"Well, unfortunately, most of my customers are stupid people"

"Yeah, but... I could help you keep an eye on Sookie" Carla whirled around, folding her arms over her chest. She was now paying full attention after the mention of Sookie's name.

"We all saw the way she looked at that vampire-… and the way he looked back." Tara added, "That is just trouble looking for a place to happen... and she means to much to both of us to let anything happen to her"

"I think I was the one who looked after her tonight" Carla commented "I can do it again, believe it or not, I don't much like being put out of a job only a couple weeks after I started" The two of them looked at her.

"The more the better" Sam muttered, after a moment of thought.

"Yes… tha's was I was thinking…" Tara agreed.

"Well, be here tomorrow at six. Both of you, you're no longer part time Paula. I'll pay you both full wages and you can both tend the bar" He nodded.

They also both nodded in unison, and Tara smiled. Sam picked up the book of drink recipes, and handed it to Tara.

"You'll need to learn this on your own. I don't have time to train you" Sam told her.

"Sam… honestly, I was mixing whiskey sours for my mum when I was in first grade" Tara replied "It's just like riding a bicycle" Tara chuckled.

"Well… that's pretty fucked up…" Carla commented, furrowing her brow.

"Ya think?" Tara nodded, looking to her. "My mumma's crazy"

Carla glanced over, hearing the side door of the bar go, and a tall muscular man enter. He walked quickly with a long stride over to the bar, before pointing at Sam.

"Hey Sam, 's my sister here?" He asked, looking around at the same time.

"No… Sookie already went home" Sam wandered away. Carla came forward to stand in front of the bar, looking at the new guy.

"Hey, Jason" Tara grinned, standing in front of him. Carla raised an eyebrow.

"Hey..." Jason trailed off. Sookie's brother, as it would appear.

"Well-… my name's Tara. I've been your sister's best friend since most her life? I used to sleep over at your house like… all the time" Tara chuckled and attempted to act cool.

"I know who you are" Jason assured, nodding to himself, before taking a sip of the bear he had poured himself by reaching over from the other side of the bar.

"Well… at least you remember something…" Tara muttered, instantly serious. A personality trait that Carla had noticed in Tara, that she could change mood almost completely in no time at all.

Jason looked shocked, and Carla only just managed to stifle a giggle.

"Well hello stranger" Dawn wandering in from the back, standing behind Jason. She had a big smile on her face, flicking her head back so her hair fell away from her face. Jason glanced back and then turned around, heading over to her.

"Hey... Dawn-, come 'ere" he beckoned with his hand, grinning, pulled the waitress into a hug. She giggled.

Tara looked suddenly incredibly pissed off. Carla coughed, making a puking noise only loud enough for Tara to hear, who nodded.

"Look at 'chu…" He indeed, did look at her. "You look great" Jason complimented, holding her around the waist. Dawn chucked. "How you been?"

"Fine. Partyin'"

"So you ain't mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Well… since I didn't call… you know, The usual…"

Carla rolled her eyes, turning away and pretending to do something, so that she wasn't just left to watch those two.

"Jason, baby, I ain't got no expectations of you… I'm not an idiot" Dawn giggled again, as if everything had a tinge of humour smothered on it.

"When do you get off work?"

"Oh… well, right now?" she glanced at her wrist as if there were a watch there, which there wasn't.

Tara looked as if she could kill someone right about now. Carla actually contemplated having to hold her down to stop her from gutting the waitress.

"You wanna go somewhere?" Jason questioned, though it was obvious where 'somewhere' was.

"Yeah actually I do. I wanna go home!" Dawn giggled again, walking out.

"Nice seeing you Tara- good luck!" Jason rushed, draining his beer and putting it down on the bar. Not even turning around properly to make eye contact, he followed Dawn like a little lost puppy.

"I'm going home too. See you tomorrow Tara- try not to kill anyone on your way home" Carla gave a small smile, heading out the back to get her things.

Tara gave a low grunt as she left, slouching on the bar heavily.


Thanks for reading, nice to see you! Hope you enjoyed this chapter? or maybe you didn't? Got a comment? Please give a review! I know my OC is rather boring currently, but trust me, when we get involved with a certain blonde, things will begin to exhelerate, and Carla will completely change.
See you next time (hopefully)!

Thanks to VampireElf, Saskiamq and Kandyk267 for their reviews, good to know that you like my story and want me to continue!

I've almost finished writing the last chapter of this season, so I will soon start on season two which will include a lot of Eric/OC.

-Shad out.