The grave had been partially filled in again, or perhaps it was just how the dirt had settled when whoever had been in there had crawled out. Pam stepped into the shallow hole and crouched down.
"Was it Eric?" I said to her. "What do you think?"
"I think you should have been here before sundown," she snapped. "Why were you not here?"
I put my hands on my hips and cocked my head, frowning at her.
"I didn't know whether it was Eric or not, it could've been anyone. They might've been hungry, or out to get me."
"There were stakes in the bag, a gun, a silver knife, you could have defended yourself if it had been one of our enemies."
"I needed to let you out too, remember?"
Pam made a sort of growling noise, and stepped out.
"The scent is faint," she mumbled. "But I think it is his. He may have done his best to try to mask it, in case anyone else came searching for him."
I took a deep breath and held it.
"Do you feel him near? Is he calling you?"
Pam looked at me and shook her head.
"No."
"But, surely he-"
"I do not know why," Pam snapped, beginning to sound seriously agitated. "If he knows I am close but he is not calling me, he will have his reasons."
Right then, her cell phone rang. Pam was all fingers and thumbs as she tried to find which pocket it was in. I'd never seen her so flustered. She dug it out and answered.
"Yes? No, I have not. Have you heard anything?" She turned and began pacing up and down as she spoke, and I took the opportunity to check my own phone. I had a text from Tara inviting me to dinner next week, and another from Sam, asking me to call him when I had the time. I guessed he was just checking up on me, making sure I was alright. I decided I'd check in with him when I had a moment to spare. I dialed Eric's number, and waited and waited for him to pick up, desperately hoping to hear the sound of his voice, but there was no answer.
I looked around, and searched with my other sense, to see whether I could feel Eric myself, or at least be sure there were no other vamps around. I could feel nothing, other than Pam, of course. I was pretty pissed at her for giving me such a telling off, but I couldn't help but kick myself. He'd been so close. Maybe I should have been waiting. Maybe someone else had been waiting for him, instead.
I suddenly began to feel the chill of the evening, and wrapped my jacket tighter around myself.
"Shreveport has received no word from Eric, yet," Pam said, shocking me, since I had my back to her and hadn't realized she'd finished her conversation. "Have you tried calling him?"
"Yeah. No answer."
"We need to get out of here," Pam said, already striding forward, back in the direction we had come, and I followed her. "Let's find somewhere safe to set up a base. We need to decide on our next plan of action, and you need to tell me everything you have learned so far. I need to change, too, and you need to do something with your hair."
"So do you."
Pam turned her head and raised an eyebrow at me. She dialed another number, I guessed it was Eric's, but she never got a response, either.
We got back into the van, Pam getting into the driver's side. She pulled the map out of the glove compartment, and studied it. Neither of us were particularly tech savvy, I knew there were ways to access maps on phones these days, but unfortunately, Pam and I were old school. Of course, Pam was really old school.
As I sat there waiting, I looked at my phone, and tried to decide whether or not I should send Eric a message, or leave a voicemail this time. But what if someone else had found his cell, or even confiscated it? If Eric wasn't answering, or trying to get in contact with anyone, did he have good reason for doing this? Or did he simply just not have access to his phone?
In the end I decided against it. If he had his cell phone on him, he'd see he had missed calls from me and Pam, and to anyone else who might have it, there'd surely seem nothing unusual about receiving a couple of calls from his child and his ex.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, buckled up, and sighed.
"There's a motel about thirty miles away," Pam said. "We'll head there. Then maybe-"
"Shh."
Suddenly, I felt something. I leaned forward in the seat, and remained absolutely still.
"What is it?" Pam whispered.
"Vampire. Maybe more than one. It's faint, pretty far away, but I feel it."
"Well then, it is not Eric," Pam said, immediately pulling out back onto the road. "Otherwise I would know. Keep your spidey-sense activated, Sookie. There are bound to be vampires around, perhaps Anubis staff, but we cannot be sure who it might be or how they would react to finding us here. The king is certain to send someone to investigate, if only to make it appear as though he is concerned about the loss of his people. More likely, he will want to check for possible survivors."
She stepped it up a gear, and we decided to drive to a different motel, a little further away. As we drove, I went over the day's events, recounting every single detail about what I had learned while she'd been dead for the day. Pam mostly just listened, and when I told her exactly what Nicole had said about Eric going crazy and killing everyone, and how suspicious I was about that, as well as how she'd gotten out of it alive, she and I appeared to be on the same page. It was frustrating for the both of us, not being able to figure out exactly what had happened, the level of danger we were all in, and what our next course of action should be. It was frustrating, as well, knowing Eric was alive but being unable to speak to him, to try to figure it all out together, and at least get some answers. But Pam was right, he must have his reasons.
The Lazy H Motel was cheap-looking but seemed like the sort of place people would keep to themselves, and not ask too many questions. Honestly, I didn't care whether or not it was four star luxury, I was just excited at the prospect of getting a warm shower.
We parked, grabbed our stuff, and followed the sign that said reception. We walked through the doors, up to the front desk. There was a large man with a mustache and beard sitting there, devouring what might have been a meatball sandwich. He was wearing a baseball cap, and there was sauce down the front of his t-shirt.
"Good evening," Pam said politely. "My friend and I would like a room."
He turned his head to look at us, and raised an eyebrow.
"Double or twin beds?" he asked, still chewing.
I caught a glimpse of some majorly dirty thoughts, and put my shields up, blocking them out.
"Whatever," Pam sighed. "Twin."
"We got vibrating massage beds, if you're interested."
Pam and I looked at one another.
"Do you want a vibrating massage bed?" she asked me seriously.
"Um, not really, no."
"We are not interested," Pam told him.
"I got a twin room, $60 a night."
"Excellent."
He put his half-eaten sandwich down and stood up, and told us to sign in, while he went around the back to grab the room keys. After she'd scribbled in the book, Pam nudged me, smiling. She'd signed us in as Tess Steckle and Annette Curtain. I snorted.
"This place was a real nice choice, Tess," I whispered.
"I'm much more of an Annette," Pam said. "You can be Tess. It's perfect. No questions, vibrating beds, $60 per night, handsome male staff, what more do you want?"
Mr. Handsome returned with the keys and took Pam's cash, handing her a receipt. Then he told us to follow him. On the way to the room, he gave us the usual spiel about the dos and don'ts, what time we'd be expected to vacate, and so on. Our room was pretty small, but looked clean at least. As soon as we were alone, I flopped down onto one of the beds. I immediately regretted doing so, since I began to feel drowsy. I'd only managed to grab a few hours sleep in the last 36 hours or so.
"It feels like we've been here for weeks, but it's only been a day."
"You can get some rest soon," Pam said. "I need to call Fangtasia again. Why don't you check that place across the road. They might have something you could eat, and I need more blood." She pulled her phone out. "There's no way I'm snacking on that hairy meatball," she mumbled.
With some effort, I got up off the bed and headed across the road to the gas station. On the way, my phone beeped, and I checked it to find I had received a text from Bill. It read simply 'People at your house, looking for you.'
Great.
At the gas station, I picked up a copy of the local newspaper and flicked through it. The plane crash had made the front page, of course, and young Nicole Kimbler, a lone traveler from San Antonio, was headline news, having miraculously survived. There was little information that I didn't know already, along with the alleged suggestion that it was a blood-crazed vampire who caused the crash, and then died himself when the plane hit the ground. Nicole, the plucky, smart human, had witnessed it all. Hmm, from inside a coffin? Surely people were going to question that. Or maybe they'd just be too blinded by the vamp hate to care.
I folded up the copy to buy so I could show Pam, picked up some snacks, some Coke, and blood, as well as a few toiletries like deodorant and a toothbrush, and headed back to the motel.
Pam was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, texting, when I entered the room. She had a face like thunder.
"What's wrong?" I asked, almost scared to hear the answer.
"The king has called Fangtasia, asking to speak with me. Indira has put him off as long as she can, but I will need to report to him, very soon, otherwise he will be suspicious."
I put my bag down and sat opposite her. I narrowed my eyes, thinking, and concentrated my thoughts.
"If Felipe thinks Eric is really dead, for good, then he'll know you know, right?"
Pam looked up at me, and nodded.
"Yes."
"If he's not certain, then you would be the only one who could tell him, for sure."
Pam nodded again.
"That's right," she said. "But I do not know how much the king knows. If he knows nothing, and I tell him Eric is alive, he will surely hunt him down. If on the other hand he knows Eric is alive but I tell him my maker is dead, this could have dire consequences for me."
I pursed my lips, and we both thought about that for a minute.
"Either way, it's looking pretty dire, right?"
Pam shrugged.
"I would say so, yes."
"But if he isn't sure, or thinks there's a possibility Eric might've been killed, and you tell him he's definitely dead, then what?"
"Perhaps he will believe me, perhaps not. Either way, what can he do, other than continue with his plan, whatever it is?"
"What did Indira tell Felipe?"
"Only that we are concerned about Eric, in that his plane crashed and we have had no word from him, which is of course perfectly true. Whether he believes it or not is another thing. Of course he is going to want to speak with me personally, to gauge my reaction, and to confirm for him whether or not Eric lives."
"What are you going to do?" I asked. "We don't know how much Felipe knows."
We were quiet for a moment.
"I am going to tell him he is dead," Pam said, finally. "Everything we know so far points to Eric having been the sole survivor, and as far as we are aware he went to ground himself, and hopefully he was not found by anyone, before we got there. He has not been in contact, which suggests he is trying to lay low, and stay hidden for now, preferring to allow everyone to believe he is dead."
She stood, and pulled her jacket back on.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Back to Shreveport."
"You're not just gonna call the king?"
"No, I need to be there, else he will be suspicious. You stay here, and I will return tomorrow night. You have everything you need for the moment, there is more money in the bag. Go to the front desk tomorrow and say you will be staying another night, maybe more. Upgrade to a vibrating bed, if you want."
"Shouldn't I come back with you?" I said, suddenly worried. "Will you make it back home before dawn?"
"Yes, I'll make it. You'll probably be safer here, for now."
"Bill sent me a message, he said there were people at my house tonight, looking for me."
"Hmm, that does not surprise me. The king wastes no time, does he?"
"What should I do?" I said. "You think there's anywhere else I can look for Eric?"
"Whoever you obtained information from, however you learned about the danger Eric was in, do you think they will know more?"
I shook my head.
"No, they'd have nothing more."
She gripped my shoulders. "Lock the door, and be careful. Stay indoors as much as possible. Answer calls only from people you know. I will be back tomorrow, and will stay in contact."
"Okay. You be careful, too."
She gave me a nod, and then she was out the door, and I locked it behind her, putting the key on the table with the TV on it. I sat down on the bed and listened to the faint buzzing of the air-conditioner, and of the brains nearby, all human and all regular, banal thoughts. No thoughts about murdering or kidnapping me, which was good.
I undressed and stepped into the shower. I couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed a shower so much. Maybe it was that one with Eric. I would've given anything, pretty much, in that moment, to have Eric's fingers shampooing my hair instead of my own, to feel his hands firmly massaging my shoulders, easing away the tension. Sadly, I'd just have to settle for the warm spray and my own, comparatively talentless hands, instead.
Once I was done, I dried myself off with one of the rather threadbare, but clean towels, brushed out my hair, and cleaned my teeth. I found a small hair dryer, and dried off my hair, too. It felt great to be clean again, and I felt somehow more alive.
There was a clean Fangtasia t-shirt in the duffel bag, and I pulled it on. It was an extra large size, but I figured it would do to sleep in. I realized that without Pam, I felt very alone in this unfamiliar place. I checked my phone again, but I had no new messages. I decided I'd call Sam, dialing Merlotte's number.
"Merlotte's Bar and Grill."
"Sam, it's Sookie."
"Sookie, you alright?"
"Yeah, fine. I got your message."
I heard the noise of the bar in the background, the laughter and the music. It made me long for home.
"There were people in here asking after you," Sam said, his voice lower. "They said it was urgent, but wouldn't tell me who they were. I didn't like the look of 'em, Sook."
"Who were they? You recognize them?"
"No. Two humans, big guys, well-dressed, real suspicious. Smelled like vampire, though."
I closed my eyes and sighed. When was I ever going to be able to return home?
"What did they say?"
"They asked if you were working today, and I asked them who wanted to know. They'd only say it was urgent they spoke to you, nothing else. I didn't tell them anything. They hung around for half an hour or so, then left."
"Bill told me there were people at my house tonight, too."
"Are you in some kind of trouble?"
"When am I not in trouble, Sam?"
I heard him exhale down the phone.
"Where are you?"
"Don't worry," I said. The less he knew, the better. "It'll all be alright, and I'll be back soon. I'm sorry, I really can't tell you more. Sorry to leave you a waitress down again, too."
"You just stay safe, okay? Call me if you need me."
"I will. And Sam, thanks. You're a good friend. The best."
I put the phone down, and a wave of sadness washed over me. Was this how my life would be now? Running from the king, hiding out in dingy motels, always looking over my shoulder? If Felipe began losing patience, what if he were to take someone I loved, threaten them, forcing me to come to him? Was I just delaying the inevitable, and putting people I loved at risk in the process?
I pulled one of the wooden stakes from the bag, and shoved it under the pillow. Then I got underneath the covers and switched off the lamp on the bedside table. My mind was so jumbled with everything that had happened and I was so exhausted that I couldn't think straight anymore, and I drifted off to sleep almost as soon as I closed my eyes.
I awoke with a start, knowing something was wrong. I sat bolt upright in bed, and listened. After another few seconds I heard the handle of the door being turned, and then the sound of something being inserted into the lock, a metallic wiggling noise. Someone was trying to get into my room.
In the haziness of half-sleep, it was more difficult to reach out with my other sense, and I had to force myself to concentrate. Still unable to fully focus, but beginning to panic, I grabbed the stake from beneath the pillow and leaped out of bed, careful to stay as quiet as possible. I held my breath as I stood behind the door, my back pressed up against the wall. In the faint glow of the light through the curtains, I watched unblinking as the doorknob turned, little by little. I braced myself, positioning the stake at optimum height, ready to ram it into whoever was about to enter.
The door slowly opened, and I waited a second, before shoving it closed with my foot. Then I jumped forward, using all my strength and weight to bring the stake down onto my intruder.
