Winn spared the Rambo-wannabe jr a look of disbelief.

"I said I was looking for a comic book…for a little girl," she stressed at the end.

The teenager, though younger than her by a few years, puffed out his chest and folded his arms in response to her incredulous tone.

"Take this one anyway," he grumbled.

"Might save your life," Mr. Army-Fatigues added ominously from Rambo Jr.'s side posed in the exact same authoritative way.

Winn sighed in defeat and rolled up the comic book whose title page cried Vampires Everywhere! in bloody lettering before stuffing it into a side pocket on her backpack. "Whatever."

She swept a quick cursory glance over the two teenagers. They continued to sneer arrogantly down at her and she quickly realized what a mistake it was coming into the comic book shop. "I think I'll just get her a doll or something instead."

"You do that," Army-Fatigues scoffed.

"But I'd wait until sun up. Around here the freaks come out at night," he warned.

Winn could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. "Riiiight. You two have a nice day. I'll be going now." She immediately spun on her heel and began rushing towards the exit.

As she made her way up the aisle between the rows of comics displays, she passed another new customer with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his young face. A wave of an unname-able emotion swept over her and nearly made her stop short.

Oh, no, she thought uneasily. It's happening again, isn't it?

A nervous sweat began to dot her forehead and she had to force herself not to look back...and failed as she threw a quick glance at the teen who she passed. Army-Fatigues was patting the newcomer's shoulder while Rambo Jr moved to shield them from view.

Forcing herself to keep moving as she merged with the crowd on the boardwalk, she realized she could identify the emotion that had swept over her.

It was grief.

"Poor kid," she mumbled under her breath.

This wasn't the time she'd had a weird moment of emphatic incitement to a passing stranger. Over the last few months other weird stuff seemed to be happening to her more and more. For example, she was drawn to "The Murder Capital of The World" for some inexplicable reason.

She didn't know why she was here in Santa Carla, but it's not like she had a whole lot else going on. Then again, she had pieces of an idea of why because apparently she was having prophetic dreams now. At least, she hoped they were prophetic...and also dreaded.

The fluttering of leathery wings caught her attention above the din of the boardwalk.

This time she did stop short, causing someone to bump into her with a muttered curse. She mumbled an apology and started moving slowly through foot traffic. Narrowed eyes started scanning the darkened spaces between streetlights.

Where is that stupid flying rat that's trying to ruin my life? she wondered darkly.

The flow of people on the boardwalk led her past the rides and food stands until movement caught her eye in the distance.

She sucked in a surprised breath and she began to follow the little bat black gliding through the long shadows cast by the carnival lights. Something deep in her gut knew that the appearance of the small creature had to mean that something was about to happen! Whether or not that something was good or bad…

The bat suddenly darted out of view.

Pulse spiking, she slowed down and worriedly examined her surroundings having realized she had been so busy focusing on the bat she completely lost track of where she was going.

Damn it. Why does this keep happening to me? she wondered to herself as she took in the numerous vendors scattered around this part of the boardwalk selling their wares.

A cherry red leather jacket beckoned to her from the vendor to her right, distracting her from her anxiety for a short moment. Willing herself to calm down, she wandered around the area, taking in the various items for sale. There was an empty space for another vendor, she noted. A smirk teased the corners of her mouth as she briefly considered starting her own fortune telling booth.

Maybe I could read palms or tea leaves. That wouldn't be too hard. And I need a way to make money while I'm here. Hell, I could read tarot cards if I have to.

Her mouth dipped into a frown.

Or maybe not tarot cards since there's a 'Tarot Card Killer' on the loose. Bad for business.

She was abruptly drawn from her thoughts as a small yipping pomeranian dog appeared before her and began to paw at her pants leg.

"What the fuck?"

Paul, Marko, and Dwayne were of the same mind in that they were seriously concerned about David and his strange behavior. Stranger still, was the hourglass on the bedside table. Specifically how all the sand now resided at the bottom.

Something had obviously happened in the time he left their midnight snack for them to clean up and their return to the hotel.

The three of them had decided it would be best to wait until they had all had a good day's rest before they heard David's account of what happened to him.

It was a long fucking day and the end of it couldn't come soon enough.

"She was just...on the beach? Waiting for you?"

Marko presented the question they all shared when the now fully dressed and well rested David finished his story from where he sat on the edge of his bed.

Their sire did not appear happy with this response to his miraculous tale.

"Yes! October was waiting for me on the beach," he huffed, annoyance quickly becoming apparent.

Paul nodded slowly as he took a hit from a joint that was doing little to soothe his nerves. "Right. And then you just decided to come back here to do the horizontal tango in the sheets instead of letting us know that she was back from the dead."

Marko scowled at their sire, face flushing with anger as he felt a spike of jealousy. "Yeah! What the fuck, boss?"

"Dick move," Dwayne agreed, forehead creased as he glowered.

David worked his jaw angrily. "Like any of you wouldn't have done the same thing."

Paul coughed after a particularly long hit.

"Touche."

Marko snatched the joint from the other blond's fingers and stubbed it on the bedside table much to the other blond's surprise.

"If she really is back, then where did she go? Why didn't she wait for us?" Marko snapped.

David refused to look any of them in the eye. He had been wondering the same thing ever since the sun went down and he didn't have an answer. Now that he had a chance to stop and think, his recollections of the night before went as clear as he hoped they would be.

"I don't know why she didn't stick around," he reluctantly admitted to the floor. "Everything happened really fast. She disappeared before I could ask her any questions."

Dwayne stared at the hour glass suspiciously from where he leaned against a bed post.

Paul stretched out his legs from where he sat on the floor next to Marko. "I bet Paul Jr could track her down."

It was left unsaid among all four vampires that the bond they once shared with the witch remained silent. Out of reach. Untouchable.

David rolled his eyes. "You can follow your dumb dog around Santa Carla all night if you want. One of us should stay here in case she comes back."

Dwayne's sharp eye flashed to their sire. You're scared, he realized.

David glared menacingly at the brunet but said nothing.

Marko and Paul shared matching looks of confusion.

Dwayne didn't back down even under the full strength of David's warning glare. "You're scared of what we might...or might not find."

David shifted his glare to the hour glass. "I already know October's alive somewhere out there. I saw her. I held her in my arms."

Marko bit the edge of his glove to subvert his unease. "I don't think we should leave you alone. I think I should stay here too."

Dwayne nodded once in agreement and then snapped his fingers in Paul's face to get his attention. "Call your dog and let's go. We'll start at the beach where David found her."

"What the fuck?" Paul echoed the girl Paul Jr had inadvertently led him and Dwayne towards. "Who the fuck is this? PJ, that is not who we're looking for. Bad dog!"

At their approach, all the color in the girl's face disappeared and her eyes widened, pupils shrinking.

Paul Jr sniffed at the girl with some interest before his owner called him back to his side. He scooped up the wriggling animal in his arms and grinned toothily at the girl. "Sorry about him. He gets excited sometimes."

Dwayne inspected the girl in a quick sweep from Paul's side. She was a head shorter than October and had plaited dark brown hair she wore on her shoulder. At first glance, he concluded that she was exceedingly plain dressed in a too big jean jacket with a well used backpack hanging from her other shoulder and the comic book sticking out of a side pocket.

What he did find interesting, on the other hand, was that she was looking at them like she had just seen a ghost.

Paul, aware of the girl's terror, but deciding to ignore it as he decided to introduce them all. "I'm Paul. That's Paul Jr," the pomeranian barked at the sound of his name, causing the blond to grin. "And that's Dwayne. What's your name?"

"Fuck."

Paul started to laugh so hard, tears sprang into his eyes. Dwayne raised a brow at the girl when he was seized by the impression that the girl was about to do something really stupid when all of a suddenly the girl spun on her heel and sprinted through the crowd up the boardwalk.

Paul wiped the tears from his eyes as he caught his breath. "What the hell just happened?"