Cal did fall asleep, and he slept hard. Even when I pulled through a drive through around an hour later, lamenting the damage that the fast food would likely do to our arteries, Cal didn't so much as twitch. I ate the three plain eggs (sandwiches that I had ordered without the muffins, cheese, or meat) and drank the sad excuse for green tea that they provided, but Cal slept on.
About twenty minutes after that, Cal started to moan. Just little noises in the back of his throat, but I recognized them. Another nightmare was beginning. With a sigh, I pulled to the side of the highway and turned on the Jeep's hazard lights (sometimes he struck out and I didn't want to send us into the ditch) before tapping his shoulder. "Cal, wake up," I ordered.
He tried to pull away from me, burrowing deeper into the passenger seat. His body was curled up in a tiny ball, his arms coming up as if he was trying to protect his head and face. The moans were more pained.
"Cal! It's a dream! Come on buddy, wake up!" I took his arm and gave it a hard shake, trying to wake him before the screaming started. He let out a yelp and his eyes popped open.
"You're okay, Cal. It's me. It's Nik," I said softly. By this point, I had awakening him from nightmares down to a science. Be there, be solid, and make contact. Be loud until he woke, then soft and soothing. Remind him where he was, and that he was with me and not them. Remind him that he was safe.
Cal's wide eyes locked on mine, and I saw the recognition in them. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. He was breathing hard, almost panting.
"We're in the Jeep. Just into South Dakota. I got you some breakfast. Feel like eating?"
His chest heaved and he gave a little shake of his head. He didn't look like he was about to be sick though; mostly, he just looked confused. And tired. I tossed the sack into his lap and gestured at the laminated paper cup in the Jeep's one functional cup holder.
"That's yours when you want it." Despite my better judgment, I'd gotten him more Mountain Dew. It had been awhile since he'd shown any kind of preference whatsoever, except for his penchant for sleeping under beds or in closets. I figured that I should reward that, in hopes that he would show more. Like training a puppy, really. A very scared, traumatized puppy.
I checked my mirrors, then pulled back onto the highway. Cal was getting his breath back under control, and after about fifteen minutes, he dug into the bag. I watched him unwrap the sandwich out of the corner of my eye, noting his surprise that I'd gotten him sausage, egg and cheese. But he was still looking much too skinny; I could count the bones of his spine. The extra fat and calories would only do him good.
He sucked down that cup of soda in minutes flat and put down both sandwiches just as fast. I smiled.
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The Mountain Dew was a welcome surprise-even after Nik had basically forced me to sleep, I could feel the lack of it pulling at me. My body was desperate for it, but I couldn't give in. Not just for my own sake, to avoid the nightmares, but because I had to keep Niko safe.
I turned on the radio, eliciting a surprised look from Nik as I searched the airwaves for something loud, something that would keep me up. Country station after country station was all that got reception. Although it was grating to my ears, I wasn't quite sure it would keep me from falling asleep again. And then, something loud, heavy on the bass and drums. Metallica.
This would keep me awake, at least.
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Since Cal had initiated the music, I didn't fight him on it. It was loud and grating, but he was bobbing his head along with it, obviously enjoying it.
We drove north, up through North Dakota and almost along the Canadian border, only to wind back south through Minnesota. I wanted to throw the Grendels off our trail. Though it wasn't the fastest way, it was random. And since even I didn't know where we were going, it wasn't like they would be able to anticipate it either. I hoped. We kept to the small, winding highways, avoiding the faster, more crowded interstates.
The sun started to set, and I decided to start keeping an eye out for a place to stay. After the terrible night we'd had last night, another night in the Jeep didn't seem like such a great idea. He'd been more jumpy than usual all day, constantly scanning the mirrors and the horizon. Apparently, whatever he'd seen last night really had him spooked. If it hadn't been a dream, I was betting on it having been a glimpse of a raccoon or opossum hoping that we had something good to eat, but Cal had seemed pretty convinced that there was more to it than that. And there was a possibility, be it ever so slight, that he was correct. I had no idea how the Grendels had found us...found him...in the first place. Which made it pretty hard to keep them from finding us again in any way except by keeping ourselves on the move.
I spotted a flickering light for a roadside motel ahead. That would be good enough, assuming it was cheap. We were running low on funds, and I'd have to find a way to get us more soon. The money we were living off currently had been my financial aid for this semester, to buy textbooks and lodging at school. It had been a decent sized chunk of cash, but it wasn't really meant to be lived off of by two vagabonds traveling via Jeep. I had a rather eccentric skill set, and hopefully the next time we ran across a larger city, there would be a chance to use it for a few days to collect enough money to keep us moving.
The sign for the Hide-a-Way Motel was only half-lit, with many of the bulbs burned out or missing. Just our kind of place.
It only took us a couple of minutes to collect the key from the completely disinterested middle-aged man in the lobby and then I herded Cal into the room. Two full beds, an old TV with rabbit ears, and a mysterious stain on the carpet welcomed us.
I stepped back outside the door to use the payphone and order us a pizza for supper. When I returned inside, Cal was sitting on one of the beds, staring at the staticky television. Cartoons. Fine by me.
I spent the next hour doing calisthenics and katas. The pizza guy came, and Cal silently paid him, taking cash from the wallet I'd discarded on the night stand. He dug in right away, which I found surprising and gratifying. Usually, getting him to eat twice in the same day was an exercise in coaxing and coercion.
"I'm going to take a shower," I told him, double-checking the locks. "If anyone knocks, check the peephole. Don't answer it." I glanced at him to see that he understood.
Cal nodded.
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After Niko disappeared into the bathroom, I snatched up the wallet and shoved it into my jeans. I'd need it. It was kind of stealing, I supposed, but Nik wouldn't really want me to be out there alone without even a little bit of cash to hold me over. He was old enough to get work to make more. He had skills. I…didn't.
All day, I'd been contemplating this. When I'd decided that I couldn't sleep, for Niko's sake, I'd somehow missed the bigger picture. Which was me. They didn't want Nik. They'd left him behind when they had pulled me into hell before. As amazing as Niko was, he was also only human. They didn't want a human. They wanted blood. I was their blood. They wanted me. Only me.
If I left, Niko would be safe. He'd have a normal life, the life he really should have had all along. He could go back to school and use his giant brain to become a historian, or a lawyer, or a ninja-assassin or something. (Hell, he was halfway to ninja-assassin already.) The Grendels wouldn't touch him. They'd leave him be.
I'd have to go at it alone. And even though I was still skinny and weak, that was how I could protect my brother. He didn't even realize that he needed to be protected...from me. Only I could do that.
I swallowed hard against the knot in my throat. I didn't really want to leave him. He was the only constant in my life; the only person who I would do anything for. He'd raised me, protected me, taught me everything important that I had ever learned. Sophia had always said I was useless and selfish, but not this time. I was going to leave for him, to take care of him. Deliberately, I pulled out one hundred dollars and left it with my key on his pillow.
I pulled on a hooded sweatshirt (one of Nik's) and shoved his discarded wallet in my pocket. Then, very quietly, I unlocked the door. Even naked and covered in soap suds I had no doubt that Niko could take down any human who might think about coming into the room.
And the non-humans, the Grendels, would be following me.
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I reluctantly stepped out of the shower and toweled off, then pulled on a clean pair of sweatpants. We'd need to stop at a laundromat within a few days too; clean clothes were becoming scarce. I sniffed, hoping to smell pizza through the door, but all I could smell was soap and moisture. Cal probably finished it off.
Still rubbing my hair with the towel, I stepped into the main room. "Any pizza left Cal?" I asked, not expecting a reply. None was given, and the television continued to drone.
I pulled the towel off my head, and stopped dead.
Cal wasn't sitting on the bed where I'd left him. In his place was a small stack of twenties.
And one hotel key.
Goddammit Cal!