The Things We Bury - Part 2: No Big Apocalypse [Completed]

Chapter 7: Bad as Me (Part 4 of 7)

The stereo was turned up. Any louder and the shitty in-dash speakers would began to rattle and reverb. The Princes of Darkness second album was playing six cuts in, The Crypt. Kyle Silver's wails about a girl growing up in an underground tomb accompanied by the thrashing guitars overlay the awkward silence. Alicia was dreading the impending need to talk to discuss when and where to stop for food as the digital clock climbed toward noon.

To say that the morning had sucked would be an understatement.

Brett's hammering on her door had awoken her out of a manic dream. Sweat slicked her hair and left her face and palms clammy. She wondered if the motel had turned on the heat to combat the frigid night temperatures but the archaic air-conditioning unit groaned from the window like a truck engine. The only light came from the pre-dawn gray filtering from behind the blinds.

"What the hell is it?" she demanded as she yanked open the door.

Brett stood there with a stupid, stunned look on his face. Was it from being yelled at or the sight of Alicia in tank-top and panties? She guessed it was her near nakedness, from the way his eyes gravitated to her bra-less chest.

After a moment that dragged on longer than it had any right to, Brett remembered where he was and why he was there. "You said to wake you if he left. Well, Blass is on the move."

"Really? Where's he going?" She headed back into the room and asked the questions. If they were going to do this, it would be better not to do it out on the gallery, even if it was unlikely other people would be around at that hour.

"North. Unfortunately the tracker can't predict his destination. Maybe one day when we have the technology and the knowhow and psychics in embryonic tanks..."

"Can it. It's too early for sarcasm."

"It's never too early for sarcasm." And when she wouldn't take the bait he said, "Should we follow him?"

"What about Hyena? Ballard and Tazaki should be on him."

"They're not answering. "

Alicia yanked her damp hair back with both hands as she paced. This wasn't good. Not at all good. "Great."

"I do not think that word means what you think it means."

Alicia ignored him. "They've been taken out."

"You can't possibly know that."

"Yeah? Well were the fuck is Eagle? They're the senior team and they've been radio silent for a day now. Hyena's gone. It's just us. And I'm going to have to call New Hampshire."

Brett sat down on the bed. He was despondent like a sulking child. "I don't think you should."

There was no point getting into that argument again. She'd say they had to for the mission and he'd try and talk her out of it—like she really wanted to do it in the first place. The fight always ended the same way too. Alicia would ask him if he had a better idea and Brett would surrender with a lookof hopelessness.

But it was all theoretical. Or it was until now.

The situation had become clear: cut off from headquarters and their superiors, they had no choice. After all, what the hell were they supposed to do after making contact with the Beast? Drive around aimlessly staying at motor inns until the feds scooped them all up. They needed a safe-house. They needed support.

But contacting New Hampshire was a betrayal.

Not many people knew the full story about the New Hampshire chapter of the Society of the Immortal Blood, but even the most clueless, like Brett, had heard the snide comments and the whispered rumors that were tinged with fearful awe. Officially, they were all one happy family but it was clear that the New Hampshire church was the crazy uncle who nobody invited to holiday dinners.