Afterlife (Purgatory Series Part Three)

Chapter Two: Hey there Delilah, what's it like in those wet dress shoes

Chapter Two: Hey there Delilah, what's it like in those wet dress shoes

The room I had been given was tragically Spartan. It consisted of a bed, a dresser, and a small table with one chair. That was it. Even the colors were boring. The bed had a rusted metal frame with off white sheets and the walls were a dull gray, making the room look very much like a prison cell.

"What did you expect, Thea?" I grumbled to myself. "You're a vampire, a cambion: their enemy. They aren't going to give you five-star accommodations."

To be honest, as disappointed as I was by the pitiful room, I couldn't blame them. After all I was a vampire, so I had no need to sleep and I wasn't going to be staying here long. There was no reason for them to waste space on me. It made me wonder though, what kind of accommodations had they given Adrienne? If there was any justice in the world at all, it would be a smelly port-a-potty.

Chuckling under my breath at the image of Adrienne asleep in a cramped toilet, I sat down on the creaky bed and waited. Helena had explained earlier that there would be a council meeting in a couple of hours and I would be required to attend. Apparently they would be discussing the "rules" and assigning me a trainer for the duration of my stay. I hoped it would be Roran, but knew better than to get my hopes up.

Hamhocks didn't seem to like the room either. He had walked from one corner to the other looking for pillows or heavy blankets to root around in, but with a grunt of obvious displeasure, he eventually gave up and flopped down onto the bed beside me and placed his head in my lap. I pulled the extra blanket I had packed out of my backpack and tucked it in around him. He gave a soft sigh and snuggled closer to me. It lifted my spirits and I realized what a good decision it had been to bring him with me.

While I had some free time, I pulled a pen and notebook out of my backpack and decided to write a letter to my parents. Gabriel had advised me not to bring my phone or tablet as both could be tracked and would put my parents in danger. He claimed the cambion would try to find every way possible to stop me once I began hunting them. Gabriel also advised me to never give out my last name and that it would be best if I changed my first name as well, but I figured there were enough Thea's in the world to keep me seeming somewhat anonymous.

After I was finished writing I looked at the clock and realized I had only killed about twenty minutes. There was still an hour and forty minutes to go before the meeting. Sighing in frustration, I replaced the pen and paper and tried to think up an excuse to wander about. Spying Hamhocks harness in the bag, I grinned.

"Do you need to go out, buddy?" I asked, shaking the little pig awake.

He gave me a disgruntled look, but stood up and hopped down from the bed anyway. I wrapped the fabric harness around his body and laughed as he began to get excited about going out. His drowsiness had worn off entirely and now he pranced toward the door with the occasional hop and squeal.

We made our way down the hallway with no problems. No one tried to stop us or ask where we were going. Helena hadn't exactly told me to stay put, but she hadn't said I could wander around either. As soon as we made it to the end of the hall I realized why. It was midday and this building had a lot of open area and windows.

How was I supposed to take Hamhocks out to use the bathroom in broad daylight? I would fry to a crisp! I hadn't thought this part through very well.

Realization struck me then and I swallowed hard. I was going to have to ask for help. I took a deep breath and turned around. I refused to let myself slip back into the person I once was, and when the fear tried to take hold, I reminded myself this was for Hamhocks.