Dad frowned. “I wonder where their son is?”
“I never found Ethan’s body, so if you see him, be prepared. He may be a Vampire, and if he’s not, he might be compelled by them to do something. Maybe that’s why we never found him.”
“Alright, I’ll keep a look out.” My dad nodded, clearing his throat and motioning for them to come in the cabin through the door in the garage.
We used that door instead of the front door, and I wondered for a moment when the last time the front door had even been opened. But my Uncle Theo paused, and so did Sam. We both looked back over our shoulders at them.
“I have a feeling there’s more bad news,” my father said as he turned on his heel to face them again. I leaned against the wall by the door to listen. “Alright, give it to me.”
“There is a large group of hunters meeting not too far from here on Friday. They think it’s for the best that we go in hiding for a bit, stay low on the radar, and try to figure out what’s going on with the sudden shift in vampires over these last few months. Not only are they changing more people, but they seem to have a taste for hunters. A lot of them believe there’s more of a target on our backs than usual.”
Dad scoffed. “Of course there’s a target on our backs, Theo. Look at who we are, what we do to not just vampires but to any monster. When they step out of line, they know we come for them. Having a target on our backs is just a part of the life we all live.”
“I know, John, but I really think we should listen to them. We came here to see if you and Serina would want to join us for the trip to meet the others.”
“Theo, you know Serina’s birthday week starts on Friday. I won’t have her spending it in some underground bunker.”
“So you’d rather risk her life, both of your lives, for what? To fiddle your thumbs in a cabin for a week with junk food and ice cream?” Uncle Theo raised his voice, and my father stood toe to toe with him.
“We risk our lives every day, Theo. If you want to go hide away in some underground bunker for an obscene amount of time, then be my guest,brother,but I will not cower beneath the monsters I’ve hunted my entire life.”
“Suit yourself,” Uncle Theo said on a growl before stalking back to the driver’s side of his truck.
“So, I take it then you won’t be here for our little vacation,” my dad said, and my uncle made sure to lace his words with venom.
“No, because I have my ownfamilyto take care of.”
I realized then that he had probably already dropped Aunt Gail off at the bunker and ventured here hoping to get my dad and I to come along. He had made his decision long before arriving here.
I saw the fury and pain flash across my father’s face. Sam ran over to me, giving me a hug.
“I’m so sorry, Serina, stay safe,” she said, grabbing my hand and placing a piece of paper in my palm. “I love you.”
With a sympathetic look, she started walking back toward her father’s truck.
“Sorry, Uncle John,” Sam said as she gave him a quick hug and made haste to the truck, barely getting to shut her door before Uncle Theo hauled ass out of the driveway, leaving a dusty smoke screen in his wake.
We stood there in silence until his taillights were gone.
But my mind was already racing. “Dad—”
“It’s alright. I understand his choice; the uprise in everything has him scared, and he has every right to be.”
“Are you scared?” I asked, and he gave me a grin that didn’t quite reach his icy eyes—my eyes.
We shared that same cold gaze.
“I haven’t been scared for a long time, sweetheart.” He pulled me into his chest for a big hug. “You’ve always been a survivor, just like your old man, and as long as we have each other I know we’ll be just fine. Now, get inside and clean up. We have a movie marathon to start.”
3
Serina
Thesmellofcoffeeand the sound of soft old rock music from the Bluetooth speaker we always kept sitting on the bar stirred me awake.
I looked over to my dad’s recliner, thinking he might still be there, but he wasn’t. I rolled off the couch and stretched. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I found him jamming out in the kitchen in his robe air drumming toEye Of The Tigerby Survivor.
I whipped out my phone from the pocket of my pajama pants. Luckily it wasn’t dead since I had forgotten to charge it last night. Then I quickly opened my camera to get him on video just as he began swaying his hips and bumping his fist in the air to the beat.
