“Not long enough,” Kar muttered. “Summer means the sun isn’t down as long as you’d be used to, living in the lower states. We still have to deal with this mess, get you and them on your way, and then track down the blond soldier. We also have to get details from this one about the Vampire who made him. That’s one bastard who needs to be stopped.”

“Yeah. What went down here? Does this happen often?”

“Never. This is a first. Vampires usually avoid us at all costs. We didn’t even know soldiers could make other ones. Apparently, they can. That’s disturbing as hell.”

She glanced down at Mitch. He seemed paler and a little lethargic. “He’s not looking so hot.”

“He smells worse. He’s been hurt a lot and he’s hungry. The longer they go without blood, the crazier they get.”

“He seems tame at the moment.”

“That’s because he knows I’ll snap his neck. He’ll heal but without a fresh source of blood, it’s weakening him every time. I can smell the rot taking hold.”

“Rot?”

“His body is feeding off itself and he can’t heal fast enough to compensate. His eyes and skin show what he is. His internal organs will look worse. He was made about nine days ago, from what we can figure, by a vampire who’d been part of a nest we took out. And soldiers don’t last long without a master Vampire feeding them just enough of their blood to keep them from decaying from the inside out. This one is on his own. He’s been feeding off humans but still, it’s not enough.”

“So he’d die on his own eventually?”

“Worse. They can last months that way but it isn’t pretty. The mind is gone but the body isn’t. They go after anything living and are totally driven by bloodlust. We call them ghouls at that point. Some human probably saw one once and wrote a zombie story about them. Their skin rots off but they continue to move around. They do get sluggish and slow when they hit that point. It’s horrific. Eventually they’re so weak and messed up that they usually forget to find shelter before the sun rises. It roasts them. They don’t usually turn others though, like in your movies. They take blood, not give it. But this one figured out how to make more of them. That’s bad.”

She’d never watch another zombie movie again without thinking about Mitch and the others. “Fantastic.”

Kar nodded. “Exactly.”

“I’m glad I don’t have your job if you get to track them down.”

Lavos jumped down from the trailer, startling Jadee. She looked at him.

“I put them in a trance until we get them out of here. I’m sorry, but I told them your father tried to save his RV and was washed away down the river. It will explain why they don’t have a body.”

“I can’t bury him, can I?”

He shook his head. “No. Sorry. We’ll have to dispose of his body at first light by exposing him to the sun. He was newly made so there are remains until then.”

That hurt. “I understand.”

Lavos stepped closer, getting in her personal space. His expression softened. “His body will turn to ash in the sun, as if he were cremated. I’m so damn sorry about this, Jadee. You’re taking it well.”

“It still seems a bit unreal,” she confessed. “I’ll let it all sink in later and then I probably won’t be so okay. I foresee heavy drinking in my near future. Don’t worry. I’ll do it when I’m alone. I won’t tell anyone what happened here.”

“You deserve to get drunk. I told them that you came and found them. We’ll return you to the truck and get you on your way.” He reached out and his hand hovered near her shoulder. He didn’t touch her though. He dropped his hand away in the end. “Are you going to keep your word?”

“I will.” She held his gaze. “Check their pockets.”

He turned away, returning to the trailer.

Jadee blinked back tears. It was almost over, and she just had to hold on a little longer. Then she could fall apart. Her father was dead but she and the others were going to live. That was the important part.

“Jadee?”

She turned her head, staring at Kar. “Yeah?”

“He won’t be the one who comes after you if you betray us. Creatures from your worst nightmares will pin a target on your back. You’ll have Vamps, Werewolves, and everything else you never want to meet determined to kill you. You’ll also get him in deep shit. He’s breaking the rules by letting you go with your memory intact. It could mean Lavos being severely punished. He’s risking a lot. Do you understand?”

“I do.”

Kar studied her.

“I do,” she repeated. “I’m never going to tell anyone what happened here. I heard Lavos. My dad called me and I came to visit. I found those three stranded and the river killed my dad. That story won’t ever change.”

“Good.”

Jadee believed Kar and what he said would happen if she ever opened her mouth. She wasn’t that stupid. A single night in close contact with Vampires had assured her she never wanted a repeat experience. Once had been more than enough. It would give her plenty of nightmares.

* * * * *

Lavos knew Kar worried about whether they could trust Jadee. He silently admitted his own doubts about depending on a human to keep silent. Kira had been raised with his clan and was trustworthy. Jadee was an unknown, but he thought highly of her spunk. He was almost sorry to say goodbye. He really did like her.

The truck started when he turned the key after reconnecting the battery, and he climbed out of the cab to stand beside Jadee. “It still works.”

“At least that went our way. I can’t believe those bastards disabled it. Mitch probably did it while my dad was trying to talk his way inside the RV. It will teach me to always lock the doors in the future, even if I’m in the middle of nowhere.”

“Drive down this road until you hit the highway. Don’t stop for anything. There’s a soldier still out there. I doubt he went that way since I found his trail leading toward town. You hit the highway and go right. That will take you in the opposite direction.”

“I don’t plan to stop until I’m out of Alaska unless I need gas. I was going to fly home but you said you need time to clean up this mess. Driving will waste some days. I can’t wait to return to Washington.”