about vampire attacks. I closed my eyes to fight off the overwhelming emotions building inside of me. We all knew vampires were heartless, but Elijah had taken cruelty to a whole new level.
I sifted through the boxes of ammo until I found the kind my brother had always bought. I grabbed two and made my way to the register. The clerk was arguing with a middle-aged man whose appearance could only be described as disheveled. He wanted to buy a virtual arsenal of weapons without waiting the typical grace period. Even with the dead walking among us, there still had to be rules. It was what kept all hell from breaking loose.
My eyes wandered from customer to customer wondering who they had lost at the hands of the undead. An older woman caught my eye at the corner of the counter. Her eyes were puffy and swollen and her cheeks were bright pink. It was obvious she had spent the day crying. She pushed off of the counter and walked over to the man who was arguing with the cashier. She put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it as she whispered to him quietly. The man turned to her, nodding his head and followed her to the side of the counter she stood at moments before. I realized they were waiting for special approval for arms. If someone in your immediate family or yourself was attacked by a vampire, you could receive a waiver for the grace period for personal protection.
I stepped forward as the line shortened. A mother and her young son stood in front of me. I smiled and waved at him as he turned around to inspect the items in my arms. His mother shot me a worried look and pulled the boy tightly against her. My heart sank as I thought about the world this little boy would grow up in if he were even lucky enough to grow up at all. We stepped forward again in unison and the mother quickly paid for her items and hurried her son from the store.
“Two boxes of the wood tip specials. This all for you Ma’am?” The cashier asked, his silver eyebrow raised, crinkling the thin skin around his eye. I nodded as I fished around in my purse. I handed him my Government Vampire Victim card and cash. He glanced from the I.D. to me and nodded in approval. I stuck it back in by purse and grabbed the bag and my change, anxious to get out of there myself. These stores were huge targets for vampires with a vengeance and their sympathizers.
I made my way through the lingering people and pushed my way out of the double doors. Sliding my sunglasses on my face, I paused, my chin tilted up toward the warm sun before I headed towards my brother’s car. Thick clouds were rolling in and the sunshine wouldn’t last long. As I unlocked the door, I heard the muffled ringtone of my cell phone go off. I threw my bag across to the passenger seat and started the car. Taking a deep breathe I rifled through my purse and pulled out my cell phone. The caller I.D. read Daddy.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself. I wondered if he had caught wind of the burglary incident. I sighed and tossed the phone onto the seat. There was too much to think about right now, and I was in no mood to be lectured.
Rain sprinkled on my windshield and I leaned forward to inspect the sky. If this keeps up, it will be getting dark early. I put the car in reverse and headed back toward my apartment. My mind wandered to yesterday's events. I suddenly remembered our run-in with the vampires outside of the bar. How had they known Elijah’s name? Better question- How had I not known what he was? I searched through the memories of the time we had spent together. The signs were definitely there, but I had let my guard down. I shook the thoughts from my head and flipped through the radio stations.
I made my way to the Hollow as the rain started to fall in a steady pour. I flipped on the wipers and picked up the pace. It had rained a lot lately and the little bridge over the creek had a tendency to flood. If that happened, I would be forced to backtrack around to the other side of town. I sang along with the radio