Become the Night

Highway to Hell Part 1

Garrett doesn't say much as we cruise down the highway out of Idaho and into Montana, aside from singing along with the occasional song on the radio.

I watch him out of the corner of my eye.

"I know you keep looking at me," he says suddenly. I jump at his voice. I had no idea he could tell I keep looking at him. I thought I was being stealthy about it. "What's up?" he asks.

"Sorry. I'm just curious what para faction you're from."

"Haven't figured it out yet?" he laughs. I shake my head.

"No." I don't know why he finds this funny. I scowl lightly, not really angry, more annoyed.

"I'm a vampire." He smiles, lifting the side of his lips and flashing his fangs. Again, I'm struck by his beauty as the sunlight glistens off his fangs. Oddly, I'm not repulsed by the fact that he could easily kill me with them. Then another worrying thought occurs to me.

"Vampire? Doesn't the sunlight hurt you?"

"Normally, yes. I'd be a crispy critter if it wasn't for this ring." He holds up his hand and shows the silver ring with the green and red stone.

"What makes that ring so special?" I ask him, studying the ring closer.

"It's not the ring so much as it is the stone. Not to mention the magic behind it. This is called a blood stone. In magic, it is a healing stone. It also helps with intuition and creativity. For vampires, combined with a certain spell from a witch, it allows me to walk in the sunlight. My ex made this for me so we could enjoy more than just the night together."

I nod slowly, taking in everything he's saying. Joshua said that witches were real, I just didn't think of them as anything other than the cackling old crones in Shakespear's MacBeth. I definitely never imagined a vampire and a witch dating.

"Your ex is a witch?" I don't know why I'm probing, but I just feel that I want to know everything I can about Garrett.

"Yeah, Alexis is a wiz with stone magicks." His smile is dreamy, and his eyes are distant as though his thoughts are somewhere else. Somewhere, like with Alexis. My heart stutters a bit.

"Why'd you guys break up? If you don't mind me asking."

"It's not like it's a big secret or anything. We just had different paths we were on. It didn't help that Alexis' parents were against our dating." I give him a questioning look. "They didn't want a vampire and a witch together," he adds when he sees my face. He looks over his shoulder to check the lane next to us, flips his turn signal on, moves over to left lane, and guns the engine, propelling us forward. The speed at which we fly down the highway should frighten me, but for some odd reason, it doesn't.

"We need to find a place to stay overnight. Somewhere you can transform and won't hurt anyone."

"Including you?"

"Ha!" he gives one short laugh. "As if you could. I've taken out more changelings that challenge me than years you've been alive."

"You... You kill changelings?" I swallow hard.

"Only if they attack me first. I don't hunt them like some other paras."

"Wait, what do you mean hunt them?"

"The vampire king, my father, has offered a reward for changeling hides. It borders on the obscene, if you ask me." He must have caught the horrified look on my face because he adds, "Don't worry. I promised Josh I'd keep an eye on you. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

I let out a pent-up breath I wasn't aware I was holding. I turn and smile at Garrett. He smiles back, flashing his fangs again.

I look up at the sky. It's not quite dark yet, but it is getting there soon. I'm worried that we won't find a place before I start to transform.

"These old farms will sometimes have bomb or tornado shelters under the barns." Garrett tells me, scanning the landscape. "You just have to know what to look for." He continues scanning the area around us. Suddenly, he shouts, "There!" He whips the car to the right, to the annoyance of the other drivers if the barrage of horns is any indication, barely missing the exit ramp. I give Garrett a stern look, but he is all smiles. He reminds me of a kid in a candy store who's just been told he has no limit of things he can get.

We travel down the dirt road just a mile off the exit for what feels like forever. Garrett's smile never wavers.

"You seem awfully happy," I remark.

"This is fun. I never have a chance to just get out and drive like this. Claw Foot isn't that big and there's almost no reason to leave the surrounding areas. So, this is like a vacation for me."

"Okay, well, as long as you don't kill us with your driving, have at it."

He laughs again. "Dude, my reflexes are quicker than a cobra's. Not to mention, I'm practically indestructible and changelings are supposed to be incredibly difficult to kill." I have nothing to say to that, so I keep my mouth shut.

He pulls off the dirt road towards an old barn that has definitely seen better days. What's left of the roof is being held up by one wooden beam. To say that this barn is a fixer-upper, is a vast understatement.