Road Trip with Vampires: one star, would not recommend.

Anxiety + a library

Nix thought that most of their problems were over. In fact, they returned tenfold when Zhenya shook them awake at four in the afternoon and whispered, 'They're close.'

'Who's "they"?'

'There's three of them. One smells like the bartender. I'll meet you by exit number two.'

By the time Nix had managed to drag Esther with her, he had already taken off his unholy long coat, ready to drape it over themselves when they exited the cabin.

'We're going to make a dash for it,' he said, drawing Esther closer to him. 'On three. One, two—'

They ran like hell, which proved difficult, with Zhenya's longer strides and Esther's short hops. In two steps, the coat fell off, exposing all three of them to the sun. Not wanting a repeat of Morocco, Nix scrambled up a nearby tree. Creaking below her told her the others were doing the same. 

The tree swayed slightly. Nix, settling onto a branch, started to sweat when it leaned over. But somehow, employing loopholes in physics, the other had managed to perch on the same branch as she. Esther shoved her to avoid the sunlight shining through a gap in the leaves.

There were indeed three of them, though she had to squint to see them. There was the bartender in the Hawaiian shirt, standing outside the cabin, holding a bottle up to his lips. A tall, veiled figure was standing on the roof, conversing with a stout grandmother with a cane, who was climbing up the side of the house with little effort.

Zhenya let fly a long string of Russian swear words. Esther, still trying to keep her balance on the tree, slapped him. 'Shut. There are children present.'

Nix poked her in the side. 'I'm a millenial.'

'And I'm over two thousand years old, but go off.'

'Ooh. Did you meet Jesus?'

'I was stuck in a well in Ireland, so, no.'

'You never told me!' said Zhenya.

'Yeah, who wants to hear of a failed meeting with Your Lord and Saviour?' said Esther. She looked down and her eyes widened. Nix followed her gaze to the ground, where the wizened little figure was looking up, her gaze fixed on them through her veil. She pointed them out to the tall figure.

Zhenya spat out a single expletive and grabbed hold of them. 'This is going to be uncomfortable, hold on!'

He leapt off the tree and proceeded to run at top speed, screaming, dragging the two of them along like potato sacks. Nix could feel her teeth chattering in her skull as she was dragged over rocks, then downhill. For once, she felt sympathy for the poor English rugby player rolling down a hill.

A sizzling noise and a hiss, and Zhenya let go of her. Having lost balance, she tumbled down, slamming into Esther at the bottom of the hill. Zhenya came to rest a short distance away, hair tousled, cross-eyed. 

'Shucks' was the final word he managed to get out before he took one look at his burned hands and collapsed. 

Esther swore loudly in Persian and tried to drag him, ignoring the sizzling noise coming from her own hands. Nix, ignoring the burns on the back of her neck, grabbed hold of one of Zhenya's hands and tugged. They needed shade. Nix scanned her surroundings. Their only chance was to get back into the woods. One hundred metres away.

Nix felt like teaching Esther some Chinese swear words to fully express her discontent. It was too far away, and Zhenya was heavy. It would be a miracle if she got there before she burned up completely. She needed cover now. But where—

Skidding to a stop before her, the tall figure with the veil stretched out its hands to regain its balance. Esther stepped behind Zhenya, hissing. But Nix looked at its unusually long veil and considered.