Tanya watched as Sanders put his arm around Megan. She knew he would be kissing her, right about now, huddled up like two schoolkids on a cold night, waiting for a bus.

The two-faced bastard.

Tanya moved around between the old horses. A smaller side stall was nearer, and if she got there, she might hear what they were talking about. She stepped forward. Her foot found a plastic cup. It crunched. Sanders dropped his cape and stared in her direction. She froze. If he looked hard enough, he might make her out in the dark. Tanya panicked and stepped back from the carousel and skulked into the safety of the darkness.

Sanders stood and listened as his blue eyes cut through the darkness toward the carousel. He waited. No sound came, and he turned back to Megan.

"I don't have long," she said. "They are awake half the night as they’re on edge. I only got Gabriel to sleep by fu..." she started saying. "Well, you know how women work."

Sanders nodded. He understood, but it was the other information she possessed. That was what interested him the most. Find the damned shaman, and then he could focus his attention back onto Kelvin. Then he would have all he needed to become the all-powerful one he’d always dreamed of being. As the waves crashed against the river bank, his mind went back to Edmund and how he was supposed to have helped him do all of this. If the dumb shit hadn't have fallen for Noelle and let jealousy get in the way, he would now rule the world. Or at least a good portion of it.

"So, where’s this shaman?"

"I got the name of the area," Megan said. "The Dirty D."

"Charming. That's not going to be on any map, is it?" he replied, in a not-so-pleasant tone. His fingers dug into the metal railing. Megan heard the twisting of the metal as Sanders clenched his fist. "You need to find out where this place is. They have the information so they will be looking. TODAY."

"I'm sorry. I had my claws dug into the guy’s throat, and that was all he said. It wasn't as if I had plenty of time on my hands." she replied, very sarcastically. Sanders huffed inside. He saw the fire in Megan's eyes. Even if he was to be the ruler of the world, she wouldn't take shit from anyone, not even him.

"Point taken, now you better get back," he said. I'm going to hang around here for a while."

"Okay. I'll contact you when I know more. Fingers crossed it keeps raining, or I’m not going anywhere."

"Hmm!"

Megan turned and ran down the side of the river and vanished into the darkness. Sanders turned and ambled across to the carousel. "Tanya," he yelled. She remained crouched in the shadow.

"I know you're there, my sweetheart, I can smell you."

Tanya huddled tighter into the darkness. If she waited long enough, he might be convinced she wasn't there. Then she had to get back before he did. Fuck! He's going to find out, for sure.

Sanders stood in silence. His breathing slowed. Tanya listened. She knew it would be a while. He was patient. She wrapped her arms around her legs. She held her breath. She glanced from under the wooden steps. Sanders stepped silently onto the grass.

"I know you're here."

Tanya knew he couldn't smell her. The diesel dripped from the motor above her and soaked into the grass. She leaned back and pushed herself to the floor of the carousel. It was pitch black as she shuffled backward on her hands, ass, and heels of her boots, right to the far side. She heard his voice back where she had crawled from. Sanders peered under the steps into the empty shadow. Tanya made her way under the wet canvas that hung over the opening and ran to the far side of the carnival ground. She rounded the stall nearest the buildings, and watched. Sanders roamed around and checked all the places she could possibly hide. He crouched and lifted the canvas. She called on her vlad and sprinted across the grass, into the alleyway, and up the first fire escape that she could see. She looked across the rooftops and back to their motel. As soon as Sanders got bored with checking, he would flee back to their motel.

Tanya rocked back and forth. Her boots dug into the gravel. She took a deep breath and hurtled herself forward. Without slowing or concern for the distance, she threw herself from the rooftops. Her arms spread to balance her as she landed or clung to the side of the building. Roof after roof. She saw the marker light ahead of her. She noticed her sweatshirt, and that it smelled of diesel. She pulled it from over her head without missing a stride. She jumped from the last roof and hit the side of the balcony. Quickly, she removed her clothes and placed them into the closet. She wiped her face and smelled her hands. She climbed back into bed and pulled the bedsheet over her body.

She tilted her head to the side and tightened her eyes. The balcony door creaked. She never moved. She suddenly felt hot breath on her face. She guessed Sanders was staring at her. She never moved a muscle. The hot breath stopped, and she heard him walk to the closet. The light shone through her eyelids as she naturally kept them closed.

"Megan sends her regards."

He’s trying to trick you.

"She said she’s keeping Gabriel more-than-satisfied in bed."

Don't bite. Don't be taken in by it.

Tanya felt the other side of the bed dip as Sanders swung his legs from the floor. She breathed normally and kept her eyes closed as if she was still in the shadows.

"There's a carnival by the river. They have horses. I know you love horses."

I do, I love horses. Ssshh…

Megan reached Willy's motel. She called on her vlad and leaped up the wall. She peered through the railings and saw no sign of movement. She hid in the dark and stripped. She slithered into the pool and wet her hair. Quickly, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel. She grabbed both piles of clothes and walked into the receiving area of the motel. She placed her foot on the first step. The water puddled on the old oak as she turned to the lounge area. The smell of the outdoors caught her senses, and she noticed a light on. She walked to the rear pool and found Gabriel in the chair.

"Hey!" she called quietly. Her head tilted, and she saw he'd fallen asleep in the chair.

She shook his shoulder. He stirred and opened his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked.

"I've no idea."

"I got up. You’d vanished. It's only when Kelvin saw your clothes I knew you'd gone swimming," he said as he lowered his feet from the second chair.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked, dumping her clothes on the table.

"They've gone back to bed for a few hours."

"I'm surprised everyone was still awake?"

Gabriel's wits started to come back to him. It wasn't that much of a surprise. They'd had a skirmish, and there had been a few deaths."What's everyone doing today, anyway? Have they mentioned that, yet?" Megan asked.

"I'm not sure what Kelvin and Maria have planned. But Dustin’s going out later."

Megan wondered if he was going to look for the shaman. She couldn't follow him. But she might find out exactly where he was going. Gabriel didn't know about it, it seemed, so Sanders still had time on his hands.

"Do you know where he's going?" Megan asked, trying to get an answer. Gabriel forgot about the key Dustin had shown him, and only that he said he was going to seek help.

"Not really. He said he had to speak to someone who knows the city. The place we have to go isn’t the easiest place to get into, apparently."

Gabriel stood and grabbed hold of Megan’s clothes. She panicked because she had two lots. He tucked them under his arm without looking and held out his hand.

"You ready for another couple of hours sleep before the day starts?" he asked.

Megan smiled endearingly. She took his hand. "Of course. Who in their right mind would refuse another couple of hours in bed with you?"

Gabriel chuckled as he led her through the large glass doors and to the bottom of the stairs. "It sounds as if we have unfinished business?"

"You never know."

Megan pulled the drapes closed (just in case the sun came up) and then dropped her towel and walked to the bed. Gabriel slipped from his sweatpants and sweatshirt and slithered under the bedsheet next to her. He took her in his arms and cuddled her damp body.

"Brrr, you're so cold," he said.

"Well, that pool isn't the warmest of places at this time of the night," she replied.

"I can believe that."

She nuzzled her head against his shoulder and drifted off to sleep. Gabriel slept and started to dream…

He heard a voice calling his name. This time it wasn't Declan’s old house. It was a place that was warm, and there was the ocean and a beach. The voice was a woman's voice. It said the same as what the old woman in the store had told him.

“Things aren’t as they appear. Your journey has many miles to go before it’s all over. Forces need to be united and fight as one, by the lake.”

Gabriel had no idea what that meant, and until that moment, he needed to play it by ear and see how it fitted in with the plans that Dustin had. He knew after speaking to the old woman that there was a lot to do, and finding the shaman was the first step in a chain of events that was yet to unfold.

The motel fell silent and remained that way until Dustin made his way downstairs. He’d found a place to hide the key. An air vent had a couple of loose screws, and he’d placed the bone key in a small Ziploc and rested it on the brick inside the wall. It’d be safe, and if any vlad happened to get into the motel, there was no way they’d smell it through the plastic. He walked to the kitchen and started to fry himself another human food breakfast. It had been a while since he’d killed anything to feed on. The others had brought food, although it wasn't the same. The thrill of the kill was half the fun, feeling a pumping heart give up its last breath and the salty taste of a kill’s blood running down your throat. That was a bonus. A bonus that was always worth waiting for.

For now, Dustin had to settle for bacon and eggs. It didn't have the same thrill factor, although he had become a master at cooking a good fry up. Maria came in with a smile on her face as he stood sliding the eggs onto his plate. She smiled and cheekily took the plate from under his nose.

"I worked up quite an appetite last night," she commented.

"I suppose you're as hungry as a bear?" he replied. "I would’ve thought you wanted porridge."

"Very humorous. Now get on with cooking your own breakfast will ya," she said. She had a cheeky grin.

Dustin had almost finished cooking the second batch as Kelvin appeared in the kitchen, he sniffed the air and commented how good it smelled. Dustin put him straight and said that if he touched his plate he would break all of his fingers. Kelvin got the hint and opted for cereal instead.

"Where’re you going today?" Maria asked.

Dustin shook his head as he folded a piece of toast around an egg that gave up its yolk and oozed from the side. "I'm not telling anyone until I know we’re set. I said last night these damned vlads always seem to have a heads-up on our plans, and I can't risk it," he explained. "And on top of that, I’m not sure where I’m going or if they’re able to help me."

"Well, if you need us, you have your cell. Make sure you keep it on you."

Dustin said he wasn't sure if he was going to the area or if he was only being told where it was. The guardian told him it wasn’t safe, even if he possessed all he needed to get them through the door.

"I'll be fine," he said.

"Just make sure, you're not as young as you used to be."

"I can still give these young ones a run for their money. It just takes me longer to recover."

Dustin finished his breakfast and told Kelvin to do the dishes. He was heading out the door while his stomach was still full.

"What time are you going to be back?" Maria asked.

"If I’m not back by four, send out a search party."

“The carousel man knows I’m gonna stick around. He keeps my world a spinnin’ around and around.”