“Sorry about that,” he said with a rueful grin. “Forgot to warn you about Dorothy—she’s a little touched in the head, if you hadn’t figured it out by now. Sees angels every other day.”
My body uncoiled in relief. For a second, I’d thought I was in real trouble. “Has anyone here seen a real vampire?” I asked, wondering whom I should be wary of. “Forget fangs and claws and red beady eyes, does anyone here really know what they look like?”
“Well, Dorothy swears she’s seen one, though she can’t remember exactly when or where, so who knows if it was real. Beyond that…” He shrugged. “Jeb. Jebbadiah’s whole family was slaughtered by a vampire when he was a kid, and he’s never forgotten what it looked like. He says he’s always remembered, so he can kill the vampire if they ever meet again.”
I looked at Jebbadiah, at the head of the group, walking briskly down the road without looking back. And I wondered what a lifetime of anger, resentment and hatred could do to someone like him.
A few hours later, my internal clock was giving me the two-hour warning when Jeb held up a hand, calling the group to a stop. Zeke jogged up beside him, leaned in as Jeb spoke quietly, then turned to face the rest of us.
“Set up camp!” he called, sweeping his arm to the side, and the group immediately began shuffling off the road into the dry grass that surrounded us. “Jake, Silas, you’re on first watch. Teresa—” he nodded at the old woman “—Darren will help Ruth with dinner tonight. You should rest your leg. Keep off it for a few hours at least.” Darren muttered something as he passed, and Zeke rolled his eyes. “Yes, poor Darren, forced to cook and clean and do other unmanly things. Next thing you know he’ll be wearing an apron and popping out babies.” He snorted as Darren turned and did something with his hand. “We’re friends, but we’re not that close, Dare.”
I hung back, watching as Zeke cleared away a patch of earth, built a tent of sticks over a bundle of dry grass, and started a fire. Quick. Efficient. Like he’d done this many times before. As I was wondering how long the group had been traveling, Ruth suddenly broke away from her tent and glanced up at me, raising an eyebrow.
“What’s the matter, city girl?” she called, smiling sweetly. “Don’t know how to set up a tent? A three-year-old could do it. Want Caleb to teach you how?”
I stifled the urge to strangle her, especially with Zeke nearby. “No, I’m fine, thanks.” Hefting the bag on my shoulder, I marched past her, past the circle of tents around the campfire, to a spot about a hundred yards away. Dumping the tent onto the ground, I studied it fiercely.
All right. I can do this. How hard can it be, really? Kneeling, I picked up a long metal spike, frowning. What in the world? Are you supposed to stab someone with these? Do tents come with vampire-slaying kits?
Actually, it was fairly simple, once you figured it out. The metal stakes pinned the corners to the ground, and a couple plastic rods held it upright from inside. I was feeling fairly proud of myself, setting up a tent on the first try, when I fumbled with the rods and the whole thing collapsed on top of me.
Laughing, Zeke slipped into the small interior as I cursed and struggled, shoving at the canvas. Grabbing the plastic frame, he maneuvered it into place with the ease of familiarity, snapping the tent upright.
“There,” he said, still chuckling. “That should do it. You got one of the flimsy tents, sadly. Not bad, though, getting it up on your first try. You should’ve seen Ruth the first few times she tried setting hers up. I’ve never heard such language coming from our delicate flower.”
I smirked, feeling vindicated. “It doesn’t seem very sturdy,” I admitted, gently shaking the plastic tube holding up the wall. Zeke chuckled again. He had a nice laugh, I decided, even if it was directed at me.
“Just don’t hit the frame, and it’ll be fine. Unless it’s really windy outside. Or if someone accidentally bumps it. Or if an ant crawls on it.” Zeke grinned. “Actually we’re all used to the tents falling on top of us. Most of us don’t even wake up when it happens.”
I snorted. “So, if a big storm comes through—”
“At least you’ll be dry as you go rolling across the plains.”
I laughed. It felt strange; I hadn’t done that in a while. Then I realized how close we were, huddled together beneath this tiny dome of canvas. I could see the details of his face, even in the darkness: the lines around his mouth and eyes, the faint scar on his forehead, nearly hidden by his pale hair. I could hear his heartbeat, sense the blood pulsing in his veins, right below the skin. For a moment, I wondered what Zeke tasted of, how it would feel to draw him close and sink into that oblivion.