Nevermore, the Complete Series (32 page)

Five hours passed before I saw Paul again. I had grown tired of waiting and went swimming in the lake for about an hour with Salem. I was beyond jealous of the fact that he could remain under water as long as he desired without worrying about coming up for air. I knew it might be possible I could now as well, but there was no way I was going to risk it. Afterward, I took a quick shower and then sat in the nook reading until I watched my father finally appear at the bottom of the stairs.

“Sleep well?” I asked, peeking over the top of the book. He still looked tired.

He shrugged his bulky shoulders. “Could have used more rest, but it'll do for now.”

Salem summoned him a bowl of clam chowder by request before departing hastily to feed himself. Hannah was upstairs admiring the photographs again, so I took the time to sit with Paul at the dining room table and discuss meeting my grandfather. I stared at him in silence while he slurped his soup noisily, then as he settled the spoon against the bowl I opened my mouth to speak.

“I need to call Kate,” he said before I had a chance, “excuse me.”

With a groan, I watched him leave the room. Ten minutes more of waiting passed before he returned with a grimace on his face.

“She is having a terrible time over there, I really should get back to work...but I don't want to leave you.”

I nearly laughed. “I'll be fine, dad, really. But, before you go, I have to ask you something.”

“Sure, kid,” he said and sat back down. “What is it?”

“I want to meet my grandfather,” I said after a moment's hesitation.

“He doesn't know you at all, Alex,” Paul replied as he slouched in his seat. “He probably doesn't even remember that you exist.”

“Well, if he doesn’t remember, we can teach him. I need to meet him. He might be my only chance at finding an answer to all this. You said so yourself.” My voice was nearly pleading.

“What he tells you might not even be true. He's not all there in the head anymore.”

“I thought the same about you and Salem at first when you told me the truth. For all you know, he isn't crazy at all.”

Paul sighed. “I just don't want you to get your hopes up for something that may turn up to be nothing but an old crazy man’s stories. What if he tells you that everything about you is normal, however it turns out to be wrong because he doesn't know for sure, or because he is remembering wrong? Or what if he sends you off on some wild goose chase and gets you hurt, or worse?”

“It's a risk I have to take,” I replied stubbornly. “I’d rather have something to go on, even if it turned out to be nothing…rather than just wait around for, whatever, to happen...”

I could tell he was giving up hope of convincing me otherwise, and I fought the grin that wanted to come out. “His name is Richard Waldron. You can find him at Littlehaven Institute. It's in the next town over, and you will need some sort of proof that you are family. Just...keep in mind that you can’t trust everything he says as the truth, Alex.”

“I will,” I said, finally letting the grin of success reveal itself.
“Thanks, dad.”

“You're welcome, I guess,” he frowned.

“Go help Kate and then get some more sleep, I'll keep you posted on everything that happens. I promise.” We both stood from our seats.

“You had better,” he replied, gave me a brief hug and headed for the door.

Paul nearly bumped into Salem as he was leaving. Neither of them spoke a word to each other as they passed through the doors. Salem greeted me with curious eyes – curious red eyes. Would I ever grow used to that?

“Where is he off to?” he asked as he embraced me.

“Work,” I replied simply. “But before he left I talked him into telling me how to find my grandfather.”

Salem let go of me and frowned. “I am not sure it's such a wise decision, Alex...”

“Oh God, not you, too!” I grumbled. “Whether he is insane or not, I still want to meet him...even if he doesn't give me the answers at all.”

He nodded solemnly. “I understand...just try not to think too deeply about anything he says to you.”

I rolled my eyes at him and set off to check my laptop for more information on Littlehaven. I was relieved to discover there was a web page for the hospital. It was a simple site, with an off-white background and elegant text displaying the institute's name. The front page detailed how pleasant the staff was, how well taken care of the patients were, and all of the hospital's amenities. I scrolled through the site until I found what I was looking for. At the very bottom of the page was the word 'Contact Us', which led me to a page with a phone number, fax number, e-mail address, and physical address.

“Salem, paper please,” I said without looking away from the computer screen. Seconds later and there was a piece of paper and a pen on the table beside me. I quickly jotted down the location's address. I was suddenly overwhelmed with excitement and anxiety at the prospect of meeting my grandfather, but I had to hold it back for now.

My next step was to check a map to see just where exactly this hospital was. I found a website that gave directions and input Salem's address and the address to the hospital. “This is going to be a longer trip than I had thought.” I said glumly. “Hopefully it’s worth it...”

“We'll be there before you know it, Alex,” Salem said comfortingly from behind me. I was glad to know he no longer opposed.

The following morning, I packed up a few necessities and stuffed them in the Alero before climbing into the driver side seat. Salem was already waiting for me in the car, scanning the radio for something decent to listen to. I smiled when he stopped on a classical music station. Normally it was always set to that station, but he had let Hannah borrow the vehicle when she went to say goodbye to Karen and she must have messed around with the radio.

“You think Hannah will behave herself while we are gone?” I asked as I rolled down the windows and pulled out of the garage.

“I trust her enough,” Salem replied, a slight edge to his voice, “and I told Paul to keep an eye out...just in case.”

“I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that she nearly killed me just a few days ago and now she is practically living with us.” I turned onto the winding, long road that led away from the Victorian and directed us toward town. The bumpy roads no longer bothered me; in fact they were scarcely noticed as we went across.

“You aren't the only one,” Salem commented as we drove through the thick forestry, passed the broken down shed and the field of cows.

My eyes veered off of the road temporarily when I noticed something bizarre in the field. I felt sick to my stomach and pulled the car over to the side of the road. Salem didn't seem to quite understand the sudden halt until he glanced at the herd of bovine. They all appeared frightened. “What's wrong with them?” I whispered as I watched a cow topple over into the dry yellow grass. Before I had the opportunity to scream, Salem leaned across the car and put his hand over my mouth. Something – or someone – was crouched down behind the fallen cow.

“This is unexpected...” Salem's expression was blank and unreadable as he scanned the area. “It isn't Hannah,” he said quietly, “But, they are feeding on animals...”

“A vampire?” I asked as he lowered his hand.

“Yes,” he replied, still observing. My eyesight was nothing in comparison to his, even with being part vampire. I could barely make out the shape of a slender woman with long, wavy auburn hair.

“Should I warn Paul?”

He shook his head. “There is no sense in it. She is not hurting anyone – plus, if she does Paul will know.”

“But, wouldn't it be better to warn him ahead of time...before someone gets hurt?”

“I don't think she is going to hurt anyone.”

“You said the same thing about Mark,” I replied harshly.

He looked down and sighed, “You’re right.”

I called Paul quickly and left him a message about what we had seen, and then drove off toward our destination once more. My mind was wandering as I struggled to keep my eyes on the road. There was another vampire lurking around, and while she may not have been killing humans, that didn’t mean she wasn't dangerous. My instincts told me to stay behind and keep watch with Paul, but I didn't know how much time I had. Plus, my dad and aunt could handle the situation...I hoped.

We drove passed my old high school, where I would have graduated from three weeks prior had I made an effort to stay enrolled. Becoming a vampire hunter had taken away much of my free time, but I wasn't completely displeased with my decision to drop out. There were more important things for me to learn than math, science and English. I had to dedicate my time to learning new fighting techniques and phasing at will. None of the school subjects would have ever prepared me for the life I now had. I spotted Mitchell walking up the sidewalk toward the school doors, but I had no time to stop to say hello. 

Next we passed the trailer park my father lived in, an elementary school and a park. I could almost smell the rot of the corpses dwelling beneath the soil as we passed the cemetery. I was relieved to watch it disappear behind us.

Before long, we were in a part of town I wasn’t as familiar with. There was a long line of near-identical houses to our right, a gas station to the left, and a school. Noticing at the last moment that the Alero was dangerously low on gas, I veered into the parking lot of the gas station and stopped at a pump. Salem looked shocked at first but then the reason for our stop dawned on him. How he had lived all these years and still shunned most technology I will never know. I popped open the console and took out some of the remains of what used to be a completely full envelope. As I did a pain shot through my body, deep into my heart. I hadn’t thought much about Janet…about my mom…in quite some time. I felt a pang of guilt as I pulled what little money was left from what she had left me, and exited the car.

The cashier seemed friendly enough, maybe too friendly. He was maybe sixteen, with light, curly red hair and a face covered in freckles. Ralph, as his nametag told me, must have been pretty lonely out here in this little gas station. After much effort I drug myself away from whatever conversation he was attempting to make and headed back out. After filling the tank with gas, I hopped back into the car.

Salem immediately gave me a strange look. “What took you so long?”

“What? Oh. Nothing, the cashier was just a little lonely was all.”

“I see.”

“You’re not seriously jealous are you?” I rolled my eyes. I knew Salem had been a little skeptical of my relationship with Jason at first, but this was a stranger.

“No. Let’s just go.”

I didn’t even bother replying as I shifted into drive and pulled out of the parking lot back onto the road. Within ten minutes we met the highway and began our journey out of town toward Littlehaven Institute.

What was I even going to say to my grandfather when I met him? I turned my attention briefly to Salem, who was staring out the window and watching the world go by. “Salem?” I said quietly, my eyes set on the road ahead once more.

“Yes?”

“I thought of something that’s kind of been bothering me a little.”

“What is it?” he asked. I could see him staring at me from the corner of my eye.

“What if my grandfather is dead or not living at the institute anymore?” I said, trying to hold back the panic.

“If he were dead, Paul would have been informed,” he insisted, “and if he isn't at the hospital for some reason, I am sure someone there can direct us to where he has relocated to.”

“You’re right,” I said, attempting a smile.

Roughly thirty miles into our trip we pulled into a rest stop so that I could use the bathroom. Salem summoned me a sandwich, which I ate despite my lack of appetite, and its lack of taste. Then back on the road we went, following the crude directions I had written down from the internet. After twenty miles more, we still had not reached Littlehaven. According to the directions I had gotten we should have been there almost ten miles ago. After continuing on for a couple of miles Salem suggested we stop somewhere and ask if we were still headed the right way. I pulled over at the first available place, a tiny inn.

As I entered I was greeted with little more than a nod from a middle-aged Asian man. “Hi, would you be able to help us? We’re trying to get to Littlehaven. The directions I wrote down said it should be around here close by, are we almost there?”

The man pushed his thick horn-rimmed glasses up his nose and stared at me for a minute. At first I thought he may not speak English, but then he opened his mouth. “Littlehaven, you say? You are a long way off. It’s southwest of here. Exit is maybe, forty miles south still.”

“Forty miles south?!” I exclaimed. We had passed the exit almost forty miles ago? Was he sure? “Are you sure that is where it is? You see I’m trying to get to-“

“Yes, yes I am sure. Do you need a room or no?”

“What? No. Thank you,” I left the inn more than a little irritated, more so with the knowledge of how far we had went off track than with the rude innkeeper.

“So, how far do we need to go still?” Salem asked with a genuinely curious look on his face.

I let off a small frustrated scream. “He says we passed the exit like two hours ago.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how. I guess I wrote down the directions wrong in my excitement, I don’t know.” I slammed my fist into the steering wheel and grunted again.

“Alex, it will be okay. It is barely passed one o’clock. We still have plenty of time to get there today.”

As he spoke I suddenly became overcome by exhaustion. How could this even be possible? I had slept a full day, then the night after had gotten a full normal night’s sleep. I had only been up maybe five hours. Salem must have noticed my sudden weakness.

“Alex, are you okay? You look…pale.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired all of a sudden.” My head nodded over and for a moment I thought I was going to fall asleep where I sat. How could I be so tired?

“Nonsense.
We are at an inn, let’s just go inside and stay a while.”

“No, I’m fine. We need to go. I have to find my grandfather.”

“Littlehaven will still be there tomorrow. I’m worried about you Alex, and if you are tired you should rest. Now, let’s get inside.”

I looked up as we entered the little office of the inn, seeing the Asian man with a look of pure annoyance.

“Look. I told you, Littlehaven is south on highway. Exit on right side.”

“We need a room,” Salem said simply.

“Oh, a room, okay. Yes. We have eight rooms. Six open right now. Two have nice view of-”

“Any room is fine. It doesn’t matter. We just need some rest from our travel.”

“Okay, very well, here is key. Room number seven, around back and near end, okay?”

After paying for a single night of use, we walked off to find our room.

It was small and cramped, but I didn't care at the moment. I groggily lay across the full-sized bed without bothering to change into something more comfortable. I felt Salem slip my shoes off and drape a blanket across me that hadn't previously existed moments earlier. Sleep came over me quicker than I had anticipated, but I welcomed it happily.

I woke to find that it was surprisingly the following morning. How I had slept so long again was a mystery, but I soon forgot about my thoughts as I was presented with a bowl of cereal – the simplest meal Salem had ever prepared for me – but I wasn't complaining. I spooned every last piece of cereal into my mouth and set the bowl aside. I was fortunate that my body was still capable of digesting human food, despite its near tastelessness. Blood simply was not something I had any interest in ever consuming again. After I had eaten I took a quick shower. I was surprised that Salem was nowhere to be seen.

I headed towards the office to go ahead and check out, making sure to grab a little travel map from a shelf inside before I headed to the car. When I got there, Salem was sitting on the hood.

“I guess that means you are ready to go now, then?” I laughed.

“Are you? I have been worried about how tired you have been getting lately, Alex, but I think I may know why.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I know you are not a complete vampire, but you are also not fully human. I think the reason you have been so tired is your lack of sustenance.”

“What? You mean food? But I’ve been eating plenty. That doesn’t make any sense really. Yesterday I had just eaten that sandwich before-”

“No,” he cut me off, “I mean sustenance for the vampiric part of you.”

“What are you talking…wait…you mean blood, don’t you?! No way! I am not doing that again unless I have to.”

“Exactly my point, I think you have to.”

“But you don’t know for sure. Look, I feel fine right now, let’s just go.”

“Very well, but next time you are randomly exhausted for no reason, we need to try it.”

“Whatever.”

We pulled out and headed south towards the exit we had somehow missed before. Salem appeared deep in thought, barely making even small talk during the car ride.

“Is something on your mind?” I asked as we passed a long pasture spotted with the occasional horse.

“I am just wondering what Richard will say about your...condition,” he replied distantly.

“Oh," I said quietly, thinking now on the same subject. For all I knew, this would be a complete waste of time and my grandfather wouldn't know any more about it than Paul, Salem, or myself. Of course, when I factored in that I would be meeting my grandfather for the first time, and that made it slightly less pointless if nothing else came of the visit. As I thought this over, we drove ever-nearer to our destination.

We got to the exit before I knew it. The trip hadn’t felt nearly as long this time. I turned right and shook my head as I realized how we had missed the turn before. The street sign lay on the ground, knocked over by who knows what. I was just glad we were finally on track. We had barely twenty more miles before we would arrive at Littlehaven.

Without taking any stops, we arrived at the town before long, if that is what you would call it. I thought Willowshire had been small, but this had to be miniscule. Everything looked old, and everything was spread out. No one seemed to have an actual neighbor here; the houses were for the most part separated by several acres of land.

Luckily my directions for the location of the mental hospital had been accurate, and after a few turns here and there I could see the large brick building up ahead, surrounded by a thick wrought iron fence. I drove slowly into the parking lot, checking to make sure I didn't park someplace reserved, then finally chose a spot. I felt like hours had passed while I sat there staring at the building. It was four stories, with barred windows on the upper levels. There was a field of green grass surrounding the front, and potted plants with various different colorful flowers aligning a thin walkway that led to
the entrance. About ten feet in front of the building was a stone fountain with a waterfall, and atop it was a cement sign with the name 'Littlehaven Institute' across it in big, bold letters. Why they had chosen this little speck of a town for this large hospital, I wasn’t sure.