Chapter Text
Outside of Joliet, they pulled into a strip mall while the watery mid-afternoon sun hung noncommittally above the treeline. The pizza was lukewarm and rubbery, but from the booth in the window they could keep an eye on the car and the door of the restaurant.
“Where are we going?” Krissy asked.
“I don’t know, you were the one driving.” Claire replied, and, if sarcasm counted as emotion, then Krissy decided to take that as progress.
“We have to meet up with some people, at least so we know what’s going on. Do you know anyone in the area?”
Claire shook her head. “No one important.”
“Um, okay. I know someone in Lincoln, we could get there in—” Krissy consulted her mental map of the region, which, admittedly, was a little patchy and mostly measured distances in terms of “close” “far” and “far as fuck” from Conway Springs.
“ — we could get there late tonight, I think.”
“I can drive for a bit, if that helps.” Claire offered.
“It would, thanks.” Krissy’s smile was almost returned.
After a moment, Krissy wrapped her hands around her elbows in an exaggerated shiver and made a face. “I haven’t been up north this time of year in a while, I forgot how early it gets cold.”
Claire smiled. She was better prepared, having pulled on a worn leather jacket before they left the car.
“So who are your friends in Lincoln?”
“Raina and Charles Lee. They’ve got a son, Peter, too. Sweet kid. They used to work with us sometimes. We took down a whole nest of vampires in Kansas City a few years back, but then Raina got pregnant and they took a couple years off.”
“Wow. Hunters with kids.”
“Yeah, they’re a really sweet family. Pretty stationary now, though, so they’re easier to track down and I bet they’ll have plenty of information.”
“Have you been in contact with them yet?”
Krissy looked taken aback, and then laughed. “I had completely forgotten. That’s a good idea.”
They paid the tab, and Krissy searched through her phone’s contacts until she found the right number. She leaned against the truck’s door while the phone rang for a long moment. Finally, the other line picked up.
“Krissy?” Raina’s contralto sounded tinny and far away, but it still lifted Krissy’s heart to hear her friend on the line.
“Hey, Raina. How’s it going?”
“As well as can be expected. You guys are the first ones we’ve heard from since yesterday. What’s the news?”
“Long story. I’d love to tell you in person, if that’s okay? I’m with another hunter, Claire…” Krissy trailed off and glanced up at Claire, at a loss.
“Novak” Claire mouthed.
“... Claire Novak” Krissy said. “And we don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
“We’re always happy to see our favorite wayward child hunters.” Krissy rolled her eyes but laughed into the receiver.
“Okay, we’re in Joliet right now. Should get there by late tonight.”
“Aim for earlier. If I tell Peter his favorites are coming, he won’t be able to sleep. Do you have a minute to chat? He’s just upstairs and I’m sure he’d love to talk to Josephine.”
Krissy’s stomach twisted and her mind ran back through the conversation. His favorites, Raina had said. Child hunters. You guys are the first ones we’ve heard from. The fact that she was no longer part of a plural twisted a knife into her stomach.
“Actually, Raina, it’s just going to be me and Claire.”
“What do you mean? Where are Aiden and Jo going?”
“They didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” Krissy tried to keep her voice even— Raina and Charles had come to their high school graduations, their house had been the first stop on the so-called Three-Man Travelling Circus and Post-Graduation Road Trip, and all three of them had taken turns watching Peter on weekend hunts— but she couldn’t stop her voice cracking. Claire heard it too, and glanced up from inspecting the backs of her hands to meet Krissy’s eyes, sorrow and sympathy intermingling.
“Don’t you apologize to me, Krissy. You just get yourself here safely. I’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks again, Raina. Tell Charlie and Peter I say hi.”
“You got it, chica. See you tonight.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The line went silent. Krissy slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and, not trusting herself to speak, climbed into the passenger side of the truck.
As Claire pulled the truck out of the parking lot and back onto the highway, Krissy felt the same silence descend over the car— a silence that was not typically uncomfortable, but now with the ghosts of Aiden and Josephine so present, it was unbearable.
“Can you tell me about them?” She said. Maybe if they filled the car with all the ghosts they could, it wouldn’t be so damn quiet and she wouldn’t feel so alone.
But Claire’s face closed off almost instantly.
“No,” she said softly, not without regret.
Krissy nodded and absently turned on the radio. The acoustic chords of a minor-key pop ballad filtered through the speakers. In the corner of her eye, Claire raised an eyebrow.
“Josephine loved this kind of shit. Aiden and I gave her hell for it, called it her ‘crybaby rock’ station. But it always made her happy. We can change it, if you want.”
“No, it’s okay. It’s good to hear about someone else’s problems.”
“The world may be ending, but this guy’s going to get his girl back.” Krissy smiled.
It had been dark for an hour or two by the time Claire pulled the car into the exit lane for Lincoln. A few minutes’ drive took them to the quiet street of rowhouses, motionless in the night but for a cat slipping from shadow to shadow.
“It should be coming up here on the left.” Krissy said, leaning out her window to read the house numbers.
“There! 634. With the light on.”
Claire pulled the car into a parking spot a few houses down and the two climbed out, pulling backpacks from the cramped backseat. Krissy tried to peer through the window before ringing the doorbell, but the blinds were closed tightly and she wasn’t able to see anything until the door swung gently open.
“Hey, Krissy! Right on time.” Charles’s face had gotten older in the year or so since Krissy had seen him last, but his brown eyes were still warm and vibrant, despite the new folds surrounding them.
“Hi Charles. How’ve you been?”
“We’re alright. Come on in. Is this Claire?”
Claire smiled thinly.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Just put your bags there for now. Have you eaten?”
“Not since this afternoon.”
“I’ll get you guys some leftover pasta in a sec, okay?” Almost apologetically, he pulled a flask from his back pocket. “If you don’t mind, though, first?” He uncapped the flask and poured a little onto his forearm.
“No problem.” Krissy doused her hands and passed the flask to Claire, who poured a few drops of the remaining holy water onto her own hands. After handing it back to Charles, she rubbed her hands together as if washing her hands, and Krissy absently wondered if the ritual felt different for someone with sacred blood. Almost immediately, she decided not to ask.
“Alright. Let’s get you some food. Make yourselves comfortable.”
Charles disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two girls standing in the front room. Krissy met Claire’s eyes and cast about for something to say, but, as usual, nothing came to mind. Claire looked so out of place, and Krissy felt a sudden need to make Claire feel as at home as she did, to assure her that she was safe in this small brownstone. Then again, she knew that most hunters, especially ones with histories like Claire’s, had a bit of trouble conceptualizing the term “safe.”
“We’ll be okay to stay here a few days.” She said softly. “Then we can decide where we want to go next.”
“Okay.” Claire might have said more, but just then Charles re-entered the room with two bowls of pasta.
“So, where’s Raina?” Krissy asked once they were seated.
“A friend of ours called for backup a few hours ago. She should be home soon.”
“Everything okay?”
Charles shrugged. “As far as I know. I think it was some sort of vampire. Hunting alone, though, it shouldn’t give them too much trouble.”
As if on cue, his phone rang.
“Hey, babe.”
A pause. Krissy couldn’t make out individual words, or even a tone of voice, but Charles’ brow knit with worry almost instantly.
“Are you okay?”
Another pause, longer this time.
“Not now. Just— just get home, okay? We’ll talk about it here.”
“Yeah. She’s here, she’s fine.” Charles looked up at Krissy suddenly, eyes dark and searching. She felt herself blushing under the sudden scrutiny. “I don’t think so.”
“See you in a few.”
“What was that?” Claire asked quietly, almost defensive— she’d noticed the sudden suspicion as well.
“It wasn’t a vampire. Raina’s not sure what it was. Have you had any contact with anyone else in the last few hours?”
“No one but you, we’ve been driving since Joliet. Why?” Krissy said.
“She thinks it might be something contact-based. I don’t know, she’ll tell us more once she gets home.”
Krissy nodded, satisfied, and returned her attention to her ravioli. Claire looked suspicious still, but Krissy was beginning to suspect that that was more of a state of being than an actual mood for her. Krissy happened to glance up just as a small boy in plain blue pajamas peeked around the corner of the doorway, brown curls still mussed up with sleep. His eyes widened when he saw Krissy, but he didn’t move farther into the room.
“Peter?” She asked. As soon as he heard her voice, his face brightened.
“Krissy!” He ran into the room and hugged her knees.
“Aw, Peter, c’mon.” Laughing, Krissy picked him up and placed him on her lap.
“Hey, Pete, this is my friend Claire. Can you say hi to her?”
“Hi, Claire.” Peter said shyly. Claire looked stricken in the exact manner of people who desperately want to be good with small children but aren’t.
“Um, hi, Peter.” She said.
“Krissy? Where’s Jo?” Peter’s lisp made Krissy’s name difficult enough, but Josephine’s was downright impossible, so he had shortened it to just the first syllable long ago. Krissy stiffened at the nickname, shooting a desperate look at Charles.
“Jo isn’t coming today, it’s just Krissy and Claire.” He said.
“No Aiden?”
“Sorry, buddy.” Krissy said. “Just us.”
“Aw.” Peter looked downcast for a moment, and then brightened almost instantly. “You wanna watch Cars?”
“It’s a little late to watch Cars tonight, isn’t it?”
“No.”
“Let’s let Krissy finish her dinner, okay?” Charles said, standing up. “You can hang out with her tomorrow.”
Krissy handed a yawning Peter up to his dad, and the two set off upstairs.
“Sweet kid.” Claire said once they were out of hearing range.
“Told you.”
Claire smiled again, and it was such a sweet thing, a rare flash of teeth and a near-imperceptible softening of her eyes. Krissy glanced back down at her scarred hands twisted in her lap.
A moment passed, and then came the sound of a key turning in the lock at the front door. Krissy could hear Charles’ low voice still talking to Peter upstairs, so she rose to answer, deciding it couldn’t be anyone but Raina. Already prepared to welcome her friend and reassure her that she and Claire were okay, Krissy opened the inner door.
It was Raina, sure enough, but not the warm, motherly woman of Krissy’s past, or even of the conversation hours ago. Her coat was torn at one sleeve, she was still slightly out-of-breath, and her eyes were wide and dull behind blood-splattered wire frames. Krissy pulled her inside by one arm while Claire, who had followed closely behind her, glanced up and down the block before quickly locking the door.
Krissy led Raina to the nearest chair and knelt before her, one hand on the trembling woman’s knee.
“Raina? What is it? What did you see.”
“Krissy? Krissy, you have to get out. It’s nothing— it’s nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
“What do you mean?” Claire asked.
Raina glanced up at her.
“They said the end of the world would come after the battle. I don’t think we’ve got too long to wait.”