“Your eyes still bothering you?” I asked.
She nodded. “I have an eye appointment today. I was lucky to get one on a Saturday.”
“I thought the entire town would be shut down with everything going on,” replied Nathan.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“The town barbeque thingy,” I said. “We’re meeting Duncan there later this afternoon. Want to join us, mom? It should be a lot of fun.”
“Yeah, actually, I do.” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe I’ll see Caleb there.”
“He’s the sheriff. He’s probably heading up the security,” said Nathan.
“I’m sure. I’ll probably just meet you both there after my eye appointment. Keep your cell phone on so I can find you.”
“Just call me when you’re done and we’ll come look for you, mom,” said Nathan.
“Okay. This should be fun,” she said, turning on the coffeemaker.
“Either of you want eggs?” asked Nathan, opening the fridge. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m craving a late breakfast.”
“No, that’s okay,” she replied, picking out one of her gourmet coffees from the carousel on the counter. “I’m hungry, but nothing sounds good. I think I’m just going to grab a bite in town before my exam.”
Nathan and I looked at each other, both of us obviously wondering the same thing, was she craving something rare and bloody?
“Nikki, are you hungry?” asked mom.
“Uh, just some toast.”
“Okay.”
Mom made some for me and then took off with her coffee, while Nathan made himself a monster omelet. After watching him down a half dozen eggs while I nibbled on my toast and jelly, we decided to take a drive over to Abigail’s, to see if she was still in town.
“I think this is her place,” he said as we drove up the dirt road to the next cabin over. It was older and much smaller than the one we were staying at, but kept up nicely. With all of the flowers and shrubs surrounding the cabin, it seemed inviting.
“Yeah, there’s her truck,” I pointed next to the cabin. “Obviously she didn’t skip town just yet. Lucky for us.”
We got out and walked up to the porch. I could hear a dog barking somewhere inside and smiled. “At least we know she’s not living alone.”
“I don’t blame her,” said Nathan, swatting at a mosquito. “Not with Ethan and his band of freaks flying around at night. Hell, maybe we should consider getting a dog.”
“Something tells me a dog isn’t going to frighten a vampire,” I said. “If anything, it might put the dog’s life in grave danger.”
“No doubt,” he replied, ringing the doorbell. We waited and rang it again, but nobody answered.
“Maybe she’s fishing on the dock?” I asked.
He stared over my head towards the side of the cabin and nodded. “Good thinking. Let’s go check it out.”
We went around to the back and looked out towards the lake, but there was still no sign of anyone.
I looked up at Nathan and frowned. “You know, I’m getting this creepy feeling, that something isn’t right.”
“Don’t get all paranoid, Nik. She’s probably taking a walk or over at a friend’s nearby.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope so.”
We walked to the back door, and this time, I pounded on it. When nobody answered, I looked through a small kitchen window and saw a dog sitting inside in a kennel, whining.
“Aw… poor thing. She’s got her Golden Retriever caged up. Maybe Abigail really is getting ready to leave town, today.”
He scraped his teeth over his lower lip and nodded. “Makes sense. Heck, I’m surprised she’s still here.”
“Let’s wait on the porch for a little while,” I said, walking towards the front of the cabin again. “If she is heading out, we need to catch her beforehand.”
We both sat down on the wooden rockers on the porch and stared pensively towards the dirt road. After about fifteen minutes, I glanced back at her empty truck and sighed. “Something isn’t right, Nathan. I just have this horrible, horrible feeling.”
He stood up. “I know. I’m wigging out a little here, myself. You know, she’s pretty old. What if she had a stroke or heart attack, and is lying inside, unable to move?”
I rose to my feet, too. “Oh crap. Check the door.”
Nathan reached for the handle, and it opened easily. He stuck his head inside. “Hello? Abigail? It’s Nathan from the next cabin over!”
Nobody answered.
“Keep going,” I said.
We stepped inside and were immediately engulfed in a smell that made me want to puke.