The Vampire Gene

Angus

We were halfway to the first of the industrial properties Fergus had mentioned - driving along a relatively deserted country road - when an oncoming vehicle started hooting at us and flashing their lights. Fergus looked at the screen of my phone and gasped. I glanced at the driver of the other car and slammed on brakes, and I was out of the Bentley and across the road in seconds with Rebecca in my arms.

There is no way to describe my enormous relief and joy at having her back safe with me. I could have stood there holding her body against mine for ever, my face buried in her hair, but Fergus had found the horn on the Bentley and was more or less sitting on the damn thing. Rebecca started laughing, and pulled away just enough to stick her tongue out at him. He started tapping it instead, which was even more irritating. I held up my hands in capitulation and tucked Rebecca under my left arm, and we crossed the road to where I had parked the Bentley. Well, not parked as such. More like abandoned. Fergus sat grinning in the front passenger seat.

"Bex!" he leaned out of the window. "Good to see you again, love. Let's get going now?"

I nodded my agreement, and opened the rear door. Marcus and Julia looked up at me.

"Can you drive a Bentley, Julia?"

She grinned at me. "Absolutely," she said, and clambered out of the back and into the driver seat. Rebecca and I squashed into the back with Marcus and Oliver.

"What about the car?" Rebecca wanted to know.

"We should bring it with us," Oliver suggested. "It could contain valuable information. I'll drive it back to our place. Do you have the key?" he asked Rebecca.

"I left it in the ignition," she smiled apologetically at him. He grinned back, and scooted out of the car. Julia waited until he was in the van, then she did a beautiful three point turn, and drove us back the way we had come.

Rebecca

We drove back to the Colborne house in silence. I wasn't ready to talk yet, and everyone seemed to respect that. We pulled up in front of the house, Oliver and James' car a short distance behind us. Martin complimented Julia on her driving, and then hurried off to scrutinise the car with Fergus. Julia led us into the house, and set about organising things. Within thirty minutes I had had a shower, and had put on a fresh set of clothes - my old ones were splattered with Eric's blood. Julia and I were about the same size, and her clothes were pretty trendy for an older person - jeans and hoodie of the softest light blue wool I had ever felt.