From Headlight, they drove an hour out into Maine's central forests in the Kennebec and Moose River region. The shade of night hid the beautiful colors of Fall, a sight that had tourists in awe this time of year as if they have never seen trees lose their leaves before. Anastasia has never been particularly entranced by the beauty of nature, but now with her awakening near, she mourned missed opportunities to enjoy all the sun had to offer in its glorious summer days.

By the time they traded an asphalt road for a dirt one, she was regretting not asking to drive separate. The four teenagers traveled out of the city in Jason's burgundy Jeep Wrangler to the thunderous sound of rock music. Nastia rode shotgun since it was her night but was told to not get used to it. Shotgun was reserved for the person who got to DJ the road trip, a coveted position that was decided by rule of dibs.

AJ and Ivy were silent in the backseat. The vampire had to curb her curiosity to turn her head to check if they were still back there. It was a good sign though. All she could smell was the peppermint Chapstick she had just applied and all she could taste was the gum Pam had packed her.

After Jason parked the jeep on the roadside, Nastia followed them through the dark woods guided by a single flashlight. An ominous sensation made her tighten her grip on her new weapon. She felt like she was being watched though the only sound heard was the hooting of an owl and their own footsteps. The evergreens took over the forest canopy overshadowing the unmarked trail. Focusing on AJ's back, she wondered if they figured out her secret. If there was an opportunity to get rid of her, this was certainly it. They all seemed to know where they were going.

Nerves fought with pride and seemed to be winning the battle. She was just starting to feel confident in her training. Was she ready to face one of those things head on? The night of the dance played through her head. She didn't have the time then to feel the fear that had stilled her bones, but the experience was terrifying and reminded her just how weak her body is. The pink scars on her shoulders attested to that.

"How much further?" She asked, her voice came out in a whisper. Only after she spoke did she realize they have been walking through the woods completely silent. Was she supposed to stay quiet?

"Not too far. Tired?" AJ asked in that same flat tone, not bothering to turn to her or slow his steps.

"No."

"Good." His curt response had her biting her lip, though she couldn't collect enough ire to be irritated. She snapped at him for seemingly no reason back at the haunted house. Who could blame him for being fed up with her? If she apologized, would he believe it? Better question: why does she want to?

"Is Ethan meeting us out here?" She asked, hoping AJ would look at her to answer.

Jason answered instead, "Nah. He had other business to take care of. But don't worry. AJ won't let anything happen to you."

If looks could kill, Jason would be twelve feet under from the looks both Ivy and AJ sent his way. Jason merely put his hands behind his head and whistled as an inner warmth clung to Anastasia's face despite the bitter autumn wind.

"Jason, how many thralls have you killed?" She asked bubbly when the thick silence began closing around her.

"Uh... Probably like five. I'm a second string myself. AJ is the impressive one."

"I don't have nearly as many kills as Ivy," AJ admitted.

"You'll surpass me in no time though," Ivy said, admiring AJ's profile with something akin to idolization.

"So, Ivy has been doing this longer," Nastia surmised quietly.

"Yeah, she was already with Ethan when he found us," Jason explained. The few interactions they had together had Nastia conclude that Ethan had a pseudo-familial relationship with Ivy, almost father-like. Maybe Ivy's attitude with Nastia didn't only stem from her fallout with AJ, but also the attention and praise Anastasia garnered from Ethan...

They reached a small clearing, but Anastasia saw nothing else in sight. Nonetheless, Ivy strode with purpose towards the center of the area. "Let's get this over with."

The boys helped her clear a pile of dried grass and branches, uncovering a latch lain hidden beneath. AJ pulled it open and Nastia peered into the deep hole. A wooden ladder braced the dirt wall and slipped down the shaft into complete darkness.

"Ethan tied it up down there. I'll go down first to make sure it is still secure," AJ explained. "Wait up here until I call you down."

Without further ado, he climbed down in the dark carrying his flashlight between his teeth. Anastasia looked up to find Ivy examining her, arms crossed. She decided now was as good of a time as any to get more answers. "What's Ethan up to?"

"He had other business to take care of."

"Yeah, Jason said that. What kind of business?"

"None of yours."

A wicked smile laced with mock pity spread lavishly across Nastia's pretty lips eliciting a fierce scowl on Ivy's countenance. "Oh, wow. You don't know. You were left in the dark. That must suck. Is that how this works? Tell me, Ivy, what are you getting out of this?"

"Watch it."

Nastia tilted her head with an innocent expression. "Watch what?"

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Jason laughed trying to relieve the intensity between the two. Neither one of them broke their undeclared staring contest, his attempt at humor failing.

Ivy's hand twitched towards the dagger sheathed at her side. Nastia squinted her eyes, the moonlight making the sapphire shimmer as if submerged in water. The tension was cut in half when AJ's voice floated up from down underground. "Anastasia, you can come down here now. Watch your step."

"Maybe next time," she whispered as she slipped past Ivy and climbed down into the shaft. The promise of a fight warmed her, jittery with anticipation, she hurried down the ladder. Irritated by a splinter that had caught her hand, she bypassed the last few steps down the ladder, jumping and landing on her feet. She straightened up slowly and surveyed the hole. It appeared to be an abandoned, sealed-off mine shaft that was bigger than her walk-in closet, that was a relief. She let out a breath she had been holding. The thought had come too late that getting into an enclosed space with AJ may not be the best of ideas. Too late to think of that now, she thought.

"What took so long?" She asked focusing on the light of his flashlight, her eyes blinking, adjusting to the shadows until the dark silhouette became more recognizable.

Giving her a dry smile, his green eyes gleamed like a cat's. "A rung on the ladder broke and I stumbled down."

"Oh. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a scrape."

"Scrape?"

He held up a scuffed hand, luckily, he didn't break skin. Her chest lurched. What would happen if he did start bleeding? Why is she only thinking of these things now? He was looking at her curious, reminding her she was still gaping at his hand.

"The thrall?"

He sidestepped revealing the haggard creature lying on its side. It appeared female, small and lithe. Its white skin stretched over protruding sharp angles, giving off a rancid odor. The sliver of light showed differing degrees of bruising and crusted blood. At that moment, the raspy breathing stopped, and the thrall lifted its perky nose to sniff the air. Its eyes regained a sense of direction and it lunged at Nastia. Its arms, waist, and ankles were shackled to the wall. Still, the undead creature stretched broken, necrotic fingers towards her, its ankle broke with an eye-popping snap, and it fell onto its belly, disabled.

"Whoa!" AJ threw a protective arm up in front of her. "It didn't seem like a lively one. It's weak, but probably best to hurry and kill it before those chains break."

Displeasure pulled her eyebrows together and a frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. "You're not going to release it?"

"Are you out of your mind? Of course not."

"I thought I was going to get to kill one."

"Ethan just wants you to get a feel for the real thing... without putting you in unnecessary danger. Just kill it."

"This isn't a hunt. It's an execution," she said bitterly.

"Then congrats on graduating from trainee to executioner. Make sure to put your full weight behind your--"

Anastasia stepped forward trying to slice the creature's left arm off so she would have an unobstructed kill shot. Her sword snagged in its path and she had to kick the creature in the face to pull her blade out causing her to fall backwards hitting the ground. It lunged again with Nastia barely having enough time to roll away from the vampire's limited range.

Okay. Even with the vampire held down, this is harder than it looks.

AJ hissed in his breath between his teeth, "It was a good idea but remember, vampire bones are strong. You won't be able to hack off their limbs, not with that blade at least." She blew her hair out of her face and pushed off the ground.

"Mmf..." she winced, the splinter in the heel of her hand made its presence known, inflaming the skin. Right. Placing her lips against her palm, she began to suck the micro piece of wood out with no success. AJ cleared his throat nearby, keeping an eye on the thrashing thrall, he moved over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Just a stupid splinter. I can't get it."

"Here. Lemme see." Not waiting for her to surrender her hand, his fingers closed around the soft tissue of her wrist pulling her closer. His breath caressed her skin as he inspected the point of entry with the flashlight. "It's tiny."

"So? It hurts."

"Hold the light for me," he ordered, casting a quick glance at the thrall who continued to snarl and hiss at them. It was too weak to be much of a threat in its current state... for now. "I don't have any tweezers on me, so this will have to do." He pulled out his dagger, the Deorum Irae, and used its sharp tip to slice at her skin freeing the offending piece.

If he could see her pale face in the shadows, he would've been surprised, concerned, to see the fear there when he pierced her skin with the holy blade. Was it her imagination or was the Deorum Irae's metal hot against her skin? As if it thirsted for her blood. She felt like she was waiting for AJ to speak his murmured prayer that would turn her to dust.

"Thank you," she murmured when he wiped at the drop of blood that had sprung up. Heat sparked between them as his eyes held hers in a steady stare. His fingers lingered over her open palm, feather-like touch that traveled across her wrist tracing the blue veins beneath the paper-white skin of her underarm. His lips parted, but before a word could come out, Ivy yelled down, "Are you guys done yet?"

"Yeah, we'll be up soon," he hollered back releasing her arm. "You ready, Nastia?"

The spell was broken, and the thrall's desperate snarls and grunts came into focus. Right. I still need to figure out how I am going to kill it. An idea emerged. "Yeah. Can I use your dagger?"

"Sure," he said, handing it over. She used her own sword to stab it through the thrall's outstretched right hand, pinning it into the ground. Though her earlier attempt to chop off the left arm was unsuccessful, that arm was now dangling uselessly unable to reach Nastia. On her belly, like a broken doll, the thrall craned her neck around to keep Nastia in sight.

Anastasia got down on her knees, pushing the thrall's left shoulder back, simultaneously grabbing hold of the thrall from beneath its chin. Now at a good angle and with its fangs and claws away from her, she thrusted the jaw up as she inserted AJ's dagger in the correct place, it dug up under its ribcage, but the monster continued to thrash. She needed to push it in further, but her grip on the vampire thrall's jaw was weakening. If she let go, she wasn't sure she would be able to scramble back in time before its fangs tore into her flesh. She was too damn close to it, but that couldn't be helped. What the hell was she supposed to do?

Right when she was about to run out of strength, AJ buried one hand in the thrall's hair while the other hand took firm control of its jaw. "Push it in now!"

She didn't hesitate. The black blood squirted out and with it, the thrall fell still. Its eyes were still wide open as Nastia picked herself up, retrieving her sword to wipe the blood on her pants, that were completely ruined now. Pausing, a sick feeling washed over her looking at its eyes. Unlike the first thrall whose eyes were black and soulless, this one still kept its human hazel orbs. She didn't notice due to its sunken, neglected appearance, at first, but now she saw it--she-- was a young girl, an adolescent. Upon further inspection, beyond the bruises and cuts were also numerous bites... vampire bites.

Anastasia swallowed, but something seemed to be stuck in her throat as she took in this girl. The descendant of Helsing bent over the corpse about to initiate the prayer. "Wait! What are you doing?"

"Disposing of the body?"

"But... she... she is a kid. Her parents or someone could be looking for her."

"Maybe," he said, his voice sounding oddly detached. "She is a recent turn. But if there was someone looking, what makes you think they'd want to find her like this?"

A shiver ran through her, coldness seemed to radiate from deep within her bones. She closed her eyes and turned away silently giving him permission to continue.