CHAPTER TWELVE

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         DAKOTA DIDN'T THINK HER HOME COULD GET ANY WARMER THAN IT CURRENTLY WAS. Someone really had to fix that fan if she wanted to survive the summer heat. Despite wearing shorts and a tank top, sweat still trickled down her neck and her skin felt clammy. 

The blond had just finished cleaning the dishes of the night before when Sookie got home, Rene Lenier in tow. Dakota raised a brow as she glanced at them from the kitchen.

"It's hotter in here than hell on a Sunday." he commented.

"Gran used to leave the windows open all Sunday." Sookie explained, rubbing her arms in comfort. "But with everything that's going on, Kota and I don't really feel safe." 

Rene caught her gaze and gave her a smile, which she returned. Dakota dropped the tea towel on the table and walked towards them. "Everything okay?"

"My car broke down. Rene drove me home." Sookie explained and turned to Arlene's fiancé . "Have a seat, i'll fix us some drinks."

"Sounds good," he nodded.

Sookie disappeared into the kitchen and Rene glanced up at the fan, pulling the string and clicking his tongue when nothing happened. He ambled into the living room and Dakota went after her cousin.

"Any news on Jason?" Dakota asked.

Sookie shook her head as she took the ice tea from the fridge. "Not since yesterday. I could slap Andy Bellefleur, they got the wrong man." She proceeded to grab a glass and poured the tea in before shouting, "Rene, you take it sweet?" 

"Yes, ma'am."

Dakota turned on her heels, startled to see him leaning in the door opening. Sookie gasped and closed her eyes to calm her breathing. 

"Heh, you scared me." Sookie chuckled.

"Did I?" he was amused and Dakota furrowed her brows, it was almost as if he was mocking them.  He crossed his arms over his chest, sending them a grin. "Sorry, about that."

Don't think about it - Blood, blood, blood, so much blood. She wasn't supposed to be here - Shut up!

Dakota squeezed her hands into fists, tightly, almost breaking the skin of her palms with her nails. Flashes of memories tore through her mind and the look of fear on her grandmother's face was paralysing. She watched in fear as she saw Rene stab Adele over and over again, he was crying. You weren't supposed to be here.

Sookie dropped the glass of ice tea on the floor, blinking rapidly.

"Sookie?" Rene said. "You all right?"

The blond shared a brief glance with her cousin as she turned toward the man. They knew both of them just got a look inside his memories. "I'm ... so jumpy these days."

"Let me help you with that." he offered, taking a step toward her.

"No," Dakota shook her head, trying to stay calm. "I'm gonna go get a mop. Sookie, help me with a bucket, will you."

Dakota reached for her wrist and pulled the youngest Stackhouse along with her and toward the living room. Sookie shot Rene a smile over her shoulder, looking to see if he was going to follow them. Dakota glanced around the room while walking toward the mop, shotgun rested beside it against the fireplace.  Instead of the mop she grabbed ahold of the gun.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rene asked, raising a brow.

Dakota aimed the gun at him, heart going a million beats per minute. Sookie stood beside her, eyes wide as they looked at their friend. He took a few steps toward them.

"Stay away!" Dakota warned.

Rene let out a brief laugh, looking amused as Dakota loaded the gun. "You're not gonna shoot me." Dakota pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. He held up two bullets, smiling. "Whoops, told ya."

They deserve it, need it, want to die. That's why they fuck them fangers -

Rene took a threatening step toward them and Sookie screamed. Dakota raised the shotgun above her head and smacked him as hard as she could as he tried to grab her. He crumbled to the floor, holding onto his head as the two women stepped around him, rushing toward the door.

"God damnit! Get back here you fucking bitches."

The Louisiana heat was a smack in their faces as they jumped down from the porch and onto the grass. Dakota felt like crying, and she did, feeling the warm tears stream down her face. She couldn't believe that their friend had killed their grandmother and those girls. He was the one who tried to kill her a few days ago, it had been Rene and she didn't want to believe it.

"Sookie!"

They ran as fast as their legs could take them. Rene was right behind them and screaming. There was no one around, the graveyard was secluded and it took them only minutes to reach it. 

"Dakota, i'll teach you, you bitch!"

The image of a girl crying reached her mind and she tried to block him out but the fear wouldn't let her. She saw how Rene took off his belt, twisting it around the girls neck and squeezing it. He was killing her and he seemed proud of it, too.

Behind them, Rene let out a frustrated scream, stopping his hunt momentarily. "I can feel you in my head! Stay the fuck out of my head! Fuck!"

Dakota saw how he killed Maudette, Dawn, Amy and then Adele again. Die fanger, fucking die.

"This way," Dakota grabbed Sookie's arm and pulled her along a row of graves, glancing around frantically. The blonde spotted a fresh grave a few feet away and stalked toward it, there had been no coffin yet and she jumped down, pressing her back against the soil, Sookie did the same. 

"Come on, girls. Let's be ... let's be friends." Rene tried, not that far from their hiding place. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm serious." 

Can you fuckin'hear me, you filthy fucking cunt. I'm gonna tear out your throat with my hands and fuck your dead face. Shit, damnit. I must have lost them. Could be hiding in the woods. I better go back and check.

Sookie glanced up, fearfully and peeked her head out of the grave. Dakota tried to pull her down but was too late as Rene grabbed a fistfull of hair and pulled the girl out. Sookie screamed as Rene pushed her to the ground, bringing his fist to her face.

"Mind-reading, vampire-fucking, freak bitch!"

Dakota dragged herself out of the grave and jumped on his back, wrapping an arm around his throat and squeezing. Rene grunted and let go of his grip on Sookie. He walked backwards, clawing at her arm before throwing her off, over his shoulder. Dakota let out a painful moan as her head slammed onto a gravestone.

Rene cursed at her, wrapping his hands around her neck and squeezing. Dakota panicked, to immersed in the pain on her head to even form a normal thought. She brought her nails down his arms but he wouldn't budge. She couldn't breathe.

He was pulled off of her and Dakota saw a glimpse of fur as she tried to catch her breath, coughing loudly as she sat up. Her eyes watered and she crawled toward an unconcious Sookie. 

Rene had his attention focussed on the thing that pulled him off. He was kicking the dog repeatedly before the dog turned into a man. Sam. Rene paused, "What the hell?" 

What the hell, indeed.

Dakota reached for the shovel beside her and got to her feet, wobbling slightly from the lack of oxygen moments ago. Her head was pounding and she could feel warm blood trickle down her neck. Rene brought his boot down on Sam's back and Dakota swung the shovel, the metal part connecting with his face.

Rene fell the the ground, blood dripping from his mouth. Behind them, Sookie stirred and opened her eyes, dissoriented. Dakota took a step forward, eyeing the man who murdered her grandmother. He laid motionless and she wondered if she had killed him.

"Fucking bitch!"

He swore when she stepped beside him and grabbed a hold of her ankle. Dakota screamed and closed her eyes, bringing the shovel down with all her strenght. It went through his neck, blood splurting out of the wound and he fell limp beneath her.

"Dakota?" Sam said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" 

The woman let go of the shovel, eyes wide as she stared down at Rene. Behind her, Sookie let out a cry and ran toward the clearing. Dakota couldn't tear her eyes away from him, only when Sam pulled her away from the scene.

"Come on, lets get you both out of here."

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DAKOTA WAS WRAPPED IN A BLANKET LIKE A COCOON AS SHE LAID IN BED. Lafayette sat beside her, skimming through a magazine when she opened her eyes. He moved her head to look at her and dropped the magazine, worry etched upon his face.

"Koko, how you feeling?"

It was difficult to focus on what he was saying so she shrugged. 

"Hospital gave you pain meds." he frowned, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "You'll probably feel like shit for days."

"Sookie?" she asked.

"Downstairs," he replied. "she's with Tara and Sam."

"Sam turned into a dog." Dakota began, sitting up as she unwrapped herself from the blankets. "One moment he was a dog, the next he was Sam. Did you know?"

"Shit, girl."Lafayette grimaced. "How much did you take? I'm gonna need some of them drugs they gave you."

The sound of someone thundering up the stair startled Dakota and she scooted back, leaning against the headboard. Arlene burst in, bunch of flowers in her hands and a mascara stained face. The red head sobbed at the sight of her, holding out the flowers toward her.

"Oh sweet Jesus," she began. "I had no idea, Kota, I swear."

"Of course, you didn't." Dakota shook her head softly, feeling at the bandage around her head.

"I brought him around my kids." she cried. "I slept in the same bed with him every night. And all that time it was nothin' but lies. I mean his name, his accent. God, you think you know someone. How could I not know?"

"None of us did, Arlene." Dakota said. "Don't blame yourself, honey."

"I can't help it." Arlene said. "I told you to stay out of my head. Is that why you didn't listen in on Rene?"

"It's like he kept that part of himself locked away in some dark corner of his mind."

Arlene sat on the bed, shaking her head. "I am so sorry. I want you to promise me something, okay? Someday, if I ever find another man. I want you to look inside his head and tell me everything that's in there."

Dakota sighed softly. "Arlene, it doesn't really work that way."

"Just promise me? 'Cause I have the worst taste in men."

Dakota choked out a laugh and Lafayette rolled his eyes, but agreed. Arlene planted a kiss on her head and said she'd be back soon, not wanting to bother her any further as she decided to go back downstairs. 

Arlene hadn't even been gone ten seconds when another person burst into her room. 

"Jason," Dakota smiled, reaching for him and wrapping her arms around his neck as he sat down beside her. He squeezed her as tight as he could without hurting her, but failed and she flinched.

"I am so happy to see you." he confessed.

"Me too, sweetie." she agreed. "But I am black and blue all over and you're squeezing me."

"Oh, sorry." his eyes fell to her neck and his brows pulled together. "Shit, look what that son of a bitch did to you. If he was still alive right now, I'd fuckin' kill him again."

"I'm okay," Dakota reassured him. "but I am really tired."

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "I'll be downstairs if you need anything, alright?"

Dakota nodded with a smile and he pressed his lips to her forehead before disappearing back downstairs. 

"I need at least a weeks worth of sleep." she muttered.

"Sleep," Lafayette said. "I'll be here when you wake up."