Sawyer handed the keys of a stolen Toyota Corolla to Ashley. Cormac tossed his cigarette out of the passenger side window, then he inspected his bandaged arm. Sawyer climbed into the back. Ashley slid into the driver’s seat. Her face was calm and unreadable. “You know, Cormac, I could just take a little bite right now and we could ditch your cigarette smelling husk and fleet down Highway 9 like normal vampires.”

  “A normal vampire?” Cormac said.

  “Geez, don’t look at me like that,” she said. “I’m kidding.”

  “There’s nothing normal about this Ashley,” Sawyer said.

  “It’s normal to me,” she said. She tapped the steering wheel. “I suppose stealing cars is considered normal?”

  “Stealing cars is standard in my line of work,” Cormac said. “We have to get around without being tracked. What’s wrong with that?”

  Ashley rolled her eyes.

  “How long is the trip to your ex-boyfriend’s place?” Sawyer asked.

  “I know you’re new to Panama so let me break it down for you.” She pulled out her phone and opened the GPS feature. She showed them an image of the Panama Canal. “We’re here, in Colón. That’s on the north end of the canal. Panama City is on the south end, forty miles away as the vampire fleets.”

  She smirked.

  Cormac wasn’t amused by that.

  She continued. “A boat using the canal system that is traveling from Colón to Panama City first passes through Colón and then crosses Gatun Lake which is about twenty miles long. Once you cross the lake and enter the narrow Gaillard Cut, you reach the Pedro Miguel Lock. Then you follow the Miraflores Locks which lowers you back to sea level. Finally, the boat exits the canal into the Pacific Ocean near Panama City. The entire journey typically takes 8 to 10 hours depending on traffic and schedules.”

  “Eight to ten hours is risky given our condition,” Sawyer said.

  “Precisely,” she said. “Which is why we’re taking the only viable route which is by car down South Highway 9. It’s a forty mile stretch of highway that takes one or two hours. We can travel at night and have more time to investigate before we have to hide from the sunlight.”

  “If clandestine operations weren’t tough enough,” Cormac said. “Now our only viable option is to fight by night.”

  “Cormac, I know,” Sawyer said. “It’s an inconvenience.”

  Ashley clenched the steering wheel as she merged onto the highway and picked up speed.

  “I’m just frustrated by all of this,” Cormac said. “That old mogul Harland turned my brother into a blood sucker. I know it’s not your fault, it just has me twisted.”

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  “I know, Cormac.”

  “Just keep your mind on the mission,” Sawyer said. “Don’t forget why we’re here. If we find Harland Morrow and capture him, we can use him to reverse our affliction.

  “Esteban knows things, too,” Ashley said. “He knows about Harland. He might be able to help us with our vampirism.”

  “If you trust this…witch doctor…then we have to follow through.” Sawyer shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “Whatever helps reverse this. Whatever puts us closer to Harland. We have to try.”

  Highway 9 cut through the jungle and winded south toward the narrow spine of Panama. Palm fronds bent in the wind as they passed. Sawyer leaned back in his seat and pulled his hoodie up. He watched the shadows roll past their vehicle and wondered if they were fleeting vampires. He felt his brother’s heartbeat in the car, and the pulse of his veins, and the sluggish thump of Cormac’s injured body. Everything was a reminder of what he was.

  The drive took them through the black patches of jungle where the only sound was the steady whine of insects and the growl of their Corolla’s engine. By the time they crossed the Chagres River, the moon was high and swollen and the road signs pointed them toward Guayabalito.

  The town was half-asleep. It was mostly a scatter of shanties with peeling paint. Shops huddled against the dark wall of trees. The Guayabalito River Lodge crouched on the bank like something left behind years ago, which had seen better days. It was a squat two story building with faded teal shutters and a tin roof that pinged softly from the falling rain.

  “Here,” Ashley said. She rolled the car into the lot and killed the engine. Room six sat at the far end. Its cracked wooden door was lit by a single bulb which glowed a sinister red. Sawyer noticed movement. There were two figures shrouded in black clothing which slipped out of the room. Their faces were hidden by shadows. They glanced at the trio and then quickly stalked into the night.

  When the door opened again, Esteban appeared.

  It had to be him, because he was taller than Sawyer expected and exactly the kind of guy he pictured Ashley wanting. His dark hair was tied back into a short knot and his shirt was half unbuttoned which exposed the sharp lines of tattoos crawling across his chest. His eyes were a molten brown, slow and calculating. When he spotted Ashley, recognition and anger flickered across his face.

  He slammed the door shut.

  Sawyer frowned. “He looks happy to see you, Ash.”

  “Can we kick his door in?” Cormac said, with an excited smirk.

  “No,” Ashley said. She didn’t hesitate. She exited the vehicle, strode up to Esteban’s door, and knocked hard three times.

  Esteban’s voice called out from the other side. “Go away. We’re closed. Whatever trouble you brought to my slice of paradise, I don’t want it. I’m not interested. You only bring me trouble, Ashley.”

  “Esteban, it’s me,” Ashley said.

  “I know it’s you! All the more reason to keep my door locked. We had a wonderful weekend and you left me alone on the sand with an empty beer and a broken heart.”

  Ashley’s jaw tightened.

  She reached into her wallet. She pulled out five crisp one hundred dollar bills and shoved them under the slat in the door.

  Sawyer was sure that wouldn’t work.

  Then the bolt clicked.

  The door creaked open just enough to reveal Esteban’s smirk.

  “If I’d known you were coming with such…generosity,” he said, stepping back. He gestured for them to come inside, “I would have let you come in sooner. Please…come inside.”

  ###

  Author's Note:

  This episode is published here up to the 75% mark.

  The remaining chapters—including the climax and aftermath—are available in the complete episode on Amazon.

  https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0GC93WNR5

  Thank you for reading and supporting the series.