Look Before You Leap [True Blood]

35: A Pale Horse Named Death

LPOV

I was just beginning to think it was time to head home when the Hep V vampires attacked. The social erupted into complete chaos, humans were screaming and running and healthy vampires were fighting infected vampires. A vampire approached me looking confused. "You aren't a human, but you aren't a vampire either," he said.

"I'm vampire enough to kick your sorry ass," I said. I attacked him and with a branch from a fallen tree I staked him. I stood up covered in goo and looked around. "Rachel! Sookie!" I called.

"Lily, help!" I turned to see Willa fighting off an infected vampire, who was trying to attack a group of humans that she was shielding. Willa and I were still not the best of friends, but without Eric in between us, tolerating her had become a lot easier.

I attacked the vampire and pushed her away from Willa. "Get those humans out of here!" I told her. I fought the vampire until there was a sharp whistle and she, as well as all the other infected vampires, disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.

I looked around at the scene; there were a couple of dead humans and lots of piles of goo, it was impossible to tell whether they had been infected vampires or not. I saw Rachel standing alone and I ran to her. "Are you okay? Where's Alcide."

"I'm fine, he's okay. He ran after Sam. Those vamps took Nicole."

"Oh my god."

"They took Holly and Arlene, too," Jason told us. There was a loud strangled cry, followed by a few shorter ones. We turned towards it. Sookie approached the car and we followed behind her.

Lettie Mae Daniels, Tara's mother, knelt on the ground in a pile of goo. "They killed her, they killed my Tara."

OoOoO

We managed to get everyone inside so we could treat injuries and regroup. I had set Rachel up at the bar with Lafayette and they were talking quietly and drinking heavily. Alcide and Sam came back inside and I quickly joined them, Bill, and Andy. "Any luck?" I asked.

Sam shook his head. "No, we lost their scent."

"They'll be nesting," Bill noted. "They'll go for abandoned buildings to sleep in during the day."

"Jason, you take Violet and check out the old Reeve's place, I'll go to the slaughterhouse," Andy instructed.

"I'll come with you," Bill told him.

"Like hell you will," Andy argued.

"We need to get these people home safe," Sam said.

"I can help pair the vampires with a human to protect," I offered. Sam nodded and motioned for me to follow him.

RPOV

I sat at the bar with Lafayette drinking straight out of a bottle of whisky he'd handed me. "I didn't even want to come to this stupid social," I mumbled.

"I'm surprised you aren't the number one supporter of Sam's plan."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that I don't like the plan, it's a good idea. It's just that I don't even know why I'm still here, Lala."

"I've been asking myself the same damn question." He shook his head. "But me, I grew up in this dump. You don't belong here, you never have. You should take your man and run before one of you turns up dead."

"In what world do you get to leave the ring and declare victory?" I asked dryly.

Lafayette shook his head. "Sugar, don't make this your fight. Run before it all comes crashing down."