Chapter 39

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(A/N: I've added a song to this chapter. I'll let you know when to play it.)

Evelyn had only recently traveled to Sancova, Oregon. She'd seen the news. Read the papers. Bodies were being found, as if mauled to death. But Evelyn knew well that there was no "as if". Bodies were being mauled to death. The undead had apparently infected the small town of Sancova. And Evelyn wasted no time traveling from her home state of Missouri to investigate.

She had been Touched by Nature for twenty years. In her many years as a witch, she had slain countless dead walkers. And she had seen just as many people die.

Some of those people--her entire coven.

For the last several years, Evelyn had considered herself "retired". The loss of her coven mates was so overwhelming, it had a negative effect on her magical abilities. A disability she was still dealing with. But the news of the Grisly Murders sparked something deep within her. Something that seemed innate. Maybe it was because she was a witch. Or maybe it was because she was overwhelmed with guilt.

She had to do something.

Her taxi cab pulled up to Sancova Hills Hotel. She paid the driver, stepped out and made her way into the building and upstairs to her room.

Evelyn hadn't expected to run into a dead walker that day, in a bar of all places.

Had the undead grown so bold over the years? To hide amongst humans in broad daylight?

"Advoco," Evelyn whispered, and her suitcase flew out of the closet and onto the queen-sized bed.

"I should keep you on me from now on, Tully," she said as she opened the suitcase and pulled out a 1970s Beretta. "Could really have used you earlier today."

She reached to the bottom of the suitcase and pulled out ivory bullets. Bullets made of bone that she had created herself. Angel tears were an infallible method of slaying the undead without the assistance of magic. Evelyn couldn't take a chance with her wavering magical prowess, especially in crowded areas like the bar earlier.

"Now let's see where you ran off to," she said, pulling the undead man's shot glass out of her pocket.

* * *

Fawn had placed a sleeping bag on each side of her bed. Vivienne, Monica and Ashleigh were staying in her room while Nox and the Tillman twins decided to sleep in the living room. Jules stayed in Mama and Papa's room, with Papa taking a sleeping bag so that Jules could have his side of the bed. When Fawn had finished setting up the sleeping bags, she opened her door so that the three girls could enter. One by one the girls walked in, their eyes wandering Fawn's bedroom.

"It's not much," Fawn said, "but make yourselves at home."

Vivienne scanned the room, a frown on her face.

"This . . . is going to take some getting used to," she said.

"If you're finding that difficult, the door's right there," Fawn retorted, taking a pillow from her bed and tossing it onto one of the sleeping bags.

Vivienne glared at her.

"Believe me, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be here."

"Vivi, please don't start," Monica drowsily said. "It's too late for this."

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