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Chapter 10

He awoke shortly after five in the afternoon. His eyes fluttered open and his sight was filled with Marks face. His body jerked in surprise. Mark smiled.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"You aren't that hard to find," he tapped his temples.

Darek changed the subject. "Want to go get my check with me?"

"We may as well get mine at the same time," he said. Darek looked at him in question. "I figured you were making plans to move and I needed to follow."

That's why I like him Darek concluded to himself. He stood up and said, "Let's get them."

It was a little embarrassing going back and facing Mr. Guise. He didn't ask any questions, he just gave them their paychecks. "I'm loosing my favorite employees."

"You will find others," predicted Darek. Mr. Guise was not expecting that response. Nothing more was said, they just left the place and went to Garrick's.

There was a sign that read, 'Closed. On vacation for a few weeks.' Now there was a problem. Neither one of the boys knew were he lived. The problem was how to find him before this evening ended. They sat down in front of the store on the curb and watched the passing cars.

Their dilemma was soon solved. The click of a locked door drew their attention. Garrick came out and said, "I just closed shop. I was expecting you guys to show up soon. When are we leaving?"

He was obviously excited about the trip. Patience was also not his greatest virtue. "Tonight," informed Darek. This was also the first Mark had heard the news. He looked at Darek and said, "We can't leave tonight! I haven't even asked my mom yet."

"It's time to spread your wings and fly," Darek waited for a response. "No pun intended," he added. Mark was not humored. "Go get some clothes and tell your mom that you're leaving for awhile," he ordered Mark. Mark threw up his hands in surrender and started his trek home.

"What's the matter with him," asked Garrick. He always had a joyous overtone. He seemed to enjoy everything he did. It could almost make a person sick.

"He's not too gung ho about the trip. Especially on the spur of the moment. He's only going because he doesn't want to let me down," he explained.

"I took the liberty of packing some provisions. I figured we may need a few things." Garrick was beckoning him inside. Darek followed him into the locksmith shop. A large backpack sat next to the door. Garrick picked it up and began to empty the contents onto a workbench. His provisions included, food packets, water, candles, matches, and of course, his vampire hunter survival kit. It included crosses, stakes, garlic, mirrors, and other such items for destroying the devil spawn.

"Do you think we'll need all that?" Darek asked innocently.

"You never know," he took authority. "We will if we're up against real vampires." He said it all very seriously. Darek succeeded in not laughing.

The last thing in the pack was a lock picking kit. "That just may come in handy," agreed Darek. "I thought so," he boasted.

"I have also taken the liberty of arranging our flight to Brussels." He could see Darek's puzzlement. "I've been doing some research and I think I've located Lancer. When we arrive in Brussels, all we have to do is rent a car and drive there. For some reason it is not on any map that I could find."

"What is the date on the tickets? When do we have to leave?" he asked.

"Whenever we want to. They're like lay a way tickets," he explained.

"Good thinking," awarded Darek.

Then we will be leaving tonight?" he confirmed.

"Yes. Is there a problem?" he asked sternly.

"No. No, that's fine," he stumbled through the words. "My mother will let me take her car to the San Francisco airport. She just got a new car and won't need her old one. She'll only trust me to drive it there and leave it. We have no need to go any further though," he smiled."

"Then everything is set to leave tonight." He could tell that Garrick was hesitant about that idea, even if he didn't act like it.

"Yeah," he whispered.

They waited at the shop for awhile. Then they got fed up with waiting for Mark. The decision was made to get the car and come back. Mark should be back by then they agreed.

They walked to Garrick's home. Darek was introduced to his mother. No big deal. She gave him a lecture on being careful. It seemed to pass through one ear and out the other. Then they hopped into the red Firebird and drove back to the store. They were correct...Mark was there.

"Where the hell have you been!" questioned Darek.

"Getting ready like you asked," he responded. "My mom was pretty cool about it. And get this...she gave me two hundred dollars for necessities, kissed me goodbye and told me to have a nice trip."

"You're right. I can't believe it," said Darek. "It sounds as if she's trying to get rid of you." He got into the car. Garrick popped the trunk and threw the backpack and Marks baggage in.

Mark got into the back seat and made himself comfortable. Garrick took the drivers seat. It would take about three hours to get to San Francisco.

Hardly anything was said during the trip down there. Once Garrick asked Darek, "Don't you have any luggage?"

"No," he replied. "I don't need any." The rest of the trip was quiet. Darek slept until ten and then suddenly woke up. Garrick noticed and glanced at him. Darek returned it and looked into the sky. The moon was still full. It seemed as if time stood still as he stared at it.

Later in the evening, something strange happened. Darek was watching the road when the scene changed. He felt as though he were standing on a cliff. The night air froze his cheeks. His breath seemed to solidify as he exhaled. Then the darkness was filled with the howling of a wolf and it seemed close by.

Mark shaking him startled him. Then he realized he had been asleep again!