Blood of Gold by Duncan McGeary Page A

him, and as he continued feeding, his brain started working again.
    There is something wrong here, he thought. Someone is trying to manipulate me.
     
     

 
    Chapter 10
     
    Rod was free to come and go as he pleased, though Patty often glared at him as if she still didn’t trust him. She’d get his attention in some subtle way and then give him a look that said, Don’t be trying to get away, buddy.
    Laura, on the other hand, seemed barely aware he was there. She didn’t acknowledge him, and whenever he came near, she would move away, always keeping a distance between them.
    He wasn’t going anywhere. He didn’t want to leave Simone’s side. They were constantly together now. He left the house only for necessities and then hurried back, worried the girls would leave without him. Fortunately, though they fed in a manner that was frighteningly ferocious, they didn’t have to eat that often, not as often as humans did.
    Simone wouldn’t look him in the eye after their almost-kiss, but she didn’t shy away from him, either.
    He couldn’t imagine the horror she had been through. It was almost inconceivable that she would ever feel safe again. He wouldn’t blame her if she never allowed another man to touch her for the rest of her life. But he’d be patient. He would wait for as long as she needed. It was enough just to be near her.
    They were sitting at a rickety, makeshift table they had constructed out of bricks and an old door. Rod was showing Simone how to use a smartphone. The Wiki app especially seemed to grab her attention, and she spent hours using it to find out about the missing decade-plus of her life.
    “It’s all so familiar,” she said. “And yet so strange…”
    Patty marched into the room and stood over them silently until they both looked up. “Laura’s gone,” she announced.
    “What do you mean, ‘Laura’s gone?’” Simone said.
    “I mean she’s freaking gone!” Patty said. “Vanished, vamoosed, skedaddled, out of here!”
    “Where would she go?” But even as Simone asked it, a look of realization came over both of the girls’ faces.
    “She went back,” Simone breathed.
    Patty nodded. “I should have known.”
    “Went back!” Rod exclaimed. “Why would she do that?”
    “You wouldn’t understand,” Patty snapped.
    “We have to go get her,” Simone said. She got up from the table, handing Rod’s cellphone back to him. “When did you see her last?”
    Everyone grew quiet as they realized that Laura had been like a ghost floating around the house over the last few days and that none of them could remember talking to her recently. No one had seen her since they’d woken up at dusk, and now the night was almost over.
    “She can’t have gone far,” Simone said in a faint voice. “I’ll go. It’s my fault. I should have watched her closer.”
    “ Your fault?” Patty snorted. “What are you, the boss?”
    “I can help,” Rod said. “Nobody will look twice at me. I can drive the van and the two of you can hide in the back.”
    Simone looked at him gratefully, and he blushed.
    “We can’t all go,” Patty said. “Someone needs to stay here. Laura might return.”
    As they stood there in silence, it became increasingly obvious what the solution was. Finally, Patty spoke up.
    “Simone, you should stay here with Rod. There’s no telling what I might do to him if you leave him here with me.” She looked at Rod and licked her lips, and he could see she was only half joking.
    “Can you drive?” Rod asked.
    “I grew up on a farm,” Patty said. “Of course I can drive.”
    “Stick shift?”
    She gave him a withering look. He dug into his pockets and handed her the keys. “There should be enough gas, but if not, see if you can’t trade some of the tools in back for cash or fuel. If you need to park during the day, no one will bother you if you park along the beach road.”
    She snatched the keys out of his hand. There were only a couple of hours of darkness