"Mmm. Okay, Katie, tagging in..." Tina yawned and tapped Katie on the shoulder. In response, she stretched and roared out a yawn of her own. Irene set an alarm on her watch, nodding to both of the girls as they switched posts.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Irene put her arm out. Tina sat down beside her, and they huddled close. She felt no particular affection for the other girl, but it was cold, and a warm body was welcome.

"Not much," Tina admitted. She glanced at Irene shyly a few times, trying to find somewhere to put her arm that still respected boundaries, but still facilitated the sharing of body heat.

"Well... that's to be expected," Irene muttered, holding her body tense. She was trying very hard to focus on the practicalities of the situation, and not on the discomfort of having a near stranger so close. She turned her attention to Ashley who was pacing and rubbing her arms constantly, trying to keep warm by other means.

"I, uh, never got a chance to say I'm sorry about Jordan. Keith told me that he's been in and out of the hospital. The team really miss him."

Irene shrugged her shoulders. "Thanks." She let out a long yawn; a somewhat delayed reaction. "You and Keith seem to get along."

"Yeah..." Tina glanced away. "He's a dumb-dumb most of the time, spending too much time chasing girls." Tina smiled wryly. "But he can be sweet in his own way."

Irene raised an eyebrow at Tina. "That sounds like Keith." She looked back at Ashley who had sighed noisily. She was staring at them, but upon seeing Irene look her way, she quickly turned and walked to the other end of the room.

"I heard you and Jordan went on a double date with him and one of his flavours of the week. Apparently, she got even more competitive than he did at paintball and it wasn't pretty."

"It wasn't." Irene remembered the date well. None of them were at their best behaviour that day. She was annoyed that Keith and his date tagged along. But Jordan insisted it would be fun. They never tried a group date after that, much to Irene's relief.

"Keith was so embarrassed that he got hosed down by a pair of girls, with one of his teammates there to witness." Tina looked at Irene, then followed her gaze to Ashley, her voice lowering to a whisper. "Keith went out with Ashley once, too... but she dumped him for a college student."

Irene frowned. She really did not care for this gossip, but it might just be what Tina needed to pass the time. "I wondered why Ashley was so hostile to you."

"I stayed well out of it. So I don't know what her problem with me is." Tina frowned and quickly looked away when Ashley turned towards them.

"Association, maybe," Irene whispered and then looked towards the door. She cleared her throat, speaking at a normal volume again. "You mentioned that you moved in with your father over the summer.".

"Oh..." Tina's lower lip pouted for a moment, but then she wore a weary smile. "Well, I got into a fight with my mother. Sort of. Well. Keith's Dad was snooping in my room. Which is not cool. And he found some weed I had. I know it's not entirely legal... I just get high with my friends once in a while for fun, you know? Nothing harmful. I mean some of my friends rave about E, but that's not for me."

Maybe not harmful but not harmless either. Irene curled in her lips, opting not to say anything.

"Anyway, Mom took his side over mine; he should not have been in my room in the first place. So. I packed up and moved in with my Dad until things cooled over. It was only supposed to be for the summer, but then September rolled around and I just stayed. I mean, I've more or less patched things up with Mom. We're cool. But I think the only way for us to stay cool is to not live together." Tina shrugged.

Irene tilted her head, reflecting on Tina's response. "That's... surprisingly mature." She still had a lot of bitter feelings towards her own mother.

"Surprisingly?"

"I mean, for a teen."

"You're a teen too, Irene. Or did you forget that?" Tina asked playfully.

Irene tensed and she removed her arm from Tina's shoulders. Tina blinked a few times, and did likewise. Instead both girls hugged their knees sitting side by side. "No, I never can forget it," Irene muttered gravely. She held the conviction that if she were legally an adult she would not be in this current mess. She would have had the autonomy, confidence, and resources to have dealt with the situation differently from the start.

"Hush! I hear footsteps!" Ashley hissed, suddenly turning to them.

"Positions!" Irene called out. Tina shook Katie awake while Ashley and Irene moved to either side of the door. Irene held her breath as the footsteps paused just outside.

"This better work, Irene," Ashley whispered as they waited, listening to the door unlock. There was a pause, but the door did not swing open immediately. Irene and Ashley exchanged glances, then looked at the door handle. Katie and Tina bulked up the pile of coats to try and make it appear like at least one of them was curled up on the floor under them.

"I can't... I can't get it to look right!" Katie panicked as the pile topped over into a flat, unconvincing mess.

"Oh! Let me handle it!" Ashley said, marching over.

"Hold your position!" Irene hissed, remaining on the far side of the door. Ashley flashed Irene a middle finger and then shoved Katie aside, hastily trying to make a convincing dummy. Tina placed a hand on Katie's shoulder.

"Why hasn't he come through?"

"Hurry!" Katie urged Ashley.

"I'm doing my best!" Ashley snapped back.

"You're doing worse than I was! Just get back to your job and let me do mine!" Katie placed her hands on Ashley's shoulders to try and guide her away. Ashley slapped her hand.

"Back off!"

"Please, don't fight!" Tina pleaded. Irene cupped her ear to the wall, hearing a snicker on the other side. She smiled.

Before the man even had time to enter, Ashley screamed in frustration. She turned on Katie and pulled her down, hands poised to claw at her. Katie stumbled to her knees, landing amid the clutter. She turned and slapped Ashley with a shriek of her own. Meanwhile the man stepped in, thumbs tucked into his belt loops as he shook his head at the two girls fighting.

"That's enough now." The man projected his voice without shouting, causing the two girls to freeze and look at him.

"She started it!" both of the girls insisted, pointing at the other.

The man snorted. The door didn't quite click close, and Irene held her breath and kept her body flat against the wall as she shuffled towards the exit.

"Liar!" Ashley screeched, grabbing Katie by the hair.

"I said that's enough!" The man's voice took on a sharper edge as he stepped towards the girls. Irene glanced over to Tina and nodded. Ashley and Katie, upon being grabbed and forced apart both squirmed to get a hold of one arm each. Tina lunged at the man's legs. Irene was supposed to jump on his back. But the possibility of escape enticed her - the idea was to get the man's keys from him, and escape together. The fact that he failed to lock the door behind him was not considered.

No. Stick to the plan.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Irene pushed off from the wall to give herself a faster start. In the second it took to come up behind him, she saw the man lifting both Katie and Ashley off the ground. Irene didn't have time to change direction. She tucked her head to one side and drove her shoulder into the man's back.

If this were a mere mortal, with Tina holding his legs, he should have fallen. Instead Irene felt a crunch in her shoulder as she ploughed into him, and though he did pitch forward, he didn't stumble. But that kinetic energy needed to do something, and so Irene found herself thrown back, landing on the hard pavement.

Katie's feet dangled. Ashley's eyes grew wide moments before he tossed her down onto the unforgiving ground. Despite shrill screaming, the crunch of her bones was audible. Irene stared at her, dumbstruck. She heard the other girls screaming, or talking, but all she could see was Ashley lying on her back dazed. Flickering, her mind superimposed the memory of Jordan lying on the ice, red on white, eyes wide and unfocused. Irene shook her head to try and banish the vision.

"Nice try."

The voice brought Irene back into the present. Tina crouched in a corner, holding Katie who had a bleeding nose. Ashley wasn't breathing, but her lips were moving, the muscles in her neck straining.

The man stood over the winded girl, one hand perched on his hip, the other toying with the zipper tab of his fly. Irene struggled to her feet, her knees shaking. Just as the impulse to strike at him again arrived, he turned towards her. Her wide eyes fixed on his impassive, bored expression. He lifted his chin, nostrils flaring as his mouth twisted in contempt.

"Pathetic. Not worth my time..."

Irene's wide eyes narrowed and she tilted her chin down, a disgusted snarl poised on her lips. Scathing words were at the tip of her tongue, but she looked at the battered and frightened girls, and kept quiet. Instead she moved to Ashley's side, crouched beside her protectively, watching the red-head closely. She heard Ashley finally gasp for air, her back arching.

The man stepped back towards Ashley, and Irene stood up, putting herself between him and the downed prisoner.

"You stupid girls..." he said, his hand going into the satchel. He took out a bottle of water, twisted the top, and then splashed Irene with it. She gasped at the cold shock, but remained where she was. He then poured out the rest of the contents, getting their sleeping pile wet. "If you hadn't been so disobedient..." Irene's knees grew weak again as she realised just how parched she was.

"What would you do... if you were in our position?" Irene looked up at the man. He met her cold stare with his dark brown eyes.

"I'd win." The man tossed the empty bottle down. "Wise up; next time I won't be so nice."

Irene watched the man leave. As the clicking of the lock resounded through the room, she fell to the ground beside Ashley, who was coughing.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Irene wiped her eyes and sighed before helping Ashley roll over into a recovery position. She could feel the blaming glares on her, but no one spoke a word. They didn't need to. Irene's exhausted brain used what little reserves remained to rake her plan over the coals. A quiet yet wry chuckle escaped her lips as she shook her head, staring at the door. At least now I know I'm right. We're up against vampires. So the shame of a badly executed plan won't last long. I'll be dead soon. Irene sighed.

Nerves were frayed and bodies were sore after their failed escape attempt. Katie folded in on herself, assuring that the best action was to have faith that her Uncle would come save them. Tina bought into this, holding out for help to arrive. Ashley split her time between blaming Irene and trying to find another way out, to no avail. Irene kept to herself, despite Tina's attempts to convince her she did her best.

Irene sat near the door, on constant guard. During one of her vigils she heard a grinding, rolling noise. Soon, voices joined the din. She strained to make sense of the sounds, but could not identify it. The door swung open, and the red-haired vampire stepped in. And then he stepped in again.

The girls looked up and blinked, Katie going so far as to rub her eyes. There were now two of him. Although on closer inspection, one of the two men was a bit leaner. Nonetheless, they had identical faces.

"Against the wall!"

All girls complied. The leaner twin stepped out into the hall. The noise started up again and Irene realised it was the sound of something on wheels. In he came, rolling a trolley with four large mugs on it. The man who remained got out his clipboard.

"Ashley. Come." Ashley gave the man a most heinous stink eye, but complied. He passed her a steaming mug. She sniffed it and screwed up her face. But she walked back to the wall when she was bidden to do so.

"Okay, Tina, you're next," the other man said, peering over his double's shoulder at the clipboard.

"Ffft. Keep to your job, Flynn," the stouter of the two men hissed. Tina cautiously approached and was handed a mug. "Drink up. Or else." Tina balked and then took a sip. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Thank you..." she muttered and slunk back to the far wall.

"See? They can be taught manners if you know how to deal with them." The two men laughed. "Oh, right, ahem, Kelly."

Katie didn't respond right away. Irene gave her a nudge and she perked up. "Oh yes, that's me..." she whispered and approached to receive her mug. She blew on it before slurping noisily as she walked back to stand by Irene.

"And you!" The one with the clipboard pointed at Irene. "Have you decided to share your name yet?"

Irene shook her head.

"Ah. Too bad then. Come on, Flynn, let's go."

Irene could smell the aroma of soup and her stomach grumbled. She sighed. "Fine. My name is... Mina Stoker."

The two men turned and looked at Irene. They looked at each other, then back to Irene. One of them laughed, but the other picked up the mug. "Alright, Mina. Have your chowder."

Irene approached warily. Once the mug was in her hand, she stepped back quickly, not wanting to be within reach of either man longer than necessary. The warm mug felt wonderful in her cold hands. She sniffed it, savoured the aroma, and finally took a sip. Clam chowder. It wasn't the canned variety either. The chunks of clam were large and plentiful, although the tomato base was a bit watery. But it was warm, and it was food.

Both of the men watched the girls closely, waiting for them to finish. Irene wondered if the mugs were drugged, but she was beginning to care less. Perhaps having a foggy mind wouldn't be so bad. It would stop her from worrying for just a moment.

No. Don't think like that. You need to be alert.

"I love clam chowder..." Katie whispered quietly. "...but this is less chowder and more clam with a bit of tomato juice."

"It's not bad," Tina whispered back. "But I wouldn't criticise the food with them still in the room."

Katie shrugged. "No it's not bad."

"Ugh... I hate clams..." Ashley griped even as she slurped down another mouthful. She was finished first, presumably to get it over with. She walked over and put the empty mug on the trolley. Irene stared at her, surprised she would approach the men with such a cavalier attitude. They didn't seem to mind, watching her with raised eyebrows. One of them looked into the mug then wrote something down.

"Come on, hurry up and finish, the rest of you. You're going to need your energy for tonight."

Tina gulped down what remained in her mug, nearly choking. Katie patted her back until she managed to breathe again. The men watched both of them warily. Once Tina finished coughing, she held out her mug. Katie took it and hers to put on the tray. Again, something was written on the clipboard. Irene watched all of this with suspicion.

"Awful..." Ashley muttered. "I swore I'd never eat another clam after my mother used to force feed them to me. Who cares if they're good for anemia? Disgusting..."

"Wait... clams are high in iron?" Irene had a sinking feeling.

"Well, yeah!" Ashley scoffed, as if it were common knowledge.

"So... what happens tonight?" Katie asked. The other girls glared at her for asking. Irene, for one, doubted they'd be honest. As for the others, she supposed they didn't want to know.

"That's when the boss arrives. You'd better be on your best behaviour," the one often referred to as Flynn said with a wink.

The girls all looked at each other. Ashley then stepped forward again. "Boss? Who's that?"

"You'll find out," the other man drawled dismissively. He then pointed at Irene who had been chewing on a particularly large morsel. "Hurry up, or we'll force the rest down your throat."

Irene quickly finished the rest of the lackluster clam chowder and set the mug on the trolley. The last note was made, and Flynn rolled the cart out, while the other man stayed behind to watch the girls. Once they had both left, Irene sighed and crouched down.

"We're running out of time. If only the plan had worked..." Tina lamented.

"We probably would have just ran into Evil Carrot Top's double," Ashley groused.

"There's probably more than just the two of them," Irene murmured.

"Damn it. We are so screwed."

Everyone glared at Ashley.