Christ almighty, it was voices. Voices that were drifting in, but the words were unintelligible. Too muffled to make sense of, even if I'd been able to think anything besides, shit, shit, shit, which wasn't very helpful at all.

I snatched the stake from the floor and gripped it close to me with both hands in a panic. Trying not to whimper or breath too deep, I worked on calming myself.

Voices mean they aren't deaders, I reasoned. Daylight means they aren't vampires. They could only be humans or weres. And taking into account our surroundings, I was betting on the latter. Shit, shit, shit.

While I was busy spazzing, they were busy tracking me, and the voices drifted nearer and nearer. A sharp bang at the door brought me to my senses. They would get in. Had they been deaders, I'd stand a chance of being safe inside, but these intruders obviously weren't dead. They had enough sense to find a way in. It was time to bail. Even if I couldn't hope to outrun them, I could lead them away from Hector in the least. Come nightfall, he would find me... for better or worse.

"It's locked, Gus," a rough voice said.

"Don't be stupid," another grumbled.

The door shook violently. My eyes flew around the room, searching for possible escape routes. On the back left corner, some slivers of light broke through the wooden and stucco surface. Below that, a pile of wooden objects. Coffins? They were stacked in pyramid form, but looked flimsy- probably the main reason Hector had chosen one of the fancier concrete coffins on the other side of the room to block out the fatal sun.

A large thud, as though a foot making contact with the door, made me jump into action. I scrambled up from the floor and climbed the pile of coffins. At the top, shaky, I used the stake to stab at the pinholes of light. Gradually, they grew, but not much.

Another kick.

I stabbed harder, faster. Sweat from fear and determination coated me, and I stabbed on.

Another kick followed by a loud thump on the inside. The door had given way and slammed the inner wall. At the same moment, one of the lower coffins caved in. The other coffins gave and I tumbled down, hitting the ground with a rough thud and an, "Oof!"

"Well, well. You was right, Gus. A little filly," the guy in the doorway said.

My head was pounding. I squinted in the bright light of day spewing in through the open door. It took a few moments for the large blob I was seeing to focus into an actual man. He was scruffy, with long dark hair and an unkempt beard.

I wanted to warn him to stay away, but all that came out was a groan.

The second man, just as scruffy as the first, but much larger, approached and knelt down next to me. Yellow eyes appeared inches before my own. There was something wild behind them, sulking merrily for its next chance to burst free. Something vicious.

"Knocked herself silly, looks like," he said. He sniffed the air. "Where's the vamper?"

"Huh?" I managed, trying to buy some time for my dizzy brain to explain away my vampire companion.

"The vamp tracking you," he growled.

My heart skipped a beat. They didn't know Hector was with me, they thought he was following me. I wanted to heave a sigh relief, but I didn't dare.

"She didn't know, Gus-"

"No, it's been in here. I can smell it," the one called Gus said, giving a deep growl. He sniffed around and paid too much notice toward the area where I'd last heard Hector's voice.

Instinctively, my hand tightened around the stake I'd managed not to drop. An idea struck me, as if sent via lightening bolt.

"I staked him," I said.

"What's that you say?" Gus asked.

"Staked him. With this," I said, holding the sharpened wood aloft.

Gus caught my wrist in his fist and twisted. Pain spread down to my elbow and up to the tips of my fingers.

"Ah-" I said, and the stake fell straight into his free hand. He sniffed it.

"Can't get nothin' off it," he complained.

"Should I gather up the pile of ashes?" I said a little more angrily than I would have because my wrist was throbbing like mad.

He glared as if he weren't sure whether he should punish me for being snappy, or force me to produce dead vampire ashes. I could practically feel bad-ass oozing from the guy as he contemplated his next move. Finally he shoved the stake into the hands of his comrade.

"Get the girl, Clyde," he said.

Clyde fumbled the wood, then shoved it in his back pocket for safe keeping. I lay flat on my back upon the filthy floor. By the time I raised, he was already wrapping his bulky arms. He flung me across his shoulder, securing one arm across the back of my legs.

"Whoa. I'm not a rag doll - there are organs in there," I said.

Inside I was struggling not to let them see my fear, because they were wolves after all. Wolves were similar to dogs. The fear could work them into a frenzy.

"Oh, you're funny. Ain't she funny, Clyde, ain't she funny?" Gus said from behind me somewhere.

"Yup."

"And brave too, to kill a vamper."

I was focusing on counting slowly and taking even breaths.

"We'll see how funny and brave she is in the cage," he said with a loud chortle.

It was a threat designed to instill the fear I was fighting back. Dread in the least. I felt neither.

"Big deal, I'll set in your cage," I said while I bounced up and down with the movement of Clyde's strides.

"Oh you won't be settin' you'll be fightin' for your life," Gus snarled.

There was no holding it back. The reason for the cage in the center of the town finally struck me with the force of a Cadillac. I was going in there to do battle. With whom or what, I had no idea. The principle idea was enough to indicate I wanted no part of it.

"No!" I yelled, kicking my legs for all I was worth.

Gus guffawed as though he'd just learned how. Clyde held me tighter. I punched his back with both hands. I was flailing about so wildly on his broad shoulder, he didn't even notice when I pulled the stake from his pocket. He did notice when I stabbed his bottom with it.

The were let out a painful howl and loosened his grip on me. I tumbled to the ground where everything went black.