Journey into Oblivion

[azlirn]

Francis spent the night in an old barn in the town of Alexandria Bay, just south of the Canadian Border. Known as Alex Bay to the locals, it was within walking distance to the bridge into Canada.

Francis woke from a cold night of dreamless sleep. He couldn't recall a worse night. He had to get to Cassandra before the rest of the clan did. He had to keep her safe from the crap he had been raised in.
Giving himself a few minutes to regroup his thoughts, he took flight once more. He did not want to fly during the daylight but he didn't have much of a choice. He had no passport and driving would take much to long.

Traveling north to Ontario, he hoped that he wouldn't be to late. He wondered if Cassandra knew how much she really meant to him.

[Jenna]

Cassandra and Sean went about their morning routine. David was coming over in the afternoon. She was actively trying not to worry. When David had left for the night, he had kissed her cheek and made her promise that she wouldn't worry too much. He would check on everyone in the morning and then come visit her.
Part of her worried that the nightmare would never end. That compound, that family...As long as they existed, she could never rest.
"Mom?" Sean pulled her out of her reverie. "you okay?"
She shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry, angel. Just a little tired." She patted his head. "Finish your breakfast."
She went to the window. Overcast. She was counting the hours until David returned with news of the others' safety. How could they find them? She wanted to believe that they were safe here. They had crossed the ocean and wrapped themselves in the grey guise of the city. The only way they would be able to find them is if they followed someone to them. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was being paranoid. Not everything that came out of that compound had to do with her or her son.
Having calmed herself down, Cassandra returned to the table to play with Sean. she allowed herself a quiet moment of happiness, leaving her worry at the window.

[azlirn]

It was a short flight into Ontario but the cold made it seem like it took ages. Looking down, he could see snow littering the ground, the only upside to this was that it was now overcast and he would not have to worry about being seen.

It was still early in the morning, most people were still eating breakfast. Francis circled around looking for a place to land with out being seen. He spotted a small park, doubling around a few more times, he saw that it was deserted.
He made a quick landing and quickly concealed himself once more.

He needed to figure out how to find Cassandra, he didn't know where she lived, she had always kept that secret. He honestly couldn't blame her but at this point it was frustrating him. He felt like he was wasting time looking around for her, he wished she would have just given him her damn address. At this point though, he didn't really have a choice. When Francis first brought her here she told him that she would be in Ontario but that was it. His search would have to start here.

Francis looked around for onlookers, saw none so he exited the park. Crossing the street he noticed that the town was dead. It didn't seem normal, most people would be out looking for their morning "cup of joe" at this time. "Where is everyone?" he wondered.
It was dead quite, there were no birds making any annoying racket, nothing. Perfect silence...
He was cautious now, he looked down the deserted street and saw a small diner. He would grab a cup of coffee and see if they had a phone book he could use. He honestly hoped that it wouldn't be so easy to find her but it was the best idea he could come up with for now.

He felt odd being the only one walking down the sidewalk to the diner, he almost felt watched but he pushed the idea from his mind. That would be the last thing he needed. Someone from the compound to follow him to Cassandra's and snatch her at the last second.
As he approached the Diner he saw that it was open for business, one or two people were inside. The diner looked like it had been constructed in the 70's, everything was chromed out, the seats all red vinyl and neon lights in every corner they could possibly fit. A retro style really wasn't Francis' thing but a sign in the window claimed they had the best coffee in town, he would take his chances.

A bell rang, alerting the half asleep waitress at the counter, as he walked in. Trying to brush off the cold, he felt judgmental looks from every person in the building. He briefly looked up and and caught the stare of an older man at the counter.
Francis waved and said hello, trying to force smile. The man glared and went back to his breakfast. Francis looked around and found an empty seat in a booth by the door.

The now nervous looking waitress came over and quickly poured him a cup of coffee. "Would you like the morning paper?" she stammered.
Francis had barely noticed her, he looked up when she spoke. He smiled, she couldn't have been more that 16 or 17, cute gal with blond hair pulled back into a bun. Blue eyes and slightly tanned skin told him that she frequented the mall spa for the "spray on". She reminded him of Cassandra slightly. He could tell that she had quite a few piercings by the marks in her bottom lip and ears. She seemed innocent enough though...
"Yes please" Francis replied. He figured it may explain where everyone went.
She nodded and quickly disappeared into the back.
He sipped his coffee, examining the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary aside from the grumpy locals. One thing he found was that the sign was true to its name, the diner sure did have damn fine coffee.
The young waitress returned a few moments later with a fresh paper.
"Anything else?" She asked.
"No thank you, you have been great" Francis smiled at her again and the girls eyes lit up, her face flushed almost immediately and she ran to the back again. He assumed by her reaction she probably was treated like shit most of time while working here. A change for her possibly.

Francis took a sip of his coffee again and looked down to read the paper. He read the headline and sprayed his coffee everywhere, startling all of the three people in the restaurant. Coughing terribly he read the headline again, "Vampires in Ontario?"
Francis dropped a ten on the table and left the restaurant. He didn't even need to read the report. He knew what this about.
The ten would more than cover his tab probably leave that waitress a nice tip too.
He had to get out of sight, now. They were looking for her, how did they know she would be here? How long had they been here? Was he being followed? So many questions with no answers.
The first one needing answered was where Cassandra lived. He had to get to her first...

[Jenna]

The phone rang, and Cassandra jumped. Sean smiled at her, and she got up to answer. David's voice over the line was steady, but his news was not ideal. "We've been compromised," he said. "I've started the others on their way. Meg's missing. I'll meet you at the predetermined place in two days. Be safe."
She hung up, breathing deeply. Panic rose in her chest. She clapped her hands, smiling the best she could. "Okay, honey. Get your bag and pack up some toys. Mama's going to pack up some clothes and food."
Sean got up from the table. "Where are we going?"
"Camping, baby. Get ready, we gotta go soon." She quickly moved from room to room, grabbing only what she couldn't be without. She packed as quickly as she could. As she started dragging her bags down the stairs, the phone rang again. Her blood ran cold. Shakily, she picked up the phone. There was dead air on the other end. "Uh-h...H-hello?"
Something like a muffled chuckle, and the line went dead.
She gasped. "Sean! Come on, baby! We're gonna be late!" She pulled her bags quickly to the car. Faster, she thought to herself, going back in for her son, faster.

[azlirn]

Francis began running up the street looking for the closest phone booth he could find. He partially hoped to find a phone book and find Cassandra's listing. At the same time, he didn't want to find it there. The clan would have picked that as a starting point too. If she was listed, and that was the case, he shuddered at the thought, but he might already have been to late.

About a block up the street he spotted an old phone booth, red in color. Aside from the sharpie notes and stickers littering the inside, it looked like something ripped out of a french movie. He approached the phone booth with caution, being sure to check his surroundings before ducking inside and closing the door behind him. Not that anyone would care but he was always horribly claustrophobic. The last thing he needed was someone to walk up on him without him expecting it.
He looked down, spotting the local phone book, grabbed it and threw it open on a battered shelf the phone sat on. He searched, "Cassandra Valentine" he muttered while scanning the pages frantically.
His blood ran cold as he came across her name, his fears had been partially confirmed. If she was in here, they would surely be on her trail now.
Francis ripped the page out of the book and stepped out of the phone booth. He needed to find a place with a computer, he needed a map. The listing said she lived in London.
Scanning the streets, seeing that no one was there, Francis took flight again. Not that anyone cared, there was no one outside and even if there was, they already knew Vampires were in town right?

[Jenna]

As Cassandra raced away, whisking her boy to hopeful safety, the scene at the house in Palmdale opened to Francis. The front door hung open, slightly off its hinges. It was ransacked, completely turned inside out. However, there was not a drop of blood, and not a soul in sight.
Inside, he found why. There was an envelope with his name on it, ripped open, and nearby on the floor a note. "Francis- How stupid could I be? Seriously. Hearts, Cass" In the post-script, there were two phone numbers.