Chapter 34: Transition

They had begun to arrive. Refugee centres had sprung up all over Carrotus. Provincial governments, city executives and village councils from east to west, from pole to pole, had arranged accomodation on a scale that dwarfed King Jazz's proposals. The new Greenthorpe Mansion Refuge was among the least accessible, but still they came. The Carrotus Interior Ministry had set up a database to try to fairly distribute the newcomers among the various centres, but it was proving to be next to impossible to administer. Diamondus was emptying, and Carrotus was a popular destination.

Gary Parker smiled as he watched the latest news bulletin on the situation. There would be so many people who, for whatever reason, would fall through the cracks of the system. So many people who would not be missed.

"So, let me get this straight," said Tony. "The vampires hate the werewolves because the first werewolf killed the first vampire, Kaijin."
Tony, Alexander, Tom and Susan were taking a rest in the library. They had been hard at work all day, helping the refugees settle in.
"'Killed' may not be the most appropriate term, but yes," replied Alexander.
"It certainly seems like the vampires have the moral high ground," said Tom.
"Creatures of the night, dear," interjected Susan. "I don't think the moral high ground really matters to them."
"Besides, that's just their side of the story," said Alexander. "Werewolves think Ronahin, the first werewolf, was framed. There's even a theory that Kaijin faked his own death."
"So he may still be alive?" asked Tony.
"I doubt it. If he is, he's been very well hidden for thousands of years. Anyway, it's not that important right now. Our intelligence suggests most vampires and werewolves on Carrotus have formed an alliance. There's a strong feeling that they're not going to have to compete so much for prey."
"With that pleasant thought in mind, I'm afraid I have to go," said Susan. They said their goodbyes, She kissed Tom, and then she was gone. Tony turned to Tom.
"What about you, shouldn't you be out campaigning?"
"Parker's ahead in the polls, he has the sympathy vote from the death of his aunt to look forward to, and the election's tomorrow. There's not much I can do."
"But if he gets elected..."
"I know."

As Susan walked down Old Main Street, she noticed a few dark glances from passers-by. Not everyone approved of the company she was keeping these days. Word had got out, as it would in a small community, that she was consorting with vampires. Most people accepted that Louie was good, but there were many who didn't believe a vampire could ever be anything more than a monster. She reached home and went up to Yakira's room. Louie was there, removing her bandages, applying the lotion, then redressing the wounds. Susan had been uneasy at first about leaving Louie with Yakira as her bleeding could have been too great a temptation. Louie, however, would not leave her side. At least Majo was there.
"How is she?" asked Susan.
"She hasn't moved or said anything since you left. I think her pulse may be steadying, though," replied Majo. "How are the people at the refuge?"
"The injured ones were treated in Oakloma, and only a few of those need post-operative care. But there are a few who are showing symptoms of delayed symptoms of Diamondus Green Vine poisoning. They were stowaways in a ship carrying the stuff, but they wouldn't admit it to the authorities in Oakloma."
"But they told you?"
"They were coughing up bile, they didn't have much choice."
"You were able to cure them, though, right?"
"Yes. But we'll be run out of medical supplies quite soon if we keep getting this many sick people."

* * *

"And now we go live to Greenthorpe, where Gary Parker is waiting for the reults from his hometown."
The screen changed from the presenter's face to the Greenthorpe council chamber. The councillor's benches were covered in neat stacks of ballots, and small groups of anxious locals were milling around.
"And, indeed, waiting for the results from across the province. But right now the Greenthorpe Returning Officer is stepping up to..."
His voice faded out and Councillor Dalton read out the results. A cheer went up from half of the room, and the screen changed to show Gary Parker's reaction.
"An interesting result from Greenthorpe. Gary Parker has lost to Felicity Jadsworth, getting only 35.3 percent of the vote," commented one of the co-presenters. "If he wins, this will certainly overshadow his governorship."
Gary Parker looked devastated. The screen returned to the presenter.
"We'll get an interview with him as soon as we can. Meanwhile, over to Quillanham, which Mr. Parker is widely expected to carry. If you've just joined us, Gary Parker is in the lead, but has lost in his hometown. Felicity Jadsworth is currently in second place, but Halen Neilson could still pull ahead to join Parker in the second round."

Gary solemnly got into his car, and asked his driver to take him to his campaign headquarters.
"How did the count go, sir?" asked the driver.
"Badly." He glanced up at the rear-view mirror and confirmed that the driver had no reflection. "Not that it matters. It's one small town in a huge province. It's an embarassment, but if I feign a bit of humility over it for a few days, it'll be fine."

Tom had just got home from the count. There was nobody around on the ground floor, so he went up to Yakira's room. He opened the door to see Susan and their houseguests clustered around Yakira's bed.
"Hello. How's..."
Susan interrupted. "Ssssh!"
Only then did he hear her patient trying to speak.
"Bit... better."
"Is there any part of your body you can't feel?" asked Susan.
"No... Hurts ev... rywhere."
"What can we call you?"
"Yyyak... ira."
"Yakira," said Louie. "What happened to you?"
Susan reprimanded him. "Medical questions only!"
Yakira coughed. "'Sss okay."
Louie leaned closer. Yakira let out a guttural sound as she tried to continue.

The Screen returned to the face of the presenter. "And it's official, there will be no second round. Gary Parker has an absolute majority, and is Peddleburg's next governor."

"Es...Estella."
Louie froze.