Chapter After Next In which again not a lot happens, but there's a lot of talking.


He knew they were there, his condition allowed him to sense others without having to see them. They had been skulking around in the trees all morning, watching him. Nevermind, it was a sunny day and he'd deal with them when the need arose.
Tier lay in the sun listening to the sounds of the forest with his eyes closed. He didn't sleep, but this soon after feeding he could just lie back relax and almost forget his life. Almost.

"Okay you sick #$%@, get up!"
Blast. Just when he was enjoying it too. Tier resignedly stood up and looked at his aggressor. What surprised him was her youth; she couldn't be older than sixteen. But he knew the look in her eyes, he was going to be shot, it was just a matter of time.
The rabbit pointed the gun at his head; it was old fashioned, solid projectile, probably loaded with silver.
"That’s right you bloodsucking *******, how does it feel to know you're going to die? Did my brother get the chance to feel that way?"
Inwardly Tier groaned, this could get messy. Had the rabbit he'd killed last nigh been with others? Had they been tracking him?" He spoke softly and slowly. "Shooting me won't do you any good; we can sort this out if-"
"SHUT UP!" screamed the rabbit "I don't want to listen to your lies!"
Quickly Tier stepped forward and grabbed the girls arm. Several things happened at once. Tier heard a dull crack as the rabbit’s foot broke his shell near the waist, then a disorienting buzz as the top of his head was blown off. When he refocused his eyes he saw the rabbit staring at his regenerating head with an expression of disgust and shock. She let the gun fall noiselessly onto the grass.

Again Tier spoke slowly. "Now that we've demonstrated the uselessness of that course of action, could we please try a more peaceful solution?"
The rabbit recovered quickly. "So you're a zombie then, if you try anything, I'm not going down easy."
"Actually, would you mind leaving; I was rather enjoying the morning."
The rabbit backed off and stared at him in silence for a full minute. "That was impressive, can you grow back easily?"
"Regenerate? Sure, after any injury, always grows back a little more dead though."
There was another pause. "So guns, fire, vampires...?"
"No problem, in fact, I've killed a few vampires."
The rabbit looked thoughtful. "Okay then, you're coming with me to Greenthorpe."
"Excuse me, I'm coming with who to where, why?"
"A ******* vampire killed my brother in Greenthorpe a few days ago. You, Mr. Immortal are going to help me find them."
Tier thought it over. What was the worst that could happen? He'd get killed? "Sure." he said. "I haven't got anything better to do."
"One last thing" the rabbit said.
"No." said Tier authoritively “I'm not going to infect you, and there's no point in arguing the fact."

Tier walked confidently along the track. Years of roaming the forests had allowed him to move easily without even a hint of light. Beside him the rabbit (whose name apparently was Michelle) walked stiffly carrying the tiniest red torch, its light barely bright enough to see. She was gradually getting used to the rigor mortis, and the bite on her wrist was already regenerating. Things had progressed at a somewhat rapid pace that day. Tier was still unnerved about what he'd done. It wasn't that he had infected another, or even that Michelle had wanted to be infected, after all many people would want his regenerating capacity. What unnerved him was that she hadn't been uninformed and ignorant, indeed she'd questioned him thoroughly and still wanted to become infected. And she'd had such strong conviction too, something about her demeanor had made it somehow imminent that he infect her. That was worrying. He'd underestimated her before and got a broken shell and shot head as a result. Whoever this vampire was, he was in trouble.

Their visit to the town had been brief. Michelle had stolen some booze to disguise her odd way of walking and had barely stayed long enough for the funeral before setting out after her brother’s killer. That was lucky. The townsfolk seemed suspicious. They'd accepted Michelle's story that he was an offworld assassin, but he could still almost hear them whispering behind his back, pointing out the little oddities, his unblinking eyes, lack of breathing. It had been a relief to get away; he hadn't been in a town for too long. Michelle had an easier time, who could blame a grieving sister if she got tipsy? The fact that her draining body fluids made her weep helped. Apparently she believed in 'the Kennedy constant'; "Don't cry, get even." She even seemed to take the loss of sleep in her stride, using it to gain ground on her target.

Tier broke the silence. "So are we going walk all night like this or are you going to even attempt a conversation?"
"And break my concentration? Its hard enough to track in such a stiff body and what’s more its so smegging cold."
"You'll get used to it; at least your nose has stopped running."
Tier sighed, it was like talking to a brick wall, or maybe he'd simply forgotten how to make conversation. Having no one to talk to but yourself wasn't a worry, it was when you answered back that was. Still, he didn't blame her, from what little information he could obtain she'd worked with her brother and father on the remote transmitter stations before her brother moved off to Greenthorpe. That alone explained her silence, servicing the remote stations was a lonely and dangerous job. It also explained her deep affection toward her brother and her quick fighting reflexes. Tier had seen many remoter servicers and they had to survive a lot, bandits, wild animals, isolation, and if they got injured, well, very few broke a leg twice. She'd have to be feeling the first stirrings of The Hunger though. As they continued to track their folly Tier wondered how long such a stubborn mind would hold out.