Although lycans were less likely to attack in the daylight hours, Mike kept his rifle at the ready as he passed between the ruins of Boulder City; one could never be too careful. Approaching mainstreet, he noticed the bird circling above and chuckled to himself, he knew that Al-Adil was already here and waiting for him, even though he had such a great distance to travel.
Rounding the corner of a gas station, Mike’s eyes fell on Al-Adil and he was not alone…two little girls accompanied him, human girls, the man supposed. As he approached, the Dilectu greeted him with a large smile and friendly greeting. Mike quickly searched his mind for the Arabic he used to speak so easily, “Ahlan, sadiqi! Kaifa haloka?”. With a chuckle, Mike replied to Al-Adil’s sentiment, “My journey was less than a mile, old friend, while yours was impressive, considering you had such precious cargo”. He found it so strange that he felt nothing but goodness in the vampire’s cold hands; strangely, Al-Adil’s hands never actually felt cold to him.
Mike smiled ‘from ear to ear’ when Al-Adil introduced his girls. He loved children and wished that he and Melinda had taken the time to have a bigger family. “Milagra, how do you do?”, he greeted, giving her a formal bow and a smile. He knelt and waved his fingers at the hidden Antonia, “Hello, Antonia. I don’t blame you for hiding. I must look pretty scary, eh?”. He looked back up at Al-Adil and let his eyes slide down to peek at the girls, “Would it be shallow to say that your girls are very beautiful, A-Adil?”, he asked the man, complimenting the girls in an offhanded way.
“Well, if you are ready, my friend, let’s head to the camp. You and the girls will be staying in the B&B with me and my daughter, Sophia. Please don’t expect much from the camp…it’s no Vegas”. Mike looked at the little girls and thought of when Sophia was his little princess; his heart felt like it was about to break. Al-Adil was such a good man, taking care of these girls. Mike knew that he used to be a good man, used to be a good husband and father, but he hated himself for what happened after Melinda died. What he couldn’t understand was Sophia’s consent and continued attempts at seducing him. He needed to shake this off for now. Looking up he smiled and informed the girls, “There will be lots of children at the camp, but none as cultured as you girls. They haven’t had the benefit of such a fine father, so try to understand if they seem a little…ahem…uncouth”.