"You weren't worried that I might kill you?" Esther asked.
"I hoped you wouldn't." AnnMarie said. "And if you did, then... oh well."
-‐------------------------------‐-------------------------
Esther LaGrange never stays in one place too long...
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"Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. (For the dead travel fast.)" -Bram Stoker, Dracula
It was a bright and night, and, though it was a bit cloudy, the moon was a full circle in the sky. Ester LaGrange, walked alone in the moonlight, down a dusty clay road, speaking quietly on her cell phone as she went.
"I don't know why you don't just come to Canada." The man on the phone said. "It's always easier to work in pairs, and easier to work in a bigger city."
"Why don't you come here, Adam?" Esther said. "You know how I hate the feeling of the freezing cold. You can stay locked in the frozen hellscape all you want, but I'd rather be somewhere warm."
"Where exactly is 'here' anyway?"
Esther's eyes darted over to a road sign, softly reflecting green in the light of the moon. The white lettering was partially obscured by a caked on layer of orange clay. She walked over, and brushed it away.
"Hallowed Ground: Unincorporated." She read aloud to him. "It's in the States. Georgia, to be exact."
"So, the middle of nowhere, basically? I probably couldn't find my way there even if I did want to go to the States"
"You know how I like things." Esther whispered very quietly, though she knew he could still hear her.
There was a click, and a bright light suddenly illuminated the sign from behind her. She could see her own shadow cast firmly against it, rigid with surprise.
"Are you a backpacker?"
Esther quickly turned around, shielding her eyes from the light. It clicked back off.
As her sight readjusted she could gradually make out the stranger.
A woman. Young, not too tall, dressed in pajamas. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was heavy, as if she'd been running, chasing after her. Ester wasn't quite sure how she had managed to sneak up on her. Perhaps she had been too preoccupied with her conversation.
"I'll call you back." She said to Adam before snapping her phone shut.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." The woman said. "Just saw you walking down the road and was curious. It's a strange sight in these parts."
She was certainly a strange one, that Esther was sure of. Southern hospitality considered, it was still odd to chase after people you saw walking down the road in the middle of the night on a whim.
