Annika Northman: Part Two

Chapter 26: The Worst Part

All at once and out of nowhere, I sense three things – that is, three things besides the dark, spiking emotions of Sookie Stackhouse. If you've ever taken a drink of something, accidentally gulped down more than you meant to, and felt that painful stretching in your throat as it opened wider than it should, than you sort of know how I feel right now. I'm not supposed to hold so much, and all of me doesn't stretch as well as my throat. My abilities and what they pick up don't seem to care about how well all of me can stretch. And, maybe because I've already been so open to what's happening inside Sookie, I seem to be quite . . . tuned in.

The three things are this: First, an anxiety – no, just – just tension from Pam. She's suddenly on edge. And that probably has to do with the second thing – Bill Compton, whom I feel as clearly now as I did at the King's – at Edgington's mansion, when Eric said Bill's name while Edgington and Talbot listened and lied. Tonight, Bill's presence makes itself clear to me without any sort of invitation, and Bill, Bill is not happy. Bill, like Pam, is on edge. Only he's not calm about it, like she is. He's angry. Not raging, but . . . he might get there soon.

He knows Sookie is here.

Although I distinctly felt three separate things at once, I'm on my feet because of the first two before I remember to evaluate the third. It's smaller, somehow, and it's Yvetta. She's a bundle of irritation beneath Pam's coolness and Bill's bubbling sort of . . . something, and I toss that bundle aside and dart from the room, only to almost run into Yvetta herself. She's leaving Eric's office, dressed in an overly-fuzzy fur coat, dragging a little red suitcase behind her. I dodge her, barely, and keep running. She snaps something after me in her language, then adds what sounds like, "Leetle beetch!" and I regret ever feeling anything like sorry for her.

I hear noises from the bar even before I reach the EMPLOYEES ONLY door – the distinct sound of glass breaking, something heavy and hard hitting the floor, and shouts and grunts from both Bill and Pam. In other words, I hear noises that mean fight. Noises that mean stay out of here if you know what's good for you.

I register all of that, right down to the stay-out-of-here part, and go through the door anyway.

The bar isn't quite a mess, but it's messy – two tables are overturned, along with four or five chairs, at least two of which belong to neither table and one of which seems to have been thrown into a wall. Some posters have been torn down, too, and – I can't help but notice – the dirt pile I earlier so carefully swept up seems to have exploded.

Pam and Bill are to my right, behind the bar. Both have their fangs out. Shards of glass shine at their feet as Bill attempts to pin Pam to the bar's surface. Attempts. Pam struggles against his hold, which doesn't seem totally secure, and as Bill fights to keep her down he twists his head my way, which is how I see that something's really, really wrong with his face. It's burned up – not totally, but like he has some horrible form of vampire chicken pox. His eyes are open but swollen and red in a way I've never seen before on anyone, and, judging from how he's handling Pam, I don't think they're working very well.

Pam knocks Bill away, and then she's behind him, slamming his head down on the bar hard enough to make him cry out (but I think it's at least partly out of anger – anger is definitely getting stronger inside of him). Even as she does so, she says, "Annika, get out of here!"

Bill has just escaped Pam's hold when I push into the hallway again. Back behind the EMPLOYEES ONLY door, I hear Pam whisper something, and then Bill yells and there are more crashing noises. I dig my fingernails into my palms, knowing better than to go back in there but hating the idea of walking away and pretending it's not happening, of – what? Just waiting for this to be over? Hoping for the best?