The Holy Death

Chapter 9

"Dawn, you do remember that's where someone tried to kill me?"

"It's a shame they didn't succeed."

"Wait," Larry said, "Someone tried to kill you?"

"Yes, but not too successfully," Scott replied.

"Yeah, you're gonna have to tell me about that later. Strip club? Really, Scott?"

"It wasn't my idea!"

"Oh boy. Looks like I'll have to break out those counseling books after all."

"Can you break them out on Scott's head?" Dawn asked.

"Now, Dawn," Larry responded, "Is going to a strip club the worst thing Scott has ever done?"

"No, of course it's not."

"What if he promises never to go to a strip club again?"

"I do!" Scott cried. "I promise! Cross my heart with a chainsaw! I will never go into a strip club again!"

"I'm unconvinced," Dawn said, as she headed towards the campsite, leaving Larry and Scott standing by themselves in the parking lot.

"She's worse than Laura," Scott said as he watched his fiancée stomp off into the woods. Larry clapped his hand on Scott's back.

"True, Laura was not that, uh, passionate?"

"Yeah, but then Dawn is a redhead, so I should have expected this."

"You think? By the way, Scott: a strip club? Really?"

"It was not my idea, Larry!"

Larry chuckled. "Yeah, you keep saying that."

*

The moon hung heavy over a crisp, cool night. Tim, Larry, and the uncommunicative couple had dinner cooked over the open campfire, after which Dawn decided that she needed to take a walk. She kept to a hiking trail as she soon found herself in an open area alongside a babbling stream. She found a bench carved from a fallen fir and took a seat, looking at the peaceful stream as the light of the moon reflected on the shimmering waters. Of course, Scott was soon on her trail.

"Oh, you found me."

"Of course I did. I smelled your perfume on the air way back from camp, and heard you as you walked down the path."

"Oh, yeah, I bet you did. I mean, you have those mad vampire skills."

Scott sat down next to her. She did not move, nor did she look at him, but gazed at the bubbling brook.

"Yeah, mad vampire skills. Can we talk, Dawn?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Dawn, I know you're mad at me over the 'strip club' thing, and I really want to apologize. I never meant to hurt you. It was a stupid thing, and I really can promise that I'll never be that stupid again."

Dawn sighed. "It's not just that, and it's not just you. It's the whole reality of this thing we're about to do. I'm about to promise you the rest of my life, whatever that means. And I am scared, Scott. I mean, to me, it's scarier than facing evil vampires, or werewolves, or zombies."

"I'm scared too, Dawn, especially considering that the first time around for me didn't work out that well. Look, Dawn, you are an amazing young woman. You are the most caring, smartest, and sexiest woman I've ever known, and I mean that. You deserve all the happiness God can give a person. I know I've given you more grief than you deserve. You deserve better. If you want to back out, hey, I totally understand."