Elijah's eyes widened."What?"
"I can't leave them to starve to death."
Looking around, Elijah motioned for him to come inside."What's going on?"
"The sheriff is handing out a bounty for every bird shot within the town limits.They shot a crow right outside my shop."
The color drained from Elijah's face."A crow or acrow?"
He shrugged.Since the others hadn't descended on them yet, and vampires could move pretty damn fast, Eli was leaning toward an ordinary crow, but he didn't know for sure.Maybe Thano was waiting for Alice and him to get out of town before they attacked."If people start dying, I think we'll have the answer."
"Fuck."Elijah rubbed a hand over his face, then he looked at Eli."What are you doing here?"
"I'm...eh...heading out."
Elijah's eyes widened."Out?Where?"
"To Thano's."
Elijah's mouth dropped open."Are you...and him...Thano."
What to answer?"Romeo has moved his family too."
Elijah grimaced."They're evacuating you?"
"I...guess?I don't know.Thano said to pack some things and go.I can't fit the birds, and I can't leave them to die should I be gone for more than a couple of days."
"What about the shop?What will we eat?"
Eli grabbed the bunch of keys in his pocket and removed the shop key from the ring."Take this.If things go to shit, grab whatever you want in the shop."
"Eli."Elijah didn't take the key, instead, he curled his fingers around his wrist.His mouth moved but no words came.
"I don't know what's gonna happen, but they're shooting at birds in the middle of the streets.Stay inside and stay safe."He took Elijah's hand and placed the key in it."If I don't come back."
It was painful to let go of the key.The shop was all he'd cared about for years, but it wasn't worth his life, and if it could help Elijah...He reached for the door handle."I'm sorry to dump the birds on you.They'll need food, water, and shelter, but I figured you could build some kind of enclosure back here."He gestured at the back of the hotel."I get my feed from Joshua Fagan, though I don't know if they'll come in now when the toll has been implemented.This time of year, they do fine to free range, but come winter, you'll need to feed them."
"Eli."Elijah looked stunned.
"I know.I'm sorry."He was quiet for a moment."I'm sure I'll be back in a day or two."
"The rest of us might not be alive by then."
Eli grimaced."You've never done anything to upset the others."
Elijah rubbed his neck."If the sheriff has people shooting crows, I'm not sure it matters."
Eli wasn't sure either."Stay safe."He opened the door to the sound of Elijah's slightly hysterical chuckle.
* * * *
What was taking them so long?Thano was pacing the gravel road in front of Romeo's house.Almost everyone had left, but Humbert was sitting on the doorstep of one of the barely-standing cabins and watching his every move.It was tempting to pull the shadows close and hide, but he didn't.
"I hear a car."
Thano looked at Humbert."Yeah?"
"It's coming closer."
