I can’t help but think of what Tim was like before this. Was he always this serious? Not that I mind it; it’s certainly for my benefit. Even in the direst of situations, he’s kept cool.

"Sam, get out of here. I’ll take care of it."

I wonder if he had to do that with his family. He has only mentioned them on rare occasions, but from what I gather, he had a wife and two daughters and they were surrounded by a pack of vampires after their car had broken down on an empty road. He thinks they set a trap to give him the flat, but said it was all a blur. First they pulled over to the side and when he was getting the spare, he was ambushed. The wife and kids were locked in the car, but there’s no stopping a hungry vampire; it’s like their will is only turned to feeding and they will not stop until they get what they crave. They broke the windows while he was on the ground fighting off another one. They got in the car before he had broken his adversary’s neck. The story ended when he got to the part about his youngest daughter crying for help.

Still no sound. "How long do you think he’s going to be in there?" I ask Eric.

"Tim probably set up camp. Probably daring them to assault him in his sleep." Another joke. "The dude’s fearless."

Branches cracking. Tim running as fast as he can out of the woods toward the house. Inside, I can hear him through the PVC trying to catch his breath and trying to say something.

"Slow down buddy. You all right?" asked Eric.

"We have to go. We have to go now."