Everything had gone to hell so fast.
Konrad sits in the brush of a field in the barrens, still clothed in the swimming trunks and Hawaiian shirt he'd worn to the party. Why did Cody do this? he thinks, his head still swimming with the lingering fear from his Beast. But the why doesn't matter. The fact still is that Cody did it. His Ghoul attacked him, without a word of explanation.
"Think, think," mutters Konrad, knocking his fist lightly against his forehead. He has to plan for this. No time to get dumbstruck by the betrayal. He shared his Haven with Cody. He had to head back there, get his stuff and the van, and then make arrangements to leave.
He thought about lying in wait for the Ghoul to return. But how far ahead had Cody planned this? Had he already gotten help? Had hunters put him up to it? Again, his mind drifts towards speculation, trying to find a path of logic or reason to this madness.
No, if Cody had wanted to kill me, he would've done it during the day. He could've done it at any time. Something spooked him at the beach. But then why the firework? He should've known better than to bring that. Maybe he got confused when I told him about the party...
Regardless, Konrad would have to leave his Haven, find a new one. He could use the cargo space of the van, he supposed, or just sink into the earth using his Clan's Discipline. But he had Tenancy now. A second Haven isn't unthinkable, and the Movement made it easy for him to acquire them, especially since he'd acquired his forged papers to cement his falsified identity.
"Eerrgh," the pain in his hand is excruciating. It'll be tough to drive the van that way but he can manage. He makes his way back towards the beach where he parked the van. Hopefully Cody isn't waiting there to finish him off. The thought of witnesses crosses his mind, but there's nothing he can do about them now in his current state. He'd been lucky that the Barrens were so close by with its long stretch of farmland. But Willow Creek's residential community lay just next to it. He hopes he has a little luck in reserve.