by Mirren Hogan
Burning Willow Press, LLC (USA):
3724 Cowpens Pacolet Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29307
This edition published in 2018 by Burning Willow Press, LLC (USA)
All rights reserved.
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
©Mirren Hogan and Erin Yoshikawa, 2018
©Donna Marie West, editor, 2018
©L. Bachman, Bachman Designs, cover design, 2018
©Lori Michelle, The Author’s Alley, interior formatting, 2018
CHAPTER 1
“Come on, answer your phone!” It wasn’t too early to call, Makani thought. It was after seven AM, and by her definition, people should be awake. After all, she was up, despite a long night of emailing people who knew cameras and trying to google information about the fancy Nikon Flynn had left in her care. The memory card had gotten jammed in its slot. She’d tried to get it out on her own, but it wouldn’t budge. Finally, after a few hours of fitful sleep in a bed that still smelled like Flynn, Makani had found the number of a friend who would be able to help her. If she answered . . .
Eventually the phone clicked and the ringing was replaced by a sleepy voice. “Whoever this is, it’s hella early to be ringing. What do you need?”
She gave a sigh of relief. “Annie, it’s Makani. I need help with something.” She turned the fancy gadget over and over in her lap. “I’ve got this camera here, and I’m trying to get the memory card out.”
“What brand?” The reply was curt.
“Uhhh . . . a Nikon?” Makani squinted at the letters, scraping off a chunk of monster goo and salt. “It’s not a little tourist rinky-dink POS, either. This is serious professional tech.”
The line was silent for a moment. “There’s a button on the base, beside the memory card. You’ve pushed that?”
“Yeah, of course! It’s gummed up with . . . ” She wanted to say “monster guts,” but that might not go over so well. “ . . . stuff. It saw some rough action.”
“Who gets stuff on a professional . . . ” Annie sounded exasperated. “Bring it over.” The line clicked and beeped.
“Ooo-kay!” Despite having known Annie since high school, Makani was always a little taken aback at her blunt speech. But Flynn needed to get out of HPD’s cellblock, which was probably where he was right now. Lord only knew what they were asking him or trying to get out of the man.
Grabbing her wallet, phone and keys, Makani locked up her house. She dropped a few protein bars on the porch for the cats, which they promptly dragged off, and started working on the usual hot-wiring process of touching the red wire to a black for the jeep to start. Once it was fired, she sped down her driveway, nearly hitting the same school bus she always passed.
It was a short drive to town, and traffic was fairly light. Makani would have killed someone just for their parking space. Thankfully, that didn’t have to happen today. She cut off a little old man in a Jaguar just as he was about to take the last spot. Climbing the three flights of stairs with the man waving his cane at her back, she made it to Annie’s door and started knocking.
The door opened on the second knock.
Annie Lyon had short blond, spiky hair that looked perpetually messy and self-cut. She wore faded hipster jeans and a Star Wars t-shirt. Both were rumpled. Her feet were bare.
“Hey.” She stepped aside, letting Makani inside her apartment.
Belying her appearance, the place was immaculate, although one side was becoming overrun with computers in various states of repair.
“Hey, Radio Shack.” Makani kicked her slippers off and closed the door behind her. “Sorry I called so early. But this is slightly important.” She pressed her thumb and forefinger so they almost touched, peeking at the blonde through the space.
“Yeah, yeah. Hand it over then.” Annie held out her hand and raised an eyebrow. “I put coffee and pop tarts on. Help yourself.”
“Not hungry, thanks. How can you eat that stuff?” Makani handed over the camera and sat on a chair, her hands wringing nervously. “Okay, I’ll take coffee. You want some?” She got up and made for the small kitchen.
“Fast metabolism. Black, no sugar. Please.” Annie took the camera and looked it over. “What the fuck did you do, soak it in ice-cream?” She sat down in a chair that looked like something out of design school, put the camera on the table under the window and grabbed a screwdriver.
“Uhhh . . . kind of? Salt was mixed in there, so I’m really worried about the damage done to the inside.” Makani’s hands were shaky as she put the mug down for Annie, and sat with her own. “I probably shouldn’t drink this. I must have had a couple pots of coffee since last night.” Despite that admission, she kept sipping.
“Got to stay awake somehow,” Annie muttered, bent over the Nikon. “Good news, I can fix this. Bad news, it’ll take a while . . . oh there!” The memory card popped free. “You want to see what’s on this? Make sure it’s not wiped?” She held it up to scrutinize it.
“Yeah! Please.” Makani dribbled hot coffee on her exposed thigh, making her jolt. Wiping it off, she thought for a second about what Annie might, or might not, see in the pictures that had been taken. “Just keep an open mind about what’s in there, okay?”
Annie snorted. “Nothing on there I haven’t seen before.” She opened a laptop on the table and slipped the memory card into the slot on the side. “So, what’s the story? You in trouble again?” Although curt, her tone was concerned. She glanced up from the computer, her brows knitted.
“Not me . . . but a friend is.” Makani pulled her chair around to sit behind Annie. “My cousin, the cop? He came by personally to grab my . . . friend . . . from the house last night.” She clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to say more. There were some things best left unsaid.
“Uh-huh, you keep bad company,” Annie chastised lightly. “You’re here, after all.” She grinned. “Okay, here goes. Good news, it’s not wiped. Bad news, your friend took photos of your ass.”
“Wait, what?” Apparently, that shot had been taken when they went hiking on the Judd trail to the swimming hole. “Oh, hell no!” She scowled at the screen and pursed her lips. “He’s gonna have some serious explaining to do.” But there would be time for that later. “What else is there?”
Annie focused on the screen. “Waterfalls, buildings, someone’s crappy jeep. You’re not still driving that rattle trap, are you? Um . . . the cemetery . . . ” She scrolled down to another set. “Okay, what the fuck? Halloween costume?”
“Ummm . . . .” Makani debated between telling the truth or keeping her friend out of the mess. Ultimately, Annie would realize there was information being kept from her and dig for answers using her own avenues. “It’s not a costume. You remember the old stories my grandma and Aunty Elsie used to tell, right?”
“Yeah, “ Annie said with a snort. “Those old birds had great imaginations.” She glanced at Makani and back at the screen. “You’re not saying?” She leaned in closer and squinted. “That’s not real?”
; “Maybe I am?” Makani stared at the picture in question, her eyes narrowing in disgust and anger. “I’ve seen a bunch of crap that you wouldn’t believe, Annie. All kinds of things that don’t make any sense to the rational mind.” She sat back and sighed, rubbing her hand over her eyes.
“Or the irrational mind,” Annie suggested. She looked Makani in the eyes. “You’re many things, but you’re not crazy. So spill, what’s going on?” She crossed her arms, looking stern.
“That thing . . . is one of many ‘things’ running around this rock, right now. All the things from my nightmares are coming out. What you see there, is the manananggal. The Filipino vampire.” Makani cringed and waited for the impending disbelieving laughter.
Annie nodded and reached for the coffee. “And? Where does your friend fit into this?”
“He was just along for the ride. But his sister’s family came down on their way back to Australia from California, and we ditched them partways through lunch. Don’t judge us! She wasn’t a nice person, and her kids were pretty nuts.” Even days down the line, Makani shuddered at the memory of the hellspawns in her jeep. “Anyway, they disappeared. And Flynn was the last person she called. So, he’s down at HPD answering questions. They took him last night.”
“I’ll bet they did,” Annie said with a smirk. “There’s always someone wanting to make someone else their bitch down there. Seriously though, what’s the plan? You think the monsters got them and this is proof they exist?”
“Maybe . . . hope not! But maybe! I just know Flynn isn’t the one they’re looking for. The cops need to see these. Can you print them, please? And not the ones of my ass!” She pointed a finger at Annie, to emphasize her vehemence.
“I can do better than that; I can prove they aren’t doctored.” Annie saved a few of the photos onto her hard drive and then set up a few more and hit “print.” “And these say what time they were taken.” She clicked on one. It showed the date, followed by 15:03.
“They might show where he was at the time it happened. If he shot anything at the time. Your ass, maybe?” She grinned.
“His ass is getting beat down when I spring him from HPD! He could’ve just asked . . . ” Makani picked up the pictures that fed from the printer and sighed. Weirdness seemed to follow her everywhere. It haunted her sleep and came to life in the waking world. And now, it could stare at her in high-definition color.
Annie shrugged. “So? Did he take any photos after you left the park? If we can prove he was somewhere else, that should be enough to get your boyfriend out for a midday quickie.”
“Hey! He’s not my boyfriend!” Makani peered down at the screen for a long moment, scrolling through dates and times. “Would you consider him my boyfriend? We’ve known each other less than a week, but we’re already on the ‘I love you’ part. Is that weird?”
Annie shrugged. “Men have said stranger things to get into a girl’s pants. You see anything helpful?
“Hmmm?” She looked up at Annie. “You’re such a cynic. This guy is different.” She pointed to a photo dated for the afternoon they’d ditched his family. “What about that one?”
“I got screwed by the last asshole, literally and figuratively. No wonder I’m cynical,” Annie said. “I’ll print that with the time stamp, but the cops will need the memory card. And the camera for prints.”
“As long as we get it back. Flynn’s livelihood depends on it.” Makani sighed and flipped through the pictures. “Can you copy everything to a flash drive for me, please? At least that way, Flynn will have his work, but you can just go ahead and erase my ass off there.”
“Bah! How will I blackmail you then?” Annie laughed. She grabbed up a spare flash drive, plugged it into the side of the laptop and pressed a couple of buttons. “So, you think these monsters killed his family? How bad are these things? Do I need another lock on my door?”
“I want to believe they’re not dead, for now. His sister and brother-in-law might be a couple idiots, but they don’t deserve to be ripped apart and eaten.” Makani fiddled with her coffee mug, draining off the last of the lukewarm stuff. “If I were you, Annie, I’d get salt. And make sure you’ve got fuel in your blowtorch. Oh, and Aquanet.” She smiled a little at the memory of Flynn’s brilliant move from the night before.
“I got all that. No garlic?” Annie might have been joking, but she looked deadly serious.
“It’s not that kind of vampire, dude.” Makani pulled the drive out of the slot and shoved it into her pocket. “Okay, I gotta get all this to the cops. You wanna come along? I’ll drive.”
“What, you don’t trust my bike?” Annie replied. “Bugs in your teeth are really underrated, dude.”
“Dude—I’ll take my jeep. You take your bike. We’ll see who gets to HPD first!” Makani grabbed up the camera and memory card, bundled the pictures up from the printer and headed for the door.
“The hell with that, have you seen the price of gas these days?” Annie grabbed a bag off the table and followed, locking the door firmly behind her. “You can drive.”
“Ha! You just don’t wanna drive through early morning traffic!” Makani slammed the door to the jeep and started the hot-wiring process.
“Yeah, so?” Annie climbed in the passenger side. “You know you’re missing your side door?”
“It’s not missing—it’s in the back.” The jeep roared to life and she sped downtown, through the business district, toward the main police headquarters. Makani was set on getting Flynn out of the clink, and she was hopeful that photographic evidence would be enough to get him out.
“You sure you’re not the one who the cops should have dragged off? I think there are laws against driving without a door. Maybe you should do it in the backseat next time, like normal people.”
“You’re so crude! Not everyone has to get freaky, like that.” Although, the idea held a certain appeal. She’d jokingly offered a tour of her backseat to the man when they’d first met . . . but Makani had to stay focused! Flynn needed to get out of there.
It took a lot of talking to the front desk, and a lot of waiting for the detectives to come out and look at what she had to show. Thankfully, Asa knew better than to keep his cousin waiting.
“Maka, you got something for me?” He rubbed his eyes, looking like he hadn’t slept yet.
“Yeah, I got proof Flynn was with me the whole time, so there’s no way he had anything to do with his family’s disappearing.” She pushed the photos and camera over to Asa, hoping that would be enough.
Annie pulled a packet of gum out of her pocket and offered some to Makani and Asa before placing a piece into her mouth. She proceeded to blow a bubble and popped it before saying, “Those photos haven’t been doctored and the time stamps are authentic. I verified them myself.”
“And you are—” Asa waited for the blonde to fork over a name as he scanned through the photos. “Why’s your ass in there?” He glanced at Makani and shook his head.
“Annie Lyon,” Annie supplied, around the gum. “That’s for her boyfriend, to keep him warm if you don’t let him out.” She winked at Makani. “Nah, look at the time and date on it.”
“Right. Cuz, you gotta pick better boyfriends.” Asa hid his mouth behind a hand and took the photos, camera and memory card. “I need to log all this and get it over to evidence. You can wait here.”
“Fine.” This time, Makani didn’t correct anyone. Why not call Flynn her boyfriend? It had a nice ring to it. As soon as Asa left, she whacked Annie on the arm, “What’d you do that for?”
“Ow!” Annie rubbed her arm. “Do what? What better way to prove that he was with you than by having a picture of you? It has the date and time and you’re in it. You could have taken the other pictures while he was off killing his family, but you couldn’t take a picture of your own rear end. Unless you’re Scarlett Johansson. Which, no offence, you’re not.”
“Gee, thanks!” Makani scowled at the blonde. “I guess it’s forgivable. If it gets Flynn out!” She
leaned back in the chair and sighed.
“Of course, it is. You could never stay mad at me for long. Even after the time I . . . Oh look, here comes your cousin,” Annie blew a huge bubble, popped it and grinned.
“So, what? Can he go?” Makani stared at Asa as he sat back down at his desk and tapped on his computer.
“Well—his prints aren’t on the scene anywhere. We won’t have DNA results for a couple weeks, and you confirm his whereabouts at the time of the disappearance. Mr. Cole is in out-processing.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. Turning the screen, he showed the two women several crime scene photos of victims. All had their insides pulled out, like bad B-movies come to life. “But that might mean they’ve been taken by the serial killer on the loose.”
Annie had a bubble in mid-pop. It was immediately followed by the sound of her gagging. “What the f . . . I thought you said I didn’t need another lock?” She looked accusingly at Makani. “I knew I should have stayed at home,” she muttered under her breath.
“I asked if you were coming along, not for you to hold my hand.” She shrugged at the other woman. “Thanks, Asa. I owe you.” Makani actually hugged her cousin, something she didn’t normally do.
“Yeah, yeah. Just watch out, okay? If you guys see anything weird, you’ll let me know, right?” He pulled back and turned away, “I’ll see if he’s good to go,” and started toward the back.
“Weird, yeah, I don’t think weird will be a problem,” Annie muttered. “At least I get to meet this boyfriend of yours.”
CHAPTER 2
Flynn was exhausted. He rubbed his eyes and attempted to get comfortable. He hadn’t slept all night. Between the questions, thinking about his sister and her family and the discomfort of the holding cell, he hadn’t even tried. Besides, he suspected that turning his back on his large, tattooed cell-mate would be a bad idea. Falling asleep near him might be the last thing he ever did.
He heard footsteps approaching and hoped it was breakfast. He’d hardly touched the dinner they’d brought the night before and now he was starving.