by J. C. Diem
“No,” he replied. “I prefer women who aren’t covered in piercings.” The waitress had a nose ring, lip ring, a couple of eyebrow rings and numerous earrings.
“I bet she has a tongue stud,” I said with a grin. “I hear they can be pretty erotic.”
He made a face and sipped his tea. While he looked my age, he acted like a crotchety old man. I could almost picture him wearing a cardigan and tucking a crocheted blanket around his knees. I slurped my soda noisily and he cringed slightly. If I hadn’t seen him stake and behead a master vamp myself, it would have been hard to believe he was a hunter.
Our meals arrived and I dug in, finishing my burger before he was halfway through his. I took my time to eat my fries, watching as he ate far more delicately than I was used to seeing. He didn’t fit in with the men I’d spent the last five years around. Connor was an enigma, but I had no intention of solving the mystery that surrounded him. As soon as I was done with my research, I was going to offload him onto someone else.
“Can I top up your tea for you, sweetie?” the waitress asked, appearing from nowhere. She poured more hot water into the half empty cup before Connor could reply, brushing her breast against his arm again in the process.
“Thank you,” he said politely when she was done, then sighed. He waited until she walked away before frowning at the watery drink. Apparently, topping up tea didn’t work the same way as topping up coffee did.
“What’s the matter, your lordship?” I asked in false sympathy. “Is your tea too weak now?”
“It’s fine,” he said and gulped it down to prove it.
I saw him struggle to maintain his composure as he swallowed it down and almost burst out laughing. She hadn’t offered to top up my soda, but I was done with it anyway. “I’ll be back in a minute,” I said and headed for the bathroom.
Drying my hands after using the facilities, I overheard a conversation going on just outside the window. It was too high for me to peer through, but I knew Connor and I were the topic of conversation.
“They look like hunters to me,” a scared young female said. “We should ask them for help.”
“What if they’re not?” an equally young and afraid male replied. “They’ll think we’re high and will probably call the cops.”
“We have to do something!” the girl hissed. “We can’t just leave Barbara behind. You know our creed.” Our unofficial motto was that no hunter was ever left behind.
“We both know she’s probably dead,” her friend replied bleakly.
“What if she isn’t? What if it was you lying in that place and we ran off and left you behind?”
He let out a watery sigh. “You’re right. We’ll talk to them and see if they can help. It’s better than getting Dad involved when he gets back. He’ll kill us once he finds out how stupid we were.”
Intrigued, I left the bathroom to see Connor emerging from the men’s room. We shared a glance and I realized he’d overheard the conversation as well. A single look was enough for us to come to an agreement. He opened the door and ushered me through. We loitered near my car rather than climbing inside.
Two teens a few years younger than me rounded the corner of the building and timidly walked towards us. Both had mousy brown hair and hazel eyes that were verging on brown. “Hi,” the boy said awkwardly. They looked enough alike that they were probably twins.
“Hi,” I replied. “Do you need some help?”
“That depends,” the girl replied nervously. She glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to hear her before continuing. “Are you hunters?”
“We are indeed,” Connor confirmed and the kids both sagged in relief. “What’s the problem?”
“Ian and I heard about a ghost that’s been haunting an abandoned house,” the girl said. “Our Dad is a hunter, but he’s away on a job at the moment. We thought we could handle one little spirit on our own, so we went to check it out.”
“Mary has read all of Dad’s journals,” Ian said, nodding at his sister. He was clearly proud of her. “She gathered up all the components we’d need to banish the ghost. We told our friend, Barbara, and she insisted on coming along.”
Mary resumed the story. “We went to the house just after twilight and broke in. We searched the place from top to bottom, but there was no sign of anything supernatural.”
“We were just about to leave when the floorboards collapsed beneath Barb,” Ian said, face going pale at the memory. “She fell through the hole, then the boards closed up again.”
I exchanged a look with Connor to see he was just as disturbed as I was. I’d never heard of anything like this happening before. “Did you search for a basement?” I asked.
Mary nodded and used her sleeve to wipe away an errant tear that escaped her control. “There were no doors, or any signs of a basement at all,” she said. “We could hear her screaming, but it was muffled, then she went silent.”
“We tried to pull the boards up, but they were stuck fast,” Ian said in a hushed tone. “Whatever it is that’s in that house, we don’t think it’s a ghost.”
“What’s the address?” Connor asked, taking his cell phone out. Mary rattled it off and he stored it on his phone. “Give me your numbers. I’ll call you once we’ve found your friend.” He was only a few years older than they were, but he exuded confidence that they responded to gratefully. Both teens gave him their number. “I’m Connor and this is Arienna,” he said in belated introductions. “Don’t worry, we’ll find Barbara.”
Mary burst into sobs and Ian put his arms around her. His expression was solemn and he silently pleaded with us to rescue his friend. Connor nodded, wordlessly telling the teen that everything would be okay. Ian led his sister away, leaving us to deal with a situation that we’d never encountered before.
Chapter Twelve
Jolene had given me the number for the Archives. I dialed and a woman answered in a crisp tone. “You’ve reached Stephanie.”
“Hi. This is Arienna Austin.”
“Ah, yes. The young huntress who will be paying us a visit today.” Stephanie’s voice warmed slightly. “I expect this call means you’re going to be delayed?”
“A couple of kids just asked us to help find their missing friend,” I replied. “Their Dad is a hunter, but he’s away on a job. We’re only a few miles away from the Archives, but I’m not sure how long this will take.”
“Do you need backup?”
I eyed Connor, who was leaning against the car with his arms crossed. “I have a new hunter with me,” I said.
“What’s his name?”
“Connor McAllister.”
“I’m sure you two will handle the problem just fine,” she said as if she recognized his name. It really wouldn’t surprise me, given their extensive network. “Call me if you run into any unexpected trouble. I can have someone there within a few minutes.”
“Thanks,” I replied and ended the call. It was always a good idea to let someone else know when we were heading out on a hunt. It had been stupid of me to try to take down a nest of bloodsuckers on my own. Just look where my impulsiveness had gotten me. I was lucky to still be alive.
We climbed into the car and Connor punched the address into the GPS. The abandoned house was a couple of miles from town, but it was deep in the woods. I parked in the driveway, climbed out and took in the general creepiness of the place. Only the offspring of hunters would have been brave enough to enter a dilapidated old building like this. Normal kids would have taken one look at it and run away.
Connor assessed the two-story house, noting the broken boards on the porch, smashed windows and overall shabbiness. Dark fungus was growing on one wall, spreading like a disease. The windows glowered at us uninvitingly, silently warning us to stay away. I’d never admit it, but I was glad for his company. Even with my years of hunting, I wouldn’t have wanted to enter that house alone. He took a deep breath, smelling the air.
“Did you pick up anything interesting, Fido?”
I asked dryly. I’d seen hounds do the same thing when they were trying to catch a scent.
He sent me a dark look. “You should learn to use all of your senses,” he told me primly. “Sometimes, your nose will tell you something that your eyes and ears can’t.”
I took a deep breath to mimic him. “My nose is telling me that we’re in the woods and that the mold on that house stinks,” I said dryly after letting the breath out. A faint whiff of a strange scent floated to me as if mocking me. We both went for our guns when we saw a shadow streak through the trees.
“Did you see that?” Connor asked, pointing his gun at the woods. His Glock G19 had a fifteen-round capacity. My Ruger could only hold eight rounds, but eight was usually enough. I carried spare ammo in my pockets just in case I needed more.
“I saw it,” I confirmed. “I smelled it, too.” He sent me a wry look and I made a face. “It smelled like old socks that haven’t been washed in a decade.”
“I would have said an old pair of sneakers,” he argued. “Whatever it was, it’s trying to lure us away from the house.”
“But we’re too smart to fall for a trick like that, right?” I said and he nodded grimly in response. If I’d been a fully-fledged vampire, I might have been able to catch it. Considering I was a hybrid, I still didn’t know what my limitations were yet. Besides, I couldn’t let Connor know there was something different about me. We barely knew each other and there was no way I could trust him with a secret this monumental.
“Did you get a good look at it?” Connor asked.
I shook my head and lowered my arms, but I didn’t put my gun away. “It moved too fast. All I saw was a dark blur.”
“Me, too,” he said and lowered his arms as well.
We studied the house in trepidation, knowing we had to enter, but dreading it at the same time. To delay the inevitable, I rounded to the back of the car and opened the trunk. “We have no idea what we’re dealing with, so I’m not sure what we should take with us,” I said as I perused my arsenal. If a cop ever pulled me over and demanded to search the vehicle, I’d have trouble explaining my collection of weapons and assorted gear that I used to kill supernatural creatures.
Connor reached into the trunk, pulled out a machete and hefted it. “These are always useful,” he said with a grin. He must have borrowed a machete from Ray if he needed to use mine. I grabbed a long knife that came in a sheath that could be clipped to my belt on the left side. Next, I chose a sawn-off shotgun and variety of shells. Some were full of silver buckshot, others had iron and other components that dealt with various types of monsters.
With our backpacks now loaded up with a variety of weapons, we couldn’t delay any longer. The afternoon wouldn’t last forever and I for one didn’t want to still be in that house once darkness fell.
Armed with my Ruger and a powerful flashlight, I locked my car up tight. Connor held a flashlight and my shotgun. He’d strapped the machete to his belt. The sheath and blade were long enough to reach the length of his thigh. I admired how the muscles in his legs bunched and moved as he preceded me to the house. I managed to tear my gaze away from his butt a moment before he glanced back over his shoulder. Meeting my innocent stare, he shook his head. “Pay attention to the job,” he said, as if somehow knowing my eyes had been glued to his ass.
I followed him around to the back of the old dwelling. The kids had kicked the back door in. It still stood open as if waiting for us to enter. Connor clicked his flashlight on and shone it around the kitchen. It was empty except for ancient cupboards and a rusty sink. The faucet dripped with a steady, maddening plop that would drive me nuts after a few minutes. Aged linoleum covered the warped floorboards. It was encrusted with dirt, but I could see a green diamond pattern in the once white linoleum. The walls were covered in the same black mold that was slowly overtaking the front of the house.
“My nose is telling me not to breathe too deeply, or we’ll risk catching something horrible,” I whispered to Connor.
He sent me a disapproving stare at my cheeky sense of humor, then shone his light at the only doorway. It led to a hallway and we stepped into it together. I turned left and he turned right so we were back to back. The hallway was short on my end and there was only one door. It was closed, but footprints in the thick dust indicated the trio of teens had entered it.
Turning, I looked over my partner’s shoulder to see the hallway stretched the length of the building. There were several doors to choose from. “Where did Barbara go missing?” I asked quietly.
“They didn’t say.”
“We should have asked,” I said, disappointed in myself that I hadn’t asked for more information. This was why we needed experienced leaders. Being unprepared was a good way to end up dead.
Just after I had that thought, the floorboards beneath us collapsed and we began to fall.
Chapter Thirteen
My scream cut off when I landed. We’d only fallen fifteen feet or so, but my teeth clicked together with enough force to hurt my gums. Connor grabbed me before I could sprawl on my face and I pressed my back up against his again. Our flashlights stabbed the darkness, illuminating piles of white bones. Most were from animals, but a few appeared to be human. Raggedy bits of clothing were strewn about, backing up that guess.
I glanced upwards to see a patch of bare floorboards about five feet round like a trapdoor. Some kind of magic had to be at play. I’d never seen, or read about anything like this before. Turning my attention back to our surroundings, I saw we were in a large cave that had been tunneled out beneath the house. It was hard to tell how old it was, but I had the feeling it had been excavated fairly recently. The bones were chewed up and had been splintered by strong teeth, but most seemed fresh.
Connor took another deep breath and gagged. I decided not to copy him this time and breathed shallowly. The smell of rotting flesh was already beginning to clog my nose. I didn’t want to become better acquainted with the odor than I already was. My fingers were crossed that it was a dead animal that we could smell. Barbara hadn’t been missing long enough to have reached that level of decomposition yet.
“Do you see anything?” Connor asked in a hoarse whisper.
“Just dirt, bones and more dirt,” I replied.
“I can see a tunnel over there,” he said. I turned to see where his flashlight was aiming. If he hadn’t pointed it out, I would have missed it. To me, it just looked like a shadow. “We need to search the cave for Barbara,” he said. “You look for her and I’ll watch your back.”
It usually took a few jobs working with someone before I trusted them. Considering how well Connor had handled himself against the master vampire, I figured he was solid enough.
With my back to the tunnel, I shuffled forward, sweeping my light across the ground. The cave was around two hundred yards wide as far as I could tell. It seemed like overkill to me to dig out an area that big. I glanced upwards every now and then to see the bare boards of the house above. It seemed whatever monsters lived down here had set traps to catch any unwary humans who were dumb enough to investigate the abandoned house.
A soft sound came from ahead and my gun and flashlight snapped towards it. Connor turned to see what had made the noise, then something rushed at us from the darkness. A furry body slammed into me, sending my flashlight flying. I went down, but held onto my gun. I pulled the trigger as a clawed hand groped for my throat. Brief flashes of light illuminated the hairy creature with each bullet that thundered into it. It squealed loudly enough to make me wince. Forced backwards from the blasts, it abandoned its attack and tried to crawl away. Sitting up, I aimed for its head and fired another three rounds. Blood spurted from the wounds and it fell onto its face and went still.
Connor grunted out a curse and I turned to see him struggling with another furry critter. They were around the same height, but he had a slightly bigger build. His hand that was holding the shotgun was trapped, but he managed to pull his machete and rammed it into the monster’s
stomach. It let out a shrill squeal and fell to its knees as he pulled the blade free. Connor raised his knife, brought it down and the edge sheared through the creature’s neck.
It should have been too dark for me to see, but my eyes had adjusted to the gloom. I crawled over to my flashlight and picked it up, then shone it on the things that had attacked us. “What the hell are they?” I asked shakily as Connor hunkered next to me.
“I don’t know,” he said uneasily. He took his phone out and snapped off a few photos. “Maybe someone in the Archives will know,” he said when he was done. Seeing how shaken I was, his brows arched in concern. “Are you okay? Did it bite you?”
“No. I’m fine. I’ve just never seen anything like them before.” Vaguely humanoid in body, their faces were decidedly rat-like. Their black eyes were too small and beady and their snouts were pointed. Their long, slender and wickedly sharp teeth were what made me think of rodents. “How can things as primitive as them use magic?” I asked, looking up at the floorboards that were exposed right above us.
Connor shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Hearing a rustling noise, we turned and shone our lights towards it. Seeing a body, we exchanged a look and rose to our feet. We watched the shadows warily as we closed in on the victim. Holes had been torn in the girl’s jeans and they were stained with blood. Her white t-shirt had become red and was as torn as her jeans. I stole a look at the teen’s face to see Barbara was mildly pretty, with auburn hair that was badly tangled. “Poor kid,” I said softly.
“Those two creatures were adults,” Connor said. “They’ve been capturing animals and humans to feed their young.” He shifted his light to illuminate the things that were making the rustling noises.
Only when I saw the litter of rat-babies did I realize the bite marks on Barbara’s clothes and skin were too small to have been made by the adults. “Oh, gross!” I complained. The horrible rodents mewled when the light hit their eyes. One bared its teeth that were red with human blood. I put a bullet between its beady orbs and Connor opened fire as well. We slaughtered the critters without a shred of remorse that we were basically killing infants.