“Hello?”
“Hey, Roc, it’s me.”
“What’s up, Blaze? Find anything?”
“I think so…I’ve been doing some digging on one of the victims.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Hailey Moss. Out of all the recent killings, Hailey was the odd one out. She was bit, but not to turn…not to feed, either. Just outright killed.”
“Interesting.”
“I know, right? So, I went to the orphanage that she used to live at…her and her brother.”
“Did the place check out?”
“Yeah…yeah it did. The head chancellor or whatever goes by Walter. Didn’t catch the other one’s name. For a moment, I thought they could be behind it, but it was just me being dumb. Hailey hadn’t been over there for a while. Same goes for her brother. They aged out. Didn’t stop me from testing one of them.”
“Walter, I’m guessing.”
“Yeah. And he was clean.”
“Of course.”
“Anyway, he hooked me up with Hailey’s brother’s number. I’m going to try to get in contact with him and see what he can tell me. Mr. Walter said he’d been in contact with them up until recently. I figured they got their own place and made it happen.”
“The American Dream, eh?”
“I guess so, minus the whole werewolf thing.”
“Did you have any information about a boyfriend or anything with Hailey?” Roc asks.
“No. She wasn’t big on social media…as in, she has none.”
“That’s a rare breed these days…I’m thinking maybe she went out on a trip and got attacked. Maybe there’s a witness close to her? One that survived?”
“No…to my knowledge, she was single, and wasn’t with anyone. No one went missing in her circle, or it would have been added. I mean, she could have just met someone and got killed, but that’s unlikely…and cliché. I wasn’t thinking on the lines of a love interest. That’s ridiculous.” I whip the corner in my car, and someone taps on their horn. I glance at them from my sidemirror and smirk.
“I don’t know. You said they’d been out for a while, right? Who’s to say an ex or something didn’t get infected and went ballistic?”
“I mean, it’s possible…I guess…but I’m not really getting those vibes, Roc. They seemed like the type to just stick to themselves, you know?”
“It’s highly possible, but I get what you’re saying. Just keep your eyes open, yeah? One bite is all it takes. No heavy digging till you got backup, all right? Wait for Sailor and her dad for this one.”
“Got it. I’m going to follow this lead on the brother and see where it takes me. They were close, so her brother should be able to point me in the right direction…prior jobs, shady characters… a boyfriend,” I say resentfully. “Things like that. I’m sure I’ll get something I can work with.”
“Look, man… All I’m saying is that if you were bit, you’d probably go after Sailor.”
“What the hell, dude? …I wouldn’t.”
“No, not at first. You’d resist, but what’s the main purpose of a virus?”
“To spread,” I respond, soberly.
“To reproduce. That’s how the strand lives. It needs a host. Factor in human emotions and whatnot, and you can fill in the blanks.”
“I’d kill myself. I wouldn’t let it go that far.”
“Yeah, you might. But with these guys, not so much. Leave no stone unturned, no matter how nasty. It’s life or death out here, and not that many would go that far.”
“Yeah, I know, Roc. Thanks,” I respond with no malice.
“Just looking out for you, kid. Stay safe.”
“Of course.”
“Let me know when Sailor’s back in so you can take this thing down and move on with your life.”
“Right. On to the next one, eh?” I chuckle.
“Take care.”
“Peace.”
Roc hangs up and I continue my drive. He’s one hundred percent right about the nature of the virus. Its main focus is to reproduce, no doubt. Whether through spreading the infection via bite, or through birth, it doesn’t matter. It’s one of the main reasons why people tend to go feral once they’ve contracted it. It makes their brains go primal. Kill, eat, have sex, be aggressive. A host is easier to manipulate when their sense of rationality starts to fall apart, especially when they can’t see it themselves. I still think Hailey’s case is different though…at least, potentially.
I need to find the missing link, so I can figure out where it’ll strike next.
Chapter 5: Dry
I eventually make it back to my motel room, but not before calling Phillip Moss to see what he had to say. Of course, he didn’t answer. Not too many people answer unknown numbers. Especially since the phone-scam people have been on the rise. I’m relatively off the books, but I still get calls about free vacation stays and unhinged college debt. I’m halfway sure Sailor used my number for some online contest out of spite.
I left him a voicemail, but not much came from it. No follow-up, and that was at least twenty minutes ago. I sent him a text, too. Nothing creepy, just letting him know that my sister had something of Hailey’s that she’d thought he’d like, and asked if he’d want to meet up somewhere public so I could hand it off.
He didn’t respond to that either, at least not yet…which sucks, but it isn’t the end of the world. The text definitely went through, so even if he doesn’t call me back, next time he checks his phone he’ll see the message. There’s no reason he wouldn’t get back to me. His sister died. Who wouldn’t want a keepsake? It’s hard to just live off of the memory—and I’m speaking from experience.
It’s tragic how someone can be in your life one day and gone the next. Life isn’t fair sometimes…most of the time. I honestly feel for the guy. I really do. I almost want to tell him the truth, but I don’t think he’d take it the right way, especially if I bring proof in the form of a chopped off head. Two things could happen.
He could go crazy, or even worse, he could end up like me.
I strip off my jacket and toss it on top of my chair and plop down on my bed. I’ve got time to kill. Phil may have work, and Sailor won’t be in for a couple more hours. Once her and her dad get back, we can get this done and be on our merry way. The hunt they went on was more along the lines of a favor as opposed to something that popped up on Joel’s radar. The whole reason they started this mess was to find the ones responsible for killing Sailor’s mom: a father-daughter adventure of sorts, to put it in the least depressing way possible. They’d done a lot of traveling before I tagged along, and things progressed from there. Anyway, the way Sailor explained it, her dad wasn’t in the best of practices before her mom died. He was into some bad stuff…a real scumbag. Sailor said he wasn’t in his right mind, and that the occult messed him up. He eventually got out, but yeah, Sailor’s mom was collateral. That’s when he started his campaign against everything that’s truly wicked in the world.
Long story, short. One of the baddies on the hunt he just went off to is supposedly connected to the events that led to his wife’s death. He has plans of extracting the information by any means necessary and it’s supposed to be a hell of a hunt, hence him wanting us to stay behind. Once he gets the info, I guess you can say the real hunt begins.
I’m not even sure what they’ll do after they gank who or whatever is responsible. It’s not my place to ask, either. We all do what we do for different reasons. I learned that long ago.
****
My vibrating phone rumbles on top of my chest and my eyes spring open. As I reach for the phone, only one person comes to mind.
Sailor.
The surge of adrenaline clears the haze from my eyes, but my spike of vigor settles after I realize who’s on the other side. Rocco.
Crap. I dropped the ball. I didn’t follow up with him. Ironic, to say the least, given the situation.
“Hey, man. My bad. I’m good. I dozed off while brainstorming
and forgot to get back at you.”
“Were you able to meet with Hailey’s brother?”
“No. He never got back to me. Left a voicemail and texted him. Anything new on your end?”
“Nah.”
I pull my phone away from my face and glare at the time before pressing it against my ear again.
“It’s gonna be getting dark soon over here.”
“I highly recommend you take the night off. No need getting yourself into trouble in werewolf territory while you’re riding solo. Sailor and Joel should be back soon.”
“You spoke to them?”
“No, but I’m just saying.”
“This whole situation is starting to piss me off, to be honest.”
“Doesn’t Sailor like Italian food?”
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “She’s in love with calzones.”
“Good. Get her one when she comes back and then tell her how pissed you are.”
“Ha. Yeah, I don’t think it works that way. She’s more pissed at me because I didn’t go with her. I couldn’t make her stay.”
“She’s her own person, Blaze. She did what was right by her. You guys are adults. Y’all can talk it out when they get back.”
“Hopefully. I don’t think she’ll even speak to me. She thinks I betrayed her. Any way you look at it, it’s a blow… I mean, honestly, Roc, we’re technically not even together anymore.”
“Well, just be there for her when she gets back in whatever capacity she allows. I don’t need to go into detail because you’re a smart man, but you know…Joel didn’t want you guys there for a reason. Goes without saying why.”
“Yeah. I get what you’re saying…and I told her the same thing. Didn’t stop her though. Barely slowed her down.”
“Can’t say I blame her. Joel’s the only family she has left.”
Right…besides me. “Yeah.” I hold my tongue on that tidbit. Maybe she means more to me than I do to her.
“Keep your head up, kid…and get some shut-eye. You sound horrible. Don’t run yourself ragged.”
“I’ve been playing catch-up all day,” I groan.
“Well, get you some rest. Sailor and her pops’ll be back before you know it. They’ll give you a status report in a couple hours. Get your sleep. Prep tomorrow, kill the wolf, and call it a job well done.”
“Yeah, but if Phil can get back to me, that’ll be a start.”
“True, but don’t forget your other options. I’m sure that file Joel gave you is overflowing with info.”
“Yeah, for sure. I’d hate to ask him for any pointers. He’s already gonna be hella pissed at me for letting his daughter go after him. I’m going to try to stay out of his way for the most part…at least until I get a better read on the situation.”
Rocco chuckles on the other side of the call. “Well, I wish you the best of luck, man. Joel’s a tough one.”
“I’m glad he’s on our side,” I muse. “Bye, Roc.” I hang up on Roc and stare blankly at my laptop resting on the coffee table a couple of paces beyond arm’s reach.
I just have a feeling that tomorrow’s going to be one hell of a day.
Chapter 6: Buried Thoughts
I blink and she’s beside me. We’re on a checkered blanket; Sailor and me, and there’s no way she could look any more beautiful than she already does. She pecks me on the cheek and rolls back onto her back, her hands folded behind her head as she goes back to watching the clouds.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s nothing. Just you. Relaxed. It’s…different.” Sailor Ray, the badass who saved me from despair is wearing a sundress in the middle of the day.
“Well, it’s not like we’re hunting or anything. You gotta balance it out, dude. You’ll go insane. And this is coming from the chick who started this mess out of revenge. You have to take the highs with the lows, yeah?” She moves her shoulder up to meet her cheek and smiles.
For a moment, it’s like nothing is wrong with the world when she looks at me, but it doesn’t take me long to cast down my wishful thinking. Look at us. We’re hunters. The fact that we exist is more than enough to prove the world has gone to Hell.
“Sure, you can say that. But you can’t forget, you know? We’ve got a plan. A purpose.”
“Yeah. And today, the plan is to just, be. When’s the last time we did something like that, huh Blaze? Hunting is a part of our life now, but there’s got to be more to it. I can’t remember the last time I went to a movie theater, or a zoo, or a theme park.”
“So, you want to go on a date? Like, a date-date?”
“No. It’s not that. I just don’t want hunting to become everything I know…yeah, I know it sounds ridiculous, but you know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I know I chose this life, but that doesn’t mean that that’s all I want. I want more than this.”
“I do, too.”
“So that’s why we have to make time for us—and for life.”
“Yeah, for sure.”
“You’ll go mad if you don’t.” Sailor looks my way again and smiles. “Look at your forehead. You’re already getting wrinkles. Aren’t you supposed to be Mr. cool, calm, and collected?”
“Only because if I don’t, you’ll just get us killed.”
“Maybe. But it hasn’t happened yet.” She smiles. “I think we make a good team, you and I.”
“Yeah, we do. It’s quite the balancing act, but I’ll always have your back.”
“Always?” Sailor asks.
“Yeah. Always,” I respond.
The look in her eyes changes in tandem with the blackening of the sky and coming breeze. The temperature drops and a single tear rolls down from her cheek as the wind twists in her hair.
“I-I don’t believe you.”
“What do you mean? Why not?”
“Because, if you were telling the truth, you wouldn’t have left me to die.”
I open my eyes right after she says that—for real this time. I check the clock and find out it’s a little before noon, which is odd because it felt like I was only asleep for a couple of minutes.
It’s the worst feeling when sleep isn’t an escape…when it haunts you. I don’t feel well-rested at all, which’ll only make the job tougher.
I immediately go for my phone and shoot Sailor and Joel a text in our group chat, asking if they made it in, Sailor’s face from my dream etched into my mind. I then make my way to my laptop, but only after I brush aside the curtains and look for Sailor and her dad’s cars.
Mine along with a couple other stragglers are all that’s there.
I push aside my anxiety, reminding myself that they’re capable, and crack open my laptop to handle things on my end although it’s hard when your mind’s slowly becoming your worst enemy. I know it was a dream, but it felt real. Feeling her touch. Hearing her voice. It wasn’t something that I needed right now. There’s too much at stake to get caught up in my emotions. I’ll save them for a rainy day.
The angle I’ve been working with Hailey seems to be at a standstill, but there’s more than one way to skin a cat. There’re other victims. More specifically, Jamal Brooks, the most recent one. A twenty-something male who had a promising future ahead of him.
****
I pull up to his last known residence, his parent’s house. Jamal had just graduated from college and was supposed to go into med school to be a doctor. High marks in school, wasn’t involved in anything crazy…a real standup guy, from what I managed to scrounge up from social media and a few quick searches. He didn’t seem to have any enemies but poking around someone’s web persona doesn’t often entail those kinds of things, the successes, sure, but not so much the failures…or the enemies. Jamal wasn’t dumb enough to leave his address online, but there are other means for acquiring that kind of stuff. More technical matters that aren’t exactly legal. His death being fairly recent sped up the process, especially with his mom and dad showing up periodi
cally during the search. Baby boomers aren’t the best when it comes to hiding or safeguarding their privacy online. They’re like, probably over half of the people who click on the ‘congratulations’ ads promising free stuff and get pissed when their computer gets pumped with malware and they realize they didn’t win the contest they didn’t enter.
While it was quicker, sleuthing around through digital backdoors isn’t my idea of a good time. I prefer to be where the action is.
I knock on the door of the Brooks’ home, and not to my surprise, a tear-stained couple emerges on the other side.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks? I’m Derek…a friend of Jamal’s and wanted to know if I could speak to you for a bit. I knew him from college. We exchanged a few words at the funeral. Do you have a second?”
“Sure, come on in.” Mr. Brooks moves over slightly and lets me slide into their home. Once I’m in, he shuts the door to his home and his wife begins to lead me towards the living room. On my way there, I come across a bunch of pictures of Jamal growing up. Jamal with his dad. Jamal with his mom. Jamal with his friends. Jamal and his girlfriend. Jamal at graduation. Even a few pictures of him as a baby.
“Please, make yourself at home.” Mr. and Mrs. Brooks sit on a brown couch, opposite of the one closest to me. With their permission, I sit down and try my best to match my body language to the situation at hand. I’m supposed to be a good friend of his, after all. It doesn’t take much to play the part. He seemed to be a good person. No reason for him to die other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“So,” I begin. “I just wanted to let you guys know that I appreciate what your son did for me. He was my RA. He made me feel welcomed and really helped me get adjusted to life away from home. Him and his girlfriend, Ashley, made school that much easier for me. I wanted to say something at the funeral, a story that happened between us, but I chickened out…thought it was lame, because I wasn’t as close to him as members of his family. I didn’t want to do him a disservice, know what I mean?” I nervously chuckle, playing my part perfectly. “He…uh…well, on the first day, he bumped into me on the way out of the dorms and showed me around campus. I had no idea where I was going, and he was happy to help. That’s how most of our encounters went, actually. He’d just be in the right place at the right time or doing something awesome for his residents. I actually met my girlfriend from going to one of his hall programs. It was on study tips.” I smirk. “It wasn’t the best program he threw, but he made it work. He also did this program for health week where he talked about fitness. He gave us a spiel on how running affects the mind. Helps with depression and anxiety. Things like that. I took his word for it around my first string of finals. Haven’t stopped since.” I pause. “…It was tragic, the way he went. I was floored when I heard the news.”
Blaze Monroe and the Broken Heart Page 3