The race to the Jeffersons' homestead ended as the vehicle's tires ground to a halt, leaving a plume of dust drifting through the trees. Silence reigned over the forest when the siren of the police cruiser died down. Dead silent. Not a single bird amongst the trees sang its song for the world to hear as if even they sat in anticipation of what was about to happen.
Peering up toward the wooden cabin through the windscreen, I couldn't see any movement through the cabin's windows. But the atmosphere around the cabin felt off. Not that the broken front door, covered in blood, didn't scream it out loud already. Without wasting any time further, I opened the car's door and exited the vehicle.
My fingers found the cold steel of my gun, strapped around my waist, as I made my way toward the cabin. Ashley, holding her gun aimed at the cabin, followed my lead. Her fingers trembled as she made her way, while sweat pooled on her forehead. The taste of her fear clung like rusted metal on my tongue. I couldn't blame Ashley for being scared. Even after all these years, I haven't lost my fear.
A sudden creak stuttered my heart. I turned back. Ashley mouthed sorry as she lifted her boot from a wonky floorboard I turned around once more and approached the front door, keeping my eyes wide for any sudden movement. My tongue turned rusted as the scent of blood filled the air. As I entered the cabin, the living room to my left was painted with an array of blood. The body of an old man lay splayed over the blue couch with his entrails on the green carpet.
Ashley gagged, coughing as we entered the room. "Fuck... What the hell happened here?" she whispered.
I gestured for her to be quiet by placing my finger to my lips; it wasn't the time for talking. Not if the person who gutted the old man was still in the cabin with us. I stalked around a green couch, avoiding the corpse. Not wanting to disturb the crime scene, I headed to the small kitchenette. Before I could make my way halfway there, a sudden blur caught my eye.
"Move!" I shouted, but it was too late. My gun flew through the air while a cold hand with long black nails dug into my forearm.
I flew through the air before crashing into an overhead kitchen cabinet. I hit the floor hard, and broken plates and glasses rained on me. Before my blurry eyes stood a woman with long, disheveled black hair. Bloodshot eyes stared hungrily at me while her blood-covered mouth unleashed a growling hiss.
Two shots rang out, hitting the vampire on her shoulders. The vampire's hisses turned into shrieks as she whipped around and turned to Ashley, who continued emptying her gun into the frenzied undead woman's body.
I sprung into action before my partner became another victim of her fear and reckless action, which did not affect our enemy. A rune of constraint on my right arm activated. A chain made of red magical energy hit the wooden floor before I whipped the chain around the vampire's neck. The force of the vampire's speed dragged me across the room before my foot caught the edge of the counter's leg.
The frenzied woman's bloody claws stopped mere inches from Ashley's face. My partner stumbled back while she fumbled with her gun in her attempt to reload it. The vampire shrieked and swiped aggressively at the would-be victim. My muscles burned under the stain as I tried to hold the hunter back. The wooden leg post groaned under the strain. Seeing no way through this predicament, I activated another rune and reached for the knife block on the back marble counter. A massive meat cleaver flew into my outstretched hand.
"Ashley!" I cried out. "Aim for the bitch's head!"
Ashley's eyes widened before they hardened. She raised her gun and shot the vampire straight between the eyes before I threw the knife. The force behind my throw cut the vampire's head diagonally in half, exposing her rotten brain. The vampire's hands fell to her side before falling dead on the cabin's floor.
The red chains disappeared afterward, causing me to lose balance. I fell to the cabin floor, panting. A rush of footsteps neared before Ashley's worried face appeared above me. She reached out her hand, which I took. I stood up with a hiss; the claw marks on my forearm bled. Blood dripped onto the floor. Reaching a towel rack, I grabbed a washing cloth and bandaged my wound.
"Edward's gonna kill me for disobeying his orders," I muttered while retrieving my fallen weapon from behind a couch. Once I secured my gun in its holster, my eyes fell on the mangled corpse. "Damn... It's old man Richard."
Ashley's sob rang out throughout the cabin. "My dad... Richard was his best friend." She rubbed her tears off and said, "I need to notify dispatch. Do you need backup further?"
I shook my head, knowing she wanted to be the first to break the news to her father. "No. If another vampire were lingering behind, they would have attacked us. Or, the feral vampire would have killed them, even if they came from the same coven."
Ashley nodded before heading toward the front door. In the meantime, I continue my search. The rest of the cabin was vacant. There were no signs that anyone else was present. Richard's wife must have visited her family while he remained behind.
I rubbed my face while exiting the cabin. Before I had the time to reach the edge of the porch, Edward and the rest of the F.B.I. team descended on me. I internally cringed at the sight of my captain's enraged face. The omega in me wanted to drop onto the dirt path and raise its belly in surrender, but I squashed the feeling, biting my tongue. I squared my shoulders, waiting for the shifter to chew my ass off.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Edward bellowed. All those in the immediate vicinity stopped and stared as their captain began to preach. A few snickers rang out amongst the ranks. "I ordered you to erect a perimeter and wait for us! But no! As usual, my deputy rushes head first in a hive's ness and nearly gets him killed along with his partner!"
I didn't know where to stick my head in. My ears went nuclear while beads of sweat ran down the back of my head. Avoiding my superior's eyes, I feebly tried to state my case. "When we arrived, we saw blood splatter on the door and deemed it necessary to investigate. We couldn't wait while a person's life was in danger..."
Edward grumbled while rubbing his bold head. "I agree, but it doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed my order. The next time, I won't be so lenient." My shoulders sagged in relief. "Get over to Vermont and get your wound treated."
"Thanks, Captain," I replied, heading toward the medic.
"Oh, don't thank me just yet," Edward hollard. "I might not have punished you for your insubordination, but my mother will."
I froze in my step. Oh, no! A shiver rushed down my spine. The dragon lady...
The captain's mother was a sweet woman who cared for everyone in the precinct. She would do anything for you, even spoon-feed you when you feel ill. However, her sweet grandmother persona disappeared in a blink when you messed up. I rubbed my ear. Maybe if I avoided the police station for a few days, she wouldn't get the opportunity to give me a tongue-lashing from hell.
I was so engrossed in my panic that I flinched when the paramedic tapped my shoulder. The freckled redhead chuckled as he guided me onto the back seat of the ambulance. "Let's get this sorted out," he said.
After the paramedic disinfected and bandaged my arm, I exited the ambulance. The sun was setting, throwing its golden hues across the horror scene. A cold breeze swept through the forest while several flocks of birds flew across the sky, chirping along.
As I reached my patrol unit, Ashley stood against the car wiping her eyes while clutching her phone. She must have told her father what happened to old man Jefferson. It was never easy to stand in front of an unexpected family's house and deliver the news that their loved ones had died. From the look in her sullen eyes, her father didn't take the news easily.
"Will your father be alright?" I asked while rubbing her shoulder.
She sniffed a bit before shoving her phone into her pocket. "I don't know... My mother is doing her best to console him. I'll check on him later." Her head snapped toward the cabin. "It seems our job here is done.
From the cabin, four coroners carried out the two bodies followed by the sheriff and the F.B.I. agents. The coroners then loaded the bodies into the back of a white van. The team head then walked over to the sheriff, holding a clipboard.
"What's that creep doing sniffing a bloody handkerchief?" Ashley huffed out.
Agent Slade a.k.a sleazebag stood away from the team of people who were talking while sniffing at a bloody handkerchief. As he did so, his black eyes snapped toward us before he stuffed the offensive piece of cloth in a plastic bag and then in his pants pocket. His eyes furrowed on us before his eyes found my wound.
"Let's go," Ashley said, pulling my attention away from the creep. "I want to check on my father."
I nodded before walking over toward the driver's door. However, along the way, I could sense Agent Slade's eyes filling into the back of my eyes. What a creep...