“I killed two of my own kind because they were a couple of low-life sloppy idiots attracting too much attention. It’s one thing for a handful of crazy nut jobs like you to know too much. Who’s going to believe you if you start talking about vampires? The same people who believed you after you started talking about demons?”
Shock flooded Kirkbride’s face. “What?”
“What, you think I came into this situation cold? I checked you out. I know who you are, and I know what happened to you. I know why you go out in the night and hunt monsters. Do they?” She gestured at the others, all unabashedly paying close attention.
Brandon decided he’d sat this out long enough. “This doesn’t really tell us why you’re here.” All eyes turned to him. “Is it because those two, the ones you killed, are the ones responsible for the murders here on the waterfront?”
Jessie addressed the reporter. “If I tell you the truth what are you going to do with it? What are you going to do with what you already know?”
Brandon blinked, shifting in his seat. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You think your paper’s going to print stories about vampires? Come on.” Pointing at the minister, she added, “You should ask him what happens after you start talking about monsters in polite company.”
Kirkbride backed farther away, his face stricken. Brandon glanced at him then back at Jessie. “You’re right. The paper’s not going to touch this and I’d probably lose my job if I tried to tell anybody. Or if I didn’t lose my job right away, I’d for sure get a rep as a nut case. But none of that has anything to do with what I asked you. If this is the work of vampires...” His voice trailed off as he realized he didn’t have any idea how they would deal with that possibility. Go monster hunting? “Look, if it’s not vampires then I know I need to keep pressuring the cops to take the idea of a serial killer seriously, because either way, I still don’t believe these murders are gang-related.”
“It’s vampires,” Kirkbride said quietly. “I know it is.”
Jessie looked at the two of them, at the rest of Kirkbride’s crew. “What do you guys think? None of you have said much.” She made eye contact with each of them, first Haywood, Rowdy then Lenny. “Monsters or gangbangers?”
“If we didn’t believe the same as him,” Rowdy said, pointing with her chin at the minister, “we wouldn’t follow him.”
Jessie flared her nostrils. She spun around, looking at windows and doors and the size of the room. She snapped her fingers at Kirkbride. “What kind of monsters have you fought?”
He came to her side. “What’s out there?”
She faced him. “The funny thing is, you’re right, and so are the cops. It’s monsters, a gang of them. That’s why I was sent here, to stop the big monster gangbang.”
Haywood, Rowdy, and Lenny closed ranks alongside Kirkbride. Brandon walked to one of the large stained glass windows, trying to see out.
Haywood asked, “Are they outside right now?”
Jessie nodded. “By the smell of it.”
“We might have to fight our way out,” Kirkbride said. He grabbed Jessie and looked her in the eyes. “Are you with us? Even though it means killing more of your own kind?”
“I told you, that’s why I was sent here, and it’s not just my own kind.”
Brandon saw movement in the dark. More vampires? What else could it be? Suddenly he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know. “There’s definitely something moving out there,” he called from the window.
“What else?” Kirkbride demanded.
Brandon heard her say the word “werewolves” as one crashed through the window and came down on top of him in a snarling fury of fur, muscle and flying glass.
Chapter 5
Jessie launched herself at the werewolf, too late to stop its claws from slicing through the flesh of Brandon’s shoulder like razor blades. He screamed, thrashing at the beast with Haywood’s nun-chucks with
Shock flooded Kirkbride’s face. “What?”
“What, you think I came into this situation cold? I checked you out. I know who you are, and I know what happened to you. I know why you go out in the night and hunt monsters. Do they?” She gestured at the others, all unabashedly paying close attention.
Brandon decided he’d sat this out long enough. “This doesn’t really tell us why you’re here.” All eyes turned to him. “Is it because those two, the ones you killed, are the ones responsible for the murders here on the waterfront?”
Jessie addressed the reporter. “If I tell you the truth what are you going to do with it? What are you going to do with what you already know?”
Brandon blinked, shifting in his seat. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You think your paper’s going to print stories about vampires? Come on.” Pointing at the minister, she added, “You should ask him what happens after you start talking about monsters in polite company.”
Kirkbride backed farther away, his face stricken. Brandon glanced at him then back at Jessie. “You’re right. The paper’s not going to touch this and I’d probably lose my job if I tried to tell anybody. Or if I didn’t lose my job right away, I’d for sure get a rep as a nut case. But none of that has anything to do with what I asked you. If this is the work of vampires...” His voice trailed off as he realized he didn’t have any idea how they would deal with that possibility. Go monster hunting? “Look, if it’s not vampires then I know I need to keep pressuring the cops to take the idea of a serial killer seriously, because either way, I still don’t believe these murders are gang-related.”
“It’s vampires,” Kirkbride said quietly. “I know it is.”
Jessie looked at the two of them, at the rest of Kirkbride’s crew. “What do you guys think? None of you have said much.” She made eye contact with each of them, first Haywood, Rowdy then Lenny. “Monsters or gangbangers?”
“If we didn’t believe the same as him,” Rowdy said, pointing with her chin at the minister, “we wouldn’t follow him.”
Jessie flared her nostrils. She spun around, looking at windows and doors and the size of the room. She snapped her fingers at Kirkbride. “What kind of monsters have you fought?”
He came to her side. “What’s out there?”
She faced him. “The funny thing is, you’re right, and so are the cops. It’s monsters, a gang of them. That’s why I was sent here, to stop the big monster gangbang.”
Haywood, Rowdy, and Lenny closed ranks alongside Kirkbride. Brandon walked to one of the large stained glass windows, trying to see out.
Haywood asked, “Are they outside right now?”
Jessie nodded. “By the smell of it.”
“We might have to fight our way out,” Kirkbride said. He grabbed Jessie and looked her in the eyes. “Are you with us? Even though it means killing more of your own kind?”
“I told you, that’s why I was sent here, and it’s not just my own kind.”
Brandon saw movement in the dark. More vampires? What else could it be? Suddenly he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know. “There’s definitely something moving out there,” he called from the window.
“What else?” Kirkbride demanded.
Brandon heard her say the word “werewolves” as one crashed through the window and came down on top of him in a snarling fury of fur, muscle and flying glass.
Chapter 5
Jessie launched herself at the werewolf, too late to stop its claws from slicing through the flesh of Brandon’s shoulder like razor blades. He screamed, thrashing at the beast with Haywood’s nun-chucks with
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