Outer Banks by Anson Barber Page B

girl in the photo.
    I don’t know what it was, but something about her had hit deep. One hour and already I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
    Her long blonde hair flowed in the breeze as she stood in the sun next to the ocean. She was wearing a sundress, and I could see the shape of her body through it.
    She turned to me and smiled a happy genuine smile.
    I started to walk toward her and she laughed. Nothing sinister, but there was a challenge in it.
    â€œYou think you can save them? You think you can save me?” She laughed again as her eyes turned black. Her skin peeled back and thick black fluid began to cover her entire body.
    I yelled out as I woke up, sweating and panting. This was different than my usual nightmare.
    It took a while for my brain to release that image, but eventually I fell back into a peaceful sleep.
    The next day I called Ray when I was properly rested. My brain had been working things out while I slept.
    The guard had told Mr. Mitchell that his daughter was living in Nags Head. I would need to bring in another Haunt and use that as my way in, taking Emery with me when I left.
    â€œWho do you have?” I asked when Ray answered.
    â€œI thought you were taking a break, or maybe you were taking a side job?” he insinuated.
    â€œI took a break. I didn’t take the side job though thank you very much for giving out private information about me,” I scolded.
    He laughed unashamedly. “The guy paid me a thousand dollars to tell him who my most humane, efficient hunter was. You wouldn’t have taken it?” he challenged.
    â€œEasy money.” I laughed. Ray was all about easy money. His job as a dispatcher kept him out of the action while getting a cut of our share for his “organizational skills”. He would sell out his own mother for easy money.
    â€œWho do you have?” I asked again.
    â€œI have one in Ohio.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œI don’t know the details really. All I know is there is a Haunt draining livestock.”
    â€œLivestock?”
    â€œYeah. It drained three beef cattle and a llama.”
    â€œA llama ?” I laughed. “Are you messing with me?”
    â€œNo. An honest to God llama,” he said.
    â€œHuh. That’s a lot of blood for one person. You’re sure it’s just one?”
    â€œDon’t have any visuals. There is an abandoned chemical plant nearby. We think it’s living there. I actually sent Bobby Sims out on it a couple weeks ago. He reported finding a guy there, but he told me the man fell down into a pit and he couldn’t get him out for the report. When people started calling again with complaints I called him to go back, but I haven’t heard anything. He’s probably on another bender. You know Bobby.”
    â€œYeah.” I did. The last time I’d seen him it was apparent the job was starting to take its toll. He went on a week-long bender just about every time he got paid. “Is Ronald available if there’s more than one and I need back up?”
    â€œI had to let him go. He was bringing in more dead ones than alive. I think he was letting his politics affect his job.”
    When had that happened? I’d thought Ronald was one of the good ones. “I see.”
    â€œCheck it out during the day. If you find more than you can carry, call me back and I’ll contact someone else in the area. Maybe I can track down Bobby by then.”
    â€œAll right.”
    I mapped out my trip to Ohio, thinking about Emery as I drove. I made good time and was ready to get my plan under way.
    Looking back on that evening, I realized I’d become lax. I could have gotten there earlier in the afternoon so I would have had plenty of daylight to check things over before the sun set. But for months I had been pulling in at the last minute, nabbing the Haunt without any problem.
    Not this time.

Chapter Five
    I arrived at the deserted chemical plant at