'Will your security system detect vampires?' I asked.
'Probably. As far as we know they still need to walk like anything else. There has never been any actual documented case of them turning into bats or mist like in Dracula, only superstitions say that they can shape-shift. But remember, they can't come into a home unless they're invited. That's the rule.'
'Why is that anyway?' I asked. 'I mean, I've seen it in the movies, but that doesn't really make any sense.'
'Nobody knows. But it seems to be a rule with vampires. Other undead don't seem to care, but it does affect vamps,' she said. 'Unless you let them in, they can't enter.'
'But they came into Dr. Turley's house and killed him and his wife. And he was still in bed. They couldn't have been invited. Or what about the attack in Atlanta?'
'Atlanta was a party. All it would take is a single invited guest to let one in. You guys have only seen newly created vamps. The old ones can be pretty darn charming, and they look just like humans unless they're about to feed. As for the Turleys, who knows? Any indication of invitation would probably do.' She forked another piece of egg and dipped it in ketchup. 'Did they have a door mat or any signs that may have said welcome, or something like that?'
I nodded as I remembered the Turley home's open rear door, along with the mud stained welcome mat. I swore that I would never own one of those things again.
'Gargoyles?' Trip asked.
'I've got a Barrett. 50, a 20mm Lahti, and some grenade launchers in the armory. Also an RPG and for the worst-case scenario, a Spig 9. After we eat, I'll break those out and dust them off. I'm going to need help getting the Spig up the stairs,' Julie said. I did not know what a Spig 9 was, but if it was in fact a gun that she needed help to even move, I was very excited.
'What about the CO?' Holly asked. I did not like the abbreviated name. After having seen him, and feeling a taste of his power, calling the evil creature something so innocuous seemed a little silly. The residents of Tokyo didn't call Godzilla 'Big G.'
'Unknown quantity,' Julie stated. 'We have no idea what would work on him. It could be something as simple as just shooting him full of holes, or lighting him on fire, or blowing him up, I don't know. Some monsters are hard to kill.' She looked at me for help.
I shrugged. 'Beats me. The Old Man won't or can't tell me that. I'll say this though. I don't expect him to go easy. I've got a feeling that he's going to be one mean son of a bitch.'
Julie finished her breakfast and pushed the plate away. I dished myself a second helping. Trip sipped his coffee. Holly made sure her sidearm was still there.
'One last thing,' Julie said. She was fully confident, and back in command mode. 'If they find us. If we get attacked. And we can't beat them or hold them off until help arrives. If and only if the bad guys are about to take Dad away, then we have no choice. Kill him. And do it in a way that they can't bring him back. Shoot him in the head, and burn him.' She said this casually, as if she was telling us about the weather. 'It's one thing to kill monsters, but it's another to have human blood on your hands… If we have to do it, if possible I'll do it myself. My family, my business… Everybody okay with that?'
The rest of us nodded dumbly.
Julie scooped up a plate of rapidly cooling eggs and sausage and passed it over to me. 'You had best take him some food. He's probably starved. Tell him I send my regards.'
Ray Shackleford was sitting on his bed, one wrist handcuffed to the wrought-iron headboard. He regarded me sullenly as I entered. His gray hair was wild, and he had a black eye and bruises from where I had hit him. At least he seemed coherent now.
'I brought you some food,' I said. I did not add that I had only supplied him with a plastic fork.
'Let me loose, kid,' he ordered.
'Can't do that. This is for your own protection.'
'Fine, then I'll take a dump on the floor.'
I had not thought about that, but then again I had never kidnapped a crazy person before either. I set the food down on a dresser and removed the handcuff key from my pocket. There was an attached bathroom, there was only one way in, and the window over the shower was too small to squeeze out of. I checked the bathroom for any hidden weapons (this was Julie's house after all), but found nothing.
'Okay, fine. But if you try anything stupid, I will beat you down. I'm just itching for a reason to get my violence on. Got it?'
'Fine. Just hurry up.' I unlocked the cuffs and waited patiently as he made his way to the bathroom. He closed the door behind him. I opened it.
'Nope. I don't trust you.'
'Fine. Suit yourself… freak.'
I waited while he took care of business. Once he had washed his hands and pulled back his hair, I escorted him back to the bed and put the cuffs back on. He gave me no trouble. I passed the food over and he gobbled it down messily.
'You knocked me out,' he said between bites. 'If I was in the shape I used to be, I would have kicked your ass.'
'Whatever you have to tell yourself,' I said.
'Don't get cocky. I've been around guys like you. I know your type. You're hired muscle. Just a trigger puller. I bet Earl brought you on because you're good at hurting things. You know what? That don't make you special. Hurting things is easy. Understanding them is hard.'
'I don't like to complicate things. I see the monster. I shoot the monster. There. Nice and simple,' I said.
'Let me let you in on a little secret, kid. Guys like you are a dime a dozen. A real Hunter understands his prey. He knows how they think. He succeeds where others fail because he knows the monster better than he knows himself. I was the best Hunter we've ever had because of that.'
'Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster…' I said.
'And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you. Ahh… an educated man. Well, you're not as stupid as you look. Don't quote Nietzsche at me, kid. That German crackpot wouldn't know a real monster if it bit him on the ass.'
Actually I hated philosophy. I had memorized the quote from the intro of a video game. 'You about done?' I asked.
'Julie told me a little about you. You're the dreamer. You've been having visions. You want what I've got up here.' He tapped the side of his head with his fork, leaving ketchup in his hair. 'You want me to help you find Lord Machado.'
'Pretty much.'
'I can do it, you know. The other Hunters can read those old books forever, but they ain't gonna answer your questions. It isn't what you read, it's putting the information together in your head like a puzzle. Only when you're all done can you really see the picture. I've had lots of time on my hands for the last six years. I've sat in a padded cell all day long with nothing to do but put those puzzles together. I can see the whole picture now. You fools are still trying to find your corner pieces and sorting them out by color.'
'Is there a point to this, or are you just trying to get me to punch you in the head some more?'
'Here's the point: I can help you. I can tell you where and when Lord Machado is going to use his artifact. I can tell you what to do. I can tell you how to stop him. I can even tell you how to kill him. The dead guy in your head can't answer those questions, but I can.'
'So why don't you just tell me what I need to know?'
'Because, kid, what's in it for me?'
'The world doesn't get destroyed. That sounds kind of beneficial don't you think?'
'I tell you. You tell Earl. You guys kill Lord Machado and the seven. You save the world, cash big fat checks. You get to be heroes. I go back to Appleton and rot in a cell until the day I die. You want my help, you let me go and I'll tell you everything I know.'
'And I'm just supposed to let somebody who opened a gate to hell in the middle of Alabama walk free.'
'I learned from my mistakes. I won't do that again. I'm not as crazy as everybody thinks I am. I know the
