The Monster Apocalypse

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Brin didn't like being first, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

Every second that passed, she awaited a vampire jumping out at her from the shadows. When she walked by the creepy children's schoolhouse, she prepared herself for a vampire—maybe even a horde of six or seven of them—to leap out from one of the windows and rip her in two or three, or maybe even ten.

But as Brin found herself halfway up the giant hill that led to a dilapidated standard mill, she started to feel confident that every remaining vampire in Bodie Ghost Town was underneath the surface, far away, with no awareness of the oncoming humans and their impressive arsenal. She thought Droz might have at least one vamp on lookout duty somewhere up above, but she hadn't heard or seen a thing. When she reached Paul's front door, she wanted to hug herself in triumph.

"This is it," Brin said. "We made it."

"Are you sure?" asked Justin.

"Pretty much. Let me check inside. I'll see if he's—"

"No," a loud, booming voice said from the back of the pack. "It's too dangerous. Let me check."

Brin turned around, startled. Ash and Justin looked back in total amazement.

"Mr. Barker?" Ash asked. "You can... you can talk... when you're a werewolf?"

The wolf shook its head and darted its eyes at Ash. "Duh."

"I think I'm going to faint," Ash said, and he fell back against Brin's chest.

"Ash, stop it," she said.

"This is some crazy Chronicles of Narnia shit," Ash said, and he stepped out of the way just in time to let the wolf march past him.

Brin stared down at Mr. Barker 2.0, still amazed at the sight of him. The wolf turned to her. "Can you open the door, please?"

Brin's eyes went wide. "Oh! Uhh, yes. Of Course."

She turned the knob, happy to see that the door wasn't locked or sealed shut in any way, and kicked it open. No light emanated from the inside, but Mr. Barker, as the wolf, walked in on all fours, despite the chilly darkness.

"Stay here," he said.

"Will do." Brin turned around and blinked a few times dramatically, in amazement at what she was seeing. She took another glance at Valerie, who appeared even bigger and stronger and slimier as the troll.

"See anything in there?" Ash asked. He waited for a response. "Mr. Barker?"

Nothing. Dead silence.

"I don't like this," Justin said.

Brin nodded at Justin, frightened, and turned back toward Paul's pitch black home. "Mr. Barker? Answer us!"

A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the darkness. Brin readied her AK-47, but then remembered that was the color of Mr. Barker's wolf eyes.

"All clear," he said, and motioned with his left paw for the others to step inside.

Brin nodded and looked back at the others. "All right. Let's g—" She stopped. She heard a shuffle from the right.

"What's wrong, Brin?" Ash said, stepping past her. "Let's follow Mr. Barker, come on."

"I think I heard something."

"Brin, come on," Justin said, antsy. "I didn't hear a thing."

Anaya pushed against Brin. She wanted to continue on into the darkness of Paul's shack, too. "I agree with Ash," Anaya said. "We'll be safer inside."