Chapter 1
“Tonight is the night!” Ricky hooted, chomping down into his burger. “I can feel it,” he declared, after shoving the un-chewed bit of burger into his cheek. Bianca rolled her eyes as she picked at her fries.
Chris smiled lightly to hide his nervousness, then surreptitiously glanced around to make sure the other diner patrons weren’t paying any attention to them. He was nervous about more than being overheard by the handful of patrons in the highway diner.
This was probably going to be their first night actually hunting the monsters who had been murdering people in their town for months now. Oh, officially, as far as their leader was concerned, this was just another recon mission. But Ricky was tired of waiting, and Chris knew it. That was why he had picked this group.
As Chris glanced around the table, he felt more confident in what they were going to be doing. Terah pulled out some night photos that had been blown up. The field they would be sitting on tonight seemed to have become a popular vampire hang out.
“The last bodies were found here,” she jabbed one nail-nibbled finger at a copse of trees near the road on the far end of the field, “and here.” She tapped the center of the field. Citizen’s Field was approximately four acres of open, fairly flat land that was cleared, save for a few stands of trees on the edges of the property. The land was frequently used for the high school’s football practice, band practice, the town’s annual picnics, and the Fourth of July fireworks celebration. Recently it had become the feeding ground for vampires.
Their official job was to recon the area for the night and if any vamps did come along, to make sure their victims stayed dead. But Ricky and Terah were ready for more. As Terah reviewed their battle plan, Chris once more sized up his choices for this mission.
Bianca was the one he was concerned about the most. He really didn’t know her, as she was significantly older than he was. The platinum blonde was once homecoming queen, captain of the cheerleading squad, and student body vice president. She was everything Chris was not and it still felt strange for him to be sitting with her. Despite her Barbie-doll-perfect good looks and manicured nails, Bianca had handled herself well in training. She had managed to spar with Chris’s older brother Lucas without breaking a sweat. When she had pinned the football hero, she had bragged about not even breaking a nail, and assured them that they should never underestimate a cheerleader.
But Chris was still nervous. She had agreed readily enough for the mission, and had not complained about the idea of maybe doing more. As she listened to their battle plans her face was intensely focused, paying serious attention to the minute details. She had excellent aim with her little pocket pistol. Even while Chris debated whether or not she could kill a vampire, he could only remember how cruel the cheer captain in his own grade had been and hope it was enough.
Terah was Chris’s number two, so to speak. Despite her slim frame and strawberry blond hair, Terah was a total tomboy. Though they had not run in the same circles before the vampires had invaded the town, she was by far the most viciously eager for payback. Terah had been attacked by a vampire. Through her own gumption she had gotten away. She hadn’t killed the thing, not knowing what she was facing at the time, but during training the girl had murder in her eyes. Often she was eagerly plotting when they would finally take the offensive. She was a girl after Chris’s own heart. Even now he could see the outline of her pistol under her jean jacket and would bet she had at least two blades on her. She had vowed to never be a victim again.
Ricky was Chris’s soundest choice, by far. He had played football with Chris’s brother Lucas. At 24 years old, he was the oldest in the group, which was probably why Lucas had trusted him to lead this mission. What Lucas had not realized, yet Chris had, was that Ricky was tired of always being on the defensive. He was not one to play defensive on the football field, and he wasn’t one to do so now. Being a good old Southern boy, Ricky knew his way around a gun. He had been hunting since he was nine years old. Blood and death would not be anything new to him.
