The Monster Apocalypse

EPILOGUE

EPILOGUE

There was a chill in the air.

Grisly, Nevada, had never seen a winter last this long, and the snow showed no signs of letting up. The blizzards had been infrequent in the beginning of the year, but by March they were blasting through town at least four times a week. Even though it was mid-April, and the warm summer was mere weeks away, the snowfall that chilly Friday night was dumping so hard that most of the Skar estate was covered in a blanket of white.

Ash looked for a place to park along the street, but, with all the snow, he couldn't decipher where the road ended and where the curb began. He finally just pulled up to Brin's driveway, sliding on some black ice for a second or two, and slammed on the brakes, barely missing the garage door.

"Jesus," he said, thankful he hadn't crashed. He'd never liked driving in the snow. "And I thought the monsters were life threatening."

He grabbed his backpack, kicked opened his door, and submerged his boots into the seven inches of fresh powder. He stumbled toward Brin's home, trying his best not to slip. As he rang the doorbell, he tried to keep himself from shivering.

"Hi, Brin," he said, talking to no one but himself. "It's nice to see you. You look really pretty tonight. How are you doing—"

The door opened before he could finish his sentence. Tessa stood a few feet in front of him, appearing tired and still very sickly—but a smile on her face confirmed she was still that mother he knew and loved.

"Good evening, Mrs. Skar," he said.

"Good evening, Ash. Brin's in the family room. She's been waiting for you. How was the drive over?"

"Scary."

"Yeah, I bet."

Ash walked inside and Mrs. Skar slammed the door behind her. She crossed her arms and tapped her feet against the floor as Ash walked toward the family room.

"Hey... Ash..." she said.

He turned around. "Yes?"

"I've got my eye on you. Just because you happen to be one of my favorite people in the world, don't think I'm not watching your every move. If you ever hurt my little girl..." She opened her mouth and pointed at her sharp, deadly fangs.

He nodded, fast. "No, it's OK. I know."

"Good," she said, with an exaggerated smile. "Go have fun."

Tessa still looked like a vampire—and still was a vampire—but she had worked herself silly in the last two and a half months to regain normalcy. While dinners out with Brin and her mother were sometimes awkward for Ash—he still couldn't get the stench of the last uncooked hamburger Tessa ate out of his mind—he was thankful Justin had been able to save her life. Every other vampire in Bodie Ghost Town had perished that day, including Paul and Droz—but not Tessa.

Ash waited for her to walk upstairs and disappear down the long hallway, until he knew he was alone. He walked around the kitchen and past the basement door, toward the family room in the back of the house. It was dark inside, with only three tiny candles illuminating the room with their bright orange flames.

"Brin? Are you in here?"

No response.

He took a step forward. He didn't hear a sound—not a footstep, breathing, nothing. But he was still suspicious.

"Brin, this is not a time to be playing jokes—"

"Boo!" Brin screamed as she jumped out from behind the curtain. Ash let out a girly wail and landed chest first against the carpet.