She's My Cherry Pie

Prologue

R I L E Y

1 9 9 1

A G E 1 0

"Riley, sweet heart, you have to get up now," Mom shakes me awake with a scared whisper.

"What?" I mumble, eyes still closed.

"They found us," she says quietly.

My eyes snap open. "But I thought you said we were safe here."

"Riley, now is not the time," Dad whispers from over by the door. He peeks out the hotel curtains. "Jenny, I saw them pull around the corner. They have to be waiting over behind the wall."

Mom nods and gently pulls me out of bed. "We've got everything in the car already, your dad thought they might catch up to us soon. Quick, put on your shoes."

I start lacing up my boots as Dad explains the plan.

"We're going to open the door carefully, then I'll run towards them to keep them distracted. You two will run to the truck, get in, then come by and slow down just enough for me to jump in. Make sense?"

Mom and I both nod, and she grabs my hand.

Dad kneels down in front of me. "Riley, no matter what you hear, keep running with your mom, okay? They sound like people, remember, but they're monsters. Vampires. Don't let them trick you."

I nod again. Dad stands up, and kisses me on the forehead, then Mom.

"Be careful, Jim," she says softly.

He nods curtly, pulls a gun out of his waistband and slowly walks over to the door. Dad glances at me. "Remember, Riley. Lead bullets kill anything and everything."

I nod. "I remember."

"Good girl." He takes a deep breath, then throws the door open and runs out. "Come get me you bastards!" He yells running towards them.

"Riley, come on!" Mom grabs my hand and we take off towards the truck.

Shots fire behind us, and I hear the family of vampires yelling while my Dad taunts them. Mom quickly unlocks the car. A bullet whizzes past my head, hitting the trucks window.

Dad yells something unintelligible. A girl screams. I start to turn around to see what happened, but Mom picks me up and throws me into the front seat of the truck. As soon as the car starts running, she takes off towards Dad.

Finally safe, I peek out of the window to see what looks like a family of vampires- a mom, a dad, a teenage boy, and a girl who looks about my age.

Just as we pull up, Dad shoots the man in the chest. He falls to the ground. The woman screams and drops her gun, running over to him. Dad dives into the truck in between Mom and I.

"Drive, Jenny, drive!" He yells.

She takes off. As we drive by, I get a good view of the family. The three others are gathered around the father, crying. The girl looks up just as we pass, and locks eyes with me, her face full of hatred. I don't turn away, knowing I wouldn't have to see her again before my parents tracked them again and finished them off.

I nestle in, close to my dad, ready for another long drive. He puts his arm around me and gives Mom a quick kiss on the cheek. "We'll get 'em, soon enough," he whispers.

L A U R E N

1 9 9 1

A G E 1 0

Mom, Dad, Jason and I crouch down close to the wall of the hotel. My heart is racing- this is the first time Mom and Dad have ever let me come along on a hunt.

"Remember," Dad says softly. "We don't know what they are yet. We've all got different weapons, chances are, one of these'll kill them."

We all nod. I shift around, anxious for them to come out of the hotel room. They know we're here, Mom made sure of that by driving the car by their window.  Jason and Mom are watching our backs in case they decide to try and sneak around and attack us from behind. 

"Come get me you bastards!" A man yells.

"Now!" Dad cries, stepping out from around the corner. We all spring into action. My hands are shaking so badly, I can hardly aim. It quickly turns into a full on fire fight.

"Mom, the other two are running to the truck!" I shout.

"Get 'em, girl!" Dad yells, ducking as a rain of bullets soars past him.

I try and shoot at the girl and her mom, but I miss. The bullet whizzes past the girls head, and her mom pulls her along.

Suddenly, Mom yells out an anguished cry. "Darryl!" She screams, dropping her gun.

I turn away from trying to shoot at the truck to see my dad lying on the ground. Jason and I reach him at the same time. Mom clutches his blood soaked jacket and sobs. His eyes stare blankly at the night sky. His skin seems waxy in the yellow light from the hotel lamps.

The monster dives into the truck as it drives by. Between tears, I see the girl watching me from the passenger seat of the car. I glare at her.

Next time, I won't miss, I vow silently.

The truck zooms away.

The next few days are painful. We give Dad a hunter's burial so nothing can come back and use him against us. That was when Jason stopped talking. My sixteen year old brother has finally cracked.

After that night, Mom hasn't stopped working to try and figure out what they are. Apparently, they've killed many families of hunters. They never stop until the whole family is dead. Mom trains me to shoot and aim properly, and makes me carry a gun at all times, even to school. According to all our research, the girl has never been a part of the murders.

I know that Mom won't stop until the whole family of monsters is killed. And I know that Jason and I will be there with her every step of the way, even if she doesn't let us.