Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

8. Shield

 Barely any light broke through the canopy of trees that shielded the Cullen home against any smattering of early evening sunlight. Though, that probably suited them.

I'd parked the cruiser a ways off the path to their lair and hiked the rest of the way through freshly wet thrush. Behind an old leaning tree I crouched in a ditch just off the path from the East side of the home. My boots dug into the soft damp earth, digging for traction underneath the slick leaves that lay at the foot of the tree. As far as I could see the home was deserted but that didn't necessarily mean they wouldn't come back.

They weren't at my house and the school hadn't seen Bella, but there had been sightings of Cullen's around town. The post office, the school--the balls it takes to walk around like nothing was wrong. Like they hadn't left me there to bleed to death. That was it though, they thought I was either dead or close to it.

Using a branch for leverage I pulled myself up and over the mound. A dizzy spell gripped me as a throbbing started in my chest. I held my breath through the burning but crept forward all the same.

With each step the manor gloomed larger and more inescapable. I walked on, pulling my gun from it's holster but keeping the fresh wooden stake I'd picked up at home hidden in my waistband. I stalked my way toward the back door and tried the handle but it was locked. Of course.

I took the butt of the gun and hit it against the glass door. It cracked. I swung again and it shattered. I reached my arm through the hole and unlocked the door. When I stepped through the threshold I was careful to bypass the shards of glass on the hardwood. I'm not sure how advanced their hearing is, but just in case I stepped lightly.

The air inside sat heavy and undisturbed. I kept my gun at the ready as I inched forward through the dining room. The polished wooden dining set sat perfectly aligned, perfectly untouched. Cardboard boxes were stacked in a corner. I eased my way over and carefully peeked in the one on top. There wasn't much in it except for a sparse amount of unused dishes and silverware.

A granite topped island divided the kitchen area. The countertops were stacked with the rest of the dishes. A few plates, glasses, a knife-block, cutting board--what you'd expect to find in any home. What made it so disturbing was that all of it was factory new. Not a scratch on the cutting board or a stain on a pot.

I continued my pace through the house, clearing the rooms as I went. A couple of overly pristine bathrooms were as polished as if it had been built yesterday and multiple bedrooms had been emptied out with the exception of a master with luxurious sheets still draped over it. No wrinkles, no tears, no wear down. Not a speck of dust had gathered in any nook or corner of the whole damn house. The only thing that seemed to be in use was the computer in Carlisle's office and an old piano with worn yellowed keys.

It was nothing more than a giant doll house. The Cullens liked to put in an extravagant show it seemed but looking harder revealed that this place--this life they'd built was about as lived in as a museum exhibit. They didn't eat. They didn't sleep. They didn't shit. Why do they even bother with school? Why bother with work, or college, or buying all of this garbage if a vampire only wants one thing?

Upstairs in one of the bedrooms the frame of a bed sat lonely without a mattress. The bookshelves were empty too. More stacks of boxes revealed where the books had gone.

The Cullens were almost ready to run.

And they were trying to run with my daughter in tow. I didn't have much time to find them before they pulled their little disappearing act again, but I knew they were still hanging around. Carlisle would have been terminating his contract at the hospital right about now. Couldn't pull that doctor shtick without a good rapport with the previous healthcare facility.