Vampire Hunter: Corey Crowgarden's guide to killing vampires for fun and profit.

lesson1 part 6

"Hey, look around," Bobby said holding her tightly. "The car isn't in the driveway."

She looked up from his shoulder and surveyed the scene through the windshield.

"Maybe they aren't home," she said hopefully.

"We're going to need to rent a motel room or get some place to stay," Bobby said. "We should come back later once the fire is out, right now we're just getting in the way."

Carrie nodded in agreement.

"You just stay here and chill," Bobby said "and I'll go find someone in charge. They can contact us once the fire is out. They will probably have questions for us and I know we'll have questions for them."

She watched him walk away realizing in that moment he was all she really had in the world. Her father was gone and it seemed like he always ways. She loved him, but he was never around when she really needed him. Her mother was ill, and the condition worsened all the time. She refused further medical treatment so how long did she really have? Her best friends had all gone their own way. Sure there was social media but how do you tell them about things like this?

Bobby was really all she had if Tim and Crystal were....gone.

It was too horrible to think about. Even if Crystal were alive her life would be unrecognizable. Her beautiful house, all her books, her work was all just soot and ashes. Carrie choked back a sob at the thought of Crystal's beautiful wedding dress turned to ashes.

How could this happen?

She decided to leave the vehicle and check the exterior of the building, walking a wide path around the outside of the property. To her right were two small barns, and a large empty field. The other was storage and it was probably full of recently harvested potatoes either bagged or waiting to be bagged; most likely some combination of both.

She hopped the short wire fence and walked along its edge until she arrived at the first barn. The door was closed but unlocked. It was a large, weather beaten metal garage door the colour of sun faded red, rust and dirt. She pulled it open with a load groan from the hinges. Nothing but an old green tractor backed in and on the side of the barn some contraptions to either be pushed or pulled by the tractor. The only one she recognized was a snow blade for the front. There was also a shelf with gas, oil and other liquids on it.

A gas can.

She decided to check it. It was late afternoon on a sunny September day and other than the black plume of smoke there was hardly a cloud in the sky, but something made her uneasy about entering the dark barn. She thought she was just being paranoid, but her father had always told her to listen to her gut. She pulled the pistol from her bag and cocked it, the metallic ring of the housing sliding forward and chambering a round audible to anyone nearby.

She assumed a shooters stance, her left hand bracing her right wrist.

Entering she snapped the barrel to the corners closer to the door, first left, then right.

Clear.

She backed toward the gas can, her aim at the darkest corner beyond the tractor. On the opposite wall from the garage door there was a smaller entrance with that door shut and possibly locked.

She checked the gas can.

Empty.

It didn't mean anything, but it wasn't like Tim to have an empty can in the garage. She turned on the lights and was certain that she was alone, but sensed that someone, or something had been in here.

She put her weapon back in the bag, making sure it was on safe, but not unloading it.

She exited, closed the door and moved to the potato barn.
The potato barn was, as one might suspect, filled with bins of potatoes, bags of potatoes, empty potato bags and a machine she assumed one used to fill bags. There was no sense of foreboding, and she moved on.
At the front of the potato barn there was a small shop. There was an old pop fridge with bottles of water and coca cola. There was a freezer. She looked inside and found frozen boxed homemade fruit pies and some Mr. Freezie popsicles. There was no drawer in the cash register.
She walked past the bins of, you guessed it, bagged potatoes, and into the yard. The fire crews were still fighting the flames, but it was obviously under control.
Bobby saw her and walked over. "It's mostly out. I gave him my contact number. Let's go back to the car."
He stuck out his hand and she took it.
Like Lots wife she took one look over her shoulder and her cheeks streaked with salty tears.