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

Lesson 3 part 2

"It's not what it looks like," Crystal said.
"Good," Bobby replied,"because it looks like Tim is trying to learn necromancy and that's bad."
"Is it?" Crystal said.
"What do you mean 'Is it'! Of course it is!"
"Why," Crystal said, "it's just knowledge. Knowledge isn't inherently bad."
Bobby and Carrie just stood and stared at her for a moment.
"I know how it looks," Crystal said, "but honestly, we are already hip deep in bad shit. We already deal with animated corpses. Vampires, remember? Their just zombies with better hair."
"And independant thought," Carrie added.
They continued walking towards the house. At first the view was obscured by the copse of trees and by the small brook. Crystal stopped at the bridge.
"What?" Bobby said.
"Tim laid an enchantment on this area up to the bridge." she said, "we are pretty much invisible to anyone trying to scrye us, but once we cross the bridge we aren't protected."
"Is someone trying to watch us now?" Carrie asked.
"It's kind of like counter measures on a submarine," she said. "Like sonar, you can be passively listening or actively searching, 'pinging' sending sound out. But once you are active you can be found too. This protective area is a pretty loud ping, if you are passively listening you will know it's there, but even if you go actively trying to search the only thing you can find is the barrier."
"I see," said Carrie, "Once we are outside the barrier they could be just listening and find us."
Crystal nodded.
"How can we tell if they're just listening?" Bobby asked.
"We can't," Crystal said.
"Are there any tells?" Carrie asked. "I mean scrying, right? Usually you will have a focus, something you can see from."
"Like a mirror connecting to other mirrors.." Crystal said.
"Kind of like a security camera," said Bobby.
"Essentially," Crystal said.
"What about the birds earlier?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know what you mean," Crystal said.
Bobby and Carrie looked at each other.
"How long have we been here?" Bobby said.
"Half hour.. maybe forty five minutes," Carrie said.
"Do you think it's enough time to get here from Orangeville?"
"Maybe," Crystal said. "Why?"
"I felt like we tripped an alarm on the way in," Bobby said.
"Not my alarm," Crystal said.
"The question is are we staying?" Bobby said.
"It's a good, defendable position," Carrie said, "but I don't know if I want to get pinned down here."
"All our stuff is in the trunk," Bobby said. "If we go get it and someone is watching, it will give away Crystals position."
"Not necessarily," Crystal said.
"Well, if someone is coming I'd like to have our laundry bag," Bobby said. He handed Crystal the shotgun and headed over the bridge.
"I'm coming too," Carrie said.
They got to the other side of the copse and looked towards the house. They saw their car, and the barns. The only thing that looked ominous was the clouds in the sky.
"I'm sick of not knowing what the hell is going on," Carrie said.
"Me too," Bobby replied.
"I think we need to do a little scrying of our own."
"Where do we start?" Bobby asked.
"Dad, I think," Carrie said,"I think he's the key to all of this."
"Okay, but are we staying here?" Bobby asked. "I think there is more than just rain coming."
"Let's get the car and drive it right to the edge of the trees and pick up Crystal. We can get out of here and watch from someplace else."
"Why didn't we drive the car up here in the first place?" Bobby asked.
"Because we are idiots," she said.
He didn't know whether to frown or laugh.
"Let's go,"
They walked from the cover of the trees and started towards the car, rain started to fall, light taps and dark pinholes on the dusty path at first. They broke into a run and jumped into the vehicle soaking wet.
The car started and Bobby gave it a throaty rev.
A hand slapped against the window, and then another. The clouds and rain turned the day to darkness. They were surrounded by people. The doors were locked, but they started to rock the vehicle.
Bobby layed on the horn and popped the clutch, anyone in front of the car was now beneath it. He drove at speed down the path, noticing how narrow it was and realising it probably wasn't meant for anything but foot traffic.
"How many?" Bobby asked as he focussed on the tight road.
Carrie looked around. The windshield wipers were bent and it was hard to see through the rain on the glass.
At the end of the path someone broke from the copse of trees and ran towards the car.
Was it Crystal? They sure hoped it was. Carrie reached back and unlocked the rear passenger side door.
The door flung open and Crystal dived inside.
"Let's go!" she yelled and Bobby drove back up the path. The rain soaked path was starting to muddy and a pack of people blocked the path.
Bobby sped towards them with as much momentum as he could. If he slowed the car might bog and they would be stuck. He layed on the horn. The group continued forward, heedless of the rain, the horn or the impending collision.
"Hang on," Bobby said and the car struck the people walking along the path.
"Jesus! Why wouldn't they get off the road?"
There was a part of his mind that wanted to rationalize what had happened. They are dealing with a necromancer. They're zombies, but all his senses told him that he had just run down five people.
He couldn't think of that right now. He had to get to the road and get away, deal with the damage and the consequences later.