Lonely Monsters

thirty-one

So the days went like that. I stayed at seedy motels, one day at a time, and took some foot work with the notes I stole from Maeson. I had narrowed the list down, but after going down to the locations he had been during those dates, nothing matched.

Nothing made sense. He had been in Oregon for a rogue werewolf that was killing campers. Then somewhere in the Rocky Mountains for a shapeshifter that had started some cult. By the time I reached Wisconsin, I had run out of leads. I had burned so many bridges that were barely existing in the first place.

The wolves that were local avoided me at all costs. The vampires too. The entire time I had stay in a motel off the highway, nearly pulling my hair out at the roots. I stared at the dates and tried to think, maybe Maeson had a code.

But this journal had two or three different people's handwriting. And they were meticulous. Detailed. How to properly kill certain monsters, what weapons to use, when the best moment to attack would be.

My second week stopping at the cafe, in the spot that I had claimed for writing out my own notes in a small hardcover notebook. I had sketched out maps, and scribbled in margins. And in that notebook, I put the files Adhira and Linden had given me. 

"Usual?" the waitress asked me, placing a glass of ice water down for me.

"I have a usual now?"

"....No one really comes as frequently as you do." she shrugged. "The Barista really appreciates your patronage."

I looked up from my notebook, to see the waitress looking at me. "....Random question. The people I was with...months ago? Did any of them ever pass through?"

She shrugged her dainty shoulders at me. "Hunters aren't really welcome here... And witches don't really like the atmosphere."

I nodded, then rubbed my brow. "...I'll try something new today... The... Jasmine Milk Tea."

"Any pastries?" she asked, not taking notes.

I shook my head. The amount of fruits Chaitra had given me were good enough for the time I had spent running around. Since the break up, and the escape from the Inquisitor, I hadn't seen Frigga or Ravis. I had run across the two witch-summoners, SweetPea and Iris, from time to time.

Maeson was off limits, and when I finished scoping out his notebook I'd give it back. And from what Rick had said, I did ask around about his family. They were all hunters, the entire line, but some treaty was drawn up and the last few generations asked for peace.

Maeson, another brother who I hadn't met, and their father still kept the business going. Maeson worked closer with monsters for the last few years. When my drink came, I sat there, reading my cursive and scribbles.

There was a drop off in kills on Maeson's list. I lifted up the notebook and when I was turning it over, I noticed a small pocket near the end. Hidden between the last page and the leather binding, was an envelope like fold out that was tied with a string. I undid the string, and stuck my fingers in to slide out what was there.