Sienna's Thorn [Paused]

Chapter 2

Sienna sat in her apartment, watching the morning news before going to work. The murder of a ten-year-old child was big, blared out over all channels. She sipped on her coffee. The news anchor asked the public to call in any suspicious-looking people in the area to the police, to keep their eyes open for strangers, and encouraged people to be watchful over their children.

She sighed. Their phones would be ringing all day for sure. Suspicious people could be anything or anyone. At least she didn't have to handle all the prank calls. Munching on a sandwich, she glanced out the window. Rain pattered softly on the panes. Oh joy, what a great day to be outdoors. She downed the last of the coffee and switched the TV off. Time to go.

'Hop in!' Bruno sat waiting when she came down to the street.

Gratefully, she climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. 'Good morning. Lovely day today,' she grumbled.

'Oh yes. Sunshine and sparkles. Let's go.'

'Sparkles?' She snorted and looked at the man beside her. He was of average height, in his late thirties with short brown hair, greying at the temples, and a few day's worth of dark stubble. He had the beginnings of crow's feet at the corners of his blue eyes. He laughed often. She had found that it was his way of dealing with hard things. Joke and laugh, take the edge off.

'Yes, sparkles. 'Tis surely not rain,' he chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road.

'Mmm. So, have we heard anything new yet?'

He shook his head. 'No, nothing new. Just lots of crazy calls. This man looked funny at my kid, that goblin walked too close, I saw a vampire carrying a kid over the roof.'

'Vampire?' she asked absently, staring out the window at the wet sidewalks, throwing a glance at the rooftops.

'Yeah. The stuff people say when they're afraid.'

'Could it be a vampire?'

Bruno turned his head to look at her, a little too long.

'Eyes on the road, bear.'

'Vampires,' he muttered good-humouredly and turned his attention back forward. 'Didn't take you for one of the crazies.'

'Well, I think we need to think outside of the box here. It's not the typical scenario.'

'True.' He drummed the steering wheel with his thumbs. 'But I don't think we're dealing with vampires. Let's go there, have another look, see if we can think of something. Then ask around.'

She nodded. The image of the dead boy was fused into her mind. Poor kid. She hoped it was a one time happening and not some serial child killer. The thought chilled her to the bone. Most killers only did it once. But most killers didn't kill children.

Twenty minutes later, Bruno pulled up at the edge of the forest by the suburbs. Calm neighbourhood with villas and gardens. Deceptively peaceful. Sighing heavily, she opened the door and exited. The air smelled of wet asphalt, pines, and humid earth. She looked towards the cabin. It lay a short way into the forest. Just far away enough to be out of sight from the road. Perfect. She snorted and closed her jacket.

'You ready?' she asked and glanced over her shoulder.

'Yep.' He started walking towards the trees and she followed.

The cabin was encircled by the yellow tape still and the grass lay trampled all around. They wouldn't find any tracks here. The small windows were dark and the door closed. It seems threatening somehow, she thought.