Chapter One
6:58 AM.
Western Pennsylvania
January 2085
Maybe twenty more minutes or so to go. A faint light at the end of darkness was starting to creep ever so slowly towards the edge of his property. The fog was dissipating and the cold was numbing the end of his fingers. All this hunting for game that he might never catch but his efforts were not entirely in vain. The cow was safe and he was going to sell old Marco for sure. That money would help things a lot, definitely.
A crunching sound behind the left side of the barn brought his focus back.
"You fucker, hidin are ya?"
Placing his crossPike in the middle guard position, he slowly flanked around the barn. Would the Sucker be stupid enough to circle back here? Killing the sonofabitch would be tricky enough and then the aftermath would take all day. He had a job later in the afternoon and it would be nice to catch a nap before that. Jeb Staedter was almost hoping it got away. There was always another sunset and another dawn.
"You better get moving, Sucker." He shouted, going against his usual silent hunting routine as he stalked.
Under the chicken coop; it was there and the chickens were not thrilled by that fact. Damned foxes had more brains.
Jeb took the safety off the crossPike. Creeping forward slowly he could sense the thing underneath, he could taste fear in the cold, vapor-filled morn to be. Some if it was his, good. It fueled the focus. Visualizing the different actions this thing could take.
The fact that what he was doing was entirely illegal added its own weight. It cut through the cold, the aches and the lack of sleep with a bracing sense of fatalism.
"Give me your tale of woe, Sucker. Might make for an interesting morning," Jeb mocked.
There was no reply from underneath the chicken coop. The chickens were not thrilled, as usual, hens of course.
"Dad?"
Jeb looked towards the porch of his home. Elias was standing halfway down the steps.
"Oh, shit."
Something shifted under the chicken coop, vibrating the foundation and causing the hens to squawk even more. The sonofabitch was going to go for his son.
Jeb did not panic. If Elias was the bait, the Sucker could only go in one direction. It was time for the burner.
Just don't hit the coop, huh Jeb? I promised the Jones those eggs.
He flicked the other safety on the canister, underneath the false stock of the crossPike.
"Elias. Stay on the porch, son."
Elias knew full well he had made a mistake but bore his pain at letting his dad down inward. He just wanted to help his dad and now the worst was possible.
A hissing was heard underneath the coop, heard even over the cacophony of fowl.
"I know you want it, Sucker. Go for him, I have others."
As Jeb said it he nodded and smiled to his youngest to reassure him. Elias smiled back. Lying to the prince of lies was A-Okay.
The hissing continued and rose in intensity, like a hybrid moan and sucking of teeth, very sharp teeth.
Jeb Staedter waited. Not too different from deer hunting except this deer would and could rip out your throat.
Elias began to slowly back up the stairs. Not out of fear but to give his father back the initiative.
Good boy. Hope your mom is still sleeping. [/ITALIC
The standoff was broken not by Elias trying to not be a target of opportunity but by the sound of police sirens. Jeb turned and saw the county sheriff and, of course, the feds in tow.
Fuck. Not now.
The voice over the intercom was known to Jeb. Larry Smithfield, the sheriff.
"Jeb, put it down, buddy."
Jeb did not comply right away.
"Larry, I'll put it down if the Sucker ain't going to try anything!"
Jeb looked up at Elias who now was back in the doorway. Perfect.
Elias was already inside, locking the door behind him. Just like father told him. Running past the kitchen, he looked out the window to see the jerks in the white cars with the lights. Funny, he had never seen the black car before. More 'assholes' like his father called them.
Larry and one of his deputies, the skinny kid, were out with one hand on their gun holsters. Two black-clad and shade-wearing folks were just behind them, almost, floating behind them. Oh yeah, they were Suckers alright, suckers with guns. Now that was just rich, them carrying something he was not allowed to anymore.
"I told you, Larry. I'll drop it if the Sucker, err… hemavore, is not going to try anything."
The sheriff looked to his two federal cohorts. The woman nodded and then Larry conveyed the message.
"It's cool, Jeb. It's cool."
Jeb dropped the crossPike. If the fangface tried anything he had a silver coated shank in his boot. The idea of being shot to death by both one of his friends and by Suckers employed by the government was just too funny. He could not hide his amusement at this scenario and began to laugh openly.
A slender figure emerged from underneath the chicken coop, halfway between Jeb and the law enforcement officials. The hemavore appeared as a young man with dark green hair and a ragged robe, pale, red eyes, arrogant sneer. Oh no, stereotypes were not based in reality at all.
The hemavore walked over to the officials, totally ignoring the humans and going right to his own. No words seem to be exchanged but everyone knew they could talk with their minds.
How convenient was that.
The trespassing facsimile of a man then looked to the humans with a nearly disinterested look.
"I will be pressing charges. You will be hearing from my lawyer within the week." He said in a rather feminine, yet still deep, voice.
Jeb instead looked up to the now brightening dawn.
"Don't you need to get going, Sucker?"
The Sheriff put his hands over his face.
"Oh, Christ, Jeb, could you stop using that word?"
"Okay, how bout cock sucker. He looks like one too or at least when he was one of us."
The woman in black with the shades looked disapprovingly at Jeb. He could feel her glare literally in his head. Was she taking information from him unwillingly? No one was really sure they could do that without touching or biting you.
The hemavores entered the black vehicle as the glare of the sun increased. Once inside, Larry walked over to Jeb with an almost despairing look.
"I can't get you out of this thing this time, Jeb! I can't. Why the hell did you not do what I told you to do and just stay inside your goddamn house with the doors locked!"
"Larry, he was fucking with my livestock, my neighbor's livestock. They ain't pets, Larry, that shit is money to us! Carter's daughter got bit last week and is missing. I bet you that fang face has something to do with it."
"That ain't shit, Jeb and you know it. You ain't got no proof, you got nothing. If there is a problem you stay in your house and you call me or whoever is on duty. You got it, buddy?"
Jeb wanted to say something but there was no point. No point at all. Larry was the closest person to him with any legal authority and was technically the only entity on his side, anywhere.
"I've been up all night, Larry. I need to get some sleep. You arresting me or not? If not let me get back to my family, heh?"
"Stop by the station later, if you don't mind. We need to get a report. The trespassing thing may give you some protection here. But I'm going to tell you right now, you gotta hand over that crossPike."
"Yeah, right. Larry."
"Jeb. I will arrest you if you don't hand it over." The Sheriff took a stance with deputy teenager imitating him.
Jeb turned and saw they were serious.
"Alright."
Elias watched the police cars leave. But not with his father, thank God. His brother and sisters were watching as well and all quiet. Mother was telling them to stay in the kitchen as she went out the doorway to the porch.
"Mom's crying," his older sister, Nina, said tearfully.
"Don't worry. I got two others hidden in the barn." Elias heard his father say as he walked into the kitchen. He wondered what it was he was talking about.
"Elias. I'm not mad at you, but please never leave the house again till I give the okay, huh, sport?"
Elias responded with his eyes downward. "Yes, father."
"Hey later when I wake up, I'm going to show you and your brothers the other two crossPikes I got hidden," Jeb winked athis children.
Elias and his older brothers became excited at this statement.
"You guys are getting older. You'll need to learn things like this."
"What about us dad?" His daughters Nina and Sammie asked almost indignantly.
"Hah, You gals especially. I got other things for you. Mom can show ya."
High pitched squeals of delight and happiness could not however hide the uncertainty in one set of adult eyes to another.
The sun shone bright over the Staedter house. It would be one more year till darkness dawned in the Nosferatu Nation.
