James’s Note: In this episode, we talk a little about the best guns for fighting the supernatural, as well as getting our first introduction to the leader of the Vampires. Keep an eye on her. She might be important later.
I patted myself down, sure I was forgetting something. I tugged down my leather bomber jacket, making sure it concealed my shoulder holster. I kept my revolver loaded with some rounds of my own design. They were .357 magnum with expanding tips, silver cores, and some etchings of my own design that are guaranteed to ruin the day of a few selected boojums.
If I run into anything that needs more shooting than that, well, that’s why I keep a customized shotgun in the back of the Mini. It’s magazines are loaded with rounds of all types, from slugs and buckshot to silver, salt and iron. Besides, bullets are just one of the tools in my toy box.
Suddenly my brain clicked, and I grabbed the bag of fresh dead crickets out of the little office fridge to feed my spider. I had to make sure he kept his strength up. I had big plans for him. Grabbing a pair of shades from a rack by the door, I hopped into my car and sped into the dark Texas night.
The next morning, the sun was just starting to peek over the trees to my east, gently spreading the morning light over my backyard. I sat cross legged in the middle of my garden running my hands through the soil, a thermos of coffee steaming on the ground beside me. I also had a gallon jug of blackstrap molasses. I let the cool morning mist and the living earth beneath my hands leach away the tension and help restore my zen.
I’m not sure if there is an English word for the opposite of fun, but if there were, it would be used to describe root canals, prostate exams, and the night I’d just had. I’d started thinking the night wouldn’t end until someone drove a stake through its heart, which is kinda ironic, all things considered.
I had followed Damien to the crime scene to find it a hotbed of supernatural activity. Wolfgang was there, in the middle of a heated argument with a vampire. As if that wasn’t stereotypical enough, she was hot, female, and dressed in expensive black clothing. I also knew her be the leader of the local vampires. At least she lead the undead, blood drinking, mind trick variety. Yes, there are other kinds.
Her name was Anna Belle, which is pleasantly low on the “gag me” scale of vampire names, and she was berating Wolfgang. She insisted one of his people must have been responsible, because she could smell the wolf sent all over the body. He was loudly contesting that she had no place being involved, since this was his territory, and, besides, she was obviously incompetent if she couldn’t see this was obviously not a wolf kill.
I all but crept by them on my tiptoes, trying to get to the body without getting caught up in their pissing contest. Besides, that would be a contest Wolfgang would have an unfair advantage in for reasons of both species and equipment.
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Gray Matters: The Works of Sharon and James Gray 