Free Blood Lust: A Supernatural Horror by JE Gurley

He looked like someone had peppered his face with a shotgun loaded with metal filings.
    “Detective Hardin,” I said, holding out my badge for his inspection .
    The punk rolled his eyes as if bored. “You here about the Midnight Monster?”
    C aught off guard, I asked, “Why would you think that?”
    “Du h ,” he smirked, “ Y ou’re a cop, this is a vampire shop and the Midnight Monster drinks blood.”
    “Where did you hear that?” I pressed.
    “Around,” he answered smugly.
    I wanted to rip one of the studs out of his nose, but I r e frained . I assumed one of the local tabloids had heard rumors about the blood loss in the victims. So much for security. “Do you know of any of your blood sucking buddies who might want to push the boundaries a bit on this, uh, vampire cult thing?”
    “Dude, get real. People come in here to buy fake teeth, wigs, Goth clothing and stuff like that. I don’t even know anybody who files their teeth for real or who drinks blood. ” He made a face. “ That’s so gross.”
    I glanced at Lew rummaging around the shelves, picking up and examining items. One item he held out for my inspection was a sharp dagger. Another was a meat hook made of ivory or whalebone. It looked sharp enough to rip open a person’s throat.
    “Sell many of those?” I asked, pointing to the hook.
    “Th ose just arrived yesterday. I haven’t sold any. Look, man, like I said, people who shop here are mostly teens and few lame gamers in their twenties, but no one who takes this shit seriously. It’s just a way to get high and to get laid, a way to look badass on an allowance. This Monster dude, he’s the real freakin’ thing.”
    The punk was getting excited talking about the killer, as if he admired him. It was pissing me off.
    “He’s a sicko who’s murdered four young girls , ” I growled. I pulled my pistol. The punk’s eyes went wide and he backed away from the counter. “I don’t think I’ll need any silver bullets to blow his freakin’ head off with this .”
    I replaced my pistol in my shoulder holster wishing now I hadn’t drawn it. The motion started my shoulder burning again . At least I had gotten the punk’s full attention.
    “If you hear anything, give us a call, or else we’ll park a marked car outside your door. I’ll bet you won’t sell many of those water pipes in the glass case there with us sitting outside.”
    He nodded his head, looking reasonably chastised and more than a little frightened . I felt better after letting off a little steam.
    Outside, Lew said, “I thought you were going to shoot the bastard.”
    “Too much paperwork. Come on. We won’t find our man with these wannabes. I think our guy has graduated to the big time.”
    I felt certain we would find the Sattersby girl’s body at the monastery . Our killer wanted us to find it. He had seen us and we had seen him. Now , it was a battle to see who blinked first.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    5
     
    Sasha Sattersby’s right arm throbbed unmercifully and hung uselessly by her side. She didn’t know whether the bone was broken or if her shoulder was dislocated . It made little difference which . Either way the pain was excruciating. Laying on it didn’t help matters. She tried to move to relieve the pressure but the creature perched above her shifted its pos i tion menacingly . She stopped. Its red eyes stared down at her hungrily. She shuddered and not just from the penetrating chi l l of the damp tile beneath her. She was in the middle of a nightmare but she knew she was awake.
    When the creature had attacked her in her home, it had her taken a few moments to realize the reality of the situation – monsters really did exist. Then her instincts had taken over. She had taken two years of kung fu mainly as a way of stay ing fit and thin, but faced with a hellish creature from her deepest, drug-induced nightmare she knew she had to fight to live. Her first blow to its chest had done nothing. Her second