Page 50 of Tin God

“I’m going to fly in,” Tenzin said. “I’ll survey from the air in case there’s anything Oleg’s men didn’t spot from the ground.”

They pulled into what was left of the dock, tying up to broken timbers that the ocean was already pulling into the deep.

Brigid walked off the boat and made her way across the remains of the dock to the shore where two humans were sitting under a propped-up tarp with a fire burning nearby.

“He didn’t want to go in the house,” one of the men said to Lev. “We tried to move him, but?—”

“You move me and that leg’ll start bleeding again,” the old man said.

The old man was covered by a silver emergency blanket and two large furs. His face was bleached of color; his normal skin tone was probably dark brown, but his lips were cracked, his cheeks sunken, and his eyes had a slightly yellow tinge to them.

“Your leg?” Lev asked.

One of the men said, “It’s mostly gone, Lev. Walter put a tourniquet around it to keep it from bleeding out.”

“Tight.” The old man’s lips were nearly blue. “I know how to tie one proper. Needed to make sure someone was alive to give a report.”

He smells of death.

Brigid had no idea if the human would survive, so she walked over and crouched down next to the man. “Your name is Walter?”

“Evans. Walter Evans. My grandson Jackson was Rachel’s husband.” He blinked, and darkness flickered behind his eyes. “They killed him right in front of her. I never seen…” His lip quivered for a moment before he firmed it up with a harsh, sucked-in breath. “We thought we’d be safe up here. The location is isolated but easily defensible. We had weapons. We kept a low profile.”

Brigid saw Tenzin from the corner of her eye as she landed on the beach and approached them silently.

“My name is Brigid Connor,” she told Walter. “I’m a fire vampire, and I work in private security. No affiliation with Oleg, just old friends.” It was close enough to the truth for the human. “You sound like you might have some military or police experience. Am I right?”

“Enlisted in the Marines when I was nineteen and stayed until retirement,” Walter said. “Lost Mary, my daughter’s mama, when I was in my thirties. Raised my girl. She married a good man.” Walter’s voice caught. “Our whole family was here. I told them it would be safe.”

“I’m so sorry.” Brigid’s heart ached. “I’m so very sorry.”

Lev asked, “Did they kill Rachel too?”

Walter glanced up. “I think so. I was trying to protect my daughter. They killed my son-in-law first. We were checking crab traps on the dock, just about to pull things in when they attacked.” Walter’s shaking hand went to his chest. “It was a spear. A goddamn harpoon right in his chest. Jesse went down.”

Brigid pried for details. “Did you see how they approached?”

“Two from the air, three in a Zodiac.” Walter glanced at Tenzin, then back at Brigid. “Small vessel. They were coming from a bigger boat.”

Brigid nodded. “Was there a vampire with red hair with them?”

“Maybe. It was hard to tell in the dark.”

“They killed your son-in-law first,” Brigid said. “You ran?”

He nodded. “I got to the main house, but the boat had already landed. House was burning. Outbuildings were ripped up like…” He frowned. “Like something had torn up the foundation. Jesse and Sandra’s house looked like a tornado hit it.”

Wind and earth damage. Fire too. “Was it only vampires? Did you see any humans?”

“It’s hard to tell sometimes, ain’t it?” Walter’s voice dropped. “I think it was all vampires. We didn’t stand a chance.”

“You said they killed Rachel and Jackson,” Brigid said. “Did you see them? Is there any chance anyone else might have survived?”

Walter’s face went blank again. “Jackson shoved his mom toward me and told me to run. There’s a barn back in the woods. The snowmobiles are there. He told us to run.”

Lev asked, “And Rachel?”

“Jackson ran back to her.” Walter kept his eyes on Brigid. “She’s a water vampire. Was trying to put out the fire they set in the house. They grabbed him and …tw-twisted his neck.” Tears pooled in Walter’s eyes. “Dead. Just like that. Dropped hard like his daddy.”

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