Charlie Swan: Vampire Hunter

4. Monsters

 I was at a dead end. There was no police database where I could decipher what the Cullens were. If Jenks was right, then the Cullens hadn't aged for at least thirty years.

Time was running out and soon I would have to make the call on what to do about the serial killer. If one of the Cullens was connected, and it was looking more likely with every lie I uncovered, then I needed to know what I was up against.

It was crazy...but I didn't have anything else to go on.

So like some information starved rookie I turned to the internet for help. My first search was for immortal creatures. That turned up a barrage of fairy tale creatures like angels, gods, and something called fae.

I did a brief look around for 'fae' but apparently that was what the kids called fairies these days. The Cullens didn't match the description of Tinkerbell so I decided to refine my search.

I thought about what I knew about the Cullens. Immortal creatures...pale skin...changing eye color...never aging...

When I pressed enter the first ten links were nothing but academic journals from scientists trying to extend life but the fifth link was different.

Vampires.

It was absurd, but I clicked on the link and was shown some cheap blog dedicated to tracking vampires A to Z. There were descriptions of vampires through the ages--through cultures even. Ones from Africa like Ishologu, Obayifo, Ramanga, and something called a Sasabonsam. There were legends from Asia too. Polong, Algul, and Mandurugo. The European Strigoi, Shtriga, Mullo, and Abhartach.

Vampire legends from this hemisphere were bountiful. Fifollet, Skadegamutc, Windigo, and Chihuateteo. None of them were really all that similar to each other except for the common traits of drinking blood or outright eating human flesh. Other than that the myths were varied between tragic dead women, non-human creatures who lured humans to their deaths, or humans who brought it on themselves by committing some cultural crime. Most of them weren't vampires like I knew them.

However, there were some commonalities here and there that linked together. Like being the living dead, immortality, super strength and even pale skin was mentioned once or twice.

This was stupid. I closed out the internet just in time for my phone to ring. "Swan."

"Chief," It was the voice of one of the other officers.

"Yeah, I took off today Greg. Carl's in charge, you know that."

"It's important." His voice was strained and low. I could just barely hear the hint of sadness in his tone.

"What is it?"

"It's Waylon. He--he uh...well he's dead sir."

A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. "Dead! How?"

"An animal got him. Whatever's out there killing campers it got Waylon."

"We put out a warning. Why didn't he stay out of the woods?"

"Wasn't in the woods. Was at the dock. He was just cleaning his boat, you know, fixing it up a bit. He had no intention of going in the woods. Anyway, Joe was the one that found him."

"Where's the body?"

"What?"

"Where's the body, Greg?"

"They sent it to the coroner's office."

"I'll call you back."

"Chief--"