Chapter 10
Andrew peered through the blinds, holding them gingerly open with the two fingers on his right hand. Watching Garrett’s house, he looked for any sign of life. Garrett had been sleeping all day and it was going to be getting dark soon. He had so many questions and he needed them answered so he could properly protect his growing family.
He’d had the police call Ellen and she had gone straight to the hospital from work, luckily helping her to avoid the horrific site at their home. Seven broken ribs, a severely broken arm, and lots of cuts and bruises resulted in an arm cast, torso wrap, and some stitches. But he got discharged in the evening and hadn’t had to stay overnight. Ellen hadn’t gotten much sleep, so she was in the bedroom taking a much needed nap. Poor girl, Andrew thought, she’d been through a lot.
Ellen had been so upset and it had taken Andrew a long time to calm her down. She told him about the baby, not wanting to risk waiting until her planned announcement she was going to make after fixing his favorite dinner on the weekend. They had talked about names and the future, and she had no idea Andrew already knew about the baby. She had bought the story, just happy he was okay. The police were a different story.
They had been skeptical about everything, but the old man’s remains in the road coupled with Andrew’s severe injuries left them with no other option but to accept his story. The detective on the case had told Andrew they weren’t finished with the case and to not leave town. He didn’t plan on it, not with vampires after him and the only person in the world able to help keep his wife and baby safe living across the street.
Seeing no signs of movement at Garrett’s house, Andrew scanned the neighborhood, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He saw old Mr. Jenkins mowing his lawn. Could the old man be something nonhuman? Frank Cuthdale was playing catch with his son Johnny in their front yard. Could Frank and little Johnny be some kind of monsters? As he continued to look from house to house, something black caught his eye.
Between two houses, standing stone still…a figure. It was a man with slicked back dark hair, and he was dressed in all black with a face that was far too pale. Was he…a vampire? It seemed like the man was staring back at Andrew, but it was hard to tell since he was wearing sunglasses. Suddenly the man removed his sunglasses, then he smiled…and, now definitely looking right back at Andrew, the bastard waved as he dug into his pocket with his other hand. Andrew let the blinds shut, freaking out. He started to guzzle Code Red from his cup to try and calm down. The sound of the phone ringing startled him and, losing his balance, he tripped over his own feet and fell over. Cursing as he looked down at his spilled drink and the red stain that would be left next to the one he’d left weeks earlier, Andrew hurried to the phone. Picking it up, he barked out a hello. A calm, snake-like voice that he didn’t recognize responded.
“Hello Mr. Dean…nice seeing you just now. Didn’t anyone ever tell you it is rude to be a peeping tom. We need to talk about my friends Brad, Greg, and Ted…soon. I will be in touch, I do just live around the corner from you, although we have never met. Oh, and since I’ve never gotten the chance to say so…welcome to the neighborhood.”
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About the Author
Christopher Lee Cousino is a Licensed Practical Nurse at a group home that services the mentally and physically handicapped population of the Grand Rapids, MI area. He has always loved to write and has finally begun to focus on making his many ideas and characters available to the world. Other published works by Christopher are the superhero novel Homeless and the zombie genre/action Zombie Hero series. He is hard at work on many novels and stories, so stay tuned. Christopher lives in Hudsonville, MI with his beautiful wife and two wonderful children.
Welcome to the Neighborhood #1 Page 9
