They were outside of Boise, parked at a gas station when Finley's phone rang. He leaned back against the passenger side door of the Plymouth, watching Ethan inside the small gas station. Pulling the ringing phone from his pocket, he held it up to his ear. "Hello?"
Ethan was carrying more junk food than one person should be able to as he came out of the gas station. He halfway hoped that Finley didn't ask him how much he'd spent on candy, chips, soda and other junk food because...well, he'd spent more than a normal human being should have. And if Finley knew how much he had spent then he'd never hear the end of it.
Finley's mouth was set in a thin, firm line and he looked more anxious than normal which was good for Ethan because he was able to stash the junk in the backseat without him saying a word.
Ethan straightened up, leaning onto the roof of the Plymouth. "Hey what's with the emo depressed little boy look?"
"Ronnie called me."
He raised an eyebrow in his brother's direction but that wasn't all that surprising. Sure, Ronnie didn't call them all that often or anything but he did when he caught whiff of trouble or needed their help. "Okay...and that's supposed to worry me?"
Finley let out a sigh and turned to face his brother over the top of the car. He glanced around in case there were any prying ears or eyes. "There was an attack. In Oklahoma last week."
"Finley just spit it out, is it an assignment?"
"No. We've got to go to South Dakota to see Ronnie, pick up something."
Ethan was about to reach over the car and throttle his little brother. Sometimes Finley was too vague for his own good. "And just what are we picking up?"
"The attack in Oklahoma, it was in that same town we lived in as kids."
Ethan frowned a little at that, that was a bit too much of a coincidence. "Okay?"
"The two parents were killed, in a house fire."
"And the kids?"
"Kid. Charlie."
Ethan's heart plummeted and his frown deepened. "Charlie? You serious?"
"Yeah. Ronnie said she showed up at his doorstop three days ago and told him what happened. She had nowhere else to go. He did some looking into the fire, said he thought it was along the same lines of what happened to mom and Becky."
Ethan shook his head, "Yeah but...she's obviously not six months old."
"That's where the pattern ends, I guess."
"So what are we going to do once we get to Ronnie's?" Ethan moved to get in the car, motioning for Finley to do the same. If they were going to make it to Ronnie's in decent time then they needed to get moving.
"I guess we'll see what she's got to say...see if we can help."
Ethan sighed as he started the car and pulled away from the gas station. "Doesn't sound like we can help when the thing already got her parents. Sonofabitch."
Finley was staring out the window as trees and fields started to roll past them. "Yeah but it's probably still after her. There's a reason why it went after her parents."
"It doesn't fit the pattern at all. Is she sure it's the same thing?"
"No. But Ronnie thinks it sounds like vampire."
Ethan shook his head. This didn't exactly sound like it fit the motive like the other fires had. It had to be something else, it just had to be. But god no one needed to go through what they'd gone through as kids. Ethan could still smell the house burning in his mind, even though it'd been so damn long ago. Charlie's parents had been nice to them when they were kids, always seemed to be happy. Her father was a hunter and had gone on a few trips with theirs. He'd taught her how to fire a shot gun and throw a knife. Her mother was the type that knew what her husband was doing (and killing) but never said a word. She always had cookies for the kids and would lend an ear or a shoulder when needed. Charlie's mom sort of filled the void that Finley and Ethan both had.
"We gotta find that asshole and make sure to end him. He's taken too much already."
Finley nodded his head in agreement. You didn't have to tell him twice.
It was a long, tedious and tiring drive but the Thompson brothers finally pulled up in front of Ronnie Page's house. It was well off the beaten track and while it looked run down on the outside, both Finley and Ethan knew what the house held inside. Ronnie wasn't letting anything bad or evil anywhere near his house. They got out of the car and walked up to the front door, each taking a few seconds to take in their surroundings. Ethan was about to knock on the door when it flew open, revealing the older, disheveled man that had hunted alongside their father.
Ronnie eyed Finley a little critically as they made their way inside the slightly darkened house. "You're not crazy this time, right?"
Finley rolled his eyes and tried to look a little offended but he couldn't blame Ronnie for asking. After all, it wasn't everyday a Thompson went off the rails and tried to go kill every hunter they could find. "Nah-"
"Yeah he's his same old normal, geek-boy self," Ethan interjected with a grin.
Finley shot him a look that clearly said 'shut up' but Ronnie simply laughed as he ushered them inside.
They'd been expecting to find Charlie in the main room of the house but it looked empty. Ethan frowned as he looked around, books and newspapers lined the coffee table and the couch but there was no sign of human life besides...well, the three of them. Finley looked at the older man, "I thought you said she was here?"
"She is. I put her upstairs, managed to sneak a couple of sleeping pills into a drink. Poor thing's exhausted." Ronnie said as he motioned for the two to sit down on the couch.
Ethan sat down on one end and Finley was next to him. Ethan glanced over one of the newspapers, finding an obituary about Charlie's parents. "So what happened?"
"She hasn't said much, to be honest. She wasn't there when it happened. Said she came home, found the place smoking and went inside to get her parents. Both were upstairs in the master bedroom, her father was on the floor and her mother...well..guess you could figure that part out."
Finley swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. He rubbed a hand over his face. "It doesn't fit the pattern.."
"That's what I thought. But Charlie swears up and down that's how it happened."
"How'd she get out?" Ethan enquired.
"A neighbor saw the fire and rushed inside, grabbed her and dragged her out the front door. The place was engulfed not long after that. I dug up some articles about the fire but the authorities are saying it was electrical. Something about faulty wiring."
The brothers shared a look before Ethan opened his mouth again. "Yeah and in what universe would Bill Rhodes have faulty wiring in his house?"
Ronnie nodded his head in agreement. "I know. I knew both of them very well. She showed up here still covered in soot babbling about vampires. The old man told her if anything happened to come find me."
"And she did." Finley said softly.
He nodded again, "She looked like she hadn't slept at all. I didn't want her gettin' sick or whatever. That's why I found the sleeping pills and slipped them into her drink. She should be up in a few hours."
"Guess we get to work until then." Finley said before he stood, going out to the car to retrieve his laptop.
Ronnie waited until Finley was gone before he turned his attention to Ethan. "How's he doing?"
Ethan shrugged a shoulder but glanced at the door as if his little brother was going to come barreling back through the door any second. "Not too bad. Doesn't talk about it much."
"He'll come around."
"Yep."
Ronnie sighed and went into the kitchen, "Want a beer?"
It was probably a little early to start drinking but Ethan figured what the hell! Might as well get it going. They'd probably be working through the night putting together the pieces anyway.
"Yeah sure," He replied after thinking it over for a moment.