Read Online Out of the Night by Robin T. Popp - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robin T. Popp
Ads: Link
lost in thought, Lieutenant Davis had appeared. Mac had probably sent him to keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe. Irritation flitted through her. She didn't need a babysitter. She'd never needed a babysitter.
When she was growing up, her father hadn't believed in babysitters, opting, instead, to drag her across the country with him, enlisting her help with his research when it became apparent that she was more computer literate than he. She'd grown to love her hours of digging on the Internet for obscure facts and information regarding various cryptids, the animals her father sought to find. She enjoyed the challenge of proving they existed, which was the reason why the idea that vampires existed wasn't that far-fetched to her. Especially now. If the chupacabra—believed by most to be as fictitious as the Yeti, Big Foot, or even the Loch Ness monster—was real, then why couldn't vampires be real as well?
She quickened her steps, her wandering now taking on purpose and direction. She wanted to see the cage where she and Mac had found the chupacabra. Dirk Adams had reported that the creature was gone, but she felt compelled to take a look for herself.
When she rounded the corner to the backyard, she caught the outline of something lying inside the cage.
Nerves suddenly wound tight, she slowed her speed, watchful for the least sign of movement. Her mind raced back to the events from the night before. Had she really killed the creature? If so, perhaps even in death, it turned to stone during the daylight hours. That would explain why Dirk's men hadn't found the "wild animal"—they hadn't known what to look for.
She was close enough to the cage now to see that the form was, in fact, the stone gargoyle. She had to suppress the shudder that ran through her and resist the temptation to run away. Quickly glancing at the sky, she judged that she had several minutes before the sun set and darkness descended around her. If the creature had somehow survived, she did not want to be caught unawares.
Creeping forward, she split her attention between the statue and the cage door, wondering if, in her haste the night before, she had securely closed and locked it. A few steps closer and she saw that she had.
She heard Davis's footsteps coming up behind her, his gun held ready in his arms and his eyes scanning the area for a danger he couldn't see. She practically heard the thoughts racing through his head as he glanced at her.
Turning her back on him, she moved up to the cage bars so she could see the chupacabra. It didn't look nearly as frightening in the light of day as she remembered it. Of course, right now, it wasn't snarling and trying to rip out her throat.
Small, round indentations along the statue's surface caught her eye. Peering closer, she realized they were bullet holes. They looked shallow and faint, causing Lanie to wonder if the creature might still be alive and, in its hibernating state, healing itself. If that was the case, then…
"Ma'am, it'll be dark soon. We should go back inside." Davis's voice was polite but firm. She ignored him. Now that she knew what to expect, she wasn't going to miss out on it. As the minutes ticked by, her anticipation and excitement built. Maybe there was more of her father in her than she realized.
Feeling safe enough with the thick steel bars of the cage separating her from the creature, Lanie waited as the shadows around her grew larger and the sun slipped below the horizon.
The transformation was as sudden this time as it had been the night before. One minute Lanie was staring at a statue lying on the ground and the next, a living creature was struggling to its feet. Unlike the night before, it did not leap to attack her, and she wondered if the bullets had left it so wounded that it was dying; its ultimate death postponed when the sun came up, only to resume now that night had arrived.
She felt a small measure of sympathy for it. Animals rarely acted
When she was growing up, her father hadn't believed in babysitters, opting, instead, to drag her across the country with him, enlisting her help with his research when it became apparent that she was more computer literate than he. She'd grown to love her hours of digging on the Internet for obscure facts and information regarding various cryptids, the animals her father sought to find. She enjoyed the challenge of proving they existed, which was the reason why the idea that vampires existed wasn't that far-fetched to her. Especially now. If the chupacabra—believed by most to be as fictitious as the Yeti, Big Foot, or even the Loch Ness monster—was real, then why couldn't vampires be real as well?
She quickened her steps, her wandering now taking on purpose and direction. She wanted to see the cage where she and Mac had found the chupacabra. Dirk Adams had reported that the creature was gone, but she felt compelled to take a look for herself.
When she rounded the corner to the backyard, she caught the outline of something lying inside the cage.
Nerves suddenly wound tight, she slowed her speed, watchful for the least sign of movement. Her mind raced back to the events from the night before. Had she really killed the creature? If so, perhaps even in death, it turned to stone during the daylight hours. That would explain why Dirk's men hadn't found the "wild animal"—they hadn't known what to look for.
She was close enough to the cage now to see that the form was, in fact, the stone gargoyle. She had to suppress the shudder that ran through her and resist the temptation to run away. Quickly glancing at the sky, she judged that she had several minutes before the sun set and darkness descended around her. If the creature had somehow survived, she did not want to be caught unawares.
Creeping forward, she split her attention between the statue and the cage door, wondering if, in her haste the night before, she had securely closed and locked it. A few steps closer and she saw that she had.
She heard Davis's footsteps coming up behind her, his gun held ready in his arms and his eyes scanning the area for a danger he couldn't see. She practically heard the thoughts racing through his head as he glanced at her.
Turning her back on him, she moved up to the cage bars so she could see the chupacabra. It didn't look nearly as frightening in the light of day as she remembered it. Of course, right now, it wasn't snarling and trying to rip out her throat.
Small, round indentations along the statue's surface caught her eye. Peering closer, she realized they were bullet holes. They looked shallow and faint, causing Lanie to wonder if the creature might still be alive and, in its hibernating state, healing itself. If that was the case, then…
"Ma'am, it'll be dark soon. We should go back inside." Davis's voice was polite but firm. She ignored him. Now that she knew what to expect, she wasn't going to miss out on it. As the minutes ticked by, her anticipation and excitement built. Maybe there was more of her father in her than she realized.
Feeling safe enough with the thick steel bars of the cage separating her from the creature, Lanie waited as the shadows around her grew larger and the sun slipped below the horizon.
The transformation was as sudden this time as it had been the night before. One minute Lanie was staring at a statue lying on the ground and the next, a living creature was struggling to its feet. Unlike the night before, it did not leap to attack her, and she wondered if the bullets had left it so wounded that it was dying; its ultimate death postponed when the sun came up, only to resume now that night had arrived.
She felt a small measure of sympathy for it. Animals rarely acted
Similar Books
