CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The human moved swiftly behind her but she couldn't help but wish her human would move faster. Night was a dangerous time for humans. Her brothers and sisters would be out without the fear of the dreaded light and the coughing brothers preferred the night as well. She couldn't smell anyone yet but she knew that wouldn't last. The human's cub was always stinky. A smelly target on her back is something the human could do without but she knew her human would never abandon their smallest pack member. Her mate would approve. Family is family.
Violet was taken aback when they arrived in front of a large house. It looked fairly well fortified but if it had really been safe other people would certainly have taken up residence and she wasn't willing to risk Estelle on some half crazed lunatic. The small hunter didn't seem to have the trepidation she did. She headed to the back of the house. So Violet followed her. She would know if there were other people here. She watched as the hunter scaled to the top floor on a trellis. Violet grimaced. Climbing a wall wasn't her idea of safe but she trusted the hunter's instinct. She slowly made her way up. She watched the hunter crawl inside a broken window, noting that if he hunter could get in, so could other infected. She heard a ruckus and something flew down past her. She turned her head to see a mutilated common infected dead on the ground. She looked up to see a small hunter gaging her progress.
The den was empty save one of her regular brothers. Knowing the humans aversion to them, she quickly dispatched the brother and tossed the corpse out the window, careful to avoid hitting the human and her cub. The rest of the den was secure and she watched the human's progress out the window. She was a very slow climber and a horrid leaper. Lucky she was adept with her weapons or she'd be a dead human. FINALLY the human crawled through the window. She could smell the human's suspicion. She scoffed. As temporary leader of the pack she would always clear the perimeter of threats.
Violet quickly went through the house, delighted that the house was practically a fortress. The only way in was the way she had gotten in. she could definitely secure that window. The hunter seemed to be standing guard over the window as it was. Her head was out the window and she was making low noises in her throat. She would be budged either. Violet tried to convince her to move but the hunter was adamant that she stayed right where she was at. So violet took to exploring the house.
Like Vincent's house it seemed largely untouched. The room they had come in at was a bedroom. Of a teenage girl no doubt. Lavender walls matched the dusty bedspread of the canopied bed. Posters and pictures littered the walls. In the corner was a pile of items that seemed out of place, almost like a nest. It dawned on her that the small hunter must have slept here before. She had brought her to an old nest. Interesting. Violet headed downstairs as the hunter stared out the window, sniffing like mad.
The lower part of the house was beautiful and spacious, with comfortable furniture and an open floor plan. There were even a few neglected houseplants scattered throughout the living space. Pictures adorned the walls. A well to do family beamed at her from the frames. A handsome older man, a lovely middle aged woman and a stunning teenage girl completed this version of the American dream. Most of the pictures were of this teenage girl. Her long blond hair appeared natural as she cast big blue eyes at the photographer smiling sweetly. There were photos of her at a formal dance, in volleyball uniform and posed professionally. In the volleyball picture the name Hayley was barely visible in the right corner of the photo. Hayley looked to be a sweet and athletic teenager. But the picture that really caught her eye threw her off completely. In a photo of the whole volleyball team, two coaches could be seen. A fat balding man and… Vincent?
Well, Vincent pre infection anyway. The face of Brennen Evans grinned out. He wore track pants and a t-shirt accented by the whistle around his neck. So he had been a teacher and a coach? Interesting. It wasn't too big a coincidence. This town was small and if he worked in the school most if not all the teenagers would know him. Still, for the small hunter to bring her to this house, it seemed odd. Had she known these people too? Perhaps she had even been the cause of their demise? This infection had done awful things. Look at the devastation this had caused just these few people. Estelle fussing on her back brought her back to reality. As she spooned some strained sweet potatoes from the jar into Estelle's mouth she tried to relax and listen. But her thoughts wouldn't let her alone.
After a quick dinner, she and Estelle headed back up to the room they had entered. The hunter hadn't moved an inch. She paused. If this was a teenage girl's room then maybe there were some clothes she could fit into. She opened the closet and was disappointed. These were all too small. They would fit the small hunter though so she would grab some. As she rifled through through the closet she realized that all this stuff would fit the small hunter perfectly. Even the shoes. Was it possible? Was it possible the small beast that had been living with her like a dog was the vibrant young woman in all the pictures she had been admiring?