The Other Strangers

50.

"Aim for the head and keep your mask on." Gilbert didn't want to take any chances, he and Clarissa were in full body suits with rebreathers on. He hoped Rick would be home and just be surprised at the outfits. But the darkened lights with his van in the driveway wasn't very encouraging.

"Anything special about these guys?" Clarissa didn't like the suit and mask, it made her feel oddly claustrophobic, but she liked the idea of losing control of herself even less.

"Nope, pretty much most weapons blessed by light can hurt or kill them, don't let them touch you or rip the suit. Easy peasy." Gilbert approached the front door and saw it was slightly open, his breath caught in his throat, he knew Rick was probably dead already. Gilbert took point, his pistol at the ready with Clarissa behind him her bow drawn. He was happy neither one of them shot the other with as quickly as they moved around the one story in the dark. Rick was no where to be found, his weapons were all neatly arranged on hooks and sat unused. It was as Gilbert feared the strangers had gotten to him fast and he didn't even have a chance to fight back.

"Maybe he went on vacation?"

"Without any of his clothes, car keys, or his wallet which I see sitting on the counter? No Rick is gone, strangers got him, and we better get to moving to Bob's house and pray someone lived." It was to the point Gilbert worried Gregg would be gone when he got to Bob's house. Whatever was behind the strangers this time felt more directed, less their usual show up and devour towns, and more remove threats to them. Gilbert drove faster than he probably should have all the way to Bob's house. He felt a sense of relief when he saw Gregg, but that quickly fled when he saw the same no house lights that had characterized Rick's house and that Gregg was alone, Dale no where around.

"Rick?"

"Gone, Dale?"

"Gone."

"Shit."

"Hi I'm Clarissa." She held her hand out to Gregg and he shook it with a smile that had no warmth beneath his mask.

"Gilbert's new assistant? Nice to meet you, shame it had to be like this." Gregg was using a modified assault rifle, Clarissa could make out that the handle was personalized with what looked like an ancient Egypt snake motif.

"I had no idea Bob lived in a mansion." The house was huge from what Gilbert could see, he started to wonder if he was charging too little for his services.

"Oh yeah never been here? Yeah its a legit haunted house, Bob got it for a real good deal due to the fact that the ghosts will keep coming back, no one else wanted it."

"Well I'm feeling even better about going inside."

"It'll be like that mickelson elementary job." Gilbert whistled.

"Oh man that was the worst, vampires right?"

"Guys?" Clarissa's voice had a bit of panic to it.

"Yeah vampires Gilbert, we were doing that run down monastery and got tricked into that stupid elementary."

"Hey old guys maybe help?" Clarissa was getting flustered.

"Oh yeah that elementary school, floor gave way right? Dropped into a pit of those weird zombie like creatures they can make, good lord never seen so much blood in my life."

"YO OLD ASSHOLES!" Clarissa shouted Gilbert and Gregg turned around and saw she had slain six of the strangers, she was in the process of pulling the arrow out of her most recent kill. "Christ you guys like to talk."

"I like her Gilbert."

"She can hit a target at fifty yards with that bow, I mean Charlie was always pretty good with his knives, but I'll tell you the truth." Gilbert stepped over the bodies of the fallen strangers Clarissa had killed and started to move toward the house his shotgun at the ready. "Charlie couldn't make a cup of coffee to save his life, most annoying trait in a man I ever did meet." Gilbert stepped inside the house and his shotgun roared, Gregg and Clarissa followed shortly after.

*****

"Twenty nine freaking strangers, no Bob." Gilbert was outside he had taken his suit off, he figured they had wiped out the creatures, whatever was behind them was no where to be found.

"I don't know what to tell you Gilbert, weird they would set a trap, weird they'd pick Bob's house, weird they'd come after... shit." Gregg had noticed Bob just then, he had emerged with a high caliber rifle pointed at both Gilbert and Gregg. Clarissa had said she was going to check the back yard for something and she hadn't returned yet.

"You fucking monsters, how could you do that to my children?" Gilbert could see the crazy in Bob's eyes.

"Bob they got you twisted those things aren't your anything." Gilbert cursed that his shotgun was in the Van, all he had left was a knife and he was shit at throwing them.

"No you're both twisted, all of us were, we wiped them out without ever talking to them, we're the real monsters Gilbert. It's why I sent them to get you guys, but I should have known your hatefulness would overcome my children." Bob cocked racked the bolt on his rifle and Gilbert thought for a minute of making a dodge to grab the rifle, but he didn't have to, Clarissa's arrow pierced Bob's temple and he fell to the ground the rifle landing with a thud. Gregg whistled again, Clarissa had fired the arrow from almost outside of his site range.

"Fifty yards?"

"Oh those are the easy shots." Gilbert looked at Bob's corpse with a mixture of sadness and relief. At least it made sense.

"You think they got to him?"

"No, Bob always had the live and let live argument going when dealing with these things, I figured after North Dakota he'd have learned how bad that was, but I guess he took the opposite lesson." Clarissa ran up and was horrified, she couldn't have made out it was Bob when she shot him, she just assumed it was a stranger.

"Oh god, I didn't know."

"Don't worry Clarissa, he'd been infected by those things, don't you worry." Gregg nodded at Gilbert while he hugged Clarissa telling her things would be ok.

"Be seeing you Gilbert."

"Be seeing you Gregg."