FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 6

Meryl stood at an old workbench in the basement. She was very carefully etching with her claw a complex series of runes into an ordinary stone she had picked up off her property. Meryl sighed as she completed the final rune. Her red on black eyes scanned over the rune looking for any mistakes. Finding none she held the stone in her hand and channeled energy into the cold lump of rock. Thanks to the hard work of her pets, she had more than enough energy to spare. The runes on the rock glowed as she completed the ritual. Slowly it faded, becoming a barely discernible flicker.

She placed the finished stone with the others in an old milk-crate. The stones would be buried just below the surface around the border of the town. This would stake her claim on the town and keep any outside demonic influence form causing trouble for her and her future thralls. Though mortals could pass without issue, she would have a warning if anyone of note crossed into her domain. Meryl lifted the crate easily and headed back upstairs.

The house was currently empty, something that didn't happen very often. Jamie had to work the afternoon shift this week. Alice wouldn't be off until four-thirty. The Drip and Perk was closed by now, but Blake would be at least another hour cleaning and prepping for tomorrow. Valerie and Bill were both out seducing some of the more mature residents in town.

Meryl sighed as she stowed the crate by the kitchen door. If there is one thing a demon of any stripe can't stand, it's boredom. She opened the fridge and pulled out a soda. She wasn't even thirsty, but it was something to do. She cracked open the can and took a sip. It was then she realized it was a diet.

Meryl frowned slightly as she looked at the can, Jamie, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to drink diet soda to keep your figure. You could literally drink cooking oil and not lose it.

Rather than waste the soda she transformed it to regular and walked out of the kitchen. Sipping her soda Meryl walked through the downstairs, seeing if she felt like changing any parts of the decor. She did make a few tweaks here and there but nothing major. Meryl idly thought about heading into the carriage house and helping along its transformation into a gaming room, but realized that would disappoint Bill.

She made her way upstairs to the last unoccupied bedroom. The third floor room was still unchanged from when she had first moved in. Meryl walked over to the room's solitary window that looked out towards the road. She sighed resting her hands on the window frame. Things were going well. Already the mood of the town was slightly shifting as her pets tempted the residents into more acts of lust. The next step was to establish her claim with the stones. There was just one thing she needed. Meryl glanced back over her shoulder at the empty room.

“One more pet,” she spoke softly to herself, “who should it be...”

***

Finished with her prep for the next day Blake started to shut off the last few lights at her shop. Being alone with the blinds drawn she had dropped the illusion of her old male form. Meryl had been kind enough to modify her clothing to fit her new form and assets. Blake went to double check the lock on the front door when she felt a chill run down her back.

What the hell? She clutched her chest, breathing deeply.

Blake was alone in the shop, she was certain. Very carefully she lifted one of the blinds and looked outside. Across the street from the Drip and Perk an old beat up camper had pulled up. There were plenty of people in town and the surrounding areas with campers, but no one would bring theirs into the town proper. Out of the driver's door a young man climbed out. He looked cleaner cut than Blake would have expected. Ok, a stranger rolled into town, why was she so put off by him. As the young man turned to walk down main street Blake saw the emblem.

“Shit!” Blake turned from the window letting the blind fall back into place, “a Hunter...”

She fumbled for her cell, she had to call Meryl. Her heart was beating hard as the phone rang.

Meryl's ears twitched, she could hear her phone ringing. She summoned her cell to her hand and saw it was Blake.

“Hey Blake, what's up?”

“Meryl! There's a Hunter in town!”

Her black eyes went wide, “are you sure?”

“I saw the crest on his jacket, not to mention he totally freaked me out just by stopping across the street.”

“Are you still at your shop?”

“Yeah I was going to...Oh shit!”

“Blake! What's happening?”

“Alice! She's alone in the hardware store!”

“Go to her now! I'll contact everyone else and get them home.”

“On it!” Blake ended the call.

“You couldn't wait one more day...” Meryl practically growled as she dialed Jamie’s number.

Blake pulled out into the alley that ran behind her store and others on the block. That hunter was heading down towards the hardware store. He may not have detected Blake's presence, but who knows if Alice would be so lucky. Not to mention even a novice hunter will see right through a demidemon's disguise. Blake turned his van onto a side street and waited to cross Main Street to get to the hardware store. She looked down the street and didn't see the hunter. Blake gunned her van across main as soon as there was an opening. Parking it sloppily, she rushed into the Hardware store.

“Blake?” Alice waved off her coworker and quickly ran over to her, “What's wrong? I've got over an hour left on my shift.”

“I need to talk to you, can we use the office?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Blake rushed her back to the office while looking over her shoulder at the door.

“Blake, what is going on?” Alice said as she closed the door behind them.

“There's a Hunter in town.”

“What?” she looked confused, “like half the people here hunt.”

“No, a Hunter, capital 'H', someone who hunts monsters, demons, and their spawn.”

“You mean us!” Her face went pale, “What are they doing here? We've been so careful!”

“I don't know,” Blake shook her head, “he could just be passing through, or they may have gotten an idea something isn't normal here.”

“What do we do?”

“I already called Meryl, and I'm staying with you till the end of your shift. Think you can hang out back here?”

“I mean, I can work on a few things back here, until I have to close...”

“Ok,” Blake took a deep breath.

She was still far from calm but had it under control. However, Alice was less than in control. She was practically shaking now. Blake pulled her into a tight hug.

“Don't worry, we'll be ok,” she whispered softly, “Meryl isn't going to let some lone Hunter take us or her down.”

***

Wherever the Hunter went after leaving his camper, it wasn't to the hardware store. Blake stayed with Alice as she shut down for the night. She had calmed down but was still quite nervous as she armed the security system and locked the front door. Blake walked with her to her van keeping an eye out. The street was empty, apart from the Main Street Inn. They climbed into the van and made their way back up Main.

“There it is!” Blake said as they approached the old camper, “get the plate number.”

“I've got it, YGT-7205” Alice said as they drove by.

“That's something at least, let's get back home.”

“What if he follows us? He could be in that car waiting to do just that!”

“Just keep an eye out behind us, but he's probably at the bar getting food.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because the bar is between my shop and yours and I haven't seen him since he got out of his camper.”

“Oh, that makes sense, I guess...” Alice was turned in her seat looking out the back window the rest of the way back home.

They found everyone waiting for them in the kitchen. Meryl sighed now that her pets were all safely home.

“Any trouble on the way home?” She asked as Blake closed and locked the kitchen door.

“Not as far as I know,” Blake sat down in a chair, “Probably he was just at the bar, but still.”

“So, what exactly is a Hunter?” Jamie said from his own seat.

“Trouble, for us.” Blake sighed.

“The Hunters are an order of humans,” Meryl answered, “They are quite aware that demons and such exist and they do whatever they can to defeat us. You are all especially vulnerable as you are not immortal, anything that would kill a human would kill you, and they are trained to do so.”

“And what about you?” Alice asked softly.

“He can't kill me, but he can banish me from the mortal realm to the other side. I'm not too keen on going there. It's not nearly as much fun as being on this side, and would wreck my long-term plans. They would probably try and destroy the Fountain as well.”

“What is he doing here though?” Bill asked, “I didn't think we were causing that much of a stir.”

“He could just be passing through,” Alice said, “look when he stopped in town, just in time for dinner.”

“He may very well have not planned on coming here,” Meryl shrugged her shoulders, “but they are always looking for trouble. He might catch wind of something being a little off, and they have ways of detecting us.”

“Yeah,” Blake said with a nod, “I used to have a relic that would glow and indicate what flavor of demon was nearby.”

“And you told us you could see through our illusions,” Valerie piped up, “I bet he will be able to as well.”

“That I can help with,” Meryl smiled slightly, “There are reasons I have demideamons as servants. You don't radiate a demonic aura like I do, so with a more powerful illusion you can slip by him as normal humans.”

“How do we do that?” Alice asked, leaning forward.

“I am going to make a charm for each of you to wear while out of the home. It will carry an illusion that will fool even him. “

“How come we haven't used these before?” Jamie asked.

“Because for the most part your natural illusions work well. In the whole town the only person who saw through them was Blake.”

“And if I didn't know about these things, they would have fooled me.” Blake admitted.

“On top of that, the charm that will hold the illusion is finite. They will only last twelve hours at the most before needing to be recharged back here.”

“I see,” Jamie said slumping down in her seat, “So what do we do then while he's in town?”

“We need to know if he was sent here, or just wandered into town. Basically how big of a problem he is going to be.

Bill looked between Jamie and Meryl, “what's the plan, either way?”

“If he was sent here, we'll have to deal with it very carefully. Deceive him into thinking it wasn't a demonic problem and he dealt with it. If we just eliminated him the order would send in more Hunters to investigate.”

“What if he is just here just because we're the next town down the road?” Alice asked.

“That means there is less chance of the other Hunters realizing he is missing and we can just deal with him.” Meryl said, crossing her arms.

“You mean kill him?” Jamie said, eyes wide.

Blake fixed her with a stare. “He'd do it to any of us without a second thought.”

Bill sighed, “if he lingers in town eventually he'll figure out we're here.”

“What if he just gets back in his camper and leaves?”

“He's still a hunter and a threat to us. How do we know he won't stop here on his way back from wherever?” Blake said with a hard look in his eyes.

“Ok, Ok, I get that! But we're all about lust and stuff, can't we just seduce him?”Jamie said looking back to Meryl.

Meryl uncrossed her arms and scratched her chin, “It's not impossible, he is still just a human.”

“I'm sensing a but there,” Valerie said, crossing her arms.

“He knows exactly what a lust demon will try to do. He would seriously try to enrage me or one of you into killing him, or even kill himself rather than be tempted,” she shook her head, “but if I did manage to...”

“If you did, what would that mean?” Alice asked, perking up again.

“Corrupting a Hunter is not only serious bragging rights among other demons, but would boost my own personal power.”

“We should try for it,” Jamie smiled, “I mean I don't want to kill him if we don't have too.”

Meryl got up and walked behind Jamie and gave her a hug, “I would never ask that of you, my little cock slut. No, if he has to be put down I will see to it.”

Jamie turned slightly to look up at her, “But you'll try?”

“I will, yes.”

***

Blake finished with her morning preparations and was ready to open the Drip and Perk. The charm hanging from her neck under her shirt made even her own reflection look like the old Blake. Even with its protection, she was nervous opening the blinds and unlocking the front door. Across the street the old camper was still parked.

A couple of regulars were outside waiting for her to open. Putting on a smile, 'he' welcomed them in.

He was getting started on their orders, when Tim asked about the camper.

“Hey, Blake, what do you know about that old camper across the way?”

Blake just shrugged, “I know it pulled up just as I was leaving last night, that's about it.”

The morning rush took off at full speed. No one else said anything to him directly about the camper, but he overheard a few more comments about it in his shop. Around ten the rush was over and he had a chance to restock a bit before the late morning crowd came in. He was refilling the grinder when he saw the Hunter enter his shop.

Blake took a deep breath before giving his standard greeting, “Hello! Welcome to the Drip and Perk, how can I help you?”

“Large cappuccino, with an extra shot, please,” he said after glancing at the board.

“Coming right up.”

He watched as Blake made his drink.

“We don't see a lot of new faces here in town,” Blake said as he steamed the milk, “Are you just passing through?”

“You could say that, but I'll be in town for a bit, I need a break from the road.”

“I see, well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” he placed the drink in front of him, “can I get you anything else?”

“Probably another cup after this one,” he smiled weakly, “I'm not much of a morning person.”

“That's alright, you lot are my best customers. Just let me know when you want another drink, um, sorry didn't catch your name.”

“Jacob.”

“Jacob, well I'm Blake the owner/operator of this little shop.

“Have you been here long?”

“The Drip and Perk is going on three years old, but I grew up here in town.”

“Ah,” Jacob smiled, “So you know the area pretty well then.”

“You could say that,” Blake was curious where the Hunter was going with this.

“Notice anything strange as of late?”

“The strangest thing I've seen lately is that beat up camper across the street.”

“That's mine, sorry if it was ruining the view.”

Blake just shrugged.

“Maybe not strange, but has anything been off lately? Any odd behavior, or people acting out of character.”

“Hmmm,” Blake scratched his chin, stalling for time.

He was saved when a trio of retired women came in for some coffee and pastries.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“Oh, it's no trouble,” Jacob sat at the bar and sipped his cappuccino while Blake served his other customers.

“Oh, don't worry, I've got some more in the back, you ladies go sit down and I'll bring it right out to you.”

As soon as Blake was through the door he had his phone out and was calling Meryl. He quickly relayed the situation.

“What should I do? I don't know what else he knows already.”

“You are good at getting people to talk, see what you can get out of him. Try and find out if he's here on business, or just another town he's passing through.”

“I'll see what I can do.”

Blake ended the call, grabbed a tray of pastries and walked back out the door.

“Sorry for the wait, ladies.”

He quickly plated and served the pastries to his customers. As he returned back behind the counter, he saw that Jacob had finished his drink.

“Care for another drink?”

“Yes, the same please.” As Blake started to make the drink he picked up their conversation again, ”So as I was asking, has anything odd happened recently.”

“I don't know of anything odd, or even exciting recently. The biggest news we had was the old house up on the mountain finally sold a few weeks ago. A nice young woman named Meryl bought it.”

“Oh?”

“I know, not really exciting, but it's a small town. The house used to belong to the historical society, but they fell apart and have been trying to sell it for several years.”

“It's an old home then?”

“Oh yeah, I think it predates the civil war.”

“Hmm,” Jacob seemed to be mulling things over as he sipped his fresh drink.

“You sound disappointed,” Blake smiled as he emptied out the grinds from the espresso machine, “If you want exciting stories this is hardly the place.”

“Oh, you'd be surprised.” Jacob half smiled, “the boring small town is the perfect cover for a lot of people, and things.”

Blake looked away quickly to hide the expression on his face.

“Is it now,” he turned back wearing a curious look, “sounds like you've seen a thing or two.”

“You could say that. I'm just on the lookout for the odd, the strange, the things and people who are just a little bit off.”

“My grandma always said don't go looking for trouble, it'll find you well enough.”

Jacob chuckled, “not exactly bad advice, but some of us need to be on the lookout before things get out of hand.”

“So, how long are you planning on staying in town?”

“Just a couple of days. When you spend day after day driving, you need a break after a while. Besides, I've got a few things in the camper I need to work on.”

“There's an RV place down off the highway.”

“Thanks for the info,” he nodded, “but most of it is just some overdue house cleaning. I might need to stop in your hardware store for a few things though.” Jacob finished his cappuccino and pulled a few bills out of his wallet, “Thanks for the coffee, keep the change.”

“You're welcome, enjoy your stay.”

Blake waited till he had left the shop before pulling out his cell to call Alice.

***

“Hey Alice, was that Blake on the phone?” Jimmy asked as he loaded up the cart with returned items to restock.

“Yeah, he was just double checking my schedule so he knows when to pick me up.”

“You ok, Alice? You seem a little off today.”

“Eh, just one of those days, I'll be fine,” she managed a smile as she nervously rubbed the charm hanging off her keychain.

“Hang in there,” Jimmy said before pushing the cart back into the isles.

I know Meryl said the illusion should hold for twelve hours, and he didn't see through Blake's, but still.

Alice took a deep breath. If she could handle her father she can handle this. Alice sighed and returned to her duties. When the door chimed, she put on her best customer service face.

“Hello,” she said to the Hunter like he was any other customer, “can I help you find anything?”

“Maybe, you see I have this problem with my camper.”

“I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of automotive or RV equipment here.”

“I understand, but the thing is, it's not a mechanical problem. It has to do with the counters and cabinets.”

“What kind of problem?”

“The, ah, wood grain stuff on it.”

“You mean the veneer.”

“Ah, that's what it's called. It's starting to peel away in a bunch of places. The old girl has a lot of miles on her. Right now I have it held on with some tape but I was wondering what's the best way to glue it down?”

“Contact cement would be your best bet, it's what used to put on the veneer in the first place. It's a lot like rubber cement, but more powerful.”

“Ah, ok.”

“Let me show you where it is.” she said, stepping out from behind the counter.

“You don't have to, after all, don't want to get you in trouble for leaving the front unattended.”

“That's why we have the bell,” she smiled, “besides I'm the manager on duty, oh and my father owns the store. I think I'll be ok.”

Jacob followed after her as she led him to the right aisle, “Family business huh?”

“Yeah, I'm the third generation. I've been working here since I was old enough to stock a shelf.”

“I hear that, I'm in the family business as well.”

“Really? What do you do?”

“Kind of a trouble-shooter. We help small communities like yours with problems.”

Yeah, problems like me and my friends, “And you do it from an old camper?”

“Can't always rely on finding a room for the night, so I bring one with me.”

“Is that your camper parked down the street?”

“That's my girl,” he chuckled.

“I've heard some people talking about it, may want to move it before the police ask you too.”

“Yeah, I figured,” he sighed, “I'm surprised I got away with it last night.”

“Hmm,” she stopped and pointed out several products, “this is the consumer grade contact cement that I would normally recommend for your issue. It has a brush in the cap so all you need is something to catch any drips and possibly some shims.”

“Thanks, are there instructions on the can?”

She took a step over and picked up a pamphlet, “take one of these, it explains the process. Oh, and you'll need some heat in there, right now it is too cold out for it to set right.”

“Thank you,” Jacob took the pamphlet and picked up the can of contact cement, “while I'm here let me get some cleaning supplies and trash bags.”

“They are over in aisle six.”

“Thanks.”

“You have a place you plan on working on your camper?”

“I drove past a car wash on the way here, looks like a good spot.”

“They shut down the wash if it drops below forty degrees, so you know.”

“As long as they keep the vacuums on, I should be good.”

“I'll be waiting up front, unless you need some more help.”

“Thanks, I should be good.”

Alice fought the urge to run as she made her way back to the front counter. She picked up the store phone and started to dial.

Jamie is right, I do need to get a cellphone... she thought as she called Meryl.

“Hey Alice, is he there?” Meryl said after picking up.

“Yeah,” she looked back into the store, watching for Jacob, “looks like he's planning on heading up to the car wash to work on his camper.”

“Did he ask you any questions?”

“Only on how to fix some cabinets so far.”

“If he does, just make some idle conversation, see if you can get any more information out of him.”

Alice took a deep breath, “alright.”

“You holding up ok, cutie?”

“I'm trying. I'll just be happy when this is over.”

“Me too, I've got other things I'd rather worry about. Be careful, and I'll see you tonight.”

“Ok, bye.” She hung up the phone.

It wasn't long before Jacob was back at the counter, his arms full of cleaning items and a few odds and ends.

“Looks like you are all set then,” she said, starting to scan the items.”

“I think so,” he smiled back at her, “from what you said earlier I guess you're a local girl.”

“I sure am.”

“Tell me has there been anything funny going on around here lately?”

“Funny how? I mean a week ago some of the local kids went into the park late at night and vandalized the gazebo.”

“Like anybody new moving into town, or anyone acting a bit off?”

“Not since Meryl moved in a few weeks ago. I know Mr. Tilghman hasn't been the same since his wife passed away about a month ago, but that just happens sometimes.”

“So no rumors about anything in the woods or anything?”

“What are you, one of those ghost hunters?” She smirked as she placed a full bag on the counter.

“Eh, just one of the things I look into. Sometimes a story of a monster in the woods or a haunted location can be a symptom of something a great deal darker and more dangerous.”

“You are serious, aren't you?”

“I know, I must just be a nut-job driving around the middle of nowhere looking for spooky things.”

“But let me guess, you've got a hundred page manifesto in your camper that explains why you're not crazy.”

Jacob laughed, “I've heard it all. And you know if I stop at a town and they just laugh at me, that's fine. But the towns that don't laugh, the ones that have the problem are quite glad I showed up to clean things up.”

“Clean up how?” Alice's smile slipped from her face.

“There are things that shouldn't exist in our world,” his eyes grew colder as the humor bled out of Jacob, “I send them back or put them down.”

“Well you came to the wrong town I'm afraid.” She finished scanning and bagging, “anything else I can help you with?”

“No, but thank you for your help,” He paid in cash for his items.

Alice handed him his change with her smile back in place, “Have a good day.”

“See you around,”

“Oh, I'm sure you will,” Her smile became a smirk as he walked out the door.

***

It was after ten and the small dining room at Tony's was deserted. Jamie was wiping down the front window of the shop in between delivery runs. She used to hate doing this but now she loved teasing Tony with her ass as she cleaned the large window. Every day Jamie felt him slipping more and more. It was only a matter of time before Tony bent her over the counter and railed her.

Jamie froze mid-wiggle when she saw the Hunter start to walk by the large window. He glanced at her before continuing down to the door and letting himself in. Jamie dry swallowed before putting on her cutest smile.

“Hi there.” She said as he walked in.

“Hey, are you guys still open?”

“We sure are,” Tony said from behind the counter adjusting his apron, ”what can I get you?”

“A large pepperoni please,” he said before heading over to the beer cooler

“For here or to go?”

“To go please,” he said as he pulled out a six pack of pale ale.

“It'll be about ten minutes.”

“Oh that's fine, no rush.” He paid and sat at a table to wait.

Jamie sent a quick text to Meryl before going back to cleaning the window in a less sensual manner.

“Are you guys closing up soon?”

“In about an hour and a half, though with my luck I'll have to make a last minute delivery.”

“Isn't that how it always is?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “the life of a delivery girl. At least the customers tip well.”

“You must see a lot of the town and surrounding areas while delivering.”

“Yeah, I know my way around. Why, are you lost or looking for someplace?”

“Not that, just wondering if you've seen anything strange?”

“Does a drunk guy answering the door with his underwear on backwards count?”

He chuckled. “Not quite what I meant. Have you seen anything that seemed weird or out of place, maybe a glimpse of something in the woods as you drive by?”

“Are you one of those paranormal investigators?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Something like that, I investigate strange happenings and see what's behind them.”

“And what do you do then, post the video on the internet?”

“No, I deal with the problem and take care of it.”

“What, do you bust ghosts?” She giggled trying to hide her nervousness.

“I've helped ghosts move on, yes. But a lot of times it isn't spirits causing trouble. Other things require a more direct approach to remove.”

The phone rang, “I got it Tony!” Jamie called out before running behind the counter, “Hello, Tony's Pizza, how can I help you?”

“Good, Jamie, it's you,” Meryl's voice came over the phone, “Is Jacob still there?”

“Yes ma'am we're here until eleven-thirty tonight.”

“Ah, he can hear you, well see if you can find anything else out about him. Also if you could bring home an order of the suicide wings, I've got a craving.”

“We can get that out to you no problem.”

“That's my girl, see you tonight.”

Jamie went into the kitchen.

“We got an order?”

“Sort of, Meryl wants an order of the suicide wings, so just add that onto my dinner order for tonight.”

“Sure thing, is that guy out there bothering you?

“Him, nah, he's just got a weird hobby.”

“Well if he tries anything…”

Jamie patted Tony on the shoulder, “Thanks Tony, I'll let you know.”

Jamie came back out and stood at the counter.

“Your pizza should be up soon,” she said with her cutest smile.

“Thanks.” He replied with a slight smile.

“So, what are you doing here? I mean we don't have any haunted houses or beastmen running around in the woods.”

“I was just passing through, taking a break from the road. Sometimes I have a destination, sometimes I just find problems that need solving. I tend to stay off the highways, sticking to small towns like this, places people tend to overlook are good hiding places for troublemakers.”

“Trouble makers? Like what? People faking stuff for attention?”

“I'll be honest, that happens. But there are forces out there who want to mess with our world, corrupt the people and turn them to their own purposes.”

“How is that any different from everyday life?”

Jacob's face dropped and he blinked slowly. “Excuse me?”

“Think about it, you've always got people telling you how you should be. From your parents, to religion, to governments, to angry bloggers on the internet. They are always telling you what you should think and how you should act.”

“This is different than just swaying people to an ideology or belief, I'm talking about tempting people into corruption.”

“No matter how tempting it is, the people still make the choice.”

He shook his head, “you don't get it.”

“Oh, I get it, the question is do you get it and what are you doing?”

Before the Hunter could respond, Tony came out with his pizza.

“Here you go,” Tony brought the pizza out to the table for his customer, “enjoy.”

“Yeah, see you later,” Jamie smiled sweetly from behind the counter.

“Ah, thanks.” He collected his pizza and beer and left the shop, still confused a bit by the conversation he just had. He walked down the cold street, hurrying back to his camper before the pizza got cold.

***

Blake walked into the kitchen looking around. She was just about to leave when Valerie walked in from the other door.

“Oh, hey Blake,” she smiled as she walked towards the refrigerator.

“Hey Valerie, have you seen Alice around?”

“She's with Bill in the carriage house,” she reached into the fridge for a soda, “remember at dinner? They were talking about working on it while they waited for Jamie to come home.”

“I was kind of distracted at dinner.”

“I noticed, you barely touched your food.”

“I'm just worried about this guy. I know what they can do. And if he figures it out and alerts the order, there is no way we can take them on.”

“Then again, dear, if he just goes missing they are going to come looking for him.”

“Yeah, it sucks all around,” she sighed, “I wish I knew exactly what Meryl is planning.”

“Speaking of her, I was surprised that she wasn't home.”

“She figured that while we were keeping an eye on him she would go and start marking the edge of the town. She called me a little while ago and said she's on her way back, that's why I was looking for everyone.”

“Once that's done we can start the real fun.” She smiled broadly.

“Only if we can take care of Jacob first.”

“We'll figure something out tonight, “she turned towards the door, “I hear a car pulling up, is that Jamie or Meryl?”

Blake went to the window, “Looks like it's Jamie, Let me go get Bill and Alice so we are ready when she gets in.”

Blake went out the kitchen door. Jamie smiled as she saw her come over to her door.

“Hey Blake, I don't have that many pizzas with me.”

“You know we had dinner already.”

“Yeah but I'm not about to eat a pizza in front of you guys and not share it. Besides, Meryl asked for some wings.”

I'm getting Bill and Alice from the carriage house. Head on in, Meryl should be back soon.”

“Ok, see you inside.”

Blake walked up past where the gravel of the driveway stopped. The carriage house had received less attention than the Main house as the membership of the historical society dwindled. The roof was sound and there were no broken windows, but the outside was going to need a good painting once spring rolled around. She opened the door and was greeted with the smell of sawdust and the sound of tools at work.

“Bill! Alice!” Blake shouted over the noise.

“Hey Blake, what's up?” Alice said, popping her head around the corner.

“Time to wrap it up for the night. Jamie is back and Meryl is on the way.”

“Did she bring pizza?” Bill called from out of sight.

“Lucky for you, she did, come on, let's head back.”

Bill and Alice shut things down and followed Blake back to the house. Jamie and Valerie were waiting in the kitchen. Jamie smiled as he tapped on one of the pizza boxes.

“Got your favorite Bill, sausage and onion.”

“Thank you.” He smiled as he slipped out of his work clothes

“You can thank me with your sausage later.” She giggled.

“You don't need to bring me pizza for that.” But that didn't stop his cock from stirring a little.

“Later you two,” Alice said as she hung up her work clothes on a peg, “after we have our talk with Meryl.”

“In the meantime guys, help yourself to some pizza.”

They were not waiting long before Meryl's truck crunched its way up the gravel.

“Welcome home!” Valerie called out as Meryl let herself in.

“How did everything go?”

“As expected. I've got the northern edge of town covered, not that it will work before I completely surround the town.”

“I got your wings for you,” Jamie smiled, “do you want to eat them first?”

“As good as they smell, I'll eat them later, For now let's head into the parlor to talk.”

Her pets followed her down the hall to the parlor. As always the fire was burning brightly. Meryl quickly stripped out of her clothes before shifting back to her true form. Everyone took up seats around the fire, with Meryl sitting right beside the fireplace in a plush chair.

“So, tell me what you have found out about this Hunter Jacob.”

“He comes off as friendly at first, but you can tell he's done things.” Alice said, folding her hands in her lap, “I think he's killed demidemons before.”

“I don't doubt that either,” Jamie piped up, “he asked me about anything weird or paranormal I might have seen. He tried to play it off as normal, but you can tell he's not just a ghost hunter nut. Even Tony was worried about whether he was bothering me with his crap.”

“Not to sidetrack, but how are things going with Tony?” Meryl asked.

“He 'accidentally' brushed up against me in the walk-in today and I know he was popping wood while watching me wash the window.”

“Good,” Meryl nodded, “keep it up, but let him be the one to initiate it. He'll make a better thrall that way.”

“Getting back on track,” Blake interjected, “we can't be the only ones he was questioning around town. I heard in some of the chatter about his camper that he was being chatty in the bar last night.

“We don't hang out there,” Jamie said with a shrug, “we've got an awesome bar right here at home.”

“That, and you and I are underage,” Alice added.

“Just because we haven't been hitting the bar doesn't mean he couldn't get some information,” Bill shook his head, “like Alice's falling out with her parents, or rumors about the delivery girl who will suck you off for a few dollars, or how Valerie and I just up and left town and what a strange coincidence that a new Valerie and Bill just moved into old Double Thirty-seven.”

“Did our home come up while you were talking to him?” Meryl asked, leaning forward slightly.

“I mentioned you moving in was the last exciting thing that happened in town.” Blake said, “I figured he was going to hear that at least a dozen times talking to people in town.”

Alice nodded, “I mentioned you were that last person to move into town, but that was it.”

“It didn't come up with me,” Jamie shrugged, “I did ask him why people couldn't just choose to give in and be left alone.”

“What! Jamie!” Blake turned to stare her down.

“Not like that, I mean he didn't say 'demon' and neither did I, I just asked why people couldn't be left alone if it's what they want. He just thought I was an edgy punk kid, not a demidemon.”

Meryl sighed. “Do we know where he is right now?”

“Well he got a pizza and some beer pretty late,” Jamie said, sinking back down into the couch, “I don't think he's hitting the road just yet.”

“I was watching him at the car wash,” Bill said, “He was working a long time on it until John, the owner, chased him off as the sun was setting.”

Valerie picked up where bill left off. “I followed him back down Main to the bar. He was there for a bit until the police pulled in behind his camper and went in. He came out with them and then pulled away. I didn’t see him get a ticket, but I get the feeling he was told off for his camper being on the side of the street overnight. I don't know where he will end up parking for the night,” Valerie ran her hands over her apron, “The police would notice him even on a side street now.”

“So he's probably not done quite yet,” Meryl nodded slightly. “You all grew up here, any ideas where he could stop for the night?”

“Just off the highway there's the Box-Mart,” Jamie said, “you see campers there all the time.”

“He could leave right from there in the morning,” Meryl sighed, “we need to find out for sure.” she tapped her chin with a clawed finger, “Alice, you got his plate number the other night, didn't you?”

“Yeah, it's YGT-7205.”

“Perfect, I can scry him with that.” She summoned a hand mirror gently channeling a small amount of power into it.

“Wouldn't he be protected from scrying?” Blake leaned forward.

“I don't doubt it, but that would only stop me from looking inside his camper, I just want to know where the camper is and unless he warded the license plate...” A smile spread across her face showing off her sharp teeth, “there we are my little Hunter.” With her free hand she summoned them over around the mirror, “where is this?”

“Is that a barn?” Alice asked, tilting her head.

“Shit, I know that place,” Jamie said as she looked and picked up some of the landmarks, “it's up Mill road, that farm has been empty for years. We used to sneak in the barn to drink beer back in high school.”

“Oh right, the old Andersen farm,” Bill nodded his head.

“So, he hasn't left town then,” Meryl said as she let the image fade, “For whatever reason he's staying here, at least for the night.”

“He seemed to like my coffee,” Blake offered.

Alice chuckled, “everyone likes your coffee, Blake.”

“I mean he will probably come back tomorrow for another cup, even if he's planning on leaving town.”

“I have a plan,” Meryl said looking at Bill, “as long as you and Valerie don't mind an early morning.”

___________________________________________________

Original story and setting by Syntaxerror37

FA: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sevencrown37/

SoFurry: https://sevencrown.sofurry.com/

Discord: therealse37

Bluesky: @sevencrown37.bsky.social