I stare back at the vampire, unsure of what to make of this. Why was she in our base? Why was she in the fridge? My first instinct was to pull out my spear again, but I resisted. I felt like this was going to end in me not needing my spear again.

After all, she still hadn’t attacked me. Instead, she started nervously twiddling her fingers.

“Ah, I was hoping you wouldn’t check the fridge…” She mumbles, then says louder, “Maybe you can just close the fridge back and pretend you never saw me?”

“Why’re you in my base?”

She hums in contemplation. “Okay, don’t tell her I told you this but, Mallory said I could stay here.”

“Of course she did.” I sigh.

“No, really!”

“I know.”

Technique 6: Provide shelter for non-offending monsters.

I rub my temple and walk away. This wasn’t the first time Mallory let a monster hole up in one of our bases, and it probably won’t be the last time. I just wish she’d let me know when she did it. Regardless, there’s going to be a discussion about how long they can stay—if at all!

I lean against the wall and try to collect my thoughts. I often wonder if I’ve let Mallory’s passion for monsters go too far. Sure, it was fine to leave them be if they weren’t hurting anyone, but to let them live in our workspaces? To encourage them to come into town by feeding them?

We’re hunters, not farmers. The last thing we want is more monsters coming in to town and getting comfortable. At the end of the day, there’s still only two of us.

“Aww, who’s the cute kid?” The vampire suddenly chimes in, finally exiting the fridge.

“That’s Teriyaki. He’s a shapeshifter.” I reply flatly.

“Oh. Do you like monsters now, or something?”

“Or something.”

She hums again, though I don’t pick up on her tone this time. She walks up to me and holds out her hand.

“Well, a friend of Mallory is a friend of mine.” She smiles. “I’m Valentina.”

I eye her hand warily, but decide to shake it. It’s a small, enclosed space, so I don’t want to aggravate her. She seemed to already know me, so I didn’t bother introducing myself back.

We make small talk briefly, interrupted by my phone chirping out a text notification. I check my phone and see that it’s from my mom. It’s a short text asking where I am, followed by another asking if I was coming home tonight.

My parents are well aware that I’m a hunter, even actively supporting it at times. They’re always worrying, but they trust that I’m competent enough at the job. They also understand that, with no one else around to step up to the plate, things could escalate in our town if Mallory and I don’t act as hunters.

I shoot a text back, letting her know where I was, and that I wouldn’t be back home tonight. She texts back a frowny face and an “I love you, you two be safe” with all the different colors of hearts.

“Hey, Valentina.” I slide my phone into my pocket. “What’s your diet?”

“Pigs blood, mostly. But, sometimes I settle for cow blood.” She replies nonchalantly. “No need to worry about me. Mallory already did the whole spiel for me.”

“Yeah, okay. We’re heading out, then. Teriyaki, let’s go.”

“Going so soon?” Valentina pouts.

“It’s not like we were doing anything. Later. Maybe.”

And with that, Teriyaki and I leave. He looked like he was getting antsy for, well, probably a variety of reasons. I take him to a nearby burger joint and let him eat his fill. He seemed grateful, and his mood improved greatly. He even started getting more talkative.

After dinner, I pick up a few groceries from the convenience store. Just enough to last a few days while I figure out where I can send him. From the store, I call a TR@CK, an on-demand rideshare cab. I have it take us to a different base, near the school.

This base is a fairly standard looking house, tucked neatly between all the other identical houses. This one didn’t have electricity, but it had heat, so it’ll do for now.

I should probably do a perimeter check or something, but… anything happening this late at night can wait a few hours. Not to mention, Mallory has the majority of our supplies and hasn’t given any sign that she plans to leave the forest tonight.

So, once Teriyaki falls asleep, I think I’ll just… take it easy tonight.