Alice couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a good home cooked meal like the one she had that night. All the ingredients were fresh from the farm, and the scent of everything was absolutely divine. Spending time with family was definitely putting Alice’s mother in better spirits, which was a huge relief to Alice. Aunt Betty led the group in a prayer, and they dug in. Aunt Betty led the group in a prayer, and they dug in.

            Afterward, Uncle Paul was true to his word and showed off his gun collection, which he kept in his study. On one wall lay bookshelves, at another wall his computer, and on the third wall the gun rack. Alice wouldn’t have been surprised if he owned one of every single gun that it was legal for a civilian to own.

            And it was during an argument between Uncle Paul and Cousin Ryan on the merits of their favorite rifles that someone knocked on the door.

            “Goodness,” said Aunt Betty. “We rarely get unexpected visitors out here.”

            That was true, Alice thought. A farm out in the country wasn’t exactly a tourist destination. They were a fair distance from any cities or even interstate highways. On top of that, it was quite a coincidence that an unexpected visitor should show up on the day Alice and Mom arrived.

            “I’ll go see who it is,” said Uncle Paul, putting his rifle down.

            A part of Alice thought it was probably nothing, but her cautious side won out. She excused herself and followed Uncle Paul to the front door. Staying just out of sight, Alice watched as her uncle went to the door. Alice also made sure her backup pistol was still tucked into her belt, hidden beneath her blouse, just in case. Alice watched carefully as Uncle Paul turned the knob, and a moment later, she caught a glimpse of the people outside.

            Alice's nearly gasped upon seeing them.

            The first person Alice saw was, quite simply, one of the most beautiful women Alice had ever seen. She had raven black hair and a smile that somehow came off as both nervous and enchanting. Her skin was absolutely flawless, not a single wrinkle or even a freckle marring that fair skin. Behind her stood two men who were equally good looking. One had blonde hair and chiseled features, while the other had brown hair and boyish features. The most ordinary thing about them was the casual clothing they wore, jeans with hooded jackets.  They also kept their eyes shadowed by their hoods, wincing away from the light, but Alice only noticed that in passing. She was distracted by how extraordinarily good looking they were.

            Were they supermodels or something? What were people like this doing here? Alice wasn’t sure why, but she had alarm bells going off in the back of her mind. As attractive as they were, something about them just felt off.

            “Excuse me,” said the young woman. “We’re lost, and our car broke down. Can we stay here while we wait for a tow truck?”

            “Oh,” said Uncle Paul, as taken aback as Alice was. “Well…I should talk to my wife…”

            “We won’t be any trouble,” said the girl innocently. “Please?”

            She said this so sweetly that Alice almost scolded herself for being paranoid. This woman didn’t look like a killer.

            But Alice knew better than that.

            “Well,” said Uncle Paul. “Alri…”

            “Wait!”

            Uncle Paul jumped, surprised by Alice’s outburst.  Alice herself wasn’t sure why she was acting this way, but the more she looked at these people, the more it stuck out to her like a sore thumb.  They didn’t look like some random people lost in the country. They were just too good looking...too clean...too perfect. Unnaturally perfect.

            “Alice?” said Uncle Paul. “What’s wrong?”

            Alice almost stated precisely what she was thinking but found she couldn’t bring herself to do it. There’s something wrong with them because they’re too perfect? It sounded insane. Fortunately, she thought of a more reasonable reason to object.

            “We left Saint Vivia to get away from a string of murders,” she said. "We've got no idea who’s behind it and no guarantee that they’d stay near Saint Vivia.”

            “Oh, come on, Alice,” said Uncle Paul. “They don’t…”

            “Look like murderers? Uncle, I’m a cop. Trust me. No one, whether guilty or innocent, ever looks like a murderer. No offense.”

            The woman at the door said, “None taken,” but the cold look in her eyes said the opposite. It was quite possibly the most unnerving stare Alice had ever seen, and the two men behind the other woman gave her similar looks.

            “I’d rather play it safe,” said Alice.

            Uncle Paul sighed and said, “Very well, you heard the lady. You’ll have to wait by your car.”

            The moment Uncle Paul turned back, the young woman’s glare disappeared, replaced by a disarming smile.

            “I understand completely,” she said sweetly.

            The two men turned away, clearly disappointed.

            “May I at least come in to use the bathroom?” said the woman. “It will just be me, and I’ll leave the moment I do.”

            “That’s fine,” said Uncle Paul before Alice could object. “You can come in just to use the bathroom.”

            The woman sighed.

            “I suppose that will have to do.”

            And without any warning whatsoever, the power went out, plunging the house into darkness.

            Alice reacted immediately, pulling her pistol out of her belt. In the darkness, before she could tell Uncle Paul to get out of the way, she saw something knock him to the side like he was nothing before barreling straight into Alice. She was knocked off her feet, crying out as she hit the floor hard, her gun clattering away from her hand.  Alice barely registered the woman from the door landing on her and pinning her arms down. Alice struggled, unable to get the woman off of her, and then saw the woman open her mouth.

            The woman had fangs, long and sharp, and the sight of them made Alice freeze.

            Faster than Alice had ever seen anyone move, the woman ripped Alice’s blouse to get at her neck and bent down. Alice closed her eyes, fearing the worst, but then cringed as the shrillest, most ear splitting shriek she’d ever heard rang through her head, and the weight atop her suddenly disappeared.

            Alice opened her eyes to see the woman on the ceiling, clinging to it like some sort of animal as she crawled away, reaching the door and climbing out in less than a second.

            And finally, the shrieking stopped, leaving them in silence.

            Alice lay there for a second, stunned, trying to process what had just happened as she stared at the ceiling. She vaguely heard Uncle Paul lying close by, his breathing strained. A moment later, Aunt Betty and Alice’s cousins entered, flashlights in hand. Aunt Betty went to her husband immediately, Ryan stared out the open door where the strangers had vanished, and Penny stood over Alice, shining her flashlight over her.

            “Are you okay?” asked Penny. “What happened?”

            Penny’s flashlight passed over Alice’s shoulder for a moment, reflecting off the cross that Alice had been hiding under her blouse. Alice, still staring at the ceiling, saw a reflection on the roof, a glowing cross that appeared only for a second. Alice looked down, seeing that the rip in her blouse hadn’t just exposed her neck. It had revealed the cross hidden there, lying on her shoulder. Alice, still laying there in a daze, grabbed the chain around her neck and lifted it up, staring at the cross dangling from it.

            “That shrieking,” said Ryan. “What on Earth was that?”

            “Ryan,” said Alice. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think I know.”

            Alice held up the cross for the others to see.