2014 Copyright © A. M. Forest

All Rights Reserved

Magnolia walked casually through town, her gun hidden on her hip beneath her trench coat. She eyed the happy couples and families enjoying their Saturday together, unaware of the threat that lied in their flowery town.

She mentally groaned as a young couple, probably fifteen or sixteen, passed by. The girl chattering on and on about some type of shoe while her boyfriend nodded here and there, discreetly checking out ladies walking by them. As the two passed Magnolia, she glared at the boy as soon as they made eye contact, making him quickly avert his gaze and pull his girlfriend a little faster around the next corner.

Magnolia chuckled under her breath, smiling at their retreating forms when she sensed someone behind her. She rounded a corner into an alley and swiftly pulled out her gun before turning around, aiming the weapon in the face of a startled Agent Joseph.

His wide blue eyes looked so much like his.

"Maggie, are you ready?"

She glared at him. "Why are you following me?" She demanded, her gun steady.

"For goodness sake, Magnolia!" Joseph yelped, raising his hands in surrender. "Can you at least holster your weapon?"

"Answer the question, agent." Her command was authoritative, her expression just as fierce as her anger, her gun not wavering for a second as it trained on him. She was sure he feared her.

Joseph gulped, "I told you I was assigned to assist you, and since you weren't planning on including me in anything, I decided observing from a distance would be the best option in ensuring your safety."

Magnolia lowered the gun; her glare still in place as she hissed out, "Let me make myself clear: I don't care what your name is, where you come from, what branch you're a part of, or if you can even fight—if you get in my way, I will shoot you with no hesitation. I don't need you 'ensuring my safety'. I can handle myself. Got it?"

"Yes, Agent Haunt." He nodded, his shoulders sagging, "I understand."

"Good," she said, placing her weapon back in it's holster. A thought struck her, "How long have you been assigned to this town, Joseph?"

"I've been here for about two and a half years. Why?"

A smile appeared on her face, one that unsettled Joseph completely. "It seems you will be of some use to me after all."

~~~

After having Joseph give her a tour of the town, Magnolia found herself at the kitchen table with her laptop, looking up the local newspaper and those of nearby towns for any recent deaths.

For a large pod to live in a small town such as this, it'd have to have blood donors. If there weren't enough blood donors, there were bound to be bodies. Where there's a body, there's a blood trail leading back to the vampire who did it and thus the pod it belongs to.

Surprisingly, Magnolia found only one murder in the past three years; two months prior to her arrival, a body—later identified as Todd Waters, an ER doctor to the local emergency hospital—was found floating in the lake face down, lacerations to the neck. Since he was in the water over night, no one thought twice about the amount of blood missing from his body. The killer was yet to be found.

Magnolia sat back in her chair in thought. If only one body was found, why would the professor think there was a large pod present?

She opened up the paper file on the table and looked through the details again. She had to have missed something. When she spotted it, she immediately took out her phone and rang the professor.

He answered on the second ring, "Yes, Magnolia? How may I help you?"

Anger flared through Magnolia, pushing all her other emotions to the side. "You seemed to have forgotten to mention that three special agents were terminated by this pod; or the fact that I'm getting a partner because of those agents' demise." She took a deep breath, "How in the fuck am I supposed to find the pod that stayed hidden for who-knows-how-many years, and is capable of killing three super soldiers if I have to be under the supervision of a child?"

He chuckled into the phone. "I'm pretty sure he's been in the company longer than you, Agent Haunt. He's just in another department. How is the case going?"

Her thoughts went back to the body, "Whatever. Send me all you have on Todd Waters," she grumbled.

"Agent Joseph already has all this information," the professor taunted, his tone more playful than it was earlier that morning. "Give him a chance, Magnolia. He isn't completely useless. In fact, he's the best in the company with computers. He'll be useful to you."

Magnolia's finger nails clicked against the table in irritation. "Fine, I'll give him a chance," then an idea came to mind, "but you have to do something for me."

"Oh?"

~~~

Taking the wrinkled piece of paper out of her jacket pocket, Magnolia read it carefully with a new goal in mind. She checked to make sure her weapons were in place before walking down the long driveway that lead to a small cottage she was sure belonged to the one they called Agent Joseph.

She looked around the small farm to her right, taking in all the smelly animals that accompanied it. She watched as a tall man with blue tinted hair, a blue long sleeve shirt, and black jeans walk around the corner of the barn across the field. Magnolia paused for a second before shaking her head and continued down the gravel road.

She could have sworn he was bare footed.

Just as she reached the front steps of the small porch to Joseph's home, he walked out onto the porch with a potted plant in his hands. His expression was pure surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you this soon. Actually, I wasn't expecting you at all after you pulled that gun on me and demanded I show you the town." His tone was cautious and slightly bitter.

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me in?"

His jaw tightened as he gave a stiff nod, quickly putting the plant down on the porch railing before opening the door for her.

Magnolia's boots clicked against the hardwood floors as she looked around the small area he called his home. The kitchen was to the right of them, probably half the size of her's. The living room was straight ahead; decorated with more of a homey feel compared to Magnolia's functional one. The four-piece living room set consisted of a long, ivory colored sofa, framed in red maple along with two love-seats in the same fashion; all facing the red brick fireplace that was on the left side of the room. A red maple coffee table sat between the couches and the fireplace.

She took a glimpse at a far corner and noticed a hallway that most likely led to the bathroom and his room. Looking for an alternate exit, she saw sunlight coming from the hallway; possibly a window or backdoor.

Still examining the room, she spoke, "Look, I won't apologize for what I said earlier, because I meant it." She paused. "I don't know your experience in this field Joseph, but I am aware that you've lived in this area and know it better than me." She turned to look at him and wasn't surprised to see shock expressed on his face. "I've never worked with anyone, and those who tried to work with me end up dead. I don't do collateral damage."

He nodded, "I understand—"

"—so, as my... associate, I expect you to be ready at all cost. Are you willing to help me?"

He smirked, light that wasn't there before shining in his eyes. "I told you I was already assigned to you. I don't really have a choice."

Pain shot through her chest. She cleared her throat and looked away. "Good. Well your first assignment is to look up everything you have on Todd Waters, the body they found two months ago in the lake. I also want you to look for any suspicious behavior all over the town, especially at night."

"Yes, ma'am," Joseph said, his smirk still in place.

Her gaze was steel when she looked at him again. "I have a few terms. Always have a weapon on you. If you have a lead, never go on it by yourself. Always stay in contact with me. If this pod was able to kill three super soldiers, they won't think twice about a weakling like you."

He gave her a two finger salute, "Understood. Glad to be part of the team," he said before moving to his living room to sit on the couch. He clicked a button on a small remote and the chimney wall above the fireplace rotated around to reveal a fifty-five inch TV. He pulled a keyboard out of the couch cushions and began typing, Todd Waters' file appearing on the screen.

She stood behind the couch, the conversation she had with the professor running through her head again as she stared at the back of Joseph's head. Her heart clenched painfully again.

It is him. 

~*~*~

Edited by: @Spaceship_jellyfish and @Shrutiluvbooks