The Cure

Chapter 46 -- "I'm new to this."

Recap:  As she left the Honors Banquet at Rose's boarding school, Leet and Lucre, Kathy was taken into custody by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She's now being questioned by General Corkle and Major Winkish of DHS in the basement of the school's administration building.  She's had to give them the flash drive containing data about a possible cure for vampirism, but she's told them her name is Susan and she has decided to lie about everything as she awaits being rescued by vampire Giuseppe Vendetta. He and vampire Bunny Baneful had been pretending to be Kathy's parents, interested in enrolling her in the school, and discussing that possibility with Miss Flowers, the Director of Admissions.

Meanwhile, out in the stable, Hector and his vampire guidance counselor have been taken prisoner by Dr. Bart Baneful and members of his Satanic Legion. Rather than surrender, Rose drives the horses toward the vampires and runs out the barn door. One of the Legionnaires fires at the horses, but Hector disrupts his aim. 

Chapter 46 – "I'm new to this."

The burst of gunfire brought Corkle and Winkish out of their seats. Kathy looked from one to the other.

"Are our guys carrying semi-automatics?" asked Corkle.

"No." Winkish headed for the door.

"Lock down the campus," Corkle ordered. "Bring in the Special Weapons team and a couple of choppers."

Winkish paused. "Do we call in the locals?"

"No. We'd have to explain, not only to them, but to the media. Go! Get the men out there. I'll follow in a minute."

Winkish hurried out the door.

Kathy tried to sound naïve. "You don't want to warn people that there are vampires out there, General?"

"Look, Miss. I don't have time for this. Stop talking about vampires, even to your parents. We have a school full of panicky girls as it is. We don't want to create more panic, either here or in the community."

"I understand." Her tone was flippant. "You just want to kill the vampires without upsetting anyone."

Corkle's cheeks reddened. "I don't discuss matters of national security with teenagers. Come back with me to our situation room. I'm going to leave a couple of my men there with you."

"I don't need a babysitter. You might have a better use for them outside."

"They better be doing a lot more than babysitting. Come!"

She showed him the wry face she usually reserved for her father, then got up and followed him back to the storage room. At a table in the center of the room, three agents in flak jackets and helmets stood checking their rifles. From a seat behind a video monitor, a fourth agent, the only black man, looked up. "We think the shots were fired from or around the barn," he told Corkle. "But we don't have a camera out there."

Hector was waiting there! Kathy bit her lip. How do I get out of this room? She looked around. No windows. Only the one door.

Corkle grabbed a flak jacket from the back of a chair. "Lackferd, Breen, this is Susan. You two stay here to keep her and the equipment safe."

"Ah, shit," muttered a square-jawed agent with a pock-marked face. He curled his lips at her, then set his rifle down against a wall and returned to the table to sit.