I drove the Nova up the narrow winding streets off Sunset. I was getting impatient but the kid said to keep going until we reached the top. I came to a dead end and a massive black iron gate. On the other side was a large mansion. It looked quiet. No cars outside. No lights on inside.

“You sure this is the place?”

The kid nodded. He looked skittish. I didn’t like it.

I parked the Nova along the edge of the turnabout and we all got out. I grabbed supplies and weapons from the trunk and suited up for a kill session.

The gate wasn’t locked and I was able to push through. Ellis and the ghoul followed. The kid was wringing his hands in between pulling out dead strands of hair.

“What’re you so nervous about, kid?” I asked as we walked up the long driveway to the house.

“I don’t like it here.”

“I’m not thrilled either. Try to stay focused. Just show us where they are.”

The kid led us right to the front door.

Mo’Lock pushed the massive ornate door and it slid open with a long creak. The place looked empty inside. The ghoul and I stood in the foyer. I held the crossbow just in case.

“Okay, kid, where now?” I asked.

I got no response. We both spun around and saw that the kid wasn’t there. He had bolted on us. I knew I couldn’t trust him. With the exception of ghouls, you really can’t trust any of the undead. Sneaky lot.

The house was furnished but most of it was covered with sheets or plastic. If anybody lived here it didn’t look like it.

I looked at the ghoul. “Let’s find the basement.”

“This is California. There are no basements.”

“Oh yeah. Duh,” I said. “Then let’s check upstairs.”

We climbed the wide staircase leading to a floor that split in both directions. I nodded at the ghoul. He went right. I went left. There were multiple doors along the balcony floor. All closed.

I came up on the first and gave it a gentle kick and it slid open. Inside was dark but I could make out a few scattered coffins filled with dirt. There were three of them. The wives, I assumed.

I took out the bottle of holy water and poured some in each of the coffins. They were in for a hell of a shock when they tried to go to bed. It was an old trick but it always worked. With any luck they’d lie down in the dirt and poof, no more bloodsucker.

Now I had to find the fourth coffin.