My dad dealt with all manner of clientele. Some of them were decent enough, but most of them would cut your throat if you looked at them wrong. This wasn’t the first time he had asked me to stay close to home.
I knew the drill.
I got along with my dad, but we weren’t close. I loved him, and I cared about him, but we just didn’t have much in common. My mom left when I was young. I guess she just didn’t like the idea of being married, or maybe it was what Dad did for a living.
Who can say?
I never bothered to ask her.
“I’ll stay home tonight,” I agreed.
“Excellent,” Dad said. “Tyler’s camping with some classmates this weekend, so invite your friends over. Order some pizza. Rent some movies. Enjoy yourself, and I’ll probably be home sometime tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” I answered, secretly relieved that I no longer had to go to Brian’s kick-back.
I was already texting Betty and Jake the change of plans when my dad came down the stairs and entered the kitchen.
“If you need anything, call me,” Dad said.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I can entertain myself at home, it’s no big deal."
“Excellent,” Dad said with a big smile. “I hate to rush, but I really need to go.”
A quick kiss on the forehead and I was alone in the house. I went to my room and dropped my belongings at the foot of my bed. I then stripped out of my jean shorts and tank top. I was still wearing my bikini from the beach underneath, and our swimming pool was calling out to me.
I entered the backyard through large glass doors, cranked up the music, and dove into the pool. The water was cool and refreshing. I stayed underneath as I moved from one side to the other.
About the third or fourth time I came up for air, I realized just how dark it had gotten outside. I climbed out of the pool, turned on the backyard lights, grabbed a glass of wine from the kitchen, and settled myself in the Jacuzzi.
I may have fallen asleep, I’m not sure. The Jacuzzi was loud, and the music was louder. I never heard the five men break into my house, and I certainly never heard them enter the backyard until they were standing right in front of me.
I stifled a scream but still managed to startle violently.
“Can I help you?” I asked in a voice filled with fear.
“I think you can,” one of the men answered.
“This is private property,” I explained. “This is my house. I have friends on their way over here.”
“That doesn’t make much difference to us,” the man laughed. “We don’t plan on sticking around very long.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Get out of the fucking Jacuzzi,” another man growled.
“No,” I said.
The first man that spoke grabbed me by my wet hair, and dragged me out kicking and screaming.
“Ease up on her,” someone said. “There’s no reason to hurt her.”
“There’s no reason not to,” someone else said.
The second man that spoke leaned in close.
“We’re taking you,” he said. “If you fight us, we’ll hurt you.”
I was sitting on the deck of the pool. The first man who spoke grabbed me by my wet hair, and dragged me out. I kicked and screamed as my knees scraped the ground as I struggled. Still, the second they eased their grip, I took off like a bolt of lightning. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it too far.
One of the men tripped me, and then I was beaten rather severely. My captors were the real deal. Whatever danger my father had gotten himself into, it was falling straight in my lap. They dragged me through my house and shoved me into the backseat of an SUV.
Through all of it, I wondered why none of the men wore masks. I could and would identify them all. Then I realized why.
I wasn’t supposed to survive whatever was about to happen.
Derry
I awoke in the attic of an empty home close to the beach. I could smell the salt in the air before I even opened my eyes. I could also hear the homeless man squeezing inside through the boarded-up window in the back yard.
Lucky for him, I was leaving instead of arriving.
He caught a glimpse of me as I was exiting, and damn near had a heart attack. I smiled at him, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, and watched as he drunkenly fell on his ass. Still, the man was safe. My interests did not include the homeless unless the situation was extremely dire.
Outside the house, I pulled my hoodie down low over my face to shield myself against the still too-bright sky. Normally I’d sit tight until it was completely dark outside, but the intrusion forced me outside just a bit early.
I was grumpy.
I’m always grumpy when I don’t wake up alone.
I also wanted to feed.
I walked for a bit and then tucked myself away under the awning of a building already closed for the evening. There I waited the fifteen or so extra minutes required for the sun to drown in the sea.
A group of pretty girls walked by. They were headed away from the beach, still wearing their towels and bikinis. The smell of their sun-touched skin almost made me moan out loud. I could hear the blood pumping in their tender veins.
Fang teeth started popping up through my gum line. The girls noticed me sitting there with my head down. My appearance did nothing to startle them, but they certainly felt something in the air. Perhaps it was a simple chill. Who can say? Regardless, the group of girls gave me a wide berth as they passed.
I didn’t look up at them. I didn’t even move. It would be best for them to believe I had too much to drink or smoke. If I looked up, I would frighten them. The girls passed by without incident, and a few moments later, they were once again chattering happily amongst themselves.
Once I could freely move, I followed their glorious scent. There were four girls in all, and I wanted each and every one of them, but that simply wouldn’t do. There was no need to be gluttonous.
Block after block I followed the girls until they entered a parking garage. Listening, I heard them enter the stairwell instead of the elevator. Their beach sandals scraped loudly against the cement stairs.
They laughed as they climbed inside their car, and I listened as the engine sputtered, stalled, and finally started. The girls were in no hurry, and they drove slowly away from the beach as if they truly never wanted to leave.
They dropped off the first girl at her house, and only drove away when she was safely inside. I grumbled unhappily at that and continued to follow them almost as leisurely as they drove.
The next stop was for two girls instead of one. They didn’t smell like sisters, so one of them was probably just spending the night. I still didn’t want to be gluttonous, so I continued to follow the car.
Finally, the driver turned into an apartment complex. I watched as she parked her car and exited the vehicle. I followed her down the sidewalk pathways of her apartment complex and grabbed her right as she turned the key in the door.
Before she could even register what was happening, we were a good thirty feet in the air. Once there, I fed on her slowly until I felt her struggles grow weaker and weaker. When I was finished, I dropped her bloodless body in the swimming pool, and waited for someone to come out and investigate the loud splash.
I didn’t have to wait very long.
The police arrived. The girl’s parents were notified. It was all very busy, emotional, and just plain entertaining. I liked the commotion. I liked to watch all the different human emotions.
I sensed another vampire, and it wasn’t Lorcan.
I took to the air immediately.
Once I was high enough, I stretched out all of my senses until I found the intruder. Southern California was now my territory. Trespassers would be savaged, but this new vampire wasn’t exactly a trespasser.
I followed him to a skate park in Glendale. The park was closed, but that didn’t matter much to a vampire. I watched as he skated all by his lonesome. H
e performed each and every trick without effort, and without an audience. The lights in the park weren’t even on.
I took a seat on a nearby bench and waited for the vampire to join me. Instead, he started speaking to me as he skated.
“I’ve only been here since sunset,” Ciaran laughed. “What took you so long?”
“I was feeding,” I answered.
“Have you found Lorcan yet?” Ciaran asked.
“I was with him just last night,” I answered. “What took you so long to arrive?”
“I got a bit sidetracked,” Ciaran answered.
“Do I want to know?"
“Probably not,” Ciaran said, “but I still had fun.”
My youngest brother was a bit of a wild card. Still, he was never boring. I appreciated that about him, but unfortunately, he often brought trouble our way due to his reckless nature.
“Speaking of Lorcan,” I said. “I think he’s approaching now.”
“He just woke up a little bit ago,” Ciaran said by way of an explanation.
When Lorcan finally made an appearance, he was a bit disheveled. Ciaran laughed a bit but continued skating. Lorcan sat down next to me, excitedly.
“Are we doing anything tonight?” Lorcan asked.
Ciaran hopped off his skate board and perched on the lamppost just to the right of our bench. Lorcan looked up at him and smiled. Ciaran then hung from the lamppost by one arm while chattering like a monkey.
Lorcan started laughing.
“You’ll only encourage him,” I said with my own smile.
Ciaran dropped from the lamppost and stood in front of us.
“What do you feel like doing, Lorcan?” Ciaran asked.
“I’d like to see the ocean,” Lorcan said. “Maybe we can spend time on the beach?”
“I know some secluded spots,” I said.
Ciaran was already skating again.
“Will you come with us, Ciaran?” Lorcan asked.
“I don’t know,” Ciaran answered as he moved up and down the hills and valleys of the park.
“Do you plan on spending your entire evening on that skateboard?” I asked.
“I’d rather be skating than acting like a beach bum,” Ciaran taunted.
“I’d also be interested in video games,” Lorcan added.
Ciaran skated his way back to us.
“I like video games,” Ciaran said.
“It’d be best if we found a more private place to play,” I added.
At the other end of the park, I could hear a group of boys climbing over the chain-link fence. They were chatting amongst themselves with a casual ease, which meant that they were used to sneaking into the skate park after hours.
Ciaran was already watching them hungrily, and then he went right back to skating. My youngest brother moved with grace and talent. The intruding group of boys was immediately attracted to his skill.
They tossed out casual compliments, and Ciaran ignored them until the boys became irritated. Lorcan became still and quiet as he watched the four boys loosely surround the two of us.
I smiled at the nearest boy from under my hoodie, careful not to reveal my fang teeth. The boy quickly curled up his lip as if he was disgusted in my attempt at friendliness.
“Who’s skating?” One of the boys asked.
“My little brother,” I answered.
“This is our park after hours,” the boy said. “Get your asses out of here.”
I could smell weed and alcohol on all four of the boys. They probably didn’t leave the house looking for trouble, but boys will always be boys.
“I skate better than all of you combined,” Ciaran taunted.
“Too bad you won’t be skating here anymore,” the boy threatened.
Ciaran rose high into the air, producing both middle fingers towards the group of boys. Lorcan suppressed a giggle, and I did my best to follow his example.
The boy who had been speaking moved to position himself to where Ciaran would soon be heading on the small course he was following, and I stood up abruptly to cause a distraction.
“We don’t want any trouble,” I said.
Everyone was looking at me.
Ciaran once again rose high in the air, attacking the boy closing in on him.
“Where’s your friend?” I asked.
The three boys looked, but couldn’t find Ciaran and their friend. They spread out and started searching the skate park, while Lorcan and I watched their progress. Finally, when the boys seemed more interested in threatening us than continuing to search, Ciaran made his move.
The three boys were standing in front of us. They were shouting and threatening, but so far, none of them had actually done anything to us. The fear was only beginning to creep up on them.
Patters of blood fell like rain. The boys were at first confused. Perhaps they thought it was raining, but the reality of the situation soon became apparent. They were being drenched in the blood of their friend.
The boy fell soon afterward.
The throat was torn out, and quickly a pool of red spread out around the body. The three remaining boys panicked, but only two of them tried to flee.
I followed one of the boys, confident that Ciaran would take care of the other. The final boy, the one that seemed frozen, was left with Lorcan.
I quickly caught up to the frightened boy I was chasing, spun him around, and slashed my claws at his face. The boy screamed in fear and pain. He tried to run off again, but I was already on top of him. He wasn’t my normal type of prey, but it would have been wasteful not to feed on him.
Ciaran and I returned to Lorcan at around the same time. Ciaran had blood all over his mouth and hands, but he didn’t seem to mind. The boy we left with Lorcan was still alive and huddled next to the trashcan.
“You don’t need to feed?” Ciaran asked.
“I’m good,” Lorcan answered. “This is Bret. He’s got a Playstation and all the newest games.”
“Where do you live, Bret?” I asked.
“I live a couple blocks from here,” Bret answered.
“Would you mind if we hung out at your house for a while?” Ciaran asked.
“I guess so,” Bret mumbled.
The three of us followed Bret to his front door when he surprised us all by turning around and looking me in the eyes.
“Are you going to kill me?” Bret asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” I said as I did my best to confuse his mind. “Just invite us all inside your home.”
“Yeah,” Bret mumbled. “I can do that.”
“Invite us in,” Ciaran whispered.
“You guys should come inside,” Bret whispered as he opened his front door.
We accepted the invitation and entered the house one after another. My brothers were silent as they searched out with their senses. We rarely spent time in a human’s home. Tonight was a rare treat for all of us.
There were four sleeping humans in the house, and two of them were female. I could hear all of them breathing softly. I wanted to visit each of them in their bedrooms, but Bret was barely hanging on after seeing his friends getting butchered.
I couldn’t leave him alone. Fortunately, his bedroom was at the other end of the house. Bret had a large room all to himself, and inside his room was a large screen television, a bed, and a desk with a computer. Adjoining the room, Bret also had his own bathroom and shower.
Bret was a little rich kid.
And then he was forgotten and discarded in the corner of the room while the three of us abandoned ourselves to his immense collection of video games. We were having ourselves a blast, but Bret eventually began whimpering from the corner.
Ciaran was annoyed by the noise.
“Be quiet,” Ciaran warned. “Or I’ll pull one of your ears off.”
Bret did as Ciaran asked. He became absolutely silent, but the tears were still falling from his eyes. Ciaran sneered and then went back to his game. Lorcan beat him soundly, and Ciaran leapt up
to the ceiling of the bedroom in protest.
“You can’t play from up there,” I complained.
“I’ll probably play better from up here,” Ciaran laughed.
“Bret’s father is awake,” Lorcan announced.
“He’s headed this way,” I said.
“I’ll get him,” Ciaran announced.
“No,” Bret moaned. “Please don’t. I can get rid of him. Please don’t hurt my dad.”
Lorcan and I joined Ciaran on the ceiling as Bret opened his door before his father could even knock.
“You boys are making a lot of noise,” the father said. “Your sister needs her sleep. She has try-outs tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Bret said. “I’ll keep it quiet.”
They exchanged more words, and finally, Bret’s father went back to bed. The three of us moved back in front of the television, and picked up our game as if we were never interrupted.
There was one game, a racing game that was set up for four players. Bret wasn’t exactly interested in playing with us, but we didn’t give him a choice. He wisely chose not to best us in the game, though he probably could have.
We finished playing shortly before sunrise. Unfortunately, Bret seemed to have checked out mentally at some point during our visit.
“Should we finish him?” Ciaran asked as we prepared to take our leave through the window.
“I’m more curious to see what happens if we don’t finish him,” I said.
“We could always visit again,” Lorcan said. “He has some really great games.”
Ciaran shrugged before climbing out the window and vanishing into the night. Lorcan was staring at me, hopefully, and I could do nothing to disappoint him.
“That’s fine,” I said. “We’ll leave him be, and maybe visit him in the future.”
Lorcan smiled and vanished into the gray sky.
Selma
I was in an old unused office in an old unused warehouse not far from the sea. I could smell the salt in the air, but I wasn’t allowed near any of the many broken and filthy windows outside the office.
For the most part, they ignored me.
Aside from a few bathroom breaks and some snacks, my kidnappers really had no interest in me. That was good. Things could be a lot worse. As it was, my kidnappers wanted something from my dad, and it didn’t look like they were going to harm me until they received whatever it was that they were after.
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 3
