“Tell us about, Derry,” the pretty blonde said.
“How about no?” I said.
“Selma!” Dad warned.
“It’s fine,” Glen said. “We don’t need to know about Derry right now. We don’t even need to know about his brothers. Instead, perhaps we should tell you about what we know about vampires.”
The blonde and Glen took a seat across from me at the kitchen table, while Tyler and Dad each took a seat on either side of me.
“I’ve been hunting vampires for about seventeen years,” Glen said. “That’s a pretty long time to be working this job. Most hunters only last about five years, so when I tell you that I have experience, I hope you’ll believe me.”
I didn’t say anything, but I was paying attention.
“Vampires are real,” Glen said. “They exist, and they are absolutely fucking terrifying. Vampire hunters don’t post help wanted ads in newspapers. We don’t put up Facebook pages and search for followers. We recruit our hunters out of the ashes of tragedy. Each person you see in this room is a survivor, and now they’re fighting back.”
“What are you fighting against?” I asked. “Derry doesn’t kill people."
Without another word, Glen pulled a stack of glossy photos from his backpack and gently placed them on the table. I immediately recognized the faces of my kidnappers though their bodies were torn and twisted.
I felt no remorse.
“Those men were going to kill me,” I said. “They deserved what they got.”
Glen took in my words, nodded, and produced more glossy photographs. I didn’t recognize these new victims, but most of them had excessive amounts of damage, usually around the throat.
“There’s a serial killer running around Southern California,” I said. “These look a lot like his victims.”
“There’s definitely a serial killer running around Southern California,” the blonde laughed, “but he isn’t human. No human could do some of the things this killer has done. The media isn’t reporting everything. They seldom do with vampire attacks.”
I looked through photo after photo, but I couldn’t believe Derry would do anything so violent and horrible. He was so gentle with me.
“Vampires are something special,” the blonde said. “They are the ultimate supernatural predator, and they are so very lethal. Everything about them is built for the kill. Even their bodies seem beautiful from the shadows. Their strength is incredible, they move fast, they have inhuman senses. Humans mean nothing to them. We’re only a source of food. A vampire has no remorse.”
“The real zinger is, Derry and his brothers aren’t like other vampires,” Glen added. “They’re a bit different, and a whole lot more dangerous.”
“Why would that be?” I asked.
“Their age,” Glen said. “Derry and his brothers died too young. They never matured. Now, they’ll stay the same age and the same maturity level for eternity. Adult vampires don’t take the risks that Derry does. They don’t allow their kills to be found. Derry and his brothers seem to delight in frightening people. Everywhere they go, there’s chaos and death. Me and my team have been waiting for them to arrive here for the last five years.
“Why would you want them to arrive?” I asked.
“So we can kill them,” the blonde answered.
My mouth dropped.
“I can’t wait to tell my friends about all this,” I said.
“Your friends are probably dead,” the blonde said.
“I doubt that very much,” I said.
“How old do you think Derry is?” Glen asked.
“He’s my age,” I answered.
“Sure he is,” Glen said, “but he died in 1885 with his two brothers, and let me tell you, none of these boys were good characters while they were still alive. These three brothers were abandoned by their step-father, somewhere in Arizona. After that, they got by on robbing travelers on the outskirts of towns.”
“They were relatively famous at the time,” the blonde said as she pulled out a wanted poster with a very rudimentary drawing of three young men with scowling faces.”
“He has an Irish accent,” I said.
“That would make sense,” Glen said. “He’s originally from Ireland, though I can’t tell you when they immigrated. Our records aren’t the best. It’s truly a wonder we have any information on them at all, but we do know that he ran into a vampire at some point in 1885, and we know that Derry and his brothers became cursed.”
More glossy photos were placed upon the kitchen table.
I looked at each of them as they were laid down, but I still couldn’t believe Derry would hurt anyone.
“Why haven’t you stopped him?” I asked.
“He’s a vampire,” Glen answered. “Vampires aren’t easy to kill. Plus, we need to find his lair and attack him during the daytime. Nobody ever fights a vampire after sunset. That would be suicide.”
“You’ve run into Derry before,” I said.
“He attacked us at our home,” Glen said. “He even killed one of us just so we would know he was around.”
“This was recently?” I asked.
“Yes,” the blonde answered.
“You said you’ve been waiting for him?” I asked. “How did you know he’d come here?”
“They stay mobile,” Glen answered. “They were here in the fifties, and they haven’t been back. It was just a matter of time and a matter of figuring out their patterns.”
“He makes it sound easy,” the blonde said. “It was anything but easy. Derry and his brothers never have a real plan. They vanish when they’ve drawn too much attention, and then they reappear a few years maybe even a decade later in a different part of the country.”
“Once in Texas they damn near took out an entire town,” Glen said. “We showed up late for that one. It was bad; the brothers even turned a few of the citizens before they vanished. We had to clean up the mess. It wasn’t easy. We lost some good people that day, but we got the job done.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said. “I don’t want to believe this.”
“Of course not,” Glen said. “And that’s not your fault. These creatures are master manipulators when they want to be, and their hypnotic powers are rather strong. The average person doesn’t stand a chance.”
“You’re just lucky we’re here now,” the blonde said. “We have time to get you someplace safe before things turn bad.”
“I’m safe right here in my home,” I said.
“Not if you invited him inside,” the blonde said.
Everyone in the room looked me in the face. My father groaned.
“Selma,” Dad said. “Why?”
“He didn’t hurt me,” I said stubbornly.
“He will,” Glen said. “This home is no longer safe. We need to relocate back to our house. It’s right outside of L.A. We’ll all be safe there.”
“I’m not leaving,” I said. “This is getting ridiculous. None of you are listening to me. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you? Derry isn’t dangerous.”
“A teenage girl is telling us that a vampire isn’t dangerous,” Glen said. “I guess we aren’t needed, after all.”
The vampire hunters in the room laughed.
My father and my little brother didn’t.
“Go upstairs and pack some clothes and whatnot,” Dad said.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“I’m very serious,” Dad said. “We’ll spend a few days with these people. Perhaps that’ll be enough to convince you.”
“Dad,” I said.
“Go,” Dad said. “Go pack.”
“I’ll help you,” the blonde said.
The two of us left the room as whispered conversations began to spring up in our absence. The blonde followed me upstairs, and smiled when I opened my bedroom door.
“I love your room,” The blonde said. “My name’s Felony, by the way.”
“Your name is Felony?” I asked. “Are you
a stripper?”
“No,” Felony answered. “I’m not a stripper. The other girl in our group, her name is Trixie. We sort of picked new names after our lives were shredded up.”
At that moment, Felony moved in a certain way, and her black leather jacket slide away from her collarbone, exposing heavily scarred skin. It was shocking to see such a violent disfigurement on such a pretty girl.
Felony noticed my reaction.
“Vampires,” Felony said. “Everyone thinks their immediate victims get it the worst because their bodies are so mutilated, but I happen to know that’s not the case.”
“A vampire did that to you?” I asked.
“It’s what they do,” Felony explained. “They kill, and they hurt. They destroy lives, and the victims that catch their interest get it the worst. They kill off your friends. They prey on your neighbors, and eventually, they turn on you as well.”
“Why would they do that?” I asked.
“They grow bored,” Felony said.
“I can’t imagine Derry doing any of that,” I said.
I saw a flicker of something pass through Felony’s features, but she didn’t say anything.
“You’ll be safe with us,” Felony said without warning. “Derry and his brothers can’t enter our house because we won’t invite them.”
“All your doing is keeping us apart,” I said.
“Hopefully, that’ll be enough,” Felony said.
“That’ll be enough for what?” I asked.
“To expose him,” Felony answered. “I want to expose him. I want you to see what he truly is. When that happens, we won’t have to fight with you anymore. You’ll want us to help you.”
“You mean I’ll want you to kill him?” I asked.
“That won’t be so easy,” Felony said. “We’ll try. Of course, we’ll try, but unless we get really lucky most of what we’ll be doing is hiding.”
“You want me to spend the rest of my life hiding?” I asked.
“You caught the attention of a vampire,” Felony said. “They aren’t going to let you run off into the sunset. This has only two endings for you as far as a vampire is concerned. You’re either going to become one of them, or you’re going to die.”
“I’m not going to hide for the rest of my life,” I said. “That’s ridiculous. I’m young. I want a life.”
“So did I,” Felony said. “So did Trixie, and so did my sister whom we recently lost, but none of that matters anymore. The most you can do is leave the country. The brothers don’t seem interested in traveling outside of the United States, probably something to do with territoriality.”
“So I can leave the country,” I said, “And hopefully I’ll be safe, but if I ever return, I might end up a meal for a vampire?”
“They’ll be drawn to you,” Felony said. “They can find you if they want. I’m not sure how they do it, but they do.”
I took in everything Felony was telling me, but something wasn’t right. Felony was holding something back, and she wasn’t anywhere near close to revealing to me what her true secrets were.
I didn’t trust her.
I didn’t trust any of them.
I didn’t doubt that vampires could be horrible. I very much understood that they could be incredibly nasty, but Derry wasn’t. He just wasn’t. I couldn’t be fooled that easily. He just wasn’t a killer.
I packed.
Tyler packed.
Derry
My brothers and I gathered across the street from Betty’s house only a half an hour after sunset. Both of them still looked rather monstrous from their lack of feeding. That wasn’t my fault, but they seemed to be blaming me nonetheless.
Now they were going to feast.
Betty had a crowded house. Her father would be enjoying his retirement party in the next few days, and there were visiting relatives. We could hear their conversations, and though a few of the younger children were already fast asleep, most of the adults were still chatting happily.
“I’m counting at least ten adults,” Ciaran said as his teeth began popping out from his gumline.
“It’ll be a feast,” I said.
“We’ll need to gain entrance,” Ciaran said.
“Leave that to me,” I said. “The two of you are pretty fearsome looking right now.”
I pulled up my hoodie, and quickly made my way across the street. I unscrewed the lightbulb hanging over the door, and knocked quietly.
A middle-aged woman answered the door.
“Can I help you?” The woman asked as she strained her eyes to see me in the darkness.
“I’m lost,” I said. “Can I use your phone?”
The woman flicked at her light switch multiple times before looking back towards me. I could sense her studying me, and I hated it.
“Can I come inside?” I asked.
“No,” the woman answered.
She was getting nervous. She didn’t see anything that would frighten her, but she was sensing the danger. That happens sometimes. Some humans are just a bit more perceptive.
“I’m scared,” I said. “I can’t find my parents.”
“I’ll see if I can find a cell phone,” the woman said.
A male voice called from inside the house. He wanted to know who was at the door. All it would take is for one person to get a decent look at me, and it’d all be over.
“I think someone is trying to hurt me,” I said.
“What?” The woman asked. “Wait, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
“I’m just frightened,” I said. “Please, open the door, and invite me inside.”
“Honey!” The male voice called out. “Is it a salesman?”
“No,” the woman answered. “It’s a young man. He says he’s lost.”
In no time at all, the man was at the door next to his wife. With barely a glance in my direction, he took control over the situation.
“Well, honey,” the man said. “Let him inside so we can help him.”
The woman tried to explain, but the man wasn’t listening.
“Come inside, son,” the man said as he opened the screen door. “The kitchen is this way. We still have an old-fashioned landline. Do you know…?”
I had the man by the throat with one hand, and his wife by the back of her hair with my other hand. Slowly I turned the woman around to face me. She didn’t like what she was seeing, but somehow she managed to keep from screaming.
“Invite my brothers inside your home,” I whispered.
“What brothers?” The woman asked.
I turned her head, and she looked at both Lorcan and Ciaran who had already arrived at her front door.
“Invite them in,” I said as I finally managed to lock eyes.
“Absolutely,” the woman agreed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
The husband was struggling in my arms, so I opened my jaws wide and crunched through his collarbone in an explosion of blood.
“Please come inside,” the woman said with a trembling voice.
Ciaran was on her without pause.
I watched as my youngest brother brutally fed without a care in the world. Lorcan entered and immediately made his way deeper into the house. A few family members made their way to the front door due to all the noise we were making. At first they were confused, but as they took in the bloody corpses by the front door confusion rapidly gave way to mind-numbing fear.
I watched from a darkened corner as Ciaran rounded up all the adults. Lorcan still wandered about the back of the house. The adults ranged in age from teenagers to senior citizens. They were scared to death, and one of the females kept screaming short little whimpers every time Ciaran or I looked her way.
Her loud voice was annoying my little brother, and he showed her his teeth in a threatening manner. That set off the oldest man in the room, who rose to his feet threateningly only to have Ciaran jump up and wrap his arms around the tall man's neck.
Some of the adults began to punch Ciaran as the
elderly man grew weak in the knees, but my younger brother ignored their strikes. More of the women started screaming as the elderly man fell over and stopped struggling.
I was laughing.
From somewhere in the back of the house, Lorcan was laughing as well. I wondered if he’d found another video game system.
The blood was already working through Ciaran’s system. His frame was filling out, and a certain human-like warmth appeared on his cheeks.
I focused on Betty, and that sent the poor girl into hysterics. I laughed slightly as more and more teeth crowded into my mouth, and I wondered why Selma liked the girl. She was vaguely attractive, despite being Selma’s complete opposite, but I didn’t sense anything remarkable about her.
How did humans choose their companions?
I was with my brothers, because they were my brothers. The three of us had been family since I could remember. I needed both of them, and I couldn’t imagine what my existence would be without them. I loved them both.
Betty’s family did their best to hold on to her as I pulled her away from the mass of her relatives. The poor girl was rigid with fear. I spun her around to face her family, and then I buried my teeth into her neck.
Before she was dead, I savagely threw her body across the room into the far wall. I did damage, but she’d survive. The fear in the room was intoxicating. Ciaran moaned as he drained his third or fourth victim. A wave of delight passed over me the moment I bit into the next throat.
Too much blood.
I tore the teenager's head from his shoulders accidentally as I sucked on the brutal wounds in his neck. Ciaran laughed at that. Actually, Ciaran was laughing at everything. The two of us were all too quickly intoxicated with blood, and neither of us wanted to slow down.
A woman ran from the room, and I lazily watched her go. Ciaran was about to give chase, but I waved him away.
“I’ll get her,” I said. “You stay here until they’re all finished.”
Ciaran didn’t respond. He only rolled his black eyes up into his skull as he sucked on someone’s femoral artery.
My clothes were wet with spilled blood as I pursued the woman from the living room into the garage. Once there, she threw all manner of tools and utensils at me as I grew closer and closer.
The Forgotten: A Vampire Story Page 13
