by Drew D'Amato
“What should I do with it?”
“Nothing, it should…”
Then the blood evaporated before their eyes. A breeze of cool air swept through the room.
“It has been cast out,” Pacami said. “According to what the Templars wrote this is what normally occurred. In a few minutes he should be back to us. Let’s clean up all this broken glass. Glass cuts humans, remember.”
“I’ll get it,” Malachi said and left to get a dust pan and broom.
Jericho and Pacami both sat on the bed next to Vlad.
“Do you think it happened?” Jericho asked.
“Something happened. We just have to wait.”
Malachi returned. Jericho and Pacami heard the sound of the broom sweeping as they kept their eyes on Vlad. Then the sweeping stopped.
“What’s wrong, Malachi?” Jericho asked.
Malachi had his back toward them. He turned around holding a piece of the broken mirror.
“I can see myself in this,” he said. He turned the glass to Jericho. Jericho saw himself in it, along with Vlad lying on the bed behind him.
“It worked,” Pacami said.
Then they heard Vlad choking. He sat up in the bed. He looked confused. Malachi brought the broken piece of glass to him. Vlad looked and for the first time in six hundred years, saw himself in a mirror. He smiled wide and at the same time started to tear up.
“Thank you, Father,” he said as he put his arms around Pacami.
“No son, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving mankind.”
7
Jericho, Malachi, and Pacami waited downstairs for Vlad. He had called Jasmine a few minutes after the exorcism and told her he was finally home. She was happy, but it was Sunday night and her father needed some extra help at the bar for Sunday Night Football. It had become bigger than Monday Night Football in recent years. She told him if he wanted to, she would be out a little after twelve and could come by, but he declined the offer. As long as she promised him she would be with him tomorrow that would be fine. He told her he was jet lagged and had some unpacking to do. As passionately as he wanted to see her, he wanted to make it right the next time he saw her, not just some late night rendezvous. She told him yes, she had no classess on Mondays and was free all day. He was fine with that, exhilarated that this was all happening, and asked Jericho, Malachi, and Pacami if he could treat them all to dinner.
Vlad came downstairs dressed in a navy suit and purple tie. The men were impressed.
“Now that I can look in a mirror I can actually tie a tie,” Vlad said. He had a million-dollar smile on his face.
“Nice, so where do you want to go eat?” Jericho asked.
“Let’s let my hero decide.” Vlad turned to Pacami.
“Well I’ve always liked a nice steak,” Pacami said.
“Good, maybe this time I’ll have it medium-rare,” said Malachi.
8
The four of them went to the steakhouse Cut in Beverly Hills. The place had a wooden décor, and lots of windows in the white walls that showed off the clear night outside. Pacami was in awe of the place. However, the vampires have eaten in many comparable places all over the world. Pacami took one look at the menu, and was amazed at the prices.
“Wow, I never seen how the other half lived,” he said.
“Father, the gift you gave me is priceless. Anything you need is yours,” Vlad said.
“Thank you Vlad, but I don’t ask for much. However, the church could use a nice donation.”
“Consider it done. And feel free to order whatever you want. I recommend the filet.”
“I don’t know yet, I’m still amazed. I’ve never tried Kobe beef before.”
“It is all that.”
The men were all satisfied with their choices. Pacami had settled on a Kobe Porterhouse. It fed two, but Pacami finished it all himself. Vlad had the filet mignon, Malachi the lamb chops, but Jericho decided to go for the lobster. For the first time in centuries he didn’t crave meat, and he wanted to take advantage of it. They all enjoyed their meals, but Malachi and Vlad realized that steak tartare was not that appealing of an appetizer without their vampiric taste buds.
Between their appetizers and their main course Pacami did have one question left for Vlad.
“Vlad when I was reading the Dark Bible, I noticed that even the Templars referred to the vampires as actually vampires. Well, it is vampire in the translated format, that codex refers to words in Latin. Did they really call them vampires or some form of the word back then? I had researched the term a bit after I first met you and found it didn’t appear in English until 1734.”
“Well the English version was derived from the German word vampir and even that came from Serbian and Slavic words. Yes, we were thought of as vampires by the Templars. I think the question you’re really asking though, is where did this term actually originate from? The answer is that it came by a mistake, one made by Judas himself.
“The idea of blood-drinking demons had been around since the dawn of man, but so had other superstitions and myths that have also proved false. These creatures had been given many names over the years—Uruku in Mesopotamia, Akhkharu in Sumeria and Assyria, Vetala in India, even some ancient Jews believed in Lilith, the mother of all vampires, and supposedly also the true first wife of Adam who later became a succubus. Judas did not want to use any of these names to describe himself because he knew they were just folklore. Also they were not rooted in Christianity, and he did not want to give credence to any other religion. Instead he decided upon just calling himself a witch, since that term is used in both the New and Old Testaments.
“However, of course he did not just say witch in English, since English did not even exist back then. He had actually spent some time in Byzantine in the 11th century, before he met the Templars because it was one of the most powerful cities in the world, and a major Christian city on the battlelines with the rising Islamic religion at the time. Living in this land he used a Turkic word that along with witch also meant an evil supernatural entity. The word was ubyr.
“While he was in Byzantine, the Russian Prince Vladimir of Novgorod led an attack on the Byzantine Emperor in 1042. Russia had recently adopted Christianity in 988. Judas, acting as a priest was granted an audience with the prince. He asked the prince why he would attack a Christian nation and not a Muslim one. The reason was of course money, and the prince was more of a Christian for political reasons. The prince was insulted by the priest’s pompousnss to question the actions of a prince and threatened to kill Judas on the spot; and though Judas did not fear death, he did fear discovery of his true nature. He begged for forgiveness and as a gratitude for the mercy of the prince, he offered to translate the Book of Psalms for the prince into Cyrillic. The prince accepted Judas’s offer.
“Judas originally intenteded to translate it for the prince because Christianity was new to his country, and maybe he didn’t understand what really it meant to be a Christian, and this would enlighten him. He had the book completed and gave it to the prince in 1047. However, the more Judas worked on it, the more he felt a man like this prince would never know what it was like to truly be Christian. He used this religion for political reasons and fought wars for wealth. As he labored over his work, he grew angry at the prince, and decided to put some fear in him, so he signed the book as that his name was Wicked Witch.
“However, Judas’s penmanship in Cyrillic was not too neat and he what he wrote looked like Upir Likhyi—Wicked Vampire. The prince was insulted by this signing and sent his men out to find this priest. Seacrh for this Vampire, was the order. Judas caught wind of it and escaped back to Akeldama, but en route he also learned of this word vampire used to identify him. He decided to embrace it for himself, and almost fifty years later he would use it to tell the Templars what he was. That word survived in the Slavic language, and over the years it was translated to vampir in German and vampyre in French, and then eventually vampi
re in English.
“It was Radu’s arrogance in Europe during the great vampire scare—bragging about what he was to the few surivivors—that would re-introduce this word to the world with it’s modern definition. Those involved in the Knights of Templar and the Order of the Dragon kept the secret of this word to the grave, but Radu made it so that even regular townsfolk knew about it. That is how the term vampire came about, and why it appears to be only a few hundred years old.”
Malachi rose his glass with a smile. “To Radu, for being such a cocky bastard, inviting us into his house, allowing us to have our powers, and then trapping himself in a panic room, only to still die. It’s just a shame we can only kill you once.”
The four of them toasted to that.
9
It was probably the best dinner Vlad ever had in all of his existence. They drove Pacami home. Malachi drove, Jericho sat shotgun, and Vlad and Pacami were in the back. Pacami asked what Vlad had planned for Jasmine tomorrow.
“I think I’m going to rent a boat.”
“A boat, master, what if—” Jericho said.
“What if what Jericho, I fall into the ocean? Then I just go for a swim. We can swim now in moving water.”
Jericho’s face dawned with recognition. They had gone from vampires to humans, but they actually felt more powerful now than before. When they got to the Divine Saviour, Vlad stopped Pacami when he started to get out.
“Father, hold on,” Vlad said and took out his checkbook from his breast pocket. He wrote out a check. He then got out and walked with Pacami back to the rectory.
“I cannot describe how thankful I am,” Vlad told him.
“Vlad, I’m just happy that everything happened the way it was supposed to. It’s good when these things happen.”
“It is. Take this.” Vlad handed the check to Pacami. The Father looked at the figure and handed it back.
“Vlad, I can’t take this. This is far too much.”
“It is nothing compared to what I am worth. In fact think of it as an installment. One that you will get annually.”
“Vlad, this is ridiculous.”
“Father, this is nothing of a sacrifice for what I am worth. In fact, I feel it is too little, but this might be strange enough to be taken seriously, nevermind if I made it larger. Take it for me. It will make me feel like I have given something back.”
“You have already.”
“No, you can always give more. Please take it.”
“Okay.” Pacami took the check from his hands and walked up the steps of the rectory. He turned around. “Vlad will I see you in church?”
“Every Sunday.”
Pacami walked back into the rectory thinking of someway he could explain this check. He felt guilty taking it from Vlad, but Vlad insisted and he really couldn’t refuse how much good a donation like this can do for the church and the needy. Five million dollars went a long way.
TWO
1
Vlad woke up the next day with a feeling in him like a kid on Christmas morning. Today was his day with Jasmine. He wasn’t focused on the physical aspect. If she made him wait months, even years until marriage, he had no problem with it. He loved her. All he wanted was her, and now he could have her.
Panic set in as he woke, fearing maybe the exorcism had not worked. He jumped out of bed to rush to the mirror in his private bathroom to see. He had a strange dream the other night, maybe the exorcism was a dream, too? If it was real now than it was true. Three strides before he got the bathroom he got the confirmation he needed.
He stubbed his big right toe on the doorway to the bathroom. He didn’t even have socks on to protect himself. The hit occurred right on the toe’s knuckle with no muscle to protect him. He jerked back his foot in pain. The pain did not go away, the feeling lasted. He hadn’t felt a pain like that from something simple since he was a mortal.
He made it to the bathroom, hobbling. He still needed to see. He saw his face in the mirror, and that helped make the pain go away. There he was, standing in front of the mirror, looking at himself. He didn’t have to pinch himself; the toe was a good enough test. It was his first full day being a human again. He was excited, he was going to see Jasmine. He was going swimming.
He also noticed on his face some stubble on his cheek. His hair was growing now. He was aware of what razors were, and the use of shaving cream. A world of difference from the last time he shaved. As if he had willed it, he looked down and saw a disposable razor, foam shaving cream, and a note. It was written by Jericho’s hand: Welcome to the world of the living, maybe now you can get rid of that stache.
Maybe I should, Vlad thought. If he missed it, it could now grow back.
He looked at the razor, a Mach 3. He had seen shaving commercials for this razor over the years. He understood the foam was applied and then the face shaved with the razor. He took the plastic top off of the shaving cream and read the directions on the can. It was one of the few instances in the world when someone actually had to read them. He wet his hands and his face. He pressed the button on the foam and it shot out into his hand, far too much than he needed. He wasn’t sure how much to use, so he ended up looking like a snowman. He took the razor, hovered it above his upper lip, and then jerked down hard on his mustache.
Malachi and Jericho heard him scream from downstairs.
They ran up, saw Vlad bleeding from his upper lip, and did what was the most human response at the time. They laughed.
“That mustache it too thick. Hold on, I’ll get you scissors,” Malachi said and walked back downstairs laughing.
Jericho nodded his head to Vlad and then took the razor and showed Vlad how to do it. He shaved his cheeks that only had the small stubble on it.
“How do you know so well?” Vlad asked.
“Malachi and I did it this morning. That’s why we bought you this.”
Vlad noticed a cut on Jericho’s left cheek. Jericho saw that he noticed the cut.
“Yeah, we had some problems too.”
Vlad laughed. “So how long have you guys been up?”
“Three hours, it’s almost noon.”
“Shit, I gotta call Jasmine, why didn’t you wake me?”
“We figured you needed your rest after what you went through last night.”
“Yeah, it was pretty cold in my room, too.”
“We called to have a guy come for the windows. He’ll be here in a few days.”
“A few days. What am I going to do until then?”
“Sleep in one of the other eight bedrooms in the house.”
Malachi made it back up to the bathroom, with scissors in hand.
“Trim a little bit first.”
Vlad took them from him and got to work. After a few minutes he was finished. Jericho looked at him. “I’m so proud of my boy.”
Vlad took a look in the mirror. It was the first time he did not have facial hair in six hundred years. He was proud.
“Malachi, find a place where I can get a haircut for today.”
“Whoa, Jasmine might not even recognize ya.”
“Look, I understand that even without trying there was probably still some vampiric vibes put over on Jasmine. Now, I will have none of them. I am nervous. I think I should try to look more like someone from this century.”
“Good idea, I’ll see what I can find.” Malachi left the bathroom to get on the computer.
2
Vlad asked Jasmine to meet him at Marina del Rey around four. He had a surprise for her, he said. He actually had two suprises for her. The first she noticed the moment she met him outside the marina on the curb of Palawan Way. He was clean-shaven with a short, spiked hair-cut. She was shocked, and a little impressed. He looked suave.
“Vlad, you cut your hair. What made you do it?”
“Well the funeral I went to in Europe was for an old family member, who always asked for me to cut my hair. I did it as a tribute to him.”
“Oh, I didn’t think you were that clos
e to the one who died. You didn’t seem it.”
“Not now, but I was close to him as a child. My life will be a little different now without him.”
“So was this the big surprise?”
“No, I could have shown you my new haircut anywhere. I also wouldn’t have told you to bring your bathing suit too.”
“That’s true. I’m wearing it underneath this sundress.” She had on a light purple dress, and sandals with thick heels, along with large oversize, Jackie O style sunglasses. Vlad was dressed in a blue, short-sleeved bowling shirt, and cargo shorts that showed off his pale legs. Jasmine continued. “Did you want to walk along the boardwalk before we go swimming? There are always so many weirdos on Venice Beach that are fun to check out.”
“Oh, we are not going to the beach.” He took her hand and led her inside Blue Pacific Boating.
3
Vlad approached the receptionist at the desk, still holding Jasmine’s hand.
“Hello there, how may I help you?” the perky, young associate at the desk with long blond hair asked. She looked to be not even 21, and was a little taken back by the age discrepancy between the two.
“Well, we are looking to take out a boat.”
“Vlad!” Jasmine said from behind him. He turned back around toward her, still connected to her hand.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“You don’t have to spend that much for me.”
“If we only did what we have to, how much fun would life be? You said your schedule is free, right?”
“Yes, until class tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good.” Vlad turned back to the associate. “Yes, we want a boat.”
“Okay,” the associate said keeping her smile. “When would you like it?”
“Today.”
“For how long?”
Vlad turned to Jasmine, smiled at her, and then turned back. “Is overnight possible?” Vlad felt Jasmine’s hand clench around his. He turned back toward her. “You said you were free, right?”
“Just don’t get any ideas.”
“I’m not getting any ideas along those lines, trust me.”
