6. Garlic. Certain European legends state that garlic will ward of evil spirits, in this case vampires. Worn around the neck of a potential victim or strung around the house was the common method. Damn, now my stomach is rumbling thinking about garlic bread!
7. Running water. Supposedly vamps can’t cross running water. Fat lot of good this will do me. Maybe I can live in the middle of the Yarra River. I should find a map and see it there are any islands there.
So there we have it. What to do now? I am going to test these various theories and find out which ones are real and which can remain myths and legends. First things first, I’ve got to go shopping.
31st December 2011. 15.53pm.
I think I’m ready for tomorrow. I’ll run the first of my tests early in the morning. I found a little fruit and veg shop not far from here. Nearly everything was rotten, the smell was appalling. However, there was a whole bunch of garlic bulbs tucked away out the back. They are still fresh. In fact my backpack reeks of garlic. If the garlic theory works then at least my backpack will be safe.
I also paid a visit to a little bluestone church near my old house. The big wooden doors were unlocked and everything was quiet and cool inside. A weird feeling came over me as I opened the little gate to enter the churchyard. I felt really good for some reason, sort of calm and confident. Our family has never been religious at all and to tell the truth I’ve never really thought about it. But my mind keeps coming back to that little church. Inside I found a baptismal fount near the entrance. It was about half full of water. I was able to fill a 600ml water bottle but who knows if the water has been blessed or not. I also took a large silver cross that was laid across the main altar. I felt bad for taking it, but no one else is using it. Not sure if it is actually made of silver, but I didn’t find any myths about vampires and silver, I’m pretty sure silver bullets are for werewolves anyway. God help me if they are real as well.
It’s also New Years Eve tonight. I picked up a bottle of red wine during my shopping excursion today. Might crack it open tonight and celebrate. I wonder if any other survivors in Melbourne will do the same? I’ll give them a toast.
1st January. 00.14am.
Some party. I fell asleep at 9.30pm. I had about half the bottle of red wine and it made me so drowsy. I actually feel a bit queasy now, not enough to throw up but enough to tip the rest of the bottle down the sink.
The last time I drank red wine was at this party Rory and I went to. Rory had somehow managed to get a cask of the stuff. We were pretty toasted by the time we turned up. The party was for this girl Katy from Rory’s year level so I didn’t know that many people there. It was at a local scout hall in Box Hill and there must have been fifty kids there. The parents were trying to keep some semblance of order but you could tell things were beyond their control. Not long after the cops arrived, the surrounding houses were finally fed up with the noise and drunken yobbos trashing their front yards. A group of us ran for it and ended up in the playground of a primary school. Rory still had the cask and we passed it around. There was this girl I didn’t know, I think she was from the private school up in Surrey Hills, and she was really drunk. She eventually passed out and some of the guys began to make fun of her. One guy lifted up her top and giggled like a baboon. It made me sick to watch. I stood up and pushed him away from her. Luckily Rory backed me up, because these guys could have easily beaten the crap out of me. They blustered and acted tough but I stuck to guns. I don’t think the girl even had any friends there with her. Rory and I managed to help her to her feet and half drag, half walk her to the main road. We waited there for hours it seems until a group of frantic girls found us. They had been looking for her all night and didn’t trust us. We pleaded innocence and eventually just left. What else could we do?
I don’t think I’ll try red wine any time soon.
Happy New Year Melbourne.
1st January. 08.50am.
Woke up with a massive headache this morning. Bloody red wine. A couple of Panadol and a litre of water seems to have cleared it up. I don’t want to be fuzzy headed this morning because I’m conducting the first of my experiments today.
I’ve decided to go with the Holy Water first up. There is a very good reason for this, I can throw the water from a distance and run. I’m going to perform these trials at least a half hour ride from my safe house so that no unwelcome attention is focused in that area.
I think I’m all set. I will report back the results as soon as humanly possible.
1st January. 10.29am.
Unbelievable. I can tell you one thing for certain: that water was blessed by a member of the cloth.
I picked a house at random and tried the front door. It was unlocked, a good sign that the place was ‘occupied’. Just inside the front passageway was a bedroom. A large bulge was underneath the heavy blankets on the bed. I crept slowly forward and grasped the bottom edge of the covers. I backed away even slower pulling the covers with me. A ghastly pale grey face was revealed at the other end. This was no thing of terrible beauty like Kelly, it was plain old terrible. It’s right ear had been torn away before it’s reanimation, I could see almost it’s entire inner ear and bone structure amongst the ragged grey flesh. It was a lesser vampire, just one of the millions now stalking the streets at night.
I watched the wretched thing for a few heartbeats to make sure it lay dormant, then I got ready. I threw my backpack outside and made sure the path to the front door was free of any obstructions. I clutched the bottle of water nervously and stood in the doorway of the bedroom. The vampire hadn’t moved an inch. I unscrewed the bottle and the lid slipped through my fingers. It bounced along the floorboards making a clacking sound. I cringed and turned to run but the vampire didn’t stir. It’s like they are in a coma during the daylight hours. I took a few deep breaths and double checked my exit path. Then I flicked the bottle underhanded towards sleeping beauty. I stopped the flick abruptly, letting out a thick stream of water. My aim was deadly. The bulk of the fluid splashed against the vampires neck and face. Instantly it awoke and shrieked., the noise tore at my ears and seemed to invade my brain. It was a sound conveying only one thought: Pain. The vampire thrashed around madly, clawing at it’s face. I stood there dumfounded at the sight. It’s flesh appeared to be melting right off the bone. Little wisps of white smoke or steam were rising where the skin and muscle was dissolving. Soon I could see two yellow eyeballs rolling around a head that was half skull and half face. The eyes locked onto mine and I could sense it’s pain and despair. It reached out to me and that’s when I turned and fled.
I ran halfway down the street and looked back. The street looked deserted and ordinary, no way would you think that an evil, undead creature of the night was slowly dissolving in one of the houses. Once I worked up the courage, I re-entered the house and cautiously peeked into the bedroom. The air was thick with white smoke. It smelt like sulphur, or at least what I think sulphur smells like. The vampire had fallen out of the bed in its final death throes. Almost three quarters of it’s head was gone, simply melted away. Even if that didn’t kill it, it wasn’t growing back like I had seen them do before. And I don’t care how deadly these vampires are, if they don’t have a head, they can’t bite me.
I was exhilarated after my first successful experiment, but I’m not going to get carried away. Holy water would be useless if I was surrounded by these things. Unless I had a fire hose of the stuff. How cool would that be!
I’m going to try the sunlight myth tomorrow.
1st January. 16.59pm.
Can’t stop thinking about that vampire I killed today. When I committed the deed I was so excited and thrilled. But the more I think about it, the sicker I feel. That creature was once a living, breathing human. He probably had a family, people who cared about him. He had dreams and aspirations of his own. But then again so did I. And what have both of us got now? Nothing. All he had was an endless thirst for blood and all I have is a pointless existence where the only goa
l is to survive.
At least he isn’t stuck in that undead state anymore. Maybe his soul can rest now he’s free of that shell. Or maybe it left when he turned vamp, who the fuck knows. I’m going to continue to do my little experiments, only because it will help me survive. I don’t think I’ll be excited as I was today. After they are all done, I won’t wantonly kill anymore. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway, the population of Melbourne is around four million. Even if I became a full time exterminator it would only be a drop in the ocean.
2nd January. 12.08pm.
I had to go back and check on that vampire from yesterday. It was still alive. On some level it must have been functioning, don’t ask me how, it had only a portion of its head left. It had crawled under the bed at some stage during the night. I felt so sad and miserable for it. So I decided that I should put it out of it’s misery by testing the sunlight method.
I carefully looped my rope from Bunnings around it’s legs and pulled it tight. The creature didn’t move a muscle, not sure it this is because of the injury or it’s normal daylight coma. I dragged on the other end of the rope. What astounded me the most was how much an inert adult body weighs, it took me a few minutes to shift it to the front door. I steeled myself for a last effort and dragged the vampire out into the sunlight as fast as I could. The body rolled awkwardly down the steps and onto the front lawn. Immediately it began to twitch and spasm. I jumped back and watched the incredible scene before me. The vampire began to smoke, not like the holy water but this time with thick oily black smoke. Flames erupted along it’s body until it was fully consumed. It didn’t last long after that. Once it stopped moving it was only a matter of a few minutes and it was all over. All that was left was ash, bone and swirling smoke..
I stood there in a state of shock, it had happened so quickly. The violence of it was incredible. I creeped closer and saw the skeleton was almost completely intact, I could see the deformed jaw with the sharp fangs protruding menacingly. At least now he was dead.
I confirmed my results with a second attempt. Again the vampire didn’t move a muscle until the sunlight bathed its skin. This time however the ghoul reacted with more animation, probably because it wasn’t injured like the previous one. It managed to rise to it’s feet by the time the flames had caught hold. It attempted to run back in the house but it was already to late. The inferno was like a column, the flames spiralling upward from the vampires feet to the tip of it’s head. It took one step and crumbled into a messy heap. I kicked at the ashes and bones and felt terrible.
At least I won’t have to do this again. Hopefully.
3rd January. 9.19pm.
I’ve been putting it off for too long, but I went to Rory’s house today. I know why I didn’t want to go. One, I’m terrified of what I might find and two, I always feel so down after these visits. There is only so much despair I can cope with. The last few days have been hectic with my experimenting, so I thought I would do something different today.
I had spoken to Rory’s dad on the phone before they went dead. He had warned me away from their house. That had shocked me at the time but I can understand his situation now. He was just looking out for his family. I walked to their house and found it empty. I was relieved to some extent, it could’ve been worse. I poked around the house for awhile, trying to figure out what had happened. Their station wagon was gone and some of Rory’s clothes were missing. I can’t be sure if his mum and dad’s clothes were gone too but I couldn’t find any suitcases. It looks like they left town. I wish there was a note of some kind but I found nothing. I wouldn’t have the foggiest idea of where they had gone, they didn’t have any relatives in the country nor did hey own a holiday house.
I took some tins from their cupboard and left the house behind. They must have left in a hurry because Rory’s dad’s Jeep was parked in the street. This was his pride and joy; he even washed it twice a week. He had even let Rory and I have a turn driving it on our L plates. Once Rory got his license though, he wasn’t allowed to take it out alone. I went back into their house a found the Jeep’s keys. I left a note saying I had taken the car and where to find me. I don’t care if his Dad tells me off, it would be good to talk to anybody at this stage.
I stalled it three times before I got moving. I didn’t get out of second gear at all during the trip back to the safe house. I’ll have to practice a bit more before I’m confident enough to drive more. I parked the Jeep a few streets away so I don’t draw attention to my hidey hole. I’ll stick to the bike for now, it doesn’t make as much noise.
4th January. 09.45am.
I’ve been thinking I’ll move into that little church near my old place. I can’t describe the feeling I get when I go inside. It just feels like the right thing to do. I sat on one of the pews yesterday for awhile after the horrors of the morning. It made everything seem better, I didn’t feel as down.
I’m about to attempt the crucifix and the stake today, then I’m all done with this shit. I don’t want to do it, especially the stake, but it must be done. I have to know what kills them, to keep me safe.
I think I’m ready.
5th January. 11.20am.
I’m a lucky son of a bitch. Yet again.
I had wanted to do the crucifix test first. I found a rather fat fiend in a bedroom of an old house and took the crucifix out of my backpack. The cross is quite heavy, it’s obviously made of solid metal. It looks silver, but I can’t be sure. It must be at least forty centimetres long.
I tiptoed up to the vamp and dithered about how to proceed. The vamp didn’t have any obvious wounds like most of them, but its skin was that ugly grey colour. The vamp was wearing the filthy remains of a shirt. It was ripped at the neck, exposing the corpulent flesh of its chest. I reached over the inert ghoul and placed the cross directly on top of it, then jumped backwards to the doorway. At first nothing happened, then all hell broke loose. The cross suddenly glowed white hot, as if a hundred light bulbs were lit within it. The fat vampire shrieked in agony. I had to clamp my hands over my ears to block out the noise it was so loud. The fiend convulsed on top of the bed and struck out all four limbs in a spasmodic reaction. The crucifix slipped off and clanged onto the floor. Immediately the light within it began to fade. The vampire whimpered and slowly settled back into its deep sleep. I crouched down and retrieved the cross, my eyes never leaving the dozing vamp. I expected the metal to be hot or at least warm but it was cool to the touch. A charred outline of the cross was etched into the vampires flesh.
I decided to press on with the final experiment, the stake. I had to do it quickly else I was afraid I’d lose my nerve. And I also thought this creature had suffered enough. I took out the wooden stake and gripped it tightly. I counted to one hundred while watching the creature before me. After I was convinced it hadn’t moved again, I stood beside it and raised the stake above my head. Sweat dripped down my forehead, along my nose and fell. It struck the vampire on it’s right hand. I gulped in panic and froze. My arms began to ache from holding the stake aloft. But still the vampire didn’t stir. Then I did it.
I drove the sharpened piece of wood downwards as hard as I could. It pierced the soft grey flesh exactly where I imagined its rotten heart lay. The stake went in easier than I thought, it travelled through the vampire’s rib cage, cleaved the heart and exited its body. The stake lodged in the mattress underneath, leaving me leaning directly over my victim. Black, viscous blood sprayed out of the corners of the wound, coating my arms and chest. The vampire arched its back and neck upwards. It opened it’s gaping maw and bared its fangs. But no sound issued from that dreadful cave. It spasmed underneath me and flailed its arms. The arm closest to me rose up violently and struck me square on the jaw. I fell backwards, slipping on the dark fluid oozing from underneath the bed. I must have hit my head going down because I don’t remember much after that. The next thing I knew was sitting up with a start. I tried to stand but slipped on the blood that almost covered the entire floor. I looked at
the vampire and saw that it was dead. The stake jutted vertically from its chest like an obscene flagpole. The vampire’s flesh appeared to be in an advanced state of decomposition. I blinked my eyes trying to get a better look. I wondered why it was so hard to see. Then I realized that dusk was upon me. I scooped up my backpack and rummaged inside. I couldn’t find the crucifix anywhere, where had I put it? I looked out the front door and saw the undead begin to pour out of the neighbouring houses. The closest one saw me and howled. Like a Mexican wave the other vampires turned their hungry eyes and answered the call.
Feeding time.
I slammed the front door closed and searched my bag again. No cross, but my hand found the gun. Desperate, I thumbed off the safety and tried to lock the door. Just then I heard something behind me. My heart skipped a few beats as I realised that I wasn’t alone in the house. I cursed my own stupidity, why didn’t I check the house before killing that vampire? Down the hall, a shadow lurched out of a room and headed my way. I didn’t wait for it to reach me so I opened the front door and held the gun before me. The vampire that had spotted me originally was waiting on the doorstep less than a metre away. I opened fire at point blank range. The bullet tore a hole the size of a golf ball in its forehead. It went down in a tangle of arms and legs, knocking over three other vamps. I saw an opening and took it. My bike was leaning against the fence, right next to another vampire. I shot this one through the throat while running directly at it. The vamp fell to its knees clawing at its own neck. I kicked it in the face and shot it again.
I jumped on the bike and pedalled like crazy, weaving in and out of the thronging masses of undead. I was closer to the church than my safe house so I headed there. Luckily there was a full moon so it wasn’t too difficult to spot oncoming obstacles. Only once did I nearly come to grief. A vampire struck out at me from behind a parked truck and I fell off the bike, skinning my knees on the asphalt. The fresh blood sent the thing crazy and it lunged at me to finish the job. I backed away on all fours towards the gun that had fallen in the crash. I snatched the weapon up and shot the thing in the kneecap. It continued to walk towards me, aggravated but unhurt. As it put pressure on the wounded leg, something snapped audibly in the knee joint and it fell face first onto the bitumen. I shot it again in the crown of its head and scooped up my bike before it could heal.
The Journal of Tom Barnett: Vampire Apocalypse Survivor Page 12
