by Leo Romero
Vincent pondered. "Never had the chance. Decapitation is a rather difficult operation to perform while engaging in battle with a vampire. Besides, I don't believe that would ultimately vanquish them. You see, after transmutation, the human being actually dies and is reanimated by manna. The heart is resuscitated and kept artificially alive where it slows to just a few beats per day, usually after the vampire has fed. They steal the oxygen from the blood they've slaked, once their heart pumps it through the veins in order to nourish the other organs, keeping them running smoothly."
Dom just stared at that dart. Man, I've no clue what this guy's on about.
"Therefore," continued Vincent, "with or without their head, as long as the heart beats, these ghastly creatures remain alive, or as alive as they can be. 'Alive undead' is probably the best phrase to describe them."
Dom put the dart back down. "What about garlic? Garlic's good against vamps right?"
"Now you're just being silly," Trixie said, her head cocked to the side.
Vincent chuckled. "Young man, garlic is good for the heart; we want to destroy their hearts." He gave Dom a wicked grin. "So, no, garlic is out of the question. As are bullets, they just soak them up like a sponge. No, a jolly good holy water dart will suffice." He clapped his hands. "Now, you'll be using plenty of holy water while on the job. But also a lot of tranqs. We have a strict policy to not kill humans, Dom. Ever. Only vampires, those who've been transfigured beyond hope. We put them to rest in the kindest possible way. Holy water acts almost instantaneously. The vamp suffers minimal pain, and that's how we want it. They were once human, and we must respect that. Any humans you encounter, no matter how far down the line they are towards total transmutation must not be killed, under any circumstances. You have to show mercy at all times; to humans and to vampires. Put vampires down immediately with holy water, and neutralize any human threat using the tranqs. The stuff we use is fast-acting and strong. They'll be incapacitated within seconds. When it wears off and they wake--hopefully with the vampire enslaving them dead--their destiny is in their own hands. Some will, unfortunately, seek out more manna; others go back to normal life, their stories of vampires falling on deaf ears."
Dom recalled all the messages posted on that website; they were a mix of what Vincent just described. "How many have you killed?" Dom then asked.
Vincent lowered his head; his eyes became shadows. "Many, Dominic. Many..." he said with a regrettable nod.
Silence took over for a second, or two. A shiver danced up Dom's spine. The old guy came across as harmless, but he had a ruthlessness about him that Dom was seeing on full display. He was a hunter; an adept killing machine allied with all the tricks and gadgets to compliment his battle-hardened character. The old guy exterior was his cover, his disguise.
Like an elderly Bruce Wayne type. Dom watched him in trepidation.
Vincent then clapped his hands. "Now, what else do we have." He strode alongside the counter, staring over the various items strewn across it. "Ah, yes, we have radio walkie-talkie thingys, erm, various types of flash bang grenade, smoke grenades, knives, although I don't recommend those, they're just for last-ditch attacks. Erm, ah, here's something interesting." He picked up a small silver and black cartridge. "This is a sound weapon we've been working on. I call it the 'sonic boom'."
Dom stared at it, his eyes brimming with intrigue. "What does it do?"
Vincent cleared his throat. "It emits an irritating, high-pitched noise in the ultrasonic range of hearing, which humans cannot hear, but we believe vampires can. From what we understand, manna transmutation alters the upper range hearing capabilities of vampires. They have the same hearing levels as a dog, or a bat, which is most intriguing. Must be some kind of survival aspect they develop."
Vincent looked it over for a second. "Now where's the..." His eyes lit up. "Ah, here!" He flicked a button on the sonic boom; an abrupt, harsh screech bolted out of the top of it.
"Argh!" Dom screamed, throwing his hands up to his ears. A hot pain erupted in his inner ear. Through the haze of pain, he could see Vincent's mouth moving, but couldn't hear the words he was speaking above the noise.
Vincent then flicked the button once more and the sound grew more intense. Dom shouted in pain, clasping his hands tighter to his ears. My eardrums are gonna burst!
Vincent continued speaking regardless, obviously unaffected by the noise. Could he even hear it? With glazed eyes, Dom watched Vincent point to a glass beaker he'd placed on the counter. It was trembling under the pressure, a perfect reflection of how Dom's ears felt. After a second, it exploded into hundreds of tiny fragments. Vincent flinched back before he then thankfully shut off the device. The insane screeching sound showed Dom mercy and let him go; he almost fell to his knees in relief.
"...And as you can see, it has this effect on glass," he heard Vincent say through the aftermath of pain.
"Are you okay?" Vincent then asked, staring at Dom with concern.
Dom got back to his feet in stages. His head spun. Vincent grabbed hold of him to steady him.
"I'm okay, Vincent," he managed. He turned his head to watch Trixie remove some plugs from her ears.
"I really should have warned you about that before he turned it on," she said with a mischievous grin. "He can't hear it. Me and you can though."
Dom frowned. "Me and you can?"
"That's right."
Dom glanced from her to Vincent, then back again. "You mean, you were a fanghead? When? How?"
"Let's not go there," Trixie replied. "Okay?"
Vincent cleared his throat. Dom whipped his head around to meet him. "Apologies, Dom. I'm unaware of how bad the sound is."
Dom rubbed his ears. "Trust me, it's bad."
"Well, imagine what it's like for a vampire!" Vincent stated. "And I only had it on its lowest setting." He then nodded slow and morose . "Yes, I indeed had to save Trixie from manna. But, like you, it's made her a fierce enemy of theirs, which is to our benefit."
Dom frowned in bemusement before looking at Trixie. She rolled her eyes away from him. Dom got the message. He turned his head and stared at the items on the metal desk instead.
So, Trixie used to be a venom addict? Man, that's a turn-up. The daughter of the world's leading vampire hunter is a fanghead. Who'd have thunk it?
A wry grin played out across his face. He glanced back at Trixie, who saw and read that grin. "Can we just get back to vamp killing one-oh-one please?" she said in an exasperated tone. "Thanks."
Vincent cleared his throat. "Indeed, my dear." He clapped his hands. "Yes, so that's the sonic boom, which is still in its testing phase."
"What do you do about the icing?" Dom then asked. "Trixie gave me a pair of glasses to wear when she saved my ass the first time. They were blue or something like that."
Vincent's eyes lit up. "Ah yes. Curious. For some reason, the color blue inhibits the effects of vamp hypnosis."
"Vamp hypnosis?" Dom echoed.
"Hmm. An extremely annoying facet of their feeding habits, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, I would say that, Vincent."
"This icing you refer to can be negated while wearing glasses with blue lenses. The problem there is the glasses can easily be lost in combat or even broken. They also tend to darken the surroundings, not favorable when entering the unlit environments vamps tend to frequent. So, we developed a special type of contact lens, which can be worn while on the job. They're clear but have a special reflective coating which neutralizes the effects of vamp hypnosis, in the same way blue tint does. We'll get a batch of them made up to fit your retina size."
Dom shrugged. "Well, that's that problem handled."
"Young man, we've got all bases covered. You wouldn't know the problems I've had with that wretched vamp hypnosis over the years before the use of blue lenses were discovered."
"How did you discover it?"
"That's another story. But, there was one time when I managed to break into a nest of a rather ferocious vamp b
y the name of Barlowe. Yes, he broke away from the Blood Order and was spreading his germs around, creating havoc in downtown Charleston. I expected to find him on his own but was alarmed to discover he had five vampire companions. Vampires usually tend to live alone with their brood close by for easy feeding, not in amongst one another in this fashion." He chuckled. "Anyhow, there I was caught in the basement of an abandoned apartment block by these five vamps, all attempting to hypnotize me at the same time..."
"This is a great story and all, but can we move on," Trixie said in a listless tone.
Vincent nodded. "Yes, yes, I do tend to ramble when I get into my past conquests."
Dom showed Trixie his palm. "Hold on, I wanna hear how this ended."
"Trust me, you don't," Trixie retorted. "You'll still be here tomorrow morning."
"Trixie's right, Dominic. We better get moving, there's plenty more we need to discuss." He clapped his hands. "Right. Ah, over here. There's something I need to show you." He led them both over to the door in the far wall. There was a panel on the wall adjacent. "This is Vincent," he said into it in a serious voice this time. The red light blinked and the door popped open.
Vincent turned back to face Dom. "Voice recognition," he informed him.
Dom's eyes lit up. "Oh. Cool."
"Follow me," Vincent then said, before swinging the door fully open and stepping inside.
Intrigue rose inside Dom. This was like a secret room within the secret room.
Maybe it's where he keeps his lingerie!
Dom chuckled to himself. He entered the small compact room beyond and he stopped dead, the smile melting from his face. He stared in bemusement at all the shelving running from floor to ceiling that now surrounded him. Sitting on the shelves were small blocks of some kind of clear amalgam, like glass or something similar. Dom craned his neck forward to get a better look at what was encased within the amalgam. He flinched back. "Are they...?"
"Fangs. Yes," Vincent said with a solemn nod.
"Kinda creepy, huh?" Trixie said.
Dom gawked at them open-mouthed. There were hundreds upon hundreds of pairs of fangs on display, of all shapes and sizes like some kind of macabre exhibition at a museum of natural history. Dom whirled in a tight circle, overwhelmed by the number of them all just sitting there. A dizzying mix of fear and repulsion overcame him. He grabbed hold of Vincent's shoulder to steady himself, puffing his cheeks.
"Easy there," Vincent said.
"This is crazy!" Dom blurted.
"Well, you did ask how many I've killed."
"Yeah, but collecting their fangs? Why?"
Vincent let out a sigh as he gazed up at the nearest shelf. "They remind me of who I am. What I am. They'll stay with me forever." There was a mournful stare in his watery eyes that invoked sympathy inside Dom. This guy was obviously hurt from what he'd been doing all these years. Not only that, he was clearly slightly crazy, or eccentric, or both. Whichever way you wanted to look at it, his life had affected him in all kinds of ways.
"This is what we're up against," Vincent stated. "I want you to know what you're getting into. This is what the life is. This is what we've dedicated ourselves to."
Dom nodded to himself. The magnitude of the situation was fast sinking in. Death. It was about the death of one thing in order for another to flourish. And he couldn't lose sight of what he needed to do in order to stop others suffering the same fate as him: losing their families as well as years of their lives a slave to a creature of darkness. All of a sudden, the fangs surrounding him didn't appear so creepy; they actually now represented something positive. For every pair of fangs was another Dominic, another soul who hadn't fallen into the same trap. In that respect, it all made perfect sense.
He gave Vincent a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Thank you, Vincent," he said.
"It's okay, Dominic," Vincent replied, wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Can we get out of here now, please?" Trixie then requested, making them both turn to face her. "This place freaks me out."
CHAPTER EIGHT
They made their way to the back yard. Dom stood on the patio and admired the vast expanse of land surrounding him. Grass stretched into the distance where huge fir trees marked the perimeter. "You own all this?" he asked Vincent.
Vincent nodded. "Yes."
"Wow."
Vincent chuckled.
"Vampire hunting must really pay."
Vincent lowered his head and shook it. "No, no, no," he said with an ironic laugh. "Sun Enterprise allowed me to acquire all this. We've done very well over the years."
"Man, how many holy water darts did you sell to get all this?"
Vincent chuckled. "Clandestine technologies like holy water aren't publicly available. At Sun, we produce tech for the mainstream market, while performing our vampire hunting duties in the background."
"You mean to say it's a front?"
"You could say that. In fact, some departments within the organization are totally unaware of what others are doing. I find compartmentalization helps keep things quiet. Now come on, time is precious." He set off along the pathway intersecting the grass, which led to a squat building over to their left. On reaching it, he stopped by the door and turned back to face Dom. "This is the gymnasium," he informed him. "This is where Trixie spends most of her time."
"The gym?" Dom groaned. "Doesn't sound like fun to me."
"Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to get some meat on these bones of yours." Vincent pinched Dom's upper arm as he spoke.
"Hey, I got meat!" Dom retorted, almost sounding offended.
"Dominic, if you're going to avoid having your head pulverized by an irate vamp, you'll need more than what you've got. Things aren't what they used to be. Fangheads come in all shapes and sizes, as do vamps. You may find yourself in a situation where your brawn is what gets you out of trouble. Trixie here uses her nimble feet and athleticism to evade danger. As you'll be the one going into the belly of the beast, so to speak, you'll need some muscle on that wiry frame." He turned and opened the door, releasing an aroma of wooden floor and rubber laced with sweat, a familiar combination that for a moment sent Dom back to high school. But, back then he'd been more interested in the inside of the girl's locker room than the inside of the gym.
He sighed as they stepped through the small foyer and out into the gym area. Waiting there was the driver kid from the previous night. He was making easy work of climbing one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling. He looked down at them from his lofty position.
"Ah, Rufus." Vincent said, his voice echoing around the gym. "I see you're busy."
Rufus lowered himself down the rope and approached them all. On seeing Dom, he put out his hand. Dom took it and shook it.
"I believe you two met last night," Vincent said.
"Not properly," Dom stated.
"Ah. Well, Rufus meet Dom, Dom meet Rufus."
"How you doing?" Dom asked.
Rufus didn't respond. Instead, he smiled and nodded his head.
"Rufus isn't one for talking much," Trixie said.
Rufus gave her a peeved look.
Trixie shrugged. "What? It's true."
"True it may be, but he's very loyal," Vincent stated. "And his silence is golden," he declared.
Dom stared back at him. Man, more weirdoes. Is everyone here a freak? I guess they are.
But then what does that make me?
He shivered at the thought.
Vincent patted Rufus on the shoulder. "Rufus here will help train you in one-on-one combat."
Dom grinned. "The karate kid!"
Vincent pointed at Dom. "Indeed! Rufus is adept in all forms of martial arts. I've trained him since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He'll teach you the basics, which should be enough to help you deal with any physical encounters."
Rufus gave Dom an enthusiastic nod.
"Is he gonna be joining us out in the field?" Dom asked.
Vincent showed him his palms. "No!" h
e replied in an ardent manner. He then mellowed. "Rufus is a very loyal servant of mine. If anything happens to him, it would be a big loss to me personally."
Dom crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, I get it. And if anything happens to me?"
Vincent grinned. "Nothing will happen to you, young man. You'll be so prepared, that nothing can possibly go wrong. Hunting vamps will be like a walk in the park. Trixie will have your back as well." He puffed up his chest. "But Rufus is a close aide of mine. His father was a very good friend and ally. I promised him before he died that no harm would come to Rufus and that I'd take good care of him. And I intend to fulfill that promise to the best of my ability."
Dom glanced at Rufus, who had lowered his head and was staring at the floor.
Dom nodded but wasn't a hundred percent sure. He got the distinct feeling that he wasn't getting the full story on the kid Rufus here.
But, then again, he seemed a good kid.
Just too damn quiet.
Dom thought he might be able to crack a joke with him. "So, I'm expendable, and you ain't, huh, buddy?" Dom said to him with a laugh, giving Rufus a pat on the shoulder.
Rufus just shrugged.
Trixie rolled her eyes.
Dom stopped laughing once he realized he was the only one. He cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "Well, just to let you know, I'm pretty handy with an empty bottle. If that helps."
Rufus then began making signs with his hands. Dom frowned in confusion.
"That's good to see, Rufus," Vincent said to him once he was done.
"What was that about?" Dom asked Trixie out of the side of his mouth.
"He says he's looking forward to getting to know you and training with you," Vincent then told him.
Dom grinned. "Yeah, you too, Roo," he said, pointing at him.
Vincent clapped his hands. "Well, that's excellent! Camaraderie at its finest, so pleasing to see. Rufus is also my personal driver. He will get you around town as and when you need him. He's also a handy in the kitchen."
"A man of many talents," Dom noted.
"Indeed he is." Vincent checked his watch. "Now, it's almost time for lunch."
