by Elle A. Rose
***
It was a nice summer day, and Judy was walking by a small creek. She knew it was time to head home, to help her mother with supper, but she just wanted to splash some cool water over her feet. She needed time to think. Her parents were talking marriage, her marriage to Mark Singleton. As a kid he would always pick on her in Sunday school; however, her mother assured her that he only did it because he liked her. As she pondered her issue, she noticed a man sitting not too far away from her, watching her with a funny look. He reminded her of Stones, her dog. The man fiddled with a stick as he stared off at the yonder foliage. She waited for him to make eye contact and gave him a quick wave, before grabbing her shoes to go home.
When she turned, she bumped into what felt like a wall. But that was silly since she was outside. Why would there be a wall? She took a step back to find it was not a wall, but a man blocking her path. She began to apologize as she took another step back, only to have hit another wall. She dared not turn around. Her mind raced. If it was who she thought it was, then all she could think to do was scream. The man that was watching her wade in the creek placed a hand over her mouth before she could get a sound out. The first wall or man which was standing in front of her put a filthy finger to his lips to quiet her. She could feel the man behind her bring his nose to the side of her neck and inhale. She wanted to cry out, but every time she tried to turn her head, the grip around her mouth became tighter. The lips of the man standing behind her brushed the same spot he was sniffing, while the man in front of her smiled and told her not to worry, she would not feel much soon. Judy did not fully understand what he meant until she felt a sharp piercing pain between her shoulder and neck. Judy let out a bloodcurdling scream that even the monster holding her mouth could not silence before she passed out.
When she awoke, it was dark. She was lying on a bed of sticks and leaves. She dared not move. The only reason she was conscious at that moment, was due to new pain that went through her body. It felt as if millions upon millions of needles were poking her all at once. Her eyes water and her vision blurred, but she thought she saw a shadowy figure lurking in the background. She worried that it was one or both of the men who attacked her. Seeing that she was awake, the figure revealed himself. He is neither one of the men that had her barricaded earlier. The new man did not speak at first, and it took her time to build up the courage to speak to him. Once she coaxed him into talking, he explained that he was a vampire, and that he had just saved her from two rogue werewolves. Although the language he spoke was confusing, she still was grateful that he saved her. The kind vampire explained that to keep her from turning fully werewolf, he too had to bite her, and then donate some of his blood to save her. He explained that not only was she part werewolf, but also part vampire, which made her a rare species.
Judy was too captivated by this man to even think about her family, or what was going to happen next. He was very handsome, and he had saved her life. She told him that she did not want to go home to marry Mark Singleton, and then asked if she could stay with him. He agreed that she could come with him when he left, but he needed to lay low for a few days. There were hunters out looking for him, and it was best if they were not seen for a while. He stressed how these three vampires were out to get him, and how one of them used to be his companion. This information upset Judy. Over the few months while they laid low, Judy learned more about her vampire lineage and about the ones who hunted her savior.
The day came when they thought it was best to leave. Her now lover, told her that he needed to feed before making the long journey home. He wanted her to stay in their hiding spot, but she insisted on going with him. She wanted to see how he ate. Because of her mixed blood, she was still able to eat food-which was stolen every night from a different house. While they were out searching for his dinner, they came across two teenagers Judy had grown up with. They stalked the kids for a while, before her partner decided that it was now or never to have a dinner. Judy was so eager to watch him at work, she did not mind that two of her fellow villagers were going to die. As she watched him snap the neck of the boy, she caught a glimpse of another person moving quickly toward the girl, who was screaming. Everything happened so fast after that. Her lover dropped the boy and turned toward her at the same time the other figure, a female, picked up the girl and started running back the way she came. Before Judy could ask a question she and her vampire were off running.
Once they felt it was safe and they were not followed, he explained that the woman was one of the hunters he spoke of, his prior companion, the one who left him brokenhearted. Seeing how upset it made him to speak of his past, Judy vowed that she would do whatever it took to get back at her and whoever else she loved. As the years passed, the two of them did their homework. She learned more about being a wolf, and he taught her just as many things about being a vampire. Judy loved him dearly, and she wanted to do anything to make him happy. About sixty years ago, when he came up with the idea of finding and killing his ex, she was willing to go along with his plan. To their surprise, the three hunters had grown to four. Observing the group over the next few years, they noticed that the four vampires had seemed to settle into human life. They also noticed that the youngest girl, the one Judy grew up with, appeared to be stronger and had more abilities than most vampires. Because of her, it was decided they should hold off on their attack, until they fully understood what they were up against. On one of the more recent checkups on the ex-hunter family, they noticed that Judy’s old schoolmate seem to be missing from the picture. They knew then it would be the best time for them to move forward with their plan.
