by H. T. Night
“Who are you calling boy, punk?” Ron growled.
Atticai shook his head and said to Lena, “Get in the van. Now.”
Atticai looked at Ron and said, “So, you play baseball, Fatty?” Then Atticai removed a length of chain from one of the many pockets in his trench coat.
Ron looked scared. “Look, no harm, no foul. You guys can just go.”
“Oh, we can?” Atticai began circling Ron. “How generous of you.”
“Please—” Ron begged.
“If only life could be so simple, Red.”
“My name is Ron.”
“Thanks for clearing that up, Red. So, you met a pretty young girl at a bar, slipped something in her drink when she wasn’t looking and thought that you and your buddies would do the unthinkable to her. But, somehow, things didn’t quite go as planned. Unfortunately, for you and your sick plans, you didn’t count on others helping her. You sick rapist fucks never figure that in... that some people truly love these girls who you hurt.”
“Look, man. I’m sorry. I didn’t do anything. You can even ask her.”
“I don’t need to ask her. You want to know why? I can see right through you. I can see your heart. I can see your soul. And you know what? You aren’t a righteous person. So, that is why I’m going to finish giving you the beating that someone else started.”
Ron started walking backwards—and promptly tripped over the garden hose. He screamed and scrambled to his feet, and made a mad dash toward the front door of the frat house.
Atticai swirled his long chain like a lasso and threw it at Ron. It wrapped around Ron’s legs and he fell on the porch.
Atticai ran up to the boy, opened his fanged mouth, and bit Ron's neck. A moment later, Atticai pulled his face away—a face now covered with blood. Ron was a bloody sobbing mess. The bogeyman from movies and pop fiction was real and he had pissed him off. I noticed a wet spot where Ron had pissed his pants in terror.
Then Atticai picked Ron up by his neck, lifting him entirely off the ground and threw him off the stairs and into the bushes.
Then everyone went crazy. I focused on Josiah.
Most of the party-goers took off running in different directions, but there were others who stood their ground.
Atticai and the two other guys in trench coats were moving so fast that they appeared more of a blur than anything else. Yari now joined the three trench coats. All four, as best as I could tell, were laying beatdowns with their chains and whips in a scene that could only be described as surreal, and one that made movie prison riots look tame. No one here had a chance.
Yari went to Josiah and they ran down the driveway.
Then the unthinkable happened. One of the guys in trench coats pinned Josiah down and bit his neck.
After a moment of this, Josiah broke his grip and heaved him off. All in one motion, the man in the trench coat leaped to his feet and grabbed Josiah's neck. Josiah threw him off of him to the ground and said, “What the fuck did you do that for?”
“You should have never come,” the man in the trench coat said and lunged at Josiah. Josiah counter punched the guy, and it didn't do much damage.
He yanked Josiah to the grass and the vampire bit down on Josiah's wrist, tearing away flesh, drinking his blood.
“Don’t hurt him, Wyatt!” Lena yelled from the van. “He’s the only one who helped me!”
And with that, the man let go of Josiah's wrist. Josiah fell forward onto his face in the grass. He wasn't moving.
I could hear the sounds of approaching sirens. Atticai was by Josiah's side. He knelt down and asked Josiah. “Is this true?”
“Is what true?” Josiah asked groggily.
“Did you help Lena?”
“Yes,” Josiah said. “Of course.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the others. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.” He looked back at Josiah and said, “And you’re coming with us.”
He grabbed Josiah by his shirt, picking him up clear off the ground, then they all jumped into the van and took off.
That's where my vision ended. I sat there in disbelief. I needed to go to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and I was sweating as if I too was at the fight. Some visions kicked my ass, and this was one of them. I splashed cold water on my face and calmed myself using the same breathing technique, box breathing, used by Navy seals.
After a couple minutes, I regained my composure and went back into the kitchen to watch the monitors.
Chapter Three
I sat at my post, and felt a bit nostalgic after seeing Josiah's vision. Josiah's first encounter with his wife had been as insane as mine had. I learned a lesson a long time ago, never to share the visions I had of people with them. Most of the time I had questions. Like in this case. Where did Josiah go with those vampires and what happened next? I would love to know the answer, and would learn it, eventually. But, telling someone you had a vision of their past, and questioning them about it, seemed to creep people out. Let's just say it hadn't gone well in the past when I asked individuals about my visions concerning them.
I didn't always have these visions. It was something that started occurring years after I had been turned. At first, I thought I was losing my mind. My body started tingling, a sense of déjà vu and a wave of energy flowing through my body. Then I was witnessing events in someone's past like an invisible observer. I've since learned that the feeling is similar to what epileptics feel before a seizure. They refer to it as an aura. I know this because I have talked to quite a few people who had recurring seizures in their life and they described much of what I feel when my “aura” hits.
The night I met my wife was the craziest night of my life. It was the reason I am here with these folks today. Remembering my wife with Josiah had brought up a lot of emotions. The problem was, I can't remember how I met my wife without remembering the loss of my parents. I didn't want to cry with a room full of immortals in the next room.
My wife was human, and I was turned into an immortal hours after meeting her for the first time, so you can see the dilemma we would eventually face. She would sooner or later grow old, and I would outlive her. I can't tell how many times I wanted to turn her, but it would have been against her wishes. She wanted to leave this world the same way she came in, human.
***
There was one special night before my wife's health took a turn for the worst. It was an amazing night that I will always remember. It was the night Marlene confronted me and asked to be told the truth about everything.
I thought about the night Zeke and I had finished a couple of vampire punks off who thought preying on the elderly was the right way to go about being a vampire. It was too easy to set something up with a hospital or a blood bank. You'd be surprised how much goes bad or can't be used because of the diseases found in it. Vampires don't, usually, have any issues with human diseases. The year was 2010. Sixty years since I had first met my wife Marlene.
We finished the leaches off with a lot of wit and charm the way we usually do it. Vamps like them were a danger to our kind. It didn't take a genius to see the bodies of their victims were bloodless and that led to the possibility of people finding out that vampires were real. That was dangerous for all vampires.
Afterward, I turned to look at Zeke. “I need to get home.”
“Why?”, he asked, sheathing his silver-tipped stake.
“My anniversary is tomorrow.”
“You’re having another one? It seems like yesterday was your anniversary.”
“It's because we celebrate two different anniversaries.”
“Two? Who does that?”
“It makes sense,” I grinned. “You celebrate the day you first met and you celebrate the date you were married.”
“Too many dates to remember for me.” Zeke laughed.
“That’s because you’re incorrigible.”
“It's because I'm almost 60, Todd. I gave up on all of that romantic stuff years ago. When
it comes to you and me, Todd, we are wired a different way when it comes to women. You married the first girl you fell in love with and I am not willing to risk a woman's life with the danger that may ensue because of the profession I chose.”
“You know, we're only wired differently because you never decided to be immortal.”
“We are not going to go into this again. I'm sixty freaking years old now. I would be the worst vampire in the history of vampirism.”
“Bull shit,” I laughed. “There are a lot of vampires who have been turned when they were even older than you.”
“Look, I like to eat and be out during the day. That's always been my deal breaker.”
I looked down and my best friend knew what I was thinking. He didn't need to be a vampire to know what was stirring in my mind.
“Todd, we are at the peak of our game. We get paid great money and we do something we both love to do. We get rid of the evil that walks this earth. If those blood suckers can't follow the rules, they need to be taken out and we are the best team there is.”
In my mind, I rebutted, “I'm at the top of my game. You're a sixty-year-old man who moves a little slower each time we have to come out and make examples of the wicked.”
Zeke looked at me and said, “Until the last of Santino's children and grandchildren are dead or shown a better path, I will be by your side fighting and kicking ass the way we do.”
“How many are left now? I've lost count.”
“There are four left. All grandchildren.”
“Still four?”
“Yep. So you're not getting rid of me anytime soon, buddy.”
“There will always be a Santino coming for me. Over many years, I have learned that the hard way.”
“Go home, loverboy. We will meet up tomorrow after you’re done romancing your wife.”
We jumped in our separate cars and made our way to our homes. It was four o’clock in the morning. I would have to sneak in again and be careful not to disturb my beautiful wife.
I parked my black Ford Mustang in the driveway, jumped out of the car, and made my way to the door. Pulled out my keys and unlocked the door, then deactivated the security system by punching in the nine-digit code. When the door was shut I locked the two deadbolts above the handle and then the handle itself.
Once I knew we were as safe as can be, I walked into the downstairs bathroom to take a shower. I had short brown hair that had a wave to it. I stood six feet tall and weighed the same as I had in high school. A nice, svelte, 185 pounds.
My wife always told me that I was the most handsome man she had ever met. Well, she was my wife and may have been a tad bias. She was always singing to me ‘Baby has brown eyes’ and I was pretty sure that wasn’t how the song went.
I stepped into the shower and let the hot water cascade down my naked body. Cleaning all the dirt, blood and gravel off my body. My wife was asleep upstairs and the sun wouldn’t be making an appearance for another hour. I dried off and ran up the stairs with only a towel on.
I opened the door to my bedroom, and I saw Marlene laying in our bed. She looked precious as she always did when she slept. Her medium length platinum hair was draped back across the pillow. She was facing up, sleeping peacefully. Whenever she did this, she reminded me of an angel. She was my earthbound angel, and I had gone to great lengths to make sure no one knew where I lived. Not even my best friend, Zeke. I know it sounds bizarre, but that was what I had to do to keep Marlene and me safe over the years.
I slipped into bed beside her warm body, knowing I would only have an hour before she would wake up. So, I lay next to her, gently wrapped my right arm around her and I said ‘I love you,’ and every time she responded with an ‘I love you’ back. No matter how deep her sleep or how tired she was.
I closed my eyes, and rested peacefully next to Marlene. Lulled to sleep by the symphony of her peaceful breathing and heartbeat. Just knowing the fate that was to come was enough to rip my inside to shreds.
My sweet angel had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She has had the disease for the last five years. She was fading fast and I was well aware that every day I had with her was a gift.
Chapter Four
After lying next to my wife I decided to get up and allow Marlene to sleep. It was time to go down to my man cave. The basement. I slept better down there and spent most days down there sleeping, playing video games and watching movies. It was also a good place for me to check on local news for crimes that fit the vampire profile. Keeping my work hidden in my own personal bat cave helped me keep the harsh realities of what I did for a living a secret from Marlene.
Black light-blocking curtains covered the tiny basement windows and cascaded down to the gray carpeted floor. My futon was up in the couch position sat in the back of the basement. It’s in the corner behind the stairs away from all the windows. Hanging on the west wall in front of the futon was a large flatscreen TV. A plush red EZ boy sat to the side and beside that was a small dorm fridge containing my beverage of choice, O negative. The finer cocktails were upstairs in the kitchen. I kept blood in my little fridge to keep me satisfied.
I sat on my recliner and before I knew it I conked out. I slept most of the day away. At approximately 5 p.m. I woke, sat up, looked around the dark room and yawned.
I knew I had a very important dinner to attend at 6 p.m. I'd made all the arrangements in advance. We would be having Marlene’s favorite foods delivered from her favorite restaurant.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I had a text.
I looked down and my text read, 'I don’t have to remind you what tonight is?' It was my wife.
I texted back, 'I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Plus, I have to pay the delivery guy.'
'Are you getting dressed down there?' she texted.
'Yes,' I texted back. Then I texted 'Leave me alone. I am trying to get dressed. I have a hot date tonight, you know.' I dropped the phone on the futon and began getting dressed. I had some slick new threads I was going to break out tonight. I liked the Reservoir Dogs look with a thin black tie. I don’t follow trends, trends follow me. I was wearing this look long before the movie was even a blip on the writer's radar. I had a black suit to match. But what was new about my outfit tonight was a pair of alligator shoes. They looked sharp, and I knew Marlene was going to dig them because she had a matching handbag of the exact same color. A blackish green.
Once I was dressed, I combed my hair. I had a water bottle that helped me style my unruly hair. Over the years I learned that having an extra water spritzer around was handy for multiple tasks. The task I was asking the magic bottle to do today was wet my hair enough, so I could comb it in a slicked back 50’s hairstyle. I have always loved that look. Call me a creature of habit.
I sat down on my recliner to put on my shoes. When I was finished, I sighed deeply and looked around the man cave. The rest of the basement contained bookshelves, a dartboard, a mini pool table, and a small basketball hoop complete with baby basketballs. My messy work desk and computer were on the opposite side of the room of my futon. Truth be told, it looked like a typical college guys room. I never went to college, but I was sure this was what my dorm room would like.
Gurgling from my stomach let me know that I was craving my morning nutrients. I walked up the stairs of my basement and opened the door that leads into the kitchen. No lights were on but I could see everything just fine. The window above the sink showed me that the sun had set completely. The small two-seater kitchen table looked unused and the coffee maker stood empty. Beside me, the small refrigerator hummed merrily, and I opened the door. I would need to grab a quick glass before dinner.
There there were eight bags of America's finest disguised in Muscle Milk bottles. Yes, I took the time to empty each bag into Muscle Milk bottles. This was something Marlene wouldn't touch. I took the bottle in front and walked over to the cupboard beside the sink and took out a wine glass. Then I walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. I twisted the cap off of
the bottle and poured myself a 12-ounce glass. I twisted the top back on tightly, so Marlene couldn't open it, and put the bottle back in the refrigerator. The crimson red blood was thick and inviting. The coppery scent had my mouth watering. I had never taken to feeding from the source, so wasn't keen on drinking blood warm or hot. I wasn't a savage. I preferred a nice cool glass straight from the fridge. The first sip eased a burning in my gut I hadn't even noticed was there. I sighed in relief.
I drank from my wine glass full of type O negative blood. For my money, O negative was the best human blood on the market. Too bad it was also the most difficult to find. I was lucky, the guy I bought my blood from, Moses, came across 30 bags of the stuff and had to move them fast. I didn't ask questions. I trusted Moses. I had been a client of his for nearly 20 years.
I decided to check on the backyard where Marlene and I would be celebrating our anniversary. We put the backyard decorations up together last night before I met up with Zeke.
Opening the back door I was greeted by the scent of freshly cut grass with a hint of sweet magnolias. Marlene loved magnolia’s so I planted a tree the first year we moved in. Beside the tree was our small tool shed. She loved to work in our garden and on the nights she wasn’t physically capable of it I would, under her guidance.
Lighting the back yard were “fairy lights” I’d purchased one summer for Marlene. They put off just enough ambient light to brighten the back yard, but not flood it with light. Our cafe table was covered in a small white tablecloth, with two place settings and a candle set in the middle. Marlene had done her part for our anniversary, and now we needed only to wait for the restaurant to deliver our dinner. I paid the restaurant extra to bring a vase containing Marlene’s favorite flowers along with the dinner. It was an old family owned Italian restaurant and we were some of their most loyal customers. They’d do anything for us.
I stepped back inside the house. Marlene was quiet on her side of the house. She must still be getting ready for our candlelight dinner. Marlene and I shared a large five bedroom house complete with an attic and a basement. I didn’t like going into the attic. It wasn’t kept up like the basement. It was very dirty and the rodents running around were bothersome. We used one room as a storage room and another as a guestroom for when her cousins used to visit. One was used as a workout room, and the other Marlene used as a sewing room. We had shared this house quite a long time. Many happy memories echoed within these walls.
