by H. T. Night
“Well, they will be with us for a very long time,” Josiah said, smiling.
Suddenly I was taken out of the vision. I opened my eyes.
What an amazing vision. Seeing Jason heal his mother was an astonishing act for an infant child. Having been in that room seemed almost too intimate. But now I understand why Josiah respected Jason so much. Before he had uttered even a single sound from his mouth, he had healed his mother from whatever had been hurting her or possibly even killing her. It made me question why he hadn't been able to heal her later on when she was dying. All I knew was Jason was a miraculous baby and his ability to heal was such a beautiful thing to watch.
Chapter Fifteen
I walked around the house again and went back into the kitchen and sat in front of the monitors. This had been some night. I have never had so many visions in one night. It was as if the Triat was giving me some much needed insight into the new people in my life.
I looked at the clock and it read 5:00 pm. It should be dark soon.
I sat back in my chair and my mind went back to Marlene and the night of our anniversary where she made me admit exactly what I was and what had happened in the past.
“Did you punish them, Todd? I need to know exactly what you did.”
I looked at Marlene and nodded my head.
“Let me continue the story.” I took a deep breath and told her what happened that one infamous night when I took down Santino and Norman.
“It was 6 pm, a couple of days after I had first met you. I'd been turned and the sun had set. I told you about the unusual stash of weapons I found in my parent's bedroom closet. I took a couple of daggers that were tipped in silver. I also took the sharpest sword I had ever seen, and my hunting knife. I strapped the sword to my back in its scabbard. I had both daggers strapped to each leg. And I still had my dad’s hunting knife in its case behind my waist. I drove my dad's Studebaker straight to Santino’s house because my truck was still parked at the diner. I parked the car across the street in the liquor store parking lot and made my way to Santino’s house. I heard saw Santino leave on foot. I followed Santino in my dad’s car making sure to stay behind him and not be obvious. He made his way to a local burger joint, and sat in front where they had red wooden picnic tables. I saw Norman. Norman was the man who turned me.
“You knew his name?” Marlene asked.
“Yes, I found out by threatening one of the guys who had held my arms while Santino stabbed me. I found him at the drive-in theater. Norman was driving a Lincoln and he pulled up into the driveway. Santino had obviously been waiting on him because he jumped into the passenger side of the car. I followed them from a distance in the Studebaker. They drove up to Savannah high school and parked in the parking lot. Both of them jumped out of Norman’s car and walked across the street to Kool-Aid and Momo’s apartment. Those were the guys who had held my arms. They were brothers.”
“How did you know it was their apartment?” Marlene asked.
“I had followed them days before and found out where they lived.”
“You were a regular Elliot Ness when it came to tracking these guys down.”
I smiled at Marlene and continued the story.
“I parked and shortly after, the four of them walked back to Norman's car and sat in his vehicle talking for a bit. Eventually, Norman started his car and they drove away. He hopped on the highway towards Lake Elsinore. I followed as close as I could. They eventually made their way to the lake where a motorboat awaited them. I watched from a distance while the four of them walked closer to the motorboat on the lake. Then it happened.”
“What happened?” Marlene asked, sitting on the edge of her seat.
“Norman and Santino went for the brother's necks.”
“What were they doing to their necks?” Marlene asked looking confused.
“Biting down on them.”
“Did they kill them?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes. Within seconds, the two brothers were drained of blood and dead. Santino and Norman put their lifeless bodies on the motorboat at the end of the pier and drove to the middle of the lake into the fog.”
“Did they dump the bodies in the lake?” Marlene asked.
“I assume so. I have terrific vision, but I can't see through fog.”
Marlene shivered and I could see goosebumps on her arms.
“I left before they came back to shore and went home horrified.”
“What happened to Norman and Santino? They obviously didn't get away with it. Santino was never seen again after that week.”
“I followed him the next night, and once again from my car while he was on foot. He walked swiftly in the opposite direction he had walked last night. He made his way into a large park and I knew I would have to follow him on foot. Santino passed the playground and walked up some steps. I hurried behind him and as he reached the top of the steps, he turned around and faced me.”
“He saw you?” Marlene jumped nervously, as if I were telling a ghost story around a campfire.
“He saw me alright. And he said, 'I sensed you. I have been sensing you behind me for the last couple of nights. I thought I was being paranoid, but there you are.'”
Marlene gasped.
“I charged at him, but he moved to the side so fast that I went flying by him. When I turned around, Santino kicked me in the face. My head swung around and I knew this man was tough. But not tough enough, this asshole had killed my parents in cold blood. I was out for vengeance.”
Marlene reached out and squeezed my arm.
“I charged back and grabbed Santino by his head and put him in a front chokehold. He was gasping for air. I held him in the same position until he broke out of my grip.
“We circled each other on the grass and then collided into each other like a video game. I took out my hunting knife and stabbed Santino in the shoulder. He cried out and pulled a switchblade from his pocket and stabbed me in the right thigh.”
“Probably the same blade he used to stab you at the diner the night of our first date.” Marlene said. She was wringing her hands worriedly.
“I grabbed his arms and shook them until he let go of the knife. I began punching Santino in the face as hard as I could. He flew back into the grass, just barely avoiding a cement table. I ran and leaped on top of him while drawing my sword and I went crashing down where he had been. He rolled out of the way just in time. My sword stuck deep into the grass and I tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge. So, I grabbed a dagger that was strapped to my left leg. Santino was still on the ground. I rolled on top of him with the dagger in hand. I did everything I could to pierce him with the silver blade. I threw his body backward in one of the wrestling moves I learned back in high school. He cracked his head on one of the cement tables and dropped to the ground completely unconscious.”
“Did you kill him?” Marlene asked, horrified.
“Nope. This is where Norman makes his appearance.”
“Did Norman attack you?”
“No,” I answered Marlene. “His sword was humongous and double-edged. He jumped up in the air, and landed on Santino's body slicing straight through his neck. It was pretty gruesome. He cut Santino's head off.”
“What were you thinking, Todd?” Marlene asked.
“I was less thinking and more reacting to Norman. I went to my sword, and I yanked it out of the ground. We engaged in some small talk and when I realized Norman was the one who had orchestrated it all, I decided he had to die. He had Santino attack me at the diner, with just enough damage to help him convince me to have him turn me into a vampire. He sent Santino to kill my parents.” I looked Marlene in the eyes to see if she feared me, “I finished our conversation by saying, 'You have taken everything from me, and I have done nothing to you. Tonight, I will settle this.'”
Marlene was gripping my arm so tightly while I was telling her what happened, her nails were cutting into the skin of my forearms.
“Are you okay?” I asked
Marlene.
“Yes, I’m just afraid I am going to hear something awful.”
“You’re the one who wanted to know the truth.”
“I know.” Marlene sighed and said, “I need to powder my nose.”
I nodded my head. Marlene stood up and walked toward the bathroom down the hall. I decided I needed a pick me up the O negative kind. I went to the refrigerator and grabbed one of my blood-filled jugs.
Chapter Sixteen
Over the years I had become accustomed to drinking blood. It wasn’t always that way. It took me a long time to be comfortable solely digesting blood as my main source of nutrition. I couldn't drink from humans, so at times, I had to find alternatives. Certain alcohols won’t upset my stomach. High grade tequila and gin were on the short list. The problem was, I hated gin with a passion and tequila was only good in margaritas and I can’t drink margaritas because of all of the other ingredients.
But from time to time I needed to take the edge off, just like everybody else, and sometimes a shot of tequila was what the doctor ordered. Tonight was definitely one of those times. I was about to admit to my significant other of sixty years that I had indeed done something horrifically bad. How I justified it at the time was that if I hadn’t killed Norman and Santino, then it was only a matter of time before they would come for me or worse Marlene.
I grabbed my bottle of Patron I picked up the double shot glass I had left on the counter from my drink earlier and filled it to the rim. I didn’t need any salt or lime, mainly because I couldn’t digest either. I downed the tequila quick. Smooth. I drank only the best. My system was to drink my shot and quickly breathe out of my mouth and it was easier to take.
I decided to do one more shot. I was nearing my limit. Any more and I would become a tad sloppy with drunkenness. Then I walked into the living room feeling pretty damn good. I was buzzed, and I knew this was the only way I could tell the rest of this story.
Marlene was already sitting back in her recliner.
“I see you decided to hit the bottle as well,” Marlene said, as I stumbled to the couch trying not to spill any of my ‘drink’. I did a decent job, all things considered.
“Easy there, tiger,” Marlene smiled. “How much did you drink?”
“Blood or tequila?”
“Tequila. Blood doesn’t make you stupid, but tequila does the trick every time,” she smirked.
“Tequila doesn’t make me stupid. Sometimes I just need to take the edge off.” I shrugged.
Marlene leaned over and kissed my forehead. “I know, Todd. We have known each other for a very long time. I knew it was only a matter of time before you needed some more liquid courage.”
I smiled at the love of my life and continued the story.
“So, it was Norman and Santino who killed the brothers and Norman killed Santino.”
“Yep, it wasn’t me. Unfortunately, the brothers were involved with two of the worst beings I have ever encountered. They were both clearly sociopaths. Santino and Norman obviously knew I had been to see the brothers, and they had given me some pertinent information.”
“Wow, Todd. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you weren’t the one who killed the brothers. But at the same time, I am horrified by how they were killed.”
“Norman and Santino were building a murder resume that would eventually lead them both to me. It was only a matter of time,” I continued. “I knew I had to get to them before they got to me. It was kill or be killed.”
“I can see how you felt that way. I just can’t believe all this was happening, and you didn't tell me a thing. I didn’t know what you were putting yourself through trying to figure out who killed your parents.” Marlene shook her head and looked at me with shame. As if she could have done something to fix things.
“You didn’t know. And it was too soon to share the new dark secret about myself. I was still trying to figure it out myself.”
Marlene nodded. “So, you were back at home coming up with a different plan.”
“Well, I didn’t have a plan, to begin with. I was just going to let my rage settle the score.”
“Did your rage eventually settle it?” Marlene asked.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Understanding each step will help you understand fully what happened.”
Marlene looked scared. She knew the worst was coming. I reached out my hand and held hers gently. I squeezed to let her know I loved her. It was our thing. She smiled at me and I leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly and returned to my seat on the sofa.
“I had no idea you went through all of this just days after we met. Why didn't you ever tell me?”
“There's more, Marlene.”
She nodded.
I took a deep breath and continued the story, “I swung my sword and knocked the larger one out of his hand. He reached behind his back and pulled another blade out to attack me. This one was about the same size as my own. I whipped my sword at his chest and he blocked me with his blade. We went back and forth for a while, swiping and blocking each others strikes. Then Norman did something that was mind blowing. He flew up in the air and was hovering twenty feet above me looking down. He then flew about thirty feet up a dirt hill that was at the back of the park. It was then I fully realized he could fly at will. We both rested.”
“You rested?” Marlene asked.
“Sword fighting is exhausting.” I shrugged.
“Weren't you afraid if you let him rest too long he would come back stronger?” Marlene asked.
“I did, and I knew I had a short window to attack. Norman began slowly walking down the hill towards me and tried to cut a deal with me. If you can believe that.”
“He tried to cut a deal with you? Are you kidding? He sent assassins after you and your parents and turned you into a creature of the night.”
“Trust me, Marlene, I was making no deals.” I continued with the story. The very true story.
“He insinuated I was the one who killed Santino, but I knew better. Santino was only injured but he was still alive when Norman cut off his head. I told him, 'I tried to kill Santino, but you finished him off before I had the pleasure.'
“Norman looked at me and laughed, 'That's right.' he said, 'He deserved to be punished for being weak.'”
“What side was Norman on?” Marlene gasped.
“His own,” I answered.
“Then I said to him, 'I’d rather be dead, than know that you’re alive and walking the earth,'”
“You really said that?” Marlene asked surprised.
“I did. I was done with Norman's mind games. I leaped at him with my sword drawn. I swung from left to right in a swiping motion. I sliced him an inch above his waist. Norman flew backwards and stumbled into the grass, and I ran and jumped stabbing down at him with my sword. He rolled out of the way. This time when he rolled I flipped my sword up and caught it with both hands. When I caught my sword, I swung it like a baseball bat just as he rose up and sliced him across his chest. He cried out and stumbled backwards. He had dropped all of his weapons. I walked over to him. He begged for me to kill him. I looked down and something insane came over me. I started to have empathy for Norman, but I pictured the faces of my mother and father. What they must have looked like before they died. I remembered this was the monster who was responsible for them being taken from me. And if I allowed him to live, he would surely kill me.”
“What did you do, Todd?” Marlene asked breathlessly.
“I did what I had to do to secure both my life and yours. He would surely go after the woman I loved if I let him live. I lifted my sword and turned it to the side so it was parallel with his neck. And in one strong, swift motion, I struck my sword down, completely ending Norman’s life. I watched, as his decapitated body disappeared.”
There was a silence in the room that was deafening. I had no idea what Marlene thought.
Finally, she said, “I don’t remember you ever having a stab wound in your thigh.”
&nb
sp; “I heal quicker than you do. Before the night’s end, the wound was completely gone. This happened sixty years ago.”
“So Santino and Norman killed the brothers. Then Norman killed Santino. Then...” she stopped herself from saying it.
“Then I killed Norman. He would have eventually come after me and everything I loved. It had to be done. I wasn't a killer, but in this case, I did what I had to do.”
“I can’t believe it,” Marlene said.
“All these years, you thought I had?” I said interrupting her.
“I plead the fifth on that one. I am so relieved. All this time, Todd. I have known what you are. Especially these days with all the information that is out there. But I never knew everything you had endured that week. I just remember, you seemed a little off. I just marked it up as this poor guy lost his parents after being stabbed multiple times.”
“Well, now that you know. I hope you don’t think worse of me.”
“You’re not a killer. You fought someone to the death. Only one of you was going to walk out of that fight alive. I am so grateful that it was you. It sounded like there were many times at the park you could have lost your life.”
I nodded my head.
“Todd,” Marlene continued. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I just never knew about my parents. I never have known the truth about what Norman said. You see, being what I am for so many years has made me very pro-vampire.”
“What does that mean?” Marlene asked.
“Vampire hunters aren’t always the good guys. It is assumed that the vampire is the monster and therefore they deserve to die.”
“Have you known many vampire hunters like this? How could you? You have lived in my basement since 1960. Every morning when I wake up you are there.”
“I have lived in your basement for the last 58 years, and I have been here every morning when you woke up. Both of those are true statements.
“And?” Marlene asked.
“And during the time you go asleep and wake up, well, I have had some amazing experiences over the years.”
