by Emily Knight
The pair of bats flew back to Peter's house. They found Roger and Peter in the backyard. Val was still unconscious, and her head lay in Peter's lap. The vampires swooped down and transformed into their human selves.
Roger looked up into Lysander's face. "What happened?"
Ana closed his eyes and shook her head. "The creature escaped."
Lysander limped over to Roger and glared down at him. "How intelligent is this beast you have created?"
Roger pursed his lips and glanced down at Val. "Far more intelligent than I could have imagined."
Lysander leaned down and grabbed Roger's collar. He pulled the old man to his feet and turned Roger so they faced each other. "Where would such a creature hide?"
Roger shook his head. "I cannot say. It has evolved through your blood and taken on human ingenuity. Beyond that everything is uncertain."
Lysander looked past his captive at Val. "Does she heed its call?"
Peter's eyes narrowed and he pulled Val closer to himself. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The old vampire returned his attention to Roger. "Does she?"
Roger winced, but nodded. "She is."
"Wait a minute!" Peter gently set Val's head on the grass and stood. He met Lysander's gaze without flinching. "You're not seriously planning on using my friend to find this thing, are you?"
Lysander sneered at him. "Would you rather she remain in its power?"
"I'd rather not get her involved! There has to be another way!" Peter insisted.
Lysander opened his hand. Roger stumbled back and rubbed his neck. The old vampire turned to face Peter. His red eyes brightly glowed in the darkness of the night. Peter froze. He felt himself falling into those bright eyes.
Lysander's voice sounded far away, like it was an echo. "You will tell me-"
"No!" Ana leapt between them, breaking the eye-contact. Peter clutched his head and stumbled back. Ana stretched her arms out on either side of her and glared at her father. "I won't let you do that to him, or his friend!"
Lysander narrowed his eyes. "It must be done, or our existence may be revealed."
She shook her head. "But is this really worth it? Risking their lives? Controlling them?" She stood straight and frowned. "Doesn't this make us no better than this monster Roger has created?"
Her father curled his lips back and clenched his teeth. His bright eyes looked past his daughter to Peter. "Is he so important to you that you would go against your father's wishes?"
Ana pursed her lips and nodded. "He is."
Peter froze. He whipped his head to her and blinked. "I am?"
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Very much so."
Peter's lips parted in a wide smile. "Seriously?"
Roger cleared his throat. "As touching as this scene is, I must reminder everyone that Lysander has made a very good point." He gestured to Val. "She is our only hope of finding my precious creation."
"Perhaps we need only search the town," Ana suggested. She looked to her father. "Please, Dad. It has to be hiding somewhere, and surely we could find its scent."
Lysander frowned and shook his head. "A search would take too long." He set his eyes on Peter. "Would you risk another life in exchange for risking your friend?"
Peter furrowed his brow. "There's got to be some way. Somewhere it would hide. . ." His eyes widened. He whipped his head to Roger. "You said the rat acts like a human, but does it still act like a rat?"
Roger shrugged. "That is certainly possible."
Peter turned to Lysander and met his gaze. "Then I might know where it went."
Lysander narrowed his eyes. "Where?"
Peter met his gaze. "I'll tell you, but you have to take me with you."
The old vampire and curled his lips back in a sneer. "This is no time for heroics, boy. Merely tell me-"
"This is personal," Peter interrupted him. He gestured down to his friend. "My two best friends are being controlled by a rat-vampire, and I'm framed for murder. I'm coming with you, whether you want me to or not."
There was a long tense moment of silence. Ana pursed her lips and looked from her father to Peter and back. Roger stared only at Lysander.
The old vampire frowned, but nodded. "Very well, but how do you intend to assist us?"
Peter looked to Roger and held out his hand. "Mind if I borrow one of those stakes?"
Roger sheepishly grinned. "Astute boy," he commented as he pulled a stake from inside his lab coat.
Peter took the stake and smiled. He turned to Lysander and held up the block of wood. "This is how I'm going to help you." He tapped his temple with one finger. "And with this. I might not have your strength, but I've got an imagination."
Lysander studied him for a few seconds before he turned to look at Roger. "Remain here with the victim. She must not be allowed to come into contact with anyone else." He glanced over his shoulder at Peter. "You will fly with me."
Lysander transformed into his bat self and grabbed Peter's collar. They flew out of the backyard, and Ana followed close behind.
Peter spotted a pair of tall and long brick apartment buildings at the edge of campus. An open irrigation canal ran by the lawn that wrapped around the buildings. Large willow trees shaded most of the swift water, and at a few points the canal disappeared beneath a road via a culvert.
He pointed at the buildings. "There. That's where it might be."
Lysander dropped Peter onto the lawn and transformed beside him. Ana joined them and looked around with wide eyes. "Is this where the students stay?"
Peter turned to her and frowned. "Haven't you been this far?"
She smiled at him and shook her head. "No."
Lysander limped forward and swept his eyes over the area. He spoke in a hushed, hissing whisper. "Quiet."
Peter frowned. "What is-shit!" A black shape swooped down from a large willow branch and grabbed at his face. He ducked and fell onto his butt on the grass.
The rat-bat flew over him, its tiny mouth sending out a screeching noise. A strange splashing noise came to Peter's ears. The sound came from the canal. He turned his head and his mouth dropped open.
Dozens of brown rats spilled over the top of the canal bank and onto the grass. Their beady red eyes and long, sharp fangs bespoke of a hunger for more than just cheese as they surrounded the three companions. The rat-bat landed on a nearby branch and grinned down at its captives.
Ana turned to face the wall of rats and stepped backward closer to the center of the ring. "Dad, are these-?"
Lysander pursed his lips and nodded as his eyes swept over the horde. "Revenant rats."
Peter whipped his head to the old vampire. "What?"
Lysander glanced over his shoulder at the rat-bat who sat high above them. "It seems my progeny has his own army."
Peter climbed to his feet and looked down at the stake in his hand. "I'm going to need a lot more of these."
Ana crouched down and glared at the rats. "We will take care of these."
The rat-bat pointed one of his tiny paws at them and squeaked. The rat army lunged at the three companions. Lysander and Ana leapt forward and dove into the fray. Peter's eyes widened as he watched their blurred hands swipe at the wall of red-eyed rats. Every touch of the vampire hands caused a half dozen rats to explode into dust like the woman from the morgue. A fog of dirt sprang up from each destruction and enveloped the grassy area in its dense gray body.
A screech behind him alerted Peter to danger. He spun around in time for something hard to collide with his chest. He was pushed to the ground and the air was knocked from his lungs. The force also dislodged the stake from his hand. It bounced a foot out of his reach.
He coughed and looked up. His blood froze. Standing above him was the rat-bat. Its red eyes glared down at him with depth-less venom. It opened its wide mouth and revealed its sharp, white fangs in a terrible hiss.
&nb
sp; Peter's eyes flickered to the stake. If he could just reach it-
The rat lunged at his exposed neck. A wild idea flashed through Peter's mind. The rat pressed its small body against his chest. He reached up and wrapped his arm around the rat, capturing it in a body-hold. The rat's basic instincts took hold, and rather than biting down it tried to squirm free.
Peter kept his hold on the rodent and rolled over. He snatched the stake from the grass and brought the sharp point down on the rodent's tiny body. The wood pierced the other side and jabbed into Peter's chest. He winced, but the bat wasn't so calm.
The tiny creature raised its head and opened its mouth wide. It let loose a blood-curdling scream that rang through the night air. Its body writhed and squirmed as smoke rose from the wound. The smell of scorched fur stung Peter's nostrils. He grabbed the rat and threw it off him.
The rat tumbled onto the grass and ignited in a blaze of fire. Peter sat up and watched the vampire as it was consumed by its own destruction. In a few short moments the rat was nothing more than a pile of blackened ash.
The remaining rats screamed and exploded into clouds of dust. Lysander straightened and glared at the ash while Ana spun around. Her eyes widened when she beheld Peter on the ground, and she rushed to his side.
She grasped his shoulders and looked him over. "Are you hurt?"
He sat up and shakily smiled at her. "It'd take more than a rat to hurt me." He bent forward and winced. His hand clutched the hole in his shirt.
"Let me see," Ana begged him. The young vampire pulled his hand away and tore open his shirt. She furrowed her brow when she glimpsed the shallow hole in his chest. Her eyes flickered up to meet his gaze. "I'm so sorry."
He blinked at her. "For what?"
She bit her lip and turned her face away. "All of this is because of my family. Your friends, your trouble with the police, everything."
Peter smiled and cupped her chin between his fingers. He pulled her gaze back to his. "It was worth it." He leaned forward and pressed their lips together in a soft, hesitant kiss.
A sharp hiss interrupted their loving moment. Peter yelped when a hand grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground. He was spun around to face the angered face of Lysander.
"Never touch my daughter," the vampire growled.
Peter shakily smiled at him and held up his hands. "It was just a kiss."
Ana climbed to her feet and glared at her father. "Let him down! You know he helped us!"
Lysander looked past Peter and at his daughter. "That doesn't allow him liberties with you."
Ana half-turned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let him down or I'll never speak to you again."
Lysander's eyebrows crashed down. His narrowed eyes flickered to Peter, who winced but managed a small smile. Lysander sneered at him, but opened his hand. Peter dropped onto the ground and stumbled backward.
Ana caught his shoulders and smiled as he turned his head to look at her. "Thank you."
He arched an eyebrow. "For what?"
She pecked a soft kiss on his cheek. "For showing me life."
Lysander pursed his lips and turned away from the scene. "We must leave. The police will soon be here."
Peter's ears picked up on the faint sound of police sirens. His face fell. "And I'm in enough trouble with them."
Ana grasped his hands in hers and squeezed. "With the vampire dead I'm sure all will be fixed soon."
The pair of vampires transformed into their bat forms. They took off, and this time it was Ana who carried Peter.
CHAPTER 21