Phyllis stood over the mortally wounded Dietrich, axe in hand and ready to complete the task of finishing him off.
“How can this be?” gurgled Dietrich to her in a cracked voice while he lay on the ground, blood gushing out from his gaping throat wound caused by the werewolf’s bite. “No one has ever been able to resist or defy my control, until you!”
“You’re too arrogant, proud, conceited, and evil to ever consider the fact that love is the most powerful force in the world,” she answered him. “A heart full of love will defeat any evil, even yours.”
“Titus, my brother, will bring many minions over and come to avenge me!” said Dietrich angrily to her. “They’ll destroy you and this village!”
“Then, we will be waiting for them,” she replied and raised the axe high above her head, and swung down with extreme vampire speed and force, beheading Dietrich on the spot and killing him.
A loud, screeching noise emerged from the throat of the vampire as his life force left his body, and then ceased moments later. Dietrich was dead. Carl and Brian walked over to Phyllis and stood in silence when they saw the dead body of Dietrich. He was no longer a handsome-looking stranger, but a wrinkled, half-decayed, and headless body that looked more like a grotesque corpse.
“I hope he enjoys the rest of eternity in Hell!” exclaimed Carl. “It’s where he belongs!”
“Phyllis, we’re proud of you,” said Brian.
She walked over and gave him and Carl a hug, and looked over toward Buck’s werewolf, which was still just inside the trees, observing them. “I still feel like the same person. But now, I’m blessed with more abilities, which I will try to use for helping people, not harming them.”
“You can be a new superhero!” joked Carl.
“Did I overhear him mention something about a brother Titus and minions?” asked Brian with concern.
“Can you two burn his body for me?” she asked them. “I will take Buck out into the wilderness for the rest of the night, but I will talk to the both you sometime tomorrow morning about Titus.”
“We would be more than happy to burn him!” answered Carl. “But will you need to be back before the daylight? We don’t want you to burn up, if you know what I’m saying.”
“Dietrich told me that I wouldn’t be able to go out into the sunlight, and that I’d burn up if I did. But I was able to bite and drink from him long enough to find out that some of the things he told me were a lie in order to manipulate and help control me,” she answered. “I’ll be able to go out in the sunlight, but will require more blood than normal if I do. Thank you both for caring enough and helping me through this ordeal, and putting your own lives at risk to help.” She ran over to Buck’s werewolf in a blur, said something into its ear, and they both disappeared into the darkness of the night and into the forest at a high rate of speed.
“Phyllis is one spectacular woman, or should I say, vampire,” said Brian with admiration. “She even seems much stronger and more confident now.”
“You better not let Nancy hear you say that,” joked Carl. “Let’s burn Dietrich to ashes, get a good night’s sleep, and try to call our wives in the morning. Maybe they also can give us an update on the summit.”
They grabbed their gas can from off the ground and near the back of the truck, put a gallon of gas into it from the store’s pump, and poured it on Dietrich’s head and body.
“Do you want the honors or shall I?” asked Brian.
“Since he was only going to break my legs but rip your heart out, then you should have the honors,” answered Carl.
Brian lit the match on the matchbox and dropped it onto Dietrich, which set off a big bomb fire that quickly disintegrated the vampire into ashes.
“We did great teamwork today! All of us!” said Carl as he and Brian walked toward the bed and breakfast to sleep off the rest of the night in peace. “Maybe Phyllis can tip my truck back up on its wheels in the morning also.”
“I’m sure she’s strong enough now to do that, but I doubt she’ll be able to repair your shattered windshield,” replied Brian. “Your truck is a mess, and it won’t be fun driving back to Fairville without a windshield!”
The two of them laughed as they walked from the store lot toward the bed and breakfast cottage where they were staying at.
CHAPTER 14
February 19, Early Saturday Morning
Phyllis and the shirtless and shoeless Buck in torn-up blue jeans walked into his cabin, after first needing to invite her in, and sat down on the couch together after a long, full moon night of running through the wilderness together. Buck’s werewolf was long gone, and he felt fatigued and exhausted, but his desire to hug and hold Phyllis, and kiss her lips, was much greater than his need to sleep.
“Turning into a werewolf is really hard on my clothes,” quipped Buck. “I have to get new clothes every month. And I don’t care if you are a vampire now, Phyllis. I still love you more than anything.” They kissed and caressed each other on the couch for five minutes, until Buck’s need for sleep began to overpower him.
“I feel weak also,” said Phyllis. “I think that I might need a little blood. I had so much fun being with you last night that I didn’t think about looking for more animal blood than the rabbit I caught.”
Buck lifted his arm up to Phyllis’s mouth and told her to drink what she needed.
“I’m afraid,” said Phyllis. “I don’t want to hurt you in any way by drinking too much.”
“It will be okay,” replied Buck. “I trust you, and besides, remember that my werewolf side gives me rapid healing powers. We both have it now.”
Phyllis reluctantly but gently bit into his arm with her new fangs and drank for fifteen seconds before forcing herself to stop. It felt much more satisfying to her than the rabbit she drank from during the night. Dietrich was correct when he told her that blood caused a euphoric feeling for vampires, especially human blood, and she didn’t want to become a blood addict. “Thanks, Buck,” she lovingly told him as she caressed him on his chest. “I feel refreshed now. You should sleep now, and I will tell you about Titus, Dietrich’s brother, tonight. I am going to talk to Carl and Brian, and I’m sure they are anxious to leave for Fairville as soon as the highway has been cleared.”
Phyllis hadn’t finished her words when Buck had slumped down on the couch and fell asleep. She took a blanket and covered him with it, and bent over to kiss him good-bye on his cheek and whispered, “I love you,” in his ear before disappearing out the door.
Carl and Brian were still at the bed and breakfast, having just finished their breakfast that they cooked, and talking with their wives and kids on their room phone for ten minutes each, when Phyllis knocked on the front door.
“Good morning, Phyllis. How are you?” Brian greeted.
“I think I’m going to be okay,” she replied. “But can you invite me in please? Now that I’m a vampire, I can’t enter into buildings without an invite.”
“Yes, of course, please come in,” he answered. “And that is also how the store’s wood shed saved our lives from Dietrich. We wouldn’t invite him in, and he wasn’t very happy about it!”
“Well, we have some good news,” said Carl to Phyllis. “Our wives just told us that the summit should be cleared by this evening and we can travel back to Fairville in the morning.”
“So glad to hear that,” she responded.
“We were also wondering if you’re strong enough to tip my truck back upright again,” asked Carl with a chuckle.
“I can try, but can’t promise you anything. I really don’t know as of yet the extent of my new vampire abilities,” she answered.
“We promise to clean our dishes and rooms before we leave, and leave enough cash for you to cover our utility usage and our stay here,” said Brian.
“Thank you, and I wasn’t going to ask for money, but that will be a big help to me,” replied Phyllis. “I appreciate it.”
“You mentioned last night that you needed to
talk to us about Titus,” said Brian with concern.
“Yes, thanks for reminding me,” she answered. “Dietrich said that he has a slightly older and more powerful twin brother, who is currently residing somewhere in the Eastern Hemisphere, possibly Europe. Titus and Dietrich are supernaturally interlinked and have some kind of twin brother connection with one another, so if one of the brothers were severely hurt or died, the other brother would feel and know it within a day. Also, I was told that Titus has a small army of vampire minions at his disposal, something that Dietrich didn’t want to create for himself very often, and according to Dietrich, just before I killed him, Titus and those minions would come here to avenge his death.”
“I remember Dietrich telling me about some of his minions and a previous mate that he killed off fifty years ago,” replied Brian.
“Are you telling us that another Dietrich-like clone, along with more vampires with supernatural abilities like yourself, will possibly be here in Circa in attack mode sometime in the near future?” asked Carl with great alarm.
“Yes, I’m afraid so, and it’s anyone’s guess as to when they’ll arrive,” answered Phyllis as a tear rolled down her left cheek from her left eye.
“Are you okay?” Brian asked. “You know that if or when they show up, you can call us anytime, and we’ll both be here ASAP to help you and Buck fight against them in any way that we can help. We have friends in Fairville who have military-style assault rifles with long, banana clips, and I’m sure they would be glad to let us borrow them. The bullets might not affect Titus, but I’d bet they’ll put a hurting on his vampire minions.”
“We’ll even bring some sharp machetes for some vampire decapitations if necessary,” quipped Carl.
“Thank you both and I know you’ll want to help, and I hope that I won’t need to call you,” she answered. “I’m just struggling with so many worries right now. Worries of Titus and worries of other things.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Carl.
Phyllis took a few seconds to collect her emotions and thoughts, and then opened up to them about her concerns. “If Titus does come, what happens if he shows up after the full moon cycle is over and Buck’s werewolf can’t help in the fight?” she asked. “Or even if he attacked us during the full moon cycle, what if he shows up in the daytime, when Buck will be regenerating himself during a deep sleep, and I’ll be on my own, and could even die alone if they kill me. Or worse yet, be abducted by them as Dietrich told me. There are so many things that could go wrong, and not to mention that it took all of us combined to bring down Dietrich. Do we really have a chance against Titus and an army? I won’t even be as strong as his minions, who are sure to be much older and more powerful than me. And...” She paused, unable to finish her sentence.
“What’s really bothering you, Phyllis?” asked Brian wisely. “Is there something else that is burdening you? I’ve been married a while, and I can seem to sense these sorts of things.”
“I’m going to outlive Buck, my family, and my friends by thousands of years, while everyone I ever loved would grow old and die, leaving me behind and all alone! I don’t want to be alone forever!” responded Phyllis as tears rolled down her face.
Brian and Carl walked up to her and put their arms around her, trying to help comfort her pain as best they could.
“After Buck got his werewolf curse, our personal lives had changed a lot, leaving me on my own and without him for a week every month, and now I’m a vampire who needs to drink blood, and I’m also afraid that the blood will change me for the worse! I drank some of Buck’s blood because I felt weak, and I loved it! I felt strong and rejuvenated after drinking just a little. What if I get addicted to blood, and want or need more and more, and it turns me into a cold, cruel, heartless devil as Dietrich was? I just wanted a normal life with Buck, and to marry and have children, but now, we’re both supernatural freaks, whose lives and future are drastically changed, which could eventually break us apart!” said Phyllis tearfully.
“Easy, Phyllis. You’re all over the map with your emotions. If I had to guess, it sounds like your biggest fear is the loneliness factor of the vampire life,” Brian told her after a moment to meditate on his thoughts. “When it comes to your personality changing into an evil vampire, because of blood and loneliness, I don’t believe it’s possible. And I’ll always believe you’ll have the love in your heart and ability to make friends who will love you, regardless of what century it will be.”
“I agree,” said Carl. “I’d have to see you turn evil to believe it! I’ve met a lot of people over the years through my job and friends, and I’ve never met a young lady with as much compassion, kindness, and love for others as you have, and if anyone could ever conquer the temptations of the vampire life, and only drink blood as needed, it’s definitely you! We have faith in you.”
“Thank you,” Phyllis murmured as she wiped her eyes dry with a tissue. “It means a lot to me to hear that.”
“Phyllis, did Dietrich tell you why he needed the full moon to turn you?” asked Brian.
“Yes. In a short and simple way, he and Titus were born and became vampires on a full moon night, so they both also need the full moon to create vampire life,” she answered.
“Phyllis, I have an idea, but it’s kind of a long shot, and maybe Buck would agree with it if you asked him,” said Brian.
Phyllis listened intently to what Brian had to say.
“First, Buck is a new species of his kind, and none of us really know how long he will live. He could grow old like the rest of us, or his werewolf healing abilities could allow him to live as long as you. But there is one way to possibly guarantee it, and I bet Buck would be willing to try it.”
“What is your idea?” asked Phyllis with hope in her heart.
“Tonight, on the full moon, you could try biting him, to see if you can successfully turn him into a vampire also, which would solve most of the worries that you have. If Buck were a vampire as well, we’d all stand a much better chance against Titus, because you’d both be ready for him anytime he happened to show up. Day or night, full moon or not, Buck could fight by your side. And live as long as you live.”
Phyllis’s face lit up with a happy glow, and a smile came to her face after hearing Brian’s common sense logic, which would solve her loneliness worries and anxiety. “That’s an awesome idea, and I love it!” she responded, and quickly gave Brian and Carl a hug of appreciation. “I never asked Dietrich if minions and I would also have the ability to create new vampires like he and Titus could, but if a wolf was able to infect Buck, then I bet I could also. Transforming someone into a vampire weakened Dietrich some, taking some of his vitality, so I would expect the same of me, but I’ll ask Buck tonight, and I’m so thankful for you two being here!”
“We’re there for you and Buck anytime you need us, Phyllis,” said Carl, “always!”
“Thanks again,” she responded. “But I also wonder how Buck became a werewolf when he wasn’t bitten under the full moon, like I had to be in order to become a vampire.”
“Kind of hard to say for sure,” answered Brian. “The infected bite and curse could have reacted differently in an animal or could have stayed dormant inside of Buck until the next full moon arrived would be my guess.”
“I’ll go and attempt to tip your truck back upright,” said Phyllis. “I’d like to know how strong I am also. I already know that I’m super fast; let me see if I’m also super strong!” She laughed excitedly. She was out of the door in a flash and at their truck in five seconds, which lay on its side nearly a quarter of a mile from the bed and breakfast. She first walked over, placing both her hands on the tailgate, and pulled the truck back a few feet and away from the shed, as Dietrich had wedged the front bumper and grille in the shed door. She then followed that by placing both her hands under the cab of the truck, and gently lifted, unsure of what she could do. She managed to barely lift the truck three feet off the ground, and with difficulty,
before setting it back down again. Hmm, she thought to herself, realizing that it would take her strongest effort to raise a half-ton truck completely upright again. She strengthened her grip and mustered up every ounce of energy from within herself, and lifted up as hard as she could, which managed to propel Carl’s truck upright and back on all four wheels again. Her effort was successful but weakened her, leaving her body craving for more blood. She remembered what Dietrich told her when he said that the more blood she drank, the longer it would stay in her system, as she had only drank a small amount from Buck earlier.
“Nice job!” exclaimed Carl as he and Brian came walking toward the truck. “Thank you!”
“Please, don’t come any closer!” exclaimed Phyllis as she leaned against Carl’s truck in her fatigued and weakened condition, trying to fight off the thoughts and scent of their human blood from her mind.
“What’s wrong?” asked Brian with concern.
“I’m weak and need blood! If I can get some strength back, I’ll go search for an animal, but I haven’t drank very much blood since I was turned, and I already expended a lot of energy. Now I’m feeling ill,” she answered. “This is becoming hard to fight against!”
Carl and Brian stopped and looked at each other in silence, both thinking of a way to help her, and summoning up some courage to offer her their own blood.
“Ah heck,” said Carl as he shook his head while trying not to second-guess himself. “It’s my truck and she’s been a huge help, and I care about her!” He walked over to her, rolled up his sleeve, and raised his arm up to her mouth. “Just try not to take it all if you can help it.” He cringed nervously.
“I’m sorry, Carl, and I hope you understand how embarrassing this is for me, but I can’t help it!” responded Phyllis as she slipped her fangs into Carl’s arm, drinking for ten seconds before forcing herself to stop again. “Thanks,” she sighed, feeling relieved and rejuvenated again as if she satisfied a drug withdrawal with a fix. “When I was human, the thought of drinking blood disgusted me! But I’m a vampire now, and my body craves for it when I feel weak. I underestimated how powerful the urge would be.”
Village of the Full Moon Curse Page 12