by Stead, Nick
“Stop teasing your sister and get rid of it, Nick,” Mum said, handing me a tissue to squash it in.
“My pleasure. Look at that big fat body – it should squish nicely.” I wrapped the tissue around it and closed my fist, then opened my hand back up to prove it was dead. “Look, you can see all the juices have come out.”
“Nick, don’t. Do you always have to be so disgusting?” Mum asked.
I pretended to look thoughtful for a moment. “Yup. Besides, it’s Halloween. Get into the spirit of things.”
Mum rolled her eyes and walked out, bidding me to follow and leave Amy in peace.
Minutes later there was another knock at the door – the one I’d been waiting for, at long last. I smiled at Fiona, beautiful as ever in her school uniform, freckles painted on her face and her hair in pigtails. Jessica could have been her twin. And then there was her little sister, Hannah, wearing a witch’s cloak and hat, her face painted green. I eyed the five year old with distaste.
“You didn’t tell me there’d be kids,” I said. I hated kids.
Fiona gave an apologetic shrug. “Sorry, Mum made me bring her along.”
“I guess I’ll put up with your kid sister just this once, but I hope you know this is seriously damaging to my image! The King of Horror can’t be seen with little ’uns.”
Amy had come running down at the sound of the door and was already gushing at the sight of Hannah, standing there with her little broomstick in one hand and her pumpkin trick or treat bowl hanging from the other.
“Especially not one his younger sister thinks is cute,” I muttered to myself. Raising my voice again, I added “Unless maybe he’s torturing them.”
“Oh, Nick, don’t say such things,” Mum said.
“So what are you two meant to be?” I asked, ignoring Mum.
“Naughty school girls,” Fiona answered, indicating her shirt hanging out and her tie dangling looser than our teachers would have allowed.
“Well you didn’t need to dress up for that!”
Fiona laughed. “Shall we?”
“Yes!” I grabbed my scythe and pulled my skeleton mask down over my face, stepping outside.
“Not too late tonight, Nick!” Mum called out after me. “You had us worried sick after the cinema. Count your lucky stars we didn’t ground you – but if it happens again we most certainly will!”
“Yes, Mum.”
“And stay together! No wandering off on your own.”
“Yes, Mum. See you later.”
“Have fun!”
We’d already started down the street so I just waved.
“Let’s start on Westfield Avenue,” Fiona said. “We’ve already knocked at most of these doors – Hannah didn’t want to wait to meet you first.”
“Kids!” I growled.
But once the trick or treating started I had a great time, knocking on doors with the scythe which looked really effective, revelling in the praise for my costume and scaring everyone I could. Even one of the pensioners we called on thought I looked great, despite the fact she didn’t celebrate Halloween. There was only one miserable old sod who tried telling us he didn’t have anything to give as treats. I was all for playing a trick on him, but Fiona insisted we’d get into too much trouble. It wasn’t worth arguing over so I let it go.
The time came to head back to Fiona’s house. For one thing, we needed to get Hannah home before her bedtime. Fiona had promised her mum she’d have her back by eight at the latest.
We helped ourselves to the goodies we’d been given as we walked, me and Fiona at the front, Jessica and Hannah behind.
“So what are you up to this weekend?” I asked through a mouth stuffed with chocolates.
“Dancing for most of it. Can you believe my next competition’s only three weeks away? I still have to learn the last part of my routine!”
“Three weeks is plenty of time. You’ll do great, I know you will.”
“Thanks, Nick,” she said, giving me a quick hug.
But I switched off when talk turned to her boyfriend and how she believed him to be the one, just hearing the odd few words here and there. It came as no surprise she’d already picked out her prom dress, and I think she said they’d started making plans on their arrival, her eyes firmly on the prize for best entrance, not to mention the title of Prom Queen. I didn’t need to be paying full attention to know she’d love to win either. Any girl would.
A cry from behind brought the conversation to an end. Turning, we were met with the sight of Hannah sticking out of the bushes, fighting a losing battle to free herself, her cape caught in the branches. Something about that had me in stitches. I don’t know if it was all the sugary treats, the excitement of Halloween, or the wolf blood making me feel more alive, but I burst out laughing and couldn’t stop, even after Fiona had untangled her little sister. I was still giggling when we set off walking again.
“It wasn’t that funny,” Jessica said, eyeing me like she thought I had a screw loose.
That only set me off again. I had to stop to catch my breath, my eyes wandering back to the bush that had almost been Hannah’s undoing. The others continued on without me, but Fiona called out “Come on, Nick! What’s got into you tonight?”
I glanced back in their direction and the laughter died in my throat.
There was movement at the end of the street. Shadows shifted and it was gone, but I knew what I’d seen. Something was lurking there.
Uncertain, I stood thinking. We’d be safer at Fiona’s house, though if it was what I thought it had been, Fiona could be in danger if we led them back to her family. And I was sure it was a them.
If I was right, it had to be a Slayer – who else would be following us? Unless my eyes had deceived me and it had been nothing more than a large stray dog. Was I just being paranoid? I couldn’t take the risk. There was no telling what lengths the Slayers might go to if they’d figured out I was the werewolf they were hunting. It wasn’t hard to imagine them using Fiona and her family to get to me. After all, we were at war, according to Lady Sarah at least. The Young family could be in very real danger. I wouldn’t let the Slayers capture them as bait.
The others must have realised I’d fallen behind – they came to a stop and looked round. Then I caught more movement down the side of the house nearest to them. Another one? I was about to shout a warning when the thing struck.
Its movements almost too quick to follow, I could do little more than watch as it pulled Hannah into a death grip. There was just no time for anything else. By the time I’d recovered, his head had lowered to the little girl’s neck and his canines were fangs, pressing against the skin as he prepared to give her the kiss of death.
“Oi!” I yelled, pushing up my mask and starting forward.
Eyes made black by the darkness and gaping with eternal hunger met my own. His face twisted into a hiss, much more bestial than I’d seen in Lady Sarah as he bared his teeth and pulled back long pointed ears, closer to my own in wolf form than a human’s. But his features didn’t put me in mind of a wolf. His nose was too flat, his lower canines too short, and his skin too pale.
Long black hair framed those bat-like features. It was well-groomed though, and if it hadn’t been for his face he could have passed as a human, with his full-length leather coat, black shirt and trousers and leather boots – the kind of outfit any goth would wear. I couldn’t see any tatters or bloodstains to mark him as a monster.
The other humans still didn’t know what had happened. Suddenly a stranger had appeared in their midst and their brains looked to be struggling to catch up. My angry shout drew their gazes as well, but it hadn’t been enough to break the spell. They continued to stand and gawp in shock.
It looked like I was on my own. Hannah might not be important to me but she was Fiona’s little sister. If it had been Amy I wouldn’t want to see her fed on by the vampire. I had to do something. Didn’t I?
No. I didn’t. The memory of the werewolf’s attack floate
d to the forefront of my mind, clearer than before. Stunned, I watched my friends leaving me to die. And Fiona had been one of them. So why should I risk my life to save her sister? She’d left me to my fate.
I considered walking away. The vampire looked ready to defend his kill to the death and that was a fight I was certain I couldn’t win – not when I had no control over the transformation. It would be a tragedy, a little girl killed at so young an age, but these things happen. Predators feed on prey. And she had to die at some point anyway, mortal as she was. But could I live with myself if I did nothing while he drained Hannah’s blood?
Somewhere, deep down in the darkest depths of my soul, a little voice urged Yes, leave her to die. You owe Fiona nothing after the way she left you. Let her fight her own battles. I ignored it. Whatever I have become over the years, whatever atrocities I would go on to commit, I wasn’t completely consumed by the darkness so early in my lycanthropy. The better part of me was winning.
With a roar, I charged the vampire. His eyes seemed to fill with recognition and he tossed Hannah aside as though she were no more than a rag doll, hissing “You!”
My feet came to a stop and my blood turned to ice. There was another blur of movement, and then I was on the ground, cold hands around my throat.
Snarling, I thrashed in his grip. It did me no good. He was just too strong, and no amount of kicking and punching was going to save me from the death he threatened to bring. I forced myself to relax.
“You,” he repeated.
“Have we met?” I asked, studying his face. I was sure I’d remember a face like that.
“Not in person, but I’ve heard so much about you.” He leered at me. “The new werewolf who almost got himself killed the moment he shifted. Why Lady Sarah wasted her energy saving the runt of the pack is beyond me.”
“You know Lady Sarah?”
“Oh yes. And I can see she’s neglected to teach you your manners. The girl is mine and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
I wanted to fight back, not just for Hannah’s sake but to show this new bully I was no runt. If only I hadn’t been so outmatched. “Take my blood instead.”
It was hard to tell with those bat-like features, but I thought I could see disgust there. “Yours? If I wanted low-grade blood I’d have fed on a stray dog. No, I choose my victims with more care. So young, so full of life, so sweet… She’s mine!”
The grip tightened on my throat. My lungs gasped for breath and found none, panic flooding my brain. Instinct had me lashing out again. Then suddenly, mercifully, the pressure relaxed and I was able to gulp down the oxygen my body craved. A hand appeared in my field of vision and I accepted the help up. It was none other than Lady Sarah.
“Where’ve you been? I’ve been looking for you!” It came out as a rasp. My throat felt bruised as I rubbed the flesh in a futile attempt to soothe it, much as Jamie had done earlier.
I was suddenly aware of two sets of eyes on me and glanced to find Fiona and Jess looking uncertain, Hannah clinging to Fiona’s legs with tears streaming down her face. They had to be wondering what the hell was going on.
“Oh yeah, sorry guys, this is my, er, cousin Sarah, and this is one of her friends. It was meant to be a Halloween prank but he took it a bit too far.”
I glared at the vampire, lying on his back where I imagined Lady Sarah had thrown him. He glowered back at me but kept quiet and still. Out of respect for Lady Sarah perhaps?
My friends were still looking at me. I don’t think they believed my story so I suggested they take Hannah home while I spent some time with my ‘cousin’. They didn’t argue and as soon as I could see they were safely inside I turned back to the vampires.
“Well?” I said.
“Vincent needed help. It was no longer safe for him to feed in his usual hunting ground so I brought him back here.” She indicated the male vampire, then turned to address him. “And I told you not to hunt children! Will you ever learn your lesson? We have enough with the Slayers hunting us, without the rest of humanity on our trail as well. By rights you should be dead by now.”
His expression turned bitter and he looked away, as if he knew she was right but would never admit it. When he turned back to us his face had changed. It now held the same god-like quality as Lady Sarah’s – too perfect to be human, and filled with eternal youth.
I eyed him warily as he got to his feet, but his eyes were completely different now. They were no longer empty pits of hunger, but nor were they the embers of resentment I might have expected to see. No, there was emotion there but it was the kind that forged friendships and invited trust. Where Lady Sarah’s eyes remained cold and calculating, these had a warmth to them, as if he had only recently become undead, much like myself. And yet, there was something lurking behind that warmth, something which slid across the dark discs when he first met my gaze. Seconds later it was gone.
“Sorry about that, mate,” he said. “I guess I let the hunger get the better of me.”
I was too surprised by the difference between his speech and Lady Sarah’s to reply.
“If we were still living in the Middle Ages like Lady Sarah here, I would be calling myself Sir Vincent of Desmodontidae, but since we’re in the new millennium you can call me Vince,” he continued, holding out his hand. I took a moment to respond, somewhat dazed and unsure by the turn of events. But he seemed sincere enough so we shook, and with a conspiratorial wink he added “But I was never a knight.”
Lady Sarah shot him a look of disapproval. “Not all of us are so comfortable with the modern world, Vincent. You may choose to live amongst humans, but most of us leave that world behind, for good reason.”
“And look where it’s got us. If we’re doomed to die, we might as well go out in style.”
She shook her head. “Near seven centuries and you are still impossible. Some nights I wonder how you have managed to survive this long.”
“Because I’ve had you to look out for me, of course.” He gave another wink.
“Yes, and if you would only follow my advice you would not have needed me to come to your rescue again. We all have to make sacrifices.” She glanced at me, still in my grim reaper outfit, and added “Though I do miss All Hallows’ Eve.”
“Well I’m glad you’re back,” I said. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Not here. You never know who might be listening.”
She led us back to the cemetery. We came to a stop among the tombstones and she raised a brow at me, her eyes betraying a hint of impatience.
I hesitated and glanced at Vince. Was I doing the right thing trusting either of them? Lady Sarah hadn’t really given me any reason not to trust her yet, but the male vampire was another story. Did I really have a choice though? I had questions that needed answers. My survival depended on it.
“So remember that first time we met when you said you could help teach me to control the transformation? I think that’s something I’m in desperate need of.”
Her expression turned to alarm. “What happened?”
I told her about the nightmare in Aughtie’s lesson and the way it terrified my wolf half and brought on the change.
“Understand this,” she said when I’d finished. “Dreams can be so much more than mere thoughts and images conjured at random as the body sleeps. Sometimes they are visions – windows into the past, present or future. And sometimes they are warnings which you would do well to heed.”
“So you’re telling me I’m going to hunt down my sister unless Aughtie puts a stop to it? That’s crazy!”
“No, that is not what I am saying. Not all dreams have meaning, but those that might should not be ignored.”
“And how the hell am I supposed to tell whether there’s a hidden meaning or not?”
“Sometimes you cannot,” she admitted. “And with you it is more complicated still. As long as your mind remains in two halves, you will experience dreams which hold meaning for one, but not the other. The wolf may al
ready be aware of this, and that might have led to his fear the danger could be real, which was enough to trigger the change. In any case, you were right to seek my help, and I am sorry I could not be there for you before tonight. I will do what I can to guide you, but controlling the transformation is really something you must learn for yourself.”
Excitement filled me. By morning it looked like I would be shifting whenever I felt like it. My lifelong dream was about to come true!
Of course, transforming meant the need to strip off if I wanted my grim reaper outfit and underlying clothes to survive the experience. I wasn’t entirely comfortable being naked in front of the vampires, cupping myself to protect my modesty as best I could and shivering in the cool air. They seemed to sense my discomfort and, to their credit, they were both careful to keep their eyes fixed firmly on my face. I soon forgot my embarrassment once the transformation began though.
“Now, I want you to reach out to your wolf half. Feel him in you, but do not let him take control of your mind. Can you do that?”
I did my best to follow her instructions. Finding the wolf in me wasn’t hard – since that first full moon, its presence had always been there, lurking deep in my mind and waiting for the next opportunity to hunt. But the moment I tried to brush my human thoughts against it, I felt like the wolf started to rise up, just like at full moon. And the moment it did I backed off, leaving it in the darkness and my body very much human. It took several attempts in which I gingerly stretched a hand out as though to stroke it, until eventually I could give it a mental pet without losing myself to its predatory instincts.
As we touched, I felt my eyes sting, and I was sure they must have turned to lupine amber. That was probably all the answer Lady Sarah needed, but I still said “Yes.”
“Good. He is a part of you and always has been – you simply needed the curse to wake him up. Trust in this part of yourself. Do not fear him.”
“I’m not afraid,” I answered, though I couldn’t truthfully say I was trusting. That lupine part of me was just so different to the thoughts and feelings I was used to as a human.