by Susan Stumpf
I hadn't had a dog since I was very little. I was glad this one was already house broken because I had no idea how to go about it. He scratched at the door when he wanted out, then he went to the trees down by the road and always came right back in. I couldn't imagine why someone would get rid of such a great dog. I bought him a bed, but Bacon always ended up sleeping with me. Yes, I named my dog Bacon. It only seemed fitting since he was almost Bo's breakfast. Bo suggested I name him Lucky, but that seemed so clich?. My favorite thing about Bacon was that he let me know when Bo was in the house, always. He growled or barked and ran to me and jumped in my lap. It was almost like he knew Bo was going to eat him that day.
Bo replaced my couch with a big comfy leather one just like his and also replaced the area rug with an intricately designed one in burgundy and tan. I didn't really care for the rug but of course, Bo being Bo didn't ask my opinion. It was all replaced while I was out running errands one day. I think he had my hardwood floors cleaned and polished as well. When I came home they seemed a little shinier and my living room smelled different, but that could've just been from the couch and rug. I wondered who he got to come in and do it since everything was stained with blood. I would think Merry Maids would report something like that to the police. I guess it didn't matter I was just happy to have a new, big comfy couch.
Bo came to pick me up for an auction- not in the van, but in his car- a black Mercedes. I guessed we were after smaller treasures. This time, for obvious reasons, we left Wu at home. As Bo walked up to my front door, Bacon barked twice and came to sit at my feet in the kitchen growling as Bo walked in without knocking, as usual.
"That dog doesn't like me," he said.
"Can you blame him?"
"Ready to go?" he asked, dismissing my question.
"Yep."
Bacon hated when I left anywhere with Bo. He sat on the living room rug and whimpered as we left.
We weren't going as far this time, but it still left us with some time to talk. I asked Bo about his life back in Lithuania. I was surprised at how much he didn't remember about his human life.
"How do you not know exactly how old you are?"
"Em, that was almost three hundred years ago, do you remember your first day of school or the first time you rode a bike?"
"I kind of remember my first day of school but not the bike thing," I answered.
"?and that was not even thirty years ago! How do you expect me to remember three hundred years ago?"
"But it's your birthday! Everybody knows their birthday!"
"It wasn't as big of a deal back then. We didn't have parties and cake and all that. I remember almost nothing before I was turned. I'm not sure how old I was when I became a vampire, which is why I'm unsure how old I am now. I was turned in the 1770's. I've been a vampire for about two hundred and forty years. I could have been anywhere between twenty-five and thirty-five when I was turned, so I am somewhere around two hundred and seventy years old. Depending on if you count my mortal life, if not then I am approximately two hundred and forty."
"Well," I said. "In that case, you look great for your age; you don't look a day over a hundred and thirty," I laughed.
At the auction, I registered for Bo. I'd learned that vampires avoid paperwork as much as possible. They have no birth certificate, they can't pay taxes, etcetera. So they have mortals front their endeavors. The antique shop had once been in Esther's name, and she signed it over to Li Tang when she retired. After I got signed in, I brought Bo his number paddle and he showed me the things he was after tonight: A rickety old red, green, and yellow flag with a knight on it that was encased in a picture frame, and a very pretty silver necklace with green stones.
He told stories about them both in depth, but honestly, I zoned him out. I didn't understand paying so much money for stuff that was so old and falling apart. I caught that the flag was Lithuanian and had been flown over some important building during some important battle and that the necklace was jade and had been worn by some important fancy lady. Bo knew a lot about history and it made me feel a bit inferior that I never knew what he was talking about. I always just nodded my head and tried to look amused.
Bo ended up getting the flag and the necklace, so I thought he would be pleased with himself. But he seemed nervous the whole drive back. He kept glancing in the mirror behind us, and I just figured he was being cautious seeing how we were chased out of the last auction by the seed hunters. He didn't seem to want to talk, so I fiddled with the radio and just sang most of the way home. We pulled up to the house and I was surprised that he didn't want to come in.
"I need to borrow your car," he said, not really asking. I dug in my purse and threw him the keys.
"I'll be right back," he said.
"Um, alright," I said, and he quickly jumped in the car and sped away. He was acting strange- but it was Bo- he always acted strange.
I went inside and Bacon was happy to see me. It wasn't too horribly late so we sat cuddling on the couch and watched TV. It was a chilly night so I clicked on the gas fireplace. I'm not nearly enough of a pioneer woman to start a real fire. About twenty minutes later Bacon stood up on the couch and looked to the door growling. Bo must be back already. It wasn't enough time to drive to the shop and back, unless he was really flying the whole way. I was curious where he had gone.
"Where did you go?" I asked, opening the door, but it wasn't Bo standing on the porch. It was two men.
"Where is he?" one asked pushing his way inside. I'd seen these guys before, but I didn't know where. I was too scared to think.
"Where is he," the man repeated. He had dark, greasy, shaggy hair that just radiated a psycho vibe.
"I don't know," I answered. "He didn't say where he was going, he just left." I stuttered through the words not knowing who these men were or what they wanted.
"Not the vamp," the other one said. This guy was really tall and stocky. Where had I seen that bald head before? Then it hit me, these were the two seed hunters we'd ran from on the way home from the last auction. They must have been at this auction also and followed us home, hoping we would lead them to Wu. That's why Bo kept glancing in the mirror! But wait, if he knew they were following us, then why would he leave me here?
"Where's the seed?" the bald one finished.
"I don't know!" I said with all the attitude and courage I could muster. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you guys."
Greasy psycho backhanded me across the jaw before I even saw it coming, and I fell to the floor. I forgot I was dealing with vampires not your regular run of the mill thugs. Bacon was going crazy at this point barking and growling.
"Where is he?" Baldy repeated.
"Well, he's not here!" I said, not quite so confident.
Baldy walked through the house looking for Wu while the greasy psycho stood over me. I stayed right there in the floor. Bacon ran over to me and I tried to calm him down.
Baldy, I guess had searched the whole house and came back even angrier than before. He leaned down and tried to pick me up by my shirt and I heard it rip. Ahh, seriously! This was one of my favorite shirts! It was a sheer black sparkly over-blouse that I wore with a purple tank top. As my outer shirt tore off, he got a grip on something a little more solid, my neck. Suddenly I didn't care so much about my blouse. As he held me up, Bacon jumped on his leg biting him repeatedly. Baldy threw me against the back of the couch then picked up Bacon and in one smooth motion threw him into the window. The glass shattered as Bacon flew outside.
"No!" I screamed. I stood up and ran at baldy beating him with both fists as hard as I could, but it didn't faze him at all. Greasy psycho grabbed me by the hair and jerked me backward.
"Tell us where he is, and we won't kill you," Greasy said.
"I don't know!" I said again. Then greasy hit me, I didn't see it coming again. I don't know if he backhanded me or flat out punched me, but it hurt. I felt the blow to my face and I hit the ground again.
Just then the door flew open with a crash
ing thud against the wall and Bo and Wu stepped inside. Oh, thank God! I thought. I stayed huddled in the floor beside the couch as a full on battle broke out in my living room. Bo on one side of the room, and Wu on the other. It was like something you'd see in a movie. Wu was good, he looked like Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris or one of those guys. He flipped and twisted and kicked Baldy over and over. Bo had Greasy up against the wall by the hallway tearing him to shreds. It was the most brutal fight I'd ever seen. Most fights I'd seen in my life were punk guys fighting over girls or their ego and were fights with just pride at stake. This was a fight to the death. Bo and Wu were both taking some hits as well so I ran upstairs to get my baseball bat. I didn't want to play the innocent victim and just sit there while the guys defended me. I was going to help.
Back downstairs I ran up to ol' Greaseball and slammed the bat against the back of his head. Bad idea. The bat broke against his skull, but at least, it seemed to stun him a little and Bo was able to get a few really good shots in.
"I'm ok," Bo told me. "Go help Wu."
He was ok, I was surprised that not long ago he'd looked so helpless lying in his bed sick. I guess he wasn't so helpless after all. He looked fierce and deadly at the moment.
I turned around and Baldy had pinned Wu in the corner by the busted window. I ran at him with my broken bat handle, and I rammed it into the side of his stomach. He cried out in pain and looked down at the bat then at me. He looked over at Bo who had Greasy down on the ground. I guess he figured out he was losing because he ran over to the window that he'd thrown Bacon out of and jumped out.
"Bo!" Wu called out, "He's running!"
"Take care of this one," Bo said to Wu before he jumped out the window after Baldy.
Greasy psycho looked to be unconscious, and Wu locked his hands around the man's ankles and dragged him toward the fireplace. "Help me, Em," Wu ordered, motioning to the fireplace with a quick nod of the head. I knew in that instant what his plan was.
"You can't be serious! We are not burning a vampire in my fireplace!"
Blue flashing lights distracted us both. Great, somebody called the cops! Wu and I exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"I'll get rid of him, you talk to the police."
"Wait! What do I tell them?!" I pleaded in a panic.
"Anything other than two vampires broke into your house," he said as he threw the guy over his shoulder.
"Backdoor?" Wu asked.
"Down the hall," I pointed.
"Good luck," he said and winked at me.