by Bob McGee
“Thanks mom,” Kevin said, going over and giving her a hug. He knew things wouldn’t change, they never did, but he had a feeling the gift would be the new vampire book he had mentioned several times over the last two weeks. He needed it now more than ever.
He went to his room and looked eagerly on his bed. There it was. The book. Eagerly, he picked it up and turned to the blurb on the back cover.
Is being a vampire really so bad? Kyle certainly doesn’t think so. He parties all night and sleeps all day, and when he meets Lauren, another vampire, his life can’t get any better.
If only he could find a way to stop the humans hunting them down, he would be truly happy. He intends to enjoy his immortality and no one is going to get in his way.
Kevin was surprised. Kyle enjoyed being a vampire, yet he sounded more fun than evil. Like someone Kevin would like to be friends with. This was going to be interesting. It probably wouldn’t help him much with hunting the hot vampire he had found, but that didn’t matter. He knew everything there was to know about that already.
***
Kevin got off the bus and made his way to the school. It was Monday morning and he was actually in uniform and on time for once.
He had spent his weekend watching the house the vampire woman lived in. He had followed her whenever she left, but as yet, he hadn’t seen her do anything more exciting than water her front garden and go to the pizza store a couple of blocks away.
Did vampires eat pizza? Apparently, this one did. When he wasn’t watching the woman’s house, he was reading his vampire books. He had started his new one, but he was alternating between that one and an older one. One that centred on a vampire hunter and how he killed the vampires he encountered.
The book explained that a true vampire hunter just knew instinctively when they came across a vampire. He had felt that way about the woman, so he was confident he was a hunter. He needed training though, and the book had made it clear that there would be an adult around who was a skilled vampire hunter.
Someone he might not have suspected could help him, but someone who was watching him for the signs he was ready to fulfil his destiny.
He had tried to talk to his father about it first. Often the mentor was the least likely person. This wasn’t the case for him. He had muttered something about Kevin being as crazy as his mother and then he had gone out slamming the door behind him. There was always someone who thought the vampire hunter was crazy.
His mother hadn’t been much more help. She had told him he had an over active imagination, and if he continued with this nonsense, she would take his books away. So far so good. There was always someone who disbelieved, but she would see when he made his first kill.
He had even tried Jenny in the shop. She had smiled and ruffled his hair. So now he had found the loveable sidekick. Someone who didn’t really believe him, but was willing to play along.
That left only one option. His mentor must be Mrs Hill, his teacher. The first thing he would do when he got to school that day would be to ask Mrs Hill if he could speak to her.
A couple of boys ran past Kevin, jostling him. “Scruff,” one of them yelled as they ran away whooping and laughing. They wouldn’t be laughing when they learned his true identity. They would want to be friends with him then. Maybe he would even let them.
A group of girls from the year below passed him.
“Dare you to kiss Scruffy Kevin,” one of them laughed, pushing another girl towards him.
“No way, he’s got cooties,” she laughed, pretending to retch.
This would normally upset him, but not now. When he was famous, he could have any girl he wanted, and he would be setting his sights a bit higher than the giggly, immature girls who went to this school.
A boy pushed him hard from behind and he fell to the ground. Biting back tears, he pushed himself up and tried to brush the mud from the knees of his too short school trousers.
He finally reached the door and entered the relative safety of the school. Under the watchful eye of Mrs Hill, he was mostly left alone.
He went to his classroom. He was pleased to see only one other kid already there.
“Mrs Hill, can I talk to you please?” he asked. “Alone.”
“Of course Kevin,” she smiled. She looked at her watch. “We’ve got five minutes before the bell goes, let’s go to my office.”
Her office was only next door and Kevin dutifully followed her.
“What is it Kevin? Are you ready to tell me who’s been bullying you?”
Kevin shook his head excitedly. She was testing him. “No. None of that matters now. I know who I am.”
Mrs Hill frowned slightly. “I don’t follow.”
“I know my true destiny, and I know you are my mentor.”
Mrs Hill seemed lost for words. Maybe she had to hear him say it out loud before she could admit he was right.
“I know I’m a vampire hunter, and I know where to find my first vampire. I need you to start my training now.”
“Oh Kevin,” Mrs Hill said. “I understand why you would rather live in a fantasy world sometimes, really I do, but I can’t help you unless you tell me who is bullying you. Is it bullying? Or are you having problems at home?”
It was both, but that wasn’t what they needed to talk about. His mentor wouldn’t care about his background, and the first lesson she would teach him was one Kevin had already learned. Bullies were no match for him now, he was to pity them not fear them.
“You can drop the act. I know you know who I really am. I’ve asked my mum and dad and it’s not them. It’s not even Jenny from the shop. I really thought it might be her. It’s usually someone that just sort of flits into your life.”
“Kevin, that’s enough. If this continues, I will have to call your parents.”
Kevin was starting to think it really wasn’t her.
“I’m sorry Mrs Hill, I guess I got carried away with my new book.”
She smiled now he had dropped it. “No harm done. Back to class now.”
Kevin spent the rest of his school day wondering who his mentor could be if it wasn’t Mrs Hill. She had been his last real option. By the end of the day he had concluded that he must be one of the really special vampire hunters. The ones where it’s so much a part of them, they work on instinct rather than training. That must be it.
***
It was Wednesday night, and Kevin stood shivering on the corner of the vampire woman’s block. It was cold now it was getting late. Kevin had sneaked out Monday, Tuesday and now Wednesday night.
He had stood as long as he could the previous two nights, but he had become so tired he had had to return home. He hadn’t seen her leave for a hunt yet, and he was determined to stay there that night until she came out.
He had already confirmed that she never left the house through the day, and her curtains were always closed. It looked like the more traditional books had it correct.
By 3am, Kevin was exhausted, and his eyelids were drooping. Twice he had jerked awake as his knees gave way. He hadn’t known it was possible to fall asleep standing up, but then he had never been this tired. Vampire hunting was tough.
He was about ready to give in and go home before he collapsed in the street when suddenly, he spotted movement in the vampire lady’s garden. He edged closer, crouching out of sight, and peered over the fence.
There she was. She was even wearing the long black cape! He had been right. He had known deep down he was, but he had begun to have doubts when she hadn’t come out to hunt.
Maybe he had just missed her. He had heard rumours that a teenage boy had gone missing last night, seemingly plucked from his bed with no traces of a struggle. That had to have been her. He could see why the boy would have invited her in if he didn’t know anything about vampires. He must have thought all his fantasies were about to come true.
The woman moved gracefully away down the street and Kevin followed her, careful to stay out of sight.
She mov
ed quickly, like she had purpose. She obviously had preselected her next victim and knew exactly where to find them.
She stopped when she reached the shuttered liquor store. She looked left and right then entered the parking lot. Kevin crept along behind her, hoping the shadows would help to keep him hidden.
The woman approached what looked like a pile of trash. She nudged it with her toe and it moved. It was a homeless man.
The woman flashed him a charming grin, and he sat up. Before he had chance to speak, she was on him. She straddled him and Kevin watched in horrified fascination as her teeth grew larger and her mouth gaped open, much wider than any normal mouth should go.
She sank the huge teeth into the man and drank deeply. She moaned in pleasure as he writhed below her, trying to escape. He was no match for her, and soon he stopped fighting. When she had drunk him dry, she stood up and wiped the blood from her chin and lips.
Her face had returned to its normal beauty. She picked the husk of the man up, blanket and all and moved to the nearest dumpster, placing him inside. Kevin watched, amazed she thought that was a good enough hiding place for a body.
His earlier fear replaced with boldness, Kevin rummaged in his pocket. He pulled out his home made stake, a piece of scrap wood he had found and filed to a point and stepped out of the shadows.
“Stop vampire,” he commanded, his voice strong and loud in the still night.
The woman looked at him and threw back her head laughing. Her laugh was warm and rich, and Kevin felt like he wanted to join in with her laughter, but he couldn’t allow himself to get distracted from the task at hand.
“Well aren’t you cute,” she said when her laughter died down.
He would show her. He ran towards her, the stake held high, a war cry escaping his lips. She didn’t attempt to move and as he pushed the stake towards the place he hoped her heart was, she reached out and almost gently, she took the stake out of his hands.
“Go home little boy,” she told him. “Tonight, I have fed and I am sated. Tomorrow, I will come for you. It’ll be almost a shame to kill you but it has to be done I’m afraid. I can’t have people starting to believe you can I now?”
With that, she turned and walked away. Kevin did as she said. He went home. Tomorrow, when she came for him, he would be ready.
***
Kevin sat up in bed. Today had been the longest day, and he had almost fallen asleep during class. He had managed to get through the day, and as soon as he got home, he had taken a nap. It was going to be a long night and he knew he would need his wits about him when she came.
Once he had woken up, he had decided to finish the new book. He had just turned the last page when he heard a noise from his window. He went to the window and opened the curtains. There she was.
She was floating level with his bedroom window. His eyes widened in astonishment.
“Good evening,” she purred. “How is world’s tiniest vampire hunter?”
She was mocking him, but her voice and her beauty enthralled him, and he found himself smiling at her.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked him sweetly.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to say no, but he found himself reaching out and opening the window, his body moving of its own accord.
She floated in and stood before him. He moved to his bed and pushed his hand underneath the mattress, retrieving the stake he had hastily made to replace the one she had taken from him.
“You know I don’t want to do this Kevin, but you leave me no choice.”
“Why don’t you want to do this?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“You’re the first person I’ve ever met who not only believed in exactly what I am, but had the grit to dare try to kill me, even if it was a pretty feeble attempt.”
Kevin found himself smiling. He glanced down at the bed, blushing. As he did, his eyes fell upon his newly finished book.
Kyle had enjoyed being a vampire. He had never fitted in at school, he had always been bullied. His parents hadn’t seemed to care one way or the other if he was around or not. He was a lot like Kevin. Maybe Kevin would enjoy being a vampire.
Once the thought entered his head, he couldn’t shake it. He suddenly knew that was his destiny. He wasn’t destined to be a great vampire hunter; he was destined to be a great vampire. To be powerful, strong, seductive. To get revenge on everyone who had made his life hell.
The vampire approached him. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.
“Wait,” Kevin said. “You said you don’t want to kill me, so don’t. Turn me. Make me a vampire like you.”
She stopped, seemingly intrigued. “You surprise me again. Why would you want to be a vampire? You said you’re a vampire hunter.”
“I thought I was,” Kevin said honestly. “I believed it was my destiny. Now I know I was wrong. My destiny isn’t to kill your kind; it is to become one with them. To stand strong and proud and live forever. Turn me.”
“As you wish,” she shrugged. “But I must warn you, you will be forever in my power.”
Kevin thought for a second. That wasn’t so bad he decided.
“Just don’t kill my mother,” he said.
“We will need to feed.”
“So we’ll kill my father,” Kevin said with a finality that shocked him a little. “My mother did her best, and without her buying me my books, I would never have realised my destiny. My father is nothing but a drunken waste of space.”
“When I turn you, you get to choose two people to protect. Most young ones choose their parents. You have chosen your mother, but it is clear you don’t want to choose your father. Who will be your other protected human?”
“Jenny,” Kevin said without hesitation. She hadn’t scoffed at him when he had told her of the vampire who moved into the neighbourhood, and she had never teased him. She even scattered the other kids if they made fun of him when he was at the shop. Everyone else deserved their fate, but not his mother and not Jenny.
The woman advanced on him, her face changing again, but he felt no fear, only elation.
She suckled at his neck. He felt his strength start to sap, and then she stopped, and suddenly there was a burning in his veins. A power thrummed through his body like never before. He was strong, powerful, but most of all, he was hungry.
He turned to the woman and smiled. “Now, we feed.”
HeatherVan Helsing : Vampire Slayer
Ray Duran
Abraham Van Helsing had gotten old.
He thumbed the dragon head handle of his cane and stretched out his legs across to the empty seat in front of him. His knees creaked and his ankles felt sore after he fell in the kitchen yesterday. He wouldn't tell Heather. She would lecture him about taking it easy and letting the maid do all of the heavy lifting.
But Van Helsing remained a prideful man and tried to stave off old age as long as he could. He saw his own reflection in the train glass window.
A dry gray face with sunken cheeks and pursed lips, eyes that sparkled like toy marbles.
Old in body but young in mind.
He looked around and scrutinized the body language of the subway passengers around him. Middle of the afternoon, he marveled. And everyone looked like they were about to doze off.
“Shit,” he muttered to himself. “I'm eighty-three fucking years old and could probably kick everyone's ass.”
But old age had prevented him from doing slayer work. Van Helsing did not want to do something if he could not be the best. Plus he could get killed.
So he passed the torch down to his granddaughter.
Heather Van Helsing, Vampire Slayer.
He taught her from scratch. Teaching the girl from infancy how to battle the undead, the tricks and tips on how to defeat them.
He had to get her when she was still young. When they get too old, all the convincing in the world doesn't get them to believe in vampires.
Until one bites them in the ass.
&
nbsp; Van Helsing battled them for decades and finally felt a drainage of spirit, an emptiness not caused by shock, not by trauma, not even by seeing his friends and family killed. But by simply giving away a little piece of his soul day by day, night by night, to people who didn't give a damn.
People who didn't know that there was a war going on.
Like the people on this commuter train.
They didn't believe in the undead. How an army of vampires could come in and consume them at a moment's notice but for the work of Abraham Van Helsing.
“Embarcadero, Embarcadero,” the BART train conductor intoned on the overhead.
Van Helsing got up out of his seat and headed toward the door. At eighty-three years of age he did not know how much time he had left to enjoy trips like this so he just took it in while he can. He would go for a walk along the San Francisco pier then stop in at a local cafe and meet his granddaughter for pastry.
Not that she knew what good pastry was. He preferred the bakeries of Berlin or Amsterdam. But he pretended that he liked it.
Van Helsing exited the train and saw the man coming from the corner of his eye. He wore an Oakland Raiders jacket and if that wasn't enough proof of his stupidity he nodded at his friend who was coming from the opposite side.
His friend was huge, six foot four at least and about two hundred fifty pounds of low body fat muscle. But the preoccupied look in the eyes are a dead giveaway Van Helsing thought.
Amateur hour at one o'clock in the afternoon.
The train platform was sparse with people which was to Van Helsing's relief.
The more people, the less room he had to maneuver.
Van Helsing swung the cane across his body and hit the man with the Oakland Raiders jacket straight in the eye.
The man dropped his gun and screamed, clutching his eye injury with both hands.
The gun hit the ground and fired.
People screamed and ran.
Melodramatic mother fuckers, Van Helsing thought.