Masters of Midnight

by Michael Thomas Ford

“I’m listening,” Victor said, even as he ran the vacuum cleaner or cleaned the house obsessively or worked on the backyard deep into the dark mornings.

  On his fifteenth birthday, Bradon was told he would need to start feeding and killing on his own. His requirement for fresh blood was increasing to every two or three weeks. Bradon thought about refusing to feed solo, then decided that leaving his father out of these sickly intimate moments of his life might be good. Knowing that Victor so enjoyed the time they spent together on feedings would make the act of exclusion sweeter still.

  Though Victor was excited to have his son embarking on solo feeds, he was also a little reluctant to let him do them completely solo, at least for the first few times.

  “Something could go wrong, and I can’t have you botching things. There are consequences to sloppiness that come with a very high price. Higher than we are capable of paying.”

  “Fine,” Bradon agreed reluctantly.

  Bradon chose a cold, rainy September evening for his first solo kill. Victor pleaded with him to wait one more evening, when the skies were clear, but Bradon stubbornly refused. “I’m going tonight, with or without you.”

  Victor grumbled as he grabbed his raincoat and followed his son into the dark night. He mumbled and complained all the way to the theatre. It was here that Bradon had chosen to claim his first solo victim.

  “I don’t think anyone is going to come out that door,” Victor said after waiting outside the backstage entrance for over an hour.

  “You’re free to leave if you want.”

  “Damn it, you’re intolerably stubborn.”

  “There she is,” Bradon whispered as the stage door opened.

  A petite brunette stopped in the doorway, and opened her umbrella before stepping out into the darkened alley.

  “Who is she?” Victor whispered.

  “Does it matter?”

  “No, not really.”

  “She’s not a prostitute,” Bradon said, as he rolled his eyes.

  “How do you know?”

  “She’s an actress. A very good actress. She has the lead role in the play here. I’ve seen it several times. She plays a very strong character, but I sense that she is quite vulnerable. She never socializes with the rest of the cast, and always leaves the theatre alone.”

  “Good choice.”

  “I’m so glad you approve.”

  “You’d better hurry,” Victor said, as he shoved Bradon forward. “She’s heading for a car.”

  Bradon stumbled forward and fell against a plastic trashcan that had been propped against the brick theatre building.

  “Who’s there?” the woman asked as she turned to face Bradon.

  Before he could think of anything to say, Bradon lurched forward and tackled the small woman to the ground. She screamed and swung her umbrella, striking Bradon in the front of his head and knocking him to the ground. She continued to scream as she kicked him in the groin and then turned to run.

  Bradon groaned and wriggled painfully on the ground. The woman was several feet away before he realized she was dangerously close to escaping. He saw his father preparing to strike, and jumped to his feet.

  “No!” he screamed at his father. “She’s mine.”

  Bradon struggled to his feet despite the wracking pain throbbing though his groin and ran toward the woman. He crashed into her back, knocking her to the ground. She was crying now, and pleading with Bradon not to hurt her. She was much stronger than she looked, and fought valiantly against Bradon’s attack. His first attempt at her throat was a complete miss, and he knocked his head against the pavement instead. He was stunned, and for a moment, stopped fighting the woman to grasp his aching head. It was all she needed to struggle to her feet and start running.

  “Shit!” Bradon yelled as he ran to catch up with her.

  He grabbed her from behind, and this time his fangs found their mark. She whimpered as she fell forward into the graveled pavement. Bradon heard her forehead thump against the ground, and cringed even as he sank his fangs deeper into her throat. The collision with the ground knocked her unconscious, and made the rest of the kill easy. Bradon gnawed clumsily at her throat and drank her blood. When it began to turn sour, he continued anyway.

  “That’s enough,” Victor said, and reached down to pull his son from the dead woman’s throat.

  “Leave me alone!” Bradon yelled, and thrust his face back into the bloody neck of the actress. He ripped at her neck, pulling the flesh from it and spitting it toward his father.

  “Leave me alone,” he cried, and dropped himself limply across the dead body underneath him.

  Bradon lay across the woman for several minutes. When there were no more tears, he pulled himself up and looked at Victor. His father looked at him with a mixture of pride and pity.

  “Now what?” Bradon asked as he wiped the drying blood from his mouth.

  “You wait here. I’ll get rid of the body.”

  “No,” Bradon answered. “I’ll do it. You wait for me at home.”

  “That’s not a good idea, Bradon. You’ve never done this before.”

  “Yeah, well I’d never killed anyone before either. But now I have. So I’m all grown up now. I hope you’re proud of your son, Daddy.”

  Victor started to reply, but was stung by his son’s reproach.

  “Go home,” Bradon said as he reached down to pick up the heavy body. “I’ll be there shortly.”

  Home was not a pleasant place for either of the Lugo men after that night. Bradon grew more rebellious and more hateful to his father with every passing week. He hated his father’s macho attitude. He hated that his father no longer wanted to talk about Rachel and had grown impatient with Bradon’s stories. But most important, he hated the fact that he had to kill people and feed from their blood to survive. It did-n’t feel right for Bradon. It never felt natural.

  His father was never able to understand Bradon’s aversion to feeding or to killing. What could be more natural to a vampire than feeding? What could be more right? What could be more exciting than finding a loose whore, tricking her into believing you were desperate for her sex, and then feeding on her blood and eventually killing her?

  Soon after his eighteenth birthday, Bradon proclaimed his independence. He no longer needed his father’s approval to leave the house or to do as he pleased. He began going to late-night parties and made a few friends, something which was completely foreign to him up until this point in his life.

  It was at one of these after-hours parties that Bradon’s life changed forever.

  “Dude, what’s up with that hair?”

  Bradon looked up from his seat at the small table and looked into the eyes of the newcomer to his small group of friends.

  “Don’t mind him,” Monica said, pulling long strings of chewing gum from her mouth and sticking small patches of it underneath the table. “He’s the village idiot. Just blurts out the first thing that comes to his feeble mind. He has no grace whatsoever.” She blew a large bubble with the pink gum, and then picked it from her nose and eyes when it popped.

  “She’s right,” the newcomer said. “I’m Josh. And I am an idiot. I didn’t mean to insult your hair. It’s just that I thought the Flock Of Seagulls look went out about ten years ago.”

  “I’m Bradon,” he said, and held his hand out.

  “God, who the fuck shakes hands anymore?” He pulled Bradon close and gave him a hug. “It’s all cool.”

  Bradon tensed up at the emotional embrace of the hug, and pulled away quickly. He looked again into Josh’s eyes, and felt a queasy feeling in his gut. He hadn’t drunk anything yet, so he knew it couldn’t be alcohol. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, so it couldn’t be food.

  “And speaking of lack of grace,” Josh said, “what the fuck is up with all that damned chewing gum, Mon? Is there a Bazooka convention in town, or what?”

  “Screw you, Josh,” Monica said, as she unwrapped another piece of gum and popped it into her mouth. �
�You know I’m trying to quit smoking. This is the only thing that helps.”

  “Girl, you don’t have to tell me about oral fixations. You’re preaching to the choir with that one.”

  Bradon looked back and forth from Monica to Josh. He was obviously on the outside of an inside joke, because both of the teenagers were laughing hysterically.

  “You’re so gross,” Monica finally spat out when she caught her breath.

  “True. I am one gross fuck. But a damned good cocksucker, you’ve got to admit that.”

  “How would I know?”

  “You’ve heard. Everybody has.”

  “I don’t listen to gossip, you know that.”

  “You’re a sick little liar, Monica. You start ninety percent of all rumors out there.”

  “I do not!”

  “Come on, Bradon,” Josh said. He grabbed Bradon’s hand and pulled him onto the huge dance floor.

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Monica?” Bradon leaned in toward Josh so that he could be heard over the pounding bass of the sound system.

  “Fuck no,” Josh yelled back. “Let her find her own man. Tonight you’re my man.”

  “What?”

  “I mean, if that’s cool with you, that is,” Josh said more quietly as he leaned in closer to Bradon. He swayed with the music and pulled his hips tight against Bradon’s as he danced. “Loosen up, Bradon. I don’t bite. Unless you want me to.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Bradon yelled, and pulled away from Josh’s tight clutch.

  “Chill, dude. I just want to have a good time, that’s all. And I want it to be with you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Josh grabbed Bradon by the waist again, and pulled him closer, until they were pressed against one another’s frontsides. Josh danced slowly against Bradon, and after a few moments, Bradon began to sway along with Josh.

  “That’s what I mean,” Josh said. He wrapped his arms around Bradon’s neck and leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

  Bradon’s heart pounded in his chest. He thought he was going to pass out. The music around him grew louder, and the air in the room seemed to double in temperature. When Josh licked at his lower lip as he kissed him, Bradon sucked in his breath and sucked on Josh’s probing tongue at the same time.

  He got hard instantly, and it didn’t take Josh long at all to feel his excitement.

  “Right on,” Josh said, and reached down and groped Bradon’s semi-erect cock through his jeans. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.” He kissed Bradon on the lips again.

  Bradon broke the kiss after a minute or so. “I . . . don’t . . .”

  “I don’t care. I’m not asking for a longtime commitment or anything. I just wanna get it on with you. You’re fucking hot, dude. Even with that silly haircut.”

  “What’s wrong with my hair?” Bradon asked, and then couldn’t help but laugh at how silly he sounded. His face was flushed, his heart was racing and he had a raging hard-on in the middle of a huge dance floor. All of this was so new to him. And exciting.

  Monica joined Josh and Bradon on the dance floor a couple of minutes later.

  “I should’ve known it. Everyone told me not to bring Bradon to a gay club. They told me I’d lose him.”

  “What?” Bradon asked.

  “Girl, wake up and smell the Starbucks!” Josh yelled. “You’re in the middle of the largest gay bar in Boston, and you’re the biggest Mary of us all.”

  “I really don’t understand.”

  “Monica is the biggest fag hag in the Western Hemisphere. You’re her new best friend and the only person she can talk about.”

  “But I’m not gay.”

  “Of course you’re not. Now shut up and suck my dick.”

  Bradon gasped, and pulled his hand away from Josh’s.

  “Oh, don’t be silly. I was just kidding. I’ll suck yours if you want. I’m not a label hag.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening to me again,” Monica whined, and stomped her foot. “Every time I get a new boyfriend, you come along and steal him away.”

  “But I’m not . . .”

  “Come on,” Josh said. He grabbed Bradon’s hand and dragged him farther into the dancing crowd. “This is my favorite song. Let’s dance.”

  Bradon watched Monica walk back to her table, light up a cigarette and order another beer. He shrugged his shoulders and began dancing with Josh. Everywhere around them hundreds of muscular, shirtless guys danced with one another. Bradon got caught up in the moment, and before he could stop himself, he grabbed Josh by the neck, pulled him close and kissed him.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Josh said. He took Bradon by the hand and led him outside to the patio.

  “Look, I don’t know what came over me in there,” Bradon said when they were by themselves. “I’m not gay. I’ve never . . .”

  “Shh,” Josh said, and leaned in to kiss Bradon again. This time when he licked at Bradon’s thick, full lips, Bradon sucked at his tongue eagerly and returned his kisses. “I want you, Bradon,” Josh said as he caught his breath.

  “I want you, too.”

  “Can we go back to your place?”

  “No!” Bradon said more quickly than he’d intended. “I mean, my dad’s there and everything.”

  “That’s cool. We can’t go back to my place either. My old lady would freak.”

  “That’s all right. Maybe we should just . . .”

  “No. We shouldn’t . . . just . . . anything. I know a place where we can go. Come on, follow me.”

  Bradon accepted Josh’s hand and followed him down the steps of the terrace and across the parking lot. There was a park across the street, and Josh led Bradon deep into the heart of it. When they reached an area that was heavily treed, Josh leaned Bradon up against a tree trunk and ripped his shirt off in one yank.

  “What the . . .”

  “Shh,” Josh said, and then dropped to his knees and began unbuckling Bradon’s jeans.

  “Look, Josh, I really don’t think this is a good . . .” A second later his cock was pulled from his boxers and sucked deep into Josh’s wet, warm mouth. Bradon got hard instantly, and leaned against the tree as Josh sucked him deeper and deeper into his throat.

  “Oh my god,” Bradon moaned. “I think I’m gonna . . .”

  “Oh no you’re not,” Josh said as he quickly pulled his mouth from Bradon’s swollen cock and stood up. He leaned up and parted Bradon’s lips with his tongue.

  Bradon could taste himself on Josh’s tongue, and his excitement grew with each new kiss. Josh was undressing himself as they kissed, and was soon completely naked. He pulled away from Bradon.

  “What’d you stop for?” Bradon pleaded.

  “It’s my turn now.”

  “But I’ve never—”

  “Yeah, I know. You’ve never kissed another dude before tonight either. But you did a damned good job of that, too.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. So what do you say?” Josh asked. He wiggled his erect cock in front of Bradon.

  Bradon knelt on both knees and looked at Josh’s swollen member for a moment, and then held it in his hand for another few seconds. Josh leaned against the same tree trunk and moaned as Bradon stroked him. Then, slowly, Bradon stuck out his tongue and licked the head of Josh’s cock.

  “Oh yeah, man. That’s it.”

  Bradon took a deep breath and then sucked the entire head into his mouth and licked around it as much as he could. His own cock throbbed up and down with his excitement, and before too long, he knew he’d have to stop sucking or he would blow his load right there.

  “That’s okay,” Josh said, catching his breath. “Let’s lie down over there, by the park bench.”

  Bradon followed his new lover to the bench and lay next to him. He cradled Josh in his arms, spooning him from behind. Without thinking, he slid himself into Josh’s welcoming ass.

  “Oh my god!” Bradon moaned as he felt the he
at of Josh’s lovemaking.

  “I want you so bad, dude,” Josh said.

  Bradon slid into and out of Josh slowly and lovingly. His heart raced almost painfully, and he fought to catch his breath. Even though there was a slight breeze, he began to sweat and pant as he drove deeper into Josh. He leaned in and began kissing Josh lightly on the neck. Josh moaned his pleasure and shoved himself deeper onto Bradon’s cock.

  “That’s it, man,” Josh said huskily. “Kiss my neck. Fuck my ass.”

  Bradon picked up his stride and began sliding in deeper and faster. He was wild with desire and excitement. He couldn’t get enough of Josh, and began kissing him across his neck, down his back, and then back up to his neck. He tasted the salty sweat of his lover’s body.

  Josh stopped bucking against him and moaned and whimpered loudly.

  Bradon pumped into Josh even harder and continued his kisses across the back of Josh’s neck and to the other side. He barely noticed that Josh had stopped bucking back against him. By the time he did, he was seconds from releasing himself.

  “That’s it, baby. I can’t hold out anymore. I’m gonna come,” Bradon said a little louder and faster than he’d intended.

  He pulled out and shot his load all over Josh’s still, cold body.

  Halfway through his ejaculation, he looked down and noticed that Josh wasn’t moving.

  “Josh? Josh, are you okay?”

  He turned Josh over onto his back and saw vacant, glossy eyes staring back at him. Blood was trickling from the side of Josh’s neck and down his lips and nose.

  “What?” Bradon screamed. “No!”

  He turned Josh’s head to the side. It was then he saw them. Two large puncture wounds right on the jugular vein. Another set about an inch away. He began to cry as he turned Josh’s head from side to side. There were identical sets every couple inches apart all the way around his neck and partially down his back.

  Bradon wiped frantically at his mouth, and when he pulled his arm back, dark red blood was streaked across his forearm.

  “No. Oh, God, no!” Bradon cried, as he cradled Josh in his arms. “What have I done?”

  That night, several hours after he’d made love with another man for the first time, Bradon walked into his house. Victor was waiting for him.