Immediately, Percy was lit aflame. He let out the unearthly howl of a creature as scorching flames engrossed his body. And from his pain, his features altered. His brow ridge became pronounced; his eyes turned a deep-yellow red. His cheekbones heightened. It was Percy. But it was his vampiric form, a beautiful monster – now aflame from head to toe. He wailed in pain. His body buckled and fell down flat.
Matthew grabbed hold of Hailey again. She screamed even louder, tears running down her cheeks. She continued her attempt to pull away as she launched into hysterics.
“I’m sorry, Hailey,” Mason said as he picked himself up. “But it was the only way.”
“I can’t believe it,” Ben said. “Jesus. A real live vampire.”
“Not anymore,” Mason told him. He picked up the stake near his feet and stood over Percy – his body now charred.
“No, Mason! No!” Hailey screamed in exasperation, still held back. “Please, stop!”
Mason ignored her pleas. “I told you this time would be a little different, Percy.” Mason lifted the stake above his head. “Say goodnight, vampire.”
Before Mason could bring the stake down, the glass in the tallest window of the gymnasium shattered. A loud shriek called out and with it flew a giant bat. The bat flew through the window into the gym. By the time it descended onto the floor, it had taken another form – the monstrous vampiric form of Jacobus.
Mason turned his attention to Jacobus. He ran towards him with the stake. As soon as Mason was near, Jacobus backhanded him. Mason went flying through the air as he connected with the vampire’s forearm.
Jacobus looked at Percy’s charred body. “Too bad,” he said sarcastically.
He darted over to Hailey who was still being held by Matthew and Alex. Jacobus grabbed Matthew with one hand and Alex with the other. He threw them against the wall, incapacitating both of them.
Hailey stood in front of him, still sobbing.
“There, there,” Jacobus told her. “You’re going to be all mine now. I’m going to find out if your blood is as royal as Percy claimed.”
Jacobus grabbed Hailey by the shoulders. He pulled her closer to him. “I’m going to drain you. Every drop.” He sank his fangs into her neck. She screamed in pain. He sucked toughly as he bit her.
Ben quietly rushed over to Mason.
“Mason! Get up!” he whispered. “Wait, look!”
They looked in the doorway of the gym. It was Sebastian. He’d just arrived.
“What’s he doing here,” Mason said, shaking his head, still lying on the floor.
“I don’t know but that vampire is draining your sister,” Ben told him. “We gotta stop him.”
Sebastian ran through the gym, toward Jacobus. He pounded on Jacobus’s back.
“Let her go!” Sebastian yelled.
Hailey was groggy and greatly drained as Jacobus removed his mouth from her neck. He turned to face Sebastian.
“Gregorious’s boy,” Jacobus hissed, now holding Hailey by the throat with one hand. “He’s not here to save you now.”
Sebastian yelled and tried to swing at him one last time. He was no match for Jacobus who grabbed him by the shirt and threw him across the gym. Sebastian went flying through the air, landing on the floor, and rolling on the opposite side of the gymnasium near the locker room.
“Now I’m almost done with you,” Jacobus said, turning his attention back to Hailey. He sank his fangs into her neck one last time.
“These goddamn vampires,” Mason said as he picked himself up. Him and Ben crouched down and ran across the gym. Mason picked up a stake.
“Together,” he whispered to Ben.
Ben held onto the stake with him. Together they rushed toward the distracted vampire who was still draining Hailey. They ran as fast as they could and rushed the stake into the back of Jacobus, piercing his heart.
The vampire dropped Hailey, cried out in a hellish shriek, and burst into a pulp of bloody bits and chunks of flesh.
Hailey, Ben, and Mason were all covered with the vampire’s blood. Hailey fell to the floor and Mason rushed to her side.
“We got him, Hailey,” Mason smiled. “I staked my first vampire.”
“What about Percy?” Hailey asked weakly.
“Uh, I’m sorry,” Mason said lowly.
“Where’s Sebastian?” Ben asked, wiping vampire blood from his face. He licked a little on his arm. “Doesn’t taste half bad.”
“I don’t know about, Seb,” Mason said. “Gotta make sure Hailey’s ok first.”
Across the gym, Sebastian picked himself up and headed for the boy’s locker room. Looking behind him, he saw Mason and Ben tending to Hailey. Sebastian rushed through the locker room doors, holding his side.
As soon as Sebastian entered the locker room, a hand reached out and grabbed him. It was Jason Richly.
“Let me go!” Sebastian yelled and attempted to fight them off.
“How about a hand for a hand, you little bastard,” called Harry Fletch.
The large bully held him in a bear hug from behind. Harry grabbed Sebastian’s hand and plunged a pocketknife into it, piercing his flesh. Sebastian screamed out in the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life.
“That’s what he did to me!” Harry yelled. “Now you know how it feels.”
Sebastian was bleeding by the hand, and writhing. Harry used his jacket to wipe the blood from his knife. Then he gripped the knife and stabbed Sebastian in the stomach with it.
Jason let go of him as Sebastian fell to the ground shaking. Blood pouring from his abdominal area. Harry tossed his knife to the floor.
“I told your friend I’d get you when you least expected it,” Harry sniveled.
Mason and Ben ran into the locker room.
“Seb, was that you screaming?!” Mason yelled. He and Ben immediately saw Sebastian bleeding on the ground, weakly holding his stomach.
“Oh my god,” Ben said. And Harry grabbed him.
Jason grabbed Mason. The boys tried fighting back but they stood little chance against two hulking sixteen-year-olds. Jason tossed Mason into a wall, punching him in the face. Harry began to beat Ben repeatedly with his fists.
It wasn’t a brawl. It was a beat down as the bullies pulverized the two younger boys. Sebastian lay down on the floor, quietly calling the name Gregory as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Not a moment too soon did Gregorious arrive. With fury upon his face, he arrived in the same monstrous vampiric form as Jacobus and Percy. He flew into the locker room, grabbed Harry and threw him into a wall. The sixteen-year-old bully went flying as if he were as light as air. One down.
Gregorious pulled Jason off of Mason and tossed him into the lockers, creating a massive dent between steel lockers. If his back wasn’t broken, it had to at least feel as if it were.
Immediately he rushed to Sebastian’s side. Gregorious pulled back his sleeve, sank his fangs into his wrist, and placed his arm over Sebastian’s mouth.
“Drink,” he told him. The moment echoed the first time they ever met.
As soon as his savior’s blood touched his lips, Sebastian could feel his body healing at a supernatural pace. The bloody wound in his hand healed shut, his flesh becoming one. The wound across his stomach fused back together, leaving behind not a scar.
“I’m here for you,” Gregorious told him. “I always will be.” Gregorious held him in his arms. “I shouldn’t have left you tonight.”
Still half beaten, Mason and Ben watched from the floor. They looked up and spotted Jason. He pulled a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Gregorious.
“And what will you do with that, boy?” Gregorious said, unthreatened. He stood up, as Sebastian remained on the floor, still weak.
“You think we didn’t come prepared,” Jason sneered. “We know what you are. It was obvious since the night I stabbed you and you pulled the blade from your shoulder like it was nothing. And you just fed that boy your blood. Vampire.”
Jason p
ulled the trigger. Once. Twice. Thrice. He unloaded every round onto Gregorious who took each shot and fell to the ground in immense pain.
“Silver bullets,” Jason said.
Harry got up, limped over to the vampire, and pulled a silver chain from his pocket. He laid it across Gregorious who cried out in pain.
“And now for you two,” Jason said as he pointed the gun toward Mason and Ben. He pulled the trigger. Click. Nothing happened. He was out of rounds.
“All out?” Harry asked him.
“Guess I unloaded everything on the vampire,” Jason said.
“Never mind that. Still got my knife,” Harry grinned as he hobbled over to the pocketknife on the ground and picked it up. “This will do just fine.”
“Let’s take our time with ‘em,” Jason said. “We’ll have to do little Sebastian all over again.”
Harry twirled the knife in his hand. Jason, however, tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward the locker room entrance door.
“Oh shit,” Harry said.
Together they glared toward the door and spotted Percy. In his vampiric form, he was only half charred now. His hair half gone. His clothing largely burned off. His eyes burning with rage – and hunger.
Jason fired off the empty gun, praying a bullet would miraculously fire. It didn’t.
“What happens next,” Ben whispered.
Mason shook his head in fear.
It wasn’t them who looked at. He leapt forward, pouncing upon Jason and Harry at the same time as they stood side by side. He knocked them both over, landing on top of each of them.
Percy howled and sank his fangs into Jason’s neck. He reached his head up and did the same to Harry. The two bullies lied motionless as Percy took turns drinking from each of them as he tore into their flesh.
His full form returned. The more he drank from the two, the more he looked like Percy. His hair grew back, his flesh marbleized to its usual pallid look, his eyes turned gold, and his vampiric features softened back to normal. He stood up over the two bullies, his mouth and chin dripping with blood.
Percy walked over to Ben and Mason. The boys were shaking. There was no one to save them now. No stakes in sight, no silver to use. But instead of hurting them, Percy raised his arms out.
They looked at each other hesitantly. Each of them took one of his arms. Percy raised them up onto their feet.
“You saved my life,” Mason said, astonished.
“And I’m in love with your sister.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mason told him. “That you’re in love with her.” He chuckled. “And because I tried to kill you.”
“It’s alright,” Percy told him.
Sebastian got onto his feet and rushed over to Gregory’s side. He pulled the silver chain off of him.
“It’s my turn now,” Sebastian told him.
Sebastian pulled his own sleeve back and placed his arm up to Gregory’s mouth. “Drink,” Sebastian demanded. The vampire sank his fangs into Sebastian’s arm. Having just been filled with Gregory’s own blood, he barely felt a thing when the vampire penetrated his skin.
Gregorious held his arm and drank. The various wounds on his body healed immediately. While Sebastian ran his other hand through Gregory’s hair. “The same way you like to do me,” Sebastian smiled.
“I made the biggest mistake of my life tonight,” Mason said to Percy. “Can you forgive me?”
“I already have,” Percy answered him. “You were doing what you thought was best for Hailey. The same as me. Gregorious likes to think that a change in one’s point of view is as equally satisfying as being reborn. Tonight, I think I agree.”
“Me too,” Mason said. “I couldn’t agree more. But we did, uh, kill that other vampire.”
“We’ll deal with that later,” Percy told him.
Hailey rushed into the locker room and right behind her was Madison. Hailey ran into Percy’s arms and hugged him.
“Mason, I’m going to kill you,” Hailey said as she let go of Percy.
“It’s alright,” Percy told her. “We’ve already talked it out.”
“Yeah,” Mason chuckled, still holding his ribs. “I see there’s some really good vampires out there. And Sebastian!” he yelled over to his friend. “I’m so sorry the way I treated you. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I forgive you!” Sebastian yelled back. He helped Gregorious stand up. “Mason, this is my new my best friend. He’s a vampire named Gregorious.”
“Nice to meet you Gregorious,” Mason said. And Ben waved. “Seb, will you accept this invitation back as a member of the Cool Kid’s Horror Lovers Club? I promise to never rescind.”
“I will,” Sebastian smiled. “I’ve been waiting all day for that.”
Matthew and Alex ran into the locker room, each holding their head.
“Mason,” Alex called out. “Why are you and Ben covered in blood?”
“You know that vampire that tossed you guys into the wall. Well, yeah,” Mason smirked.
“I’m still not sure what’s going on,” Madison said. “There’s vampires, a gym floor full of bloody guts, and a locker room with way too many people in it.”
“Sounds like an average day in Corpus,” Alex joked. “Minus the bloody guts.”
“What about them?” Matthew said, pointing to Jason and Harry, lying unconscious on the floor.
“I can think of nothing left to do but kill them,” Gregorious answered.
“No,” Sebastian said. “Please, Gregorious. Don’t kill them.”
“Not even after what they’ve done to you?” Gregorious asked.
“No, not even then,” Sebastian said compassionately. “Just… give them a change of heart. Make them forget any of us ever existed. Make them never want to hurt anyone ever again.”
“Your compassion is truly boundless, Sebastian,” Gregorious said as he hugged him.
“So, I’m guessing vampires are good guys?” Madison said. She watched as Percy kissed Hailey. “In that case, somebody sign me up!”
Suddenly the locker room doors burst open once more. There was another body to crowd the room. This time it was Sheriff Antwan Zeddman, his gun drawn.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Zeddman said as he looked around, seeing two fanged vampires and two unconscious boys on the floor.
“Nevermind them, Sheriff,” Percy said to Zeddman. “If you want to know who’s responsible for killing that couple out on Old Mill’s Road look no further than the bloody pulp of remains lying upon the gymnasium floor. His name was Jacobus Londalius. A foolish vampire who was never meant to be.”
“As one of my deputies is so prone to saying in a situation such as this, not to say he’s ever faced one exactly like this but… Davey Crockett in a Pocket.”
“We’re gonna need a bigger locker room,” Matthew joked.
“And a few migraine pills,” Alex nodded.
The Sheriff walked back out into the main area of the gym, surveying the bloody mass that of matter that smeared the floor. “Vampires?” he said to himself.
“I’m still not feeling very well,” Hailey said.
“Excuse me,” Percy told her. “Where are my manners?”
He bit into his arm and allowed Hailey to drink of him.
“Where do we go from here?” Sebastian asked Gregorious.
“The night is still young,” his vampire friend answered. “If you’d like to spend it with me.”
“That’d be nice,” Sebastian said.
“I hope you plan to do the same with me,” Hailey said to Percy as she removed her mouth from his wrist.
“I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with tonight,” Percy smirked. “Just me, you, and the dark of night.”
Epilogue
With authorities having to piece together the scene of the crime, and very little evidence or testimony to gather once Percy and Gregory hypnotized everyone they needed to, the Sheriff was left to take the vampires on their word.
On
Monday morning he announced to the town, over the radio, that the double murder along Old Mill’s Road had been committed by a man named Jacobus Londalius. The man had been killed during a shootout on school grounds after attempting to murder a young female. Though he hadn’t been hypnotized – again, the Sheriff left out any mention of vampires.
“Town’s not quite ready for that yet,” he said to himself as he left the radio station and got back his car. “Not now.”
Because of the active crime scene and the cleanup involved, the school was closed for two days beyond the weekend. It didn’t reopen until Wednesday.
The eighth-grade friends strolled through the halls, unafraid of anyone making good on a promise to hurt them.
Keeping to his word, Gregorious looked into the eyes of Harry and Jason and changed their hearts. They’d no longer look in the direction of, nor think about, the set of boys they’d spent a full grade intimidating. They were now an afterthought. Gone. Vanquished.
Mason and Alex stood near their lockers on Wednesday morning, talking, not about vampires, but video games and movies.
“So I’m going to make it official,” Mason told him. “Our new schedule will be the Horror Lover’s Club on Friday nights and the Lightscape Arcade on Saturdays.”
“That’s perfect,” Alex told him. “Only problem is adhering to it. Last time we kept our schedule for maybe two weeks.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Ben asked as he joined them in the hallway.
“Our new weekend schedule,” Mason told him.
“One we’ll never stick to? Sweet,” Ben laughed.
Sebastian strolled over to them. He was greeted in unison by his nickname, “Seb!”
“We’re just talking about the schedule,” Alex told him.
“The one we’ll never–” Sebastian began.
“I know, I know!” Mason snapped, “The one we’ll never keep. But… maybe we could try. I mean, don’t we all know a little something about taking on a new perspective?”
“Right,” Sebastian smirked. “Okay, we’ll give it a shot then. Anyway, I’ve gotta get to class. I’ll see you guys later.”
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