Free Vampire Books: Vampire Bite – Chapter 8

After we packed up the camp he took me back with him to his base; it is a cluster of chalets on a hill, surrounded by woodland.  Most of the others were asleep, or out, but I did meet a few werewolves – they are all enormous, like Alfie, and were friendly but not overly so.  I got the impression they didn’t approve of Alfie bringing me back, so we stayed out of their way and he made me a pasta lunch in his little chalet.  Now we’re back at mine and having dinner in front of the TV.

“Look,” I say, after swallowing a mouthful of food, “I know that I won’t be able to fight a vampire – I remember how strong the one that attacked me was – but do all the standard movie vampire killing methods work?”

“Most of them – not holy water though – that would be awesome.  No, but stake through the heart, beheading, and sending them to a flamy death – they will all do it.”

“What about sunlight?”

“Nope, but bloodsuckers do hate the sun – burns them, but when they get back in the shade they just heal right up.  They do hide out in the daytime, so you’re safe going out alone when it’s still light out.”

I nod.  “So … hmmm … what about a werewolf bite?”

“Yeah, that will kill them, slow and messy though … they could kill more people before they actually bite it themselves.”

We finish eating – Alfie eats three times the amount I do – and clear up, then get ready to head out.

Before we leave I say, “Do you have the pics on your phone of the vampires you told me about?”

“Err, yeah, sure do.  Guess it would be a good idea to show you.”

He takes his phone out of his back pocket and passes it to me.  I look closely at the first shot – it’s pretty blurry and from a distance; it’s a woman with long dark hair, quite like mine.  I think she is taking a swing at a big guy – a werewolf I presume – but her arm is moving so fast the camera hasn’t registered it.  I can’t really see her face clearly although I think she has a pointy chin.  She looks tiny compared with the wolf guy, but she’s probably about average height.  It might be hard to recognise her just from looking at this; I hadn’t thought about how hard it would be to get these pictures.

“Yeah, that one was snapped by Lil, and Stew is fighting.  They thought they had her, but even though it was the two of them she still got away – she was a trickster.”

I flick to the next picture; this one is quite a lot clearer – it’s shot in a club and it looks like the vampire was taken by surprise as he is wide-eyed.  He is good looking with close cut brown hair and chocolatey brown eyes with lush lashes.

“That one was taken by Jimmy who had seen him attacking someone before.  He saved the life of the girl, but the vamp got away.”

“Jimmy didn’t get him this time?  When he was so close?”

“Nope, he couldn’t take him on around all those people – too dangerous – the vamp might have taken someone hostage.  He followed the bloodsucker when he left but he got away easily.  The picture has helped though; someone else spotted him and followed him since then, and saw him going underground when dawn was approaching – that’s why we think they’re hiding out in the tunnels.  Still need to get a better idea of where though if we’re to have any chance of a successful ambush – the underground tunnel system here is awesome.”

“Are all vampires good-looking?” I ask, and blush.

“Think he’s good-looking, do you?” Alfie says, teasing me.

“Well – he is!  There’s no point denying it!”

He shrugs.  “Yeah, guess they are.  Not only that though, apparently they seem extra good-lookin’ if they’re putting their charms on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Err … victims I’ve talked to – ones who have survived, obviously – have said the connection felt amazing before they got bitten – like they really liked them a whole lot more than is normal.  It’s not always like that though – sometimes vampires just go in for the kill and don’t bother to charm their victims.”

“Huh,” I say.

“Also, another factor which leads to bloodsuckers being hot is they normally only change people they fall for – and I suppose they are pretty soulless and go for looks rather than personality.”

“Vampires fall for people?  Does that mean they have emotions and stuff?”

He shrugs.  “I guess they have some; not enough to give them a conscience though – if they change someone they are really killing them and turning them into murderers.”

I flick to the next picture; it’s another distant one, but I recognise the guy as soon as I see him; my heart nearly stops, and I feel the blood leave my face.

“What is it?” Alfie says.

“It’s him – the guy who Trish was with … before … before …”

Alfie takes the phone back and has a closer look.  “I’m sorry Ava,” he says, and puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against him.  “You don’t have to come tonight you know.”

“No!” I say, breaking out of his hug.  “I do have to – I’ll be alright!  I just miss her so much.”  Tears leak out of my eyes and I push them away angrily.  “I’ll help you keep an eye out for that bastard so you can end him.”

Alfie nods, but he looks a bit wary.

“I will be fine,” I say.  “I promise.  Are there any more pictures?”

“Just one more,” he says, and passes me back his phone.

I take a look.  It’s not very clear as it’s taken through a glass window and there are two people in the photo who are snogging.

“It’s the guy that’s the vamp,” Alfie says.

I look more closely at the man in the photo.  He’s smooching with his eyes closed so I can’t really tell what he’d look like straight on.  He looks very young though – maybe just eighteen as his skin looks very smooth and his features are rounded.  He seems quite tall and has dark messy hair.  Even though I can’t see his face well I can tell that he’s also good-looking.  Maybe I should just assume that any good-looking guy I see is a vampire…. 

But what about Alfie?  He’s very good-looking too … but he is a werewolf … also a supernatural being.  I can’t ask him the same question I asked about vampires … I would just go too red, and it would be telling him I find him good-looking, which would make him think I fancy him; and I’m not sure that I do. 

The guy I met in the club flashes into my mind; I fancied him so much; it felt like our connection was amazing.  I don’t know why I don’t feel that way about Alfie; he is very good-looking, and really nice, and fun.  Maybe I do fancy him a bit, just not as much as the other guy.  When I’m with Alfie I feel protected, I like the way he looks at me, and he did look super-hot when he stripped off before changing into a werewolf.  I can feel the colour coming back into my cheeks.

“What is it?” Alfie says.

Typical that he noticed – I should not think such things around him.

“Nothing,” I say.

He rolls his eyes and laughs.  “Yeah, right.”

As it is winter it has been dark for a while already by seven so we head out.  We start off my first vampire hunt with a long riverside walk but we don’t see anything suspicious so head into town.  It’s a Sunday night, so not overly busy, but no night in the city is dead, there are always people out and about, and even some of the clubs will be opening soon.  Monday morning looming isn’t enough to put off many students from the deals that coax them out on a Sunday.

We soon leave the High Street and walk the back roads and alleyways where it’s quieter and vampires are apparently more likely to take their victims.  After some time we see nothing suspicious so grab a coke and a packet of crisps from a bar to keep our energy up.  This is followed by more walking.  It’s not particularly exciting, and I’ll admit to myself, if not to Alfie, that I’m starting to get bored.  We’ve spent enough time together now that I feel comfortable not talking constantly in his presence, and really it’s best if we don’t talk constantly as we’re supposed to be vigilant, but staying silent is not the greatest way of passing the time.

“Shall we go to a club for a change of scene?” I say.  “I reckon we’re as likely to spot a vampire in there as we are out here.” 

I point to the club I went to the other night – the worst night of my life.

“If you’re sure.  I didn’t know if you’d want to, after what happened.”

“I’ll be alright,” I say, my heart feeling heavy.  The last thing I want is to be reminded of what happened to Trish … so soon after it happened … but it seems to be the most likely way we’ll catch her killer.  I think I can put aside my pain for that.

Inside the club it’s disturbing how there’s no sign of what happened the other night.  It’s still busy, not as packed as Thursday night, but there are plenty of people dancing.  No one looks freaked out, or even wary.  I scan the place and notice there is extra security; more bouncers and a couple of police officers patrolling.  I can’t help but think it won’t make much difference though – if a vampire is happy to attack in a club they must be pretty cocky.  I doubt they’d let extra security get in the way of them doing it again.

We walk through the crowd, keeping our eyes peeled, but I can’t see the vampire who killed Trish, or the one who attacked me, or the guy I ‘met’ the other night – I can’t forget about him, regardless of the circumstances, and I can’t help but look out for him too.  It would be awkward, seeing him while I’m with Alfie, so I hope he’s not here – a wave of longing betrays my good intentions though.

“Do you want a drink?” Alfie shouts in my ear.

“What, an alcoholic one – while we’re ‘on duty’?” I shout back.

“Sure, reckon we can handle one,” he says.

“Ok then, please can I have a rum and coke.”

He moves towards the bar, and when I don’t follow he comes back and grabs my hand, then pulls me along with him.  “I’m not leaving you alone in here!” he shouts.

I roll my eyes, but let him take me with him.  I’m not exactly going to start snogging any good-looking guys while Alfie’s at the bar, and if I don’t do that I reckon I’m probably safe to be left alone for a minute.  We drink our drinks by the side of the dance floor, watching out for vampires we might recognise, or anyone we don’t recognise looking suspicious.  The thing is, in a club like this, there are quite a lot of people smooching about the place, so it’s hard to know what to think is suspicious, and what not.

When I put down my empty glass Alfie grabs my hand again and pulls me onto the dance floor.  He really stands out as he’s so much taller than everyone else!  He starts to move to the fast pace of the music, and he can dance a lot better than I thought considering his size.  I dance with him, but try not to dance too close, and to dance unseductively, but I keep meeting his eye and smiling, and his eyes are all glowy and his happiness is infectious.  He’s very fun to be around, and dancing is definitely lifting my mood.  As the floor gets more crowded we get pushed closer together, so as we move we frequently touch.  I wonder if I should be creating a bigger boundary, so as not to give him any ideas, but it feels nice to touch; it doesn’t feel wrong, so I decide to just go with it.  It would be too obvious to move away anyway, I think it would offend him.

We keep dancing, but regardless of the fact I’m having fun, the reason we’re here hasn’t escaped me; I still keep searching around us for vampires.  But as I look around us suddenly my eyes meet ‘his’; the guy I kissed.  He shoots me an amazing smile and my heart leaps, and I smile back, but then someone steps in between us, blocking my view.  I look back at Alfie, and he’s looking in the direction I smiled in.  He obviously saw, and I think he looks a little hurt.  Oops. 

It feels wrong to assume Alfie is in to me – but I’m pretty sure he is, and I feel a pang of guilt.  I do really like him, but that other guy … hmmm … I don’t feel like that about Alfie.  It’s such a shame as he’s such a sweetie, and I don’t want to hurt him – I want him to stay my friend.  I hope I’m not going to inadvertently ruin this.

We keep dancing and any hurt I see on Alfie’s face quickly disappears.  I keep my eyes peeled for any vampires, or another glance of ‘him’, but nothing on either score.  I really need to pee but I hold it in because I’m actually having fun, and it’s really nice to forget about everything that’s happened for a while, but I know that when I break the moment we’re going to have to go back to the new reality of vampires and danger and loss.

I lean towards Alfie, standing on my tiptoes, and he has to lean right down to hear me.  “I’m going to the ladies,” I say.

He nods and walks with me off the dance floor, but then starts following me towards the loos, so I turn and face him.

“You can’t come with me!” I say.

“I can’t leave you alone, you know what happened here before,” he says, not light-hearted now, his eyes dark with seriousness.

“Yes, but Trish was making out with that guy – I’m not going to make out with any vampires in the toilet!  And there’s no way you’re going to watch me pee!”

He laughs.  “Ok then – I’ll be waiting here.”

I wander past the chatting people, the music pumping through me, yet I feel on edge now I’m alone.  More paranoid.  Flashes of the other night return and I really miss Trish.  I wonder how Mark is holding up at home. 

I join the queue outside the ladies’ loos.  It’s much quieter here and I end up listening in to the conversations around me.

“Did you hear about the girl who was killed here the other night?” says a little dark-haired girl.

The girl next to her nods.  “Yeah, she was a first year at the uni.  I had to lie to my parents or they wouldn’t have let me come here, but now I’m here I’m not sure I should be…”

Maybe everyone’s not as oblivious as I thought.

I get back to Alfie without incident – shame I didn’t see that guy though – and I swear he breathes a sigh of relief.

“I think we should do one final look around in here, and then go back to patrolling the streets if we still can’t see anything suspicious,” I shout.

He takes my hand and starts to guide me forwards, but once we’re moving I pull my hand free, yet stay close.  I really need to make it clear we’re in the friend zone, without saying it out loud – as that might embarrass him too much and then he’d stay away.

With no sign of any vampires we leave the club and walk the cool evening instead.  We walk until I’m exhausted and can’t keep going any longer, and then Alfie walks me home.

At the entrance to my building I say, “Do you want to sleep on the sofa?”

Alfie chuckles.  “Nope, it’s still a few hours until the sun comes up – I’d better keep up the patrol.”

“Do you think I’m really lame not being able to carry on?”

“I’m amazed you kept going as long as you did,” he says, and laughs again.

“Hey!” I say, and whack him on the arm.  “So … can I join you again tomorrow night?”

“Sure, pick you up at seven?”

“That would be great.  Good night,” I say.

“Night.”  Alfie leans forwards to kiss me.  I think he’s going for my cheek, so I lean towards him too, but at the last second he moves and kisses me on the lips, pulling my body against his.