Danny rushed in through the door, hitting his shoulder as he did. He didn’t even feel the pain due to how determined he was to warn his parents. As he was running like a man on stilts, he thought back to the time where the stranger across the room from him killed the dog. He remembered it being too fast to process what the man’s face looked like, but he had seen the clothes that the man, who killed the dog, was wearing, and Danny was sure of it.

Kiran and Elizbeth noticed Danny running towards them, they both thought that he was being brave. They both assumed that Danny would stay out of the way. Elizbeth opened first, “you okay there, son?”

He didn’t even hear his mother, the one and only thing that was on his mind was the stranger in the black trench coat, and what he was going to do with his parents. He didn’t care about himself. He’d offer himself if that’s what it took, he thought. The room was small and a little length to get to, although, it felt like an eternity to reach his parents.

Kiran could see the panic on his face. Kiran began to grow impatient; he could almost predict what Danny was going to say.

Danny reached the party and shouted at his parents, “guys… he is… he’s a… he’s one of them things!” As he spoke, he could see that they no longer had interest in what he had to say. The one, who was accused, started laughing. Danny could see the maniacal laugh that no one else could see. He wanted to slap the man but stayed calm and composed. He knew he had to be diligent if he was to prove his case.

Before Danny could even gain his next thought, the stranger stood up while towering over Danny. Danny took a step back, the stranger could see that the boy feared him, “you don’t need to be afraid, little boy.” As the stranger said, “little boy” his tone changed from nice to passive aggressive and gave a stare at the boy that made him feel uncomfortable, “I’m just like you, fighting to protect myself.” The stranger took his eyes away from Danny and began to speak to the rest of the room, “I’ve got kids too. You’ve just got to be firm, otherwise they run wild.”

Kiran quickly responded while looking at Danny, “ain’t that the truth!”

The stranger laughed as he spoke, “so I see you’re the brains of this family.”

Elizbeth was angry from his joke; she just hoped it was a joke. She seen Kiran enjoying the presence of the two men. She thought it would be a promising idea to take her and Danny out of the situation. But as she went to grab Danny by the arm, he moved it. She was shocked, Danny would hardly ever do stuff like that she thought, and when she tried again, he did the same. “What are you doing, Danny?” She said in a tone of anger, “answer me, what’s up?”

He kept his face steady and thought about his next action. Everything in his mind was blank and he wasn’t prepared to see the dog killer again. As Elizbeth tried for Danny’s hand again, he slipped his arm underneath hers and dodged it. The next thing that came was words, “why’re you in my house, dog-killer? I’ve seen you before and you know I have; stop these games you’re playing.”

As Danny blurted out words to the stranger, Arthur thought that the boy must be right, how does he know that the vampires like dogs. It cannot be a coincidence, he thought. The only thing that kept bugging Arthur was the fact that he was just a boy and could be overthinking it. Though he’d seen so many of them, chewing on dogs, it was like they were attracted to them. Arthur spoke to Danny sincerely, “so are you sure about this, kid? Because I’d really like to know. Are you certain that you’re not making any mistakes?”

Kiran could not believe it, “why believe this fool? And believe me he is a fool!”

Arthur replied to Kiran, “don’t you worry, mate, I’m going to challenge him.” He faced Danny again and began to interrogate him, “well, you said you know for sure that it’s him who killed the dog. Well, how do you know?”

Kiran looked smug.

Before Danny could reply, the stranger laughed and said, “that’s the answer I need to hear.”

Danny was taken back by the laugh. He felt his confidence. With no words to say, he looked to his mother.

She looked back at him and felt sorry for her son. So, she spoke to the rest of the room, “guys can we leave this please, he clearly doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

Danny didn’t enjoy the pity but welcomed it, nonetheless but as he did, his father spoke up. “What do you mean, babe? He was the one who accused him, the little shit.” The only feeling that Danny felt was hate for his father. Elizbeth and Kiran were now bickering, and he felt shame for the fact. He could see the man on the radio looking at them with humiliation on his face.

Suddenly, Danny grew the courage and spoke concisely, “please, could you stop this?! we have a serious matter to deal with.” Kiran was about to interrupt him, but Danny butted in, “look, that guy is one of those things!” He pointed at the stranger with the moonlight skin, “he’s just as pale as the last monster we fought.”

Before Danny could continue, Arthur said, “is that what you’re basing this on, surly you have more evidence than that?” Arthur looked at Elizbeth and said, “look at your mother, she’s even pale and infinitely paler might I add.” As he spoke, he could tell Elizbeth’s eyes were stuck on him and as Arthur turned to face her, she glared at him.

Danny straightened his back and said, “yeah, I suppose she is but he’s wearing the exact same trench coat that I saw when he killed the dog.”

Kiran was getting frustrated with his son; he could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead into his eyes. Kiran thought, Danny is the monster right now, all I want to do is speak to new people. As Kiran was struggling to keep his rage in check, Arthur spoke once more, “hey, surly that’s not just it. If that’s all the evidence you are working on then I’m afraid you’re not got much there, boy.” It made Kiran laugh inside but embarrassed at the same time, it was his son after all, he thought.

The stranger sat down again like it was a mic-drop, “I told you guys; I’m just like you, I don’t know what your son is going on about.” Danny couldn’t stand the guy. His actions just didn’t seem human; he had no veins to see, his voice was soft but terrifying at the same time, his fingernails was long like rulers, and he feared what they could do to him.

Danny opened his mouth, “guys, I know it sounds crazy, but it must be him. it’s too much of a coincidence. Look, he even has blood all over him.” As Arthur was going to speak, Danny cut him off, “and speaking of coincidences, it’s like he was following you, Arthur. He turned up straight after you. Maybe…just maybe, he’s hunting you.”

Arthurs suspicions crept over him, he thought about the vampire that he had seen and all of them wearing black trench coats and blood all over and with no cuts. Arthur thought that Danny may be right.

Danny looked back at the stranger and said, “you said that you were attacked by something, and you were hurt, well, you don’t look hurt!” Danny could see that the stranger was beginning to grow uncomfortable. “Can we see these cuts that you so badly needed to get inside this house for.”

The stranger looked at the concerned faces of the parents, “I am hurt, I can promise that. But if you mind, I do wish someone take him away from me.”

Elizbeth stared at him and said, “hey! That’s my son and he won’t go anywhere!!”

Arthur could see the tensions rising and he seen Kiran speak with a fury, “right, I’ve had had enough of you! Always sticking up for that brat, can you not take his side for once, he’s being rude to our guests.” As they began arguing, Arthur could see the strangers face turn into a smile and that freaked him out. No one laughs at a family who’s arguing in such a tragic time, he thought. He knew what he had to do.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Danny went up to the stranger who had killed a dog with his teeth and shouted at him, “why did you kill that dog?! Why…. You’re a criminal, you know that, right?” he could see the stranger’s eyes, it was the same feeling he got when the dog-killer stared at him last time, like someone draining his soul, he thought.

Danny began to speak but the dog-killer chimed in, “thou shall strike thy down, thee ugly baby.” Danny couldn’t believe it, someone speaking Shakespearean, not very well, he thought. The dog-killer stood up and eyed Danny’s eyes that made him feel terror.

“If that’s not your blood, show me your cuts, pagan.” The words came out of his mouth without him knowing it; it was like someone took over for second. Danny could hear his parents arguing in the background, but he was ready for his argument with the dog-killer. Though he could not see Arthur which worried him. he thought that the man might had known that he was one of those things.

Danny face returned to the dog-killer and the moonlight man spoke with anger, “we didn’t start the fire. You did, boy.” Danny thought the man was strange, one minute he spoke from the olden times and now he’s speaking normal, weird he thought. “You think you’re trying to prove something, boy! You are not proving a single thing.” As he was speaking, he got closer to Danny’s face. Danny could smell death on his breath. The dog-killer picked Danny by the collar of his shirt and shouted, “and you want to know why! Huh, I can’t hear you!”

Danny spoke softly, “why?”

“Because I’m going to kill you and your family!!” the dog-killer threw Danny across the room and screamed.

The howling popped Elizbeth’s and Kiran’s ears. And then they saw their boy get chucked from the living room into the kitchen. His landing wasn’t graceful but at least he didn’t land on his head, she thought. “Don’t you touch my boy, you scumbag!” She regretted being so confident as he grabbed her by the hair with a never-ending grip. His hand was a hair band. He pulled her hair downwards and her head smashed against the vigorous floor. Her forehead impacted against the floor first, nose after which made her eyes wince.

She became unconscious in seconds, Kiran had no time to react, just helpless in helping. As he took in his surroundings, he seen Danny and Elizbeth on the floor. He thought what a buffoon he was, why didn’t he listen to his son, if he did, he’d have no problems right now. Kiran become aware of Danny crawling on the floor, he thought, no son - don’t move.

The vampire ran to Kiran and picked him up by the throat, the vampire could see the fear in his eyes. He loved the sight of it.

Kiran could see the vampire drooling over him, he had no clue to why. Kiran took one more look at Danny and he noticed that he was gone, Kiran hoped he had made a run for it. The pale freak griped harder at his throat, making his jugular feel the pressure and said, “I’m going to kill your whole family and I can’t wait for you to watch it.” He showed him his fangs, it’d make a lion jealous. “In fact, I’ve got something even better.” He laughed as he spoke and licked his fangs up and down and around, they were as white as Danny’s lab coat when its first washed. “I’m going to turn you into what I am and let you suck on your family’s blood until they die.”

His maniacal laughing haunted him, and his words were nothing but fear, “you can really turn me into one of you?”

“You know nothing, mortal.” The vampire opens his mouth and sinks his fangs into Kiran’s shoulder, the pain made him wince. One fang felt like it extended and hit his bone, a vibration inside his body made him feel ill. The horrid, pale and soulless eyed man pulled his teeth out, blood drenched his fangs which made Kiran’s body jolt with fear. The vampire extended his arm that Kiran was in and thrown him to the side like he was a piece of meat that was getting cooked. Kiran dropped on the floor. He couldn’t feel his shoulder no longer, the pain no longer hurt him on shoulder, it was like the pain had travelled to the arm and neck. He lifted his head and seen his wife led on the floor as if she was lifeless, it distressed him, but he couldn’t look away. He felt the blame on his shoulders instead of his pain. He thought if he just listened to Danny then everything would have been alright. But he could no longer see Danny. The eyes he was looking through felt different as if he was changing: the vision better, colours were brightened, everything was on display in his eyes and the blood dripping down his eyes was satisfying; he embraced it all.

Danny couldn’t believe he’d just been thrown, he felt like a paperclip. He quickly lifted his head and seen the vampire running for his mum, he couldn’t look. Danny rashly pushed himself up and ran for the bathroom that was near the kitchen, he was thankful for it being so close, he thought, although he had two options: the storage cupboard or the bathroom.

Danny could hear his dad moaning; he was worried for him. His mother also never made a sound and it worried him to the core. Danny wondered where the strange man, who his dad was speaking to, had wondered off to. the thought off him being dead crossed his mind. He didn’t see the man after the vampire had attacked, it was like he vanished.

Danny heard more screaming from his dad and then the hectic words of the vampire was speaking to his dad. Danny went around the corner of the bathroom and searched for the commotion. The vampire had Kiran in his hands with a grip of a weightlifter. Something caught Danny’s eye, it was a person in the playhouse and Danny noticed it was Arthur. He had something in his hands.

Arthur was looking at Kiran with a means to save him from certain death. He was rushing through his bag, trying to not make a sound like a mouse looking for food while a cat is nearby. His bag was brown and green and dirty with bullet holes, as his hands was rummaging through the bag, the dust would fly out the bag. He pulled out a shiny, bloody, and curved machete and he said to himself with a stone-cold voice, “I’m fucking ready now, ready to kill this imbecilic vampire.” Arthur stepped out to have a look and noticed Kiran getting bit by the vampire, he hid himself again, worried that could be him. Arthur poked his head out and he seen the little boy near the kitchen.

Danny was looking into the man’s eyes and began to crawl towards him. As Danny was moving, he noticed the man waving his hand and telling him to stop. This left Danny confused; he didn’t know what to do.

However, Arthur took the initiative and stepped out of the playroom with a machete in his right hand and a metal helmet in the left hand, his neck was covered in a sliver plating like he ripped it off a silver bucket and shaped it around his neck. He ripped his green jumper off and it shown a bulletproof vest and it matched his camo trousers and black, hardened boots. Arthur stood tall and shouted, “hey, you are looking for someone! You might have a problem with me, I’ve been killing all your friends out there, they’ve been calling me the vampire-slayer!” He was expecting the paled face man to insult or speak back to him but neither happened; he screamed like a cougar in the wild, Arthur’s face dropped to the floor and the vampire galloped towards him. He stood his ground and waited as calm as a dog on a summer’s day.

Danny watched as the vampire ran, his trench coat almost became a cape on his back, his smile extended like a crocodile’s mouth, his claws grew longer, and his arm swung for Arthur’s chest. Arthur let it hit him and as he did, he pulled his machete all the way down and the machete slid into his arm like a piece to a puzzle. Arthur used all his force and before the arm could be separated, the vampire moved his arm, making the machete slid out of his arm, making the gash infinitely bigger. Danny quickly moved towards the stairs. The vampire looked at his arm and turned his stance. Danny wondered why he changed his stance, maybe it was to protect his arm, Danny thought. The vampire stepped in and slashed him with his left talon this time and Arthur smashed the hand with his helmet, the arm rebounded back to the vampire. Danny was left stunned, he can handle this, Danny thought. Danny ran up the stairs and could no longer see the standoff.

Arthur felt in control, but he knew that this was the strongest he had faced yet. With his growing confidence, he took a step closer and swung with his machete and he aimed for the bad arm. The vampire caught the machete with his gashed-up arm and then shoulder barged Arthur into the dining table. Arthur fell back on the table and his hand came of his machete. The vampire took it out of his arm once again but this time he threw it at Arthur. Arthur seen his life flash in front of his eyes, until he lifted his helmet up and blocked the machete and it fell to the floor away from him. the vampire jumped on top of him and snarled in his face and scratched his stomach, Arthur was thankful for the bulletproof vest, though he was tearing it up. Arthur smashed his helmet in the paled face. Smash – smash – smash - Arthur said in his head while hitting the vampire. But the vampire struck the helmet out of his hands, sending it flying across the room. Arthur knew he was going to die in this moment. The vampire strikes at his throat, but the claws scrape across the silver padding. The vampire howls like it’s in pain but then the vampire takes the other claws and sinks them into his cheek, it felt like big needles going into his cheek. The vampire takes them out and goes to place them in his eyes, but Arthur hears something hit the vampire on the back and sees fire spreading over the vampire’s body.

The vampire jumps off Arthur and faces Danny. Danny looks brave but is realizing that he should have stayed out of this fight. The flames grow stronger and travels to his face; the vampire screams with pain in his eyes. The fire’s melting his face, the grey skin is turning to liquid, Danny didn’t think skin burned like that, but he was relived for it, he thought. The clothes were the only thing that burned normally. Danny seen Arthur lift himself off the table, he ran for the machete and picked it up with two hands.

Arthur stumbled to the burning vampire and lifted his one-handed machete with two hands and swung downwards as hard as he could, and the swing curved at the last minute and hacked at the vampire’s neck.

The head came flying off and flew in the air and landed on the floor. It sat next to Danny’s feet with its eyes looking at him. Danny was in a trance when looking back at the eyes.