Georgina’s mulberry colored lips curved into a grin. “Just something I saw on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Georgina said.

“You put a chip in her head,” I said. “Like The Initiative did to Spike?” If there was one TV show I knew backwards and forwards, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

“Well,” Georgina said, “a seed, actually… but same diff.” She turned her violet gaze on me. “You know Buffy?”

“I watched them all with my parents,” I said. “Except the one where Buffy’s mom dies, and the one right after. We always skipped those.” I felt something press in on my chest. I knew it was grief, but I was still surprised it had a physical feeling. Even when I’m a freaking garden gnome.

Georgina’s expression softened. “Me too.”

“What in the hell does that mean?” Ellie asked, confused.

Georgina turned to look at the fallen vampire, and smiled sweetly. “It means, our blood sucking librarian here won't be biting any humans as long as my seed is in her head.”

Miss Biddle staggered as she got to her feet, and shook her head violently. “You're a fool if you think that will keep me from–”

The vampire blurred into action, and tried to attack Georgina. But instead of doing whatever she had planned to do, she hit the ground, holding onto her head as she screamed in agony once more.

Georgina looked down at her. “You're really good at that. If or when all this passes, you should try voice acting. You're a natural.” Her expression turned hard. “Now, stand up and quit crying.”

Amazingly, Miss Biddle stopped crying and immediately stood right up, looking Georgina in the eye.

“As you can tell, it's not just humans you can't attack. You can't attack humans that are now monsters, and you can't even touch my cat—though Rosie would wipe the floor with you.”

A shadow passed over Miss Biddle's face, but she remained still as a statue. I wondered what was going through her mind.

“Plus, you'll do whatever I say. And I say you need to learn from Oz here.” She pointed to my bloodied friend. “Do whatever he says.”

The vampire nodded obediently, but her expression was still murderous.

Georgina's expression soured, and she looked around her, seemingly lost for a moment. But then the gray cat, her Rosie, slinked out from the shadows and started rubbing itself against her ankles.

“There you are,” Georgina whispered. “I was beginning to worry.”

She then turned back to the vampire librarian. “Oh, and you have to check in with Oz once daily, to receive your re-education.”

“I'll starve if I can't feed…” Miss Biddle said, miserably.

Georgina glared at her. “So, you've never seen Twilight, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or The Vampire Diaries?”

Miss Biddle stared up at her, her mouth hanging open, her pretty white fangs flashing in the muted light. “What?”

Georgina sighed unhappily. “What I mean to tell you is you can live off of the blood of animals. And you're fast and strong enough to take down some pretty big ones. Deer, mountain lions, squirrels and little bunny rabbits.”

Georgina turned to gaze longingly at Wood. “If you need me again, you know where I'll be.” then she glanced at Miss Biddle once more. “And if by chance she dies, since I've never tested the seed-thing out before, I call dibs on her corpse.”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Everyone just turned to look at her.

She smiled innocently. “There are a lot of things you can do with a fresh corpse… or a not-so-fresh corpse, by the way.”

And with that Georgina turned and sashayed away, her little gray monster of a cat padding quickly behind her.

Wood watched Georgina walk away. Teddy took up sentry at his brother's side. “Did you know her… her shadows could do that? Manifest separately from her body?”

Wood didn't even glance at his brother, his gaze still locked on the scary-as-fucking-hell girl just now turning around the corner of Longfellow and Sixth. He grinned dreamily. “No… not a clue.” And he walked back toward the Pizzeria.

Oz stood beside a pouting Miss Biddle, but his glowing green eyes were locked on Ellie.

She stood beside me, her hands on her hips. “That was a hell of a thing,” she muttered.

Yep. That it was.

Miss Biddle stared down at the blood-soaked hole in the front of her dress, her brows knitted together. “I really liked this dress.”

***

I woke up and the pizzeria was empty, not a soul in sight. I trundled out into the kitchen area and back to the storage area, past the no longer working coolers, and to the boarded up and barricaded back door.

I turned back around and started walking. Oddly getting to the front door was way faster than I thought, and I walked down the steps. I knew it was weird that the door was open. Usually they make sure I'm awake before they leave. Usually I leave with them.

Usually.

I looked straight ahead, across the street at the flying saucer that's remained untouched through this entire ordeal. Maybe the aliens like having it there?

I heard a scream, and turned. Ellie was in the next yard, tendrils of shadows wrapped around her. Georgina was right beside her, her hand out, a seed attached to her finger.

“No!!!” I screamed, and tried to rush toward them, not really knowing what I could do to stop her. But my feet wouldn't move.

I watched as Georgina punched her finger straight into Ellie's eye socket. Ellie screamed louder. And then I saw the moment when she died. She's not a vampire, or a monster, or anything, and having a finger shoved into her eye socket, deep into her brain, killed her.

I tore my eyes away from her only because I saw who was on the ground already: Wood, and Teddy, and Oz.

No, nonononono no…

I heard a roar, and it was deafening. Suddenly the air in front of me ripped open, green flames licked out of the gruesomely rent fabric of reality.

A huge claw pulled that opening further apart, heat radiating through the rip, and I saw the most terrifying sight. The enormous face of a dragon looking through at me, its burning green eyes honed on me.

In my head I heard a deep, powerful voice.

She is the wrong threat.

My eyes snapped open, and I jerked up out of the dream I was in.

I sat there for a few moments, trying to remember everything about the dream I’d just had. Everything about Georgina killing us all, and especially about the Dragon. That Dragon was really familiar. And it wasn't from a dream, or from a video game, or a movie.

I'd seen that Dragon before.

How was the Dragon I'd seen in… well, maybe it had been a dream? It had been what I'd seen while I was dead, before those aliens brought me back and threw me in this… gnome shell.

I got out of my dog bed and went outside. I nodded to Teddy and Wood, who were unfolding a big tarp in the side yard.

I sat down on the edge of the sidewalk and came back to my thoughts.

Whatever actually happened when I was dead, every time I dream, when I awake, I remember more about that in between life and death time.

And it doesn’t seem like a dream to me now. I mean, the fact that there were aliens in a substantial portion of that dream, that's so not me. I'm definitely a fantasy guy. I don't think I've even watched a full Star Wars movie.

She is the wrong threat, the dragon had said. He’d said it really, really loud.

I heard barking, and I blinked out of my reverie. I turned my head towards where it was coming from, and these… kind of glowy, ghostl-like looking dogs tumbled out from behind the house and raced across the street in front of me. They were all different breeds, different sizes, but they all glowed a little bit—and they were all seemingly chasing something. One of these dogs broke off from the pack and ran over to me, wagging his little tail. It took me far too long to realize, to recognize, who I was looking at.

“Jack?” I said. I was tripping over my feet as I got up off the ground. He was just staring at me, wagging his little tail, just like in real life.

He had been my family's dog. My dog. There were years of memories of him wrapped up in every moment of our lives… and they all flashed before my eyes.

He’d died shortly after Dad died.

I hit my knees and reached out for him. I was surprised when I could actually feel him, under my hands, solid.

And then it hit me. Jack recognized me, even as a gnome.

He jumped up and licked my face, and I laughed.

Always remember you… I heard in my head.

What the…

And then my little ghost dog jerked its head toward the barking pack of dogs. He licked my face again and then took off after them.

I stayed there, on my knees for a few moments.

Well, shit…

“Come back when you can stay longer!” I called out as the pack of ghost dogs disappeared around the corner.

I felt a pang in my chest. That had been one of my dad's favorite sayings.

Come back when you can stay longer!