Chapter 1: Never Trust a Pretty Face

When the sun goes down, all kinds of bad, creepy things come out of the woodwork, and that’s when I get to work. For eight years, I’ve been hunting vampires, ghosts, wraiths, fae, demons, and other supernatural beings that like to pretend only their rules matter. Tonight was no exception.

Lucas Dorcet had been on my radar for the last six weeks after he murdered an 18-year-old waitress and left her body in tatters. Fortunately for me, this bloodsucker was messier than most. Usually, I have a hard time gathering information after the fact. Vampires have always been a secretive race, which is why most stories about them have been relegated to myths the average human reduces to scary stories told around campfires. Lucas’s trail has been entrenched in blood and traumatized witnesses–which is how I should have known it was a trap.

When I was finally able to detect a trend in the killings and get ahead of the next one, I waited for Lucas to strike. He had a thing for younger, lower-class women and had been offing one in every small town that started with the letter M along highway 53. Weird, but I don’t really question why literal cold-blooded murderers do the things they do. Boredom, maybe, after living for hundreds of years.

Thankfully, Medina was smaller than small. This made it much easier to narrow down locations that Lucas might seek out. There were six main restaurants, but only two stayed open past 6pm. One was a 24-hour diner and the other a hole-in-the-wall bar. Since the girls working the diner were of the younger persuasion I figured it was my best shot.

Right before the sun went down I parked my van across the street from the diner. It was a closed up garage with lots of broken-down vehicles sitting out front, so my old junker fit right in. Now, all I had to do was wait, and if Lucas stayed on pattern he would show up around midnight. In the meantime, I at least had plenty of snacks and a crossword puzzle to keep me entertained.

Four snack-sized bags of fuego Takis and nine puzzles later, a cherry red Camaro pulled into the diner. All the witnesses at every location described the same car, so I knew it was him. I couldn’t understand why the human authorities hadn’t caught on to this sicko. Not that they could do anything to stop him, but he was leaving a blazing trail across the country. The car was one of the first clues I had put together. And yet, the police in every town were still only alerted after the body was found days later.

I watched Lucas casually stroll into the eatery. When he sat at one of the bar seats, I decided it was time to make my entrance. To avoid suspicion, I left a loaner car parked on a side road far enough out to be hidden by superior vamp vision, which was basically like the equivalent of a cat-owl hybrid. Hard to get much by them. Fortunately, Lucas was already preoccupied with his latest prey, a petite brunette, who was unlucky enough to be stuck with this shift. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice me sneaking away dressed in all black, and he wouldn’t make his move before I got back.

The loaner was picked out specifically to draw Lucas’s attention away from the waitress. It was an '88 jet-black Monte Carlo that had been recently fully restored to its former glory. Anyone could hear it coming for miles, and as planned, it had turned the heads of the few patrons sitting in the diner. Every eye, including Lucas’s, were pinned on me as I killed the engine right in front of the entrance and made a show of getting out.

And the car wasn’t my only shiny lure. I had traded my all black stakeout clothing for a slinky crimson dress complete with strappy stilettos and a waist hugging leather jacket. I’d also let down my hair and had given it a good toss to make my naturally wild curls look attractive. As planned, Lucas followed my every move when I entered the restaurant and went to sit at a nearby booth. With luck, he would forget about the server if he thought there was an easier snack in grabbing distance.

When the girl in question came to my table, I noticed just how young she was. I hadn’t been entirely sure if age was a requisite for Lucas, but if it was, I might not be able to keep him focused on me. While I might look younger than my 24 years, this girl couldn’t be more than 17. Now, that he had us both in sight, I could sense him looking us over in turn. Maybe he was wondering how he could get both of us to go off with him.

After glancing down at the girl’s name tag, I asked with the biggest grin possible, “Do you have pie, Kasey? I just left this crazy club in Allentown, and I need food!!” I emphasized the last word and faltered a little in my seat. There was no better bait than a drunk girl on her own.

“Yeah, we’ve got lemon, peach, and blueberry tonight,” she said pointing to the nearby case. My act didn’t phase her at all, so I assumed this was a regular encounter for the poor girl.

“Oh, yes! Lemon definitely,” I said, and when she started to walk away, I added in my best vocal fry, “Ooh could I also get a large order of fries.” With a sad sigh, Kasey jotted down the order and walked back to the kitchen. Lucas remained sitting at his bar stool, but he was now completely turned in my direction and not hers, so the act was working at the moment.

Like many of older diners, this one still housed an older jukebox. This provided the perfect opportunity to keep him distracted. I stood up and staggered over to the machine. Once there, I grabbed both the sides as an excuse to lean forward and enhance the length of my legs and give a better view of my backside. Then I started flipping through the selection before haphazardly pulling the cash out of my pocket, causing some of the bills to fall on the floor. As I began entering my song selection, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder.

“Excuse me, miss,” said a surprisingly silky voice behind me, “but you’ve dropped this.” Not surprised at all by the immediate assistance, I turned preparing to give my best sorority girl appreciation hug. However, the face that I met upon spinning around was not the one I expected to see. Lucas was still sitting at the bar, and he had resumed giving his undivided attention to Kasey. Damn it, the bait worked, but it hooked the wrong fish.

“Miss, your money,” the man in front of me was saying, but I had tuned him out to make sure the threat to Kasey hadn’t increased. I didn’t think Lucas would do anything until he could get her alone after her shift, but I couldn’t risk him moving up his timeline without my notice.

“Yeah, thanks,” I told the guy, finally giving him a quick glance over. Too bad I was preoccupied because I bet he would be a fun time. “I’m just a little clumsy sometimes.” I took the bills he held out and stuffed them in my pocket as I walked back to my booth to come up with a new diversion. He, too, returned to his seat, which had been in the back corner of the restaurant behind the waitress station. I’m not sure I even noticed him during my initial recon of the place. Did he come in when I went to change and get the car? Sloppy on my part.

With this oversight in my head, I discreetly gave the diner a new look over. There was still the same couple sitting close to the door. Lucas was at the bar. An old man sat further down from him sipping on a coffee. Kasey was the only server working, but there was also a male chef that bobbed up and down through the kitchen window from time to time. But otherwise, the man in the corner was the only new addition. With the place so empty, I’m not sure how I overlooked him.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

With this new or old addition sitting behind me, I felt uncomfortable because I wasn’t in full view of the diner, but it would seem strange to get up and move at this point. Besides, I didn’t want to get further from Lucas than necessary. He was now bent forward onto the bar asking Kasey questions as she got refills. They seemed innocuous like “Do you like working here?” and “Is there anything fun to do this time of night?” She politely answered, but didn’t seem interested beyond doing her job.

When Kasey brought the fries and pie to my table, I attempted to see if anyone was expecting her. “You seem awfully young to be working in a place like this so late. Does someone pick you up so you don’t have to leave alone?” In hindsight, my question probably came off creepier than Mr. Bloodsucker at the bar, but if she was leaving with someone, there was less of a chance that Lucas would follow.

“Well, we are 24 hours, so we never actually close. We just hand off shifts. Since it’s the weekend, it’s perfectly legal for me to be working this late.” Her face indicated that she was a little rebuffed by my questions. I get it. After being on my own since I was 16, it was a bit hypocritical of me to think she couldn’t take care of herself. But, I doubted she had the extra advantages I had to deal with people like Lucas. I had yet to meet anyone else who was like me.

When Kasey went back to the kitchen, I chided myself for scaring her off. If I could get her to trust me, maybe I could give her a lift home. But that wouldn’t work either. I couldn’t risk Lucas picking out someone else for dinner. I wasn’t sure that he would because he seems to get obsessed with his chosen, but that doesn’t mean he won’t cheat on his preferred diet.

As I sat back in the booth seat, I realized there was a person sitting off to my right. The corner man had changed tables. When did he do that? And there was no question he was staring right at me. Was Lucas the only one being hunted in this diner tonight?

Without letting on that I knew he was watching me, I attempted to get a closer look at my observer. He was handsome, in a creepy stalker kind of way, and dressed way too nice for a restaurant of this caliber. My outfit could be explained by being a drunk coed who just left the bar. Even Lucas in his plain sweater and khaki slacks looked seemingly casual enough, but this guy was decked out in a black suit and a blue silk shirt that fit him like a glove. Everything screamed high-end designer. What was he doing here?

If his suit was nice, it didn’t hold a candle to the package underneath. He was obviously fit, but his face would have made even Dorian Gray speechless. I could not remember seeing a man so beautiful before.

After many seconds too long had passed, I realized my covert inspection had become glaringly obvious. I was staring at this gorgeous creature in his overpriced attire, and he was looking back. What he saw in return I wasn’t sure, but all my senses were on fire. It was clear he wasn’t human, because no person could sit that still or make himself practically invisible for that matter, but what did he want?

Seeming to answer my question, his eyes looked beyond me, and I realized he was watching Lucas. Was he here for him too? Was he helping him? Going after two vampires would be much more difficult, especially when one of them was already onto me.

Against my better judgment, I turned my back to the vampire watching me, so I could watch the other vampire hunting the innocent girl just trying to do her job. If only there was a way to get him outside away from her. I don’t know what I’d do about the new addition joining him, but at least they’d both be away from Kasey and everyone else inside.

Without putting much thought into the idea, I stood up and walked over to Lucas. He didn’t notice until I sat down next to him and put my hand on his leg.

“You know, you have the cutest cheek dimple,” I said as he spun to face me. “I saw it when you were chatting with Kasey earlier. It was just plum adorable,” and I gave him my most kittenish smile. Some of my sway from earlier must have held because he smiled back, and it really was disturbing how cute it was. You’d never know it was masking a vicious killer.

“Hi, I’m Lucas,” he said holding out his hand.

“Trembley,” I replied with a smile and my own hand. When he took it, I noticed two things: His touch was icy, which only helped to confirm his vampire status, and he had no intention of letting go. Instead, he pulled me so close that I was practically sitting on his lap and sniffed me. This wasn’t new, but not something I typically let happen.

“You smell ravenous, Trembley,” he almost growled in my ear. “When you came in, I imagined what it would be like to eat you up, but now, I think I can’t go home until I know.” Weirdest double entendre ever.

“Well, if you want to find out, I’ve got a back seat big enough for two.” And the back of a van big enough to hold your corpse.

“What are we waiting for,” he said standing and pulling me down off my stool along with him. When we were both in my car, I started the engine to move us somewhere more discreet, but this took him by surprise.

“Where are you going? I can’t leave. My, um, car is here.”

“Oh no worries dimples, I’m not taking you far. I’m just relocating from the entrance way. I wouldn’t want to scar the other diners with what I’m going to do with you.” Considering what he had in mind, I’m surprised he wanted me to stay there anyway. Not easy to remain a hidden threat if you just murdered a gal in plain view.

“Oh ok. That’s fine then.” He took a deep breath I assumed to relax, but he looked at me with a look that might in other circumstances give me chills. “There is something about you that’s so delectable. I wonder if you taste as good as you look or even better how you smell.”

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you have other intentions besides sex.” I smirked as I killed the car on the newly relocated gravel road about two football fields from the diner. We were hidden behind a row of trees so I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing or hearing anything.

“I mean… I would be fooling myself if I at least didn’t take a bite,” he replied as his facade morphed into the true face all vampires wore underneath. His eyes burned with a fiery red accompanied by glaring veins and incisors that were much longer than the typical human’s. If this was my first encounter, it might have frightened me – and did once upon a time ago – but I had long grown used to the menacing truth looking me in the eyes.

“Oh no,” I sarcastically exclaimed, “a vampire! Whatever will I do? I know how about I put you in the grave you should have stayed in years ago.”

Usually, when vampires realize I know what they are and aren’t afraid of them, it tends to elicit a bit of surprise. Not Lucas, though. This bastard just laughed. “You’re a fun one, aren’t you? From your scent, I bet you taste like berries. I miss the way they used to taste. It hasn’t been the same since the Revolution.”

While I was a bit taken aback, I didn’t let that stop what I was here to do. “Boohoo, things change. Why continue to stick around, if the world is so much crappier? Just so you can kill innocent young waitresses up and down the country?”

At that, he sat back. “And here I was thinking you were the fly in my web.” Then faster than I could see, he grabbed my wrist and roughly pulled me to him. “So, little spider, what did you have planned for your prey?” Before I could answer or reach for the weapon lined inside my jacket. The passenger side door was ripped off, and the vampire holding me was sucked through it. Since he was still holding my arm when the vortex pulled him out, I was yanked over the console and partially out the door as well. Thankfully, his grip slacked before I was fully out, but unluckily it cost me just enough time to get caught off guard by this new threat.

When I looked up from my new position halfway out the car and on the ground, my sight was met with an oncoming fist. Unfortunately, the dangling position had hampered my normally quick reflexes, and a hammer of a blow to my temple left me a little too unconscious to know what happened next.