NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 8: Complications and Nuisances – Part 6.
“You asked how to deal with a vampire, Brian?” Wendy casually asked as she made the final turn into the parking lot close to where the two had met. “I can see from the look on your face that you are far from being convinced.”
“I admit there is something strange going on with the little trance we both had at the same time and this thing on my hand, but that is just an oddity that I am sure can be explained…somehow.” Brian stopped looking at the university buildings and focused on Wendy. “Strange shit happens all the time, which goes unexplained. Seeing is believing, show me a vampire.”
Wendy pulled into a parking space in front of Brian’s dorm and jammed the gear into park, annoyed. “Strange shit? Look around you, Brian. Everything that has happened in the last few days is strange. When was the last time that you heard of a hotel being destroyed, four people dead, one missing survivor that matches the description of your girlfriend, and a rental house fire without anyone in it going up in flames?” The reporter dug out her phone, “Fuck it, you are awakened so I might as well show you this.” She opened the black hearted app named “The Darla” and showed the big man the alternate footage she was given the day before. “Explain that in the upper right corner.”
Taking the phone and watching the video, Brian stopped the little movie when he spotted the form jumping from the roof of the building holding a person in both arms. “Wait.” He handed Wendy back her phone and dug out his own, tapping the screen a few times and once the image popped up, he slowly gazed into the black and brown eyes Wendy possessed. “C-Casey…she liked a-a-a band.” He held up the picture with Drake’s face and the tattoos spread across his arm. “S-s-she has a poster on her wall with that band on it.”
A wicked smile crossed over Wendy’s visage for a moment before she held the phone up to Brian once more. “That is Drake, the band leader. I knew it from the same tattoos, Brian. We knew that band was just a cover for a bunch of vampires lead by the guy you see being hauled off that roof. Care to rationally explain that away? A person carrying…you see it for yourself…carrying two people in their arms. Even as big as you are, you couldn’t carry two people and jump off a building. You’d have to drag them at best.” She tossed her phone on the dashboard. “Then what? You jump and there’s evidence of bodies on the ground?”
Brian replayed the events of the last couple days with Casey and then added in the events of the evening. “I am having a hard time with this, Wendy.” Brian paused and focused on the reporter, noting that the black hue around her had started to pulse with a deep purple. Deciding to keep the new color pulsing to himself, Brian sighed and confessed, “I watched Casey heal tonight. She called it regeneration.”
“Thralls do that. Vampires take humans and subvert them into service, typically against their will.” Wendy added.
Barely registering what the reporter quipped, Brian kept going, “She said that Vivienne kissed her and that did it.”
“Matches exactly what we know.” Wendy added. “Depending on how old the vampire is, that bond can be broken without killing the vampire.” She lifted her hand and exposed her rune once more. “This and ‘The Darla’ provides the path for us to do it. The easy thing to call it is magic, as that explains it with a simple word.” She shrugged and put her hand down. Wendy turned off the headlights and started staring out of the windshield looking for clouds. “I see most of my messages in the clouds.”
“Tell me how we can save Casey.”
“Without your help, I can’t. I need you to fully embrace what we have before us. If you waiver even a little, that vampire can exploit it.” Wendy replied confidently.
“I-I… I just don’t know, Wendy.” Brian started rubbing his temples once more. “Part of me says this is impossible, and the other part can’t deny what’s happened so far. I just don’t know.” Brian took a deep breath and looked up once again. “Alright, Casey went from loving that band to hating them almost overnight. Which then was replaced by her new job with … this Vivienne… person. That was the obsession I was commenting on when we met.”
“Vampires have many ways to deal with us, Brian. They are the perfect predator.”
“So all the legends are true then? So garlic, holy water, a stake in the chest? All of that is real?”
“Not the garlic, that is just a spice.” Wendy lightly giggled, “Along with the obvious. Sunlight.”
“That’s it?! What about this supposed magic we have? Is that useless?” Brian huffed.
“No. It isn’t useless. It all depends on how it manifests itself. I told you, I am an infiltrator. We have commandos that do all the planning and attacking of covens. They go toe to toe with them. The rest of us use the tools we know about. I have yet to see a vampire not fall to a stake in the chest and fire.” Wendy quickly explained.
Brian mirrored Wendy and looked out of the window and saw the clouds highlighted in the moonlight. “Heart.” he muttered blankly.
“What?” Wendy looked at the passing clouds, “Are you seeing something Brian?” Wendy frantically scanned the rest of the sky. -Where the fuck is the message?- She internally shouted.
Blinking and shaking his head for a couple seconds, Brian finally spoke up. “That is still disorienting. That time I remembered what happened. I saw the rune tell me the word heart.” He pointed to the passing radiating white cloud in front of the moon. “Right there.”
“Heart.” Wendy swallowed the anger raging in her head. “I guess the message was for you.”
“I don’t have a clue what it means though.” Brian scratched his head briefly and shook his head, “I believe you now, Wendy.” He looked once more at the rune in the sky and nodded, “I get it. I am with you, until we save Casey. I won’t waiver.”
Wendy patted the big man's thigh. “Wonderful. We have two things to do. First, find where Vivienne lives and get you to ‘The Darla’ so we can figure out what you can do.” Wendy glanced over with her swirling brown-black eyes, “You go inside and I will get you in the morning, it is safer in the day.” She paused for a moment, “There are times we get dirty, but it's for the greater good.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point, Wendy.” Brian hopped out of the van and into the cold. “What time are we meeting in the morning?” he asked.
“Sunrise. We will have complete reign, and after I find out where Vivienne lives, I will contact ‘The Darla’ for the next part of the assignment.” Wendy smiled, “You and I will save Casey, don’t worry.”
Brian closed the door and headed to his room, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to watch the newswoman leave. “What have I gotten myself into?” He shook his head and walked into the night.