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Finally! This proves it!
23 year-old Jordan Hinks pushed up his black hipster glasses in breathless excitement as he stared at the web-page. He had been following the signs for almost a year despite the teasing. First the quiet snickering, then the flat out mocking of his theories couldn’t stop Jordan from believing the evidence. His room was covered in so many newspaper clippings and scribbled notes that it could easily pass as stalker patterned wallpaper. He looked up anything related to the mysterious murders or unusual animal attacks, convinced there was a connection. Vampires were the answer. They had to be.
The web-page on the computer screen palely lighted Jordan’s eager face. This article was from one of the first credible news sources to openly discuss the strange attacks. It might be what he needed to convince people he wasn’t crazy… or at least make them more open to the existence of vampires. Jordan blew out a relieved puff of air and felt himself relax. It could only get better from here!
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“Garlic scented holy water: the ULTIMATE protection against the cold demons of the night!” The priced ranged from $100-$500 or more depending on where you got it. For paranoid billionaire, Oswald Terrington IV, it was worth it. He wasn’t going to be caught unprepared when a vampire recognized him as an obvious good specimen for immortality. Eternal youth was NOT worth the unflattering paleness and bothersome bloodlust, thank you very much! The human race had to be preserved and it would be a tragedy if the superior Terrington genes were lost to the world. At 35, Oswald still had things to buy, money to spend, and riches to squander. Being a vampire would put a damper on his living life to the fullest.
As Oswald Terrington IV lazily watched his butlers conduct a final security sweep of the mansion, he pitied the less prepared. No.. not pity.. amusement! That was it! Imagine their faces when they realized they were too late to fight the growing disease of vampirism! Oswald laughed at their stupidity as he walked upstairs to his massive master bedroom. He always was ahead of the game!
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A gleaming goddess silently paced around in a mansion of her own. Her new family lounged on low leather couches enjoying drinks. Nicci Green had completely forgotten what her human life had been like, let alone her family and friends. That young woman had been killed, like everyone thought, the night her former friend Alexa attacked her. A cold creature of beauty and danger had replaced the energetic clown, leaving only the raw athletic skill behind. She passed her kin who were drunk off human slave blood, like people-juice. If she were human, Nicci would’ve laughed at that phrase, both accurate and amusing.
This train of thought was making her thirsty, but she felt like getting it fresh. It always tasted sweeter when she hunted for her meal. The domesticated kind got bland after a while. Nicci slipped out of her evening gown and into a tight-fitting black jumpsuit that was perfect for silently roaming the streets of the city.
The moonlight and shadows filled her veins, switching her mindset to full hunter. An unfortunate night jogger chose the wrong street and caught her attention. The killer allowed herself a full-fanged grin before slinking up to her prey. The first bite was to destroy his vocal chords and prevent him from drawing attention. The second bite was hungry and deep, allowing Nicci to taste the full flow of the vein bursting inside her mouth. This victim would be completely used up with no need for restraint. Vampires only held back on feeding if the victim was meant for transformation and needed some blood left in them to survive the change. This was certainly not the cased as evidenced by Nicci’s unfettered appetite. She finished disposing of the empty shell and went home, unaware of the person watching her from behind a dumpster.
Alexa Perkins, who had just finished feeding on a homeless junkie, watched her go with no recognition that this elite vampire used to be her best friend. She lived her days on the streets doing the dirty work for the noble vampire class until the day a well-placed stake to the heart would tell her she was no longer needed. This future was not something Alexa happy about, but she accepted it as a consequence of becoming a monster. She knew she was a hideous beast and would eventually be killed off like one. Alexa sighed and sat back down in her makeshift nest of dusty newspapers and soggy cardboard boxes. Not all immortal creatures of the night get to live in style she thought.
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The comment section of Jordan Hink’s vampire blog exploded after the discovery of the dead jogger. The local news was still trying to cover it up and prevent widespread panic, but already more people were connecting the dots. Even some of his skeptical friends were following his theories now. The disturbingly apparent signs of vampiric activity had the apologies coming left and right. Jordan personally couldn’t get enough.
He was so encouraged by the new wave of support that he finally could go for a plan he’d wanted to do for a while. The world needed some way of fighting back and surviving. Jordan knew that he needed to put together a team of people who could defend the general public. The problem was, he didn’t have the kind of cash lying around to fund a project like this. Unfortunately, he could only think of one person rich and stupid enough to agree to financially support a vampire attack team. Jordan really wasn’t looking forward to this.
The sinking feeling became even more of a pit as Jordan forced a smile at the wealthy man standing in the doorway of the most obnoxiously lavish mansion he’d ever seen. Oswald Terrington IV was just as unenthusiastic. The young man practically stank of “common citizen” with his baggy jeans and T-shirt, and un-groomed appearance. Oswald only didn’t order a shower and armed escort off the property because of the call that had set up the meeting. The blogger was known for his knowledge of the fanged creatures that haunted the billionaire’s dreams, and he claimed to have a plan on fighting back. It sounded worth tolerating this kid for a short time.
Jordan tried not to stare at the overindulgence plastered on every square inch of the place. There were whole countries starving for crying out loud and this jerk felt the need for FIVE solid gold fountains in the indoor garden. It took every ounce of will power for Jordon not to explode in angry rants at this guy. He remembered his purpose for coming here and remained silent. He had to convince Oswald to pay for his attack team or it just wasn’t going to happen. He breathed out a small sigh to help him focus and started explaining his idea. This HAS to work.
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Nicci felt fear for the first time since her vampire transformation. She knew she had made a huge mistake by feeding on that jogger. That one choice could attract attention to her kind and potentially expose them to the public. Many vampiric leaders were talking about making a point… the sharp wooden kind. Nicci didn’t want to stick around long enough for them to make a decision. She wanted out but that wasn’t going to be easy. She was under constant close guard to prevent any more mistakes. Her feedings were even being rationed just to drive home the consequence of her actions. The decrease in blood consumption made her hungry and grumpy. Nicci had trouble focusing on much else besides the desire to feed. Even her need to escape had been pushed to the back of her mind. Wait…maybe that was it! The desire to feed could be the key. She mentally started working on a desperately crazy plan. It had little chance of going well, but it was then best she could do.

All the human slaves were kept in a cage in the mansion’s dungeon-like lower level between feedings. Nicci just needed a few of the fatter ones. The hard part would be leading the rest of the vampires down there without them catching on to her scheme. She nervously bit her lower lip leaving a slight mark where the sharp fangs had made contact.
Suddenly, she remembered exactly who would always help her out of a tight spot. Racing her room where her human possessions had been carelessly thrown into a corner, she stared amazed and her old cell phone. Nicci texted words that felt both familiar and distant.
>Alexa, it’s Nicci. Meet me at my place 2nite 2:00a.m.. Need help 2 escape.
>....OK
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>….OK
Alexa hardly believe what she read, let alone her automatic reply. She hadn’t realized she phone was still on her, but when she saw the text she responded out of habit. Help Nicci? They had been best friends not too long ago, but now they lived in different worlds. Alexa was a highly skilled beast and a homeless one at that. Nicci was living a rich life with the fanged elite. Why she needed to escape was a mystery, but Alexa suspected the jogger on the news had something to do with it. Faint hope stirred at the thought of seeing Nicci and possibly restoring their friendship…but was quickly dismissed. This was an exception. Things would only go back to normal after this. Still, she found herself looking forward to this rescue. It was well know that the top class of vampires acted like they could rule everyone else. It was about time someone resisted. This might be crazy, but man was it going to be fun! Alexa got to the meeting place at the back gate of the mansion at 1:50 a.m. and waited for the signal. There it was, candle in an upper window. It was a little cliché’ but it worked. She silently made her way towards the back door already planning what she needed to do inside.
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Jordan and Oswald were doing some planning as well. The glorious attack force they had pictured ended up being a small group of two overweight gamers, three vampire obsessed teens dressed in cheap makeup and black clothing, and one super muscular she-hulk who was WAY to hardcore about guns. The team looked a little pathetic in light of what they hoped to accomplish, but it was better than nothing and too late to back down now. Oswald was bringing plenty of supplies that he insisted were effective. In addition to a few bottles of garlic scented holy water (NOW EXTRA BLESSED!) the gullible billionaire had silver tipped stakes, liquid sunlight in old looking bottles (that most likely had “made in china” printed in the bottom), and various other knick-knacks that supposedly were powerful protection against the demons of the night. Jordan had tried to talk some sense into the spoiled man-child, but gave up when he wasn’t getting anywhere. Jordan’s newspaper clippings and obsessive research were finally good for more than a running joke among his friends. He knew exactly where most of the vampires in the city lived. He drove the random assortment of wanna-be vampire hunters a few miles out of the city to an abandoned mansion. It was close to several cases of missing people dating back a few years and was the logical choice for an isolated hideout. It was about 2:00 in the morning when they got there. They were tired and less confident than when they had started and the air felt thick with dread. The three teen vampire fans especially were having doubts. Jordan sighed deeply as he looked at the “fight team” and motioned them all to follow him into the mansion.
He had had one loud though pounding in his head.
'What on earth was I thinking? We are going to die!"
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Alexa was in the basement when she heard the talking. It was panicked human voices and not the arrogant vampire tones she was expecting. She didn’t know how this was going to turn out, but all the scenarios promised to be entertaining. Alexa found an ideal hiding spot and waited for the show. A vague human memory of popcorn came to mind. These memories had been happening frequently since her texting with Nicci. She hoped it would pass, like indigestion, but had a feeling it would not. Alexa didn’t know how she was going to deal with these surfacing feelings. She wished she could talk to Nicci like she did forever ago to straighten out her thoughts. Right now, that seemed impossible.

Nicci hadn’t expected the human intruders either, but she could improvise her plan easily enough. She watched them as the fumbled around in the dark and within .86 seconds she had picked her target. The finely dressed one smelled like expensive food and that meant his blood would be extra good smelling. She crept up behind him and went straight for the neck veins. The goal here was not to feed or transform. She meant to spill as much of that delicious smelling blood as possible. That would attract the rest of the vampires into blood lust frenzy too strong to resist and allow her to escape. She saw the people surrounding her prey and almost laughed. Laughter would have been her human reaction to a joke like this. Did these bleeders actually plan to attack with this pathetic handful? Nicci’s heightened senses took in everything. She could smell the cold sweat of panic coming off the teens in black makeup. The two fat ones were way behind and their panting was loud enough to attract the pack of dogs they sounded like. The bulked up one holding the gun (female.. perhaps..?) looked like she .. it could snap any second given the right trigger. Nicci knew just what to do to make that happen. She ignored the average looking geek leading the group. He was so unimpressive that killing him would be no fun at all. The amount he knew, however, was enough to have found her home and that alone proved a threat if he spread the information to the public. She pounced on the wealthy one in the middle and breathed in the instant chaos.

Jordan saw Nicci come at him and sprayed her with the garlic scented holy water. Part of him knew right away it would have no effect, but he was desperate. She scoffed and slapped the bottle out of his hands before lunging at him. Nicci’s fangs sunk into Jordan’s flesh and he was on the ground with a huge gash in his stomach before he knew what hit him. He lay on his back slowly bleeding out and thought he saw a fanged blur rush past. He managed to hoarsely warn “Vampire..” before he stopped breathing. Life left his eyes for good as he stared at the killer attacking his group.

The first bite was so sweet that Nicci almost lost herself to the lust. It took all her strength to pull away and let Oswald’s blood spill out. She saw Alexa in the shadows and motioned for her to come closer.
“Good of you to come.” Nicci said stiffly.
“Didn’t want to miss all the fun.” Replied Alexa.
The two were silent as memories surfaced of spilled popcorn and other embarrassing moments they had shared. The quiet tension was soon interrupted by the sight of a swarm of Vampires closing in on them and attacking the humans in extreme hunger.
“Looks like it worked! They smelled the people juice!” Nicci exclaimed.
“…People juice..?” Alexa ventured, “ uuhm odd phrasing but .. I kinda like it! Did you make it up?”
“Yep!”
The two shared the first genuine grin in over a year, though it felt like much longer. They didn’t see the Vampire leaders until they were surrounded. Nicci took in the situation and calmly pulled out her backup plan. Two polished stakes that she had slipped secretly into her boots earlier that night. She caught Alexa’s attention and tossed her one of the weapons. Alexa nodded that she understood.
“Hey Nicci. This still sucks, huh?
“Yep. It still sucks!
Laughing insanely, the plunged the wooden stakes into their hearts. Nicci Green and Alexa Perkins crumbled into dust knowing that they had, at least for a night, stopped being monsters. They had won.

The End