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“I don't want to fight you, Michael,” David said as they traded glancing blows in the darkened room. “You're one of us. You're meant to be more!” He hissed from the oppressive gloom.
“Never!” spat Michael. “I won't be a killer like you!”
“But you are a killer,” David replied, stepping out from the shadows and advancing on Michael.
Michael growled at him, hackles on end as he lunged at the blonde, a snarl on his fanged face and claws glistening with droplets of David’s crimson blood. Before he knew it, David had him pinned to his chest, vampire strength no match for that of a mere halfling.
“Let me go!” hissed Michael, thrashing. David was toying with him, like a cat with a mouse. He swallowed hard, a sense of resignation flooding him but unwilling to give in completely just yet. It felt inevitable, though. David always got what he wanted.
David chuckled. “I don't think so. But I do know what would help you calm down a little.” David brought his wrist to his mouth and bit down, spilling his blood and bringing it to Michael's lips.
“No!” Michael struggled, even though every instinct in him screamed to let go, to feed. To finally put an end to the pain, the hunger, the itching in his gums. To let his monster take over.
“Don't fight me, Michael. I know you want it. You must be starving. Take it. I'm giving it to you.”
A desperate whine left Michael's lips, eyes wild and locked on the blood dripping in front of him, offered up like manna to the starving. His lips parted, breath quick and irregular, longing in his eyes. And then the fight left him as his hunger won out. He wrenched one arm free from David's hold, grabbed the offered wrist, and bit down hard as instinct drove him to up the blood flow.
Michael moaned as the blood spilled over his tongue. It was salt and iron and David and oh so amazing and he felt like he'd never be able to stop. As he drank, David's grip on him loosened, no longer requiring restraint and Michael fell to his knees, pupils blown wide, both hands now grasping at David's wrist and holding it to his mouth in a death grip as he fed. This felt right. He felt connected to David, his sire, in the most primal of ways. Michael’s blood felt hot, pounding for David in perfect step with his slowing heartbeat.
The hunger that had plagued him for days now faded as euphoria took over. The agony it had caused, cramps twisting his empty stomach until it felt like it was shredded with desperation, was now but a fleeting memory in the face of the sheer pleasure that was drinking from David. He couldn't stop. He felt like he’d never be able to stop. And in that moment, Michael didn't care. Thought was largely beyond him as base instinct ruled and somewhere in the back of his mind the monster he was becoming reveled in it.
Michael was so lost in his gluttonous stupor he barely even registered David's hand carding through his hair, whispering sweet nothings and encouragement to drink his fill because David 'had already fed well that night and had plenty to spare.' He ground his teeth into David’s wrist in response, ripping open the already broken vessels further as he sucked at the wound.
The hunger was fading but Michael wouldn’t let go. He didn't want to relinquish this connection of blood to David. He felt like he could feel the other man weaving into his veins, changing him, working to finish what the blood in the bottle had started. Blood dripped down Michael's chin, falling, staining his jeans, creating a soft patter on the floor where it missed the denim.
So far gone was he that he didn't notice when the others filed back into the room with their quarry of teenage boys. Dwayne restrained Sam while Paul had a Frog brother in each arm, locked in a bruising hold as they struggled in vain to get free. The vampires hadn’t found much resistance from the uncoordinated and inexperienced teenagers, nor from Star and Laddie who’d they’d left cowering upstairs, more than willing to recuse themselves from any violent conflicts.
“Let go of us, you goddamned shit-suckers!” yelled Sam, pale and afraid but not out of fight. At least he wasn’t until he saw Michael down on his knees in front of David, latched onto the bleached blonde vampire's wrist and posed in a mockery of supplication.
“Mike!” he cried, eyes wide in horror. “Let my brother go, you asshole!” he yelled while the Frog brothers muttered in shock and disgust at the scene in front of them, momentarily ceasing the struggle against their captor. The reality of their situation was finally hitting them and cold fear began to settle in their chests. The rules of humanity didn’t apply here. This was something else all together.
David gave a dark chuckle. “I'm not holding him here. Am I, Michael?” he asked, sliding his hand free of Michael's curls and under his chin to tilt his face up.
Michael's eyes were a gold edged with red, glassy, brow sharpened into the monstrous features of a transformed vampire. He looked up into David's eyes, tranquil, swallowing rhythmically.
'You're doing so well, Michael,' David intoned through their telepathic link which grew stronger the more Michael drank from him. 'But you do need to stop soon or you'll have all of my blood in your veins,' he chided.
Michael growled at the thought of having to stop, locking his jaw in place stubbornly.
“Ah ah ah, that's enough now.” David sad aloud, gripping the back of Michael's head and wrenching him off his wrist by his hair. “That's a good boy.”
Michael bared his teeth up at David, mouth dripping with gore, letting his displeasure be known despite an odd but not unpleasant sensation running through him at the sound of David’s praise.
“I know, I know. We'll get you more later,” David soothed, resuming his petting to pacify Michael after his rough treatment. 'I'll do in a pinch, but there's nothing like fresh human blood,' whispered through Michael's mind.
Michael shook his head, thoughts sluggish in a blood-induced haze, and slumped back against the wall. His body was changing again, becoming less human, like the night in the cave that seemed both so long ago and only yesterday. His mind fogged as David's dead blood worked its way through him, new instincts growing in his brain stem as he became less human with every shallow breath and slow beat of his heart as his transformation into something other intensified.
“Mike! Mike, come on man, get up!” Sam tried again. Michael didn't move, didn't even acknowledge he'd heard the younger Emerson call out. He just sat there, face returned to its more human visage and head lolling against the wall, eyes blinking slowly, unfocused. Blood clung to his mouth and chin, slowly drying into dull, rusty trails.
“Now, now, kids. There's no need to yell,” David smirked as he licked the remaining blood off of his healing wrist and sauntered forward. The closer he got to them, the more the youths struggled against the vampires holding them, yells of protest and whimpers of fear filling the room (although they’d deny the latter if ever asked).
“Now what to do with you,” David mused aloud. “You know where we sleep. You stabbed Marko. You understand we can't just let that go. What do you think, Paul?”
Paul cackled and yanked on the Frogs, jerking their heads back painfully. “I dunno, what should we do with them Dwayne?”
Dwayne grinned, fangs on full display. “Who wants to know?” he growled at Sam, menace lacing his words.
The cacophony of fear finally shook Michael from his stupor, the scent of it pouring off his little brother. He lurched up on shaky legs before stumbling towards the others. “Come on guys, they're just kids.” His voice came out more pleading than he would have liked, but he was worried about Sam’s safety and potential for longevity despite his sluggish brain.
“They're kids that tried to kill us. Almost killed Marko,” growled David.
Michael paused. “Marko's not dead?” he inquired, surprised but also with relief.
“Missed his heart,” said Paul with a grin. “Some vampire hunters you little fuckers are,” he spat.
“Then nobody's dead. We can just let it go,” Michael argued.
Dwayne shook his head while David countered, “That's not how this works, Michael. We can't just let them off scot-free. We let them walk away and they’ll try again. Even you know that.”
Michael did. His hind brain was telling him that these kids, the Frogs, were a threat to him and his pack (pack? Where did that come from?) and that something needed to be done to protect themselves and their home. Dwayne looked him in the eye. 'Exactly.'
“Sammy didn't do anything,” Michael tried again, easing his way closer to his brother. “He didn't even have a stake.” He reached for Sam, slowly pulling the boy towards himself while asking silent permission from Dwayne to take over custody of the other brunette's unwilling charge. Sam slipped out of the other vampire's hands and Michael pulled him close.
“Uh, Mike,” Sam started, eyes wide in panic as Michael tucked him closer. “You got a little …” He gestured to Michael's chin.
Michael's eyes widened. He'd forgotten about his impromptu feeding and hastily moved to rub the traces of blood off of himself. Mostly he just smeared the gore further over his mouth and neck where it wasn’t already dry and flaky.
The clatter of footsteps sounded from the front porch before the door slammed open and Marko eased his way through. Blood soaked through his white shirt and stained his patch jacket, evidence of the injury he'd been gifted during the day. The blood was dry through, and while he seemed a little stiff, Michael could smell no fresh blood on him. The wound was healing, if not fully there yet internally. “We've got company.”
David raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Max is almost here. He's got that lady he's been obsessing over with him.”
“Mom?” Michael questioned. “My mom's here?” The sound of car doors slamming answered his inquiry for him, coupled with her distant voice calling out to her children in worry. “Why is she here?”
He was panicked now. It was literally the worst timing imaginable. The last thing he needed was his mom caught up in this mess, too.
“This is gonna be a pain in the ass,” Paul groaned.
Michael cursed under his breath as footsteps sounded across the front porch toward the door. Almost as one, Michael and the other boys released their captives and slunk back, Michael into the shadows along the back wall and the others to secret themselves away out of sight over thresholds and around doorways. They left no escape for Sam and the would-be hunters, though, with the boys blocking all exits sans the front door, which was soon to be occupied.
“Sam? Michael?” called Lucy’s panicked voice as she entered the house, Max hot on her heels. She gasped at the damaged room, furniture torn and broken from David and Michael’s fight. Her eyes locked on her youngest, clothes rumpled and huddled with his Rambo-esque friends. “Sam, what’s going on? Where’s Michael?”
While Sam and the Frogs erupted in a discord of noise, shouting explanations over top of each other that contradicted and made no sense, Max’s nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed. The boys had never changed clothes after their cave raid. They were still covered in Marko’s blood, a pungent scent Max had identified almost immediately after entering the house.
“What have you boys done?” Max demanded, cutting through the shouting and chaos. Michael eyed him nervously from where he was concealed, watching warily but unwilling to act yet, not until he saw how this was going to play out.
Everyone stilled, turning to look at Max, a question in Lucy’s eyes. Max stormed over to the boys, grabbing Sam’s sweater roughly and examining it more closely. “What did you do?” he hissed angrily.
“Max, what’s gotten into you?” Lucy exclaimed, pulling Sam to her bosom protectively, stepping back from the taller man.
“It looks like they’ve taken issue with my boys, Lucy. And here I’d thought they’d all get along after David brought Michael into the fold,” he scowled, furiously cleaning his glasses when the need to fidget overcame him before slipping them into his breast pocket.
“What are you talking about?”
“It was you I was after all along, Lucy. After all, boys need a mother. Heaven known mine run rampant, misbehaving, rude things that they are. They need a mother’s touch to civilize them. Make them productive members of society. That’s where you come in, my dear. You’re guiding hand will get them back on track. And how can you say no, what with Michael having joined the family?” he said with a cruel grin.
Lucy backed away from Max with Sam and the Frogs. “What have you done with Michael?” Lucy demanded in a panic.
Max widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Why, nothing at all, Lucy. My boy David, on the other hand … He appears to have misplaced the correct bottle. Don’t you think so, Michael?” Max turned his focus to Lucy’s eldest, causing the rest of the room to follow his gaze.
Michael swallowed thickly, uncomfortable at the attention so suddenly bestowed upon him when he’d rather just sink into the floor, invisible. He knew he looked terrible right then, covered in David’s blood. It wasn’t how he’d ever wanted his mom to see him.
“You were supposed to be mine, not David’s!” Max hissed. “Now you’ve got his blood in your veins. Oh well. What’s done is done. David will have to be taught a lesson so he won’t step out of line like this again, and you’ll learn soon enough that even though I’m not your sire, I’m the highest authority you’ll ever know.”
“So you ARE the head vampire!” Sam shouted from where he was huddled with Lucy. “I knew it!”
“Not this again, Sam! Vampires aren’t real! I’m sure there some perfectly logical explanation for … All of this.” Lucy trailed off, unnerved by the insane ramblings of her date.
Her denials were soon swallowed, though, when Max’s facial features shifted into that of a monster. “Things may not have gone to plan, but I’ll still have you, Lucy. I’m not going to change my mind about that.” He bared his fangs at them with a savage growl.
Lucy screamed in horror at the same time as Sam shouted for Max to stay the hell away from his mom!
With twin battle cries, the Frogs pulled out their stakes and rushed the head vampire. “Die, vampire!” shouted Edgar, stake raised and ready to do some damage.
Max scoffed, grabbing the boy’s wrist and twisting hard enough to snap the bones, the stake falling uselessly from his limp hand as he shouted in pain. With hardly a thought, he tossed the boy aside before backhanding his brother, sending Alan and his weapon flying.
In a last ditch effort to stop Max, Sam rushed him despite Lucy’s pleas for him to stay back. Weaponless, Sam was easily restrained, one of Max’s arms wrapped around his neck and holding his struggling body close. With a fanged grin, Max extended his free arm to Lucy, beckoning her closer, inviting her to submit to him or risk her son if she refused. Of course she couldn’t say no. What mother could when her child was in danger? Cringing back despite stepping forward, Lucy gave in to the summons.
Michael couldn’t believe what was happening right in front of him. Max was the head vampire? And David never said anything? All this time, he’d thought the bleached blonde was in charge. But… Wasn’t he? The Lost Boys certainly seemed to do whatever they wanted, by David’s leave. He’d never once heard them mention Max in the past week. And yet, here he was. In his grandpa’s house. Threatening his mom and kid brother. Michael snarled, fangs dropping and bones shifting in response to his rage.
“Leave them alone!” Michael growled, launching himself at Max while careful not to hit a struggling Sam. Max let go of the boy in surprise as Michael crashed into him, an uncontrolled whirlwind of rage, claws, and blossoming violent instincts that tore at his suit and into his flesh.
“Why, you insolent little brat!” the elder vampire spat, backhanding Michael and sending him straight into the wall opposite of where Sam and Lucy had retreated. “You’ll learn to respect your elders whether you like it or not. And I’m very much of the opinion this will be one lesson you will not enjoy.” He grinned sadistically as he stalked toward a dazed Michael.
Just then, the sound of La Cucaracha blared from outside the driveway. Grandpa was back from the widow Johnson’s already? But he usually only sounded the horn when he left. And why did the truck sound like it was getting closer? It was almost as if it was going to ram into the porch.
With the deafening crash of splintering wood and shattering glass, Grandpa’s truck smashed into the house going full throttle in reverse, sharpened fence posts hurtling into the room like a wall of wooden death. In a last effort of desperation, Michael shoved a distracted Max into the center of the destroyed room where, with a sickening squelch, his path aligned with an airborne post, impaling him through the heart.
The screech Max let out from being run through was shrill and agonizing. Michael grasped at his ears to cover them and block out the pain the sound caused, cringing away as Max stumbled back into the fireplace. With one final anguished scream, he exploded into flame and ash as he lurched back into the hearth.
For a moment, Michael was worried the fireball would spread to the house, but it extinguished itself just as quickly as it destroyed Max, leaving the elder vampire nothing more than a pile of ash and two glittering, pointed fangs of pearly white.
Stunned silence filled the room until it was interrupted by a gleeful cackle.
“Holy fuck, that was awesome!” Paul laughed as he and the boys reappeared out of seemingly nowhere now that the carnage was complete.
“Did you see his face?” Marko crowed in delight, the devil glinting in his cherubic eyes.
“It was quite the show, I’ll give you that.” David lounged against the wall as though he’d always been there, a smirk on his handsome face as his eyes danced with delight. He lit the cigarette behind his ear and inhaled with a smirk.
“Good riddance,” Dwayne muttered from off to the side, eyeing the elder vampire’s sparse remains with distaste.
Michael slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, righting himself from where he’d been blown over by the blast. His eyes sought out his mom and brother, crouched with the Frogs and covered in soot on the other side of the room. His grandpa had just climbed out of his truck and sidled over to Lucy, eyes warily darting to the group of vampires as he did so.
“Everybody OK?” Michael asked softly as he slowly climbed to his feet.
Laddie’s feet pounded down the stairs as he shouted out in excitement. Star was quick to catch him before he’d made it halfway down, pulling the young boy into her arms as her once again human scent spilled both relief and fear off of her. They were both overjoyed to be human again, but it looked like she would have preferred Laddie not draw attention to them while the situation was left unresolved. She feared the vampires, but Laddie didn’t. They’d never given him a reason to.
Michael’s eyes softened. Star hadn’t wanted to be a vampire, and Laddie never should have been given the blood in the first place. They had a chance at a normal life now. Laddie could go home to his family. Star would never have to have blood on her hands.
Because they’d drank Max’s blood. Now they were free.
Unlike Michael. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to feel about that. But he was more okay with it than he suspected he should be, or even would have been a few short days ago. Because he was damned now, wasn’t he?
“Mom? Sam?” Michael tried again, drifting closer to them. “You alright?” He couldn’t see anything visually wrong with them. Their hearts were racing from all the adrenaline, but he couldn’t smell pain on them.
“Stay back, bloodsucker!” Edgar yelled, pulling a jar of holy water out of his pocket, uncorking it, and violently throwing the contents at the him.
Michael hissed a curse, stumbling backwards as the water hit his shirt, soaked through, and began to burn. In the blink of an eye, David was on him and tore his shirt off of him, exposing his chest, reddened and raw where the water had made contact but not yet blistered.
“What the fuck did you do that for?” he snarled, eyes glinting at the teen. “Fucking hurts!”
David growled low in his throat and took a single menacing step forward before Grandpa’s voice cut through the dust and din.
“Now how about we all just calm down, huh? This don’t need to get any uglier than it already has.”
David paused, focus diverted to the old man. “And what exactly do you propose?” he asked sarcastically. “We hold hands and sing Kumbaya?” His brows raised in sarcastic disbelief, eyes hard.
Grandpa was unimpressed. “Hardly. But it seems to me like we’ve all been through enough tonight. My house definitely has. Your head vampire is dead. Seems like you’re all pretty happy about that. You’re welcome, by the way. Not that I’ve got any problems with one less blood sucker in Santa Carla, mind you. So there, we’ve done you a favor. Now, these kids are morons who are in over their heads. What say you we let bygones be bygones and leave well enough alone?”
David didn’t look convinced, still eyeing the Frogs with tepid murderous intent.
Still shaken from his own impromptu holy water shower, Michael stepped up to David’s side. “Come on, man. They’re just dumb kids.”
“Dumb kids who almost killed Marko! And look what they just did to you.” His eyes narrowed at the burns, though they were already fading.
“Exactly. They hurt me and Marko. So shouldn’t it be up to us?”
David frowned, his eyes searching out the curly haired blonde. “Marko?”
“Yup?” his voice sounded from the fireplace. Hands covered in soot, he popped up triumphantly with two gleaming fangs in hand. “What? I wanted a souvenir.” He grinned diabolically.
Dwayne rolled his eyes while Paul chortled, crooked grin painted across his face.
“What do you think we should do, Marko?” David asked. “You’re the one they stabbed, after all.”
Marko looked thoughtful, head tilted to the side in contemplation. He looked nothing like the vicious maniac Michael knew he could be when he wanted to, cherubic looks aside. “They did, didn’t they? That wasn’t very nice!” he taunted, dancing back toward his pack and draping himself across Paul’s shoulders dramatically, rattling his newly acquired fangs in his hand. “Put some new holes in my jacket, too,” he pouted, plucking at the bloody material. “I think they owe me a patch!”
David rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out, ya little klepto.”
Grandpa cleared his throat. “So what do you say? We leave you alone, you leave us alone, we all go our separate ways. Everyone’s happy.”
“What? Grandpa, no! We can’t do that! What about Mike?” Sam shouted.
“What about him?” Grandpa huffed.
“He’s still a half vampire! We’ve got to fix him!”
“Yeah? And how do you suppose we do that?”
Sam looked unsure. “We…We kill the new head vampire? The one whose blood Mike drank?”
The mood in the room shifted once again at Sam’s suggestion, the pack coalescing in on themselves and radiating menace. Even Michael wore an intense frown. Kill David? There was no way. He shifted closer to his sire.
“Open your eyes, Sammy. Its too late for your brother. He may still only be half, but he’s already one of them. Just look at him. He won’t let you lay a hand on that blonde one.”
Sam’s eyes snapped to Michael’s. His expression fell as he took in his older brother, poised protectively by David’s side, surrounded by the others and presenting a front as unified as it was deadly.
“Besides,” Grandpa continued, “You don’t go after a pack like theirs and win. A lone vampire, that’s a beast that’s vulnerable. Put in some effort and get a little lucky and you can take it out. A pack, though? You might manage to get one, maybe even two, but trust me boy, they’d get all of you. Its best to let it go. There’s no winning to be done here. You’d only find more death.”
Lucy’s eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Michael,” she said mournfully, wrapping her arms around herself. Star slowly eased down the stairs with Laddie in tow, and made to comfort the older woman. Lucy accepted, although she was still a bit confused about this strange young woman in the house, but that was hardly important at the moment.
Glancing at David, Michael took a tentative step toward his mother. And then another. No one moved to stop his approach this time, but he paused there. He didn’t know what to say to reassure her. He wasn’t sure if there was anything he could say to make any of this less bad, less hard on his mom. So he just stood there, at a loss, hovering between his old world and his new one.
Grandpa cleared his throat. “Not to be rude or anything, but I’d appreciate if everyone undead would get the hell out of my house.”
David’s eyes glinted with playful malice. “Let’s go, boys. Besides, we’ve got some celebrating to do,” he grinned, placing a guiding hand on Michael’s shoulder and pulling him toward the ruined entryway. He paused for a moment, turning back around. “But just to be clear. If any of you step foot in our place again, they’ll never find what little is left once I’m through with you. Got it?”
The Frogs and Sam nodded their heads so fast it was almost comical, their eyes wide and sour fear scent rolling off of them.
“Good. And Star? You might wanna think about getting out of town.”
The way David said it she knew it wasn’t a suggestion. She gulped and nodded. “A few days. I’ve got to get Laddie settled. Then I’ll be gone,” she promised.
Threats taken care of, the boys crowed in delight, dancing after their leader with exaggerated enthusiasm. On his way, Dwayne paused to scoop up Michael’s jacket from the back of the couch, tossing it to him on their way out.
“Thanks,” he said, shrugging into the unblemished leather and glad to be at least partially covered again. He left the front open so it wouldn’t press on his still healing burns. He had one foot out the door when his mother called to him.
“Michael?”
He paused. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Will you come back?”
He hesitated, thinking about it, while the others waited for him outside. Could he? Would it be a good idea with what he was now, with what more he’d likely be after the ‘celebration’ tonight? He didn’t know. But he also couldn’t stand to be the reason his mother’s expression was falling farther each moment the silence stretched on.
“I’ll try,” was what he settled on, and he meant it, before slipping out and into the inky blackness of the night.