June 20, 2025

Bloodsuckers Unleashed: 5 Twisted Vampire Tales of Terror and Seduction

Bloodsuckers Unleashed: 5 Twisted Vampire Tales of Terror and Seduction
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Sink your teeth into this chilling compilation episode of Weekly Spooky, featuring five full-blooded vampire tales that twist together romance, revenge, teenage horror, and action-packed supernatural battles.

🩸 Featured Stories Include:

  1. Convenience Store Vampire by Douglas WaltzArthur thought his late shift at the gas station was dull—until a mysterious woman with a secret turned his world upside down. A tale of eerie romance that leads to a horrifying revelation.
  2. Blood Rage by Rob FieldsAn intern at the Strickfield Police Department is about to learn that bloodlust isn’t just a metaphor. As vampires infiltrate the shadows, a young man faces a monstrous dilemma.
  3. The Bad Schoolgirl by Rob FieldsShe’s not your average high schooler—she’s a centuries-old vampire with a serious attitude. This wickedly fun tale mixes dark comedy with dripping fangs and teenage drama.
  4. Cheerleader ChaosMore fangs, more fights, and more blood-soaked pom-poms as cheerleading turns carnivorous. It’s a vampire high school showdown you won’t forget.
  5. Caroline Quinn, Vampire HunterMeet Caroline, a fierce slayer navigating a world of bloodsuckers and secrets. When the town is threatened, this reluctant heroine must face a final reckoning with the undead.
Whether you love your vampires charming and seductive or brutal and monstrous, this episode has a story for every flavor of the fang-inclined.

🧛‍♀️ Turn out the lights, crank up the volume, and get ready to bleed… from fear!

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Mark Shields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com

🎧 LISTEN NOW and subscribe for spine-tingling horror stories every week!

🎉 Unlock exclusive bonus episodes and support the show on Patreon!
👉 WeeklySpooky.com/Join

📬 Contact Us / Submit Your Horror Story!

🎵 Music by Ray Mattis 👉 Check out Ray’s incredible work here !
👨‍💼 Executive Producers: Rob Fields, Bobbletopia.com
🎥 Produced by: Daniel Wilder
🌐 Explore more terrifying tales at: WeeklySpooky.com
WEBVTT

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Hello, my Spookyes, thank you so much for joining me

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on this Freaky Friday for a compilation of some of

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the finest scary stories in our illustrious history. Tonight, we're

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diving into some of the most terrifying stories all about vampires,

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blood drinkers who hide in the night, who avoid the sunlight,

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and who can only be killed by very particular means.

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Some of these stories are creepy, some of them are

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even funny, but all of them will keep you enthralled

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as we keep the Halloween spirit alive even in the summertime.

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So grab your cross, get yourself a nice bowl of

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fried garlic, and make sure you're subscribed on your favorite

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podcasting up, because we have something new and scary every

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week here at Weekly Spooky. Now Bring on the Bloodsuckers.

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Convenience Store Vampire by Douglas Watts. After high school, I

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bummed around for the summer until I realized that being

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an adult meant having a job of some sort. Gas

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and food weren't going to pay for themselves. I was

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lucky that my mom hadn't kicked me out of the

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house yet. I was driving down Center Avenue and passed

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a stop and Go. Stop and Go was a chain

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of convenience stores that tried to compete with Seven to eleven.

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It felt like they were every five blocks. No matter

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where you went, there was another one. This one had

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one of those little help wanted signs in the giant

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windows in the front, next to the beer and cigarette posters.

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I figured I had nothing left to lose, so I

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pulled into the little parking lot, got out of my car,

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and went inside. All Stop and Go stores were identical.

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If you'd seen Kevin Smith's movie Clerks, you have a

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pretty good idea of what I was looking at. The

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biggest difference was the space behind the counter was elevated

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by about a foot, so you always had to look

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down on the customers. No idea why. And behind the

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counter was one Janet Rigby, the manager of this particular

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Stop and Go. Janet's measurements were the same as any

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human beach ball. She had fashioned a chair from two

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milk crates wired together. A glance at the bottom of

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the milk crate told me that the constant pressure of

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Janet setting on it was going to cause a collapse soon.

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Now I knew I needed the job. How could I

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miss the day, she went for a tumble. I know

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it was mean, but at the tender age of eighteen,

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stuff like this was funny. We chatted for a minute

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and she let me know it would be a night shift,

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but this particular stop and go didn't stay open twenty

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four hours a day. It closed at two a m.

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Sounded good to me, so I was glad to start

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work the next day. Training took about an hour. I

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learned the register and how to make money orders. Apparently

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a lot of people needed money orders. I met the

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other employee, Kathy, who was cute but always had that

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look in her eye that she wished she was somewhere

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else other than that. I was ready to go, and

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Janet and Kathy left me to my own devices. Center

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Avenue was actually a pretty busy street in Portage, but

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my shift started after five, so I didn't get much

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of a rush, just a few customers straggling in at

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various times of the night. I was so happy to

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see the huge stacks of VHS tapes for rent in

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a rack that was positioned by the door. There was

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a little TV mounted to the rack that had a

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built in VCR and it had a tape that played

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previews of what we had to rent. I asked Janet

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if I could pick some movies to put on the rack,

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and she showed me how to fill out the form

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for the guy who showed up every other week. Being

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a huge horror movie fan, it didn't take long for

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the racks to have a pretty decent selection of horror movies.

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When it was slow, I would take out the preview

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tape and put in one of the movies I picked

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and just stand there with a can of soda and

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watch a movie. To give you an idea of how

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slow it was. One time I watched an entire movie

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before I heard the doorbell ping as someone opened it.

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As far as jobs for eighteen year olds go, it

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was pretty nice. One night, I was watching this movie

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called Track of the Moonbeast. It's about this guy who

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gets a piece of moon rock embedded in him and

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he turns into a monster. The VHS cover is gorgeous,

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but the movie is kind of well less than stellar.

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As I was watching, I felt the short hairs on

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the back of my neck stand up. I turned around

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and a vision of loveliness was standing behind me, tall

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and lanky with a shock of platinum blonde hair. Her

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face was made up with a thin layer of makeup

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and ruby red lipstick made her lips even more pronounced

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than they already were. She had on a T shirt

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with the cover from the Clash London Calling album on it,

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and denim shorts with big black work boots rainbow suspenders

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made popular by Robin Williams on Mork and Mindy complimented

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the rest of the outfit, and when I jumped upon

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seeing her, she flashed a huge smile with white pearly teeth. Sorry,

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it didn't mean it to scare you, she giggled when

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she said it, no problem, I replied, trying to sound

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cool and failing miserably. What you watching? Oh this, yeah,

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track of the Moonbeast. Guy gets infected by a moonstone

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that turns him into a monster. Oh, I've seen this.

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Then she continued to stare at the screen, watching the

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movie with me. After a minute, I decided to be

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brave and said, you want a soda? I can get

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you one for free if you want. No thanks. She

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continued to watch the screen in fascination. I found myself

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looking at her more than the monster movie. It was

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as if I was trying to memorize her face. It

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was like looking at someone made of porcelain. She caught

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me looking once, smiled and went back to watching the movie.

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When it was over, we were the only people in

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the place, and she stretched like a cat before walking

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down the aisles, not really looking for anything. You like

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the movie? She asked. It was okay, to be honest,

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My focus was entirely on her. Then something slipped into

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my mind. I hadn't heard the bell that goes off

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when you open the door. I always heard the bell.

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My brain had trained itself like a Pavlovian response. How

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did she get inside the store? I turned to ask

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her and realized that I was alone in the store.

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Not only did she get in without triggering the bell,

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but she had left the same way. I checked the

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back room where we kept the bottle returns, and there

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was nothing there. I even went in the cooler, and

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nothing empty. I shrugged to no one and finished my

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closing duties and left for the night. After a week,

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I was still wrapped up in that girl. She was

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all I could think of. I came to work hoping

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that she would return, and nothing happened. For about two weeks,

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I was stocked the coolers with beer from the inside.

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We had a couple of rows of singles for people

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that couldn't afford a six pack. Pretty sure we weren't

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supposed to do that, but the boss told me it

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would be fine. I could grab six long necked bottles

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and two hands, which made it go pretty fast. I

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learned to stack cans of beer along my arm, and

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it was about six cans. I was young and didn't

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want to actually do work, so I figured out the

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quickest way to do it. As I stood up with

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six cans of hams, a familiar face was outside the

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glass door of the cooler, smiling at me. I wasn't ready.

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I dropped all the cans. Luckily, only one of them spilt,

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and it whirled around the cooler, spraying hams everywhere. Shit,

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I exclaimed, and went into clean up mode. I needed

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some paper towels and the mop probably, so I stepped

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out of the cooler right into the girl standing there

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waiting for me. I'm sorry, she said, sheepishly, it's okay,

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and cursed myself for it. I hadn't heard the bell again.

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That was even weirder because there was a bell in

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the cooler in case you were working and a customer

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came in. How the hell was she not setting off

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the goddamn bell. I went in the back for the

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mop and paper towels, and when I returned to the cooler,

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she was still there. Let me help. She took the

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roll of paper towels and went into the cooler. Before

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I could say anything. I followed with the mop. We

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cleaned up the mess, and I restocked the shelves. She

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stood there the whole time, watching me, so I never

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got your name. The other night when we were watching

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the movie, she said quietly, it's Arthur, what's yours. My

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name's Elizabeth, And she smiled that amazing smile again, and

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I could feel the blood rush into my head. She

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tilted her head and looked at me as if I

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was some new form of life. And then she slowly

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moved towards me and kissed me on the lips. I

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felt my entire body tingle with electricity, and was amazed

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at how cold her lips were. Then I remembered we

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were in the cooler, and I kissed her back. After

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a few minutes of that, she gently pushed me away.

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I was amazed at how strong she was. I have

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to go, she said, and walked out of the cooler.

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It took me a second to regain my bearings and

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I followed her out. In that split second, I discovered

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I was again alone in the store. The bell broke

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my train of thought, and it was one of my

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regular customers, old Man Johnson. He was the only reason

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we stocked Hams. No one else ever bought a single

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can of that stuff, but old Man Johnson would buy

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a case every three days or so without fail. We

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chatted for a bit, like we always did. He asked

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me if house by the cemetery was worth a rental,

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and I told him it was, so he got that

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with his beer and headed out the store. Two weeks

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went by before I saw Elizabeth again. This time I

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was just hanging out at the counter, so she had

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no way of sneaking up on me. I had been

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counting packs of cigarettes as one of my nightly duties

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and was looking down, but something triggered my peripheral vision

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and I saw her approach the counter. After that, it

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was always a couple of weeks and we talked, watched movies,

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and kissed sometimes. Then one day I came into work

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and Janet was staring at me. Arthur, come with me,

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she said in a serious tone, and I followed her

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to the back room. There was a door that I

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had never even seen before, and she fished a key

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from her smock and opened it. The room was dark

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except for four monitors that showed various areas of the store.

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I knew we had security cameras, but I didn't know

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this room and here was what it fed in cool

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room boss Janet grunted and then messed with a control panel.

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The next thing I saw was me at the counter.

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No one else in the store, but I was talking

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to someone. I was just flipping through various time codes

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on the monitors when I spotted this, Arthur, who are

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you talking to here? I was grateful that the cameras

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were video only, no audio. I was also glad that

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she hadn't come across one where Elizabeth and I were kissing.

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I you know, I was just bored and messing around.

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I leaned closer to the monitor and Janet watched me.

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Look at the screen. Man, it does look like I'm

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talking to someone. Looks really good. Maybe I should be

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an actor or something. I gave a nervous laugh. Janet nodded,

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and then she laughed, her big, booming laugh. I figured

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as much. You're a good kid, Arthur, and you don't

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steal from the store except for the occasional camp a pop.

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She looked at the watch that barely fit around her

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huge wrist. Well, time for you to go to work,

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and time for me to get the hell out of here.

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Let's go. She ushered me out of the room and

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back to my shift. That night, I located the four

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cameras and tried to find a dead spot, the place

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where none of them could see me if Elizabeth returned.

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As I was running the math through my mind, I

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found it odd that the fact that she didn't register

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on the camera was the least of my concerns. With

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each meeting, all I knew is that I would count

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the days until she returned. It was all I wanted.

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I got my wish a few days later, but it

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came at a terrible price. I was sweeping the floors

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when I saw her come through the door again, no bell.

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She saw me and waved, and I continued to sweep

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the floor so I could lead her to the dead

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spot by the giant display of two liter soda bottles.

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In the back corner of the store. She came up

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and hugged me and we kissed. Then I heard the bell.

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A guy came in, and his wide eyes darted everywhere.

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He seemed confused that there was no one manning the counter.

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I spoke up and walked to my post behind the counter.

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As I was about to ask how I could help him,

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the gun came out. Every pore of my body released

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all the sweat that had been lying beneath the surface.

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All I could see was that gun, and I was

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amazed at how huge it was. He shouted at me

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to give him the money from the register. My hands

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felt like they belonged to someone else. As I fumbled

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with the keys to open it, he shouted at me

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to move it or he was going to shoot me.

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And I got it open and put the meager stack

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of bills in a bag for him. He didn't ask

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for a bag, but I did it anyway. As I

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went to hand him the bag, I saw Elizabeth behind him.

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She appeared as if by magic, and her mouth had

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opened to an impossible degree, and all I could see

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was the huge, sharp fangs as they plunged into the

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guy's neck. He twitched and fired at me point blank.

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I could feel a white hot pain lanced through my chest,

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and I knew I was done for. Everything went dark,

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and then I woke up, screaming. Sitting up immediately, I

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looked at my chest, and while the shirt was bloody,

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there was no hole, nothing, and there was the porcelain's smooth,

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beautiful face of Elizabeth. She was stroking my hair and

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smiling at me. Then she explained everything. When the man

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shot me, she knew that she could never lose someone

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who had been so sweet to her, someone who just

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wanted to be with her. She told me she was

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a vampire and had used her powers to turn me

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into a vampire before I had bled out and died.

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I asked about the guy with the gun, and she

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just blew it off and shushed me as she continued

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to stroke my hair. Then she told me the rules

267
00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:17.320
of vamporism. A lot of them were what you would expect,

268
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but some movies just got it all wrong. Garlic, for instance,

269
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and we could eat food if we wanted. I looked

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at all the blood in the store, and when I

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suggested we clean it up, she shook her head. Dawn

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00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:37.960
was approaching and that thing about sunlight was totally true.

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I grabbed a piece of paper from the back counter

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and a pen, and in huge letters, I wrote, I

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quit Elizabeth, and I stepped out into the night and

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into an eternity of never ending love blood rage. By

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Rob Fields. It's been seven months since I spoke to you.

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I believe it was during the winter when I was

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sick with the flu. At the time, I was after

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Delphine Brewster, Sloane's daughter Rigby, who had gone on a

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murder spree all because of her love for Franklin Sloane,

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Delphine's stepson, turned into an obsession. I had Rigby prepared

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00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:42.839
and was ready to claim her to satisfy my blood lust. Unfortunately,

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my sickness became my undoing and it nearly killed me.

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This allowed Rigby to escape. She's still out there as

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of now, which is seven months from that time. Franklin

287
00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:01.880
and I haven't really talked. Delphine still calls me to

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00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:04.960
check up on me and make sure I'm okay. I've

289
00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:08.160
been doing everything I can to keep my sex drive

290
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in control, but I'm to the point where I must mate.

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00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.720
It has also been some time since I've claimed a victim.

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In addition to my sex drive, my blood lust is

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00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:27.240
also pushing me. It's late August, the summer semester is ended.

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The fall semester won't begin for two more weeks. I

295
00:18:31.039 --> 00:18:35.319
currently work as a college intern for the Strickfield Police Department. However,

296
00:18:36.079 --> 00:18:39.880
I'm also a serial killer. I'm sitting alone in my

297
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dorm room at Strickfield University, brushing my shoulder length, dirty

298
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blonde hair. I almost always never have a room mate.

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For the record, I have never killed any of my roommates,

300
00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:55.519
not when all of them were innocent. During my time

301
00:18:55.599 --> 00:18:58.599
here at Strickfield, you, I've had a grand total of

302
00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:03.599
three roommates. One flunked out, one got pregnant, and one

303
00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.880
left to live with her boyfriend. I sigh when I

304
00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:10.160
think about how I've lived in this dorm room alone.

305
00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:14.319
It's good for being a serial killer. However, I'm in

306
00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:18.839
desperate need of a mate. Then I hear a knocking

307
00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:21.640
at my door. I put my brush down and go

308
00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:24.480
to see who it is. I open the door to

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00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:31.480
see my potential new mate, Detective Drake Casmirak morning rage.

310
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I fake a smile, hey you when I see he's

311
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got food in his hands. I step aside and invite

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00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.519
him in. We've got a case, Drake says, I brought

313
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you breakfast. Then he hands me the coffee he's picked

314
00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:49.119
up from our campus coffee house, the Bitter End, and

315
00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:53.200
breakfast from Denoyer's Grill. I remember that Drake lives one

316
00:19:53.240 --> 00:19:57.200
block from my dorm. The smell of dark roasted coffee

317
00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:01.839
and the pancakes trigger that physical sensation of hunger. I

318
00:20:01.920 --> 00:20:05.160
want to sit down to eat, but Drake is quick

319
00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:07.839
to tell me we need to go now. You can

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00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:10.680
eat your breakfast on the way. Let me put my

321
00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:13.880
shoes on and we'll leave, I say. After I put

322
00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:16.039
my sandals on, Drake and I walk to the other

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00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:19.720
side of the campus to the fraternity houses. Soon we're

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00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:21.960
at the one we need to go into. I was

325
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.799
able to wolf down my breakfast, but I still had

326
00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.680
my coffee in hand. Two physical tastes that I really

327
00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:34.000
enjoy in life, coffee and pancakes. Two officers are in

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00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:36.759
the bedroom when we come in. They explained that a

329
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:41.000
fraternity brother came back and found the body. As long

330
00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:43.599
as Drake is with me, I'm free to act as

331
00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:46.960
if I'm a full fledged detective. He lets me walk

332
00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:50.200
around and look for clues. The first thing I check

333
00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:54.799
is the body, which I quickly notice is very pale,

334
00:20:55.599 --> 00:20:58.880
and then I see the two telltale puncture marks on

335
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the left side of his neck. I've seen enough on

336
00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:05.960
the body, and look around the bedroom. I find nothing

337
00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:11.720
else of great importance. Find anything, Devereaux, Drake asks me, No,

338
00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:17.039
I say. Drake examines the body himself. Then he looks

339
00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:21.319
around the bedroom, but he doesn't find anything. No doubt

340
00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:24.400
he'll want to talk to me when we're alone. As

341
00:21:24.440 --> 00:21:27.240
soon as Drake tells the officers to go and radio

342
00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:31.039
in for the coroner, he does just that. I know

343
00:21:31.160 --> 00:21:34.400
you know something, rage. I give him a blank look.

344
00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:37.839
There's no point in lying to him. He'll stay on

345
00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.599
me until I give him what he wants. You're not

346
00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:45.079
going to believe me talk to me, he insists. Did

347
00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.799
you see the two marks on the neck? I ask, yeah,

348
00:21:49.160 --> 00:21:52.519
hard to miss. What about him? I just come right

349
00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:56.359
out with it. It's a vampire. Drake gives me a

350
00:21:56.400 --> 00:22:00.640
funny look. What I told you would and believe me.

351
00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:05.160
I'm dead serious here, Drake, it's a vampire. He gives

352
00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:08.359
me another odd look. I think you're hitting the books

353
00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:11.880
way too hard. Rage. Fine, I'll go look for the

354
00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:16.240
vampire myself, I tell him. He quickly takes gentle hold

355
00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:20.400
of my forearm. No you can't, honey. Remember you are

356
00:22:20.440 --> 00:22:23.559
still my intern until you graduate, which won't be for

357
00:22:23.640 --> 00:22:26.759
another year. Yet, you have to have me with you

358
00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:29.920
in order to conduct an investigation on your own. I

359
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.559
fake a smirk. Okay, then, Detective, come with me. I'll

360
00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:37.240
prove to you that this was indeed a vampire and

361
00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:42.839
that vampires are quite real. Our eyes meet. Then Drake

362
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.319
leans in and kisses me softly on the lips. I've

363
00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:50.519
known for many months that he feels emotions for me.

364
00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:53.720
In fact, I knew that from the first day we

365
00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:58.880
met many months ago, when Chief Kasmirak, Drake's uncle, told

366
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.000
him that he was to be my mentor from that

367
00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:04.680
point on. The Chief also told me that we would

368
00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:08.359
be full partners once I graduated from the university and

369
00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:11.720
come to work for him full time. This isn't the

370
00:23:11.720 --> 00:23:14.960
first time that Drake's kissed me like this. I wrapped

371
00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:18.559
my arms around him and kiss him back. I've read

372
00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:22.279
Drake's emotions and know that he's fallen in love with me. Also,

373
00:23:22.359 --> 00:23:25.559
I'm not blind to his true purpose for coming to Strickfield.

374
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He's looking to find the Angel of Death and put

375
00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:33.359
an end to everything. But what he doesn't know is

376
00:23:33.400 --> 00:23:37.960
that he's kissing the Angel of Death, the name the

377
00:23:38.039 --> 00:23:42.319
media has given me as a serial killer. Regardless, I've

378
00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:45.759
decided that this man, who is seventeen years older than me,

379
00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:50.200
will be my new mate. For the record, I'm twenty one.

380
00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:55.200
We stop kissing, then I tell him if we're caught

381
00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:57.359
doing this, we could both be in a lot of trouble.

382
00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:01.400
We're supposed to be professional in a student teacher manner.

383
00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:05.039
We've been seeing each other for months. Drake whispers to

384
00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:09.359
my lips, are you going to tattle? I'm just saying

385
00:24:09.400 --> 00:24:12.400
those two officers could come back at any moment. I

386
00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:16.480
whisper back. Drake can't resist me and kisses me again.

387
00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.680
I kiss him back. I need him so badly that

388
00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:24.599
I almost lose control, but I stay focused on just

389
00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:28.160
kissing him. When we stop kissing, I take his hand.

390
00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:31.039
Let me show you that I'm not making this up.

391
00:24:31.480 --> 00:24:35.039
It is a vampire. How do you know, though, rage

392
00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:39.319
Drake demands, because I've killed three of them before, I

393
00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:43.880
admit without hesitation. Yes, I'm taking a big risk and

394
00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:47.559
telling him this, but he needs to know and understand.

395
00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:51.640
It's also part of my plan, which you'll find out

396
00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:54.960
about later. I raise my hand and show him a

397
00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:58.680
book of matches. I did find another clue on the body.

398
00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:03.400
Drake looks a it. Shakers. You weren't going to tell me,

399
00:25:03.480 --> 00:25:07.559
were you? No? But now that you know, you have

400
00:25:07.680 --> 00:25:10.599
to come with me. He's still holding me to him.

401
00:25:11.119 --> 00:25:13.720
Damn right, I'm coming with you. Come on, we'll go

402
00:25:13.799 --> 00:25:17.640
investigate Shakers together. We'll have to wait until they open

403
00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:21.720
at four. They're closed now fine, I'll come by and

404
00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:24.440
pick you up at three point thirty. We share one

405
00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:32.119
more passionate kiss before he walks me back to my dorm.

406
00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:35.279
Drake and I walk into Shakers, a bar on the

407
00:25:35.319 --> 00:25:39.480
outskirts of the village that Strickfield University students tend to frequent.

408
00:25:40.240 --> 00:25:42.319
One of the workers is there when we walk in.

409
00:25:43.160 --> 00:25:46.880
We ain't open for another fifteen minutes, he says. Drake

410
00:25:46.960 --> 00:25:49.599
shows him as badge. That's okay, we just want to

411
00:25:49.640 --> 00:25:52.720
talk to you. Were you here last night? Yeah? I

412
00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:56.240
close most every night, he replies. Drake shows him a

413
00:25:56.279 --> 00:26:00.000
picture of the victim. He looked familiar to you. Yeah,

414
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:03.200
he comes in here and drinks quite a bit, usually

415
00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.680
with his fraternity. Don't worry, he's over twenty one. I

416
00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:09.880
know he just graduated. Last night was goth night. He

417
00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:13.759
was in here with some different people, goth people, shiny leather,

418
00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:16.640
dressed in black, look pale. He's been in here with

419
00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:19.359
them a couple of times. He was sure drunk off

420
00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:22.920
his ass last night. Do you know where the goth

421
00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:26.799
people came from? I ask, I mean, do you think

422
00:26:26.839 --> 00:26:30.839
they're from the university or maybe from somewhere else. He

423
00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.839
starts to tell us he doesn't really know, but then

424
00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:37.200
he stops himself. Hold it, let me get into the

425
00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.480
computer real quick. It's one of those computers that doubles

426
00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:43.480
as a cash register. We wait for him as he

427
00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:48.119
touches the computer screen repeatedly. Then got the record right here.

428
00:26:48.599 --> 00:26:51.680
Everything was paid for with a credit card. The transactions

429
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:53.960
are still here. The card the guy used didn't have

430
00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.640
a signature on the back, so I had to ask

431
00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:58.799
for some ID. It was a student ID from North

432
00:26:58.880 --> 00:27:02.000
Ridgeway University. He hands me a copy of the ID.

433
00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:05.400
We always scan the IDs in case of card fraud.

434
00:27:06.160 --> 00:27:08.759
We ask him a few more questions before we head out.

435
00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.519
As soon as we're back in Drake's car, we both

436
00:27:11.559 --> 00:27:15.200
look at the print out again. Looks like we're heading home. Honey,

437
00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:18.319
what you need to go to class? Drake asks quickly.

438
00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:21.480
I thought you were done. No, I mean we need

439
00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:24.680
to head to North Ridgeway. That's where I'm from. You

440
00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:27.720
do realize we have no jurisdiction in North Ridgway, right,

441
00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:32.279
Drake asks, we don't. You're right? Then, I fake an

442
00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:36.119
apologetic look. Maybe I'd better do this on my own.

443
00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:40.480
Drake shakes his head quickly, not happening rage. I told you,

444
00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:43.440
I know what you said. I cut in, But the

445
00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:45.720
person I can get to help us is with the

446
00:27:45.720 --> 00:27:48.640
North Ridgeway PD and I'm telling you right now you

447
00:27:48.680 --> 00:27:54.039
do not want to meet her. She's my mom and

448
00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:57.480
she will eat you alive. What because I may be

449
00:27:57.640 --> 00:28:01.119
seeing you, Drake asks, with a wicked smile. I fake

450
00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:05.319
a sneer you are seeing me, But Mama may want

451
00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:10.920
you all to herself. She's one wickedly wild cougar. I'll

452
00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:14.000
take my chances with your mom. I sigh and shake

453
00:28:14.039 --> 00:28:22.559
my head slowly. Okay, you were warned, Mama answers the

454
00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:28.240
front door and is so delighted, baby, you finally came home.

455
00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:32.559
Then she sees Drake and who is this yummy guy?

456
00:28:33.160 --> 00:28:36.200
She looks at me again, are you fucking him? Because

457
00:28:36.200 --> 00:28:40.680
if you aren't, I'll gladly take him. Drake is immediately

458
00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:44.160
caught off guard when he sees and hears Mama and

459
00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:47.279
looks mortified. I take his hand and give him a

460
00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.559
sympathetic look that says I warned you. Here's the best

461
00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:55.599
way I can describe how Mama differs from me physically.

462
00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:59.599
I've overheard men at the campus describe me as a

463
00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:03.240
really hot chick. They've even commented on how big my

464
00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:07.559
tits are. But Mama, she's fifty but looks like she

465
00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:11.279
could easily pass for around thirty to thirty five. She's

466
00:29:11.319 --> 00:29:15.079
got a very hot body of her own, complete with long,

467
00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:20.200
wavy red hair that practically burns like fire, sparkling green eyes,

468
00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:24.839
six pack abs, and even bigger tits than mine. I'll

469
00:29:24.920 --> 00:29:28.440
let you in on a little secret. Mama's tits are fake.

470
00:29:29.079 --> 00:29:32.359
She got them done when she was actually thirty as

471
00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.440
a birthday present to herself. Mine are indeed all natural,

472
00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:41.359
and Mama sometimes looks at me with jealousy. Because of it,

473
00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:45.240
Mama looks at me with a devilish grin. Baby, did

474
00:29:45.279 --> 00:29:47.519
you come home to tell Mama that you're gonna marry

475
00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:53.240
this man? Drake is mortified again. Oh my god, I

476
00:29:53.359 --> 00:29:56.119
let go of Drake's hand and take Mama's. Drake and

477
00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:58.799
I are on a very important case right now. I'm

478
00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:01.799
still an intern at strict PD and he's my mentor.

479
00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:07.200
We came here to look for somebody a vampire. Mama

480
00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:11.480
gets real serious now inside she steps aside and lets

481
00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:15.359
us come in. Mama's got a huge house, enough for

482
00:30:15.400 --> 00:30:18.119
a good ten people to live in. This is the

483
00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:20.759
house I was raised in. Ever since I left for

484
00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:25.039
Strickfield University, she still chooses to live here all by herself.

485
00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.319
Since Mama is still the hot cougar, she's out getting

486
00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:31.839
as many young college studs as she can. I catch

487
00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:34.680
her stealing peaks at Drake, and I know I have

488
00:30:34.759 --> 00:30:37.440
to keep him with me. If Mama gets him alone

489
00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:42.119
and works her feminine charms on him, she'll completely devour him.

490
00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:46.880
This woman has both incredible energy and a very high libido.

491
00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:50.279
As ravishing as she still looks at fifty, almost no

492
00:30:50.400 --> 00:30:53.720
man can say no to her. Mama stops checking out

493
00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:56.279
Drake for the moment and motions for us to come

494
00:30:56.319 --> 00:30:59.559
to the den where she keeps her computers. You sure

495
00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:03.319
you're aftter a vampire? Baby? Positive? I tell her about

496
00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:06.599
the puncture marks we found on our victim. Drake hesitates,

497
00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:10.240
but he points a shaky finger at Mama. You you

498
00:31:10.279 --> 00:31:14.960
mean you you actually believe in vampires too. Mama looks

499
00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:17.720
him right in the face. If Baby tells you it's

500
00:31:17.720 --> 00:31:20.799
a vampire, then you better fucking listen to her. I've

501
00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:24.000
had plenty of dealings with those blood sucking motherfuckers myself.

502
00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:28.759
I taught Baby everything I know about vampires, among other things.

503
00:31:29.319 --> 00:31:32.319
I hand Mama the picture from Shakers. Have you seen

504
00:31:32.359 --> 00:31:36.559
this guy before? She shakes her head slowly. I don't believe,

505
00:31:36.599 --> 00:31:40.359
so that's why I've got this computer. She puts the

506
00:31:40.359 --> 00:31:43.359
photo into a scanner next to the black computer, her

507
00:31:43.599 --> 00:31:48.039
dark Web computer. About a minute later, a graphic display

508
00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:52.880
appears of the guy, Maximilian Thorn, with a name like that,

509
00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:55.680
he's likely to be a vampire. She turns to us,

510
00:31:56.119 --> 00:31:58.200
and you came to me because your lead is here

511
00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:00.880
and you need a cop from North Ridgeway to assist

512
00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:06.359
you correct, I reply, but Drake is very observant. Wait

513
00:32:06.400 --> 00:32:10.440
a minute, assuming vampires are real, aren't they supposed to

514
00:32:10.559 --> 00:32:15.319
not cast a reflection? Mama's quick. Some vampires use old

515
00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:18.839
bloodstone to let them cast a reflection. That's old with

516
00:32:18.880 --> 00:32:21.839
an E on the end. Mama turns to me and

517
00:32:21.880 --> 00:32:24.559
folds her arms in front of her. You know, Baby,

518
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:27.960
I was expecting you home for Christmas. If I didn't

519
00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:30.759
know better, i'd swear you were avoiding me. Am. I

520
00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:33.640
really that bad of a mama to you, do? I

521
00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:37.559
really embarrass you that much. I tell Mama that I

522
00:32:37.599 --> 00:32:40.400
stayed in Strickfield to help work cases with the police,

523
00:32:40.559 --> 00:32:44.440
which is true. Also, I've had to claim victims from

524
00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:48.200
a few of those same cases. In other words, Mama

525
00:32:48.240 --> 00:32:53.759
does not know that baby is a serial killer. Mama sighs. Unfortunately,

526
00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:56.559
that's one of the many sacrifices that comes with the badge.

527
00:32:57.400 --> 00:32:59.000
This is what you get for wanting to follow in

528
00:32:59.079 --> 00:33:03.640
my footsteps, baby, Baby, Drake brightens up. You're a detective two.

529
00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:09.920
Mama shows him her badge, Detective Chantelle Devereaux north Ridgeway, PD.

530
00:33:09.960 --> 00:33:13.279
And yes, I'll help you with your vampire. In fact,

531
00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.400
I know where all the vampire hotspots are here in

532
00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:19.480
the city. Later that night, the three of us leave

533
00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:23.000
the house. This time we hop into Mom's fire engine

534
00:33:23.039 --> 00:33:27.240
red Corvette. Believe me, she loves tearing up the streets

535
00:33:27.240 --> 00:33:31.559
with her favorite toy. She speeds down one street, then another.

536
00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:34.640
Eventually she veers right into the parking lot of a

537
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:39.839
nightclub called After Hours. After going inside and looking around,

538
00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:43.839
we don't find anyone matching the description of the photo.

539
00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:46.119
We get back in the corvette and go to a

540
00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:51.720
second club, Dark Paradise. No luck there. Third times a charm,

541
00:33:52.160 --> 00:33:56.359
Third times a charm. When we arrive at Noir, as

542
00:33:56.400 --> 00:33:58.759
soon as we show the photograph to a bartender, she

543
00:33:58.839 --> 00:34:03.640
points Maximilians thorn out. We approach him to talk. As

544
00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:06.839
soon as Mama flashes her badge, he throws his drink

545
00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:09.880
in her face and turns to run. Drake is very

546
00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:12.320
surprised at my agility when I put my hands on

547
00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:15.239
the table and leap right up on top of it.

548
00:34:15.719 --> 00:34:18.960
Then I launch myself and tackle Maximilian to the floor.

549
00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:22.000
He snatches me up and shows me his fangs before

550
00:34:22.039 --> 00:34:24.679
he shoves me away so hard that I fall and

551
00:34:24.760 --> 00:34:28.119
slide almost all the way to the jukebox looks like

552
00:34:28.199 --> 00:34:32.719
Maximilian Thorn is our vampire. Drake comes and helps me up.

553
00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:36.079
Your Mom's already after him. Come on, Drake and I

554
00:34:36.159 --> 00:34:39.559
catch up with Mama as she finally tackles the vampire.

555
00:34:39.960 --> 00:34:42.239
He's about to turn and face Mama. When I come

556
00:34:42.280 --> 00:34:46.599
to her side, I remove my necklace a crucifix and

557
00:34:46.679 --> 00:34:49.679
hold it out to the vampire. When he's clearly not

558
00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:53.119
being affected, Mama shoves my arm down and produces her

559
00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:56.400
own crucifix. Thorn raises his hands in front of him.

560
00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:00.599
Now I can tell Mama's pissed at me. Reagan. How

561
00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:02.920
many motherfucking times do I have to tell you you

562
00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:04.880
need to have faith if you want your cross to

563
00:35:04.920 --> 00:35:08.599
work on these fucking things? How many times she only

564
00:35:08.639 --> 00:35:12.400
called me Reagan when she was upset with me? Sorry, Mamma,

565
00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:17.519
I say. She sighs and speaks calmly. I'm sorry I

566
00:35:17.559 --> 00:35:20.679
went off on you, but this is very important. She

567
00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:23.679
puts a hand on my forearm. Remember where you came

568
00:35:23.719 --> 00:35:27.320
from and who raised you? Right, baby, Mama still holds

569
00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.880
her cross as she grabs Maximilian by his hair. Now,

570
00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:34.239
you motherfucker, you were at a bar called Shakers. Over

571
00:35:34.280 --> 00:35:37.440
in Strickfield. I suggest you tell my baby girl here

572
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:41.480
everything that she wants to know. Maximilian seems ready to

573
00:35:41.599 --> 00:35:45.119
argue with Mama, but then he sees me and suddenly

574
00:35:45.199 --> 00:35:51.159
becomes very scared. What the hell are you? No doubt

575
00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:53.960
he's seeing what many of my past victims have called

576
00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:58.360
my evil face. They've said that my eyes have glowed

577
00:35:58.400 --> 00:36:02.639
red and or that I'm pure evil. I've often wondered

578
00:36:02.679 --> 00:36:06.239
how I can be truly evil if I'm protecting innocence.

579
00:36:06.320 --> 00:36:10.159
Time and time again, For the record, I have never

580
00:36:10.320 --> 00:36:13.800
taken an innocent life, not even when my bloodlust is

581
00:36:13.880 --> 00:36:17.199
nagging me to be satiated. Every serial killer has a

582
00:36:17.239 --> 00:36:21.239
code they follow, and I have mine. Mama raised me

583
00:36:21.320 --> 00:36:23.960
to be a good girl. I truly believe that it

584
00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:27.320
was because of her teachings and values that I destroy

585
00:36:27.400 --> 00:36:30.440
the scum that I find and leave the innocence alone.

586
00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:35.559
Killing innocence is a line I will never cross. Maximilian

587
00:36:35.679 --> 00:36:38.519
spews out everything he knows to Mama. Just like that.

588
00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:42.320
He reveals that it was his sister, whose name is Sheranda,

589
00:36:42.800 --> 00:36:46.320
that drank the fraternity boy. Apparently he thought she was

590
00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:49.239
going to turn him, but she only intended to feed.

591
00:36:49.960 --> 00:36:53.519
Maximilian tells Mama that Sheranda's crypt is in the big

592
00:36:53.559 --> 00:36:57.159
cemetery a few blocks from the university. We listen as

593
00:36:57.159 --> 00:37:00.320
he gives us all the details. Then he points to me,

594
00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:04.639
just keep her away from me. Mama looks right at me,

595
00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:08.719
then she turns back to him. What is your problem

596
00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:13.079
with my daughter? Maximilian points at me again. Trust me,

597
00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:17.960
you do not know what true evil is. And he

598
00:37:18.119 --> 00:37:22.199
just pissed Mama off. She produces a steak and jams

599
00:37:22.239 --> 00:37:25.599
it right into his heart. He dies after some twitching

600
00:37:25.679 --> 00:37:29.719
and shrivels up until he becomes bones. He's not a

601
00:37:29.800 --> 00:37:33.079
master vampire, so we don't also have to decapitate him.

602
00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:37.440
Mama turns to Drake and me, Okay, I've got weapons

603
00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:39.239
in the car. I can tell you right now that

604
00:37:39.320 --> 00:37:42.679
this Sheranda is not going to be alone. She suddenly

605
00:37:42.679 --> 00:37:46.239
reaches out and slaps Drake's shoulder. Hey, head in the game, boy,

606
00:37:46.760 --> 00:37:50.039
you just saw one vampire. Shit's about to get real

607
00:37:50.079 --> 00:37:53.280
from here. Now's not the time to be a fucking pussy,

608
00:37:53.400 --> 00:37:57.920
especially when you're fucking my baby girl. But Drake sputters again,

609
00:37:58.039 --> 00:38:01.559
caught off guard by Mama, le's get going, Mama says.

610
00:38:02.519 --> 00:38:06.400
We enter the North Ridgeway Memorial Cemetery. It's still summer,

611
00:38:06.440 --> 00:38:09.440
but it happens to be a cool night. Fog is

612
00:38:09.519 --> 00:38:13.159
all over the graveyard. I can read Drake's face and

613
00:38:13.320 --> 00:38:16.800
know that he's scared. Personally, I can't blame him. He's

614
00:38:16.840 --> 00:38:21.880
finally learning that vampires are real. We follow Maximilian's directions

615
00:38:21.960 --> 00:38:24.039
until we come to the crypt he told us about.

616
00:38:24.639 --> 00:38:26.679
We have to whisper to talk to each other for

617
00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:30.239
the moment. There's a vamp outside. Mama. I tell her,

618
00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:34.320
how do you know he's a vampire? Drake asks, use

619
00:38:34.320 --> 00:38:37.039
your mirror. There's enough light by the crypt. Turn the

620
00:38:37.079 --> 00:38:41.679
mirror around and look. Drake gasps and nearly drops his mirror.

621
00:38:42.039 --> 00:38:45.920
I catch it and give it back. Careful and be quiet.

622
00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:51.199
Vampires have very very good hearing. No telling how many

623
00:38:51.239 --> 00:38:55.360
of those fucking bloodsuckers are inside. Mama tells us we're

624
00:38:55.400 --> 00:38:57.280
just going to have to launch and all out assault.

625
00:38:57.920 --> 00:39:00.599
She glances at Drake as he's holding a weapon Mama

626
00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:06.039
gave him. Remember aim for the heart. Mama holds up

627
00:39:06.039 --> 00:39:09.800
her hand and counts her fingers down from five to zero.

628
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:13.280
Now we move Mama takes down the vampire outside by

629
00:39:13.320 --> 00:39:16.559
firing a steak into his heart. He doesn't even scream

630
00:39:16.599 --> 00:39:20.239
as he falls over and dies. We enter the crypt

631
00:39:20.239 --> 00:39:23.519
and find four more vampires, including a girl. She must

632
00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:26.400
be Saranda. The vampires see the three of us and

633
00:39:26.480 --> 00:39:29.639
stand up. They show us their fangs and produce their claws.

634
00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:31.880
Drake and I don't give them time to think. We

635
00:39:31.960 --> 00:39:34.039
both fire our weapons and catch two of them in

636
00:39:34.079 --> 00:39:37.320
the heart with steaks. I breathe with satisfaction as my

637
00:39:37.400 --> 00:39:42.880
bloodlust is finally sated. Ah. That just leaves the one

638
00:39:42.960 --> 00:39:49.559
remaining male vampire and Sharanda. You won't stop me, Saranda hisses,

639
00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:55.119
transforming into a giant bat. Then she flies right past us. Baby,

640
00:39:55.199 --> 00:39:57.920
I I've got this, Mama. I turn and run out

641
00:39:57.920 --> 00:40:01.639
of the crypt and pursue Saranda. Using the skills I've accumulated,

642
00:40:01.679 --> 00:40:05.199
both from Mama and my many years as a serial killer,

643
00:40:05.239 --> 00:40:08.800
I track Saranda to another part of the cemetery. You

644
00:40:08.840 --> 00:40:12.199
should have never left your pack, Scharanda purrs at me.

645
00:40:12.800 --> 00:40:15.800
Someone has to destroy you. I tell her you killed

646
00:40:15.800 --> 00:40:18.199
that fraternity boy and left him dead in his room.

647
00:40:19.119 --> 00:40:23.840
She laughs coldly. He thought he was so special because

648
00:40:23.840 --> 00:40:26.519
he was in our company. He wanted to become one

649
00:40:26.519 --> 00:40:30.639
of us. He thought we were just glamour and high society.

650
00:40:31.320 --> 00:40:34.559
So I seduced him and finished him off by drinking

651
00:40:34.639 --> 00:40:38.840
him dry. And by your admission, you've just condemned yourself

652
00:40:38.840 --> 00:40:43.119
into my hands, I say. Saranda laughs again and raises

653
00:40:43.159 --> 00:40:46.159
her claws. I produce a crucifix and bring her to

654
00:40:46.199 --> 00:40:49.920
her knees. I already know the real truth about crosses.

655
00:40:50.559 --> 00:40:53.880
Faith in a crucifix doesn't mean belief in God or religion.

656
00:40:54.320 --> 00:40:57.599
It means believing that the crucifix will truly protect you.

657
00:40:58.400 --> 00:41:01.559
My lack of faith earlier was just an act. And

658
00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:04.519
though I did kill one vampire a little bit ago,

659
00:41:04.639 --> 00:41:09.039
which satiated my bloodlust, I still want to kill Charanda.

660
00:41:09.840 --> 00:41:12.559
Saranda shrieks and launches herself at me to make me

661
00:41:12.639 --> 00:41:15.519
drop my cross. The two of us fight now. Like

662
00:41:15.559 --> 00:41:20.039
I told Drake, I've already bested three, now four other vampires.

663
00:41:20.679 --> 00:41:23.800
Thanks to my photographic memory, I know how they operate

664
00:41:23.880 --> 00:41:27.480
and can anticipate their moves. Saranda makes the big mistake

665
00:41:27.800 --> 00:41:30.760
of trying to warp behind me. I have a bottle

666
00:41:30.760 --> 00:41:32.719
of holy water. In my hand and bring it up

667
00:41:32.800 --> 00:41:36.559
fast to splash her right in her face. She screams

668
00:41:36.599 --> 00:41:39.159
and covers her head as she falls to her knees.

669
00:41:39.599 --> 00:41:42.800
Then she finds out I'm much stronger than I look

670
00:41:43.079 --> 00:41:45.599
when I quickly raise my foot to her chin and

671
00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:49.639
connect hard enough to knock her out. Saranda wakes up

672
00:41:49.760 --> 00:41:52.119
to find that she's secured to the top of a

673
00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:55.559
burial vault in the middle of another crypt. I've got

674
00:41:55.559 --> 00:41:59.480
her bound with bungee cords and a crucifix just above

675
00:41:59.559 --> 00:42:03.760
her heart. No, you've bound me with your accursed cross,

676
00:42:04.199 --> 00:42:08.679
she growls. You've weakened me. I can't move. Yes, and

677
00:42:08.760 --> 00:42:12.920
now you belong to me. I show her my smartphone.

678
00:42:13.719 --> 00:42:16.840
I don't know every victim you've killed, but I do

679
00:42:16.960 --> 00:42:20.960
have one picture to show you. Remember the fraternity boy

680
00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:24.960
you killed. His name was Sheldon Hayes. He may have

681
00:42:25.039 --> 00:42:27.559
been trying to get in with your group, but he

682
00:42:27.639 --> 00:42:31.639
hadn't taken a life. He was still innocent. You killed

683
00:42:31.679 --> 00:42:36.679
him in cold blood, and now I claim you, Miranda laughs.

684
00:42:37.280 --> 00:42:41.480
You think you're going to end the killing with just me? Oh,

685
00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:43.440
I know there are many more of you out there,

686
00:42:43.760 --> 00:42:47.199
I assured her, But right now I'm only concerned with

687
00:42:47.320 --> 00:42:51.360
you tonight. You're going to be my latest victim. You're

688
00:42:51.480 --> 00:42:55.159
bound by that crucifix, which means you're staying right where

689
00:42:55.199 --> 00:42:59.159
you are. Miranda locks her eyes with mine and tries

690
00:42:59.239 --> 00:43:03.079
to glam me, but she's in for a surprise that

691
00:43:03.119 --> 00:43:06.639
one of her kind would never expect. She winces and

692
00:43:06.679 --> 00:43:10.760
finally starts screaming. Seeing that I'm not like other human beings,

693
00:43:11.280 --> 00:43:14.599
she finally turns her eyes away from mine. Like her

694
00:43:14.639 --> 00:43:19.199
dead brother, she also demands, what the fuck are you?

695
00:43:19.199 --> 00:43:23.800
You are? You're true evil incarnate. Now she's really frightened.

696
00:43:24.360 --> 00:43:28.800
Get away from me. I caress the side of her face. Tonight,

697
00:43:29.360 --> 00:43:32.559
your time as a vampire will end. I produce a

698
00:43:32.639 --> 00:43:37.599
steak and raise it, and now, Miranda Thorn, let the

699
00:43:37.679 --> 00:43:42.320
punishment fit the crime. Miranda screams as I bring the

700
00:43:42.360 --> 00:43:45.159
steak down with both hands and drive it right through

701
00:43:45.159 --> 00:43:49.039
her heart. I moan in great satisfaction as I feel

702
00:43:49.039 --> 00:43:53.320
my bloodlust being satiated for the second time tonight. Yes,

703
00:43:53.880 --> 00:43:57.800
vampires are un dead creatures, but my bloodlust doesn't care

704
00:43:57.840 --> 00:44:02.239
about that. It's still a kill. And now she joins

705
00:44:02.280 --> 00:44:05.639
my hundreds upon hundreds of kills that are neatly logged

706
00:44:05.960 --> 00:44:10.239
in my photographic memory. I watched Miranda shrivel up until

707
00:44:10.239 --> 00:44:16.360
she's nothing more than bones, not a master vampire rage.

708
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:20.320
I turn around to see Drake standing there. What did

709
00:44:20.320 --> 00:44:24.320
you see? I ask him. He raises his hands. Okay,

710
00:44:24.360 --> 00:44:26.880
I'm a believer now, and I know I definitely don't

711
00:44:26.880 --> 00:44:29.960
want to make you mad. If I could feel humor,

712
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:33.800
I'd probably find the statement funny. Perhaps one day I'll

713
00:44:33.800 --> 00:44:38.039
finally come to know emotions and feel humor. Drake had

714
00:44:38.079 --> 00:44:42.039
seen everything. This is the first time that anyone has

715
00:44:42.079 --> 00:44:45.880
seen me perform a kill in this case that works

716
00:44:45.880 --> 00:44:48.920
in my favor and was all part of my plan.

717
00:44:49.639 --> 00:44:52.880
If Drake ever suspected me of being the Angel of death,

718
00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:56.480
this should throw him off my trail. Mama finds me

719
00:44:56.559 --> 00:44:59.800
and congratulates me on my kill. The three of us

720
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:02.199
talk about how we're going to close the case of

721
00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:06.519
Sheldon Hayes since we destroyed all the vampires responsible for

722
00:45:06.559 --> 00:45:10.400
his murder. Mama suggests just letting the case be cold.

723
00:45:10.920 --> 00:45:13.719
Drake is quick to agree with her. We head back

724
00:45:13.800 --> 00:45:15.800
to Mama's house so that Drake and I can get

725
00:45:15.800 --> 00:45:19.079
in his car and head back to Strickfield. Of course.

726
00:45:19.639 --> 00:45:21.880
Mamma tells me not to be a stranger and to

727
00:45:21.880 --> 00:45:25.079
come home more often. She also tells Drake that if

728
00:45:25.079 --> 00:45:27.960
he hurts me in any way, then he's going to

729
00:45:28.000 --> 00:45:32.280
answer to her. If you only knew, Mamma, if you

730
00:45:32.400 --> 00:45:36.679
only knew. When we return to Strickfield University, I let

731
00:45:36.800 --> 00:45:39.760
Drake walk me back to my dorm. He tells me

732
00:45:39.840 --> 00:45:41.840
to let him do all the talking to his uncle

733
00:45:41.880 --> 00:45:45.719
about our case. He assures me everything will be all right.

734
00:45:46.360 --> 00:45:50.400
When we reach my dorm, I unlock and open my door. Well,

735
00:45:51.119 --> 00:45:54.000
I guess i'll see at the station tomorrow, Drake says.

736
00:45:55.039 --> 00:45:58.159
I sense he really doesn't want to leave me, and

737
00:45:58.239 --> 00:46:01.400
I know I can't let him go. I take his hand,

738
00:46:02.360 --> 00:46:05.199
stay here with me. It's just me here. I don't

739
00:46:05.239 --> 00:46:10.199
have any roommates. Drake seems uncertain. Should we be doing this?

740
00:46:11.199 --> 00:46:13.960
Like you said earlier, I'm your mentor and you're my intern.

741
00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:17.599
Our eyes meet. We've kept our dating a secret all

742
00:46:17.599 --> 00:46:21.480
this time, I remind him. Drake and I quickly move

743
00:46:21.559 --> 00:46:24.079
into the dorm. He kicks the door shut as we

744
00:46:24.119 --> 00:46:27.679
share a deep, passionate kiss. When we come apart, I

745
00:46:27.760 --> 00:46:30.239
take his hand again and lead him to my bed.

746
00:46:31.199 --> 00:46:33.800
My sex drive is literally screaming at me as we

747
00:46:33.880 --> 00:46:39.840
undress each other. I finally have a mate again. The

748
00:46:39.920 --> 00:46:43.039
next morning, Drake and I enter the Strickfield PD with

749
00:46:43.159 --> 00:46:46.920
bags of Denoyer's grill in our hands. We exchange mourning

750
00:46:46.920 --> 00:46:49.920
pleasantries with Drake's uncle before we head to the break room.

751
00:46:50.639 --> 00:46:53.000
Since we're alone, we put our food down so Drake

752
00:46:53.039 --> 00:46:56.480
can pull me to him and kiss me. You think

753
00:46:56.519 --> 00:46:59.800
your uncle knows, I ask, I really don't care if

754
00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:03.400
i'lluncle Jeffrey knows. Drake replies, I'm not going to kick

755
00:47:03.400 --> 00:47:05.920
you to the curb if he does, You do, and

756
00:47:06.079 --> 00:47:10.159
Mama will be after you. Literally, I remind him. I

757
00:47:10.199 --> 00:47:13.599
can tell Drake's still intimidated by Mama. I put his

758
00:47:13.679 --> 00:47:16.719
mind at ease when I kiss him. Then he looks

759
00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:22.440
into my eyes. I love you, he says. I just

760
00:47:22.559 --> 00:47:25.400
return his look and caress the side of his face.

761
00:47:26.320 --> 00:47:30.400
After that, we sit down and have breakfast. He tells

762
00:47:30.440 --> 00:47:32.719
me he's frustrated that he hasn't been able to catch

763
00:47:32.760 --> 00:47:36.079
the Angel of Death yet. I know I'm in a

764
00:47:36.199 --> 00:47:41.159
very dangerous situation now and must always stay many steps

765
00:47:41.159 --> 00:47:46.519
ahead of him. Oh yes, Drake, you truly have captured

766
00:47:46.599 --> 00:47:51.320
the Angel of Death more than you realize. My mate,

767
00:47:58.599 --> 00:48:04.199
The Bad Schoolgirl by Rob Fields. I walk into the

768
00:48:04.239 --> 00:48:07.639
main entrance of Strickfield High School with a lean donnerly

769
00:48:08.519 --> 00:48:12.920
or just simply Einstein. Einstein was a name her older brother,

770
00:48:13.000 --> 00:48:17.239
Martin hung on her because of how unbelievably smart she is,

771
00:48:18.159 --> 00:48:22.679
how smart exactly is she? Well? Over that blizzard weekend,

772
00:48:23.119 --> 00:48:27.039
Martin and I had just finished having some hot morning fucking.

773
00:48:27.480 --> 00:48:29.920
We stopped for some pillow talk and he told me

774
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.559
that Einstein once took his HDTV apart. She easily put

775
00:48:34.559 --> 00:48:37.519
it back together, but now he could access all of

776
00:48:37.559 --> 00:48:42.679
the satellite channels and streaming services for free. She even

777
00:48:42.760 --> 00:48:46.039
doubled the picture quality. I look at the geek now

778
00:48:46.079 --> 00:48:49.199
and just want to ring her fucking neck, but of

779
00:48:49.280 --> 00:48:53.039
course I won't. The problem with Einstein is that she's

780
00:48:53.039 --> 00:48:56.880
always so fucking direct with me. She never sugarcoats shit.

781
00:48:57.800 --> 00:49:00.800
For example, I asked her why I fucking put up

782
00:49:00.800 --> 00:49:04.000
with her. I would have expected her to say because

783
00:49:04.039 --> 00:49:07.559
I'm sleeping with Martin, but no, she says, it's because

784
00:49:07.599 --> 00:49:13.039
she's so cute that I really like her. I do

785
00:49:13.159 --> 00:49:16.840
have to admit, Iinie is cute. I also have to

786
00:49:16.880 --> 00:49:20.639
admit the little shit does grow on you. We're walking

787
00:49:20.679 --> 00:49:24.480
the halls of Strickfield High, and I know I'm in hell.

788
00:49:25.159 --> 00:49:26.800
Just a few days ago, I had to deal with

789
00:49:26.920 --> 00:49:30.679
Jaren Hatley when she was on the Ultimate Caffeine High

790
00:49:30.760 --> 00:49:34.000
and tried to send Principal Matthew Van Deist on a

791
00:49:34.039 --> 00:49:38.480
permanent vacation. Speaking of whom, He's standing right outside the

792
00:49:38.519 --> 00:49:41.159
door of the main office and he's eyeing both me

793
00:49:41.320 --> 00:49:44.000
and iine I'll tell him to fuck off if he

794
00:49:44.039 --> 00:49:47.960
says something to me, but he doesn't. He's definitely checking

795
00:49:47.960 --> 00:49:50.559
me out, all right. Either he's got an eye for me,

796
00:49:50.800 --> 00:49:54.960
or it's the fact that I'm wearing this fucking schoolgirl

797
00:49:54.960 --> 00:49:59.280
outfit again. Plaid mini skirt, white blouse with the sleeves

798
00:49:59.280 --> 00:50:01.920
torn off and tied up to my tummy, and my

799
00:50:02.039 --> 00:50:06.599
eighties rebock pump basketball shoes. I've been wearing this fucking

800
00:50:06.599 --> 00:50:09.440
outfit because if I wear any of Ainy's other clothes,

801
00:50:09.840 --> 00:50:13.639
I'd feel batshit claustrophobic and shred them. And I don't

802
00:50:13.719 --> 00:50:17.639
really want to go shopping for new clothes. Okay, iiny

803
00:50:18.239 --> 00:50:21.119
wear are these vampire cheerleaders you want me to check out,

804
00:50:21.360 --> 00:50:24.440
I ask, they usually hang out in the north hall.

805
00:50:24.800 --> 00:50:29.239
Ainy replies in her mousey voice, this way. I let

806
00:50:29.280 --> 00:50:33.480
Aine lead me to said hallway. Sure enough, six cheerleaders

807
00:50:33.519 --> 00:50:37.360
are huddled together and yacking away. I immediately see the

808
00:50:37.400 --> 00:50:42.039
items of old bloodstone they're wearing as jewelry. Old is

809
00:50:42.119 --> 00:50:46.400
spelled old with an E on the end. See, I'm

810
00:50:46.440 --> 00:50:50.960
the only vampire who can truly walk freely in the daylight.

811
00:50:51.719 --> 00:50:55.119
These bitches are using old bloodstone to be able to

812
00:50:55.159 --> 00:50:58.360
walk in the daytime and not burn. Ainy and I

813
00:50:58.559 --> 00:51:01.719
just walk right past them. Then I start hearing nearby

814
00:51:01.880 --> 00:51:07.000
jocks whooping and hollering. Turns out they're doing it to me.

815
00:51:08.079 --> 00:51:12.280
It's the bad schoolgirl. You're such a badass. Will you

816
00:51:12.559 --> 00:51:18.039
marry me? How about a date, babe? And that definitely

817
00:51:18.079 --> 00:51:22.760
pisses off the cheerleaders. Remember most cheerleaders love the attention

818
00:51:22.960 --> 00:51:25.599
since they are at the top of the food chain

819
00:51:25.679 --> 00:51:28.679
and the female circuit of high schools. Now that they've

820
00:51:28.679 --> 00:51:32.280
seen me, they're not going to be so happy. In fact,

821
00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:36.159
they all turn towards me in advance. The hallway gets

822
00:51:36.280 --> 00:51:40.320
quiet in a big fucking hurry. I'm ready to defend

823
00:51:40.320 --> 00:51:44.320
ainy if they decide to vamp out. Who said you

824
00:51:44.320 --> 00:51:50.280
could walk our hallway? Bitch? Alyssa Meren demands her twin sister,

825
00:51:50.400 --> 00:51:54.840
Ali grins, this is our hallway. You need special permission

826
00:51:54.880 --> 00:51:58.039
to walk it. How much money you got? The other

827
00:51:58.159 --> 00:52:03.440
four just look on in anticipation. I really feel the

828
00:52:03.480 --> 00:52:06.679
need to laugh. I'll let you in on a little secret.

829
00:52:07.239 --> 00:52:09.800
Being the one unique type of vamp that I am

830
00:52:10.119 --> 00:52:13.199
means that I can detect other vamps, whether they're master

831
00:52:13.440 --> 00:52:18.519
or not. Now these bitches are just regular vamps, which

832
00:52:18.559 --> 00:52:24.239
means they think I'm completely human. Only other master vamps

833
00:52:24.239 --> 00:52:28.840
can detect me. In this case, they don't notice my

834
00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:34.559
eyes are red. I give them the same sexy smile

835
00:52:34.639 --> 00:52:39.960
that Martin loves so much. Oh, you two are so cute.

836
00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:45.079
I raise my finger. How about this. You two can

837
00:52:45.119 --> 00:52:48.639
take turns sucking my dick, and I'll come and go

838
00:52:48.719 --> 00:52:52.440
wherever the fuck I like. The twins just look at

839
00:52:52.480 --> 00:52:56.000
each other, mouths wide. They're ready to start a full

840
00:52:56.079 --> 00:53:00.199
on fight with me. I quickly raise my arm. It's

841
00:53:00.199 --> 00:53:02.760
not the time. I give them a quick nod to

842
00:53:02.800 --> 00:53:06.199
my right. They look to see Principal van Deist staring

843
00:53:06.239 --> 00:53:09.880
attentively down this hallway. The twins each raise a hand,

844
00:53:10.000 --> 00:53:13.039
telling the others to back off. We'll let you go

845
00:53:13.199 --> 00:53:17.880
this one time as a courtesy. Ali says, next time

846
00:53:17.920 --> 00:53:22.159
you come down here, you'll be paying. Alyssa adds. I

847
00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:25.840
laugh as Ainy and I turn and walk away. Ainie

848
00:53:25.880 --> 00:53:30.599
asks me, you think that was wise? Bells? What pissing

849
00:53:30.599 --> 00:53:33.840
them off? Fuck? Yeah, they'll be looking for me exactly

850
00:53:33.880 --> 00:53:37.320
what I want. I lightly slap her shoulder. Don't worry,

851
00:53:37.719 --> 00:53:40.719
I've got a plan, and then I smell Principal van

852
00:53:40.760 --> 00:53:43.840
Deist coming our way. I wait for him to reach us.

853
00:53:44.440 --> 00:53:48.239
What can I do for you on this very fine day, sir?

854
00:53:48.719 --> 00:53:52.280
I crack, not even turning around. He takes hold of

855
00:53:52.280 --> 00:53:55.559
my shoulder and turns me around. Look, I know you're

856
00:53:55.599 --> 00:53:58.559
new here, but we don't need you starting trouble already.

857
00:53:59.360 --> 00:54:04.079
I smile. No trouble, no trouble at all. Like you said,

858
00:54:04.360 --> 00:54:06.880
I'm new here, just want to get familiar with my

859
00:54:06.920 --> 00:54:11.559
new school. He glares at me. Um, I heard what

860
00:54:11.639 --> 00:54:16.119
you said to those girls. Yeah, and you're gonna take

861
00:54:16.119 --> 00:54:18.440
me to the office and wash my mouth out with soap.

862
00:54:19.239 --> 00:54:21.480
Then I glare back and tell him where only he

863
00:54:21.559 --> 00:54:24.239
and I, and he can hear me. I would love

864
00:54:24.880 --> 00:54:29.440
to see you try. He's irritated with me, but he

865
00:54:29.480 --> 00:54:32.800
knows he can't really do anything. Then I show him

866
00:54:32.840 --> 00:54:36.679
my schedule. Room two thirty seven is first period. Far

867
00:54:36.719 --> 00:54:39.159
as I'm concerned, we're allowed to walk the halls freely

868
00:54:39.199 --> 00:54:41.880
to get to our classes. Maybe you should say something

869
00:54:41.880 --> 00:54:45.360
to the cheerleaders, unless that is, of course there in

870
00:54:45.480 --> 00:54:49.480
charge here. When he doesn't answer me, I flash my

871
00:54:49.639 --> 00:54:53.440
sexy smile again. Way I see it, the students run

872
00:54:53.440 --> 00:54:56.840
this school. You're just here collecting a paycheck. If you

873
00:54:56.960 --> 00:55:00.400
really do run things here, then fucking grow a pair.

874
00:55:01.440 --> 00:55:04.119
As I turn to leave, he grabs my arm again.

875
00:55:04.840 --> 00:55:09.400
Don't you test me. I'm still smiling my sexy smile.

876
00:55:10.159 --> 00:55:13.360
That's more like it. I take my arm back now,

877
00:55:13.480 --> 00:55:16.039
fuck off and help make this school a better place

878
00:55:17.039 --> 00:55:19.440
Inny and I turn away from the principal and resume

879
00:55:19.480 --> 00:55:23.239
heading to room two thirty seven. The cheerleaders just glare

880
00:55:23.280 --> 00:55:25.800
at us as we walk right past them. I even

881
00:55:25.840 --> 00:55:32.360
make sure to flip the twin bees off. Throughout the day,

882
00:55:32.400 --> 00:55:35.440
I end up having classes with both Iiny and members

883
00:55:35.480 --> 00:55:38.280
of the cheerleading squad. I can easily keep an eye

884
00:55:38.360 --> 00:55:42.119
on said people. The downside is that several horny boys

885
00:55:42.159 --> 00:55:44.679
are keeping their eyes on me. I hadn't planned on

886
00:55:44.800 --> 00:55:48.440
being labeled the bad schoolgirl, But what could I do?

887
00:55:49.079 --> 00:55:51.559
I couldn't just let Jaren Hatley have her way with

888
00:55:51.639 --> 00:55:55.519
Principal Van dist Oh, well, I don't have to be

889
00:55:55.559 --> 00:55:58.239
the least bit afraid of the boys. I catch an

890
00:55:58.239 --> 00:56:01.519
occasional glare from whatever checheerleaders are in my classes, but

891
00:56:02.159 --> 00:56:05.360
I just give them right back. Thanks to my ultra

892
00:56:05.480 --> 00:56:09.239
sensitive hearing, another master vampire quality, I can easily hear

893
00:56:09.280 --> 00:56:13.280
the cheerleaders talking. Tonight is a basketball game in the gym.

894
00:56:13.760 --> 00:56:16.800
After the game, they're meeting the boys for their ritual.

895
00:56:17.639 --> 00:56:22.119
They don't say where. Yeah, you bitches do that. You

896
00:56:22.239 --> 00:56:26.039
go hunt for your victims, and I'll hunt all of you.

897
00:56:27.039 --> 00:56:29.800
That night, AINI and I are just outside the gym.

898
00:56:30.440 --> 00:56:32.960
Sure enough, the cheerleaders are inside and the game is

899
00:56:33.000 --> 00:56:36.400
going on. What are you going to do? Bells? Aine

900
00:56:36.519 --> 00:56:39.960
asks me. Oh, I think I'll head on in and

901
00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:43.320
watch the game. I tell her, I can tell Iine's

902
00:56:43.320 --> 00:56:46.159
a little scared. You can go home if you want.

903
00:56:46.519 --> 00:56:50.679
I can handle those bitches. Irone shakes her head quickly. No,

904
00:56:51.559 --> 00:56:53.920
I got you into this. I'm gonna see it through.

905
00:56:54.880 --> 00:56:57.960
I turn my attention back to the gym. Me too.

906
00:56:58.800 --> 00:57:02.519
Then I can move on now Iiny's gone from scared

907
00:57:02.559 --> 00:57:07.239
to upset. No, we can talk about this later. I

908
00:57:07.280 --> 00:57:11.440
say no. Irony grabs my wrist and pulls me into

909
00:57:11.440 --> 00:57:14.719
the empty library. Then she points right at me. You

910
00:57:14.800 --> 00:57:17.239
are not going to just up and leave Martin like that.

911
00:57:18.159 --> 00:57:21.159
I fold my arms in front of me. I asked

912
00:57:21.199 --> 00:57:24.559
you this before, I'll ask you again. Am I just

913
00:57:24.599 --> 00:57:29.119
supposed to wear Martin's college ring? Look? I only stayed

914
00:57:29.159 --> 00:57:33.119
because you told me there were vampires on the cheerleading squad. Okay,

915
00:57:33.559 --> 00:57:37.079
I confirmed they're vampires, and I'll deal with them. Once

916
00:57:37.119 --> 00:57:40.239
I do. Then that's it. I'll give your uniforms back

917
00:57:40.239 --> 00:57:46.559
and get my shit and finally leave Strickfield. Einstein's really

918
00:57:46.639 --> 00:57:50.559
pissed now. She shakes her head. I said, no, you

919
00:57:50.639 --> 00:57:53.760
are not walking out on Martin like that. He's really

920
00:57:53.800 --> 00:57:56.960
into you, She points right at me, and not just

921
00:57:57.000 --> 00:58:00.800
because you're fucking him. I narrow my eyes on her.

922
00:58:01.800 --> 00:58:05.159
What are you saying that Martin's in love with me?

923
00:58:05.760 --> 00:58:08.119
I don't buy that. We've only known each other for

924
00:58:08.159 --> 00:58:11.639
about a week. We're just sleeping together, Iiny, that's it,

925
00:58:12.400 --> 00:58:16.840
and you, what are we supposed to be besties? Hang

926
00:58:16.880 --> 00:58:19.199
out at them all together and do each other's nails.

927
00:58:19.639 --> 00:58:24.199
I'm over a hundred fucking years old. I hunt supernatural

928
00:58:24.320 --> 00:58:28.599
vermin I'm a fucking tabon. I'm a master vampire. A

929
00:58:28.679 --> 00:58:31.840
normal life will never be in my future. Why can't

930
00:58:31.880 --> 00:58:35.599
you understand that? Stop acting all high and mighty bells,

931
00:58:36.239 --> 00:58:40.880
Iiny snaps, and stop running away all the time. Who

932
00:58:40.920 --> 00:58:44.800
the fuck is running away? I demand? I don't have

933
00:58:44.920 --> 00:58:48.039
any family left to run away from. I'm the last

934
00:58:48.079 --> 00:58:50.400
in my family tree. I'm alone in this world, and

935
00:58:50.440 --> 00:58:53.119
that's the way it has to be. I unfold my

936
00:58:53.280 --> 00:58:56.719
arms and raise my finger. Has it ever occurred to

937
00:58:56.760 --> 00:58:59.519
you that my being in your house is potentially putting

938
00:58:59.559 --> 00:59:02.920
you Annie Martin in terrible danger? All an enemy would

939
00:59:02.960 --> 00:59:04.960
have to do is know that I'm staying with you both,

940
00:59:05.239 --> 00:59:07.719
and they'll come at me through the two of you.

941
00:59:08.599 --> 00:59:12.400
I point to the gym case in point those bitches

942
00:59:12.480 --> 00:59:15.119
know you're with me. What's to keep them from attacking

943
00:59:15.159 --> 00:59:18.880
your house? Heiny and I continue to argue. Some of

944
00:59:18.880 --> 00:59:22.559
Ininy's shit gets to be repetitive. I've finally had enough

945
00:59:22.599 --> 00:59:25.639
and walk out of the library. Iiny's right behind me.

946
00:59:26.239 --> 00:59:30.840
We're not done here, Bells, you're risking bodily harm, Einstein,

947
00:59:31.559 --> 00:59:34.320
I tell her when she grabs my wrist again, you

948
00:59:34.360 --> 00:59:37.079
are not just going to up and leave Martin like that,

949
00:59:37.559 --> 00:59:42.239
Iiny hisses. I don't turn to her. I really don't

950
00:59:42.280 --> 00:59:45.000
have time for this shit right now. We'll talk about

951
00:59:45.000 --> 00:59:47.679
it when we're done with what I'm here for. I

952
00:59:47.719 --> 00:59:52.400
look inside the gym. Fuck, the game's over. The cheerleaders

953
00:59:52.400 --> 00:59:55.199
are gone. I turn to Ainy. I could have been

954
00:59:55.280 --> 00:59:58.000
keeping an eye on those bitches, but no, you had

955
00:59:58.000 --> 01:00:01.280
to get all fucking emotional on me. I turned to her,

956
01:00:01.480 --> 01:00:03.599
Why don't you just go home. I'm gonna have to

957
01:00:03.639 --> 01:00:06.320
track them down now before they hurt innocence. You're just

958
01:00:06.320 --> 01:00:09.480
slowing me down here. I march right into the gym

959
01:00:09.719 --> 01:00:13.400
to start tracking the vampire bitches. Unfortunately, I can hear

960
01:00:13.440 --> 01:00:17.960
Aine crying behind me. I can't worry about that right now.

961
01:00:18.559 --> 01:00:23.480
But then I suddenly stop dead in my tracks. God

962
01:00:23.599 --> 01:00:28.079
damn it. Thornton Jillian never had any fucking feelings when

963
01:00:28.119 --> 01:00:30.559
he was a master vampire. You'd think that when his

964
01:00:30.639 --> 01:00:34.159
blood mixed with mine, i'd have no feelings either. True,

965
01:00:34.280 --> 01:00:38.119
I'm a master vampire, but I'm my own breed. I

966
01:00:38.199 --> 01:00:42.800
still have my humanity, which means I still have feelings.

967
01:00:42.840 --> 01:00:46.719
And now I feel like a complete piece of shit

968
01:00:47.079 --> 01:00:51.119
for hurting Aine's feelings. I turn around and walk back

969
01:00:51.119 --> 01:00:56.440
to her. Okay, come on, she doesn't move. I have

970
01:00:56.480 --> 01:01:00.119
to make this right. Okay, I admit it. I'm I'm

971
01:01:00.159 --> 01:01:02.840
a fucking hardcore cunt. You should know by now that

972
01:01:02.920 --> 01:01:05.320
I don't have a filter. I say what I feel.

973
01:01:05.480 --> 01:01:08.559
I'm just telling you the honest truth here. This is

974
01:01:08.599 --> 01:01:13.039
the hardest thing for me to say. I'm sorry. Okay,

975
01:01:14.000 --> 01:01:15.760
I know I was harsh, but I just wanted you

976
01:01:15.800 --> 01:01:19.599
to understand. I can't be with anybody on a full

977
01:01:19.639 --> 01:01:24.639
time basis. I just can't. Ini gets her shit together.

978
01:01:25.519 --> 01:01:28.320
Martin's been taking care of me ever since our parents died.

979
01:01:28.760 --> 01:01:31.159
He's been working at Mire and Automotive during the week

980
01:01:31.320 --> 01:01:33.840
and Friday nights and weekends at Denoyer's Grill just to

981
01:01:33.920 --> 01:01:35.960
keep a roof over our heads and the bills paid,

982
01:01:36.719 --> 01:01:40.760
all while taking classes at Strickfield. You He's all I have.

983
01:01:42.199 --> 01:01:45.280
I just want the best for him. I know he's

984
01:01:45.320 --> 01:01:48.519
really into you. My brother's been with other girls, but

985
01:01:49.320 --> 01:01:51.920
he's never looked at them the way he looks at you. Bells.

986
01:01:52.960 --> 01:01:57.119
I'm begging you, please don't hurt him. I put a

987
01:01:57.159 --> 01:02:01.320
hand on Iiny's shoulder, and I will talk about things

988
01:02:01.360 --> 01:02:08.880
and go from there. But I make no promises. She nods, okay, okay,

989
01:02:09.559 --> 01:02:13.079
Now come on, let's go find those cheerleaders. We turn

990
01:02:13.159 --> 01:02:16.119
and head to the girl's locker room. As I suspected,

991
01:02:16.119 --> 01:02:18.920
they're not in the showers. I've been around them long

992
01:02:19.039 --> 01:02:21.920
enough to get their sense. When we go outside, I

993
01:02:21.960 --> 01:02:26.519
see their footprints in the snow until they stop dead.

994
01:02:26.920 --> 01:02:30.880
They flew away, Iiny. I tell her they turned into

995
01:02:30.880 --> 01:02:33.679
bats and flew off. I can't go after them since

996
01:02:33.679 --> 01:02:37.760
I can't change form. You're a vampire. You can't change form.

997
01:02:38.199 --> 01:02:41.880
Iinny shrieks. If I can, I've never figured out how

998
01:02:41.880 --> 01:02:44.199
to do it. I'll have to leap in order to

999
01:02:44.239 --> 01:02:47.719
go after them. If you're coming, then you're gonna have

1000
01:02:47.760 --> 01:02:51.119
to hang on tight. I grab Iiny and leap high

1001
01:02:51.159 --> 01:02:53.599
into the night sky. I still have their sense in

1002
01:02:53.639 --> 01:02:57.039
the air. I manage to go a full three miles

1003
01:02:57.079 --> 01:03:00.480
before I have to land and take another leap glad.

1004
01:03:00.519 --> 01:03:03.639
Iine remember to wear a jacket. The scent is getting

1005
01:03:03.679 --> 01:03:07.079
stronger as I land near a forest. Then I look

1006
01:03:07.119 --> 01:03:10.079
and see some cars. I recognize a few of them

1007
01:03:10.599 --> 01:03:14.079
and know they belong to some of the jocks. Stupid,

1008
01:03:14.760 --> 01:03:18.519
stupid boys. They probably met up with the cheerleaders. Thinkin

1009
01:03:18.559 --> 01:03:22.280
they're gonna get laid. Yeah, they'll fucking get laid, all right,

1010
01:03:22.840 --> 01:03:26.159
It's gonna get dangerous inside these woods. Ainy, I whisper,

1011
01:03:26.760 --> 01:03:30.079
you need to stick close to me. When I tell you, you

1012
01:03:29.800 --> 01:03:34.599
run and hide. Got it, bells, she whispers back. I

1013
01:03:34.719 --> 01:03:37.639
take Iine's hand and lead her into the woods. The

1014
01:03:37.679 --> 01:03:41.360
bitches aren't that far away now. Their scent is very strong.

1015
01:03:42.039 --> 01:03:44.760
Thanks to my vampire vision, I can easily see in

1016
01:03:44.800 --> 01:03:46.639
the dark as if it's still the light of day.

1017
01:03:47.239 --> 01:03:49.840
We walk a little bit until we move behind a

1018
01:03:49.880 --> 01:03:53.440
big redwood. There are four guys there with the cheerleaders.

1019
01:03:53.840 --> 01:03:56.599
They're all around a camp fire. It looks as if

1020
01:03:56.639 --> 01:03:58.960
two of them are flat on their backs while the

1021
01:03:58.960 --> 01:04:02.639
other two are in a trance. I know I could

1022
01:04:02.639 --> 01:04:06.320
have saved them if i'd acted sooner, but I have feelings.

1023
01:04:06.719 --> 01:04:09.199
I guess it's no wonder why other vampires I've taken

1024
01:04:09.280 --> 01:04:12.360
down tell me that having feelings is my biggest weakness.

1025
01:04:13.199 --> 01:04:16.159
Fuck them. I lean over to any and whisper in

1026
01:04:16.199 --> 01:04:20.239
her ear. Stay here. I see her nod before I

1027
01:04:20.320 --> 01:04:22.679
let go of her hand. I take off my shoes

1028
01:04:22.679 --> 01:04:25.079
and hand them to her. Then I move and leap

1029
01:04:25.119 --> 01:04:28.039
over to the other side of the fire. Everybody hears

1030
01:04:28.079 --> 01:04:32.280
me land when I reveal myself. Everybody that can look does.

1031
01:04:33.039 --> 01:04:36.000
The twin mir and bees point right at me. You

1032
01:04:36.039 --> 01:04:40.280
shouldn't have come here, Ali hisses, six of us to

1033
01:04:40.400 --> 01:04:46.280
one of you. Alyssa notes, you really came out here alone,

1034
01:04:47.320 --> 01:04:50.800
One of the other cheerleaders asks, in surprise. I put

1035
01:04:50.800 --> 01:04:55.480
my hand to my chin. Hm, six of you to

1036
01:04:55.679 --> 01:05:00.760
one of me. I lower my hand and look at them. Yeah, yeah,

1037
01:05:00.840 --> 01:05:07.039
you're right. Those are definitely bad odds yours. Then I

1038
01:05:07.239 --> 01:05:10.920
vamp out, changing my face and readying my claws. Then

1039
01:05:11.119 --> 01:05:17.079
the bitches scream what the fuck? The bitches are actually

1040
01:05:17.360 --> 01:05:20.719
scared of me. I guess so, because they all turn

1041
01:05:20.840 --> 01:05:23.920
tail and run. The two guys that are still tranced

1042
01:05:24.039 --> 01:05:27.159
just stand there. I check on the two guys that

1043
01:05:27.199 --> 01:05:31.000
are down. Ainie approaches me. I'm ready to tell her

1044
01:05:31.079 --> 01:05:34.800
she should have stayed put, but I know she's concerned.

1045
01:05:35.599 --> 01:05:40.440
Are they dead bells? I feel for pulses? No, thankfully,

1046
01:05:41.039 --> 01:05:44.800
And then I finally understand. I know why those bitches

1047
01:05:44.840 --> 01:05:49.320
are wearing the Old bloodstone. AINI what made you think

1048
01:05:49.360 --> 01:05:53.760
they were vampires? I saw them smile and chow fangs

1049
01:05:53.880 --> 01:05:58.239
like yours, she tells me. Alyssa also showed me her claws.

1050
01:05:58.320 --> 01:06:05.360
But but they have to be vampires. They turned into bats, right, Yeah,

1051
01:06:05.719 --> 01:06:09.000
they did, but they freaked out when they saw me, Iini,

1052
01:06:09.119 --> 01:06:12.679
they can't possibly know that I'm a master vampire. You

1053
01:06:12.800 --> 01:06:17.760
mentioned old bloodstone bells, right, And here's what I determined.

1054
01:06:18.400 --> 01:06:22.800
If they were true vampires, they could use old bloodstone

1055
01:06:22.840 --> 01:06:26.199
to be able to walk in the daylight. However, they

1056
01:06:26.239 --> 01:06:29.119
would have to keep their stones charged by drinking twice

1057
01:06:29.119 --> 01:06:34.119
as much innocent blood, and by innocent I mean virgin blood.

1058
01:06:34.960 --> 01:06:38.239
I've been listening around school. I haven't heard a single

1059
01:06:38.320 --> 01:06:42.559
story about any bodies being drained of blood, or of

1060
01:06:42.800 --> 01:06:47.199
that many people even disappearing. So we get to the

1061
01:06:47.840 --> 01:06:53.119
other possibility. Those bitches are practicing witchcraft and are using

1062
01:06:53.119 --> 01:06:58.360
the Old Bloodstone to turn themselves into vampires. Though they

1063
01:06:58.360 --> 01:07:02.599
can walk by daylight, which means their transformations aren't complete.

1064
01:07:03.039 --> 01:07:05.800
They have to charge their stones with soul energy in

1065
01:07:05.920 --> 01:07:10.400
order to maintain their powers and continue their transformations. What

1066
01:07:10.480 --> 01:07:14.840
they don't realize is once their transformations are complete, they

1067
01:07:14.840 --> 01:07:17.400
would need virgin blood to charge their stones to be

1068
01:07:17.480 --> 01:07:20.800
able to walk around during the daylight. I think you

1069
01:07:20.840 --> 01:07:25.000
and I both know that pure virgin blood is very

1070
01:07:25.039 --> 01:07:28.480
hard to come by in this day and age. I

1071
01:07:28.559 --> 01:07:31.280
point to the guys. You keep an eye on them.

1072
01:07:31.679 --> 01:07:35.320
I'm going after those fucking bitches. They didn't turn into

1073
01:07:35.320 --> 01:07:38.519
bats this time. I can easily find the six girls

1074
01:07:38.920 --> 01:07:42.920
thanks to both their sense and their footprints. Seriously, I've

1075
01:07:42.960 --> 01:07:45.719
heard over the years that cheerleaders can be such fucking airheads,

1076
01:07:45.760 --> 01:07:49.679
but this is too much. I easily find two of

1077
01:07:49.719 --> 01:07:52.920
them together. They're both holding each other. Their faces are

1078
01:07:52.920 --> 01:07:56.719
half vamped. Suddenly they scream and try to come at me.

1079
01:07:57.840 --> 01:08:01.119
Classic rookie mistake. Match the both of them up and

1080
01:08:01.199 --> 01:08:04.079
toss them over my shoulders. They both hit the snowy

1081
01:08:04.119 --> 01:08:07.199
ground and moan. I'm on both of them. Before they

1082
01:08:07.239 --> 01:08:10.039
realize it, they scream as I reach my claws out

1083
01:08:10.079 --> 01:08:14.440
for them and relieve them of their old bloodstone jewelry

1084
01:08:14.679 --> 01:08:17.920
to make them human again. I hold one girl to

1085
01:08:18.039 --> 01:08:21.000
me as I glam the other to get information. When

1086
01:08:21.039 --> 01:08:24.079
I get what I want, I glam the other. Unlike

1087
01:08:24.199 --> 01:08:27.399
normal vampires, who can only glam as a means of hypnosis,

1088
01:08:27.439 --> 01:08:31.000
I can both bend people to my will and actually

1089
01:08:31.039 --> 01:08:35.279
look into their memories, whether they remember or not. I

1090
01:08:35.359 --> 01:08:38.560
come to find that these bitches have indeed killed people

1091
01:08:38.600 --> 01:08:42.399
by taking their souls to charge their old bloodstone jewelry.

1092
01:08:42.520 --> 01:08:46.560
I could easily kill these two, but I'm not a butcher. No,

1093
01:08:47.399 --> 01:08:50.359
I have a much more suitable punishment for them. I

1094
01:08:50.520 --> 01:08:55.159
peer so deeply into their psychees and corrupt them so

1095
01:08:55.239 --> 01:08:59.199
that they ultimately end up going insane. I let the

1096
01:08:59.239 --> 01:09:02.399
girls go and pursue the others to more scream. As

1097
01:09:02.399 --> 01:09:04.399
they come out of their hiding places and attack me,

1098
01:09:04.680 --> 01:09:08.720
I easily swap them away like flies. They truly have

1099
01:09:08.880 --> 01:09:12.239
no idea of how fast a full vampire can move,

1100
01:09:12.600 --> 01:09:16.479
even more so for a master. I'm on both of

1101
01:09:16.520 --> 01:09:19.479
them before they can even get up. So tell me,

1102
01:09:20.159 --> 01:09:22.560
was this thing with using old bloodstone to turn yourselves

1103
01:09:22.600 --> 01:09:27.439
into vampires? Your idea? I ask, knowing full well that

1104
01:09:27.560 --> 01:09:31.880
it's not we just wanted to live forever. One of

1105
01:09:31.920 --> 01:09:36.079
them says, we just wanted to be important. The other says,

1106
01:09:37.000 --> 01:09:39.199
you don't know what it's like to be invisible to people.

1107
01:09:40.880 --> 01:09:43.479
I'm not sure whether they can see me smile or not,

1108
01:09:43.760 --> 01:09:48.640
but I find what they say funny. Actually, yes, I

1109
01:09:48.800 --> 01:09:51.560
do know what it means to be invisible to people.

1110
01:09:52.039 --> 01:09:54.600
The only difference between you two and me is I

1111
01:09:54.760 --> 01:09:58.800
choose to be invisible. But you two such stupid girls.

1112
01:09:59.000 --> 01:10:03.880
You took lives selfish reasons. Well now you'll have all

1113
01:10:03.920 --> 01:10:07.079
the attention you two could ever want. I'll see to

1114
01:10:07.119 --> 01:10:11.479
that personally. I take their old bloodstone and also make

1115
01:10:11.560 --> 01:10:15.640
them insane. That just leaves the little twin miran bees.

1116
01:10:16.600 --> 01:10:20.159
Like the others, they made the mistake of screaming before attacking.

1117
01:10:20.720 --> 01:10:23.479
These two are fully vamped out and want to give

1118
01:10:23.520 --> 01:10:26.359
me a fight. Looks like these twin girls are the

1119
01:10:26.399 --> 01:10:30.319
strongest out of what was their squad. They've probably siphoned

1120
01:10:30.359 --> 01:10:35.119
more energy compared to the others. Well, they are mirans.

1121
01:10:35.359 --> 01:10:38.119
All they care about is money and power. But being

1122
01:10:38.159 --> 01:10:43.039
a mirror means so very little to a tabon. While

1123
01:10:43.039 --> 01:10:46.319
Alyssa and Ali are close enough to being full vampires

1124
01:10:46.560 --> 01:10:50.119
they're finding out that there are bigger predators out there

1125
01:10:50.159 --> 01:10:53.119
than them. They try to fight me with just basic

1126
01:10:53.159 --> 01:10:57.199
street fighting. I'm a master of many different martial arts.

1127
01:10:57.560 --> 01:10:59.680
To finish them off, I thrust my foot into one

1128
01:10:59.680 --> 01:11:03.039
twin gut so hard I can hear her spine crackle

1129
01:11:03.119 --> 01:11:07.359
hard in many places. Then she falls onto her back.

1130
01:11:08.399 --> 01:11:10.920
As for the other twin, I quickly bring my other

1131
01:11:10.960 --> 01:11:13.760
foot up over my shoulder and connect with her neck.

1132
01:11:14.439 --> 01:11:18.119
The slight crack tells me that I've damaged her spine also,

1133
01:11:18.720 --> 01:11:22.880
she falls Immediately After relieving the twins of their stones,

1134
01:11:23.079 --> 01:11:27.359
they become fully human once more. Only now the two

1135
01:11:27.399 --> 01:11:31.800
of them are paralyzed for life. I could drive them insane,

1136
01:11:31.880 --> 01:11:36.039
but I feel like I've done enough. No, I won't

1137
01:11:36.119 --> 01:11:39.159
let them die out here. I bring the cheerleaders back

1138
01:11:39.199 --> 01:11:41.880
to the camp fire where Ainie is. I know she

1139
01:11:41.960 --> 01:11:43.920
has a smartphone, so I tell her to call nine

1140
01:11:43.960 --> 01:11:47.640
one one and ask for some ambulances. I still feel

1141
01:11:47.720 --> 01:11:50.760
soul energy inside these stones, so I recite the spell

1142
01:11:50.880 --> 01:11:53.000
to release the energy and send it back to the

1143
01:11:53.079 --> 01:11:56.199
rightful owners. The two guys that were flat on their

1144
01:11:56.239 --> 01:11:59.319
backs begin to move again. I make sure they're okay

1145
01:11:59.720 --> 01:12:02.119
before or I glam them and make them forget all

1146
01:12:02.159 --> 01:12:05.720
about me. You better get out of her bells. Aini

1147
01:12:05.840 --> 01:12:08.760
tells me. I can see the flashers coming over there.

1148
01:12:09.359 --> 01:12:13.880
I'll get this. I see where Iini's pointing. Good idea.

1149
01:12:14.479 --> 01:12:17.239
You gonna be okay if I leave you here. Irony

1150
01:12:17.319 --> 01:12:22.279
grabs my wrist one more time. Please don't leave Strickfield.

1151
01:12:22.640 --> 01:12:25.439
Don't leave Martin. I'll be at the house when you

1152
01:12:25.479 --> 01:12:29.680
get home, iine. I promise. Also, I promised you that

1153
01:12:29.760 --> 01:12:34.119
i'd talk to Martin. I'll be waiting for you when

1154
01:12:34.119 --> 01:12:37.199
Inini lets go. I leap into the air and am

1155
01:12:37.239 --> 01:12:40.199
long gone before the police and ambulances get there. I

1156
01:12:40.279 --> 01:12:44.600
have no doubt that Einstein will take care of everything. Well.

1157
01:12:45.119 --> 01:12:48.520
I won't go into every detail about all the sappy shit.

1158
01:12:49.239 --> 01:12:52.119
It's two weeks later and it's Friday at Strickfield High School.

1159
01:12:52.319 --> 01:12:54.680
I look at my nails that Iini polished for me.

1160
01:12:55.600 --> 01:12:59.359
God damn you, heiny as you can tell. I did

1161
01:12:59.439 --> 01:13:01.800
keep my word to Ainie and remained at the house.

1162
01:13:02.439 --> 01:13:05.680
Martin was already home when I got there. He looked

1163
01:13:05.680 --> 01:13:09.800
tired from his classes. Still he had enough energy to

1164
01:13:09.840 --> 01:13:12.920
come and take me in his arms. As much as

1165
01:13:12.960 --> 01:13:15.920
I wanted to tell Martin that we were done and

1166
01:13:16.000 --> 01:13:20.399
that I wanted to leave Strickfield, I realized I just

1167
01:13:20.520 --> 01:13:25.439
couldn't do that to him, not like that. Again. Part

1168
01:13:25.479 --> 01:13:27.760
of me wished that I'd lost my emotions when I

1169
01:13:27.800 --> 01:13:34.600
became a master vampire. But I love and need to feel,

1170
01:13:34.760 --> 01:13:38.880
which is something very few vamps can do. Martin and

1171
01:13:38.920 --> 01:13:41.880
I made love for the first time that night. Normally

1172
01:13:41.880 --> 01:13:45.319
we just fuck. As for Iini, I think she pretty

1173
01:13:45.359 --> 01:13:49.079
much knew that I was sticking around. The next morning,

1174
01:13:49.439 --> 01:13:52.199
still two weeks ago, Martin had to go to work

1175
01:13:52.239 --> 01:13:55.880
and then classes. He would be gone all day. It

1176
01:13:55.960 --> 01:13:58.399
was just Irony and me and we went to school,

1177
01:13:59.359 --> 01:14:02.039
wouldn't you know both of us were called into the

1178
01:14:02.079 --> 01:14:05.479
principal's office. Turned out that the talk of the school

1179
01:14:05.560 --> 01:14:08.880
was that the cheerleading squad was permanently gone. It was

1180
01:14:08.920 --> 01:14:11.640
in the Strickfield newspaper that something had happened to them

1181
01:14:11.680 --> 01:14:13.760
in the woods near the south end of the village.

1182
01:14:13.800 --> 01:14:17.640
Limits four of them were committed to a facility called Glenview,

1183
01:14:18.000 --> 01:14:22.119
which was near North Ridgeway. As for the twins, they

1184
01:14:22.239 --> 01:14:25.319
ended up in a special hospital over in Shore City,

1185
01:14:25.720 --> 01:14:27.840
where they would be cared for for the rest of

1186
01:14:27.880 --> 01:14:31.359
their lives. It didn't surprise me that their parents didn't

1187
01:14:31.399 --> 01:14:36.520
want to care for them themselves. Fucking rich misers. Anyway,

1188
01:14:37.119 --> 01:14:40.560
getting back to Principal Van dest he had both Iiny

1189
01:14:40.600 --> 01:14:43.840
and me in front of him. He pointed right at us.

1190
01:14:44.279 --> 01:14:46.439
I don't know what happened with the cheerleaders, but I

1191
01:14:46.520 --> 01:14:49.680
know I know that you two had something to do

1192
01:14:49.760 --> 01:14:54.039
with it. I roll my eyes. Can you even prove

1193
01:14:54.359 --> 01:14:57.920
any of this shit? If not, go fuck yourself and

1194
01:14:58.000 --> 01:15:00.920
let us go back to class. Oh oh, you're going

1195
01:15:00.960 --> 01:15:03.319
back to class all right. He stood up and put

1196
01:15:03.319 --> 01:15:07.239
his palms on the desk. He had this weird smirk

1197
01:15:07.279 --> 01:15:09.640
on his face. I want you to to go see

1198
01:15:09.680 --> 01:15:13.199
Miss Temple in her office. Now. I believe you know

1199
01:15:13.279 --> 01:15:16.079
the way, Aileen, you can take our new student to

1200
01:15:16.119 --> 01:15:20.239
meet her. When Aileen got up, I was a bit reluctant.

1201
01:15:21.039 --> 01:15:23.039
I wanted to see what else this shit heel had

1202
01:15:23.079 --> 01:15:26.000
to say. When he told me to get going, I

1203
01:15:26.079 --> 01:15:29.079
got up before we left. I made sure he saw

1204
01:15:29.119 --> 01:15:31.640
me give him the finger and flick my tongue. I

1205
01:15:31.760 --> 01:15:34.279
NEI took us to the gym and to Miss Temple's office.

1206
01:15:34.279 --> 01:15:37.520
There turned out she taught a few of the gym classes,

1207
01:15:37.680 --> 01:15:41.000
a few of the English classes, and was also the

1208
01:15:41.079 --> 01:15:45.800
cheerleading coach. She looked really fucking happy to see us.

1209
01:15:46.600 --> 01:15:49.600
There were four other girls there too. I won't go

1210
01:15:49.680 --> 01:15:53.199
into details on them, but just seeing the six of us,

1211
01:15:53.680 --> 01:15:58.279
we had the strangest mix there. Miss Temple couldn't wait

1212
01:15:58.359 --> 01:16:00.560
to tell the six of us that you were all

1213
01:16:01.359 --> 01:16:06.319
the new fucking cheerleader squad. Bull shit. I quickly told

1214
01:16:06.359 --> 01:16:09.960
her and stepped back. You can fucking kiss my ass,

1215
01:16:10.800 --> 01:16:13.960
believe it or not. Miss Temple wasn't even upset with me.

1216
01:16:14.640 --> 01:16:19.279
She just simply said language. Then she explained that Principal

1217
01:16:19.359 --> 01:16:22.439
Van Deist had personally hand picked the six of us

1218
01:16:22.800 --> 01:16:26.319
to be the new cheerleaders of Strickfield High. I still

1219
01:16:26.319 --> 01:16:29.520
told Miss Temple to go fuck herself. Then I about

1220
01:16:29.560 --> 01:16:31.760
lost my fucking shit when I saw that Iini and

1221
01:16:31.800 --> 01:16:35.359
the others gladly accepted their uniform and shoes as much

1222
01:16:35.399 --> 01:16:38.840
as I protested. Iine looked so happy to have been

1223
01:16:38.880 --> 01:16:42.439
given such an opportunity. I would have also told Iini

1224
01:16:42.560 --> 01:16:45.119
to go get fucked, but we've had time to bond

1225
01:16:45.159 --> 01:16:49.039
over the last several days, so not only am I

1226
01:16:49.279 --> 01:16:52.920
possibly developing feelings for Martin. I've gotten used to having

1227
01:16:52.960 --> 01:16:57.800
Iiny around. I think I've said this before, but she

1228
01:16:57.920 --> 01:17:00.880
fucking grows on you. As soon as we were back

1229
01:17:00.920 --> 01:17:04.079
out in the hallway, I grabbed Iiny's shoulders. I am

1230
01:17:04.319 --> 01:17:09.039
so gonna fucking kill you. Now you won't, she said quickly.

1231
01:17:09.680 --> 01:17:15.680
I'm your best friend again, Always so fucking direct. Getting

1232
01:17:15.720 --> 01:17:19.840
back to now I'm wearing a fucking cheerleader uniform. It'll

1233
01:17:19.840 --> 01:17:23.800
be another game night as a full fledged cheerleader. Oh

1234
01:17:24.039 --> 01:17:27.760
and now I'm known as both the bad schoolgirl and

1235
01:17:28.439 --> 01:17:32.079
the bad cheerleader. Aine told me she had a reason

1236
01:17:32.159 --> 01:17:34.479
for the two of us joining the squad, and it

1237
01:17:34.600 --> 01:17:36.880
wasn't for us to show off our tits and asses

1238
01:17:36.880 --> 01:17:40.359
in front of the crowds at the basketball games. Aine

1239
01:17:40.359 --> 01:17:43.039
explained that a lot of shit goes on here in Strickfield.

1240
01:17:43.520 --> 01:17:45.840
She promised me there would be more than enough work

1241
01:17:45.880 --> 01:17:49.319
to keep me here for a very long time. In

1242
01:17:49.399 --> 01:17:52.399
other words, we'd be keeping our eyes and ears open

1243
01:17:52.479 --> 01:17:56.439
for shit to investigate. Over time, I would learn other

1244
01:17:56.479 --> 01:18:00.960
interesting things about the other four cheerleaders. So I sigh

1245
01:18:01.079 --> 01:18:04.279
to myself and realize I've gotten too close to the

1246
01:18:04.319 --> 01:18:09.479
Donner Lease and the great food at Denoyer's grill. Looks

1247
01:18:09.520 --> 01:18:14.640
like I'm stuck in this fucking village indefinitely. Seriously, why

1248
01:18:14.720 --> 01:18:17.640
couldn't I have lost my feelings when Thornton Jillian's blood

1249
01:18:17.640 --> 01:18:29.640
mixed with mine over one hundred years ago? Caroline Quinn

1250
01:18:30.119 --> 01:18:36.439
Vampire Hunter by Mike Ascuie. Halloween always brings out the

1251
01:18:36.479 --> 01:18:39.560
weird ones. Can you remember a time when it didn't

1252
01:18:39.600 --> 01:18:43.439
bring out the weird ones? I can't, now, tossing all

1253
01:18:43.479 --> 01:18:48.760
sorts of things people consider fantastic and impossible only fifty

1254
01:18:48.840 --> 01:18:54.079
years ago, and now it's only weirder. It's also a

1255
01:18:54.079 --> 01:18:58.920
lot more dangerous. See, fifty years ago, something happened and

1256
01:18:58.960 --> 01:19:03.039
no one can explain it. People just were born different,

1257
01:19:03.880 --> 01:19:09.960
different how well Suddenly people could fly, people could turn invisible,

1258
01:19:10.119 --> 01:19:14.520
and sometimes those special people had bad days and people

1259
01:19:14.840 --> 01:19:18.880
ended up dead. Now tossing the fact that some things

1260
01:19:18.920 --> 01:19:23.720
we considered myth and legend were also real real life monsters,

1261
01:19:23.800 --> 01:19:27.359
vampires werewolf's, shape shifters and stuff that would make Stephen

1262
01:19:27.439 --> 01:19:31.439
King say, what in the actual fuck? It's a real

1263
01:19:31.479 --> 01:19:36.239
shit show, but it's home and frankly it's a living

1264
01:19:37.079 --> 01:19:40.960
I deal with problems that the usual police or even

1265
01:19:41.079 --> 01:19:46.079
gifted individuals can't. My name is Caroline Quinn, and I'm

1266
01:19:46.159 --> 01:19:49.520
something a little different than what you might expect. I'm

1267
01:19:49.520 --> 01:19:53.319
not a super and I'm not a cop, but something

1268
01:19:53.399 --> 01:19:56.640
in between those things. I don't report to anyone per se,

1269
01:19:57.560 --> 01:20:01.079
but I do draw a paycheck. I'm what's known as

1270
01:20:01.520 --> 01:20:05.520
a troubleshooter. I am contracted by the government to deal

1271
01:20:05.560 --> 01:20:11.720
with quote issues that require discretion and most importantly, plausible deniability.

1272
01:20:12.359 --> 01:20:15.199
See it's okay to have your local neighborhood asshole in

1273
01:20:15.239 --> 01:20:17.880
a cape deal with some lunatic who can level a

1274
01:20:17.920 --> 01:20:23.760
building with a punch, But sometimes you deal with something different. Again.

1275
01:20:24.239 --> 01:20:26.680
You know how I mentioned that whole creatures of myth

1276
01:20:26.720 --> 01:20:30.880
and legend, Well, those same things cause trouble, and your

1277
01:20:30.920 --> 01:20:34.960
average person isn't equipped to deal with the truly paranormal.

1278
01:20:35.680 --> 01:20:38.680
People can accept superpowers, but you start bringing in the

1279
01:20:38.800 --> 01:20:42.239
undead and all that shit, Well, let's say they don't

1280
01:20:42.399 --> 01:20:46.079
deal with it well at all. Suddenly what goes bump

1281
01:20:46.079 --> 01:20:48.960
in the night is real and makes Freddy Krueger look tame.

1282
01:20:49.039 --> 01:20:53.239
In comparison, governments try very hard to suppress a lot

1283
01:20:53.279 --> 01:20:57.199
of the truly scary shit, but sometimes it gets out

1284
01:20:58.119 --> 01:21:00.960
thanks to Instagram. I'm sure he needed to see one

1285
01:21:01.000 --> 01:21:04.720
of America's top superheroes get torn apart by vampires, or

1286
01:21:04.720 --> 01:21:07.079
a group of teenagers get pulled under the water by

1287
01:21:07.159 --> 01:21:10.600
an ancient shark god near New Zealand. You might ask,

1288
01:21:11.079 --> 01:21:16.279
why try to hide it? We have literal superheroes. Well,

1289
01:21:16.760 --> 01:21:21.239
something happened, and those things are becoming more frequent, almost

1290
01:21:21.319 --> 01:21:24.119
like a natural response to the rise of the gifted.

1291
01:21:24.960 --> 01:21:28.840
It's almost like undeath finds a way. I'm sure there

1292
01:21:28.880 --> 01:21:32.880
is a philosophical or religious explanation, or maybe even scientific

1293
01:21:32.920 --> 01:21:36.520
reason behind it. But if there is, I don't know it,

1294
01:21:37.159 --> 01:21:39.840
and I don't care to know it. I get paid

1295
01:21:39.920 --> 01:21:42.319
to deal with it. How do I deal with it?

1296
01:21:42.880 --> 01:21:47.399
I'm tough, supernaturally tough, even by the standards set by

1297
01:21:47.439 --> 01:21:51.960
the gifted community. I'm an anomaly. There aren't many like me,

1298
01:21:52.039 --> 01:21:55.199
and that is probably a good thing. I've heard more

1299
01:21:55.239 --> 01:21:59.479
than a few whispered conversations worrying about what she and

1300
01:21:59.560 --> 01:22:05.039
her represent. In short, they think I'm a threat. I'm

1301
01:22:05.079 --> 01:22:09.520
also something that seems to be somewhere between them and

1302
01:22:09.760 --> 01:22:13.560
the gifted. They believe However, better to have that threat

1303
01:22:13.600 --> 01:22:17.319
under control than on your side. A fucking cocktail of

1304
01:22:17.359 --> 01:22:21.800
supernatural and superpowered? Did I mention I get some perks

1305
01:22:21.840 --> 01:22:25.000
from this gig. I get two weeks of paid vacation

1306
01:22:25.119 --> 01:22:27.600
a year, which can be revoked at any time should

1307
01:22:28.039 --> 01:22:32.359
the situation dictate. Isn't that just swell? I got to

1308
01:22:32.399 --> 01:22:35.720
go to Disney World once till some undead goon tried

1309
01:22:35.760 --> 01:22:38.840
to kill some kid in a Mickey Mouse costume. I

1310
01:22:38.880 --> 01:22:40.880
got a free pair of mouse ears for my trouble.

1311
01:22:41.600 --> 01:22:44.960
So where does that bring us now? A few days

1312
01:22:45.000 --> 01:22:47.279
ago I got a tip that led to a small

1313
01:22:47.319 --> 01:22:51.399
town in rural upstate New York. Your quiet, little sleepy

1314
01:22:51.439 --> 01:22:54.359
town that has a Denny's, a big box retailer, and

1315
01:22:54.760 --> 01:22:58.560
people get excited when Starbucks comes to town. The information

1316
01:22:58.760 --> 01:23:01.319
was compiled by a computer forensic person I knew in

1317
01:23:01.359 --> 01:23:04.119
the FBI who had an eye for this sort of thing.

1318
01:23:04.760 --> 01:23:08.079
Her name was Rhianne and she was also my ex girlfriend.

1319
01:23:08.479 --> 01:23:13.000
Aren't workplace romances complicated? Still? She and I were good

1320
01:23:13.119 --> 01:23:16.760
till we weren't. The information dealt with a very strange

1321
01:23:16.800 --> 01:23:19.199
set of deaths that had occurred over the last few

1322
01:23:19.239 --> 01:23:22.880
months in the local old age communities, a lot of

1323
01:23:22.960 --> 01:23:27.840
dead old timers and not passing away from natural causes either. Normally,

1324
01:23:27.880 --> 01:23:29.920
this would have just slid under the radar and been

1325
01:23:30.000 --> 01:23:33.760
filed away under so sad, too bad, But I guess

1326
01:23:33.880 --> 01:23:36.319
some in turn did some blood work up and it

1327
01:23:36.399 --> 01:23:39.800
got sent to the wrong lab and that got Rhanne's attention.

1328
01:23:40.560 --> 01:23:43.000
Certainly makes my job easier than having to rely on

1329
01:23:43.039 --> 01:23:46.720
AI and search algorithms. I still don't trust computers and

1330
01:23:46.800 --> 01:23:49.920
probably never will. I had to be dragged out of

1331
01:23:50.039 --> 01:23:53.279
using a flip phone in the last ten years. I

1332
01:23:53.319 --> 01:23:57.079
stopped for breakfast before driving into Hope Springs. I traveled

1333
01:23:57.079 --> 01:23:59.319
in a little camper van, and while it wasn't the

1334
01:23:59.359 --> 01:24:02.920
most glamor, it wasn't a half bad place to sleep

1335
01:24:03.000 --> 01:24:06.600
and even had a mini refrigerator and solar panels. It

1336
01:24:06.720 --> 01:24:09.520
wasn't Howard Johnson, but it was home for most of

1337
01:24:09.520 --> 01:24:13.039
the year. Sitting down and eating an overpriced plate of

1338
01:24:13.079 --> 01:24:16.600
bacon and eggs, I started to look over the files.

1339
01:24:17.319 --> 01:24:20.159
Rhianne always did me a solid and compiled it into

1340
01:24:20.159 --> 01:24:25.479
easy to understand pieces, and compartmentalization was her specialty. For

1341
01:24:25.560 --> 01:24:29.680
about four months twenty or so. Unusual deaths were recorded

1342
01:24:29.680 --> 01:24:32.359
in the city's corner's report, and all of them had

1343
01:24:32.359 --> 01:24:35.279
an unusual marker in the blood work. One of the

1344
01:24:35.319 --> 01:24:38.159
recently deceased had a busy body of a son who

1345
01:24:38.199 --> 01:24:41.560
demanded to know what happened to dear old dad and

1346
01:24:41.680 --> 01:24:45.239
demanded a full autopsy and evidently had the pull to

1347
01:24:45.279 --> 01:24:48.159
make it happen despite a coroner who could not have

1348
01:24:48.279 --> 01:24:51.640
cared less the sun probably wanted some kind of an

1349
01:24:51.680 --> 01:24:56.079
insurance payout or something equally as heartless. Isn't family great?

1350
01:24:56.920 --> 01:25:02.760
Sipping at my disgusting black liquid allegedly coffee, something stood

1351
01:25:02.760 --> 01:25:06.760
out to me that unusual marker in the blood work

1352
01:25:06.880 --> 01:25:10.960
was some kind of thing I'd seen before. Without getting

1353
01:25:11.039 --> 01:25:14.439
all technical and probably losing your interest, it was a

1354
01:25:14.479 --> 01:25:17.439
foreign element and it didn't belong in the body of

1355
01:25:17.439 --> 01:25:21.439
an eighty nine year old man. It was gifted blood

1356
01:25:21.800 --> 01:25:25.520
and contained trace elements of what has been widely identified

1357
01:25:25.560 --> 01:25:30.560
as vampiric blood. I stopped eating and kept reading the

1358
01:25:30.560 --> 01:25:34.279
files over and over again. Over the course of four

1359
01:25:34.319 --> 01:25:38.479
months and twenty bodies, this particular blood pattern occurred over

1360
01:25:38.600 --> 01:25:43.039
ten times. Someone or something was preying on the elderly

1361
01:25:43.119 --> 01:25:46.399
and was using them to feed but not turning them

1362
01:25:46.399 --> 01:25:50.600
into more of them. Normally, a vampire would create a

1363
01:25:50.600 --> 01:25:54.079
little army and we'd have a small problem on our hands.

1364
01:25:54.520 --> 01:25:58.640
Some of the more unique gifted heroes like Photonic or

1365
01:25:58.720 --> 01:26:03.119
Ultraviolet would be as to help. However, recently, after almost

1366
01:26:03.279 --> 01:26:07.720
dying themselves, they were reluctant or flat out refused to assist.

1367
01:26:08.520 --> 01:26:12.720
Usually superior firepower with silver and UV grenades would do

1368
01:26:12.800 --> 01:26:15.520
the job, but you could always count on one of

1369
01:26:15.600 --> 01:26:18.880
the slippery undead fucks getting away, like some kind of

1370
01:26:19.279 --> 01:26:24.039
Houdini and Dracula combined. This one was greedy and didn't

1371
01:26:24.079 --> 01:26:27.239
want to share eating with the old folks. This one

1372
01:26:27.319 --> 01:26:31.239
also was different and maybe was working with a gifted

1373
01:26:31.279 --> 01:26:36.359
person to incapacitate the geezers or something else entirely. Maybe

1374
01:26:36.399 --> 01:26:38.359
they were like me and had a mix of both

1375
01:26:38.479 --> 01:26:42.119
worlds in their blood. Either scenario means I wouldn't be

1376
01:26:42.159 --> 01:26:45.239
out of here by Monday, and with Halloween happening in

1377
01:26:45.279 --> 01:26:48.359
a day, it meant a lot of potential collateral damage

1378
01:26:48.920 --> 01:26:53.800
with civilians nearby. Great Now I have to hunt down

1379
01:26:53.800 --> 01:26:57.560
a potentially superpowered vampire or a regular vampire with a

1380
01:26:57.600 --> 01:27:02.159
super sidekick, you know, working at Applebee's certainly sounds a

1381
01:27:02.159 --> 01:27:06.000
lot less dangerous. Right now, I'd at least make tips

1382
01:27:06.039 --> 01:27:09.159
and not have to worry about half my guts decorating

1383
01:27:09.199 --> 01:27:14.079
the walls or having my soul sucked out. Remember two

1384
01:27:14.079 --> 01:27:18.279
weeks paid vacation plus four oh one K plus blah blah,

1385
01:27:18.319 --> 01:27:21.680
protect your country and save humanity blah blah. Right right,

1386
01:27:21.840 --> 01:27:25.479
I can practically recite the recruiting speech. Just have to

1387
01:27:25.520 --> 01:27:27.359
hold up my end of the bargain and make sure

1388
01:27:27.439 --> 01:27:32.039
super villains or Satan doesn't destroy the planet first. Fuck.

1389
01:27:33.239 --> 01:27:36.960
They could have called people like Megaton or Phase, but no,

1390
01:27:38.000 --> 01:27:41.840
my name comes up first in the rolodex. Do people

1391
01:27:41.880 --> 01:27:46.600
still use those rolodexes? I finish my breakfast and leave

1392
01:27:46.640 --> 01:27:49.399
a few bucks on the table. I throw a rye

1393
01:27:49.439 --> 01:27:52.560
look at my waitress as if saying I'm sorry, I'm

1394
01:27:52.600 --> 01:27:54.560
gonna fuck up your town in a few days, but

1395
01:27:54.640 --> 01:27:58.319
hey have ten bucks. I exit the diner and start

1396
01:27:58.319 --> 01:28:02.000
heading back to my camper van. It's cold in late October,

1397
01:28:02.000 --> 01:28:04.439
and my leather jacket isn't quite as warm as I

1398
01:28:04.479 --> 01:28:07.399
would like. It's at least pretty out here in that

1399
01:28:07.520 --> 01:28:11.000
quaint kind of way. Hope Spring is about another twenty

1400
01:28:11.039 --> 01:28:13.840
miles away and I have nothing but my thoughts and

1401
01:28:13.920 --> 01:28:17.600
a playlist of Megadeth another eighties hair metal. What can

1402
01:28:17.640 --> 01:28:20.479
I say? It sets the mood for killing vampires and

1403
01:28:20.600 --> 01:28:24.319
probably looking sexy while doing it. I won't look sexy

1404
01:28:24.359 --> 01:28:27.000
while doing it because no one is ever going to

1405
01:28:27.079 --> 01:28:29.159
know I did it, and if it ends up on

1406
01:28:29.239 --> 01:28:31.399
Reddit with my face, then I'll have a lot of

1407
01:28:31.439 --> 01:28:34.279
explaining to do and probably no four o one K

1408
01:28:34.439 --> 01:28:37.840
to look forward to. Maybe I'll write a book after

1409
01:28:37.880 --> 01:28:42.039
I retire. I could do a podcast. Any asshole with

1410
01:28:42.119 --> 01:28:44.600
a microphone has one of those these days. Anyway, right

1411
01:28:45.880 --> 01:28:48.239
hit the road and it's a long twenty miles with

1412
01:28:48.319 --> 01:28:52.920
only trees, farm houses and the occasional cow or horse

1413
01:28:52.960 --> 01:28:56.920
outside grazing. There is boring and then there is boring.

1414
01:28:57.439 --> 01:28:59.800
It's an easy drive, though, and besides picking up a

1415
01:28:59.840 --> 01:29:04.039
Chin Harry slurpee on the way, it's uneventful too. Entering

1416
01:29:04.079 --> 01:29:06.800
the city limits and I immediately feel like I have entered

1417
01:29:06.840 --> 01:29:10.920
a Charlie Brown Halloween special. This place has gone absolutely

1418
01:29:11.000 --> 01:29:14.840
all out on the season. There are pumpkins and scarecrows

1419
01:29:14.840 --> 01:29:18.000
and all sorts of window displays. I'm pretty sure I

1420
01:29:18.039 --> 01:29:21.520
saw a life size Pennywise, the clown welcoming me into

1421
01:29:21.560 --> 01:29:25.359
the jewel of upstate New York. Well, I'm sure this

1422
01:29:25.479 --> 01:29:29.520
is tax dollars well spent. Rheanne had arranged a visit

1423
01:29:29.560 --> 01:29:32.119
for me to examine the latest victim before they were

1424
01:29:32.159 --> 01:29:36.439
sent off to the funeral home. Oh joy, cadaver fresh,

1425
01:29:36.640 --> 01:29:39.239
just like Mom used to make. You Know what I

1426
01:29:39.359 --> 01:29:42.520
like about dead people. They're easy to get along with,

1427
01:29:42.960 --> 01:29:47.439
they're quiet, and they always listen. Wait, no, I take

1428
01:29:47.479 --> 01:29:50.319
that back. Most of the dead people I deal with

1429
01:29:50.359 --> 01:29:54.600
are supernaturally strong, fast, and probably have lived a few centuries,

1430
01:29:54.960 --> 01:29:58.720
and have razor sharp fangs and claws. I did, however,

1431
01:29:58.880 --> 01:30:02.199
kill one Scottish vam with an accent so thick I

1432
01:30:02.239 --> 01:30:05.560
couldn't stop laughing when he threatened me. It was like

1433
01:30:05.680 --> 01:30:09.319
killing a blood sucking version of Shrek. Wasn't so bad

1434
01:30:09.399 --> 01:30:13.600
once I unloaded one of the vampire killing shotguns into him. Still,

1435
01:30:14.000 --> 01:30:18.560
you haven't lived until you fought vampire Shrek. I still

1436
01:30:18.600 --> 01:30:22.000
giggle about that one, even though he dislocated my shoulder.

1437
01:30:22.680 --> 01:30:25.520
That's the one thing I didn't expect. I thought I

1438
01:30:25.640 --> 01:30:29.319
was invincible, or at least damned close to it. For

1439
01:30:29.359 --> 01:30:34.359
some strange reason, things like them can hurt me anything unnatural,

1440
01:30:34.920 --> 01:30:37.920
not human. I've been put in the hospital a few

1441
01:30:37.920 --> 01:30:40.279
times and even had a few close calls. I don't

1442
01:30:40.319 --> 01:30:43.399
like to remember. It's likely the only thing that puts

1443
01:30:43.439 --> 01:30:46.079
me in the ground. I'd still not want to take

1444
01:30:46.119 --> 01:30:48.800
one of the phase's energy discharges to the face, just

1445
01:30:48.840 --> 01:30:52.479
to be sure. I'm too damn pretty to die like that.

1446
01:30:53.960 --> 01:30:56.199
Driving around town and it's like I was in a

1447
01:30:56.199 --> 01:30:59.880
weird cross between Halloween Town and the wet dream of

1448
01:31:00.119 --> 01:31:04.079
a spirit Halloween executive. I eventually found the coroner's office,

1449
01:31:04.159 --> 01:31:07.279
tucked away near a cute little Dutch bakery and a

1450
01:31:07.319 --> 01:31:10.960
Mennonite furniture store. Pulled up the van to the building's

1451
01:31:11.000 --> 01:31:13.479
parking lot and grabbed my gear bag and my Federal

1452
01:31:13.520 --> 01:31:17.439
ID and my shoulder holster for my sidearm. I had

1453
01:31:17.479 --> 01:31:21.520
the absolute worst hair day when they took that photo, too.

1454
01:31:21.640 --> 01:31:23.800
They didn't seem too thrilled when I wanted to give

1455
01:31:23.920 --> 01:31:27.279
finger guns either. No one has a sense of humor

1456
01:31:27.319 --> 01:31:35.880
these days, anyway. I made my way up to the

1457
01:31:35.920 --> 01:31:39.079
door and hit the buzzer. A couple of minutes passed

1458
01:31:39.119 --> 01:31:42.279
before a board looking black gentleman approached the glass door,

1459
01:31:42.920 --> 01:31:46.800
I'm assuming this was the coroner for Hope Springs, Percy Downer.

1460
01:31:47.600 --> 01:31:49.720
He kind of looked like the guy from the John

1461
01:31:49.760 --> 01:31:52.800
Wick movies and had this quiet confidence about him. But

1462
01:31:52.840 --> 01:31:55.079
he didn't look too happy to see me when he

1463
01:31:55.119 --> 01:31:58.760
saw the ID badge on my breast pocket. Mister Downer,

1464
01:31:59.119 --> 01:32:02.600
I smiled and said through the glass door, yes, and

1465
01:32:02.720 --> 01:32:06.359
you are. He didn't return my warmth. It was gonna

1466
01:32:06.399 --> 01:32:10.119
be one of those days, wasn't it, Special Agent Carolyn Quinn,

1467
01:32:10.560 --> 01:32:14.479
Federal Bureau of Investigation. My field office should have called ahead.

1468
01:32:15.119 --> 01:32:17.319
They better have called ahead, or this was going to

1469
01:32:17.359 --> 01:32:21.000
be a fun time, fast talking mister personality over here

1470
01:32:22.079 --> 01:32:25.439
they did. Seems like a bit unusual to send an

1471
01:32:25.520 --> 01:32:28.119
FBI agent out here to examine what is clearly a

1472
01:32:28.119 --> 01:32:31.640
heart attack. I smiled back at him and even tried

1473
01:32:31.640 --> 01:32:35.199
to straighten out my breasts and try my womanly wiles

1474
01:32:35.239 --> 01:32:40.039
on him. Please work. I just want to examine the body,

1475
01:32:40.520 --> 01:32:45.119
confirm my suspicions, and actively begin my investigation and get

1476
01:32:45.159 --> 01:32:49.079
back on the road. Well, I just go where Washington

1477
01:32:49.119 --> 01:32:51.840
tells me to go. I don't imagine it'll be anything

1478
01:32:51.880 --> 01:32:54.840
too involved. I mean, if you wanted to take off

1479
01:32:54.880 --> 01:32:57.760
and grab lunch. I don't think I'll be longer than

1480
01:32:57.800 --> 01:33:01.199
an hour. He frowned when I said take off for lunch.

1481
01:33:01.880 --> 01:33:04.439
This was the kind of guy who liked his workspace

1482
01:33:04.760 --> 01:33:09.760
and didn't appreciate outsiders interfering in his little corner. Look,

1483
01:33:09.800 --> 01:33:13.600
Agent Quinn, there isn't anything to see here. Mister Carey's

1484
01:33:13.640 --> 01:33:16.800
son has already had me do the initial autopsy, and

1485
01:33:16.880 --> 01:33:20.199
I found nothing out of the ordinary. I'm starting to

1486
01:33:20.239 --> 01:33:24.279
lose my patience and any potential head start. I'm relatively

1487
01:33:24.319 --> 01:33:26.840
sure that the bloodsucker doesn't know I'm in town yet.

1488
01:33:27.239 --> 01:33:30.000
I'm also not wearing a giant neon sign that says

1489
01:33:30.319 --> 01:33:34.239
vampire killer either, so I probably have the element of

1490
01:33:34.279 --> 01:33:38.079
surprise so far. Mister Downer, if you want me to

1491
01:33:38.079 --> 01:33:40.319
call the field office and make this a whole thing,

1492
01:33:40.439 --> 01:33:43.479
I can do that, but I'd really rather not. So

1493
01:33:43.600 --> 01:33:45.439
why don't we just let each other get out of

1494
01:33:45.439 --> 01:33:48.520
each other's way and let me do my job. Let

1495
01:33:48.520 --> 01:33:50.680
me make it interesting to you. Why don't you go

1496
01:33:50.720 --> 01:33:53.039
out to lunch on Uncle Sam's tab and invoice the

1497
01:33:53.079 --> 01:33:56.960
field office on my authorization. Just don't break the bank. Okay.

1498
01:33:57.840 --> 01:34:01.239
His demeanor changed when I said charge it to the government.

1499
01:34:02.199 --> 01:34:04.479
I probably won't get into too much trouble. I mean,

1500
01:34:05.079 --> 01:34:08.239
how much could the guy realistically eat and drink? Why

1501
01:34:08.279 --> 01:34:10.439
don't you take your lab in turn with you. I

1502
01:34:10.479 --> 01:34:13.079
think your name is Michelle. Right, go out, have a

1503
01:34:13.119 --> 01:34:15.199
great lunch and a few drinks, and I'll call you

1504
01:34:15.239 --> 01:34:18.840
when it's time to come back and lock up. Fine,

1505
01:34:19.359 --> 01:34:22.319
I'll get miss Crawford and we'll be down at hitch Steakhouse.

1506
01:34:22.680 --> 01:34:26.319
You have my number, I nodded. I think you could tell.

1507
01:34:26.359 --> 01:34:28.399
I just wanted to get this over with as quickly

1508
01:34:28.439 --> 01:34:30.960
as I could. He opened the door and led me

1509
01:34:31.000 --> 01:34:33.840
to the mortuary and his lockers all sealed up tight.

1510
01:34:34.640 --> 01:34:37.640
Downer gestured toward a series of slabs near the middle

1511
01:34:37.720 --> 01:34:41.159
row and said I'd find my guest in locker three.

1512
01:34:42.279 --> 01:34:44.479
I noticed there was a lot of blood on the

1513
01:34:44.520 --> 01:34:49.199
examination tables, and some looked fairly fresh. The Bureau thanks

1514
01:34:49.239 --> 01:34:54.119
you for your assistance and cooperation in this matter. Agent Quinn.

1515
01:34:55.159 --> 01:34:59.079
Please do not disturb the lower row. Those ladies came

1516
01:34:59.119 --> 01:35:00.880
in this morning, and I I haven't had a chance

1517
01:35:00.920 --> 01:35:04.000
to properly do anything with them. They didn't come in

1518
01:35:04.079 --> 01:35:09.920
a very pleasant or complete manner. Gross I waited a

1519
01:35:09.960 --> 01:35:12.680
few minutes while Downer and his assistant left the morgue

1520
01:35:12.680 --> 01:35:16.279
and I was alone with my new friends. All right,

1521
01:35:16.399 --> 01:35:18.239
let's get to work and see what we got here.

1522
01:35:19.000 --> 01:35:21.439
I slide open the drawer where my first guest of

1523
01:35:21.479 --> 01:35:24.920
honor is supposed to be. According to what Rhianne sent me,

1524
01:35:25.000 --> 01:35:29.039
this was Phil Carey, age eighty nine. His naked body

1525
01:35:29.119 --> 01:35:31.960
was stark white, as most corpses are, and it would

1526
01:35:32.000 --> 01:35:34.520
have been nothing out of the ordinary, except if you

1527
01:35:34.600 --> 01:35:37.960
knew what to look for. A lot of newer vampires

1528
01:35:38.000 --> 01:35:41.800
took blood from unusual places, and this one was no different.

1529
01:35:42.560 --> 01:35:45.920
There was a small set of puncture wounds behind his

1530
01:35:46.079 --> 01:35:48.960
right knee. It was pretty easy to miss due to

1531
01:35:49.000 --> 01:35:52.479
the scar tissue back there, suggesting he'd probably had knee

1532
01:35:52.479 --> 01:35:55.359
surgery or some kind of an injury when he was younger.

1533
01:35:56.079 --> 01:35:59.079
I kept looking over the body with my examination gloves

1534
01:35:59.119 --> 01:36:02.439
and gently turned over the old man, well as gently

1535
01:36:02.479 --> 01:36:06.199
as I could. Old guy wasn't exactly heavy, but for

1536
01:36:06.239 --> 01:36:09.680
some reason I was having a hard time moving. The

1537
01:36:09.720 --> 01:36:12.640
body seemed not as stiff as I was expecting either,

1538
01:36:13.359 --> 01:36:17.560
almost like rigor mortis hadn't totally set in. What in

1539
01:36:17.640 --> 01:36:20.760
the fuck? I turned away for a second to grab

1540
01:36:20.800 --> 01:36:23.399
my phone and maybe call Rihanne and see what else

1541
01:36:23.520 --> 01:36:25.640
was pulled up in that lab report that I missed.

1542
01:36:26.279 --> 01:36:31.680
This guy shouldn't be this uh fresh, This is so weird.

1543
01:36:32.520 --> 01:36:36.479
No sooner did I think that, than something absolutely unearthly

1544
01:36:36.640 --> 01:36:41.279
split the room with a ear shattering howl. The sound

1545
01:36:41.439 --> 01:36:44.039
vibrated off of every surface and seemed to rattle my

1546
01:36:44.079 --> 01:36:46.119
ear drums in my head, and I couldn't get my

1547
01:36:46.159 --> 01:36:48.840
bearings for a second, as it was like someone set

1548
01:36:48.880 --> 01:36:52.079
off a flash bang right next to my face. The

1549
01:36:52.119 --> 01:36:54.720
body of Phil Carey sat straight up on the slab

1550
01:36:54.800 --> 01:36:57.720
and looked right at me. I froze for a second.

1551
01:36:58.239 --> 01:37:02.039
I'd never seen a new vampire animate before. The old

1552
01:37:02.079 --> 01:37:05.239
man looked confused as the scream emitted from his cracked,

1553
01:37:05.239 --> 01:37:08.840
cold lips. He looked wildly around the room and locked

1554
01:37:08.840 --> 01:37:13.960
onto me in terror, panic, and something else I can't describe.

1555
01:37:14.159 --> 01:37:17.000
Did he want help? What did you do to me?

1556
01:37:17.600 --> 01:37:20.640
The man screamed. I reached into my jacket and tried

1557
01:37:20.720 --> 01:37:24.119
unlatching my side arm, a specialty nine millimeters pistol with

1558
01:37:24.199 --> 01:37:29.079
silver bullets. Okay, it's game time. The old man looked

1559
01:37:29.119 --> 01:37:31.680
down at the y incision in his chest and he

1560
01:37:31.760 --> 01:37:35.680
started screaming again, and this time there was pain, rage,

1561
01:37:35.760 --> 01:37:38.960
and sadness. As he cried out. I held my ground.

1562
01:37:39.319 --> 01:37:42.000
His body started to change and morph into his new

1563
01:37:42.239 --> 01:37:47.239
un life. Soon mister Carey would have enhanced strength, armor

1564
01:37:47.399 --> 01:37:51.359
like skin, and even wings if he wanted. His fingernails

1565
01:37:51.359 --> 01:37:54.439
grew into nasty looking claws, and he started cutting into

1566
01:37:54.439 --> 01:37:57.199
his own chest and started pulling out his own guts

1567
01:37:57.239 --> 01:38:00.720
through the fresh incision on his chest. What the fuck

1568
01:38:00.760 --> 01:38:03.000
are you doing? I blurted out as I level my

1569
01:38:03.039 --> 01:38:06.359
weapon at his head. He kept screaming and started pulling

1570
01:38:06.359 --> 01:38:09.840
his chest open, and eventually his entrails were everywhere, but

1571
01:38:09.960 --> 01:38:14.760
he still was alive. I guess blood and viscera and

1572
01:38:14.800 --> 01:38:18.039
everything that was inside was now on the outside. I

1573
01:38:18.119 --> 01:38:24.039
steeled myself and pulled the trigger one, two, three. I

1574
01:38:24.119 --> 01:38:26.800
put three rounds into his head and he stopped screaming.

1575
01:38:26.800 --> 01:38:30.159
After his head exploded like a watermelon filled with firecrackers,

1576
01:38:30.800 --> 01:38:33.359
the body fell off the examination table and into a

1577
01:38:33.399 --> 01:38:36.479
pile of blood, gore, and what was left of his head.

1578
01:38:37.079 --> 01:38:39.960
I put another two rounds into his heart, just to

1579
01:38:40.000 --> 01:38:44.760
be sure. Always double tap the heart or completely incinerate

1580
01:38:44.800 --> 01:38:48.279
the torso usually you take out the head and the

1581
01:38:48.319 --> 01:38:53.720
heart and it'll stop him. Usually, Okay, never seen that before.

1582
01:38:54.239 --> 01:38:58.119
That was new and fucking terrifying. I stopped for a

1583
01:38:58.199 --> 01:39:01.039
second and look around the carnage, and it's one of

1584
01:39:01.079 --> 01:39:04.199
the worst places I've ever been to. I was at

1585
01:39:04.239 --> 01:39:08.039
the vampire Nest in twenty eighteen in Boston, and that

1586
01:39:08.199 --> 01:39:10.920
was messed up and even the soupers won't talk about it.

1587
01:39:11.439 --> 01:39:16.199
Blood gore and missing limbs, dead agents. That was the day.

1588
01:39:16.239 --> 01:39:19.960
That Nightshade lost her eyes when the vampire Lord stuck

1589
01:39:20.000 --> 01:39:24.520
his claws into her face. That's a sound you never forget.

1590
01:39:25.399 --> 01:39:27.520
One of the worst days we ever suffered as a

1591
01:39:27.560 --> 01:39:32.479
task force, but we won. I guess thirty of us,

1592
01:39:32.520 --> 01:39:35.840
including a few soupers, went in. Only seven of us

1593
01:39:35.880 --> 01:39:39.079
came back out alive or close enough to not be

1594
01:39:39.199 --> 01:39:42.279
considered a casualty. I start to catch my breath and

1595
01:39:42.359 --> 01:39:45.520
I can hear banging and muffled screams coming from inside

1596
01:39:45.560 --> 01:39:50.119
the freezers. You've gotta be fucking shitting me. There's more

1597
01:39:50.159 --> 01:39:53.000
of these things. I'm in a goddamn nest with no

1598
01:39:53.119 --> 01:39:55.600
backup and not nearly enough AMMO on me to do

1599
01:39:55.640 --> 01:39:58.199
the job. All my specialty stuff is in the van

1600
01:39:58.279 --> 01:40:02.560
and locked up. But I'm not invincible, and I'm certainly

1601
01:40:02.560 --> 01:40:05.760
not equipped to deal with this by myself. Time to

1602
01:40:05.800 --> 01:40:10.880
go Downer had said the new bodies didn't come in intact.

1603
01:40:11.399 --> 01:40:14.439
I can use that to my advantage. If they reanimate

1604
01:40:14.479 --> 01:40:17.000
without all their limbs, then maybe I wouldn't be dealing

1605
01:40:17.000 --> 01:40:21.159
with the Golden Ghules at full power. Okay, grannies, I

1606
01:40:21.199 --> 01:40:24.760
have an idea hold that thought. I'll be right back.

1607
01:40:25.640 --> 01:40:28.399
I ran into the morgue and then right outside into

1608
01:40:28.439 --> 01:40:32.199
the now pouring rain, and straight into my van, tossing

1609
01:40:32.279 --> 01:40:34.960
open the doors and into the secured compartment by my

1610
01:40:35.079 --> 01:40:38.760
tiny fridge. They say that happiness is a warm gun,

1611
01:40:39.279 --> 01:40:44.359
and in this particular instance, happiness and security was delivered

1612
01:40:44.359 --> 01:40:47.439
by a top of the line paranormal defense contractor and

1613
01:40:47.520 --> 01:40:51.960
an alleged coven of witches from Salem. All right, motherfuckers,

1614
01:40:52.600 --> 01:40:56.079
I grab Sweet Baby Jane, my custom automatic twelve gage

1615
01:40:56.079 --> 01:40:59.479
shotgun with a carbon fiber finish with pink highlights and

1616
01:40:59.520 --> 01:41:03.039
a laser sight buckshot with silver and some other stuff

1617
01:41:03.039 --> 01:41:06.039
that I don't totally understand, but all I know it

1618
01:41:06.079 --> 01:41:09.920
turns the undead into Swiss cheese. All I know right

1619
01:41:09.960 --> 01:41:13.880
now is that baby Jane is hungry. The big surprise, though,

1620
01:41:13.920 --> 01:41:17.479
doesn't so much go boom as it goes pop. The

1621
01:41:17.520 --> 01:41:22.520
real piece of hardware I came for ultraviolet grenades. Those

1622
01:41:22.560 --> 01:41:26.439
same DoD eggheads developed a way to deliver a concentrated

1623
01:41:26.479 --> 01:41:30.520
blast of ultraviolet energy in a small package, no bigger

1624
01:41:30.560 --> 01:41:33.760
than a pack of smokes. These things could really fuck

1625
01:41:33.840 --> 01:41:36.159
up a bloodsucker's day if you could get them in

1626
01:41:36.239 --> 01:41:39.159
an enclosed area and you didn't mind risking the chance

1627
01:41:39.199 --> 01:41:43.880
of going blind and maybe contracting cancer. Walk back inside

1628
01:41:43.920 --> 01:41:46.279
the mortuary and I can hear the banging of the

1629
01:41:46.399 --> 01:41:50.560
undead against the steel coolers and the occasional confused yelp.

1630
01:41:51.119 --> 01:41:54.239
I slide around into the shotguns chamber and make my

1631
01:41:54.319 --> 01:41:59.359
way back into the examination room. Move forward slowly, cautiously,

1632
01:41:59.720 --> 01:42:02.720
and be ready to unload hell into whatever face decides

1633
01:42:02.760 --> 01:42:06.479
to come up and say hello. Good news is that

1634
01:42:06.520 --> 01:42:09.039
they don't know how to break the seal on the lockers,

1635
01:42:09.439 --> 01:42:13.319
and for now I have the element of surprise. Creeping

1636
01:42:13.399 --> 01:42:16.199
up the first locker, I can hear whatever is inside

1637
01:42:16.239 --> 01:42:20.159
just absolutely freaking out, as much as a part of

1638
01:42:20.199 --> 01:42:22.720
me is afraid on some level for getting my throat

1639
01:42:22.800 --> 01:42:25.279
ripped out by b Arthur. Here there is a bit

1640
01:42:25.319 --> 01:42:28.680
of a sadistic joy crawling through my body. I sling

1641
01:42:28.720 --> 01:42:30.680
the shotgun at my side and grip one of the

1642
01:42:30.720 --> 01:42:34.399
small black UV grenades and inch my way towards the

1643
01:42:34.439 --> 01:42:38.399
cooler trick or treat, I say, as I open the

1644
01:42:38.439 --> 01:42:41.199
door and quickly pull the pin and throw the small

1645
01:42:41.239 --> 01:42:45.640
device inside and seal the door once again. An audible

1646
01:42:45.720 --> 01:42:50.399
voice exclaims what A second later, a brilliant flash and

1647
01:42:50.399 --> 01:42:53.760
the satisfying thump of a contained detonation within a confined

1648
01:42:53.800 --> 01:42:57.960
space are music to my ears. That's two dead vampires

1649
01:42:58.239 --> 01:43:01.439
and it's not even lunchtime yet. You could call this

1650
01:43:01.600 --> 01:43:05.399
a kill streak, couldn't you? Not bad? But no time

1651
01:43:05.439 --> 01:43:08.640
to get sloppy. The screeching sound of steel being torn

1652
01:43:08.680 --> 01:43:11.239
from its moorings fills the room as the second undead

1653
01:43:11.279 --> 01:43:14.039
Grandma makes her way out of her makeshift tomb. The

1654
01:43:14.079 --> 01:43:16.840
steel door flies off across the room and embeds itself

1655
01:43:16.880 --> 01:43:19.720
in the wall by the entrance. Downer isn't going to

1656
01:43:19.760 --> 01:43:22.560
be happy with what I did to his workspace. In

1657
01:43:22.640 --> 01:43:26.600
my defense, they started it. The blood at least adds

1658
01:43:26.600 --> 01:43:30.680
some color, So there's that. The creature started clawing its

1659
01:43:30.720 --> 01:43:33.600
way out of the locker, and its twisted aged face

1660
01:43:33.680 --> 01:43:38.159
emerged with a furious rage, and it locked eyes with me. Normally,

1661
01:43:38.279 --> 01:43:41.319
this would be absolutely terrifying to come face to face

1662
01:43:41.359 --> 01:43:44.680
with an undead vampiric horror, but when it's an undead

1663
01:43:44.760 --> 01:43:48.159
vampiric horror of a bingo lady in her late seventies,

1664
01:43:48.640 --> 01:43:51.720
it loses a little bit of the fear factor. She

1665
01:43:51.840 --> 01:43:53.920
was still a threat to me due to her newly

1666
01:43:54.000 --> 01:43:57.960
unleashed strength and speed and toughness, but if I'm lucky,

1667
01:43:58.279 --> 01:44:00.960
she'd be like a baby elephant how to walk for

1668
01:44:01.000 --> 01:44:05.079
the first time and be clumsy. Fortunately she hadn't been

1669
01:44:05.159 --> 01:44:07.560
undressed yet, so I didn't have to witness something that

1670
01:44:07.680 --> 01:44:10.600
could have seared my eyes out. The creature fell out

1671
01:44:10.600 --> 01:44:13.520
of the locker and onto the cold floor and started

1672
01:44:13.520 --> 01:44:17.039
to transform into her new unlife before my very eyes.

1673
01:44:17.560 --> 01:44:21.039
Bones snapped into new places, a pair of thin, bony

1674
01:44:21.079 --> 01:44:24.039
wings started to form and unfurl from her back and

1675
01:44:24.159 --> 01:44:28.319
tear from her little blue nightgown, and finally, her skin

1676
01:44:28.479 --> 01:44:31.439
started to take on an ashen gray shade as it

1677
01:44:31.520 --> 01:44:35.840
solidified into an armor like hide. I've never seen a

1678
01:44:35.880 --> 01:44:38.960
new vampire gain so many of its new abilities so

1679
01:44:39.119 --> 01:44:43.119
quickly after reanimating. This was something new, and this was

1680
01:44:43.159 --> 01:44:46.479
definitely something I wasn't quite expecting so early on a

1681
01:44:46.520 --> 01:44:49.760
Friday morning. The grenades wouldn't do a lot since the

1682
01:44:49.840 --> 01:44:52.760
space was too open unless I landed it right on

1683
01:44:52.800 --> 01:44:57.199
her shoulder, so that was out for the time being. Immediately,

1684
01:44:57.319 --> 01:45:00.159
without really thinking about it, I had Baby Jane back

1685
01:45:00.199 --> 01:45:03.359
in my arms and ready to unleash Hell upon this fiend.

1686
01:45:04.159 --> 01:45:07.000
The old lady unfurled her new wings and stretched them

1687
01:45:07.000 --> 01:45:10.760
out and knocked over several tables of supplies. She looked

1688
01:45:10.800 --> 01:45:13.960
amazed at her new body and didn't seem too phazed

1689
01:45:14.039 --> 01:45:18.520
that she was now among the planet's paranormal population. I

1690
01:45:18.560 --> 01:45:21.600
aimed the shotgun at her, and immediately its green laser

1691
01:45:21.680 --> 01:45:24.640
engaged and painted a picture on the center of her mass.

1692
01:45:25.359 --> 01:45:27.600
She didn't seem to take notice of the six foot

1693
01:45:27.640 --> 01:45:31.079
blonde federal agent aiming a fully automatic shotgun at her.

1694
01:45:31.479 --> 01:45:34.199
She extended her arms forward and started looking at her

1695
01:45:34.239 --> 01:45:38.119
new hands, which had now formed into wicked, long sickle

1696
01:45:38.239 --> 01:45:41.279
like claws. I racked the slide and made sure that

1697
01:45:41.319 --> 01:45:44.600
it was ready to sing that twelve gage buckshot showtune.

1698
01:45:45.119 --> 01:45:48.600
As soon as the slide clicked, the creature's eyes immediately

1699
01:45:48.720 --> 01:45:53.279
narrowed and focused on me. We both held tents at

1700
01:45:53.319 --> 01:45:55.880
the standoff here in the Hope Springs Morgue, and not

1701
01:45:56.039 --> 01:45:59.119
one made a move or sound. The only sound we

1702
01:45:59.119 --> 01:46:02.000
could both hear was an ancient wall clock that was

1703
01:46:02.039 --> 01:46:05.600
suspended above the lockers, and it was clicking up towards

1704
01:46:05.640 --> 01:46:11.119
noon eleven fifty nine. The second hand was swinging around

1705
01:46:11.159 --> 01:46:14.079
towards the bottom, and the last thirty seconds of the

1706
01:46:14.119 --> 01:46:18.239
morning was counting down. The old lady opened her mouth

1707
01:46:18.279 --> 01:46:21.000
with her new fangs and drooled as she smiled at me.

1708
01:46:21.640 --> 01:46:24.159
I smiled back at her, part of it to relieve

1709
01:46:24.239 --> 01:46:26.359
the tension I was feeling in my own body, and

1710
01:46:26.439 --> 01:46:29.119
part of it was hoping it would unnerve her a

1711
01:46:29.279 --> 01:46:32.399
touch as to why I was being so confident. She

1712
01:46:32.479 --> 01:46:36.920
didn't seem phazed by my bravado or the shotgun. Twenty

1713
01:46:36.960 --> 01:46:40.600
seconds left, she took a step towards me and tore

1714
01:46:40.640 --> 01:46:43.520
off what remained of her blue nightgown and growled at me.

1715
01:46:44.119 --> 01:46:48.319
I stood my ground. Are you prepared to die, young lady?

1716
01:46:49.199 --> 01:46:52.960
I grinned and tightened my grip and slowly prepared to

1717
01:46:53.000 --> 01:46:58.039
squeeze the trigger on my weapon. Not today. Fifteen seconds

1718
01:46:58.399 --> 01:47:01.359
she took another step towards me, and now less than

1719
01:47:01.399 --> 01:47:04.640
ten feet separated us, and I swear she grew another

1720
01:47:04.640 --> 01:47:07.479
two feet in height as she took that single stride.

1721
01:47:07.840 --> 01:47:12.039
Ten seconds Wait for it, I thought, she leaped at

1722
01:47:12.039 --> 01:47:15.079
me with a supernatural speed and swiftness, and threw her

1723
01:47:15.239 --> 01:47:19.880
entire body forward and her claws reaching for me. Showtime

1724
01:47:19.960 --> 01:47:23.800
as the clock struck noon. Part of my abilities, besides

1725
01:47:23.840 --> 01:47:26.600
being tough, is that I'm also as quick as most

1726
01:47:26.600 --> 01:47:30.000
of the night creatures themselves, if I can judge things right.

1727
01:47:31.439 --> 01:47:34.760
This time, my luck paid off as I suspected it would.

1728
01:47:35.159 --> 01:47:37.560
I twisted my body at the last second and let

1729
01:47:37.600 --> 01:47:41.199
her fly right past me and crash into the workstation behind.

1730
01:47:41.840 --> 01:47:44.720
As the old woman flew past and crashed into the

1731
01:47:44.720 --> 01:47:47.840
equipment as well, I fired off a few rounds from

1732
01:47:47.880 --> 01:47:51.840
the shotgun. Two quick succession blasts erupted from the weapon

1733
01:47:51.880 --> 01:47:56.279
and shredded her new wings into confetti. These particular shotgun

1734
01:47:56.399 --> 01:48:00.920
rounds were particularly nasty too, as those said defense contractors

1735
01:48:00.960 --> 01:48:04.600
decided to pack something a little extra besides the magic

1736
01:48:04.640 --> 01:48:09.840
adjacent mojo into them magnesium pellets and silver and enchanted

1737
01:48:09.880 --> 01:48:13.920
pellet shards, dragon's breath shotgun shells with a little bit

1738
01:48:13.960 --> 01:48:17.039
extra The rounds lit her up and she was doused

1739
01:48:17.039 --> 01:48:20.880
and flamed as well. The monster yelped in pain and

1740
01:48:20.920 --> 01:48:24.399
surprise as her armored hide didn't have an answer to

1741
01:48:24.439 --> 01:48:27.439
that little one. It didn't seem to slow her down much,

1742
01:48:27.439 --> 01:48:30.119
as she quickly got to her feet for yet another attack.

1743
01:48:30.560 --> 01:48:32.760
This time, I wasn't so quick, and I got the

1744
01:48:32.800 --> 01:48:35.880
full force of this creature barreling into me with tremendous

1745
01:48:36.039 --> 01:48:39.399
and unexpected force. The blow knocked the wind out of

1746
01:48:39.399 --> 01:48:41.560
me and sent my weapon from my hands across the

1747
01:48:41.640 --> 01:48:45.079
room and under an examination table. I was knocked against

1748
01:48:45.079 --> 01:48:48.199
a steel table and left gasping for air. The old

1749
01:48:48.239 --> 01:48:51.039
woman delivered another sucker punch into my gut, and I

1750
01:48:51.079 --> 01:48:53.760
doubled over in pain and was left gasping for air.

1751
01:48:54.640 --> 01:49:02.439
I'm in trouble here, guys. The monster grabbed a hold

1752
01:49:02.479 --> 01:49:04.800
of my head and started raising it up to her

1753
01:49:04.840 --> 01:49:08.520
face directly. Her grip was powerful and would not be

1754
01:49:08.640 --> 01:49:13.880
easily broken. I said, are you prepared to die? She

1755
01:49:14.039 --> 01:49:17.920
hissed at me, through her fangs. She started squeezing my head,

1756
01:49:17.920 --> 01:49:20.000
and I could feel things start to go black and

1757
01:49:20.079 --> 01:49:23.239
my consciousness start to fade. She was gonna knock me

1758
01:49:23.319 --> 01:49:26.880
out before she likely tore me apart limb from limb.

1759
01:49:27.520 --> 01:49:31.520
This old bitch isn't exactly playing fair. Well. I don't

1760
01:49:31.560 --> 01:49:34.119
have to play fair either. I thrust my arms up

1761
01:49:34.119 --> 01:49:37.039
between hers and tried to force them apart from squeezing

1762
01:49:37.079 --> 01:49:40.199
me further. I just got enough force together to loosen

1763
01:49:40.199 --> 01:49:42.560
her grip and knock her hands free from my head.

1764
01:49:43.239 --> 01:49:46.119
I started raining blows upon her face and just let

1765
01:49:46.119 --> 01:49:48.880
fly every bit of anger, rage, and even a bit

1766
01:49:48.920 --> 01:49:51.119
of fear that I'd built up over the course of

1767
01:49:51.119 --> 01:49:55.640
our confrontation. My fist kept connecting against her skull and

1768
01:49:55.680 --> 01:49:58.800
blood kept flying out, And while she kept trying to

1769
01:49:58.880 --> 01:50:01.720
dodge and hold back my my assault, she didn't stand

1770
01:50:01.760 --> 01:50:05.640
a chance. I felt my fists crushed the bones in

1771
01:50:05.680 --> 01:50:08.560
her face as her skull began to disintegrate under me.

1772
01:50:09.239 --> 01:50:11.720
I had her pinned against a table, and she had

1773
01:50:11.760 --> 01:50:15.640
nowhere to run and couldn't fly. This thing was at

1774
01:50:15.680 --> 01:50:18.680
my mercy, and today was not a day to expect

1775
01:50:18.720 --> 01:50:22.479
mercy from someone you just tried to murder. I hit

1776
01:50:22.520 --> 01:50:24.920
her until there was nothing left of her head and

1777
01:50:25.000 --> 01:50:27.560
left the body to hit the floor in a bloody pile.

1778
01:50:28.000 --> 01:50:31.600
After what seemed like forever, I left the body in

1779
01:50:31.640 --> 01:50:35.159
a disgusting heap of meat in a corner and retrieved

1780
01:50:35.159 --> 01:50:40.479
my weapons. Wait, gotta make sure, and it's probably overkill.

1781
01:50:41.199 --> 01:50:43.680
I grabbed one of the UV grenades I had left

1782
01:50:43.760 --> 01:50:46.640
and put it inside what remained of her torso and

1783
01:50:46.720 --> 01:50:52.199
pulled the pin and quickly left the room. Boom. Cool

1784
01:50:52.279 --> 01:50:55.560
kids don't look back at explosions. Now. I can add

1785
01:50:55.600 --> 01:50:58.640
that to my list of cool action movie things I've

1786
01:50:58.720 --> 01:51:02.359
done and I will ever tell anyone about because they'll

1787
01:51:02.399 --> 01:51:07.359
never believe me. Nope, keep walking. Emerging outside in the

1788
01:51:07.359 --> 01:51:10.680
cold October rain was refreshing, as it not only washed

1789
01:51:10.680 --> 01:51:14.119
off the blood and gore of the last encounter, but

1790
01:51:14.319 --> 01:51:17.920
was oddly refreshing too. I stood outside in the rain

1791
01:51:18.000 --> 01:51:20.760
and just let the adrenaline of the melee wash over me.

1792
01:51:22.199 --> 01:51:27.199
I needed to relax, but too bad, I don't smoke anymore. Finally,

1793
01:51:27.279 --> 01:51:30.560
the combat rush was over and my breathing returned to normal.

1794
01:51:31.560 --> 01:51:34.000
This was gonna be a problem, and probably one that

1795
01:51:34.079 --> 01:51:37.520
a single troubleshooter won't be able to handle on her own.

1796
01:51:38.079 --> 01:51:41.079
I'm gonna need help, and there's probably no way around this.

1797
01:51:41.840 --> 01:51:43.920
You call for help in a situation like this, and

1798
01:51:43.960 --> 01:51:47.359
it's going one of two ways. You're either overreacting and

1799
01:51:47.399 --> 01:51:51.199
it's fine, or end up with a situation like Boston

1800
01:51:51.800 --> 01:51:54.560
and it's one step away from calling in the proverbial

1801
01:51:54.640 --> 01:51:57.960
air strike and a room of old white dudes looking

1802
01:51:58.000 --> 01:52:01.159
for a reason to enact the Cradle of Liberty protocol.

1803
01:52:01.960 --> 01:52:05.560
Cradle of Liberty was basically the nuclear option for all threats,

1804
01:52:05.960 --> 01:52:09.640
super and paranormal, and had only ever been deployed once

1805
01:52:09.720 --> 01:52:12.960
since the seventies. You used it when you had absolutely

1806
01:52:13.079 --> 01:52:18.119
zero choice, and collateral damage wasn't a primary concern. Survival was,

1807
01:52:18.399 --> 01:52:20.640
and the cost would be paid, and it didn't matter

1808
01:52:20.680 --> 01:52:23.840
how it was accomplished. No one alive today would talk

1809
01:52:23.880 --> 01:52:27.039
about what it would entail, but we all knew that

1810
01:52:27.119 --> 01:52:30.199
it was the last possible option, and no one wanted

1811
01:52:30.239 --> 01:52:33.159
to be the one to sanction its use. I thought

1812
01:52:33.199 --> 01:52:35.159
I had it figured out and this was not a

1813
01:52:35.279 --> 01:52:41.039
vampire nest, but instead some new undead douche being greedy.

1814
01:52:41.119 --> 01:52:43.560
It seems that I may be wrong. If the last

1815
01:52:43.640 --> 01:52:48.840
encounter was any indication of what's going on. Super vampires

1816
01:52:48.880 --> 01:52:51.279
are on the loose and this town is ground zero,

1817
01:52:51.439 --> 01:52:55.119
or something much much worse is on the horizon. I

1818
01:52:55.159 --> 01:52:57.960
don't like what I'm seeing here, and something is definitely

1819
01:52:58.000 --> 01:53:01.560
not adding up like it should. I'm pretty fucking terrible

1820
01:53:01.600 --> 01:53:04.199
at math, but I sure as shit know that two

1821
01:53:04.199 --> 01:53:09.000
plus two ain't ten. I don't like this. Remember why

1822
01:53:09.000 --> 01:53:14.600
you're doing this, Quinn? Two weeks paid vacation. Oh yeah,

1823
01:53:14.640 --> 01:53:18.760
and saving the world or some shit. I made a

1824
01:53:18.800 --> 01:53:21.840
call first to Rheanne and let her know that I

1825
01:53:21.920 --> 01:53:25.439
was probably in over my pretty little head. I wasn't

1826
01:53:25.439 --> 01:53:28.079
too thrilled to call the FEDS, but they'd have a solution,

1827
01:53:28.239 --> 01:53:32.520
and at least Rheanne was a calming influence. She always

1828
01:53:32.600 --> 01:53:34.760
knew what to say to talk me down off the ledge,

1829
01:53:34.760 --> 01:53:37.039
and it didn't hurt that she sounded cute when she

1830
01:53:37.279 --> 01:53:42.119
was concerned about me. I miss her. The second call

1831
01:53:42.239 --> 01:53:45.520
was a little harder to make. I called the Department,

1832
01:53:45.920 --> 01:53:50.119
which is code for the Department of Paranormal Resources, a

1833
01:53:50.199 --> 01:53:54.159
subset of the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. Layers

1834
01:53:54.239 --> 01:53:58.319
upon layers upon layers of bureaucracy, but also they had

1835
01:53:58.359 --> 01:54:03.319
resources and people that you're average, gifted or troubleshooter didn't

1836
01:54:03.319 --> 01:54:06.439
have access to. I was told to sit tight and

1837
01:54:06.479 --> 01:54:10.920
hold my position while they assessed the situation and confer

1838
01:54:11.119 --> 01:54:16.560
with partners within paranormal research and defense. Great, I get

1839
01:54:16.600 --> 01:54:19.079
to cool my jets in the middle of vampire City.

1840
01:54:20.279 --> 01:54:22.439
I got lucky and a cleanup crew was at the

1841
01:54:22.439 --> 01:54:26.239
Hope Springs Corner office within an hour, and Percy Downer

1842
01:54:26.359 --> 01:54:30.279
was offered a generous payout for his silence and a

1843
01:54:30.319 --> 01:54:35.199
two week vacation. Must be nice, though odds are he'll

1844
01:54:35.199 --> 01:54:38.920
be sent to Langley for an extensive debrief and probably

1845
01:54:38.960 --> 01:54:41.760
psychic mind probe to see if he knows more than

1846
01:54:41.800 --> 01:54:45.199
what he's letting on. Guy like that is probably next

1847
01:54:45.279 --> 01:54:48.760
level boring. Then again, I didn't expect to fight a

1848
01:54:48.800 --> 01:54:52.880
retirement home in a morgue, so who knows enjoy Virginia.

1849
01:54:53.960 --> 01:54:56.399
I drove away from the Corner's office and pulled up

1850
01:54:56.439 --> 01:54:59.359
in a nearby hotel and booked a room. It had

1851
01:54:59.399 --> 01:55:02.079
only been a few hours since the confrontation. In my

1852
01:55:02.199 --> 01:55:05.399
mind wasn't ready to let go of what happened. The

1853
01:55:05.479 --> 01:55:08.279
thing that bothered me the most is how quickly those

1854
01:55:08.319 --> 01:55:11.920
things moved and how quickly they reanimated into their new

1855
01:55:12.000 --> 01:55:15.920
un life. The real question that bothered me is why

1856
01:55:15.960 --> 01:55:20.359
didn't this happen before with the other victims. Why was

1857
01:55:20.399 --> 01:55:23.920
this happening now? There has to be a reason for it.

1858
01:55:24.479 --> 01:55:26.960
Was there a new vampire lord attempting to make a

1859
01:55:27.039 --> 01:55:30.840
nest in this town? How does the superpowered angle figure

1860
01:55:30.880 --> 01:55:34.880
into it? Was someone or worse something creating a vampire

1861
01:55:35.000 --> 01:55:38.800
super hybrid? What in the hell was happening in Hope Springs,

1862
01:55:38.840 --> 01:55:43.640
New York. I laid down in the hotel's uncomfortable bed

1863
01:55:43.680 --> 01:55:46.079
and put my head down on the pillow and felt

1864
01:55:46.159 --> 01:55:50.239
every bump and bruise from today's encounter. My wounds would

1865
01:55:50.279 --> 01:55:53.760
heal by mourning, but still, that old lady tossed me

1866
01:55:53.800 --> 01:55:56.680
around pretty good. And if I hadn't gotten a lucky break,

1867
01:55:57.079 --> 01:55:59.640
I'm sure she'd be picking me out of her fangs

1868
01:55:59.720 --> 01:56:04.239
right now now. I could have died today. I got lucky,

1869
01:56:05.159 --> 01:56:09.159
or I got sloppy. Drifting off to a strange and

1870
01:56:09.279 --> 01:56:13.039
unusual sleep, I passed out and had nightmares all night.

1871
01:56:14.279 --> 01:56:17.840
The following morning, I was awakened by my phone ringing

1872
01:56:17.880 --> 01:56:21.439
off the hook and about thirty missed calls. I tried

1873
01:56:21.439 --> 01:56:23.720
to get my eyes to focus on the tiny screen

1874
01:56:23.800 --> 01:56:27.960
and see who had called. It was Rheanne. I called

1875
01:56:27.960 --> 01:56:30.840
her back, and immediately I knew something was wrong from

1876
01:56:30.880 --> 01:56:33.840
the second she answered the other line. Where the hell

1877
01:56:33.840 --> 01:56:36.640
have you been? I've been trying to call you all night?

1878
01:56:36.640 --> 01:56:38.840
Are you okay? Are you all right? What the hell

1879
01:56:38.920 --> 01:56:42.680
happened to you? I tried to sound cool and brave,

1880
01:56:43.199 --> 01:56:45.239
but I get the feelings she wasn't in the mood

1881
01:56:45.319 --> 01:56:50.199
for my particular brand of humor. Well, I went to

1882
01:56:50.239 --> 01:56:52.720
the morgue to see a corpse and got jumped by

1883
01:56:52.720 --> 01:56:56.640
three of them instead. She exhaled loudly. I could tell

1884
01:56:56.680 --> 01:57:01.079
it was a mix between frustration and relief. Are you okay, Quinn?

1885
01:57:01.479 --> 01:57:04.439
Talk to me? Rhianne's voice had this thing in it

1886
01:57:04.479 --> 01:57:07.039
that made you want to confess what you were really feeling,

1887
01:57:07.560 --> 01:57:12.319
especially when you didn't want to honestly, No, I'm not.

1888
01:57:13.479 --> 01:57:16.079
Something is pretty fucked up here in upstate New York.

1889
01:57:16.560 --> 01:57:19.119
One of those things almost got the best of me.

1890
01:57:19.760 --> 01:57:24.079
I've never fought anything like them before. Something is very,

1891
01:57:24.239 --> 01:57:27.960
very wrong here, Caroline. If I'd known, I would have

1892
01:57:28.039 --> 01:57:30.680
never sent you there in the first place. She was

1893
01:57:30.760 --> 01:57:33.279
sorry beyond words, and part of me could hear that

1894
01:57:33.359 --> 01:57:36.159
she was on the verge of crying, almost like I

1895
01:57:36.199 --> 01:57:39.479
could feel her lip tremble on the phone. I know

1896
01:57:39.560 --> 01:57:41.960
you had no clue. I'm waiting on the call from

1897
01:57:42.079 --> 01:57:45.439
the department on what we're going to do next. I

1898
01:57:45.520 --> 01:57:49.079
don't have a good feeling about this. I'm legitimately worried

1899
01:57:49.159 --> 01:57:51.680
what this could all mean. On one hand, I had

1900
01:57:51.680 --> 01:57:55.920
always quietly suspected that the paranormal war was escalating on

1901
01:57:55.960 --> 01:57:59.199
some level. I was living proof that hybrids of some

1902
01:57:59.399 --> 01:58:02.479
type were posts possible, even if we don't know exactly

1903
01:58:02.520 --> 01:58:06.359
what I was. There were other troubleshooters who were a

1904
01:58:06.399 --> 01:58:11.319
mix of paranormal and superpowered, but were remarkably few in numbers,

1905
01:58:12.159 --> 01:58:15.920
like less than fifty identified across the entirety of North America.

1906
01:58:17.279 --> 01:58:21.000
I should let you rest, but Caroline, you be careful

1907
01:58:21.039 --> 01:58:24.039
out there. I know you think you're invincible and like

1908
01:58:24.119 --> 01:58:26.640
nothing can hurt you. But you're human, like the rest

1909
01:58:26.680 --> 01:58:30.840
of us, know when to run. Okay, she said I

1910
01:58:30.920 --> 01:58:35.159
was human. There are days I wish I was. I'm

1911
01:58:35.199 --> 01:58:39.399
not human. I don't know what I am. Honestly, I

1912
01:58:39.479 --> 01:58:42.399
will look when I get back to the city, why

1913
01:58:42.399 --> 01:58:44.479
don't we get together and maybe get dinner in a

1914
01:58:44.520 --> 01:58:49.039
movie like old times. I'd like that. I'll talk to

1915
01:58:49.039 --> 01:58:52.199
you soon, Quinn. She paused for a second, and I

1916
01:58:52.239 --> 01:58:56.000
could tell she stopped herself from saying something more before

1917
01:58:56.039 --> 01:59:00.199
she hung up the phone. I love you too. I

1918
01:59:00.239 --> 01:59:02.960
sat in the hotel room and stared at the peeling

1919
01:59:03.039 --> 01:59:07.119
wallpaper and was just alone with my thoughts. What am

1920
01:59:07.159 --> 01:59:09.840
I going to do? How am I going to do it?

1921
01:59:10.479 --> 01:59:14.479
I finally asked myself the hard question of the day.

1922
01:59:14.680 --> 01:59:19.039
How many people are going to die? The phone rang again.

1923
01:59:20.039 --> 01:59:22.000
I wanted it to be Rheanne and for her to

1924
01:59:22.079 --> 01:59:24.359
talk me out of this assignment and to come back

1925
01:59:24.399 --> 01:59:26.520
to New York, and for her to convince me to

1926
01:59:26.600 --> 01:59:31.239
leave this world behind and run. It wasn't Rheianne. It

1927
01:59:31.399 --> 01:59:34.279
was the Department, and it was the secured line that

1928
01:59:34.319 --> 01:59:38.720
you never wanted to call you directly, Director James Carlson,

1929
01:59:38.880 --> 01:59:43.239
Department of Paranormal Resources, the guy whose desk issues the orders,

1930
01:59:43.600 --> 01:59:46.399
and the guy who could sign your death warrant should

1931
01:59:46.399 --> 01:59:49.880
the need arise. This was about to turn my Halloween

1932
01:59:50.039 --> 01:59:55.439
into a fucking horror show. Agent Quinn, the situation has changed.

1933
01:59:55.640 --> 01:59:58.399
We're preparing to activate the Cradle of Liberty protocol in

1934
01:59:58.439 --> 02:00:01.039
the city of Hope Springs. Assets will be on the

1935
02:00:01.039 --> 02:00:05.439
scene within the next hour. My orders, sir, Megaton and

1936
02:00:05.479 --> 02:00:08.159
Phase will be on scene and the Hammer and Carpenter

1937
02:00:08.159 --> 02:00:11.239
teams will support them. You coordinate with the other gifted

1938
02:00:11.239 --> 02:00:14.199
on scene. I want that nest burned to the ground.

1939
02:00:14.600 --> 02:00:17.880
Burn the city to the ground if you have to, sir,

1940
02:00:18.880 --> 02:00:23.560
What about the civilians? Like I said, the situation has changed,

1941
02:00:23.920 --> 02:00:28.560
consider all civilians as hostile. What in the fuck did

1942
02:00:28.600 --> 02:00:31.960
he just say? Were they really going to activate the

1943
02:00:32.000 --> 02:00:35.359
Cradle of Liberty protocol? What the hell did they even mean?

1944
02:00:36.359 --> 02:00:38.840
The line went dead and a text message appeared with

1945
02:00:38.880 --> 02:00:41.920
a set of coordinates and a timestamp of one hour.

1946
02:00:43.439 --> 02:00:46.920
Oh fuck, this was it, wasn't it. The paranormal war

1947
02:00:47.840 --> 02:00:51.600
just escalated. An hour later, I was at the arranged

1948
02:00:51.640 --> 02:00:54.720
meeting place and the air was grim. It was a

1949
02:00:54.760 --> 02:00:58.119
small farmhouse that had been requisitioned for use as a

1950
02:00:58.159 --> 02:01:04.720
staging area. Heavy equipment and helicopters and the Supers showed up.

1951
02:01:05.399 --> 02:01:09.239
Before the world changed fifty years ago, superheroes wore colorful

1952
02:01:09.279 --> 02:01:12.720
costumes and capes and were larger than life and existed

1953
02:01:12.760 --> 02:01:17.199
purely as fiction. Now, in the time of Kevlar, synthetic

1954
02:01:17.239 --> 02:01:20.560
fabrics and utility ruled the day, and it was less

1955
02:01:20.640 --> 02:01:23.840
tights and spandex and more tactical gear with a few

1956
02:01:23.920 --> 02:01:28.479
colorful adornments. A few of the more outlandish supers wore

1957
02:01:28.560 --> 02:01:32.199
stuff that people only wore at Halloween, but most were

1958
02:01:32.279 --> 02:01:36.399
modest about their abilities. It should be noted that very

1959
02:01:36.439 --> 02:01:39.600
few people can successfully pull off wearing a cape and

1960
02:01:39.640 --> 02:01:42.960
actually have it look cool. A group of about twelve

1961
02:01:42.960 --> 02:01:45.079
of us stood by the barn and watched as a

1962
02:01:45.079 --> 02:01:48.520
man descended from the sky with a purple cape billowing

1963
02:01:48.560 --> 02:01:53.039
behind him very dramatically. Megaton always knew he had to

1964
02:01:53.079 --> 02:01:56.000
make an entrance and always made sure that you knew

1965
02:01:56.159 --> 02:01:58.800
he was on the scene, and that he was the

1966
02:01:58.840 --> 02:02:03.479
best and brightest of all the gifted world. I didn't

1967
02:02:03.520 --> 02:02:07.520
care for him, but I couldn't deny how powerful he was, strong,

1968
02:02:08.000 --> 02:02:11.720
tougher than me, and the unique ability to repel the

1969
02:02:11.760 --> 02:02:15.159
force used against him. Oh and he could also fly

1970
02:02:16.319 --> 02:02:19.880
a shimmering red light beside him. As Megaton landed and

1971
02:02:19.920 --> 02:02:24.439
from a glowing red portal stepped phase the woman known

1972
02:02:24.479 --> 02:02:29.640
as Phase, whose gifts allowed her limited teleportation and energy manipulation.

1973
02:02:30.359 --> 02:02:34.359
She was a real showstopper, but young and often reckless

1974
02:02:34.720 --> 02:02:38.640
when she was in combat against paranormal threats. The Supers

1975
02:02:38.680 --> 02:02:42.760
were fine fighting against other gifted and villains like Hurricane

1976
02:02:42.840 --> 02:02:47.279
and Dread, but paranormal entities were a different breed. The

1977
02:02:47.359 --> 02:02:50.840
last Super to arrive pulled up on a tricked out motorcycle.

1978
02:02:51.560 --> 02:02:55.720
He was a combat expert known as Mnemonic. His ability

1979
02:02:55.880 --> 02:02:59.479
was to learn in a new, instantaneous manner, and he

1980
02:02:59.600 --> 02:03:02.840
used his abilities to learn all sorts of martial arts

1981
02:03:02.880 --> 02:03:05.760
and weaponry. He was a show off, but let me

1982
02:03:05.840 --> 02:03:09.359
tell you he was the best shot likely on the

1983
02:03:09.520 --> 02:03:13.640
entire planet Earth. While all of us were here now

1984
02:03:14.159 --> 02:03:16.800
and it was time to get to work, the team

1985
02:03:16.880 --> 02:03:21.600
leader for Hammer and Carpenter squad stepped forward typical military

1986
02:03:21.640 --> 02:03:27.000
bravado and swagger that depended on superior firepower and overwhelming numbers.

1987
02:03:27.439 --> 02:03:30.439
Trust me, I've seen this movie before and it never

1988
02:03:30.560 --> 02:03:33.800
ends well for the guys with the guns. But this

1989
02:03:34.000 --> 02:03:37.640
is the hand we've been dealt. Captain Tony King and

1990
02:03:37.680 --> 02:03:42.399
Lieutenant Tanya Dante. They nicknamed these two TNT and for

1991
02:03:42.479 --> 02:03:45.560
good reason a lot of shit tended to blow up

1992
02:03:45.600 --> 02:03:50.159
in their presence. Okay, we have a good, actionable intelligence

1993
02:03:50.399 --> 02:03:53.000
and we're going to act on it immediately. Hope Spring's

1994
02:03:53.039 --> 02:03:55.960
retirement community is a vampire nest and is about to

1995
02:03:56.039 --> 02:03:59.359
be as infested as a place can get. Think of

1996
02:03:59.359 --> 02:04:02.600
a goddamn cockroach infestation, and you've got a pretty good

1997
02:04:02.640 --> 02:04:05.800
idea of what we're up against. We do have an advantage.

1998
02:04:06.079 --> 02:04:09.079
The vamps are new, inexperienced, and still not used to

1999
02:04:09.119 --> 02:04:12.359
their powers. This means the new staff from the Pentagon

2000
02:04:12.399 --> 02:04:15.720
should make short work of them. Our significant threat has

2001
02:04:15.760 --> 02:04:19.720
been identified as a new hybrid type vampire lord. We

2002
02:04:19.760 --> 02:04:23.119
believe it to be an individual named Terry Fisher. We

2003
02:04:23.159 --> 02:04:25.800
know how strong they can be, but this new lord

2004
02:04:25.880 --> 02:04:28.560
seems to only be recruiting from the weak and feeble,

2005
02:04:29.039 --> 02:04:32.239
so not exactly fighting the Russians or the North Koreans. Here,

2006
02:04:32.920 --> 02:04:35.560
Dante said matter of factly, as she laid out the

2007
02:04:35.600 --> 02:04:39.560
information for all of us, Captain King stepped forward and

2008
02:04:39.600 --> 02:04:42.800
pointed to the group of about twelve soldiers behind him

2009
02:04:43.159 --> 02:04:46.479
and gestured toward their weapons. We have state of the

2010
02:04:46.600 --> 02:04:49.399
art fire power and enough ammunition to shoot at anything

2011
02:04:49.439 --> 02:04:52.319
that moves. We have enhanced fire support in terms of

2012
02:04:52.359 --> 02:04:56.319
a troubleshooter and their superpowered allies. There is no reason

2013
02:04:56.359 --> 02:04:58.359
we can't wrap this up by morning and be home

2014
02:04:58.399 --> 02:05:01.119
for breakfast. I'd like to go get a grand Slam

2015
02:05:01.119 --> 02:05:06.159
at Denny's afterwards. So who's with me? I sighed? I

2016
02:05:06.239 --> 02:05:09.640
was surrounded by overconfidence and itchy trigger fingers and show

2017
02:05:09.640 --> 02:05:12.920
offs with superpowers. Is it too late to go work

2018
02:05:12.920 --> 02:05:17.239
at Applebee's? I looked at the assembled superpowered individuals and

2019
02:05:17.319 --> 02:05:20.239
approached them and tried to be as friendly as I could.

2020
02:05:20.920 --> 02:05:23.800
I worked with Megaton and Phays before in Boston, but

2021
02:05:23.880 --> 02:05:26.960
I'd never worked with Mnemonic. I don't like going into

2022
02:05:27.000 --> 02:05:30.199
a combat situation with people I don't trust, and especially

2023
02:05:30.239 --> 02:05:33.560
people who had declined to help when their country needed them.

2024
02:05:33.800 --> 02:05:36.359
I told them what happened this morning at the Morgue,

2025
02:05:36.520 --> 02:05:39.239
and they laughed at me. They wanted to know how

2026
02:05:39.279 --> 02:05:42.840
the great Agent Caroline Quinn could get her ass kicked

2027
02:05:42.840 --> 02:05:45.920
by an old man and a few ladies from Bingo.

2028
02:05:46.039 --> 02:05:49.239
I told them to take this seriously. This wasn't your

2029
02:05:49.319 --> 02:05:53.199
usual bloodsucker. They didn't want to hear it. They laughed

2030
02:05:53.239 --> 02:05:56.399
it off and said it would be easy. I remember

2031
02:05:56.399 --> 02:06:00.439
how Boston happened, and Megaton and Phase should have too.

2032
02:06:01.000 --> 02:06:03.920
King and Dante barked orders across the staging area for

2033
02:06:03.960 --> 02:06:06.560
everyone to get ready. As we were wheels up in

2034
02:06:06.640 --> 02:06:10.079
five minutes and got on board of the choppers. I

2035
02:06:10.119 --> 02:06:13.720
went and got my gear loaded up and enhanced protective vest,

2036
02:06:14.119 --> 02:06:17.520
my trustee, Baby Jane, and a few of the UV grenades.

2037
02:06:18.319 --> 02:06:20.439
I guess we were as ready as we were gonna be.

2038
02:06:21.439 --> 02:06:29.880
This was gonna be bad, wasn't it. As the helicopters

2039
02:06:29.920 --> 02:06:33.439
flew over Hope Springs, it was kind of pretty in

2040
02:06:33.479 --> 02:06:37.039
a sense. It was Halloween night and tricker treaters could

2041
02:06:37.079 --> 02:06:40.079
be seen walking down the streets with their parents or friends.

2042
02:06:41.079 --> 02:06:43.960
This town had no idea what was happening in it.

2043
02:06:44.680 --> 02:06:47.199
You could almost feel the sense of fun and joy

2044
02:06:47.279 --> 02:06:50.159
that people were having. I wish I didn't have to

2045
02:06:50.159 --> 02:06:54.319
bring hell to this little place, but it can't be helped.

2046
02:06:55.000 --> 02:06:57.720
The two aircraft cut through the night sky and headed

2047
02:06:57.760 --> 02:07:01.359
towards the retirement home and presumably where this was going

2048
02:07:01.399 --> 02:07:04.640
to end. I glanced out the side door and saw

2049
02:07:04.760 --> 02:07:09.000
Megaton keeping pace with us. Megaton still had that stupid,

2050
02:07:09.399 --> 02:07:13.319
over confident smile on his face. One of the things

2051
02:07:13.359 --> 02:07:16.319
I learned very early on in my career was never

2052
02:07:16.399 --> 02:07:20.920
underestimate your enemy, no matter how weak they appear. An

2053
02:07:21.039 --> 02:07:24.720
enemy is most dangerous when they are cornered, and especially

2054
02:07:24.760 --> 02:07:28.199
when they're on their own turf. We started to begin

2055
02:07:28.279 --> 02:07:31.279
our descent onto the lawn of the retirement home, which

2056
02:07:31.399 --> 02:07:33.680
was a two story structure that looked like it was

2057
02:07:33.720 --> 02:07:38.000
built fairly recently. It looked super modern and almost out

2058
02:07:38.039 --> 02:07:40.119
of place for a town that looks like it was

2059
02:07:40.159 --> 02:07:45.119
taken out of a postcard advertising for rural charm. Captain

2060
02:07:45.199 --> 02:07:48.119
King slid the side door open of the helicopter and

2061
02:07:48.199 --> 02:07:50.720
looked back at all of us in his command and

2062
02:07:50.840 --> 02:07:55.439
patted his weapon. Okay, kids, it's time to visit Grandpa,

2063
02:07:56.279 --> 02:07:59.039
he cheered as he pulled down his night vision goggles

2064
02:07:59.039 --> 02:08:02.760
above his eyes. No sooner did the words leave his mouth.

2065
02:08:03.800 --> 02:08:08.319
Things began to go immediately wrong. King was yanked out

2066
02:08:08.319 --> 02:08:11.000
of the door and thrown screaming towards the ground by

2067
02:08:11.000 --> 02:08:15.239
an unseen assailant. Everyone couldn't comprehend what just happened to

2068
02:08:15.279 --> 02:08:19.880
the Hammer Squad commander, and everyone's jaw was just hanging open.

2069
02:08:20.960 --> 02:08:25.199
Panic was not unlike fire when panic spreads uncontrolled. It

2070
02:08:25.279 --> 02:08:30.000
spreads fast, just like a forest blaze. Suddenly, without warning,

2071
02:08:30.000 --> 02:08:33.479
the helicopter lurched forward and pitched itself towards the ground

2072
02:08:33.520 --> 02:08:36.399
in an out of control spiral. Soldiers fell out of

2073
02:08:36.439 --> 02:08:39.520
the open hatch door and tumbled to their deaths. You

2074
02:08:39.600 --> 02:08:42.279
are not surviving that kind of a fall, with that

2075
02:08:42.399 --> 02:08:45.479
kind of force. I held onto my seat as best

2076
02:08:45.520 --> 02:08:48.640
I could and tried to unlatch my safety harness. I

2077
02:08:48.680 --> 02:08:52.880
kneaded out fast. We smashed into the ground hard and

2078
02:08:52.960 --> 02:08:56.520
glass and metal flew everywhere as the helicopter split Apart

2079
02:08:56.520 --> 02:09:00.479
from the impact, fire and small explosions had happened all

2080
02:09:00.520 --> 02:09:03.680
around us as we skidded across the lawn and finally

2081
02:09:03.720 --> 02:09:06.399
came to a stop when we hit the entranceway of

2082
02:09:06.439 --> 02:09:10.760
the structure. My safety harness and enhanced our ability probably

2083
02:09:10.840 --> 02:09:15.720
kept me alive. Probably everyone else was not so lucky.

2084
02:09:16.119 --> 02:09:18.359
The other soldiers who were still in their seats did

2085
02:09:18.359 --> 02:09:21.279
not survive the crash. One of them seemed to have

2086
02:09:21.319 --> 02:09:24.319
caught shrapnel to the face and neck, the other had

2087
02:09:24.359 --> 02:09:27.039
her neck snapped by the force of the crash, and

2088
02:09:27.119 --> 02:09:30.560
another soldier whose face I couldn't see, had been messily

2089
02:09:30.600 --> 02:09:34.039
disemboweled by a piece of debris. I could hear the

2090
02:09:34.079 --> 02:09:37.279
other craft land safely, and then I heard the sounds

2091
02:09:37.279 --> 02:09:43.000
of gunfire outside and people screaming time to go. I

2092
02:09:43.159 --> 02:09:45.680
escaped my harness and the wreckage of the crash, and

2093
02:09:45.760 --> 02:09:49.119
pushed my way out of the shattered helicopter. The others

2094
02:09:49.119 --> 02:09:51.520
had landed safely, but it didn't matter, as they were

2095
02:09:51.560 --> 02:09:55.560
completely surrounded by flying creatures, and they weren't shooting with

2096
02:09:55.640 --> 02:10:00.359
any precision. They were shooting wildly and without thinking to

2097
02:10:00.359 --> 02:10:03.880
empty their magazines at anything that moved. If you can

2098
02:10:03.960 --> 02:10:08.039
believe it, this is where things went from bad to worse.

2099
02:10:09.079 --> 02:10:12.560
Tanya Dante stood back to back with Mnemonic in an

2100
02:10:12.600 --> 02:10:16.399
attempt to keep some sense of combat awareness. The pair

2101
02:10:16.439 --> 02:10:19.039
at least were shooting with purpose and even hitting a

2102
02:10:19.079 --> 02:10:22.199
few of the creatures in the air and potentially even

2103
02:10:22.319 --> 02:10:24.920
killing a few, but I couldn't be sure from all

2104
02:10:24.920 --> 02:10:29.680
the muzzle flashes. Fall back, fall back, goddamn it, Dante

2105
02:10:29.800 --> 02:10:33.279
yelled at anyone who would listen. No sooner did she

2106
02:10:33.399 --> 02:10:36.479
yell that something swooped out of the sky and picked

2107
02:10:36.520 --> 02:10:39.720
her up by her shoulders and carried her into the air.

2108
02:10:40.520 --> 02:10:43.439
The lieutenant wasn't going down without a fight, though, as

2109
02:10:43.479 --> 02:10:46.079
she kept firing her weapon. As she ascended into the

2110
02:10:46.079 --> 02:10:50.720
sky with her captor, the monster used its tremendous strength

2111
02:10:50.760 --> 02:10:53.640
to throw her against a second story building wall with

2112
02:10:53.800 --> 02:10:59.720
enough force to shatter concrete. Mnemonic looked at me and

2113
02:10:59.800 --> 02:11:02.800
utter her terror and started to run away from the fight.

2114
02:11:03.680 --> 02:11:06.199
He didn't make it fifty feet before he was swarmed.

2115
02:11:06.840 --> 02:11:10.159
The creatures tore the poor hero to pieces within seconds,

2116
02:11:10.239 --> 02:11:13.680
and fountains of blood spewed from what remained of his body.

2117
02:11:14.960 --> 02:11:19.840
That's enough, A powerful voice echoed across the battlefield, and

2118
02:11:19.960 --> 02:11:24.720
for a second, everyone stopped fighting and shooting, and all

2119
02:11:24.760 --> 02:11:29.399
eyes focused in that direction. A person in medical scrubs

2120
02:11:29.399 --> 02:11:33.239
emerged from behind the crashed helicopter near the entrance and

2121
02:11:33.359 --> 02:11:36.760
started walking towards the center of all of us. The

2122
02:11:36.800 --> 02:11:41.119
shimmering light distortion appeared beside this new stranger, and FaZe

2123
02:11:41.159 --> 02:11:43.720
stepped out and started to engage in hand to hand

2124
02:11:43.800 --> 02:11:48.560
combat with his new enemy. She started kicking and punching

2125
02:11:48.920 --> 02:11:52.840
with her attacks enhanced with her bioelectric energy, and while

2126
02:11:52.920 --> 02:11:57.119
spectacular looking, it didn't seem to hurt this person at all.

2127
02:11:57.560 --> 02:12:00.640
They just kept walking towards the middle of the ground.

2128
02:12:01.720 --> 02:12:07.880
They kept walking towards me. Stand still. Fuck her, Phase

2129
02:12:08.000 --> 02:12:10.479
yelled as she kept up, but none of her attacks

2130
02:12:10.520 --> 02:12:14.479
seemed to affect them. Finally, enough light was present that

2131
02:12:14.560 --> 02:12:16.439
I could get a good look at this person in

2132
02:12:16.479 --> 02:12:20.159
the scrubs. It was a man in his early twenties

2133
02:12:20.279 --> 02:12:24.039
or maybe mid twenties at most. He walked with a

2134
02:12:24.159 --> 02:12:28.600
stride and purpose that someone who knows their untouchable does.

2135
02:12:29.520 --> 02:12:32.079
Fase stood in front of him and cupped her hands

2136
02:12:32.119 --> 02:12:36.399
together and thrust them forward and hurled a huge bolt

2137
02:12:36.399 --> 02:12:40.159
of blue, crackling lightning. The discharge filled the air with

2138
02:12:40.279 --> 02:12:43.039
so much power that I could feel my hair pick

2139
02:12:43.159 --> 02:12:47.079
up on a static charge. The man kept walking past

2140
02:12:47.119 --> 02:12:52.760
Phase and towards me. I said stop. Fase teleported right

2141
02:12:52.800 --> 02:12:55.359
in front of him and attempted to stand in his way,

2142
02:12:56.119 --> 02:12:59.560
and just as she rematerialized, the man grabbed her by

2143
02:12:59.600 --> 02:13:04.840
the throat. No, the man snapped her neck and tossed

2144
02:13:04.880 --> 02:13:07.640
her lifeless body to the ground with a wet smack.

2145
02:13:08.439 --> 02:13:12.079
Megaton chose his moment to dive bomb the man from

2146
02:13:12.119 --> 02:13:16.640
somewhere high above and create a huge impact crater. The

2147
02:13:16.680 --> 02:13:21.680
two struggled in exchanged blows while entangled in each other's limbs. Okay,

2148
02:13:22.399 --> 02:13:25.079
maybe this will make a difference. Maybe this is the

2149
02:13:25.199 --> 02:13:28.560
edge we need. Megaton grabbed hold of the man and

2150
02:13:28.640 --> 02:13:31.399
flew straight up into the sky, out of sight, and

2151
02:13:31.520 --> 02:13:37.520
for a moment, everyone stopped again, absolutely transfixed by what happened.

2152
02:13:38.399 --> 02:13:43.640
Vampire and soldier alike just stood there and waited. You

2153
02:13:43.640 --> 02:13:47.239
could hear a thunderous clash of blows above us, high

2154
02:13:47.319 --> 02:13:50.319
in the clouds, and it echoed so loudly that the

2155
02:13:50.319 --> 02:13:55.399
remaining glass near us vibrated and threatened to shatter. Megaton

2156
02:13:55.560 --> 02:14:00.439
had this guy on the ropes America? Fuck yeah, take that, dcula.

2157
02:14:02.079 --> 02:14:08.760
Then silence, thud. A body hit the ground with such

2158
02:14:08.760 --> 02:14:12.399
impact that it exploded and coated everything nearby in a

2159
02:14:12.439 --> 02:14:17.039
shower of blood and gore. The gentle flapping of leather

2160
02:14:17.159 --> 02:14:20.760
wings carried upon the night wind. The man and the

2161
02:14:20.760 --> 02:14:25.720
scrubs had transformed into his monstrous and vicious vampire lord form.

2162
02:14:25.960 --> 02:14:29.119
In his left hand, he held what was left of

2163
02:14:29.199 --> 02:14:33.279
Megaton's head. He smiled as he held it and looked

2164
02:14:33.279 --> 02:14:36.720
at me as he took a bite out of Megaton's

2165
02:14:36.720 --> 02:14:41.960
face and chewed on his flesh. Finish the others off.

2166
02:14:42.880 --> 02:14:47.680
Leave this one to me, he quietly whispered, and no

2167
02:14:47.840 --> 02:14:51.640
sooner did those words leave his ashen gray lips than

2168
02:14:51.680 --> 02:14:54.960
the other soldiers fell silent as they too joined their

2169
02:14:55.000 --> 02:14:59.840
friends as killed in action. This is it, Caroline Quinn.

2170
02:15:00.640 --> 02:15:04.880
This is where you die. Rhianne. I'm sorry I wasn't

2171
02:15:04.960 --> 02:15:09.039
better to you. The menacing vampire lord flew right down

2172
02:15:09.079 --> 02:15:11.319
in front of me and stood up to his full

2173
02:15:11.399 --> 02:15:17.800
hulking height and towered above me. Jesus, this guy was huge.

2174
02:15:17.880 --> 02:15:21.000
We share the same blood, you and I. We're the

2175
02:15:21.039 --> 02:15:25.279
next step in ascending what humanity can be. We are

2176
02:15:25.399 --> 02:15:30.640
better than the cattle around us. Great. Not only am

2177
02:15:30.640 --> 02:15:32.640
I gonna die here, but I have to listen to

2178
02:15:32.680 --> 02:15:41.359
this dickhead monologue before he kills me or something worse. Think, okay, okay,

2179
02:15:41.359 --> 02:15:45.439
maybe that'll work. A piece of the shredded helicopter about

2180
02:15:45.479 --> 02:15:48.039
as long as a baseball bat and sharp as hell.

2181
02:15:48.640 --> 02:15:51.560
I can probably reach it if I can keep this

2182
02:15:51.680 --> 02:15:57.439
idiot talking and inching me backwards. How are we alike exactly?

2183
02:15:58.079 --> 02:16:02.119
I'm not exactly feeling the whole undead vibe or looking

2184
02:16:02.239 --> 02:16:07.039
like something from a horror movie. Keep him talking. I've

2185
02:16:07.079 --> 02:16:10.560
known about others like you for a long time. You

2186
02:16:10.640 --> 02:16:14.039
aren't as special as you think you're what was created

2187
02:16:14.119 --> 02:16:17.760
long ago by those who helped us escape the confinements

2188
02:16:18.199 --> 02:16:22.880
of the void. Okay, I have no fucking clue what

2189
02:16:22.920 --> 02:16:26.239
this guy is talking about. I know who I am

2190
02:16:26.840 --> 02:16:31.399
and more or less where I came from. Right, I

2191
02:16:31.520 --> 02:16:34.040
slowly back up and keep my eye on a piece

2192
02:16:34.079 --> 02:16:38.239
of shrapnel I'm hoping to turn into a weapon. Void.

2193
02:16:38.360 --> 02:16:43.280
Huh sounds like a nightclub. Your attempts at delaying your

2194
02:16:43.360 --> 02:16:47.440
fate are amusing, but it stops here. Join others like

2195
02:16:47.479 --> 02:16:50.920
yourself and take your place at the unholy throne at

2196
02:16:50.920 --> 02:16:54.520
the head of humanity. Turn this diseased world into a

2197
02:16:54.559 --> 02:16:59.399
paradise for those wronged by that from above. I am

2198
02:16:59.479 --> 02:17:02.879
not getting into a religious debate with this goddamn monster.

2199
02:17:03.760 --> 02:17:06.559
I stop, and I can feel my hand touch the

2200
02:17:06.600 --> 02:17:11.079
hot steel of the shrapnel. You know what I'm good.

2201
02:17:11.920 --> 02:17:14.239
I grab the piece of metal like a sword and

2202
02:17:14.360 --> 02:17:18.000
absolutely throw all of my momentum into a forward swing

2203
02:17:18.239 --> 02:17:22.159
at this thing's head. It blocks the strike with its

2204
02:17:22.200 --> 02:17:26.959
clawed hand. Oh shit, it gets a solid grip on

2205
02:17:27.000 --> 02:17:29.719
my left arm and breaks it at the wrist and

2206
02:17:29.879 --> 02:17:33.520
throws me aside roughly. I tumble toward the helicopter near

2207
02:17:33.559 --> 02:17:38.040
the entranceway and skid right into the doorframe. The Vampire

2208
02:17:38.120 --> 02:17:44.280
Lord continues advancing towards me. Okay, that didn't work. I

2209
02:17:44.360 --> 02:17:48.280
quickly assessed my situation and I got one last Hail

2210
02:17:48.360 --> 02:17:51.760
Mary as it were. Just inside the wreckage is one

2211
02:17:51.760 --> 02:17:56.520
of the helicopter mounted weapons, and it looks relatively intact

2212
02:17:56.639 --> 02:18:00.280
despite its crash. The barrel appears to be fought, and

2213
02:18:00.360 --> 02:18:04.559
it seems spolled up to the magazine. I start crawling

2214
02:18:04.600 --> 02:18:07.479
my way inside the crash and try my best not

2215
02:18:07.600 --> 02:18:11.639
to get burned by the dying fires. You chose to

2216
02:18:11.799 --> 02:18:14.879
hide like a coward rather than live as a god

2217
02:18:14.959 --> 02:18:20.319
among mortals. Okay, it's time to shut the fuck up.

2218
02:18:20.879 --> 02:18:23.799
I pull myself forward and aim the mounted minigun out

2219
02:18:23.799 --> 02:18:26.719
the ruined door and squeeze the triggers on both sides

2220
02:18:26.760 --> 02:18:29.600
of the weapon. It hums to life with an electric

2221
02:18:29.719 --> 02:18:33.360
whirl as it begins to spin its rotating barrels. This

2222
02:18:33.479 --> 02:18:37.360
mini gun fires more of the enhanced AMMO except at

2223
02:18:37.440 --> 02:18:40.840
seven point six y two, which means that our Vampire

2224
02:18:40.959 --> 02:18:44.120
Lord friend pretty much liquefies when I hit him with

2225
02:18:44.319 --> 02:18:48.719
hundreds of rounds, if not thousands of rounds per minute.

2226
02:18:48.799 --> 02:18:51.479
He doesn't even have a chance to look surprised before

2227
02:18:51.520 --> 02:18:56.120
I completely turn him into paste. There isn't much left

2228
02:18:56.159 --> 02:18:59.760
of him besides a pair of shoes, and I'm totally

2229
02:18:59.760 --> 02:19:03.840
okay with that. Silence fills the air once again as

2230
02:19:03.920 --> 02:19:07.159
soon as I stop firing and the barrels wind down

2231
02:19:07.200 --> 02:19:12.959
as the electric motor disengages, I won I take myself

2232
02:19:12.959 --> 02:19:16.120
outside of the ruined chopper and back outside into the

2233
02:19:16.239 --> 02:19:19.840
night once again. I stand up and cradle my broken

2234
02:19:19.879 --> 02:19:23.719
wrist and notice a distinct lack of undead in my

2235
02:19:23.840 --> 02:19:27.959
immediate area. I fiddle inside my vest and look for

2236
02:19:28.079 --> 02:19:32.600
my phone and call in to Director Carlson. Agent Quinn. Here,

2237
02:19:32.959 --> 02:19:38.000
operation to success. Vampire Lord eliminated, the other vampires escaped.

2238
02:19:38.280 --> 02:19:43.239
My team is gone. Everyone is gone Megaton phase mnemonic,

2239
02:19:44.000 --> 02:19:48.799
everyone except me. This wasn't a success, not by a

2240
02:19:48.799 --> 02:19:54.000
long shot. Understood beginning Cradle of Liberty protocol, your country,

2241
02:19:54.040 --> 02:19:58.200
Thanks you for your service, Agent Quinn. Wait what total

2242
02:19:58.239 --> 02:20:01.680
elimination of the target zone and f fifteen minutes. Goodbye,

2243
02:20:01.680 --> 02:20:06.040
Agent Quinn. The line went dead, and so did every

2244
02:20:06.159 --> 02:20:10.239
light in the city, and it was darkness and the

2245
02:20:10.280 --> 02:20:14.799
sound of something sinister in the evening air. This was

2246
02:20:14.920 --> 02:20:19.440
not my idea of a Halloween prank. This is definitely

2247
02:20:19.479 --> 02:20:22.920
not a treat. This had to be a trick, right,

2248
02:20:25.879 --> 02:20:37.520
This was not worth two weeks of vacation. Doorway to

2249
02:20:37.680 --> 02:20:46.440
Horror by Rob Fields perspective, Madeline Donnerly, you just know

2250
02:20:46.520 --> 02:20:49.879
it's Friday for a couple reasons. The first is because

2251
02:20:49.879 --> 02:20:52.000
you know as soon as you're done with school it's

2252
02:20:52.040 --> 02:20:55.399
the weekend. The second is a couple hands slamming on

2253
02:20:55.440 --> 02:21:00.120
the table I'm sitting at in the cafeteria at lunchtime. Yes,

2254
02:21:00.799 --> 02:21:05.639
I ask Ariel Miron, I hate you mouse, Ariel growls,

2255
02:21:06.120 --> 02:21:09.319
Then she points right at me. I will never give up.

2256
02:21:09.360 --> 02:21:11.920
I will see you scared out of your wits one

2257
02:21:11.920 --> 02:21:16.479
of these days. I'm laughing inside now. If only Ariel

2258
02:21:16.520 --> 02:21:19.159
knew how many opportunities she could have had to see

2259
02:21:19.159 --> 02:21:23.840
me get scared. Well, I sure ain't gonna tell her. Still,

2260
02:21:24.239 --> 02:21:27.079
I can't really say she'll never get me. I'm sure

2261
02:21:27.079 --> 02:21:30.239
one of these days will be her lucky day. Ariel

2262
02:21:30.280 --> 02:21:34.159
puts her hands on the table again. Softer now, Slumber

2263
02:21:34.200 --> 02:21:37.559
party at my house tonight, same time as last Friday.

2264
02:21:38.520 --> 02:21:41.079
You still bringing those Christmas movies over? You said, you

2265
02:21:41.200 --> 02:21:44.280
just got unless you want me to bring some other stuff.

2266
02:21:44.559 --> 02:21:49.239
I reply, no, bring those. Also, Mona said she's got

2267
02:21:49.239 --> 02:21:52.479
a movie for us to see tonight. She sits down. Now,

2268
02:21:52.959 --> 02:21:56.079
you ever heard of a movie called Doorway to Horror?

2269
02:21:57.280 --> 02:22:00.200
Can't say I have. Then I pull out my phone

2270
02:22:00.239 --> 02:22:03.120
and do some searching. I ain't even seeing it on

2271
02:22:03.159 --> 02:22:06.520
IMDb or any of the other sites. Now I did

2272
02:22:06.639 --> 02:22:10.440
find an old VHS horror game called Doorways to Horror,

2273
02:22:11.079 --> 02:22:14.440
not exactly the same thing, I don't think. Did Mona

2274
02:22:14.520 --> 02:22:18.760
tell you where she got it? Nuh uh. Ariel looks uneasy.

2275
02:22:19.600 --> 02:22:22.840
Once in a while, Mona will find something she's not

2276
02:22:22.959 --> 02:22:27.000
you or Bailey, though you two know your movies. Speaking

2277
02:22:27.040 --> 02:22:29.680
of Bailey, that's one of the movies we're seeing tonight.

2278
02:22:30.319 --> 02:22:35.000
It's a Christmas horror story. Ariel raises her finger. Oh hey,

2279
02:22:35.559 --> 02:22:39.360
gatecode changed yesterday. She tells it to me. You got

2280
02:22:39.360 --> 02:22:43.639
it mouse yep. Then Ariel narrows her eyes on me.

2281
02:22:44.479 --> 02:22:47.719
You haven't seen Carter around here, have you? I shake

2282
02:22:47.799 --> 02:22:51.040
my head. Don't tell me he's posting videos of you

2283
02:22:51.120 --> 02:22:55.840
on Facebook again? She nods quickly. He always seems to

2284
02:22:55.879 --> 02:22:58.920
be there whenever I got Stewart with me. She points

2285
02:22:58.959 --> 02:23:02.440
right at me. You're not covering for him? Are you

2286
02:23:02.440 --> 02:23:05.760
you think I forgot you? Two are best buds. I

2287
02:23:05.879 --> 02:23:09.520
promise you I ain't covering for him. Ariel holds out

2288
02:23:09.520 --> 02:23:12.719
her little finger. You willing to pinky promise on it?

2289
02:23:13.600 --> 02:23:16.879
I make the pinky promise with her. I really don't

2290
02:23:16.879 --> 02:23:19.680
know where he is. Maybe he's with the other guys.

2291
02:23:20.399 --> 02:23:24.600
Ariel shakes her head. Nope, look I look to where

2292
02:23:24.639 --> 02:23:28.200
she's pointing. Bill Chapman, Richie Horton, and Brian Chunk are

2293
02:23:28.239 --> 02:23:32.440
coming into the cafeteria. No Carter, though. A moment later,

2294
02:23:32.559 --> 02:23:36.879
the guys come over to us. Ariel confronts him, where's Carter?

2295
02:23:37.360 --> 02:23:40.319
I know you guys know where he is. What makes

2296
02:23:40.360 --> 02:23:42.399
you think we'd even tell you if we did know?

2297
02:23:42.920 --> 02:23:46.680
Chapman replies, he's the tough guy with the burr haircut.

2298
02:23:47.719 --> 02:23:51.440
I'm not above administering decisive methods of torture on you guys.

2299
02:23:51.840 --> 02:23:56.440
Ariel replies, all I have to do is divide and conquer.

2300
02:23:57.280 --> 02:24:01.159
Chunker points at her and tells the other two, Ah, this,

2301
02:24:01.399 --> 02:24:04.920
I gotta see. He's the husky guy wearing the cargo

2302
02:24:04.959 --> 02:24:07.920
shorts with an open Hawaiian shirt over a black T shirt.

2303
02:24:08.959 --> 02:24:12.520
Don't temp fate you, guys, Horton warns him. He's the

2304
02:24:12.600 --> 02:24:16.520
skinny guy wearing the glasses with circular lenses. I keep

2305
02:24:16.559 --> 02:24:19.399
telling you how evil Ariel Mirron is. One of these

2306
02:24:19.479 --> 02:24:21.280
days you're going to wish you'd have listened to me.

2307
02:24:22.040 --> 02:24:26.159
Ariel smirks. I'd be listening to Horton if I were you. Guys,

2308
02:24:26.680 --> 02:24:29.319
she points to him, But you're not off the hook.

2309
02:24:30.040 --> 02:24:33.440
Horton grins and looks her in the eyes. Why don't

2310
02:24:33.479 --> 02:24:37.479
you just look over your left shoulder. Ariel quickly turns

2311
02:24:37.520 --> 02:24:40.639
and sees my buddy and next door neighbor, Carter Cross.

2312
02:24:41.360 --> 02:24:44.399
The next thing we know, Ariel's running off and chasing

2313
02:24:44.479 --> 02:24:48.239
Carter down. Yesterday he recorded a video of Ariel and

2314
02:24:48.360 --> 02:24:53.040
Stuart at Denoyer's grill. He slipped away and started running

2315
02:24:53.040 --> 02:24:56.360
around and wreaking havoc. I know this because she texted

2316
02:24:56.399 --> 02:24:59.920
me asking for help nine one one at Denoyer's Stuart.

2317
02:25:01.200 --> 02:25:04.200
Fortunately for Ariel, I happen to be in the area

2318
02:25:04.239 --> 02:25:07.120
on my mongoose and stopped in. I was able to

2319
02:25:07.120 --> 02:25:10.280
get Stuart to calm down and behave. I don't know

2320
02:25:10.319 --> 02:25:13.120
what it is about that little guy, but he likes

2321
02:25:13.200 --> 02:25:15.920
me enough to where he always minds me. I don't

2322
02:25:15.920 --> 02:25:19.600
even have to yell at him anyway. Carter was already

2323
02:25:19.639 --> 02:25:23.079
there before me and recording Ariel losing her mind. He

2324
02:25:23.159 --> 02:25:26.680
put the video on Facebook and got everybody laughing at her.

2325
02:25:27.360 --> 02:25:29.760
When the guys get their lunches, they come and sit

2326
02:25:29.840 --> 02:25:32.959
with me. The four of us have some good conversation

2327
02:25:33.600 --> 02:25:41.520
before we gotta go back to class. That night, I'm

2328
02:25:41.520 --> 02:25:45.559
walking to Ariel's house. When I reach the Mirngated community,

2329
02:25:45.639 --> 02:25:48.639
I punch in the new code and go in. Never

2330
02:25:48.680 --> 02:25:51.280
seems to fail. Every time I walk to Ariels on

2331
02:25:51.360 --> 02:25:54.239
Friday nights. There's always a few Mirrans who walk past

2332
02:25:54.319 --> 02:25:58.360
me and give me looks like I don't belong inside.

2333
02:25:58.440 --> 02:26:00.760
I gotta walk a few blocks before I get to

2334
02:26:00.840 --> 02:26:03.879
Capital Court. When I reach the double doors, one of

2335
02:26:03.920 --> 02:26:08.639
them opens. Ariel appears and says, wow, you're actually here

2336
02:26:08.719 --> 02:26:12.319
before Mona and Bailey mouse. Then she steps aside and

2337
02:26:12.399 --> 02:26:15.719
lets me come in. It's about twenty minutes later when

2338
02:26:15.760 --> 02:26:20.079
Mona Abels and Bailey Downs finally show up. Sorry, Ariel,

2339
02:26:20.479 --> 02:26:23.520
Mona says, I had to help mom with something at home.

2340
02:26:24.239 --> 02:26:27.920
You're good, Ariel replies, After the week I've had, I

2341
02:26:27.959 --> 02:26:29.920
just want to hang with my girls and let loose.

2342
02:26:30.440 --> 02:26:32.719
At least your aunt never drops Stewart off here while

2343
02:26:32.719 --> 02:26:36.959
we're having our slumber parties, Bailey says, Ariel points right

2344
02:26:37.000 --> 02:26:39.399
at her. You do not even get to say that.

2345
02:26:40.239 --> 02:26:43.200
Mona and Bailey laugh a little. Ariel gives me that

2346
02:26:43.280 --> 02:26:46.079
look that asks why she puts up with them. I

2347
02:26:46.200 --> 02:26:48.639
give her a smirk that says not to worry about it.

2348
02:26:49.319 --> 02:26:53.280
After some socializing, Ariel gets the pizza's order. From there,

2349
02:26:53.319 --> 02:26:56.680
we start spinning some movies. First up is a Christmas

2350
02:26:56.719 --> 02:26:59.399
horror story. As soon as the name of the town

2351
02:26:59.479 --> 02:27:03.559
is mentioned, and Bailey gives us all weird looks. First

2352
02:27:03.639 --> 02:27:07.600
Ginger snaps, and now this one. She mutters, what other

2353
02:27:07.680 --> 02:27:11.520
movies have the town named the same as mine? Orphan Black?

2354
02:27:11.799 --> 02:27:16.319
I reply, it's a TV series. Bailey points right at Ariel.

2355
02:27:17.120 --> 02:27:19.120
Why do I get the feeling you had something to

2356
02:27:19.120 --> 02:27:21.680
do with this? Was this because Mona and I weren't

2357
02:27:21.719 --> 02:27:23.719
spending the night at the mall with you last weekend?

2358
02:27:24.440 --> 02:27:27.559
Then Ariel grabs a pillow and throws it at Bailey.

2359
02:27:28.000 --> 02:27:31.959
She catches it and laughs. Ariel points at her, not funny.

2360
02:27:32.479 --> 02:27:35.879
Then she smirks, Okay, Bailey, you can go out and

2361
02:27:35.879 --> 02:27:44.440
get our pizzas. Then Bailey gets off the couch. Fine perspective.

2362
02:27:45.079 --> 02:27:50.000
Bailey downs after I bring our pizzas in. Mouse resumes

2363
02:27:50.040 --> 02:27:52.799
the Blue Array of a Christmas Horror Story. I have

2364
02:27:52.840 --> 02:27:55.639
the feeling Ariel put Mouse up to bringing this movie

2365
02:27:55.639 --> 02:27:58.559
over in spite of the fact that it takes place

2366
02:27:58.559 --> 02:28:01.479
in a town with the same name as mine. It

2367
02:28:01.559 --> 02:28:04.719
is a really good horror anthology, though I really love

2368
02:28:04.799 --> 02:28:08.280
the twist and the Santa versus Crampis story. We also

2369
02:28:08.319 --> 02:28:11.680
watched the original Black Christmas and Silent Night Deadly Night.

2370
02:28:12.239 --> 02:28:14.120
We don't get to lay down for the night. After

2371
02:28:14.159 --> 02:28:17.319
three movies, Mona announces that she's got a movie she

2372
02:28:17.440 --> 02:28:22.000
wants us to see, which is called Doorway to Horror.

2373
02:28:22.639 --> 02:28:27.520
When Ariel asks what it's about, Mona doesn't know. Believe

2374
02:28:27.520 --> 02:28:30.000
it or not. I found it just sitting on a

2375
02:28:30.040 --> 02:28:33.200
table in study hall. It's a burned blu ray, but

2376
02:28:33.440 --> 02:28:36.760
it plays. I put it in my laptop and checked it.

2377
02:28:37.399 --> 02:28:40.239
The opening scene looks really creepy, so I thought i'd

2378
02:28:40.280 --> 02:28:43.920
bring it to the sleepover to share. Ariel turns to Mouse,

2379
02:28:44.479 --> 02:28:46.879
I'm guessing you didn't turn up anything else on it.

2380
02:28:47.600 --> 02:28:50.799
Mouse shrugs. I tried all kinds of searches when I

2381
02:28:50.840 --> 02:28:54.879
got home. Nothing. So we sit back and let Mona

2382
02:28:54.959 --> 02:28:58.360
spin her find. There are all kinds of Christmas things

2383
02:28:58.399 --> 02:29:01.079
in the movie, but the town looks like something out

2384
02:29:01.079 --> 02:29:05.200
of a post apocalyptic story. We're eating more pizza and

2385
02:29:05.280 --> 02:29:07.479
drinking some more of the cokes that Mona and I

2386
02:29:07.639 --> 02:29:11.000
snuck over in our backpacks. You gotta love that missus.

2387
02:29:11.000 --> 02:29:14.799
Miran won't let her own family drink any sugary sodas

2388
02:29:15.200 --> 02:29:18.840
it's diet or nothing. The four of us are talking

2389
02:29:18.879 --> 02:29:22.559
about the movie once it's over. There really wasn't any

2390
02:29:22.600 --> 02:29:27.000
dialogue or anything. Maybe David Lynch lost the one copy

2391
02:29:27.040 --> 02:29:29.879
of a new movie he was working on. I half joke.

2392
02:29:30.719 --> 02:29:33.280
We've seen some pretty weird stuff since we started doing

2393
02:29:33.319 --> 02:29:37.360
our sleepovers years ago. Ariel says, you've brought over stuff

2394
02:29:37.399 --> 02:29:41.079
like this before. Mouse, I ain't denying it. She agrees.

2395
02:29:41.719 --> 02:29:44.520
Doorway to Horror still don't ring a bell with me, though.

2396
02:29:45.120 --> 02:29:49.200
Guess you made a rare find. Mona, Yeah, kudos. I

2397
02:29:49.280 --> 02:29:52.440
tell my best friend we talk for a little while

2398
02:29:52.520 --> 02:29:56.079
longer before we're finally yawning our heads off. The nice

2399
02:29:56.079 --> 02:29:58.520
thing about this big living room is there are enough

2400
02:29:58.559 --> 02:30:01.440
couches for all of us to sey sleep on. Ariel

2401
02:30:01.520 --> 02:30:03.799
sleeps on one too, even though her bedroom is the

2402
02:30:03.840 --> 02:30:07.120
first one on entering the hallway. It don't take us

2403
02:30:07.120 --> 02:30:14.120
all long to fall asleep. Perspective Mona Abels. I'm the

2404
02:30:14.120 --> 02:30:17.000
first one to wake up. I yawn and feel how

2405
02:30:17.040 --> 02:30:20.440
parched I am. Knowing we still got cans of coke left,

2406
02:30:20.479 --> 02:30:24.319
I grab one and feel grateful. I stop drinking and

2407
02:30:24.440 --> 02:30:29.200
notice something weird. Did I just take a power nap

2408
02:30:29.280 --> 02:30:32.399
or something? Because it still seems like it's dark out.

2409
02:30:33.079 --> 02:30:36.479
I look at my smart watch and see it's blank

2410
02:30:36.600 --> 02:30:40.879
across the screen. I find my smartphone underneath my pillow

2411
02:30:41.159 --> 02:30:43.879
and see the same blanks where the date and time

2412
02:30:43.920 --> 02:30:47.719
should be. Then I see Mouse's phone and look at hers.

2413
02:30:48.719 --> 02:30:53.799
She's got the same blanks too. Seriously, what gives I

2414
02:30:53.840 --> 02:30:56.239
need to see what time it is? As soon as

2415
02:30:56.239 --> 02:30:58.680
I come out of my comforter, I'm quickly wrapping my

2416
02:30:58.799 --> 02:31:02.639
arms around myself in starf shivering. Boy, it's really cold

2417
02:31:02.639 --> 02:31:05.799
in Ariel's mansion, so cold I can see my own

2418
02:31:05.840 --> 02:31:09.559
breath like when I'm outside. I see Ariel's bedroom door

2419
02:31:09.559 --> 02:31:13.079
open and peek inside. My eyes are wide when I

2420
02:31:13.159 --> 02:31:17.719
see there's no windows. I mean the cold's just blowing

2421
02:31:17.799 --> 02:31:20.639
right into the house. I walk down the hall to

2422
02:31:20.680 --> 02:31:23.280
the next bedroom and see there ain't no windows there either.

2423
02:31:24.040 --> 02:31:26.920
Then I hear movement and return to the living room.

2424
02:31:27.520 --> 02:31:30.920
Ariel's getting out from underneath her comforter why is it

2425
02:31:31.000 --> 02:31:36.159
so cold in here? Then Ariel sees me, mona, why

2426
02:31:36.159 --> 02:31:39.959
aren't there any windows? Ariel? I ask? She gives me

2427
02:31:40.040 --> 02:31:44.520
a weird look. What no, I'll show you. I grab

2428
02:31:44.559 --> 02:31:47.440
Ariel's hand and bring her to her own room. You

2429
02:31:47.559 --> 02:31:51.200
have got to be kidding me, Ariel gasps. We move

2430
02:31:51.280 --> 02:31:54.319
to a few other rooms and see no windows. We

2431
02:31:54.440 --> 02:31:58.040
go into the bathroom. Normally there's scented pillar candles on

2432
02:31:58.079 --> 02:32:00.680
either side of the mirror. On the sink, looks like

2433
02:32:00.760 --> 02:32:03.959
there's only one that remains of the said candles. When

2434
02:32:03.959 --> 02:32:07.360
we come back out, we see Bailey and Mouse are up. Now, boy,

2435
02:32:07.440 --> 02:32:11.920
it sure got cold fast. Bailey states, what I wouldn't

2436
02:32:11.959 --> 02:32:15.840
give for some hot coffee right now? Mouse mutters. Then

2437
02:32:15.959 --> 02:32:19.280
Mouse turns and walks to the front window. She turns

2438
02:32:19.319 --> 02:32:22.319
to us fast. There's only a big window shade here,

2439
02:32:22.680 --> 02:32:26.959
as in no big window here. What's going on? Ariel?

2440
02:32:27.639 --> 02:32:31.600
Ariel goes to Mouse and sees for herself. What on

2441
02:32:31.680 --> 02:32:36.600
earth is going on here? Beats me. Mouse answers, and

2442
02:32:36.680 --> 02:32:39.840
what time is it? Ariel snaps, That's what I've been

2443
02:32:39.840 --> 02:32:43.079
trying to find out. I say, our phones and watches

2444
02:32:43.120 --> 02:32:46.879
ain't working. Ariel quickly goes to the closet and starts

2445
02:32:46.920 --> 02:32:49.840
tossing us our jackets. We take them and head into

2446
02:32:49.879 --> 02:32:53.319
separate rooms to get changed. We're all dressed to go

2447
02:32:53.399 --> 02:32:58.600
outside now. But when we do go outside, what the

2448
02:32:59.280 --> 02:33:03.959
bailey gasps? Everything looks like what we saw in your movie, Mona.

2449
02:33:04.479 --> 02:33:08.719
Ariel states, ah, man, you gotta be kidding me. Mouse

2450
02:33:08.840 --> 02:33:13.319
groans not again. We all look right at Mouse. Now,

2451
02:33:13.920 --> 02:33:18.159
do you know something about this? Ariel asks her. If

2452
02:33:18.200 --> 02:33:21.280
we are where I think we are, we're gonna be

2453
02:33:21.319 --> 02:33:27.639
in terrible danger. Fast. Mouse quickly answers, just spit it out. Mouse,

2454
02:33:27.959 --> 02:33:35.879
I snap, we ain't in strickfield. No more perspective, Ariel, Mirron,

2455
02:33:37.000 --> 02:33:41.680
I give Mouse wide eyes. Excuse me, I was really

2456
02:33:41.719 --> 02:33:45.280
hoping to never see this place ever again. Mouse groans.

2457
02:33:45.959 --> 02:33:49.319
Then she tells us we need to go back inside.

2458
02:33:49.360 --> 02:33:52.399
We go back inside the house. Then I get an

2459
02:33:52.440 --> 02:33:56.959
idea and turn on my smartphone. Flash, what in the

2460
02:33:57.719 --> 02:34:02.879
are you serious? Mona adds, no, we're not seeing things.

2461
02:34:03.520 --> 02:34:07.479
My house is trashed, and I mean trashed. Then I

2462
02:34:07.520 --> 02:34:12.840
point right at Mouse. Okay, start talking. Mouse springs up

2463
02:34:12.879 --> 02:34:15.680
the night in October when she went to the Horror

2464
02:34:15.760 --> 02:34:18.920
Thon at the Strickfield Centennial Theater with her twin cousin

2465
02:34:19.000 --> 02:34:23.760
Aileen Carter Cross and Bela Tabon. They had watched a

2466
02:34:23.799 --> 02:34:26.920
screening of a film called The Portal. It was like

2467
02:34:27.000 --> 02:34:30.959
everything had changed. Places were trashed, much like my house.

2468
02:34:31.440 --> 02:34:34.879
Windows were mostly missing in the homes. It was night

2469
02:34:35.040 --> 02:34:41.200
all the time. But what was worse, everybody was a vampire.

2470
02:34:42.799 --> 02:34:45.639
The four of them barely escaped this place and made

2471
02:34:45.639 --> 02:34:48.840
it back to Strickfield. Mouse says, we're in an alternate

2472
02:34:48.920 --> 02:34:53.840
universe where it's all vampires. We're all in terrible danger.

2473
02:34:54.239 --> 02:34:58.280
She finishes any of those vampires sees us, they'll be

2474
02:34:58.399 --> 02:35:05.600
after us. It's like Marvel zombies. After everybody suddenly became vampires,

2475
02:35:05.600 --> 02:35:07.680
they drank up all the living people they could get

2476
02:35:07.680 --> 02:35:11.639
their hands on. Now like those zombies. After a few days,

2477
02:35:12.600 --> 02:35:16.200
they're out of food. Bailey quickly waves her hands in

2478
02:35:16.200 --> 02:35:20.239
front of her. Okay, okay, assuming Mouse isn't making this

2479
02:35:20.360 --> 02:35:24.600
stuff up here, how did we get here? It had

2480
02:35:24.639 --> 02:35:27.920
to have been that movie Mona brought over Doorway to Horror.

2481
02:35:28.399 --> 02:35:32.760
Mouse guesses. Mona points right at Mouse. Oh no, you don't.

2482
02:35:32.959 --> 02:35:35.520
You ain't blaming me for this, you wicked little rodent.

2483
02:35:36.120 --> 02:35:38.520
I raise my hand in front of me. No, I

2484
02:35:38.559 --> 02:35:41.319
think Mouse is right, Mona. Everything we saw in that

2485
02:35:41.440 --> 02:35:44.639
disc you brought over was much like where we are now.

2486
02:35:45.360 --> 02:35:47.920
Nobody's blaming you about this place, but you did bring

2487
02:35:47.959 --> 02:35:51.879
that disc over. Let's find the disc then, Mouse says,

2488
02:35:52.360 --> 02:35:54.799
we can watch it again and get back home. We

2489
02:35:54.879 --> 02:35:57.120
had to rewatch the portal to get back home two

2490
02:35:57.159 --> 02:36:01.159
months ago. We searched through everything. All the movies Mouse

2491
02:36:01.200 --> 02:36:04.600
brought over are still here, but the disc Mona brought

2492
02:36:05.559 --> 02:36:10.520
is gone. Where is it? Mona shrieks, Oh, wait here

2493
02:36:10.559 --> 02:36:13.399
it is. She raises it up for us to see.

2494
02:36:13.520 --> 02:36:16.680
I point to Mona. Keep hold of that. Now we

2495
02:36:16.799 --> 02:36:19.479
just have to find something to watch it on. That'll

2496
02:36:19.479 --> 02:36:23.440
be easier said than done. Mouse says, powers a little

2497
02:36:24.120 --> 02:36:28.159
hard to come by here. They shattered every window, every mirror.

2498
02:36:28.879 --> 02:36:30.760
I don't know how they're keeping at night here, but

2499
02:36:31.559 --> 02:36:35.799
they're doing it. Then I see Bailey move toward the kitchen.

2500
02:36:36.280 --> 02:36:38.239
I follow her and see her opening one of the

2501
02:36:38.239 --> 02:36:42.879
two refrigerators. She turns to me, whatever food we've got,

2502
02:36:43.280 --> 02:36:45.159
we're going to have to ration it until we can

2503
02:36:45.200 --> 02:36:50.200
find more. Without power, the refrigerators aren't working. Also, we

2504
02:36:50.239 --> 02:36:52.239
can't eat a single bite of the food in either

2505
02:36:52.280 --> 02:36:56.000
of them. I point to the cupboards. We search them

2506
02:36:56.000 --> 02:36:58.159
in the pantry and find a few things we can

2507
02:36:58.200 --> 02:37:02.360
take with us head back out to the others. There's

2508
02:37:02.399 --> 02:37:06.840
not much here, maybe for a day two tops. I

2509
02:37:06.920 --> 02:37:10.239
divide the food evenly between all of us, including the

2510
02:37:10.280 --> 02:37:13.520
cokes and what was left of the pizzas. What are

2511
02:37:13.520 --> 02:37:17.159
we doing, Mona asked, you heard Mouse? I tell her

2512
02:37:17.799 --> 02:37:20.200
we've got to find something to play this disc to

2513
02:37:20.200 --> 02:37:22.639
get back home. We're going to have to leave and

2514
02:37:22.719 --> 02:37:26.000
find some place. In fact, I quickly unplug the Blu

2515
02:37:26.159 --> 02:37:28.760
ray player and stuff it in my backpack. We make

2516
02:37:28.799 --> 02:37:32.040
a quick plan and agree we need to go downtown.

2517
02:37:32.840 --> 02:37:37.319
We stay together, everybody, I stress before we leave. Mouse

2518
02:37:37.360 --> 02:37:42.840
hands everybody crosses. She made whatever you do, don't lose them.

2519
02:37:43.040 --> 02:37:46.280
Mouse just gave me an idea. We probably should stop

2520
02:37:46.319 --> 02:37:51.159
by a church, Bailey suggests, Mouse points to her good thinking.

2521
02:37:51.840 --> 02:37:54.479
We all wish each other good luck before we head

2522
02:37:54.479 --> 02:38:01.440
out through the front doors. Perspective, Madeline Donner, so much

2523
02:38:01.479 --> 02:38:04.120
for us going to churches. We hit a few in

2524
02:38:04.200 --> 02:38:08.280
downtown village and saw they were wrecked. The windows were

2525
02:38:08.319 --> 02:38:12.280
all broken out, pews were destroyed or overturned. Even the

2526
02:38:12.319 --> 02:38:15.520
altars were busted up. What was even worse were the

2527
02:38:15.559 --> 02:38:19.719
skeletons with their religious garbs still on. Only thing I

2528
02:38:19.760 --> 02:38:23.399
can figure is whatever happened to turn people into vampires

2529
02:38:23.440 --> 02:38:28.600
didn't hit everybody. The ones that weren't turned became food

2530
02:38:28.680 --> 02:38:31.559
for the vamps. At least, our trips to the two

2531
02:38:31.680 --> 02:38:35.520
churches weren't total washouts. We managed to find some holy

2532
02:38:35.600 --> 02:38:39.200
wafers and even some holy water itself. Sure would be

2533
02:38:39.280 --> 02:38:41.799
nice if we had squirt guns like in The Lost Boys,

2534
02:38:42.399 --> 02:38:45.079
but all we found were a few vials and bottles.

2535
02:38:46.079 --> 02:38:48.319
We leave the second church and sneak over to a

2536
02:38:48.360 --> 02:38:51.719
few markets. We don't find much in terms of food,

2537
02:38:52.520 --> 02:38:56.319
just dry goods and a few cans of soup. The

2538
02:38:56.399 --> 02:38:59.680
refrigerators and freezers probably haven't been working in a very

2539
02:38:59.719 --> 02:39:03.040
long long time, so the food in him won't be

2540
02:39:03.120 --> 02:39:06.959
any good. We duck in back of Wilder's Market to

2541
02:39:07.000 --> 02:39:10.479
work out another plan. Everybody has ideas to bring to

2542
02:39:10.520 --> 02:39:14.079
the table. Then Ariel suggests heading out to Strickfield Town

2543
02:39:14.159 --> 02:39:18.760
Center mall. Mona turns to her. You do realize how

2544
02:39:18.760 --> 02:39:23.040
far the mall is from downtown village, right and on foot?

2545
02:39:23.120 --> 02:39:27.479
Who said anything about walking? Ariel replies. Then she looks

2546
02:39:27.520 --> 02:39:30.559
my way. We find a car and get Mouse here

2547
02:39:30.600 --> 02:39:34.200
to drive it. Mona gives her a weird look. You

2548
02:39:34.319 --> 02:39:38.239
have got to be kidding me. Ariel shakes her head. Nope,

2549
02:39:38.719 --> 02:39:41.120
you should have seen her drive at the mall last weekend.

2550
02:39:41.799 --> 02:39:46.200
Bailey sighs, Okay, let's do it. There are plenty of

2551
02:39:46.239 --> 02:39:49.159
cars outside. I would imagine we can find one that works.

2552
02:39:49.840 --> 02:39:55.079
Ariel slaps my arm. You up for it, Mouse, I shrug.

2553
02:39:55.879 --> 02:40:00.000
I guess I ain't got a choice. Mona groans, Yeah,

2554
02:40:00.360 --> 02:40:04.559
we're gonna die. Bailey scoffs at Mona. Oh have a

2555
02:40:04.559 --> 02:40:08.920
little faith, will you? Mona groans again. Then she notices something.

2556
02:40:09.840 --> 02:40:14.680
You know, we've seen a lot of Christmas stuff. You

2557
02:40:14.680 --> 02:40:18.280
think all this went down during the holidays. She looks sad.

2558
02:40:18.319 --> 02:40:22.840
Now put a time for something like a vampire apocalypse

2559
02:40:22.879 --> 02:40:26.200
to happen. The rest of us are sad for a moment.

2560
02:40:27.120 --> 02:40:29.559
Then we head out back to the parking lot, where

2561
02:40:29.559 --> 02:40:32.520
there's a nice selection of cars to choose from. We

2562
02:40:32.600 --> 02:40:36.159
can't be picky, you guys, Bailey says, just find one

2563
02:40:36.159 --> 02:40:39.840
that's got keys. I raise my finger. Just one thing.

2564
02:40:40.479 --> 02:40:43.200
Once we get a car started, if there's any vamps nearby,

2565
02:40:44.120 --> 02:40:46.719
they're gonna hear it. We gotta be ready for that.

2566
02:40:47.959 --> 02:40:51.639
And you know this how, Mona sneers. I don't want

2567
02:40:51.680 --> 02:40:53.719
to tell her how I know without giving away my

2568
02:40:53.799 --> 02:40:58.879
connection to Mary Worth and cousin Aleen's bff Bells, I

2569
02:40:59.040 --> 02:41:04.680
just know. Okay, yeah, we're gonna die, Mona repeats. We

2570
02:41:04.760 --> 02:41:07.879
split up and look for cars. After some minutes, Mona

2571
02:41:07.920 --> 02:41:11.040
gets our attention. We come over to her. Keys are

2572
02:41:11.040 --> 02:41:14.600
in the ignition, doors are unlocked. When Ariel starts looking

2573
02:41:14.680 --> 02:41:18.159
it over, Bailey groans, come on, it's not going to

2574
02:41:18.159 --> 02:41:23.000
be a fancy limo you're used to being in. Ariel gasps, really, Bailey,

2575
02:41:23.319 --> 02:41:25.280
I'm checking the car to make sure it looks good,

2576
02:41:25.319 --> 02:41:31.000
you know, For flat tires and stuff. Okay, sorry, Bailey mutters,

2577
02:41:31.520 --> 02:41:35.559
looks good. Ariel says, Okay, Mouse, get behind the wheel

2578
02:41:35.559 --> 02:41:39.840
and hope this thing starts. Ah man, I squeak when

2579
02:41:39.879 --> 02:41:42.639
I open the door and get in. Now I feel

2580
02:41:42.639 --> 02:41:47.239
Ariel's hand on my shoulder. Are you actually scared? Mouse?

2581
02:41:48.280 --> 02:41:52.760
I glance over my shoulder. Ah please, which is a lie?

2582
02:41:53.360 --> 02:41:56.680
This little mousey is definitely scared. I just don't want

2583
02:41:56.719 --> 02:41:59.520
Ariels see in it on me. I turn the key

2584
02:41:59.600 --> 02:42:08.719
and perspective. Bailey downs the engine. Cranks and cranks and cranks. Ugh,

2585
02:42:09.479 --> 02:42:16.040
you guys, look, Oh god, Mona shrieks. Vamps start the car. Mouse,

2586
02:42:16.520 --> 02:42:20.719
I'm trying, Mouse cries. The vampires are leaping from car

2587
02:42:20.760 --> 02:42:24.319
to car, or they're running. It's when they're almost to

2588
02:42:24.440 --> 02:42:29.120
us that the car finally starts. Go mouse, go, Ariel yells.

2589
02:42:29.639 --> 02:42:33.360
Mouse has to study the controls, okay, hoping I can

2590
02:42:33.399 --> 02:42:36.520
do this. Never drove a stick. Now, I put a

2591
02:42:36.559 --> 02:42:39.639
hand on her shoulder. You're a gamer. Mouse. You're not

2592
02:42:39.719 --> 02:42:42.600
here with us right now. You're in Roth's rings playing

2593
02:42:42.600 --> 02:42:47.239
a racing game. Go with that. Okay, let's hope I

2594
02:42:47.280 --> 02:42:51.360
got this. Mouse stammers, just as the vamps are shattering

2595
02:42:51.360 --> 02:42:54.319
the windows. Mouse puts the car in gear and stutters

2596
02:42:54.360 --> 02:42:58.280
a little. Then she takes a deep breath and shifts again.

2597
02:42:59.399 --> 02:43:03.920
Finally we're moving away. We pull out of the parking

2598
02:43:03.959 --> 02:43:06.799
lot and out onto main street. Mouse hits the clutch

2599
02:43:06.840 --> 02:43:09.760
and shifts again. Looks like she's got the hang of

2600
02:43:09.799 --> 02:43:13.719
it now. There ain't no mirrors on this car, Mona says,

2601
02:43:13.799 --> 02:43:17.120
riding shotgun, you wouldn't see any vamps in the mirrors

2602
02:43:17.120 --> 02:43:20.559
even if we did have them. Mouse tells her, no reflections.

2603
02:43:21.600 --> 02:43:24.959
The little squeaker's right, Ariel says, looking out the back,

2604
02:43:25.559 --> 02:43:30.040
we got bats coming fast. I hate you Mouse, Yeah yeah,

2605
02:43:30.159 --> 02:43:34.120
Mouse mutters, we good on gas. Mona asks Mouse, don't

2606
02:43:34.159 --> 02:43:37.000
know gas. Gage just shot from half a tank all

2607
02:43:37.040 --> 02:43:39.840
the way down to the big e fast. Hopefully we'll

2608
02:43:39.840 --> 02:43:42.440
be able to get to the mall. Then I'm having

2609
02:43:42.479 --> 02:43:46.680
second thoughts. I didn't think this through. Maybe the mall's

2610
02:43:46.760 --> 02:43:52.079
ravaged too. Everything's probably ravaged, Bailey, Ariel says, But we

2611
02:43:52.200 --> 02:43:54.399
have to try and look for someplace that has power.

2612
02:43:54.840 --> 02:43:58.680
In fact, I think I have an idea. Ariel explains

2613
02:43:58.719 --> 02:44:00.600
that the hardware store in the mall all should have

2614
02:44:00.639 --> 02:44:04.680
gasoline power generators. All we have to do is find one.

2615
02:44:04.799 --> 02:44:06.840
Then we would siphon the gas out of the cars

2616
02:44:06.840 --> 02:44:09.479
at the mall and power it from there. We find

2617
02:44:09.520 --> 02:44:12.280
a TV, hook up the Blu ray player, and then

2618
02:44:12.639 --> 02:44:16.879
we're back home. That'll be easier said than done. I say,

2619
02:44:17.799 --> 02:44:21.040
but what else is there? Mouse keeps the car going.

2620
02:44:21.600 --> 02:44:24.879
Ariel and I are still seeing the bats flapping after us.

2621
02:44:25.440 --> 02:44:27.319
We have to get them off our backs if we're

2622
02:44:27.360 --> 02:44:31.120
gonna make your plan work, Ariel, Mouse has something. I

2623
02:44:31.159 --> 02:44:33.879
got an idea for that. When we get to the mall,

2624
02:44:34.040 --> 02:44:36.959
I'll drive around to the under mall parking garage. I

2625
02:44:37.000 --> 02:44:40.280
won't pull inside, though, I'll drop you three off there,

2626
02:44:40.559 --> 02:44:43.680
and then hopefully the vamps will keep following me. How

2627
02:44:43.719 --> 02:44:46.639
will you make it back? I ask, We can't go

2628
02:44:46.760 --> 02:44:50.520
home without you. Let me worry about that. You guys

2629
02:44:50.520 --> 02:44:53.520
work on getting Ariel's planned to work. I put my

2630
02:44:53.559 --> 02:44:57.000
hand on Mouse's shoulder. You just make sure you get

2631
02:44:57.040 --> 02:45:00.559
back to us and try not to get vamped. We're eaten.

2632
02:45:01.000 --> 02:45:04.239
Mona adds, Hey, I want to go back home too.

2633
02:45:04.600 --> 02:45:07.319
We all got something to return to, right, Trust me,

2634
02:45:07.920 --> 02:45:11.879
I'll make it back. Mouse promises. Ariel takes a deep

2635
02:45:11.920 --> 02:45:15.440
breath then she just says it. Carter Cross asked me

2636
02:45:15.479 --> 02:45:19.000
out last weekend when we were at the mall. I

2637
02:45:19.079 --> 02:45:23.600
never did give him an answer. I turned to her seriously.

2638
02:45:24.479 --> 02:45:29.040
Mona turns around. No way. Then she bumps Mouse's shoulder.

2639
02:45:29.479 --> 02:45:32.920
Did you know you and Carter are bfs? I know

2640
02:45:33.000 --> 02:45:38.600
you tell each other everything. Mouse shakes her head. Uh nope,

2641
02:45:39.159 --> 02:45:41.440
but it's no secret in our group that Carter and

2642
02:45:41.479 --> 02:45:45.639
Ariel like each other. I hate you, Mouse, Ariel growls.

2643
02:45:46.200 --> 02:45:50.959
Mouse shrugs. I'm just saying. Ariel bows her head, looking sad.

2644
02:45:51.680 --> 02:45:54.040
I'm just wishing I would have told him I'd go

2645
02:45:54.079 --> 02:45:57.399
out with him. She raises her head. That's why I

2646
02:45:57.479 --> 02:46:00.440
want to make it and get back home. I'm sure

2647
02:46:00.479 --> 02:46:03.719
you girls have something to return to too, my family.

2648
02:46:04.159 --> 02:46:08.719
I quickly say, Denoyer's grill. Mona gushes, I don't want

2649
02:46:08.719 --> 02:46:11.040
to be stuck here in some vampire universe and no

2650
02:46:11.159 --> 02:46:15.920
Denoyer's grill or no coffee. Mouse adds, I think it's

2651
02:46:15.920 --> 02:46:18.959
safe to say we all loved our lives in Strickfield

2652
02:46:19.000 --> 02:46:23.600
before this happened. I say, then, I thought, did you

2653
02:46:23.639 --> 02:46:27.000
make it out this way when you were here last Mouse? Nope,

2654
02:46:27.479 --> 02:46:30.280
we got as far as Strickfield Academy. Wish I could

2655
02:46:30.319 --> 02:46:33.680
tell you more than what I already know. Okay, we're here,

2656
02:46:34.479 --> 02:46:37.760
turn it in. Mouse turns us into a mall entrance

2657
02:46:37.799 --> 02:46:41.920
and floors it, making sure she shifts when she needs to. Wow,

2658
02:46:42.319 --> 02:46:44.639
I can't believe little Mouse learned to drive playing all

2659
02:46:44.639 --> 02:46:48.559
those racing video games. Honestly, I thought she was an

2660
02:46:48.559 --> 02:46:50.959
odd ball when Ariel invited her to join our group.

2661
02:46:51.680 --> 02:46:54.559
Mona and I didn't like her for the longest time. However,

2662
02:46:55.079 --> 02:46:58.200
Mouse grows on you after a while. I'm just glad

2663
02:46:58.239 --> 02:47:01.200
she's with us right now. She's the reason we're all

2664
02:47:01.200 --> 02:47:06.000
still alive. Get ready, Mouse tells us. Mouse drifts us

2665
02:47:06.040 --> 02:47:08.319
again as we round the mall and head for the

2666
02:47:08.399 --> 02:47:12.040
under mall parking garage. Before we get there, she hits

2667
02:47:12.040 --> 02:47:16.799
the brakes and swerves to a stop. Go. Mouse belts out. Ariel,

2668
02:47:16.879 --> 02:47:19.239
Mona and I quickly get out of the car. After

2669
02:47:19.280 --> 02:47:23.000
we slam the doors shut, Ariel belts back at Mouse. Go.

2670
02:47:24.000 --> 02:47:26.280
Mouse floors it. As we're in the garage and hiding

2671
02:47:26.280 --> 02:47:29.920
out of sight. The bats are flying after Mouse. I

2672
02:47:30.000 --> 02:47:31.760
just hope they don't see the three of us ain't

2673
02:47:31.760 --> 02:47:35.360
in the car with her. Even more so I hope

2674
02:47:35.399 --> 02:47:42.440
they don't get mouse perspective. Mona abels the three of

2675
02:47:42.520 --> 02:47:45.319
us wait for a little bit. We ain't seeing no

2676
02:47:45.440 --> 02:47:49.239
vamps in the sky. I think we're good. They're all

2677
02:47:49.280 --> 02:47:53.040
after Mouse. We better get a move on. Bailey says,

2678
02:47:53.639 --> 02:47:57.000
we may be unborrowed. Time as it is. We walk

2679
02:47:57.040 --> 02:47:59.600
in the under mall parking garage and come to the

2680
02:47:59.639 --> 02:48:03.040
mall entrance. There the doors are ripped right off, so

2681
02:48:03.440 --> 02:48:05.760
no worries on whether that entrance was locked or not.

2682
02:48:06.600 --> 02:48:09.520
We walk the corridor and go up the steps. Soon

2683
02:48:09.559 --> 02:48:12.079
we're in the food court, coming out at the double

2684
02:48:12.120 --> 02:48:15.879
doors besides Scotto's Pizza. Even though it's dark all through

2685
02:48:15.959 --> 02:48:18.760
the mall, we can see enough to see there are

2686
02:48:18.840 --> 02:48:22.840
Christmas decorations all over the place. There's tinsel hanging off

2687
02:48:22.840 --> 02:48:27.639
the ceilings, fully decorated Christmas trees spread out, animatronic scenes

2688
02:48:28.120 --> 02:48:31.840
though they're not working with no electricity. And there's the

2689
02:48:31.879 --> 02:48:35.200
Santa's House not too far from where we are. So

2690
02:48:35.239 --> 02:48:39.440
Almo's hardware is down by J. C. Penny. Ariel says, oh,

2691
02:48:39.520 --> 02:48:42.799
I sure hope, so I groan, what do you mean?

2692
02:48:43.120 --> 02:48:46.959
Arial demands Mouse said, we're in a parallel universe, right,

2693
02:48:47.680 --> 02:48:49.120
How do we know things are going to be the

2694
02:48:49.159 --> 02:48:53.360
same here as back home? I state, She's got a point,

2695
02:48:53.639 --> 02:48:56.600
Bailey tells Ariel, but we still need to check mona.

2696
02:48:57.360 --> 02:49:00.959
Ariel takes a deep breath. Okay, I'm going to head

2697
02:49:00.959 --> 02:49:04.000
out and look around. I'll signal when the coast is clear.

2698
02:49:05.719 --> 02:49:08.840
We should just go out together. Bailey counters, you know

2699
02:49:09.639 --> 02:49:15.680
safety in numbers. Okay, fine, Ariel replies, Come on. We

2700
02:49:15.760 --> 02:49:18.920
start walking away from Scotto's Pizza. We can see the

2701
02:49:19.000 --> 02:49:21.879
malls wrecked, but it doesn't look all that bad. I mean,

2702
02:49:22.479 --> 02:49:24.639
the gates look messed up and some of the store

2703
02:49:24.680 --> 02:49:27.920
signs are damaged. I don't know. It's like someone's gone

2704
02:49:28.000 --> 02:49:31.680
to lengths to try to make this mall look nice again.

2705
02:49:32.879 --> 02:49:37.840
Then I have a gut feeling you guys, I don't

2706
02:49:37.840 --> 02:49:41.319
think we're alone in here. I tell them. Then explain

2707
02:49:41.440 --> 02:49:45.639
why I don't look for this to be easy. Ariel agrees.

2708
02:49:46.200 --> 02:49:50.079
Look out. Bailey suddenly shrieks. We see someone flying right

2709
02:49:50.120 --> 02:49:53.040
at us, and quickly get out of the way. How

2710
02:49:53.159 --> 02:49:57.280
dare you come into my mall of voice roars behind us.

2711
02:49:57.760 --> 02:50:01.000
Then we make the mistake of stopping and looking behind us.

2712
02:50:01.600 --> 02:50:06.600
It's Harmony, Miron, my cousin. Ariel gasps, she owns this mall,

2713
02:50:08.079 --> 02:50:11.280
your cousin. I ask the one who had you hanging

2714
02:50:11.360 --> 02:50:16.840
decorations here last weekend. Ariel nods quickly, Yeah, except she

2715
02:50:17.040 --> 02:50:21.399
wasn't all vamped out like this Harmony is. Then Harmony

2716
02:50:21.440 --> 02:50:25.120
sniffs our way. Her human face suddenly shifts into one

2717
02:50:25.159 --> 02:50:28.680
that looks like the Joker, only with lots and lots

2718
02:50:28.719 --> 02:50:34.399
of sharp teeth food. I'm ready to turn and run,

2719
02:50:34.399 --> 02:50:38.040
but Ariel quickly stops me. We can't outrun her. Use

2720
02:50:38.079 --> 02:50:42.079
your head or better yet. Ariel pulls out her cross

2721
02:50:42.120 --> 02:50:45.600
that mouse made just as Harmony's flying our way. She

2722
02:50:45.719 --> 02:50:48.840
shrieks and suddenly drops to the floor. Bailey and I

2723
02:50:48.959 --> 02:50:53.280
join her and keep Harmony down start walking back. Ariel

2724
02:50:53.319 --> 02:50:56.719
tells us. We do what Ariel says and start moving

2725
02:50:56.760 --> 02:50:59.760
in the direction of J. C. Penny. Harmony gets back

2726
02:50:59.799 --> 02:51:05.559
to feet, but advances very slowly. You really think you're

2727
02:51:05.600 --> 02:51:09.680
going to be safe from me, Harmony hisses. The last

2728
02:51:09.760 --> 02:51:13.559
mortals who came into my mall made a very tasty

2729
02:51:14.079 --> 02:51:18.280
candlelit dinner. She points a very long finger at us.

2730
02:51:19.079 --> 02:51:22.520
I think I'll have you three by candlelight as well.

2731
02:51:23.200 --> 02:51:30.520
She laughs a horrible laughter, especially since today is Christmas. Yeah,

2732
02:51:30.600 --> 02:51:34.120
we don't plan on staying. Bailey tells her, I don't

2733
02:51:34.159 --> 02:51:38.079
care about your plans. Harmony yells, I only care about

2734
02:51:38.120 --> 02:51:42.280
my home. Here at my mall, other vampires and mortals

2735
02:51:42.319 --> 02:51:45.040
tried to take what was mine, but I showed them

2736
02:51:45.079 --> 02:51:51.840
the error of their ways. Nobody takes what's mine. Nobody. Oh,

2737
02:51:51.959 --> 02:51:55.000
we're not here to take anything from you. Ariel says,

2738
02:51:55.760 --> 02:51:59.200
we actually just want to visit your beautiful mall, dear cousin,

2739
02:51:59.639 --> 02:52:02.319
and I'm must say you've done very well with the

2740
02:52:02.440 --> 02:52:07.959
Christmas decorations. Harmony growls a dangerous growl. Then she howls

2741
02:52:08.000 --> 02:52:11.399
at us. The next thing we know, she's suddenly gone.

2742
02:52:12.440 --> 02:52:16.840
Help she's got me. Oh no, she warped right behind Bailey.

2743
02:52:17.280 --> 02:52:20.639
Harmony suddenly pulls Bailey to her and leaps back with her.

2744
02:52:21.200 --> 02:52:24.680
Drop those crosses, or I promise you I'll drink this

2745
02:52:24.719 --> 02:52:28.600
one up for some early Christmas Day punch right here,

2746
02:52:28.840 --> 02:52:34.120
and now, don't do it. Bailey yells, she'll drink me anyway.

2747
02:52:34.920 --> 02:52:38.920
Ariel holds out her hand. Just stop, Harmony, We're not

2748
02:52:39.000 --> 02:52:41.879
here to take anything from your mall. We just want

2749
02:52:41.879 --> 02:52:44.600
to go home, but we need a few things in

2750
02:52:44.639 --> 02:52:48.000
your mall to help us get there. Then Ariel moves

2751
02:52:48.000 --> 02:52:52.280
her arm around like I said, you've really made this

2752
02:52:52.399 --> 02:52:57.040
place look great. I mean, your Christmas decorations are so lovely.

2753
02:52:57.879 --> 02:53:01.600
She raises her finger. But what if we could really

2754
02:53:02.079 --> 02:53:04.680
brighten up the place? I mean, what if we could

2755
02:53:04.760 --> 02:53:08.719
light up the Christmas trees and stuff. Harmony growls again.

2756
02:53:09.200 --> 02:53:12.680
Then she grabs Bailey's head and cocks it to expose

2757
02:53:12.719 --> 02:53:16.639
her neck. She raises her head ready to lower it

2758
02:53:17.200 --> 02:53:22.079
to bite her. Stop what do you want, Harmony? Ariel cries,

2759
02:53:22.840 --> 02:53:29.959
I already have you. You are mortals, you are food. Harmony yells,

2760
02:53:30.319 --> 02:53:36.319
and today you are Christmas dinner. Ariel puts her cross down. Okay,

2761
02:53:36.360 --> 02:53:40.239
look see no cross. Now, I'm going to come to you.

2762
02:53:40.920 --> 02:53:46.639
I'll switch places with Bailey. Okay, then you can have me. Suddenly,

2763
02:53:46.719 --> 02:53:50.879
Harmony appears right behind Ariel and snatches her up. Weren't

2764
02:53:50.920 --> 02:53:55.479
you listening, Mortal? I already have you, She points right

2765
02:53:55.479 --> 02:53:59.879
at me, as for your pathetic crosses. My cross suddenly

2766
02:54:00.079 --> 02:54:03.040
catches fire. I cry out and drop it. The other

2767
02:54:03.120 --> 02:54:06.360
crosses are on fire too. Harmony moves her mouth to

2768
02:54:06.399 --> 02:54:10.719
Ariel's ear, and exactly how will you light up my

2769
02:54:10.840 --> 02:54:15.959
Christmas display when there's no power? She seems to calm

2770
02:54:16.000 --> 02:54:19.879
down a little bit. I would love to see Christmas

2771
02:54:20.000 --> 02:54:24.399
lights one more time. There hasn't been a Christmas since

2772
02:54:24.440 --> 02:54:29.520
the plague came years ago. I'm so very hungry, but

2773
02:54:29.559 --> 02:54:33.159
I would forsake my hunger just to see my mal

2774
02:54:33.280 --> 02:54:39.000
brightly lit for Christmas one more time. We can talk, then,

2775
02:54:39.520 --> 02:54:43.760
Ariel asks Harmony lets her go, then morphs her face

2776
02:54:43.879 --> 02:54:47.799
back to normal. I would hear you. She points to

2777
02:54:47.879 --> 02:54:52.440
a table in the food court. Sit. We reluctantly move

2778
02:54:52.520 --> 02:54:55.680
to the table and sit with Harmony. As ariels digging

2779
02:54:55.719 --> 02:54:59.799
into her backpack, Harmony quickly snatches her wrist. Do not

2780
02:55:00.479 --> 02:55:04.040
try and trick me, and especially do not play on

2781
02:55:04.200 --> 02:55:09.000
my generosity. Ariel pulls out a coke. I just needed

2782
02:55:09.040 --> 02:55:13.920
something to drink. Harmony nods. After Ariel has her drink,

2783
02:55:14.280 --> 02:55:17.280
she explains to Harmony that we can't get the power

2784
02:55:17.319 --> 02:55:21.760
back on completely. However, if Solmo's hardware still has a

2785
02:55:21.760 --> 02:55:25.639
gas power generator, we can siphon gas from the cars.

2786
02:55:26.120 --> 02:55:29.040
Then we can connect extension cords to the Christmas trees

2787
02:55:29.079 --> 02:55:33.000
and the animatronics to get them working at least for

2788
02:55:33.040 --> 02:55:40.079
a little while. Harmony considers Ariel. Then she says, my

2789
02:55:40.280 --> 02:55:43.840
parents were too greedy to install backup generators when they

2790
02:55:43.879 --> 02:55:46.959
built this mall. I wish I'd have thought to correct

2791
02:55:47.000 --> 02:55:52.239
that mistake in life. Okay, I'll take you to Solmo's Hardware.

2792
02:55:53.120 --> 02:55:58.120
One wrong move and it's dinner time. I won't worry

2793
02:55:58.159 --> 02:56:02.600
about Christmas Day candlelight. We leave the food court and

2794
02:56:02.719 --> 02:56:06.040
walk to the hardware store. Using our smartphone lights. We

2795
02:56:06.079 --> 02:56:11.479
look around until we find what we're looking for perspective

2796
02:56:11.840 --> 02:56:16.879
aerial mirror. We find only four gas power generators still

2797
02:56:16.879 --> 02:56:19.719
in the box. We're probably not going to be able

2798
02:56:19.719 --> 02:56:22.559
to light up your whole mall, Harmony, I just want

2799
02:56:22.559 --> 02:56:26.319
the Christmas lights, the big tree, and the displays around

2800
02:56:26.319 --> 02:56:30.360
the food court powered, Harmony replies. I point to Mona,

2801
02:56:31.040 --> 02:56:34.600
grab all the extension chords. I point to Bailey gas

2802
02:56:34.639 --> 02:56:37.840
cans and a rubber hose to siphon the fuel. Harmony

2803
02:56:37.840 --> 02:56:40.120
and I start ripping open the boxes and getting the

2804
02:56:40.159 --> 02:56:44.959
generators ready. When my girls return, we talk. I piled

2805
02:56:45.000 --> 02:56:48.159
up all the extension cords at the store's entrance. Mona says,

2806
02:56:49.000 --> 02:56:50.959
I also piled up as many gas cans as I

2807
02:56:50.959 --> 02:56:55.840
could find, which wasn't much. Bailey ads, Then she glares

2808
02:56:55.879 --> 02:56:59.079
at me. I suppose Mona and I get to siphon

2809
02:56:59.120 --> 02:57:02.760
the gas. Now I get where Bailey's coming from. No,

2810
02:57:03.680 --> 02:57:06.040
I'll go out and do it. We don't have time

2811
02:57:06.040 --> 02:57:10.280
for this. Bailey quickly puts a hand on my shoulder. No,

2812
02:57:11.239 --> 02:57:14.440
you're right, I'm sorry. Go get the generators in the

2813
02:57:14.440 --> 02:57:17.440
extension cord set up. I'll go out and get the gas.

2814
02:57:17.799 --> 02:57:21.120
I ain't letting you go out there by yourself. Mona snaps,

2815
02:57:21.559 --> 02:57:25.159
you know what, let's all go get the gas. I suggest.

2816
02:57:25.559 --> 02:57:27.280
At least it'll be one thing we won't have to

2817
02:57:27.319 --> 02:57:32.680
do later. Harmony suddenly appears. Do not even think about escaping.

2818
02:57:33.120 --> 02:57:36.479
I am too resolved for things such as that. I

2819
02:57:36.559 --> 02:57:39.200
tell Harmony, we're just going down to the parking garage

2820
02:57:39.239 --> 02:57:42.559
to siphon gas from the cars there. Maybe you could

2821
02:57:42.559 --> 02:57:45.079
come with us. You can say we're your slaves if

2822
02:57:45.079 --> 02:57:48.680
any other vampires show up. When she's still not sure,

2823
02:57:48.760 --> 02:57:52.559
I groan Harmony, come on, where are we going to go?

2824
02:57:53.399 --> 02:57:56.840
Harmony accompanies us to the parking garage and watches us

2825
02:57:56.840 --> 02:58:00.840
fill the gas cans. Since she doesn't breathe, she can't

2826
02:58:00.879 --> 02:58:04.399
really help us. She can warp the cans back into

2827
02:58:04.399 --> 02:58:06.959
the mall and bring us more to fill, until we

2828
02:58:07.079 --> 02:58:10.479
filled every single container we were able to find. All

2829
02:58:10.520 --> 02:58:12.520
I have to say is that mouse better still be

2830
02:58:12.600 --> 02:58:17.440
making tracks. Yuck. I'll never get that taste of gasoline

2831
02:58:17.479 --> 02:58:20.799
out of my mouth. Ugh. We go back into the

2832
02:58:20.840 --> 02:58:23.719
mall and work to connect as many extension chords as

2833
02:58:23.719 --> 02:58:26.959
we can to the generators. To show Harmony my plan

2834
02:58:27.079 --> 02:58:30.040
will work. We gas up a generator and plug some

2835
02:58:30.120 --> 02:58:33.719
stuff in. I fire it up. You should have seen

2836
02:58:33.879 --> 02:58:37.280
the bright smile on Harmony's face when she sees a

2837
02:58:37.280 --> 02:58:41.079
few Christmas trees and some lights and a few animatronic

2838
02:58:41.159 --> 02:58:44.440
displays come to life. Then the big tree and the

2839
02:58:44.440 --> 02:58:50.520
Santa House lights burst into life. Yes, Harmony breathes like

2840
02:58:50.600 --> 02:58:54.239
she's a little girl seeing her first Christmas all over again.

2841
02:58:55.319 --> 02:58:57.760
It takes us some more time, but we get everything

2842
02:58:57.799 --> 02:59:01.040
we're able to get hooked up connected. When the generators

2843
02:59:01.079 --> 02:59:05.760
are all running, Harmony's very happy. At one point, she's

2844
02:59:05.840 --> 02:59:08.479
kneeling down in front of the very big Christmas tree

2845
02:59:08.479 --> 02:59:12.159
next to Santa's House. For the record, this tree is

2846
02:59:12.319 --> 02:59:16.200
not in our mall back home, unless our Harmony put

2847
02:59:16.200 --> 02:59:18.280
it in just after she banned us all from the

2848
02:59:18.319 --> 02:59:22.879
mall last weekend. It surprises me that this particular vampire

2849
02:59:23.280 --> 02:59:27.200
seems more interested in Christmas than in drinking our blood.

2850
02:59:27.239 --> 02:59:30.920
I mean, you should see how Harmony's eyes are glowing,

2851
02:59:31.879 --> 02:59:35.840
not literally glowing. I mean, I don't know. Christmas must

2852
02:59:35.879 --> 02:59:41.559
hold some special value in her undead heart somewhere. If

2853
02:59:41.600 --> 02:59:45.440
our Harmony holds Christmas in the same regard, she certainly

2854
02:59:45.520 --> 02:59:49.079
never showed it the way this one does. It's been

2855
02:59:49.280 --> 02:59:54.399
so very long, she whispers. It feels like I've waited

2856
02:59:54.440 --> 02:59:59.680
a lifetime just to experience Christmas Day like this again.

2857
03:00:00.799 --> 03:00:04.360
She slowly turns to look at me. And many of

2858
03:00:04.440 --> 03:00:08.159
us died so long ago when we were suddenly turned

2859
03:00:08.200 --> 03:00:15.680
into vampires. Mona and Bailey slowly approach. Is everything okay?

2860
03:00:16.479 --> 03:00:20.920
Mona asks? We got all we could started up for you. Harmony.

2861
03:00:21.360 --> 03:00:25.559
Bailey ads, sorry, we couldn't get it all working. We

2862
03:00:25.719 --> 03:00:31.639
just didn't have enough generators. Harmony stands up. Now she's

2863
03:00:31.760 --> 03:00:37.239
crying human tears. I heard the ones back home cried

2864
03:00:37.280 --> 03:00:42.239
blood anyway. I never thought vampires were even capable of crying.

2865
03:00:43.000 --> 03:00:47.200
Of course, I recall meeting my first real vampire last weekend.

2866
03:00:48.000 --> 03:00:52.079
Harmony puts gentle hands on both Mona and Bailey's shoulders.

2867
03:00:52.840 --> 03:00:57.159
You gave me enough, then I have a burning question.

2868
03:00:59.079 --> 03:01:05.239
Do you who did this to you? Harmony's still crying softly.

2869
03:01:06.840 --> 03:01:10.399
I can't say for sure how it all began, but

2870
03:01:10.520 --> 03:01:15.319
I do know our esteemed mayor was heavily involved. Mayor

2871
03:01:15.360 --> 03:01:18.520
Patrick Gunter and a few of his converts tried to

2872
03:01:18.559 --> 03:01:23.959
take my mall, but I drove them out. Before Harmony

2873
03:01:24.000 --> 03:01:28.520
can finish her story, we hear fluttering noises coming. Harmony

2874
03:01:28.639 --> 03:01:32.440
hisses in the direction and looks at us. It's Mayor

2875
03:01:32.520 --> 03:01:35.399
Gunter again. He and his army must know you three

2876
03:01:35.399 --> 03:01:40.559
are in here. She says, you are my Christmas dinner mine.

2877
03:01:40.600 --> 03:01:45.360
He can't have you. Mona gulps, you're still gonna kill

2878
03:01:45.440 --> 03:01:49.040
us after what we did for you. Harmony vamps out again,

2879
03:01:49.319 --> 03:01:54.840
making a shriek and raises her claws. He can't have you,

2880
03:01:55.920 --> 03:02:00.239
She snatches up. Bailey. You belong to me now, she

2881
03:02:00.440 --> 03:02:04.319
sounds really crazy. I quickly reach into my pack and

2882
03:02:04.399 --> 03:02:06.559
slap one of the Holy Wafers on the back of

2883
03:02:06.559 --> 03:02:11.200
my hand. Harmony shrieks causing her to drop Bailey. Then

2884
03:02:11.280 --> 03:02:13.600
she holds her hand as she falls to her knees

2885
03:02:14.000 --> 03:02:18.760
and cries again. I hate being this way, she chokes out.

2886
03:02:19.479 --> 03:02:22.719
I've consumed so many mortals just to satisfy my never

2887
03:02:22.799 --> 03:02:25.920
ending hunger. I hate being so hungry all the time.

2888
03:02:26.159 --> 03:02:30.280
I hate that it drives me to this insanity. I

2889
03:02:30.360 --> 03:02:35.520
don't want to kill you, but I'm so very hungry.

2890
03:02:36.239 --> 03:02:39.600
You won't have the chance to satisfy your hunger, Harmony mirror.

2891
03:02:40.319 --> 03:02:43.680
A new voice calls out. We all turn and face

2892
03:02:43.799 --> 03:02:47.360
Mayor Patrick Gunter and his army of the living dead.

2893
03:02:48.399 --> 03:02:51.239
I think it's safe to say we've never been so

2894
03:02:51.399 --> 03:02:55.360
scared in all our lives. Mona quickly leans in and

2895
03:02:55.399 --> 03:02:58.959
whispers that the Blu ray player is set up and ready.

2896
03:02:59.600 --> 03:03:01.920
Then Bailey nods to one of the monitors in the

2897
03:03:01.920 --> 03:03:06.399
food court. The movie Doorway to Horror is playing. Now

2898
03:03:07.120 --> 03:03:10.120
soon we may be able to return home. But now

2899
03:03:10.159 --> 03:03:16.120
I'm feeling despair, just like Harmony Mouse. I choke out.

2900
03:03:16.799 --> 03:03:19.639
We can't leave her here, We can't, you guys, she's

2901
03:03:19.680 --> 03:03:24.040
our friend, she's one of us. Bailey nods quickly, but

2902
03:03:24.079 --> 03:03:27.200
Mona doesn't look so sure. I'm ready to smack her

2903
03:03:27.280 --> 03:03:30.200
arm and tell her to just grow up, But then

2904
03:03:30.840 --> 03:03:34.360
she explains her. Look, if Mouse was gonna find her

2905
03:03:34.399 --> 03:03:37.559
way back here, she would have done it already, right,

2906
03:03:38.520 --> 03:03:44.040
Mona shakes her head. Those vamps probably got her. Don't

2907
03:03:44.040 --> 03:03:46.719
you think Mouse would want us to go back? That's

2908
03:03:46.760 --> 03:03:49.200
why she dropped us off here and sped off herself.

2909
03:03:50.239 --> 03:03:54.200
Mayor Gunter points right at us. You foolish children think

2910
03:03:54.239 --> 03:03:57.200
I can't hear what you're saying. You will end that

2911
03:03:57.319 --> 03:04:02.159
movie immediately. He waves his hand. Two of his vampires

2912
03:04:02.200 --> 03:04:07.120
bring Mouse out. No, these vampires were the bats chasing us.

2913
03:04:07.840 --> 03:04:11.639
They did catch up to Mouse. What happened to you?

2914
03:04:12.280 --> 03:04:16.440
I ask her? Car ran out of gas? She mutters.

2915
03:04:17.319 --> 03:04:19.600
I said the gas gage was busted. I was hoping

2916
03:04:19.959 --> 03:04:22.040
he got away and made it back home. By now,

2917
03:04:22.920 --> 03:04:26.719
Mayor Gunter suddenly grabs Mouse and lifts her up to him.

2918
03:04:27.280 --> 03:04:30.159
You will stop the movie now where I satisfy my

2919
03:04:30.280 --> 03:04:38.079
hunger with this little morsel? Decide fast. I quickly raise

2920
03:04:38.159 --> 03:04:41.479
my hands out in front of me. Okay, okay, stop,

2921
03:04:42.639 --> 03:04:51.639
we surrender perspective. Bailey downs. Mayor Gunter's still holding Mouse

2922
03:04:51.719 --> 03:04:54.200
up to him. He arches her neck and is ready

2923
03:04:54.280 --> 03:04:58.639
to bite her. No way, Mona sneers, I ain't giving

2924
03:04:58.680 --> 03:05:01.399
myself up for a little road. Go ahead and eat her.

2925
03:05:01.760 --> 03:05:04.399
Look at her, Mayor, just look at her. There ain't

2926
03:05:04.440 --> 03:05:07.559
no meat on her bones. She won't have nearly enough

2927
03:05:07.639 --> 03:05:10.719
blood to satisfy you. She probably don't even have half

2928
03:05:10.760 --> 03:05:13.959
the blood the rest of us have. Bailey turns to her,

2929
03:05:14.760 --> 03:05:19.319
what are you doing? Mona ignores her. Don't you see

2930
03:05:19.840 --> 03:05:23.760
she's just a troublesome little rodent. She don't belong with us,

2931
03:05:24.040 --> 03:05:26.760
she never did, so go ahead, put her out of

2932
03:05:26.760 --> 03:05:30.879
her misery. Mouse tightens her jaw and glares right at Mona.

2933
03:05:31.719 --> 03:05:36.200
She doesn't say anything, but if looks could kill, I

2934
03:05:36.239 --> 03:05:38.319
think this is as close to mad as I've ever

2935
03:05:38.360 --> 03:05:42.120
seen Little Madeline donnerly get. Then I see the first

2936
03:05:42.159 --> 03:05:45.879
signs of flickering near the TV and see what looks

2937
03:05:46.000 --> 03:05:51.079
like a portal starting to form. Mayor gun to roars

2938
03:05:51.239 --> 03:05:54.879
with anger. I sent that disk to your universe and

2939
03:05:55.000 --> 03:05:58.040
hope one of you mortals would find it and bring

2940
03:05:58.079 --> 03:06:02.799
more food back to us, proving our latest experiment to success.

2941
03:06:03.520 --> 03:06:07.600
But none of you were returning to your universe last time.

2942
03:06:08.200 --> 03:06:11.319
Stop playing the movie, or I make a quick snack

2943
03:06:11.360 --> 03:06:15.360
out of your friend here, then I'll claim the rest

2944
03:06:16.479 --> 03:06:20.719
take her. Then Mona goads him on. Then she tells Mouse,

2945
03:06:21.520 --> 03:06:24.520
I never did like you. Now I'll finally be rid

2946
03:06:24.559 --> 03:06:27.120
of you. In fact, why don't you have a drink

2947
03:06:27.159 --> 03:06:31.520
of this before you become vampire chow. Mona throws Mouse

2948
03:06:31.559 --> 03:06:36.200
a bottle of water. Then my spirit lifts. Mouse catches

2949
03:06:36.200 --> 03:06:39.079
the bottle and quickly opens it. She splashes the water

2950
03:06:39.120 --> 03:06:43.280
in Mayor Gunter's face, which sizzles and burns immediately. Once

2951
03:06:43.319 --> 03:06:47.040
he drops Mouse, she immediately comes to us. You really

2952
03:06:47.079 --> 03:06:51.920
had me going there. Mouse tells Mona, what oops, I

2953
03:06:51.959 --> 03:06:55.840
guess I gave you the wrong bottle. Mona snaps yeah.

2954
03:06:56.040 --> 03:06:58.799
Mona never likes to show how she really feels to Mouse.

2955
03:06:58.879 --> 03:07:02.399
Buta's not moving to shove Mouse back to the vampires,

2956
03:07:02.440 --> 03:07:06.000
so I know she truly meant to save her. I

2957
03:07:06.079 --> 03:07:10.040
do know my best friend, Mayor Gunter points to all

2958
03:07:10.079 --> 03:07:15.479
of us kill them. Then he really vamps out. I mean,

2959
03:07:15.840 --> 03:07:17.959
if this is a head vampire and he's got an

2960
03:07:18.040 --> 03:07:22.200
ultimate form, this must be it. He's much bigger now,

2961
03:07:22.239 --> 03:07:26.879
he looks much uglier. He looks like a scary bat

2962
03:07:27.000 --> 03:07:30.879
like creature. But with clothes on, he turns and focuses

2963
03:07:30.920 --> 03:07:33.600
on the movie. The portal's not ready yet, but if

2964
03:07:33.600 --> 03:07:37.200
he destroys the TV or the player, we're never going home.

2965
03:07:38.000 --> 03:07:40.799
I'm pulling out my holy water and wafers, and I'm

2966
03:07:40.879 --> 03:07:44.040
ready to make a last stand. Ariel sees what I'm

2967
03:07:44.079 --> 03:07:47.360
doing and is joining me. Just as Mona's digging into

2968
03:07:47.360 --> 03:07:52.000
her pack, Harmony Miron suddenly flies right onto Mayor Gunter's back.

2969
03:07:52.399 --> 03:07:56.760
She's clawing with rage at him. Unfortunately, Harmony's just too

2970
03:07:56.840 --> 03:07:59.760
small and not nearly powerful enough to win against Mayor

2971
03:07:59.799 --> 03:08:04.840
gun Now he's holding her up by her throat. Winning

2972
03:08:04.879 --> 03:08:10.760
the office of mayor was so easy, he brags, Bringing

2973
03:08:10.799 --> 03:08:16.360
this vampire existence to our world was even easier. But

2974
03:08:16.520 --> 03:08:21.959
destroying you, I'm going to enjoy this. You have been

2975
03:08:22.040 --> 03:08:25.559
nothing but a thorn in my side, Harmony Miron. You

2976
03:08:25.680 --> 03:08:28.440
fought to keep me out of office, You even failed

2977
03:08:28.479 --> 03:08:31.639
to stop me from conquering this world, and you will

2978
03:08:31.760 --> 03:08:37.360
fail to save your new friends. But suddenly, Harmony's face

2979
03:08:37.399 --> 03:08:43.079
starts to burn. What gives? Then her mouth practically irrupts

2980
03:08:43.280 --> 03:08:49.319
when she blasts something into his face. Holy yeah, that's it.

2981
03:08:49.600 --> 03:08:52.920
Holy water. She must have found our bottles in our packs,

2982
03:08:52.920 --> 03:08:56.920
and she's really trying to help us get home. Mayor

2983
03:08:56.959 --> 03:09:01.120
Gunter and Harmony both fall. Harmony's face just awful, But

2984
03:09:01.559 --> 03:09:05.799
you should see Mayor Gunter, Harmony got him good. Now

2985
03:09:05.840 --> 03:09:08.760
the other vampires start coming at us. Just as the

2986
03:09:08.840 --> 03:09:12.600
portal is finally open, Harmony forces herself to her feet.

2987
03:09:12.639 --> 03:09:17.399
Now she looks just hideous. I don't think she's going

2988
03:09:17.440 --> 03:09:20.760
to heal up from this. She grabs us and turns

2989
03:09:20.840 --> 03:09:24.360
us to the portal. Get out of here, go back

2990
03:09:24.399 --> 03:09:29.600
to your home you live. What about you? Ariel yells,

2991
03:09:30.040 --> 03:09:33.760
you'll die if you stay here. I can't come to

2992
03:09:33.840 --> 03:09:38.600
your universe with you, Harmony tells her, anticipating what Ariel's thinking.

2993
03:09:39.719 --> 03:09:44.239
I'm so tainted. I've devoured mortals before, and I'll only

2994
03:09:44.280 --> 03:09:49.520
want to devour your people to satisfy my hunger. I'll

2995
03:09:49.520 --> 03:09:52.760
stay here and see that you all get home safely.

2996
03:09:54.079 --> 03:09:58.079
Go now, the four of us turn and run to

2997
03:09:58.120 --> 03:10:04.440
the portal. Harmony's pushing us along, Move faster, closer, closer,

2998
03:10:05.239 --> 03:10:09.559
so close, almost there. When we finally reach the portal,

2999
03:10:09.920 --> 03:10:12.319
I'm wondering if this is going to truly take us

3000
03:10:12.360 --> 03:10:15.760
back home or we'll end up in some other universe.

3001
03:10:16.559 --> 03:10:20.120
I'll destroy the disc once you're through, Harmony promises us,

3002
03:10:20.799 --> 03:10:24.920
thank you for giving me Christmas again, even if just

3003
03:10:26.000 --> 03:10:30.399
for a few short minutes. Now, I give you your

3004
03:10:30.440 --> 03:10:37.680
freedom in return. Merry Christmas. Before we can say anything

3005
03:10:37.680 --> 03:10:40.680
in the way of thanks, Harmony grabs each of us

3006
03:10:40.680 --> 03:10:43.840
with her vampire speed and shoves us through the portal.

3007
03:10:44.639 --> 03:10:48.040
All we see are many flashes of different colored lights,

3008
03:10:48.840 --> 03:10:52.000
kind of Christmasy. Before the four of us will find

3009
03:10:52.000 --> 03:10:59.600
out if we made it home or not. Perspective Mona abels.

3010
03:11:00.680 --> 03:11:03.639
I gasp and suddenly sit up to see. I'm in

3011
03:11:03.719 --> 03:11:08.920
Ariel's living room. I'm seeing everybody else is awake now too.

3012
03:11:09.319 --> 03:11:12.680
Bailey gets off her couch and comes to us, Are

3013
03:11:12.719 --> 03:11:16.000
you guys all right? The rest of us nod quickly.

3014
03:11:16.559 --> 03:11:20.079
There's enough light in here to tell it's probably morning.

3015
03:11:20.879 --> 03:11:24.440
In fact, Ariel goes right to the curtains and opens them.

3016
03:11:25.159 --> 03:11:28.840
Warm light comes in. Then Ariel goes right to Mouse.

3017
03:11:29.440 --> 03:11:33.399
You weren't turned. Mouse shakes her head quickly. Once they

3018
03:11:33.440 --> 03:11:35.799
got me, I really thought i'd had it. All I

3019
03:11:35.840 --> 03:11:40.159
thought about was hoping you guys got home. Yeah, I'm lucky,

3020
03:11:40.200 --> 03:11:44.399
all right, I'm actually surprised when Ariel pulls Mouse into

3021
03:11:44.399 --> 03:11:47.959
her arms and hugs her. Then Mouse hugs her back.

3022
03:11:49.040 --> 03:11:53.079
Eventually they come apart. I always wondered what Ariel saw

3023
03:11:53.120 --> 03:11:57.879
in that wicked little rodent. I mean, she totally clashes

3024
03:11:57.920 --> 03:12:02.760
with the rest of us. She's just nerd. Seriously, why

3025
03:12:02.799 --> 03:12:06.360
does Ariel like her so much? Mouse quickly picks up

3026
03:12:06.360 --> 03:12:10.360
her smartphone. It's almost ten. The rest of us go

3027
03:12:10.479 --> 03:12:13.280
to our phones. I can see my watch is working

3028
03:12:13.360 --> 03:12:17.879
right again. Looks like we're really home, you guys, Bailey says.

3029
03:12:18.680 --> 03:12:20.840
I can even feel how nice and warm it is

3030
03:12:20.879 --> 03:12:25.520
here compared to when we woke up in that vampire universe.

3031
03:12:26.520 --> 03:12:30.959
Then Mouse has a thought and checks something. Yep, looks

3032
03:12:31.000 --> 03:12:33.319
like both your Blu ray player and that disc mona

3033
03:12:33.440 --> 03:12:38.319
Brot are gone. Ariel, she sighs, I really don't care

3034
03:12:38.360 --> 03:12:41.959
about that right now. Then she looks at her phone. Hey,

3035
03:12:42.920 --> 03:12:46.040
it's not Christmas like it was there. We're still in

3036
03:12:46.079 --> 03:12:48.920
the second weekend of December, like before we went to

3037
03:12:49.000 --> 03:12:53.120
that other universe. Then she puts her phone down and

3038
03:12:53.200 --> 03:12:56.399
claps her hands together. You guys don't have to come

3039
03:12:56.440 --> 03:13:00.159
with me, but I'm going out to the mall. But

3040
03:13:00.200 --> 03:13:04.600
we're banned from there. Mouse reminds her, I don't care, Mouse,

3041
03:13:05.079 --> 03:13:10.879
I have to know. Mouse shrugs, okay, but I'm coming

3042
03:13:10.959 --> 03:13:15.399
with you. Bailey and I decide to tag along too,

3043
03:13:15.719 --> 03:13:21.879
Like Ariel said, we gotta know. Ariel calls us an

3044
03:13:21.959 --> 03:13:24.799
uber and takes us out to Strickfield Town Center Mall.

3045
03:13:25.559 --> 03:13:28.239
Once we get dropped off, we waste no time going in.

3046
03:13:29.040 --> 03:13:32.760
It's just like any other December weekend in Strickfield, packed

3047
03:13:32.760 --> 03:13:37.200
with people and nearly every store filled and open. Our

3048
03:13:37.280 --> 03:13:40.680
mall only gets like this around November and December. The

3049
03:13:40.719 --> 03:13:44.840
rest of the year, there are many vacancies. People sometimes

3050
03:13:44.840 --> 03:13:47.680
say the mall's going to close for good eventually, but

3051
03:13:47.799 --> 03:13:52.520
it never does. Yeah, all the decorations are still up,

3052
03:13:52.719 --> 03:13:56.120
Ariel says, looks like we really made it back home.

3053
03:13:56.440 --> 03:14:00.879
Bailey replies, it's daylight and we never saw anybody burning

3054
03:14:00.959 --> 03:14:04.840
up when they were outside. Then Ariel stops us. Hey,

3055
03:14:05.639 --> 03:14:09.360
let's go into Caffeine Junction for breakfast. My treat Mouse,

3056
03:14:09.639 --> 03:14:12.440
I'm going to buy you the biggest coffee they got.

3057
03:14:12.920 --> 03:14:15.959
Go on in, you, guys. I think Ariel's just glad

3058
03:14:15.959 --> 03:14:19.479
we're back home and we're all safe. True to her, word.

3059
03:14:19.600 --> 03:14:22.360
She lets us order whatever we want. When Bailey and

3060
03:14:22.399 --> 03:14:25.520
Ariel both got their orders, they head off to a booth.

3061
03:14:26.399 --> 03:14:28.440
Now it just leaves Mouse and me to wait for

3062
03:14:28.479 --> 03:14:31.719
our stuff. Mouse kind of gives me a look that

3063
03:14:31.840 --> 03:14:36.280
says she ain't sure about me. Just so you know,

3064
03:14:37.040 --> 03:14:39.600
I wouldn't have really let you die back there. I

3065
03:14:39.680 --> 03:14:43.399
tell her, I don't know what Ariels season you, or

3066
03:14:43.399 --> 03:14:46.520
what Bailey sees in you, But why do you hate

3067
03:14:46.600 --> 03:14:50.920
me so much? Mona? Mouse asks, I don't hate you.

3068
03:14:51.360 --> 03:14:54.520
I tell her, I just don't feel like you belong

3069
03:14:54.600 --> 03:15:01.879
with us. You're just so so weird. Maybe to me

3070
03:15:02.159 --> 03:15:05.319
you might be the weird one. She says, you ever

3071
03:15:05.360 --> 03:15:09.159
thought about that? We just look at each other. When

3072
03:15:09.200 --> 03:15:13.879
Ariel and Bailey ain't looking, I extend my hand. Truce.

3073
03:15:14.959 --> 03:15:19.239
Mouse shakes my hand. Truce. I lean in and say,

3074
03:15:20.159 --> 03:15:24.440
you say anything about this, and I'll deny it fair enough.

3075
03:15:25.280 --> 03:15:27.799
When we get our food, we join the others at

3076
03:15:27.840 --> 03:15:31.520
the booth. Surprisingly, we make it through the whole length

3077
03:15:31.520 --> 03:15:35.600
of the mall, just after Ariel's called us another uber harmony.

3078
03:15:35.639 --> 03:15:39.040
Miron is right there, She points to Ariel and Mouse.

3079
03:15:39.799 --> 03:15:42.959
Last I checked, you two are banned from my mall.

3080
03:15:43.559 --> 03:15:45.760
Tell me right now why I shouldn't bring you to

3081
03:15:45.760 --> 03:15:49.639
my office and have you both arrested. Ariel and Mouse

3082
03:15:49.680 --> 03:15:52.879
look at each other. Then Ariel digs into her purse

3083
03:15:53.079 --> 03:15:56.120
and pulls out receipts. She hands them to her and says,

3084
03:15:56.920 --> 03:15:59.040
because I wanted to treat my girls to some of

3085
03:15:59.079 --> 03:16:02.559
your finestabis eblishments. We all ended up having a near

3086
03:16:02.600 --> 03:16:05.959
death experience, and I just wanted us to celebrate that

3087
03:16:06.000 --> 03:16:10.319
we're still alive for another Christmas season. This mall has

3088
03:16:10.319 --> 03:16:13.239
been our hangout place for a long time. You want

3089
03:16:13.239 --> 03:16:16.159
to call the police, you go right ahead. But we

3090
03:16:16.200 --> 03:16:20.120
didn't cause any trouble here. Besides, I thought you like

3091
03:16:20.239 --> 03:16:24.600
the idea of people spending money at your mall. Harmony's

3092
03:16:24.600 --> 03:16:29.479
still holding Ariel's receipts and keeps looking sour at us. Finally,

3093
03:16:29.920 --> 03:16:34.680
she hands back the receipts. Okay, you two can come back,

3094
03:16:35.079 --> 03:16:39.280
she says. Then she points sharply at them. You're on probation.

3095
03:16:39.879 --> 03:16:42.600
In other words, if I ever see cousin Stewart back

3096
03:16:42.639 --> 03:16:45.280
in here with you again, you're all going to be

3097
03:16:45.360 --> 03:16:50.799
permanently banned. Do we understand each other? We all quickly

3098
03:16:50.840 --> 03:16:55.799
tell her we do. Then Harmony nods once. Okay, then,

3099
03:16:56.280 --> 03:17:01.360
but remember, I'll be watching like Santa Claus. I'm always

3100
03:17:01.399 --> 03:17:05.559
watching now that we have our arrangement out of my sight.

3101
03:17:06.680 --> 03:17:10.239
I guess money really does talk, Ariel says and snickers.

3102
03:17:10.680 --> 03:17:14.639
When we're far enough away from Harmony, that means you

3103
03:17:14.680 --> 03:17:18.639
ain't bringing Stuart here ever again. Mouse replies, Then I

3104
03:17:18.719 --> 03:17:24.079
quickly smack Ariel's arm. What was that for? She demands. Look,

3105
03:17:24.520 --> 03:17:27.360
I tell her. We see Ariel's mom and her aunt

3106
03:17:27.399 --> 03:17:31.879
together with Stuart. When they see us, Ariel's mom points

3107
03:17:31.959 --> 03:17:36.440
right at her. Run you, guys, Ariel yells. Aunt Margaret

3108
03:17:36.479 --> 03:17:39.159
wants to hand Stuart off to me. We turn and

3109
03:17:39.239 --> 03:17:41.840
run for all we're worth. Boy, do we ever hear

3110
03:17:41.879 --> 03:17:44.680
Ariel's mom and aunt yelling at her. We run straight

3111
03:17:44.719 --> 03:17:47.719
past Harmony Miron and write out them all Entrance. We

3112
03:17:47.799 --> 03:17:49.719
could tell she was about to call out to us,

3113
03:17:50.120 --> 03:17:53.360
but when she sees Ariel's mom and aunt and Stuart,

3114
03:17:54.120 --> 03:17:57.520
she starts going off on both of them. Now, as

3115
03:17:57.559 --> 03:18:00.600
soon as we're outside the ubers right there, we quickly

3116
03:18:00.639 --> 03:18:04.799
climb in go, Ariel orders him. As soon as the

3117
03:18:04.879 --> 03:18:09.200
driver pulls away, That's when Ariel's mom and aunt are outside.

3118
03:18:09.360 --> 03:18:12.479
Ariel rolls down her window and waves to them, have

3119
03:18:12.600 --> 03:18:16.000
fun with Stuart. You two. Ariel's Mom's going to let

3120
03:18:16.040 --> 03:18:18.760
her have it when they're both home later, but Ariel

3121
03:18:18.840 --> 03:18:22.319
really doesn't care about that. Right now. We needed this,

3122
03:18:22.399 --> 03:18:26.079
you guys, Ariel says. I know it's not quite the

3123
03:18:26.159 --> 03:18:33.760
day yet, but after everything we've been through, well, merry Christmas.

3124
03:18:34.520 --> 03:18:37.920
We don't hesitate and wish her the same. I think

3125
03:18:38.000 --> 03:18:41.120
this is why I'm glad we have our group. I

3126
03:18:41.200 --> 03:18:44.479
still don't think Mouse belongs in it, but Ariel wants

3127
03:18:44.520 --> 03:18:48.719
her around. She's definitely grown on Bailey. I guess I

3128
03:18:48.840 --> 03:18:52.079
tolerate her because she don't cause trouble. To be fair,

3129
03:18:52.159 --> 03:18:55.479
she did risk her life for us both on Halloween

3130
03:18:55.559 --> 03:18:59.559
night and last night. In light of that, I'll keep

3131
03:18:59.600 --> 03:19:03.319
the truth with Mouse, like I said, I'll deny it

3132
03:19:03.360 --> 03:19:08.239
if she says anything about it. Besides, Ariel's right, we've

3133
03:19:08.280 --> 03:19:12.399
all been through the absolute most horrifying experience together to date.

3134
03:19:13.280 --> 03:19:16.120
I can tell you one thing. It'll be one sleep over.

3135
03:19:16.239 --> 03:19:21.440
None of us we'll ever forget. But Ariel's right, at

3136
03:19:21.520 --> 03:19:25.920
least we have another Christmas. Deep down, I'm hoping the

3137
03:19:25.959 --> 03:19:29.840
harmony mirror of that other universe succeeded in destroying that disk,

3138
03:19:30.959 --> 03:19:34.319
because if she didn't, No, I don't even want to

3139
03:19:34.360 --> 03:19:39.280
think about that. It's going to be Christmas soon. Speaking

3140
03:19:39.319 --> 03:19:42.639
of soon, that's when you'll see us again, and with

3141
03:19:42.719 --> 03:19:52.319
a new adventure. In the meantime, Merry Christmas. Well, my Spookyes,

3142
03:19:52.840 --> 03:19:57.559
you've survived over three hours of terror tales involving the

3143
03:19:58.079 --> 03:20:02.680
creatures of the night, so I guess you're tougher than

3144
03:20:02.719 --> 03:20:06.959
you look. Make sure you're subscribed because Weekly Spooky is

3145
03:20:07.000 --> 03:20:11.399
published over three hundred terrifying stories and we have no

3146
03:20:11.520 --> 03:20:15.959
intention of slowing down. In fact, remember in October, we

3147
03:20:16.000 --> 03:20:21.360
publish every single day, so make sure you're subscribed on

3148
03:20:21.399 --> 03:20:24.360
your favorite podcasting app. And if you want to support us,

3149
03:20:24.399 --> 03:20:28.440
head toweeklyspooky dot com slash join for as little as

3150
03:20:28.479 --> 03:20:31.559
one dollar a month, get two bonus shows every month,

3151
03:20:32.360 --> 03:20:35.360
and so much more. But now it's time for me

3152
03:20:35.520 --> 03:20:39.879
to retire to my coffin. Until next time, my spookys,

3153
03:20:40.760 --> 03:20:41.680
I'll see you then,