Chapter 4- Family Problems

Susan awoke changed and no longer herself. She felt empty. Dressing in all black, she reported to her daughter, whom she now cursed. Susan was ordered by Mercedes to bring her some human’s worthy of being her followers but she said not to bite them.

            Susan obeyed and went to change her clothes. When Mercedes saw her again she was wearing black high heel boots that came up to her knees, black stockings and a little, short black dress along with silver jewelry while her hair hung down pass her shoulders.

Going to a bar across town, she parked in the parking lot out back. In front, there was a giant neon sign flashing The Cascade out front. The line to get in was down the block and around the corner. Susan walked up to the bouncer and he stopped her from entering. She stepped back and looked hurt. He replied without even looking at her.

            “In line with everyone else.” Everybody quieted down to see what would happen next. She stood there as still as stone and waited for him to notice. When he finally did look up from his clipboard, he looked her in the face and their eyes locked together. He couldn’t tear his eyes away.

            Her eyes were blood red. The bouncer grasped the brass pole divider and leaned on it. He felt dizzy and his head was spinning. He fell to the ground and threw up. As he was lying on the ground shivering in a cold sweat, she stepped over him and looked at the first few people in line.

            “Come in and join me, if you want to see what happens next.” She said in a sultry tone. They shrank back from her. Just the sound of her voice and the look of her eyes made the color drain from their faces. She walked through the door and disappeared.

            The club was crowded with dancers who wore glow- in the dark jewelry and tattoos. The music was pounding with the clubbers movement. The bar was at the far wall and in another section there were tables for people who wanted to sit down to talk and drink. Then there was a area filled with couches for people who wanted to sit and hang out. It was smoky and she loved the vibe, so many targets and so little time.

            She made her way over to the bar and ordered a Bloody Mary. When the drink arrived, she sipped it and was extremely disappointed. She spun around on the stool and stared into the crowd.

Exactly, she waited at the bar for anyone who looked strong and worthy. 45 minutes later a man walked in and caught her eye.

            A man came in and stood by the door, taking in the clubbers. He was 5’9” and had short black hair. He wore a black jacket with a light blue shirt and a black jacket. He looked around and caught her staring. He smiled and she did the same. She watched him as he made his way through the crowd and take a seat in the back.

She swiveled around in her seat and ordered another Bloody Mary from the bartender but this time she also ordered a beer. When he went to get the drinks, she reached into her purse and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. The bartender set the two drinks down in front of her. Carefully opening the paper packet that contained a powder. She tipped it into the beer without anyone seeing. Picking up both of the drinks, she made her way over to his table. She came up behind him, leant in, “Need a drink?” She said it loud enough so that she was sure he could hear her over the sound of the music. He smiled and she set down the beer and took a seat. She pushed the beer over to him and took a sip of her own drink.

“What brings you over here?” He asked.

            “You.” He took a gulp of his beer. She smiled.

            “Okay then what’s your name?”

            “Susan and yours?”

            “I don’t think it really matters. Does it?” He leaned forward, interested in her answer. She smiled.

            “Nope and you’re right. It really doesn’t matter. What brings you out here tonight?”

            “I’m looking for a good time.”

            “Oh really?”

            “Yep, and I think I found it?”

“I think I found what I was looking for too.” They were talking, when he finally finished his drink. That’s when his speech began to slur. She smiled again.

 “Sorry, I don’t know…” He cleared his throat as if straining to get something out of it. It was now time for her to make her move.

“Can you please walk me to my car?” She rose from her seat and held out her hand. He rubbed his eyes because his vision was beginning to blur.

“I’m not sure.”

“Oh, come on, it’s just out back.” She pleaded.

“Uh, Uh kay.” He ignored her hand and put his arm around her shoulder. He tried to balance his self. She helped him move through the crowd. People noticed them, but they just he was drunk.

Outside, it was dark and humid, a bad combination on his part. She supported all of his weight while he hung on to keep from falling. Susan tried to keep him from view of others. She brought him to her car by way of a different alley from the one people were taking to get to and from the club. By the time she had gotten him to her car, he could barely stand up on his own two feet. He leaned up against her car.

“Do you need to sit down?”

“Yea. I think so.” She opened her car door and let him sit in the back. He leant back and fell asleep. She pushed him farther in and onto the floor. Closing the door, she went to the driver side and got in. Once she drove to another bar, she started over.

Susan stood in front of the second club of the night admiring the blue neon lights. The lights were flashing the name, Oceanana Mist. She charmed her way inside just like before.

At the back of the club sat a women was lounging on a black leather couch. She had a glint in her eyes that made her seen ominous. Everyman who approached her so far had seen her eyes and turned back as if they were afraid of what she might do to them. She was dressed in all black. Her hair was a light brown and came down to her shoulders. If you didn’t see her eyes or sense her presence you couldn’t even tell she was actually there She didn’t seem to be enjoying herself very much. As she was staring at her drink, her eyes suddenly flicked upward.

“Do you smell that?” The man sitting next to her was just as scary. He was dressed in all black and no one dared even to glance at him. He had his arm around her. He frowned.

“Yes.” They searched the crowd with their eyes for the person who reeked of human blood. Their eyes found Susan. They saw her talking to a human, a man who seemed strong enough but was obviously desperate. A few moments later, they both stood up to leave. The human followed her.

The man and women stood to follow. Once they were outside, they saw Susan putting the human in the car. The woman spoke up, “What are you going to do with that?” referring to the human man who was now lying unconscious in the front seat of her car. Susan turned around at the voice. She looked them up and down for a moment and then turned back around, and finished stuffing him into the car. After shutting the door, she started walking to the driver’s side of the car when the man moved in front of her to block her way. She turned around to go the other way when the women stopped her again. Susan finally spoke, “Move or I will kill you both.” The man raised an eyebrow to this challenge.

“Stupid human.” Susan’s hand went for the women’s throat. But the women grabbed Susan’s wrist. She smiled.

“So, you’re new aren’t you?” She paused. When Susan didn’t react to what she had said, she continued.

“Smell our scent and look closely.” Susan took a deep breath and realized her mistake. The women asked, “Do we seem human to you?” Susan removed her arm from the women’s grip.

 “We want him.” She nodded towards the unconscious man.

“Then take him.” She appeared by the driver’s side door and slid in. The man opened the door and in one quick movement removed the man from the back seat of the car. He laid him gently on the pavement. Susan put the car in gear and drove off.

“So, what do you think?” The man consulted the women.

“I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of her.” The women checked the man’s pocket, found his wallet and inside that was his licenses. Once they knew his address, they dropped him off at home and went their separate ways.      

That encounter put Susan behind on her schedule and on guard to avoid others of her kind. She found two others bars, located, drugged and captured two men like the first time without any more troubles or problems. The two men were both strong when it came to muscle but were both weak when it came to will power so they were easily seduced.

When she finished, she went home. Taking them in one by one, she dragged them towards the house. Minutes later, they were all upstairs and in Mercedes’s room.

Susan opened the door to Mercedes’ bedroom, finished dragging the three men inside and closed the door behind herself. She stood at the foot Mercedes’ bed and called her, “Mercedes.” When that didn’t wake her, Susan said it again, “Mercedes.” But this time she kicked Mercedes’ bed. It shook the whole frame of the bed, waking Mercedes up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Susan, “How dare you, you insignificant piece of garbage.” Susan stood her ground, “Here is what you asked for.” Mercedes left her bed and Susan took a step back. She bowed down on her knees. Mercedes shot her an angry look.

Mercedes made her way over to the unconscious and unlucky chosen men. She knelt down hovering above them. In one swift movement, she bit a lot them. She rose and got back in bed.

“Take them,” she waved Susan away while she tried to go back to sleep. Susan grabbed the three of them and dragged them off to the guest rooms.

When Mercedes woke up the next morning, she found herself in a darkened room with four people surrounding her bed. She each gave them a task to do.

Winter, the best part about it is that it gets dark outside very early, stores are still open and people still dare to walk around. Susan made a good decision about the guy from bar number one. He stalked his breakfast as if he was born to do it. They didn’t even see it coming. In about no time at all Mercedes’s basement floor was littered with the bodies of three adult males, one adult female and the body of a young girl, no older than ten who had been separated from her mother only minutes before.

After she got dressed, she followed the men and her mother into the basement, closing the door behind all of them. First, there were screams then whimpers, and then nothing but silence. Mercedes looked up and wiped her mouth.

“Ready the car to leave.” One of the three men rose, wiped his mouth as well and ascended the basement stairs, to start up the black SUV.

Today she decided she was going to have a little fun. She was going shopping.

Linage Rapids was a clothing store. It was very popular with the type of people who wanted to fit in. So that meant it was basically popular with all people. Walking in the store, she walked down the aisle. She bypassed racks upon racks of clothes. People stared at them going by. They looked strange with her walking in front of a woman and three strange looking men all wearing sun glasses. Mercedes went to one of the racks and picked at the clothes. She had her own particular taste. Each thing she liked she gave to her mother and every other thing she dislike, she dropped it on the floor. When she decided she had enough clothes to try on, she went and found a dressing room. She had tried on mostly everything in the store but after about two hours, she finally decided that she had found the perfect outfit. She was wearing a shirtsleeve red shirt under a black long sleeve sweater. Her black skirt was over black leggings and lastly she was wearing black shoes. She admired herself and was proud of her work. Then looking at her mother and the men, she shook her head and smiled.

She headed for the exit and tried to leave without paying. Right behind her were the four following her every step. The clerk was a young man. The young man was scrawny and seemed not to have much confidence. He also needed this job so he would do anything. He ran around the store picking up after the little girl. He wanted to tell her to stop but he was getting a weird feeling from her. When he saw that they had all changed he went behind the cash register expecting them. He was surprised when all five of them ignored him and passed him by.

"Stop, wait, you have to pay for that stuff." Then he finally said, "I'm going to the cops." Mercedes knew they didn't need that kind of attention called to them. She stopped at the door and turned around. The clerk buzzed the manager. The manager was a lean man in a suit, when he walked he waddled, he had a gray mustache, and a baldhead. He approached them addressing Susan.

            “Excuse me, you have to pay for that clothing.” Susan looked at Mercedes. Susan answered back, "Why?"      

"Because this is a paying establishment and therefore if we were to let anyone come and take what they wanted we wouldn't make any money."          

"That’s not my problem."  

"Yes, it is because you're going to pay for those things or be thrown in jail."         

“I don't care." She said. His face began turning red.  

"All of you must change out of those clothes right now and exit the store before the police arrive."       

"I sorry, but I can't do that." He was furious now.          

"And why not?"       

"Because I don’t make the decisions here. I'm not the boss."            

"Then who is?" He surveyed the three burly looking men in black standing beside her. Susan then stepped aside and said, “Her,” glancing at Mercedes, “and if she wants something she can have it.” Again, they turned to leave but the manager grabbed Susan by the arm and held her from walking through the door.

            “If you don’t pay for those things, I’m going to have you arrested.” Susan tugged back but the manager held on. Susan looked at Mercedes and she nodded. He turned around and removed his hand from her arm. Grabbing him by the neck, she drove her nails into his skin and she lifted him of his feet. He was clawing at her hands and arms trying to make her stop. He tried to kick her but missed. Mercedes was enjoying his pain but then said, “You should always hang things up when you’re finished playing with them.” Mercedes turned around.

            Susan pushed him onto a clothes rack until he was hanging from it. They opened the doors for Mercedes then left. The clerk was in tears by now and had ducked behind the counter. He pressed the panic button. The cops were there in a matter of minutes. They were standing in front of their cars with their guns drawn.

“They’re in my way.” Her followers killed everybody in her path. People were thrown left and right along with their cars. The four of them slaughtered the cops. Different pieces of different people were flying everywhere. You couldn’t help getting drenched in blood. She waited in the car until they were finished. When they got back in the car Mercedes thought she could prevent this from ever happening again. She needed everyone to be under   her control, to achieve true control. The only way she could go about this was to enslave everyone, the entire human race. To do that she had to recruit, so she had a big job ahead of her. Even so, her followers were growing rapidly and quite nicely from what she could see. In all of anyone's years, even vampires, no one has ever seen a clan as large as hers. Vampires who went against her clan often died or suffered for it. Innocent people were murdered and many more just kept for entertainment. They were the most cruel and evil breed ever created before. Everyone despised them and for good reason.

 

 

            Family. That is a word that has meaning. That is a word you would do anything for, it is something you would do anything to get, it is something you would do anything to keep, and it is something you would do anything to protect. So what would you do if your family was ever threatened?

            Darkness. That is something that is all around you. It is something you are born into. It is something you cannot run or hide from. It is something that comes after you.

            Love. It is what overpowers darkness. It is what you have for your family. It is the protection from the bad things in life. It is what someone gives you no matter the consequence.

            If you love your family and the darkness comes after them, what would you do? Protect them, wouldn’t you? Try to keep them safe? The question is how? Would you watch them? Would you steal them away? What if that didn’t work? Would you live your entire life in fear of what’s to come? Would you watch your back at every turn? Or……… Maybe just maybe……… Embrace the darkness? Become what you fear the most? Well, that’s the ultimate decision, that this daughter, this woman, this mother has to make.

 

           

As for Marly life went on, the Mercedes problem had left her mind and she was enjoying life again instead of worrying. She graduated grammar school and went to a great high school. Once she graduated from that great high school and went to an even better college. After, she moved on to get a degree or two. Fresh out of college she moved out of her parent’s house and moved in with a friend from college. She had loved at first sight and had heartbreaks. She had issues and problems but overall she just had fun. She loved her life and she was living it to the fullest. About after a year or two with her roommate, she moved out and got her own place. In her apartment, she could do whatever she wanted and she could do it whenever she wanted. She was free from any and everything that was previously holding her back.

Going out to clubs and partying then going out to parties, clubbing, she had the life. More sooner than later she met a guy named Johnathon and they fell in love. He was the most handsome guy she had ever seen and he thought the same about her, It was like they were meant for each other. He soon became her boyfriend and she became his girlfriend and all was well. In three years time, they both moved out of their apartments and they bought a house together. When their wedding day arrived, so did all their guests, friends, family, parents, roommates and uncles alike were so excited they couldn’t hide it. Johnathon waited at the altar as Marly walked down the aisle. The minister spoke. They said their vows and till death did them part. They sealed their pledges with 'I do's' and a kiss. Everybody clapped.

At the reception, Marly threw the bouquet behind her and someone caught it. She was happy with her husband and she was happy being Ms. Johnathon Jones. After their honeymoon, Johnathon carried Marly across the threshold into their new home. They had high paying careers and were well taken care off. One day Marly woke up sick, so she stayed home from work. Later that day when Johnathon came home early for his sick wife, he got the greatest news of his life. Marly was pregnant. Nine months later, Justin was born. He was a beautiful baby boy with brown hair and dark brown eyes and you couldn’t get him to stop smiling. Exactly one year later, Jessica made her presence known to the world. A precious baby girl with light brown hair and luight brown eyes. The opposite of her brother you could rarely get her to smile. They were the picture perfect family. Not even a year had past when Marly found out that she was pregnant once more. Another little girl the doctor told them.

 Jamie was cuter thing anyone could have ever imagined. She had her sisters’ eyes and brother’s hair and she would always giggle at the simplest things. Marly dropped Justin and Jessica off at the nursery while she took Jamie to the supermarket with her. She believed Jamie was too young to go to nursery school yet. Then tragic struck her daughter had been kidnapped. Marly was frantic. They searched and searched and nothing turned up. Soon hoping to ever see her again was painful, so they stopped searching. They never talked about her, Jessica was too young to remember her at all, and when they told Justin that she just went away, he was too young to argue. So he just agreed and soon forgot. They hid all of Jamie's things so the kids wouldn't ask questions. But Marly and Johnathon never forgot and this put a strain on their marriage. In the end, they separated and divorced. Johnathon moved out and their happily ever after was over.

Mercedes stood outside that midnight. It had all gotten very boring for her. She needed to renew her excitement for the hunt. She thought of these humans as small and feeble. They never escaped her and their running away and screams of terror were annoying. They never ever escaped her not one, when she was a child there was one. Her second attempted kill had, indeed, escaped her. Her only failure and she admired the girl for that. She wondered if she would remember her. It would be very interesting and exciting if Marly presented her with a challenge. She hoped she wouldn't be bored anymore. After she finished off her kill, she decided to seek Marly out and pay her visit.

That morning Marly and her children's usual routine went off went off without a hitch. Once she saw them turn the corner at the end of the block, she went back in the house to get ready for work. She walked out the house, locked the door behind herself and went to her car. Unlocking her car door, she put the key in the ignition but the car didn't start. She tried again and again but without any luck. Frustrated, she went back inside and called her job. She told them she wouldn't be coming in today. The second phone call made that morning was to a tow truck company.              

Two hours later, she was waiting in an auto body shop with her car propped up. One of the employees had looked under the hood and quickly figured out what was wrong with it. Now he was fixing the problem.                        

"Are you finished yet?" Marly asked impatiently. The man didn't answer. He was ignoring her, so she kicked him in the shin. He flinched and cursed and slid from under her car. His clothes were covered in oil. He stood up and took his head phones out his ears. Wiping his hands on a towel he took out his pocket, before he even looked up at her, he said, "What is wrong with you?"                 

"How much longer?" He looked at her.               

"If you would give me a chance, I can be finished in about twenty minutes but only if you don't kick me again." Marly sighed.                       

"Sorry, I'm just in a little hurry. I have to go pick my kids up." He knelt down on the floor and slid back under the car. Since, he hadn't put back on his earphones, he could hear her pacing and sighed. While under Marly's car he said, "Okay, this is going to take a little longer than I had originally thought so take my pick-up truck, it's just out front. You can take it, go, pick up your kids and I should be done by the time you get back.” Marly looked at all she could see of him.

"Really?"          

"Yea, my keys are just over there on the table by my tools." Marly smiled and picked up the jingling keys.     

"Thank you, thank you so much. I'll be right back."     

"Sure, whatever." Marly picked up Jessica and Justin up from school and dropped them off at home. Then she headed back to the garage. When she got back, he was finished with her car and was standing beside it, wiping his hands on a towel.  

 "How much is it?"     

"It's 40; you can go and pay in the office." She walked into the office, paid and was back in a matter of minutes. He told her what was wrong with her car and then handed her the keys. He also told her how to prevent it from happening again and told her to call the garage if it happened again. She agreed. The next morning when she got in the car to go to work the same problem occurred. This time instead of calling a tow truck, she called the mechanic, Brandon,

from yesterday who worked in the garage. He came right over to take a look. He looked under the hood and made a slight adjustment.

"Okay, try to start it now." She turned the key and she heard him groan. She hopped out the car to see what had happened. He was covered in oil. She couldn't help herself so she snickered. He looked at her, "Really?"             

 "I’m sorry, you can go in the house and get cleaned up." He followed her inside, took a shower, and Marly supplied him with some new clothes. Once he was done, they went in the kitchen and they talked for a bit. They talked about themselves and learnt things about each other. They got along with each other and respectively wanted to see more of each other. By the end of his visit they had talked, laughed and enjoyed themselves. And Brandon had asked Marly out on a date. That Saturday they went out and it was amazing. It soon became a regular thing every Saturday night. Marly wasn't the only one who was enjoying Brandon's company. Justin and Jessica loved Brandon and he loved them. But as much as he did he refused to drag them into his past. Everything was going perfectly until one date went wrong.          

"Goodnight."  

"Goodnight, tonight was great." He smiled and they kissed. Marly went inside with a smile on her face. She turned to face the living room and froze. Justin and Jessica were sitting there on the couch surrounded by vampires. Brandon had only gotten off the porch when he sensed something wrong. He hadn't heard Marly close the door. He went up to the window and saw them. At once, he entered the house, and everyone turned to him. He just stood there and called, "Jessica, Justin can you come over here, please?" They didn't dare breathe let alone move.  

 "It's okay, just get up and walk over slowly." They inhaled and did as he said and the vampires didn't attack.     

"Now, I want you to leave." He ordered Marly was worried about him.                  

"No, you shouldn't..." Jessica started. She turned to the door and a vampire tried to attack her. Before it could reach her Brandon caught it and broke it's neck. The others advanced and Marly, Justin and Jessica watched as Brandon took them all on and then took them all out. They stared at each other for a moment. Brandon sighed and walked to the door. He didn't even have the door open when two more vampires had jumped out of nowhere. He quickly took care of it. Brandon looked at them and then at Marly. She stared back. She realized what they had been but how could he have possibly known. She couldn’t take any chances with her children so she let him close the door behind himself as he left the house.

 

One afternoon like most others, they decided to clean out the basement. They went through several boxes when Jessica made a discovery. She called Justin over, her brother and Marly’s son. Jessica had found a sealed box. It was labeled, “For Mercedes.” They carried it upstairs and showed their mother. She read the label and remembered everything like it was yesterday. She had put the box down in the basement when she and Johnathon, had moved into their new house. She didn’t know why she kept it but she just knew she had to. Justin opened the box and exclaimed, “Awesome.” The box was full of weapons. He began to pick up an arrow but Marly swatted his hand away.”

“Leave it alone.” Marly picked up the box from between them. Jessica was curious, “What’s it for?” Marly responded, “When I was a kid I made it for a friend of mine.” She hadn’t thought about this stuff or Mercedes for a very long time. But along with the incident with Brandon and the fact that her kids just brought it back in her life now, was a bad sign that only added to her bad feeling about it.

She went into both of their bedrooms and sat on the side of their bed. She told them how much she loved and cared for them and told them that she would do anything for them. After she finished tucking them in, she turned out the lights and said goodnight.

That night Marly got in her bed and for a couple of hours, she laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. Her mind was racing and it wasn’t giving her any peace. But sooner or later, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Nightmares swept across her mind of Mercedes and what she would do, and of what would happen to her children and how they would react if they knew the truth about her past. Soon but not as soon as she would have liked, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Waking up, she had a headache and didn’t feel very well. She felt bothered by something and tried to push the feeling away but no matter what it was, it wouldn’t leave her be. Then it occurred to her deep down inside, she knew the reason why she had kept those things for so long. She didn’t think it really ended that night.

The day felt like it took forever. Marly was cooking breakfast when Justin and Jessica came stomping in.

“What’s wrong with the two of you?” Justin said, “There’s nothing to do around here.”

“Uh huh, then how about both of you go and clean your room.” They sighed and Marly rolled her eyes.

“How about after breakfast you go outside and play?”

“Come on, mom, who does that anymore.” She thought again.

“How about…”

“How about what?”

“How about, and listen carefully now, you go and sweep the basement,…” They moaned.

“No, listen, I’m not finished yet. Sweep the basement and the things you saw in that box,” their faces brightened up, “You can take those things out but be careful and when you are ready, call me down so I can teach how to use them. Then I’ll give you a history lesson of when and why I made them.” But she planned to lie about the why part.

“And maybe after you finish practicing, and if and when you’re good at it, maybe just maybe we can go and make you some of your own.”

For kids with little practice and patience, they were good. They handled the weapons as if they were pros and as if they were doing it all their life. As if, they were born to do it. But even so, she showed them everything they needed to know. She took them to the places she went when she was a girl to get the materials. She sat down with them and showed them how to construct them. She felt she had no choice.

Justin had just finished his breakfast and had gone upstairs to watch TV.

“Jessica finish your breakfast so we can go to the supermarket.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Why did you teach us to use and make those things?” Marly looked at Jessica.

“Because I learned the same things I’m teaching you when I was a kid and they came in handy.”

“Well, who taught you? Grandma Judy, Grandpa George?”

“No, I taught myself.”

“Well, then why did it come in handy?”

“Ummm, it just did.”

“Why?” Marly was starting to get flustered.

“It just did okay. Now, I want you to finish your breakfast and go upstairs to get ready to leave.” Jessica slammed down her fork and pushed away her plate.

“Jessica…”

“Why are you lying to us?” Marly calmed herself down.

“I’m not lying to the two of you.”

“Well, I do know one thing.” Jessica stood up from her chair and went to stand in the doorway. Marly continued to stare at her.

“And what is that?”

“You sure aren’t telling us the truth.” Jessica left and went upstairs while Marly continued to stand there heartbroken. After they went to the supermarket, and shopped around for a while. Jessica was bored this time around and would have rather have been at her friend’s house. So as usual, Jessica wandered off. Once Marly and Justin noticed, they started looking for her. Jessica was still mad at Marly so she was going up and down aisles just for the fun of it.

Mercedes happened to be attracted by Marly’s scent. And she came across a wandering child. She caught a glimpse of Jessica’s face and she felt as of something hit her. She began trailing Jessica. Jessica looked familiar and she wanted to find out why. The only reason she was even there was because this was the place her search for Marly led her, too. But this child intrigued her so she pursued her.                        

Looking for Jessica, Justin went to the other side of the store and called out her name. She didn’t answer. About ten minutes later Justin found his mother again with no luck on the other side. They turned down another aisle and that’s when they found her. She was talking to a woman who was staring at her intensely. The women had stopped Jessica. Jessica reminded her of someone but she couldn’t place her face. She began talking to Jessica to find out who she was. Jessica found the women strange and intriguing. She had found the lady standing there with her back against the shelves. And the women was staring at her. They had been talking for a while when Jessica heard a cart being wheeled behind her. Jessica turned around and the women looked up. The women stared at Marly but Marly immediately recognized Mercedes. Mercedes smiled and Marly said, “How about you two go and get something for lunch.” Justin questioned, “Why?”

“So you can eat it. Now go and get anything you want.” Justin shrugged his shoulders and called, “Come on, Jess, before she changes her mind.” Jessica turned from staring at Marly to following Justin out of the aisle. But Justin and Jessica didn’t go far because they planned to eavesdrop.

“I thought you were long gone.”

            “Now why would you think that?” Marly was agitated.

            “Why are you here?”

            “I can’t just come to visit.”

            “Leave me and my family alone.”

            “Now you know I can’t do that. It’s not in my nature and besides from what I can recall you’re the only one to ever get away.”

            “If you don’t I’ll have to do something about it.”

            “Don’t be that way. Remember what fun we had together.” Marly just continued to stare angrily at her. Mercedes tried a different tactic to provoke Marly.

            “But what if something was to happen to your precious children?”

            “Leave my family alone or I swear you will regret it.” Mercedes stood there staring at her as she walked away. She turned the corner and Justin and Jessica were there waiting. She didn’t question why they were there or what they heard, she just wanted to leave. She left her cart there, grabbed them by the arm, and they are left while Mercedes was still watching their backs. She started the car and took off. This new revelation troubled her. It was worst then she had originally thought and it was starting all over again. She needed to contemplate a new strategy. After seeing their mother like that, Justin and Jessica didn’t question their mother anymore but talked among themselves.

Mercedes wanted a partner, so she sought out someone who she thought would aid her best. She sat on top of the car of the man she had chosen, while she waited for him to come out of a store. When he did, she hopped down and leant against his car. He spotted her when he unlocked his car.

“Hello there?” He said with a little curiosity.

 “Hello.” She stared at him while he approached her.

“Do you need help with something?” He smiled.

“Yes, my car broke down and I was wondering if you could give me a ride?” His smile widened.

“Sure.” He opened the passenger side door so she could get in then closed it behind her. He went and sat in the driver’s seat. She leaned in close to him. He asked, “What’s your name?”

“Mercedes, what’s yours?”

“Johnathon.” She smiled, tapped him on the shoulder and said, “You know, that’s all I really wanted to know,” and then she bit him.

 

Jessica and Justin sat in Jessica’s room discussing what they had heard that morning. Justin began, “So what do you think that was all about?”

“I don’t know, maybe she was an old friend.”

“Not likely because that doesn’t explain why mom told her to leave us alone.”

“Maybe she’s an old enemy.”

“Yea, maybe.”

 

Jessica and Justin practiced obediently and repeatedly until they got it right. After about two weeks, and four hours a day in a hot, sweaty basement, did finally, Marly said they were ready to go and get some weapons of their own. She let them make their own weapons, always watching what they were doing and to see if they were doing it correctly. After she expected them and once they were to her standard, she told them something she wasn’t even sure she believed but she knew would keep them safe, “Trust no one, no matter what they do and say.”

Since the first time at the market didn’t go so well Marly decided to go to another grocery store. She was on guard and told them not to wander off and with that, they started shopping. About forty-five minutes with only the cart half-full, they were ready to leave. When they tried to go down an aisle, the woman wouldn’t let them.

            “Excuse me.” They tried again without success. The woman moved closer towards them and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the aisle. She moved out of the way and they saw two men followed by Mercedes. They all stopped. Mercedes smiled and they started backing up.

“Mom.” Jessica warned. Marly turned around. Four more were behind them. Mercedes drew their attention back to her.

“Now let’s experiment on how well you’ve trained your children.” She stepped back between the two men. That must have been some type of signal because they were attacked. Marly took her children and threw them up against shelves while she was buried. They drew their weapons and began to fight. They stood up and placed their backs against one another for safety but in all the commotion they soon were separated. As much as they dodged, stabbed, and destroyed, the vampires just kept coming. There seemed to be no end. Unexpectedly, the crowd of vampires started to thin out and they could see each other again. But they didn’t stop until there was just Mercedes. All that time, she had been sitting on the top of the shelves crossed watching from above. She applauded them.

“Excellent, excellent, that was quite a show Marly. You were actually good, better than I had expected, really.” She jumped down from the shelf.

“But next time that won’t be a problem. Trust me.” She smiled at the three of them, “Next time.” She turned around and walked away, slipping into the shadows that always seemed to surround her even in broad daylight.

She left them there tired and worried for what’s to come. Marly didn’t want this to happen again and She didn’t think her children could handle it either. They were so exhausted, they could barely support themselves up right. That sight made her ashamed and furious. She couldn’t think of anything else to do so she did the only thing she did think of.

 At home, she sealed the house. Closing all the windows, and locking all the doors. Just in case. She opened it accidently. She didn’t want anything getting in. Checking the front, Jessica and Justin came up behind her and saw nothing. Nothing but the darkness.

She pushed them back and took a step onto the porch. This wasn’t right. It was too dark to be evening. Too quiet. No lights were coming from anywhere, not the lamppost, not the houses, not cars, and not even the sky. This wasn’t good, being surrounded by darkness. When in the dark, you never know what’s there. As she continued to look outside, she saw a dark spot move. It was unnatural. It was one of many. They there were coming.

Trapped in the house, there wasn’t anything they could really do. So they waited but it didn’t take long for something to happen. First came the screeching and then the banging. In the kitchen, they heard glass shatter. They ran. Up the stairs, Marly looked backed. She didn’t see anything because the darkness had spread. It was in the house.

More noises. Screeching. Beating. Bats. The sound of their wings was deafening. Bats attacked them. They ran inside Marly’s room. Bats bombarded the door. Still for a moment, they caught their breath. After ten minutes, the noise stopped and they relaxed some. Having nowhere to go, they stayed put ‘till night fall. Soon, sleep consumed them and they fell asleep.

Morning came and the sun rose. Sunlight came through the curtains and woke them from a heavy sleep. Yarning and confused, they rose from the places where they had slept. Justin and Jessica hopped off the bed to help Marly off the floor. She looked at the door and from the little bit of light coming from under it, she saw no more shadows passing by.

She pressed her ear up against the door. Waiting for a moment, she heard nothing. So she peeked outside and saw nothing. She pushed Jessica and Justin back into the room and took a cautious step out into the hallway. A little farther out, and she was in full plain view of the stairs. Justin and Jessica crept out the room behind her.

She studied the stairs for a moment then waved them on. They walked carefully down the stairs looking in all directions. Anticipating for something to happen. They were on edge. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, there was surprise waiting for them.