Halloween: Mallory's Vampire Lesson

Mallory finds a vampire while Trick or Treating

 

Halloween

 

 

 

Mallory did not like the sounds coming from the kitchen downstairs. Her mother was determined to keep her child in this Halloween. She was worried night demons would come, take their little slayer and make an example of her to others. This was the night of tragedies, the one night when rules governing night demons meant nothing.

            Her father was on Mallory’s side. It would be safer for her to be outside with lots of other children than inside, locked away and hiding. Too many things could trap her, and every demon at the door could be the real thing. 

            Mallory could stand their arguing no longer and used her own trump card. She bounded into the kitchen and put on her best pout. In the end, Mallory’s mother relented and gave in to her puppy dog eyes. Her mother melted in her stare, and finished Mallory’s costume in time for her to go out Trick or Treating.

            Mallory was dressed as a princess, complete with a pink gown, tiara and scepter. Her scepter hid the stun gun her father made for her at the factory. She had several of the potent little devices and each packed a sizable jolt when needed. She looked at herself in the mirror and giggled at the face staring back at her. All the glittery facial makeup made her look like she was almost unreal.

            Her father checked his devices as well, and placed the silver knife in its holster. He had drawn this knife in anger only once, to avenge his parents. The silver knife more recently delivered the coup de grace on a couple of out of line werewolves and one very sick vampire. Destined to belong to Mallory one day, but for tonight, the knife had its place with her father.

            Mallory twirled in front of the mirror and danced her way into the front hall. Her mother took pictures of her little girl as they went out to collect Halloween goodies from the neighborhood. She placed the final touches on the gold and silver crucifix and placed one on either side of her front door, placed another crucifix over the rear door and made sure the sprinklers were set to spray the yard with holy water at sundown. A nice surprise for any night demons that might trespass on their hallowed ground that evening.

            “You look beautiful!” her mother cried as she hugged Mallory tightly. “Call me so I don’t worry myself to death over you two, please Hank?”

            “We’ll call Sara. Don’t allow anyone past the threshold tonight. We will all be fine. You washed in holy water, Mallory washed in holy water and so did I. We will all be just fine tonight.”

            “I know, and I have my kosher salami as back up,” she laughed. She waved at them as they drove off. She offered a prayer of protection for them and set her mind to stay alert.

            Mallory’s mother was on her own tonight for the next couple of hours. She downed a glass of tea and took a fleeting glance at the pills, pills that promised her blissful, dream free sleep, pills that would allow her to sleep and wake in the morning with this night of demons behind her.

            She tossed the pills aside lest they tempt her further. Tonight she was staying pill free. She tried to kick the pills before, but now that Mallory was a proven Slayer, she had to stay alert at all times. She could not protect her child if she was stoned.

            She dressed for this occasion as well. She knew Mallory loved it when she dressed for Halloween and teased her about being “Glenda” from the “Wizard of Oz”. Tonight, she dressed as a good witch to Mallory’s delight. The night was clear, crisp and she decided she would stay outside, not inviting evil to her door until Mallory returned that night.

            Mallory was all smiles as her father drove her around the neighborhood. She met several of her classmates and walked two or three blocks with them, collecting candy and treats from almost every home they visited. Everyone was familiar to her, everything was going well, and her father never took his eyes off her.  

            At the last house, they met the newest member of their neighborhood. She was young, attractive and not one of the mothers trusted her. She drove a car that was too nice, wore clothes that were too expensive and no one seemed to know where she worked. Mallory thought she was very nice to her and the rest of her friends as they did the normal “Trick or Treat” routine at her door. She complimented the children on their costumes and fussed over Mallory’s costume in particular. 

            When Mallory turned to go back to her father’s car, something did not seem right. She thought she saw someone or something hiding at the side of the house. Since not one of the other children saw this dark form, Mallory had to tell her father.

            “Dad, something is hiding over there. Can you see it?” she asked.

            “Where Mal? Which house are you pointing at?”

            “The one we just came from Dad. There’s something hiding over there, behind that big tree.”

            “I think I see something, but I’m not sure. Did you see a face?”

            “I think so. The eyes were green and glowing. It’s wearing a dark robe. Is it something?”

            “Maybe, but we can’t just walk into the woman’s yard. We have to think of a reason for you to go back to her house, and I can get a better look.”

            Mallory thought quickly. She ran out of the car as if looking for her tiara. Without being noticed, she dropped the tiara in the yard. Her father followed her to the front door. The woman was coming to the door as Mallory started to cry about her tiara.

            “I had it here. I know I had it here,” she cried. The dark shape was there, she could see it, and it was not human. Human form, but not human. 

            The woman came to Mallory’s aid as her father looked in the direction of the tree Mallory pointed out to him. He was a few steps behind Mallory. He could see it, and its face. The eyes were glowing at him, glowing in fear. Two Slayers this close, and no easy escape. 

            The woman of the house was very involved with Mallory by now. She spied the tiara in her front yard.

            “There, there princess. Look, there’s you tiara. One of those boys must have knocked it off your head when you left. I’ll bet it was that werewolf boy. He was teasing you anyway wasn’t he?”

            The scent of the young woman was too much for the creature. Half driven by the need for fresh blood, the young vampire bolted from the hiding place, unseen by his intended prey.

            He half flew, half ran to attack. One bite and he would be too strong for a hundred Slayers. Her father waved his hand over the woman’s face, freezing her at once while Mallory threw her scepter at the vampire, hitting it in the head. The scepter discharged a solid burst as it disabled the young and foolish vampire, allowing her father to deal it a deathblow with the knife, plunging it deeply into its chest and stopping the heart. Only now did the young woman see the creature. It fell at her feet, to her looking like a large black cat, but to Mallory and her father, the creature showed its identity.   Repulsed by the sight of the mangy looking animal at her feet, the woman recoiled in disgust. 

            She never saw the attack coming, never saw Mallory throw her scepter and never saw the deathblow from the knife. 

            “I’ll have to call animal control to have this thing carted off.. Disgusting creature. What ever came over it?”

            “I guess the smell of the roast you have in the oven. Smells mighty fine out here. Brings out the worst in some of these stray animals. We’ve been trying to round them up with the neighborhood pet program. I’ll handle this one for you, if you like.” Mallory’s father winked at her to let her know everything was fine.

            “That would be so wonderful of you. I’ll get you a box, oh, sweetheart, here’s your tiara back. Sorry you dropped it here,” she said as she placed the tiara on Mallory’s head. She left them with the dead cat on the front yard to get them the box she promised.

            “Dad, how could she miss us doing that?” Mallory asked.

            “She was holding your tiara. It allows her see what we need her to see. She saw a cat walk up here and die, and that’s what you needed her to see. We do have to work on your cover stories. This one will hold, but the next one needs to be a little better.”

            “That’s cool Daddy, but I’m still just seven. I don’t know what a cover story is.”

            She returned with the box and a sheet of paper to cover the animal. They placed it in the box and Mallory’s father made the sign of the cross over it, the fate of the animal sealed forever. Mallory’s father placed the box on the deck lid of the car and drove off.

            She watched them take the animal from her yard and waved to them as they drove away. The young Slayer passed yet another test, and saved her life in the process. Not that the vampire had a chance to get any closer to her than he did. The spell her Protector cast on the yard didn’t allow him to move until the Slayers were in the yard together. Her task here finished, she requested all her powers to be restored.   

            Mallory and her father drove to a back road where he pulled over, took the box from the car and severed the creature’s heart allowing it to return to dust. 

            “Never let a vampire inside anything you own Mallory. Never knowingly let one into your house, apartment, car or anything. Once you invite them in, they can convert you to become one of them. This one was a bad seed. He wanted to kill that woman, and we will not allow that to happen.”

            “This won’t look good in my Halloween Journal,” Mallory pouted. “My teacher gave us homework tonight. Write what we did on Halloween.”

            “Mallory, you just leave this part out, okay? I’m sure your teacher would not want to know about this.”

           

Reviews

[mirui]

You did really good on this one and the last line was a funny thing to add.

[Ice Queen of the Vampir..]

Haha, I love the last line!!! This chapter is really fascinating and very nicely written. Great work!!!

Heather