Small Towns

Vanessa hadn’t planned to stay in Seaside Fault much longer; leaving tonight in fact. She hated small perfect towns with their houses too symmetrical and people who fit together too nicely. Order of this magnitude stunk of dancing fingers and puppet strings. A farce of serenity.

It reminded her of home.

No, Vanessa didn’t plan to stay here. She had finished her work handling whatever were-things were roaming in the local woods–people dropping off abominations was a worrying trend this year–and was finishing a small lunch at a local diner. 

The lean, pale, woman with short white hair sat in one of the far-off tables away from everyone else. Vanessa’s pointed ears gave the waitress pause when she dropped the meal off. The little stare given while figuring out the appropriate way to treat someone. Vanessa’s curt thanks gave the waitress the hint she’d prefer being alone.

Vanessa would rather sink into the little corner she got herself and not into the chatter of the diner. The way the people here talked unnerved her with its overbearing sense of pleasantry. They all spoke as if aware of each other. Conversations didn’t overlap and mix into mindless noise but stacked atop each other brick by brick. A suffocating calm.

And then the boy ran in, distressed in a manner reserved for people oft-ignored. His unkempt brown hair bounced as he came up to the lunch counter, his red sunken eyes barely peering over as he stood on his tippy toes. 

“Miss! MISS! Ma’am?” The boy cried waving pieces of paper with crude drawings of a little girl. Rather than print the same drawing, it seemed he drew each one by hand. He had given them all a big smile, a purple dress, and a big lavender bow, each lovingly crafted.

The artistic talent on display didn’t grant the kid any favors as the smiling waitress sunk into a grimace at the sight of the boy. A known nuisance, maybe? Vanessa wondered.

“What now?” The waitress groaned.

“My sister, have you seen her? She looks like-”

The waitress rolled her eyes. “It’s the same as yesterday, kid. No.” 

“But, but you didn’t have a picture last time. She looks like this!” He flapped them as close to her face as he could, which wasn’t very.

Not giving a second glance, the waitress walked along the counter with her coffee pot trying to get back to work. “Just wait for her to come home.”

“That’s the thing! It’s been almost a week. And, and I think she was…taken. No– I know it.”

The waitress gave a false smile. “You sure she didn’t run off? Lose her little toy and forget how to get home?”

“NO! We were at the park and I saw a lady with a big black umbrella talking to her and when I ran over she was… My momma says it's stupid and we should wait and I should’ve been watching her better and I should’ve but no one believes me when I ask around because I know it was vampires that took her!” Out of breath, the boy was close to sobbing now, his tired eyes began to well up and he struggled to cry with dry tears. He was clearly spent.

Vanessa's ears perked up at the mention of vampires, something that made the rest of the diner run silent. Normal people shouldn’t know about them. And so the boy stood alone in the diner, with everyone staring at him. Vanessa felt bad for what was to come.

First one chuckle, another, and then more began to fill the diner. It gave Vanessa a nasty feeling. This wasn’t the normal mockery wild claims receive, no. It didn’t come with a mix of jeers, jest, and jabs at the kid’s expense. It didn’t come with howling laughter and coughing guffaws whirling together. The diner wasn’t drowned in a sea of ridicule.

Rather, the laughter came in cold and stacked upon itself layer by layer. Solid. Oppressive. The kind that didn’t come from joy but from a deep desire to shut someone up. Growing in intensity it crowded the diner until there was no more space for the boy and he was pushed outside.

And as the door closed behind him, the laughter stopped altogether and business resumed as usual. Save for two pale, burly men who stalked out of the diner. 

Worried, Vanessa paid for her food and followed them out the door. Though the afternoon sun was setting the glare attacked her eyes and she fumbled for the glasses in her coat pocket. She stared down the street and watched as the men trailed the boy. Keeping pace with them, Vanessa shadowed them for a few blocks before they made their move and dragged the boy into a nearby alley.

Whirling around the corner Vanessa found the men hard at work with one’s hands around the boy’s neck and the other keeping watch. Getting a closer look the men were plain and gruff. Dressed in black dress shirts and jeans, they both had grey buzzcuts and pointed ears. Catching sight of her, the one keeping watch gave a glare from his crimson eyes. 

Thralls, most likely.

It seems the boy was right. Aw, and they were going to silence him for it. How Vanessa hated small towns.

“Off with you. This doesn’t concern you.” The watchman huffed looking her up and down, seeing maybe an acquaintance in Vanessa.

“Maybe I want it to?” She cooed.

“I said back off.” He snarled and showed his fangs. His eyes widened with rage as Vanessa stepped further into the alley.

The watchman dashed at Vanessa with ferocity, cracking the pavement where he once stood. Once he was close, Vanessa calmly grabbed his collar and interrupted his pounce by slamming him into a nearby wall, nearly putting him through. Before he could compose himself, Vanessa whipped her leg up and around to meet his ribs and break a few. As the man spat out blood and all the air he had left, Vanessa brought both her hands up, wrapped them together, and slammed them atop the man’s skull with a satisfying crunch.

Being built of stronger stuff, he’d be fine but stunned while Vanessa got to work on the other one. Good, Vanessa thought as she brought her foot down on his knee and snapped it, she’d need him for later. 

The other, seeing his partner on the floor and reeling, dropped the boy and cracked his knuckles. Maybe he found himself smarter than his friend. He was silent and kept his distance, watching Vanessa and searching for an opening. He’d find it a smart but narrow-minded approach as Vanessa rolled a can atop her foot and launched it into his nose. The boy, who was gathering the air stolen from him and caressing his neck, watched in horror as Vanessa moved with inhuman speed, force, and grace. She slammed her foot onto the man’s right foot, pinning him. A right hook, then a left cut across the man’s jaw, decorating the ground with a few bloody teeth. He hit the ground before the can did.

The boy looked at the man twitching on the ground in front of him, the other further away and groaning, and then up at the woman who may be his savior. A title he was debating as he looked her up and down.

Vanessa was dressed in a black shearling jacket–despite it being the middle of spring–navy cargo pants, dark combat boots, leather gloves, and tinted round glasses. She saw the kid staring at her and looked at herself. Her kind’s love of black was becoming an issue. He’s probably sussed me out already.

Then it’d be best to not act like I’m hiding anything. Vanessa dropped to squat to meet the boy’s eyes. She put away her glasses which hid her red irises, brushed her hair aside to show off her pointy ears, and gave a big smile with fangs and all to put everything on the table. “Hi. I’m Vanessa.” She spoke slow and soft before putting a hand out.

Carefully, with not much to lose, the boy took it and nodded. “Brandon.”

“I’m sorry those mean men tried to hurt you. That’s no way to treat a…” Vanessa paused. Her boss always said she was bad at guessing ages, especially kids. Said it’d be best to take the first guess and double it. So– “... six-year-old boy?

“Ten.” 

“Ten-year-old boy.” She finished. Yeesh, she wasn’t getting better. “I heard you in the diner. You think it has something to do with your… sister, was it?”

Brandon nodded.

“Hm. So, before all this,” she mindlessly waved at the thralls on the ground, “What made you think it was vampires?”

Brandon looked away sheepishly.

“Hey, hey,” Vanessa tapped a bared fang, “I believe you. But I need to know more about what’s going on, ok?”

He stared at his feet, played with his fingers, glanced at her twice, looked back down, and took a deep breath. “A few days ago, we were at the park, right? And my sister, Lily, she likes to run around the whole place. Can’t stay still for the life of her. And I get tired chasing her around, so like momma does, I sit back and watch her. Real E-tent-tive like. I saw her running near some lady wearing a bunch of black and a big big umbrella. Was weird, no clouds that day. But…” The words get stuck in his throat and he has to work to spit them out, “...I looked away. Not for a long while, I swear! But there was this bug that crawled into my shoe and it felt weird so I looked at it and not at Lily and then when I looked up she and that lady were gone!”

Brandon began to sob dryly. Vanessa reached out a hand, hesitated, and then slowly caressed his cheek.

“Momma told me to be careful then and she won’t even look at me now! ‘You ain’t notice every month someone goes missing!’ I swear I heard, I listened, even seen some of my friends skip town when their brother or sister or some other goes gone!” Brandon held Vanessa's hand close, trying to find some comfort as he wailed.

Vanessa looked to the sky and glared at the dim full moon hidden behind thin clouds. Rumors of things like these have come by her before. A vampire family, unregistered, take over a small town and treat it like some kind of farm. Children are an illegal delicacy to be enjoyed on a full moon feast. The human residents probably don’t know the breadth of evil that lurks through their town. Shadows can’t be trusted and those who speak don’t last long. Rumors verge on ghost stories shared in close corners. All they can do is hold their kids tight. Vanessa looked back at the boy, his eyes red and snot dripping down his nose, and didn’t have the heart to tell him that tonight his sister could die. Oh, how she hated small towns.

Can’t roll over yet, Vanessa thought as she rose. “Look away, Brandon.” And she walked over to the watchman and kicked him awake to get to work.

Questions were asked with harsh tones, and fingers on non-dominant hands were broken. Answers were given but Vanessa didn’t pay them much mind. Interrogations weren’t for getting information. People came in two flavors, those who’d say anything to make it stop and those so committed they’d say bold-faced lies. A few ‘you’ll never get away with this!’ and ‘the Damianis will find you!’ gave Vanessa an idea of what she was dealing with and hope her plan would work. 

Finishing up, Vanessa looked back at Brandon who’d stared at her the entire time. She looked back at the watchman, was careful to not break his phone, and kicked him in all the places that force out the funny noises. Brandon giggled at that. Maybe this was a little therapeutic for him.

Vanessa grabbed the watchman and the other thrall, beckoned to outside the alley, and dragged the men into the open. “Alright, Brandon, you mind if I stay at your house tonight?”

“If my momma will let you.”

Vanessa smiled, dropped the men on the sidewalk, and led Brandon to her car. 

His mother did let Vanessa in, though Vanessa suspected it was out of fear. As she sat in the kitchen table, with Brandon’s mother, Isabella, across from her and Brandon to the right Vanessa thought maybe she should’ve kept the shades and smiled with closed lips. It probably would’ve helped if Vanessa made sure at the door Brandon didn’t blurt out, “Momma this lady’s gonna help us! She’s a vampire and real strong!”

Isabella was a stout woman who hadn’t eaten in days. Stress ate away at her and burrowed deep. Her eyes were dark and sunken. Nails chewed away at. Hair a mess from restless nights. She was wide awake now, her glare never came off Vanessa.

It didn’t help since the car ride Brandon had been asking non-stop questions and brought them to the table.

“Don’t vampires burn in the sun?”

“Not with special sunscreen.”

“Does a stake in the heart really do you in?”

“Does in most things, no?”

“How old are you?”

“Didn’t your mother tell you it’s rude to ask?” Vanessa jest.

Isabella’s eyes narrowed at that, “Brandon, let’s play the silent game.”

Vanessa couldn’t meet Isabella’s stare so she turned to the kitchen table which was a mess of envelopes and crumbs. One caught Vanessa’s eye. An envelope sealed with a little purple bat. Oh, they found themselves cute here. Isabella grimaced as Vanessa felt the thickness of the envelope. Vanessa had heard about this too. Sometimes, after stealing a child away, the family found a stack of cash in the mail. Enough to get them out of town and the vampires’ hair. They thought it fair. 

Vanessa looked to Isabella who turned away. Vanessa wondered how much was in the envelope. She wanted to ask but knew Isabella didn’t know. Maybe didn’t want to know. In here was the worth of her only daughter. It felt heavy as Vanessa set it down.

Kind words were at the tip of Vanessa’s tongue before she sniffed the air. Silently she rose from the table and followed her nose. She came to the window and peered past the blinds. It was dark now and she watched the front lawn. A shadow shifted here, a bush rustled there, and a car by the sidewalk stared back menacingly. 

“What is it?” Isabella was sweating bullets and jumped to hold Brandon close.

They’d come like she’d hoped. Out of revenge or to tie loose ends, it didn’t matter. Vanessa smelled four thralls in the darkness and their master hidden further away in the dark sleek Cadillac. From her jacket, she produced a .45 Colt. Four bullets would be enough. Vanessa held the front door and looked back at shaking mother and smiled.

Vanessa hit the first step out the door, at the second glanced at one of the eyes glowing in the dark, and on the last put down the thrall hiding behind a bush with hot metal above the eyes. A second appeared from the left as she came down the walkway and dropped as thunder struck. A third found himself behind Vanessa and whiffed his final strike as she ducked without looking back. Warm steel rubbed against the thrall’s chin and his face was in pieces the next second. The last had hidden in a tree and leaped to land on Vanessa. It cost her an extra bullet to make sure he hit the ground dead.

The chauffeur was smart to try getting away as the scene unfolded. Slow, he’d soon discover, but smart. He tried to speed off as Vanessa reached the passenger’s side and heard crunching metal as the car stayed in place. Vanessa held tight before ripping the door off and stepping inside. The chauffeur gave a face that screamed he couldn’t stand her kind.

Vanessa looked to the back and saw a well-dressed pale man with brown hair combed back. He said something about knowing your place as he lunged forward, Vanessa tuned him out and put her last bullet in a kidney. The man keeled over and lay in the space in between seats. 

“Mmh. May want to us home. Don’t know how long he’ll hold for.” Vanessa smiled at the chauffeur.

Sweaty palms gripped the wheel. Cracked lips were licked. And the chauffeur’s eyes struggled to meet his assailant’s.  Finally, he relented and drove off.

Ignoring the groans from the backseat and wind screaming from the passenger’s side, it was a quiet ride to the Damianis mansion. A tall, ghoulish piece of architecture Vanessa found as they pulled in. She left the chauffeur to care for his master bleeding out in his car and came to the door.  A thick piece of mahogany and glass made up the front french door. Smashing through the glass saved Vanessa from the need for keys. The interior was dark and barren. No life on the main floor it seemed. Expected for nights like this. She smelled the air and followed the stench of copper to a half-opened door leading down.

Following the stairs to the basement, Vanessa reloaded her Colt and listened closely as the sound of festivities became clearer. At the bottom, she found a party of people smiling as the local matriarch raised a glass. Tables next to tables were filled with sets of sharp laughs. In the middle of each was a small child, small, wriggling, and weeping. The matriarch spoke of pride. Of how they all deserved tonight. Of how they should soon enjoy themselves. 

Such easy targets, Vanessa thought, oh, how she loved small towns.