Blood Suckers Beware Pt. II

Dandy had stayed in his office late that night. He was filling out some paperwork, closing up a case. But when he finished scratching away on the page he stretched out his arms and let out a yawn. He checked his watch and couldn’t believe it was past ten o’clock. The old detective put his head down on the desk for a moment to rest his eyes. Then he promptly fell asleep.

Dandy was surprised at first. The dreams had stopped by now. It had been several years since the loss of his wife, Kathryn, and he thought that the stronger parts of his psyche had locked away anything that would remain to haunt him. However, he saw it very clearly. Kathryn, running down the alleyway, the sound of beating wings just above her. Laughter. Then he came swooping down.

Mordecai. The name he hated the most. The gray angular face that had literally haunted his dreams for many years. There he stood, trapping poor Kathryn at a dead end. He closed in slowly, wearing a sadistic grin.

Of course, this is what Dandy had been told, he wasn’t there. Had he been there, oh, had he been there. Well, he didn’t know what he would do. He would probably be dead too, another victim of the vampire. But he often had this dream, often found himself staring at Kathryn, who shook with fear. Then, at the brutal end, Mordecai leapt, and there was the scream, the awful scream.

It forced him awake, shooting up in his seat. He shook his head fiercely, trying to rid himself of the scene which had plagued him.

Now that he was awake, it was no real surprise to him that the nightmare had cropped up again, having learned that Mordecai was still around. His last case had been stalking a vampire, and upon her retreat, he had learned that Mordecai was her master.

Mordecai was the master of them all, it seemed. He ran a hand through his gray hair and looked at his watch. It was after midnight now, time to get home and sleep in his real bed. An experience, he hoped, that would be devoid of the dreams that once plagued him.

As he locked up the office, he heard footsteps coming up behind him. He turned quickly to see who could possibly be here this late at night. To his surprise, and somewhat to his chagrin, it was the man in the black trench coat himself, Bernie. Bernie the vampire slayer.

“Oh, great, detective, you’re still here.” Bernie said. He stood there for a moment, awkwardly, as was Bernie’s way.

“Uh, yes, er, how can I help you, son?” asked Dandy, looking at the young man.

“I think I have a lead.” Bernie replied with a grin.

“A lead on what?” Dandy questioned. Bernie pulled out a small photograph from his interior pocket.

“I just had this developed. I believe it’s the head vampire.” He handed the photo to Dandy who, with a slight tremble in his hand, took it. “I followed a couple of those blood suckers back to an old warehouse and–”

“You shouldn’t be doing anything like that,” spat Dandy, “it’s too dangerous.” Bernie furrowed his brow and shrugged.

“Hey, I got the picture and got out, didn’t I?” He asked. “Anyway, take a look at that evil bastard.” Dandy looked down and studied the photo in his hand.

He shook his head and closed his eyes upon seeing the face. The same gray face that had haunted his dreams.

“Well, that’s him alright. His name is Mordecai.” said Dandy. Bernie was taken aback.

“You know this creep?”

“It’s quite personal, I’m afraid.” Dandy replied. After a moment of silence, Dandy explained himself to the young man.

“You mean he…” began Bernie.

“That’s right. He killed her in the street like an animal.” said Dandy, closing his fist in anger, crumpling the photo that Bernie had handed him. He looked down at his shaking hand. “Sorry about the photo,” he said after a moment. Bernie shook his head.

“No problem, I had a couple made, just in case. I don’t want to forget the face of our enemy.”

“Our enemy?” asked Dandy. Bernie looked down over his sunglasses.

“All vampires are my enemy, I took the oath to be a hunter, and this guy is the worst of the worst. If anyone is going to take him down,” he said, moving his trench coat aside to reveal a pair of sharp wooden stakes, “it’s going to be me.”

“Let’s not do anything too hasty, son. Think about it. First of all, it’s the middle of the night, that’s his time, you know that. Secondly he’s bound to be surrounded by dozens of other vampires. He’s like a king to them.” Dandy concluded. Bernie nodded, rubbing his chin.

“No need to worry about me, old man, I’m not going after him in the night time. It’s one thing to take on a single vampire at night, but you’re right. I anticipate a horde of them in that old warehouse.” He smirked. “I’m going to wait until daylight, then sneak in there and stake that sucker right through the heart.” he finished with a cold grin.

“That’s a wonderful plan you have there, son, but you’re still liable to get yourself killed. Too many factors could go wrong. It’s not like Mordecai is new at this.” Dandy said, shaking his head with doubt.

“Ah, whatever, you’re just too cautious. Things like this require action.” Bernie said, smashing a fist into his other, open hand. Dandy shrugged, turning away to lock up the office for good this time.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But I know there is no stopping you. What do you plan on doing in the meantime, huh?” Bernie glanced at his watch.

“Wanna grab a burger?” he asked. “I’m starving. And I’ll need the energy for slaying. Dandy looked at him for a moment.

“It’s after midnight,” he said finally.

“Yeah,” began Bernie, grasping the old man by the shoulder, “and I know a place that’ll make a burger that’ll kill you, it’s so good. Come on, live a little.” He said. Dandy shrugged once more and off the pair went.

The next morning, Detective Dandy found himself at his normal cafe, Sips. When he walked through the door, he was greeted by Angela, who knew him not only as a regular, but also a detective who handled the strange and unusual. They had, recently, tracked down her twin sister, Alice, who had been turned into a vampire some years ago. They shared a knowing glance with each other.

They had only spoken briefly since the incident, when it came to him ordering coffee. He sat down in his usual spot and unfolded the newspaper that he was carrying under his arm. He scanned the headlines and sipped his coffee. It was a peaceful, sunny morning. It almost made Dandy forget about the dreams, and the late nights that he’d been spending at the office lately.

Almost.

There was a loud crashing noise as something came flying through the window, something large and black. Dandy threw up his arms to protect his face from wayward glass.

“What the hell?” someone screamed.

Once the moment was over, which seemed to stretch on for far longer, a crowd began to form around the broken window. There was a palpable feeling of fear, and then curiosity. Dandy stood up and approached the object. But as he got closer, he realized it was not an object at all, but it was a person, a person huddled up in a ball.

He turned this person, who was on their side, on to their back and he recognized them immediately: Bernie.

“Bernie!” He yelled. “Son?” He called. But the young vampire slayer was unresponsive. He was bruised and covered in cuts. His breathing was shallow. Dandy looked up and saw two bulky men standing on the sidewalk, looking in on the scene with what appeared to be pride and enjoyment.

“A message from the boss, Dandy.” Said the large, bald one. They black vests with a red patch on them. The patch depicted a bat. Dandy knew that they were the human servants of the Vampire. They were almost worse than the living dead. They were still human, but chose to serve the blood suckers.

“He knows where you are, and he knows this little lackey was yours.” Said the big dark man.

“He says he’ll be seeing you soon.” The bald one barked. Dandy hardened his look at the two, but remained knelt at Bernie’s side.

“Well,” he finally began, standing up slowly. “I guess you can tell old Mordecai that I’ll see him too. In fact, maybe I’ll be the one to come looking for him.” By now the crowd had grown to include everyone in and around the coffee shop, watching the exchange happen. Angela shuffled through the small mass to kneel next to the young man and the Detective.

“We have to call an ambulance, Detective.” She said, looking over Bernie’s wounds. “What happened to him?”

“The fool tried to sneak into Mordecai’s base and kill him. By himself.” Angela looked at the old man for a second.

“Well, what are you going to do?” Dandy thought for a moment.

“I suppose I’ll do the same thing.” He said.

III

Now back at the office, Dandy equipped himself as best as he could. At the back of his belt, under the cover of his suit jacket, he hid a pair of stakes. He would place one firmly in the heart of that monster.

Around his neck he threw a locket. It was one of the last things that Kathryn had given him before her death. It was a gold circle with a red jewel in the middle. He only wore it when things were at their most serious, when, he knew, he needed courage the most.

And finally, upon his head he put his trusty white Panama hat. He had forgotten it at the office when he had left that morning, and he felt quite naked.

He knew he could try more; he could try the holy water and the garlic and any manner of weapon that works in the movies and in books, but he knew that there was only one way to deal with Mordecai. He knew that this would only end with one of them dead at the other’s feet.

“This is for Angela and Alice,” he began, “this is even for Bernie.” He tugged at the necklace around his neck as he left the office. “But most of all, this is for Kathryn.”

The sun was still in the sky when Dandy left his office. Standing outside of the building that housed him were the two human disciples of Mordecai. The bald man and the dark man stood with their arms crossed, looking at the old detective. They motioned for him to follow them and, smoothing his gray mustache, he did so.

They got into a slick black car with tinted windows and drove across town to the old abandoned warehouse that used to house all kinds of goods as they made their way to this part of the country. As they pulled up to the worn building, Dandy noted the cracks in the structure, the broken windows, the rusted metal.

“Cozy looking place you have here.” He said, stepping out of the vehicle. In response the two disciples merely snorted. There was a moment of silence as Dandy stood in front of a pair of cracked doors.

“Well, go on in, old man.” said the dark skinned man.

“He’s waiting for you,” said the bald man.

“Thanks for the ride, boys.” Dandy said, tipping his hat at the pair of men as they sat in the car. Slowly, Dandy approached the doors. He took a deep breath and opened them. There was an echoing inside as the doors swung open, and Dandy stepped in. His footsteps cried out as he walked.

“Let’s not play any games, Mordecai. I got your message and here I am.” Dandy said. He heard a skittering noise and looked above him. He glanced up and saw a dark figure crawling above him, snickering. It was a gray faced vampire looking down at him, turning its head to the side.

“Now, now,” came a silky voice, “you know no one is to touch our guest.” Dandy looked ahead. At the end of the hallway was a chair made of concrete, a throne, Dandy surmised. Sitting in it, with one leg crossed over his lap, his fingers tented together, was Mordecai. His gray, thin face wore a wry smile. His long black hair neatly combed back. He had not aged a day since he had attacked Kathryn. Of course, Dandy didn’t know what he expected, but he had hoped that maybe time had caught up with the vampire. But that wish had not come true. Dandy walked forward slowly.

“My, you’re looking well.” He said.

“Thanks, Detective. You’re not looking so bad yourself, given the years have had their way with you, as they do all mortals.”
“I like to think I look distinguished.” said Dandy, tugging at his mustache. “So go ahead and tell me, why did you bring me here?” Dandy asked.

“Well, I see you’re in no mood for games. That’s fine, I’ll give it to you straight. We have history, and I know that one day you’ll come for me. But I can’t have that.”

“Oh, I’m flattered, you’re afraid of little old me.” said Dandy with a grin.

“I know the lengths that a person will go to for revenge. But the thing is, I’ve decided to remove you from the situation. I have decreed it time for me and my underlings to attack. We will finally take care of the weak mortals that plague this city, and then this world.” Mordecai said. Dandy let out a whistle.

“That’s mighty ambitious of you.”

“And, by the way, Dandy, I wasn’t impressed by the boy you sent here. What was he, your pupil? He was easy work.”

“I barely know the kid, but I intend to make you pay for that one, as well.” Dandy stepped forward as Mordecai launched himself from the chair, standing erect.

“Well, Detective, what shall it be?” The two were face to face now, Dandy looking up at the tall, lean vampire. With amazing speed, Dandy whipped out one of the stakes attached to his belt and jabbed it at Mordecai’s chest. Mordecai, with even greater speed, grabbed the old man’s wrist.

“Er, this is awkward.” said Dandy, loosening his grip and dropping the stake.

“Now, did you think that was really going to work?” asked Mordecai. Dandy simply shrugged in response.

“Worth a shot, Mordecai.”

“Now, take him away,” said Mordecai. At this, Dandy looked puzzled.

“I didn’t see that one coming,” he said.

“While I would like nothing more than to end you right here and now, and send you to your beloved wife, I want you to be alive to see my utter triumph. But don’t fear too much, you won’t have long to wait.” Mordecai laughed, showing his fangs. “For tonight is the night we attack.”

Two vampires came forward and grabbed Dandy under the arms. Though they were small, they had increased strength with their vampiric enhancements. Dandy dug his heels in for a moment and stared Mordecai down, but it wasn’t long before he was being dragged away.

The two vampires led him down a dark corridor and threw him into a makeshift cell. All the while, he could hear Mordecai’s laughter ringing out.

Soon enough Dandy could see the sun was going down, the light inside the building was starting to change. The sky showed an eerie red color. He didn’t like the look of it. He wasn’t one for signs, but he read into this one that this would be the signal to soon attack the unsuspecting town.

Then he heard a noise above him. He tilted his head upwards to see who or what was up there. It was a dark form, clearly a vampire, flying just above his little improvised cage. He couldn’t make out any details of the flying undead, but he shook his fist at them anyway.

“Come to gloat, eh?” he spat. “Well, you won’t get anything from me!” he said angrily. There was a moment of silence, then the beating of wings got closer and closer until they were right beside the cage.

“No, no I haven’t.” Said a soft voice. Dandy looked at the vampire and recognized her.

“Alice? What are you doing here?” He asked, gripping the bars, confused. She put her hands on the lock.

“I’ve come to…to free you.” With a swift motion she ripped the lock off the door and threw it to the floor. Dandy stepped back in awe.

“Why would you risk doing something like that?” he asked.

“You spared me, the last time we met. You stopped that man in black from killing me. And–” she looked away for a moment. “If anyone can stop him, it’s you. I want him to be stopped, he’s crazy, he’s going to kill everyone if he gets his way.” She opened the door and stepped aside. Dandy cautiously walked out of the cage.

“If you manage to kill him,” Alice began, a tinge of hope in her voice, “we’ll all be human again. I’ll be human again.” Dandy tipped the brim of his white Panama hat to her.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said, turning his back on her and walking away. “I am going to kill him.”

The two met in the makeshift throne room where they had stood before. They stared at each other for a moment, then Mordecai said:

“Was it Alice who freed you?” Dandy said nothing. “I knew I couldn’t trust her anymore. No matter, I’ll deal with her myself after I see to you.” Without hesitation, Mordecai rushed forward and had Dandy by the throat. “What will you do now, Detective? Don’t you see how this ends?”

“Yes,” choked Dandy, “with you dead and me standing over you.” Mordecai let out a fierce yell and slammed the detective to the ground. Dandy was dazed by the blow. The room began to spin. He had to admit to himself, he didn’t really have a plan, he had only been driven by anger to confront Mordecai a second time. He looked around desperately for anything sharp that he could use to impale the vampire.

“I see the hopelessness in your eyes, Detective. Let’s just get this over with shall we?” He began to put his hands around Dandy’s neck, ready to squeeze the life out of him, then his eyes lit up as though he had an idea.

“Why, I have a better plan in mind.” he said, bearing his fangs, “I’ll make you one of us, then you get to live with your failures forever.” Mordecai leaned in, teeth ready to sink into Dandy’s throat, then he noticed, for a brief moment, the golden string around the Detective’s neck. “What is this?” He mused for a second, but then it was too late. Dandy could hardly believe his eyes.

The golden locket began to hover just above his skin, as if someone was picking it up. Then, the red jewel in the center began to glow. At first dimly, then fiercely. It was an angry shade of crimson. Mordecai stumbled back a foot or two.

“What is happening? What is this?” He asked, shielding his eyes with one hand. A great burst of energy shot forth from the locket, a long and sustained wave of bright light. It filled up the whole room. Dandy had to cover his eyes as well. Mordecai let out a scream and fell to his knees. Dandy saw the vampire trying to flap his wings, but he couldn’t get anywhere. It’s as if he was stuck to the spot in which he stood.

Mordecai let out another scream, and the light consumed him. It wasn’t a hot light, Dandy felt no change in the temperature, but in swallowed Mordecai whole. After what seemed like minutes, but was only really moments, the light abruptly ended.

There, laying in a heap on the floor, were the charred remains of Mordecai. He was nothing but bones now, nothing but bones.

Dandy shook his head and slowly made his way to his feet. All around he could see vampires falling from the air, humans once more. Human and confused. What had happened to them, how had they regained their normal lives? All these questions he would answer, but he himself had the biggest question of them all. Gripping the locket with his fingers and examining it, he uttered but one word:

“Kathryn?”

VII

“And so that’s how it happened.” said Dandy, standing next to Bernie in his hospital bed. Bernie looked at him incredulously and folded his arms.

“So what, it was…the power of love that defeated the vampire?” he asked mockingly. Dandy shook his head.

“That makes for a better song title than an explanation, son. But I can’t rightly say what it was that happened. I’ve seen a lot and done even more, but nothing quite like that.” The two men remained silent for a moment.

“And the sisters?” Bernie asked.

“Reunited. All the vampires in the complex returned to their old lives, it seems.” He said with a smile. “Well, I’ll leave you to rest.” Dandy said, patting the man on the arm.

As he walked out of the hospital, he mindlessly played with the locket around his neck. Then, as he exited the building, he looked up and saw the stars shining bright. It was a beautiful night.

“Let’s go, Kathryn,” he said to the locket, “we’ve got cases to solve.”

END