Cold Open.

“I have you all to myself. We’ve longed for this, haven’t we Julian?”

“Leyla, please. Please don’t do this. You don’t have to do this.” Julian tried to shake free from the ties around his hands and the ties restraining his ankles to the legs of the chair he was on.

“I take our marriage vows very seriously. Until death do you part, you agreed to. And after this little trick that I learnt, we can be together forever.”

“But you are dead! You went missing last week and now look at you. You’re a vampura which means you were killed and now we’re parted. I do not want to die Leyla!”

“But I want to be with you.”

“I’ve got to raise our kid! Little Billy who is too young to understand that you’ve gone, needs me!”

“I can sire him. We can be a forever family!”

“Are you insane? You can’t make a kid a vampura!”

“Then he can just fucking live with your mum!” Leyla angrily snapped. “I’m sure the controlling witch would love that!”

“Don’t talk about my mother like that!”

“Oh Julian, shut up whinging and hold still. Hopefully you’ll be less of a pansy as a vampura.”

“Don’t fucking bite me!” Julian desperately shouted. “Help! Someone help!”

Leyla laughed. “You sound proofed this garage, remember? For your poxy drum kit. And I’ve locked the door, so no one is getting in. Or out.”

She leant in, jerking Julian’s head to one side so that she had an exposed neck to sink her teeth in. He yelled out in agony as his skin broke and his blood flowed. Just before he was completely drained, she bit her lip and bled into his wound.

Julian passed out quite quickly, so Leyla sat on his lap and waited for him to come to and join her in eternal life. While she waited she played with his hair, feeding her fingers through his curly brown locks.

After a couple of minutes, Julian began to stir. “Hey baby, it’s me,” she said.

Julian’s eyes flashed open, but he did not have a look in them that she recognised or expected. They were glassy blue, his blue pupils having blown inside his eye ball staining the whole ball. He growled and lashed at her, biting her square on the face. She screamed but the shock sent her falling back, with Julian still tied to the chair falling on top of her.

This new Julian ferociously gnashed and tore at the skin, cartilage and muscle on her face as she desperately tried to shift him off. Unfortunately for her, she was completely pinned by the weight and position of Julian and the chair. Eventually, Leyla’s screams died as her vocal chords were ripped apart. It was at that point she gave. He’d soon make it through to her spinal column and she knew from her human days that decapitation was another means to killing a vampura.

Chapter Eleven.

Two weeks after Chapter Ten.

“Hey Henry my dear, how are you?”

“Hi Mum. I’m ok thanks, how are you?”

His mum took off her coat and put it on the armchair, then came to sit on the sofa next to him. He’d been watching telly whilst she had popped out.

“I’ve not seen much of you lately. What’s been happening with you?” she asked.

“Not a lot really. I’m doing alright in the Nasscies.”

“Yeah? How many stakes have you got now?”

“Um well about fifty now actually.”

“Wow. That is equally impressive and worrying all at the same time,” she said, trying to smile.

“Thanks.”

“What are you watching?” Mum sat back in the sofa.

“Old gameshow reruns. That one with the honeycombs on the screen…”

“Awwh, that’s great. That’s the one Mark used to be able to play on the keyboard wasn’t it?”

“God yeah, he did didn’t he?” Henry remembered fondly. “That and… oh God what was that song he used to play constantly?”

“’How to save a life’ by The Fray,” Mum said. “God I hated that song after hearing it so many times.”

They both laughed. But the irony of the song title was not missed by Henry.

“I’m going to go run myself a bath. Do you need anything before I go up?” Mum asked.

“No thanks. If I’m gone by the time you get out, I’ll see you tomorrow sometime.”

“Of course sweetie. Be safe, ok?”

“I will. Make sure everything’s locked up too.”

“Yessss,” she said getting up and picking up her coat. “Love you.”

“Love you too Mum.”

***

Henry pedalled as hard as he could, taking his feelings, his angst, his guilt out on the bike. That stupid fucking song, he thought. Mark’s rendition of the song introduction went round in his head, the memories of him playing it at school publicly for the first time to a standing ovation and the months of practicing they had to endure in the build-up. How to save a life. How to fucking take your brother’s life.

A car drove past Henry but it wasn’t until they beeped their horn loudly that Henry took notice of it, scaring the life out of him so much that he slipped on the pedals, lost his balance and crushed his privates on the cross bar and sending him toppling off the bike. It landed on top of him and his hands took the brunt of the effect of gravity.

“Mother fucker!” Henry yelled, rolling over slowly to lift the bike off himself.

Someone was approaching him laughing their head off. “Henry! You twat!” It was Lana. She took the bike from him, setting it back down on the ground away from him.

“Me? A twat? Someone beeped their horn at me, scaring the life out of me!”

“Yeah, it was me!” she said catching her breath from the laughing.

“Then you’re the bloody twat! Look what you made me do,” Henry fumed, not seeing the funny side. “And will you stop laughing?”

“I’m so sorry, I don’t mean to. You were clearly in your own little world.”

“Yeah… clearly…” he muttered, picking out gravel from his raw, shredded palms.

“Oh come on, I’m sorry Henry. I didn’t mean for you to come flying off your bike.”

“I felt more like a tumble than I went ‘flying’,” he said sarcastically. “How does the bike look?”

“I’m more worried about you.”

“Well I’m worried about the thing I paid nearly two hundred quid for.”

Lana pulled a face and lifted it up and looked over it. “The handle bar is a bit off centre but the chain’s still on and the brakes still work.”

“Good. Thanks.”

“Let me put it in my car and I’ll give you a lift the rest of the way.”

“Will it fit?” Henry asked sullenly, looking at her car parked up on the grass verge just a little bit ahead.

“Sure. Put the back seats down, it’ll slide right in.”

They were only a ten minute drive away from the pavilion the Pin Corner Division started their shifts at. Henry wasn’t in the talking mood after having his pride and his hands hurt coming off his bike, and luckily Lana wasn’t pushing it. The car radio sung softly filling the slightly uncomfortable silence.

“Good evening everyone,” Alistair said to everyone when he came in for the briefing. “I’m going to start off with what everyone’s talking about in the press at the moment. There has been a country wide increase in vampura attacks with reports that there… is essentially a funny taste at the moment, that they’re putting down to a mutation in the Pellisgriseo Convampura Virus.”

David got up and bowed theatrically. “And what have I been saying for a while now?” he said standing straight. “I knew it was important. Didn’t I? Didn’t I say that?”

“Yes, I think you might have done… once or twice,” Alistair said with a tone of annoyance in his voice. Perhaps he wasn’t a fan of theatrics. “Anyway, vampuras are out there attacking more people in the hope of finding blood that tastes ok. This also puts kids at risk now. Before they were off the table, but with desperation, I fear that we’ll see more kids being bitten. So… we’ve got leaflets to post through every post box in Pin Corner over the next week with safety advice.”

That news was received with groans from the others.

“Sorry about that. Although I’m not really. It’s come from the Government so we need to do it,” Alistair explained. “Grab a pile on your way out when you go.”

“Lana knocked me off my bike on the way here and my hands are quite sore, so I’ll go with Lana and she can post mine,” Henry suggested.

“I did not knock you off your bike, you drama queen!” she scoffed. “I beeped my horn at you and you fell off.”

“Yeah, your horn beeping knocked me off.”

“That’s not the same thing,” she said.

“I’ll go with you,” David said. “I’ll help you hold your wood-”

“David, no thank you,” Alistair interrupted.

“I was going to say wooden stake! Jesus!”

Henry and the others couldn’t help but laugh at the euphemism. “I’m fine, but thanks David. I don’t think it’ll get that bad, but I know where I can find you.”

“We’ve still not seen or heard of anything from Marta, but she’s out there somewhere, she has to be. So as I keep saying, keep a look out,” Alistair said.

“It’s a pity she didn’t give you a way of getting in touch,” Nadheera said to Henry.

“Although I don’t think I’m going to be quick to add a hundred and fifty year old vamp on Snapchat,” Henry said.

“She’ll find you if she needs you,” Zoe chipped in. “Evil people tend to be clever, don’t they?”

Henry turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised. “Yeah… I guess so,” he agreed. I can’t work out if she’s just a cow in general or if she’s just being a right cow to me, he wondered.

“We’ve got odd numbers tonight so there’ll be a rare trio out tonight,” said Alistair. “Myself with Callum, so we can get his twentieth stake tonight. Nadheera you’ll be with David so I can save Henry from his advances… and then Lana, Henry and Zoe you’ll be the trio. The girls can look after Henry while he recovers from his hurty hands.” The group laughed. “Right, let’s go.”

“I just need the loo, I’ll meet you out the front,” Henry heard Zoe tell Lana.

He walked up to Lana and pulled her sleeve so he could whisper to her. “God, I swear she has it in for me. She’s really awkward around me still! Thank fuck you’re with us too.”

“H, chill out. Don’t you think you’re being paranoid? Why would Zoe have it in for you?”

“Because Mark’s not here and I look like Mark but I’m not Mark.”

“I don’t think it’s that deep. Tonight will be- Hey Zoe! Ready to roll?”

Zoe looked at Lana and gave Henry a quick glance. “Sure,” she answered.

***

Conversation between the three ran dry five minutes after Lana’s attempts at polite conversations. That was an hour ago.

Henry had managed to pick his hands free from loose skin, and they were just now raw and sore. He’d not felt so sore since he must’ve been a kid and had fallen over on the playground. But it was a helpful distraction from the awkwardness and meant he could absent mindedly walk behind the two girls as he slowly picked at his palms. They even did all the posting of the leaflets through the letterboxes for him.

“We’re not far from the pavilion, can we head back so I can use the loo?” Zoe asked.

“Another one?” Henry found himself saying out loud, despite every intention to have just thought it instead.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were keeping track of every piss I take,” Zoe shot back defensively, shaking her head and walking back past him.

“Dude, not cool,” Lana whispered as Henry looked embarrassed.

The lights were out by the time they got there, as everyone else was already out and about.

“I’ll be three minutes, if that’s ok?” Zoe said sarcastically. “You can time me if you like?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Hang on, the door’s still open,” Henry said, seeing the front door slightly ajar.

“Why would Alistair not have closed it?” Lana whispered.

“I think he did. I just think someone else is in there,” Zoe whispered. “But can we find out quickly because I might just wet myself if we take any longer.”

“I’ll go first,” Henry offered, taking his stake from his holster. But the grazes on his hands didn’t allow for much movement and he actually dropped the stake. It clattered to the floor and the trio froze silently, listening for any sound inside. Nothing.

“I’ll go first,” Lana said. She took her stake out and cautiously pulled the door open more to allow them through. She crept through, with Henry just behind her and Zoe bringing up the rear.

The door opened up into the main pavilion hall space and the three hugged the left wall tightly. The hall was plunged in darkness with just a bit of light coming from open skylights allowing the moon through, the green glow of the emergency exit signs and the light coming in from behind them.

But in the light, a figure could be seen. Henry hit the light switch, lighting up the whole space instantly from above.

The figure was stood a lot closer than they thought and their presence made the trio yelp in surprise.

“It’s you!” Henry said.

“It’s you!” Marta repeated.

“Shit, sorry I really need to go for a wee!” Zoe said, running off towards the toilets on the right hand side of the hall, despite what was happening.

Marta was stood in black this time, and uncloaked due to the deep night time they were in. She had a medical bag of blood with him that had burst at one end. The end she had been drinking from. There was blood stains across the floor where she had been walking around with it.

Both Lana and Henry must’ve been thinking the same thing because they both leapt into action, this time not engaging her in conversation. Marta dropped the bag of blood and punched Lana who tried to make first contact with the old age vampura. The impact Lana took to her face caused her to lose her balance, stepping into the puddle of blood and slipping back, landing hard onto her coccyx.

Henry stopped briefly to check on his team mate, but Marta took advantage of his lull and picked him up by the his jacket and threw him behind her.

“I’m not here to fight,” she said.

“Tough,” Lana grunted, spinning on her arse in the blood puddle, taking Marta out from under her feet. Lana pushed herself off the ground and tried to loom over Marta. Henry had picked himself up by this point and skidded on his knees to join Lana in wrestling with Marta.

The three grunted and panted as they struggled with each other. Marta growled and gnashed as she fought off the two humans.

Where Marta was trying to break free of Henry’s hold, she was grabbing at his neck corset, her fingers slowly crawling and edging to the gap at the front of the neck.

She started to dig her nails into his skin around his Adam’s apple. It was enough to make Henry panic and he jumped off her. Now that Marta had a free hand she used it to hit Lana in the face again and then in the side of the ribs.

A war crying Zoe came running into the hall with her stake raised.

“That definitely felt longer than three minutes!” Henry shouted. “Coulda done with you thirty seconds ago.”

“Well it went on for a bit longer!”

Marta rolled free and got up to a crouch. “Enough!”

“No, we say when it’s enough,” Lana said, holding her chest. “And there’s three against one.”

“Please, I can take each of you on. You know that. And your trash talk is as good as your chances against me. I just wanted to talk.”

“I’ll have to give you my email, you can get me that way instead of breaking into our… pavilion,” Henry said.

“Email? Do I look like I have email access?” Marta scoffed. “Listen fools, I’ve come to warn you.”

“Now why would the evil bitchress Marta Barr want to give us a heads up on anything?” Zoe asked.

“Bitchress isn’t even a word,” Marta tutted. “Look, can I just fucking finish what I’m trying to s-”

“Where’d you get the bag of blood from?” Lana demanded.

Marta growled in frustration. “UGH! Fine, I’ll do it your way. The blood bag, I got from a sweet young newbie vet lady across town. It’s dog’s blood. It’s an acquired taste… but at least it’s clean.”

“Why would she give you dog’s blood?” Henry asked.

“Because I asked nicely and fluttered my eye lashes,” she drawled sarcastically, fast wishing she hadn’t bothered with even turning up. “Because I told her I’d drain the blood of her kids and those she holds dear if she didn’t. So we now have a deal.”

“That’s mean,” Lana said, not impressed one bit by what she was hearing.

“Yeah… I know. I have to be mean to get what I want and to survive. It’s kinda a vampura thing.”

“So you’re not biting humans now?” Zoe asked.

“Believe me, I’d bite all three of you this instant if it gave me two minutes to say what I came here to say.”

“Right, well. What is it you came to say?” Henry finally got round to asking.

“Thank you. You’ll be aware of the issue of the blood being funny. The situation out there is desperate now. Vamps are falling ill with dehaemodration, kids are soon being put back on the menu and animals blood just doesn’t quite cut it.”

“Oh dear, I’ve left all my fucks to give at home tonight,” Lana sneered.

“I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m just telling you what the situation is.”

“That’s only a little bit more than we know already though,” Henry said.

“I know. But it’s the cause of what I’ve come to warn you about in particular. Do you remember I said something’s coming? That there are two even more worse sons of bitches out there? They’re planning an attack.”

“Oh my God, they’re going to attack schools during the day time?” fretted Zoe.

“No, actually. Thank God. I wouldn’t put it past them though… No. The blood bank. Tomorrow night.”

“Holy shit,” Henry muttered. “It’s refrigerated blood from times before the taste went bad?”

“Exactly,” Marta said.

“Why are you telling us this?” Lana asked.

“Rowena and Tallon are the worst. Rowena is my vamp mama, having sired me in 1864. But they also killed the children I loved. They weren’t mine, but I was their nanny. I raised them while their parents swanned about living the high life and I loved them. I gave my life to look after them. And they killed those two little girls. I… I sired their mother, Bonnie, and for a while we ran amok through Scotland, Ireland and across to Scandinavia like a lesbian Scottish… Bonnie and Clyde. Until Tallon staked her in Amsterdam in 1932. Their arrival in Tarmsworth St Jude is not ideal, but I want them dead. At least before I’m killed. They’re leading a huge pack of vampuras to hit the blood bank and the hospital.”

The three Nasscies looked between each other, trying to tell what they were thinking.

“Right,” Lana decided. “I’ll pass the word on. We’ll be ready.”

“If this is a big lie, then I’ll be fuming,” Henry said.

“It’s not,” assured Marta.

“Sorry for making you drop the dog’s blood,” Henry said. “And thanks for it not being human blood.”