Page 60 of Starved Until Sunset

“We have about five and a half hours until sundown,” Clarabell said. “Will it take that long?”

“I’ll talk fast.” Tracey pulled out the chair beside Clarabell and sat down.

“I’m going to record this,” Clarabell said, rummaging in her bag before pulling out a digital recorder.

“You made a video last night, right?” Demetrius asked.

“A video?” Tracey looked at Clarabell with interest. “Of a vampire?”

“Two vampires,” Clarabell said with a proud smile. “One’s on our side, and the other isn’t.”

“And don’t forget the final boss we haven’t seen yet,” Oliver said.

A terrible chill went through Demetrius as he had a sudden realization. “Oh my God. I might have seen it.”

“What?” All three of the others said at once.

“Who is it?” Clarabell asked.

“Not who, but what. I think Xavier is the thing that tried to take Deputy Walsh. It was kind of human but also part bat. Big wings and a terrible bat face. Deputy Walsh said she got it to drop her in a farm pond by stabbing it with a silver knife.”

“Silver works against vampires as well as werewolves,” Tracey said. “And garlic, holy water, and crucifixes.”

“All the staples of any decent horror movie,” Oliver said, but Demetrius saw him typing notes into an app on his phone.

“Aldrik said their father was coming,” Demetrius said. “I guess he’s already here.”

“Didn’t you tell me he was able to summon a flock of bats?” Clarabell said.

“Yeah, he did,” Demetrius said. “Well, it looked like he did. And Cody was swarmed by a group of bats as well out at the nursing home.”

“Colony,” Tracey said.

“What?” Demetrius and Oliver said together.

“It’s a colony of bats.”

“Okay.”

“Wait, I’m confused,” Oliver said. “This Aldrik is Dr. Graham’s brother, right?”

“Not actually related, just to be clear,” Clarabell said. “But vampiric brothers.”

“Right. So, Aldrik and Dr. Graham were turned by Xavier, who didn’t want them turning other humans way back in the day four hundred years ago to avoid being found out and hunted down.”

“That makes sense,” Tracey said.

“And Dr. Graham doesn’t drink human blood,” Demetrius said. “He survives by hunting animals in the woods around town.”

“Does that make him a vegetarian?” Oliver asked.

The rest of them ignored him.

“So, Dr. Graham and his brother…” Tracey looked at Clarabell.

“Aldrik.”

“Aldrik,” Tracey continued. “Are on opposite sides. But Aldrik moves into a small town and establishes a nest, and, from what you’ve said, the original vampire comes later.”