The Secret Vampire Part I

It had been the seventh killing that month. Abby couldn’t believe her eyes when she read the paper. She had only just gotten over the death of her best friend Liana when she turned the pages to see a picture of her cousin, Derek. Apparently he had been killed at a rave. The M.E. found traces of ecstasy in his system which wasn’t uncommon for ravers, but all his blood was missing. This seemed to be the trademark for all the recent murders. “The Clubbing Vampire” the killer had been called by local papers. The police figured that the killer was draining the victims of their vital fluids and most likely using them in an Elizabeth Bathory kind of way. It made Abby’s stomach lurch at the mere thought. She tuned her head towards the clock. 7:30. Shit! She ran up the stairs and got ready for school. Hastily grabbing her keys, she ran out the door to her car. 1

When Abby arrived, the flag was at half mast. To be expected really. She and Derek shared schools. Everyone was talking about it. How he had it coming or how Abby must feel, losing two loved ones in a month. One thing that really got Abby riled was that everyone was pointing the ever convicting finger at her boyfriend, Cassius. They had all figured that he did it out of jealousy or something. Abby didn’t really pay attention. Whenever asked, she would simply give the same answer “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” That much at least was true. Cassius was a ‘Goth’, but was very kind and loved Abby with all his being. 2

Cassius came from the wrong side of the tracks, according to Abby’s father anyway. Cassius had come from an abusive family. Everyday he was told he was shit and nothing he did in life would ever amount to anything because of it. He used to sit in his room alone and drink his own blood, slicing himself slowly with a knife he stole from the kitchen. It was only when his parents died and he moved in with his aunt and uncle did the bloodletting stop. He met Abby in high school and she became his anchor. The pair could be compared to an angel and the devil; Abby with her long wavy blond hair and blue eyes, and Cassius with his naturally black hair and black eyes. Many were often afraid of him, like being afraid of a Mastiff. 3

Cassius and Abby had been going strong for three years now. Both were graduating in the spring and their futures looked bright. 4

That is until Liana died. Killed in a car accident. They found the car in the middle of a field upside-down. There was little left of the vehicle and even less of Liana. They could only identify her by her dental records. Abby cried for three straight days, almost non stop. Cassius however seemed distant and apathetic to the whole situation. Everyone else seemed to notice and called him every name under the sun, but Abby disregarded it. He barely knew her she kept saying, but no one bought it. 5

Now, as Abby walked through the lonely halls, listening to the Derek related comments, all she wanted to see was Cassius. He was standing against her locker waiting like he always did. Abby wiped the blurry vision of her lover clean and he surrounded her with his arms and black coat. Tears silently fell down her face as Cassius pulled back. He held her shoulders with his hands, studying her face. It was then that Abby noticed fresh scars on Cassius’ wrists.6

“What the hell are these?”7