| Part 1 | Mia’s death |
Last time, I left of before going after the Wickerson’s Quarry Vampire Killer, and I hoped I wouldn’t die.
So, it’s obvious from the fact that I’m writing this that I did not, in fact, die.
But…things didn’t go great, not really, and…I mean, the monster, it’s…
No, fuck the monster, Ella—
I…
I don’t know what I can say. I guess I’ll just…write what happened, but beware: it’s a long story.
So I left here early—way too early, by the way. I’m not sure I’ve ever woken up for 4am before. I wanted to give myself some time to get off school grounds while everyone was asleep, but I did wait another half an hour or so after sneaking out before I went much further. I used that time to duct tape silver knives to a stick.
Then, I headed into the forest, equipped with a headlamp I’d borrowed from Rhy. I followed the road and my phone’s GPS for a while until I reached the house.
At this point, by the way, I was feeling…weird. I kept my hand on my weapon at all times, and kept glancing around the forest. I jumped at every single sound.
I saw the footprints, yknow. They looked fresh, and the thought of that alone sent shivers up my spine. Surely the police must’ve searched this place, right? Surely they’d have found anything to be found, and I was just wasting my time, right?
…Right?
I’d been trying to be quiet. Not entirely sure why, since everything I’ve read about vampires says they have good hearing, but I was, right up until I reached the house. It was locked tight, as I probably should’ve expected, and there was no sign of police activity. No tape, no sign, no nothing; just a dark house, and a faint smell on the breeze.
I threw a rock through the window.
I didn’t feel like I had much choice, okay? The place was locked, and that weird feeling I’d had was getting worse by the minute. So I just…picked up a large rock from the garden and tossed it as best I could. Which turned out to be not great, but it was enough to crack it, and a second go at it smashed the thing entirely. I let myself in from there.
I didn’t feel great about it, but reasoned that the owner was either dead or in serious mortal peril, and wasn’t really in a position to give out about it. I did put some gloves on, though. If the police hadn’t searched the house, or came back later, I didn’t really want to be leaving my fingerprints just dotted around the place, yknow?
This was a good call, because the further I went in, the more sure I was that the police were yet to touch the place, or at least to search it in any detail whatsoever.
It was dark in the house, and smelled even worse. Everything was grungy and wore, like it’d been there longer than I’d been alive, and every board creaked under my feet. I kept feeling like something was watching me, but every time I turned around, there was nothing there.
My knifestick never left my hand. I was sure I’d found the right place at this point.
I searched the first floor and found nothing, then moved to the second. The floorboards were even creakier up there, and my nerves were beyond frayed. A creepy-ass cuckoo clock went off at one point, and I almost shit myself.
There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary…or at least, not at first, ‘cause as soon as I reached the bedroom, the smell almost knocked me on my ass. It was a hundred times stronger in there; that awful sweet scent of rot and rust, and I knew as soon as I walked in that it was a corpse. There was nothing else I could think of that would smell like that. It was…yikes. I really can’t describe it in any way that does it justice. Think of the worst smell you’ve ever smelt, and multiply it. Then multiply it again, and you’ve made it about a third of the way.
Despite the stench, however, there was no body in sight—literally. I crouched down, cautiously, to peer under the bed, but there was nothing down there, either. I was about to check the bathroom when I saw the weird, sick stain above the light.
It was a reddish brown stain, spreading out from where the light hung. It almost glistened with moisture, and as I watched, a large droplet fell onto the carpet below. I didn’t need to get close to confirm what seemed pretty obvious at the time; the liquid smelled like death, too.
So, I had to check the attic. Of course I had to check the attic. I was becoming more and more sure there was a dead man up there, and the thought of it was nauseating. But, uh…it was what I’d gone there to do. So…I found the door and up I went.
As soon as I opened the small door, the smell hit me like a sack of bricks. It was so much worse up close. Worse than the rest of the house. Worse than the bedroom. It even smelled worse than the nasty liquid that dripped from the ceiling. I repeat: I cannot describe this stink.
My eyes darted around the room. For a second I couldn’t see anything, and I cursed myself for not bringing a better torch. Then, in the dim light of the attic, I noticed the shape in the corner.
It was hunched over, curled up into a ball and rocking slightly. It kept reaching out to touch the lumpy shape next to it; a shape which I was quickly realising was way too still and way too humanoid. If the figure noticed me, or my light, it didn’t react.
As I stood there, in the still silence of the room, I could hear a girl’s voice, crying. It was so soft—soft enough that I hadn’t heard it from the floor below.
That’s what made me step forwards; what if it was Ella?
Maybe I’d made it in time.
I glanced around the room again, looking for anyone else that might be around. I still didn’t know who the figure was, and if it wasn’t the vampire, I didn’t wanna be caught off guard. But no; as far as I could tell, it was just me and the heap in the corner.
I had to step forwards, right?
I went to move, but before I could, a shaky voice spoke out in the darkness.
“You—” the voice faltered. “You should leave.”
With a surge of joy, I realised that I knew that voice. It was Ella Jones. Ella Jones was alive! I’d made it.
“Ella?” I said, maybe a little louder than I should’ve? “Ella, that’s you, right?”
A beat.
“Ella?” I tried again.
“…You’re from Wickersons,” she realised. Her voice was quiet and shaky. “You’re…I’m sorry, I don’t—don’t remember your name.”
“Sammy,” I said. “I’m Sammy Stahl. Ella, listen—the thing that took you, is it here?” I figured I should cover my bases, just in case something was waiting to jump me.
I heard a rustling noise. I think she might’ve shook her head in the darkness. Then after a second, Ella spoke. “No. No, I don’t think so. He left to…hunt, I think.”
I cringed. If the monster was out hunting…
“Okay. Okayokayokay. Listen, Ella, we gotta get outta here. If that thing comes back…” I needed to kill it, obviously, and I still planned to. But Ella’s safety was more important; I couldn’t fight and protect her, so I needed to get her to safety. “Let’s just go, and then—”
“No!”
I jumped a little. Ella’s voice held so much force, in a way I seriously wasn’t expecting.
“Ella—”
“No,” she said again, softer this time. “I can’t.”
“It’ll be okay,” I encouraged. “I’m gonna kill it, but first, I gotta get you to safety.”
More rustling. As I stepped towards her, I could see her shaking her head vigorously. She still wasn’t facing me. I started to get a bad feeling.
“I can’t go back,” she said. “It’s too late.”
“Don’t say that.” I felt like I was begging. That feeling was getting worse, and I suddenly knew that I needed to get closer, to see Ella properly. That feeling, that hunch—I was wrong, right? I’m always wrong, always stupid. I was wrong this time, too.
“You need to leave,” she said again. “Please, Sammy. Leave.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I insisted. “You just gotta come with me, and—”
She turned to me, and I stepped forwards, and I saw it.
I saw her face.
Ella was soaked in blood. All down her front, all down her neck, even on her face, dripping with it. Her skin looked almost translucent, though some of it might’ve been the light, and her hair hung in knotted clumps. She looked up at me with foggy eyes, coloured like rust.
She was so still…
“I didn’t make it in time,” I whispered.
Ella was dead. The vampire…it must’ve made her one of them. ‘Turned’ her, I think they call it. Mia used to watch this shitty vampire romance show, and—well, anyway, it’s not the point.
“What happened?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just woke up, and everything was red, and I was so thirsty. So—I—this man, he—”
Only then did I look at the shape beside her. The body, with its neck torn out and limbs all over the place. It was a middle aged man, caked in dry blood and what looked like vomit. He was really, obviously dead.
“Did you—?”
Ella nodded, shakily. “I didn’t mean to. I don’t think he meant to, either. The…the nosferatu.”
I recognised the word from my reading. I haven’t checked it yet, but I was pretty sure it meant vampire.
“I don’t think it meant to make me…like this. I was meant to die, but—it said it would take care of me.” She sniffled, staring at the man she’d killed. “It said I couldn’t go home, or I’d hurt someone. And it’s right.”
I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t say she was wrong, ‘cause she wasn’t. She was a monster, a danger, and…
And just a little bit ago, she’d been a person, just like me. She was a victim, too.
I hunt monsters. But I didn’t wanna hunt her.
“I want to hurt you,” she said, her voice low and almost desperate. “You smell so good, and I want to hurt you. But I don’t want to be a monster. I don’t want to kill you; you came to help me. I don’t want to kill anyone.”
All I could think for a second was please don’t, but I didn’t think I could say that. I didn’t know what I could say—I mean, hell, what could I say in this situation? I was staring at a dead girl, and all I could really think about was if I should be making her even deader. There was nothing good I could say, or even think.
Before I could do anything, though, Ella stiffened. “He’s coming back. You need to go—you need to go, right now, or he’ll kill you. You need to leave us—we can’t stay here forever, so things can go back to normal soon, okay? You need to go.”
My hand tightened on my weapon. I didn’t know what I was gonna do about Mia. I didn’t know what could even be done about her, but I knew one thing. I’d come to kill a monster, and if it was coming back? I’d be ready for it.
“I’m not leaving you here,” I said. “And I’m not letting anyone else die.”
“But—”
“No buts! None!” I declared. “I’m fighting. And I’ve done this before, so don’t worry about me.”
Ella looked at me for a second, then slowly stood up. “Then…then I’ll fight with you,” she decides. I opened my mouth, but before I could protest, she cut me off. “Don’t argue with me. You don’t stand a chance on your own. He knows you’re here, so you don’t even have the element of surprise, and—”
“Okay,” I caved. “Fine. Okay.” I kinda realised at this point that, as a vampire herself—nosferatu, sorry—she could probably hold her own just as well as I could. “Just, uh, do me a favour real quick?”
“Yeah?”
I reached out and touched my weapon to her skin. She yelped, and I pumped a fist in the air. “Ahaaa, it works! Uh—sorry.”
Ella rubbed her arm. It was at that moment that I heard footsteps from somewhere below me.
The monster was home.
Quickly, I reached into my backpack and drew out a small pouch, filled with sand. The footsteps grew louder, and faster. “Use this,” I told her. “You should know what to do with it, maybe. Hopefully.”
She looked inside, then nodded.
Then, the nosferatu burst through into the attic. Everything seemed really fast after that.
Ella lunged towards it, moving so fast she practically blurred. She flung a handful of sand at it, and it—he? I’ll stick with it—roared in pain. It lashed out at Ella with one hand, sending her flying backwards. Then it turned on me.
Its eyes were closed, so I don’t think it could see me, but it could definitely both smell and hear me, and its lack of vision was not slowing it down. It lunged, but with shaky accuracy, and I was able to leap out of the way, taking nothing but a scratch to my arm.
As it recovered from the lunge, I jabbed my weapon towards it. It tried to intercept, but only succeeded in grabbing it as I shoved the makeshift spear midway into its neck. It howled in pain, and I let out a small ‘ha!’ as I jumped away again.
That was my first mistake, I think. I got cocky.
I jabbed at it again, right as Ella leaped for it. I got another hit in as it fielded her away, though it only went partway into its chest before hitting the ribs. Fuck—that was gonna be hard with it moving so much. I knew where the heart was, but getting there was a whole other issue.
Ella yelped, narrowly dodging as the monster grabbed for her. Still riding my first two victories, I swung a third time—only to be intercepted midway by the monster’s hand.
It yanked my weapon forwards, pulling me off balance and ripping my weapon from my hand. Despite the audible hiss it made when touching its skin, the monster didn’t let go, instead throwing it towards Ella like it was a javelin before whirling back towards me.
I was dodging before it even attacked, and I think that saved my life, as its claws grasped the air where my neck had just been. It wasn’t as fast as I’d been expecting, but it was still fast, and I found myself struggling as the creature fended off both Ella and me. Its vision had clearly healed by now, as it was speeding up, and its foggy red eyes were wide open and flicking between both of us.
Ella lunged again, aiming for its legs this time. As the two of them fell to the ground, I fumbled for my hairspray and lighter. I knew it was risky; if I wasn’t careful, I’d get both Ella and the monster, and set the house on fire to boot. But it seemed like a pretty effective distraction if nothing else, and I couldn’t see where my other weapon went.
My hands found their target, and I shook the can vigorously, right as the monster threw Ella aside.
I lunged forwards, took aim and fired.
The fire was really impressive. Equally impressive was how quickly the support beam behind the monster caught fire, though the thing itself ignited pretty nicely, too. The flame caught the dark, messy hair of the thing and lit up like a Christmas tree, and while I was disappointed the whole thing didn’t catch like paper, I had to admit that it was never realistic.
Hair burning, the monster howled, lunging directly towards me. Right before it could slice me open, however, something hit me from the side, knocking me to the ground and out of the way. Fire lit up the room, quickly spreading, and in that light I realised what’d hit me; Ella had knocked me to safety.
The fire leapt to her, too, and at this point, I was realising it was a really, really bad idea to start igniting things. But it was too late, and all I could do was shout to Ella as her hair went up in flames.
“Tear it out!” I yelled. “Quickly!”
She gave me a look like I was insane, then grit her teeth as she ripped her flaming hair right out of her head with a noise I can only describe as ‘awful’. The nosferatu did the same, but with a lot more of its hair burning, the fire simply spread to its sleeves, making it scream once again.
I scrambled to my feet, coughing as I did. The smoke was starting to fill the attic, and I wondered if smoke inhalation would kill me before the vampire could. The smell was awful, too—a disgusting combination of burnt hair and smoke that sent me gagging.
I fumbled with my bag again, this time coming up with the holy water water gun. I wished that I’d thought of that before the fire, but it was too late for regrets at that point. As the nosferatu turned back towards me, still fielding Ella away, I pulled the trigger, spraying blessed water directly at it.
It hissed, loudly. I could hear its skin burn as the water soaked into it. The scream it let out was one of pure rage.
It lunged towards me again, then twisted at the last minute, slashing out at Ella, quickly enough that neither one of us could react. Its claws sliced open her throat, exposing the bone. Then, it shoved her to the ground and turned back towards me.
I unleashed another spray of holy water, but despite the visible burn of it, the monster didn’t slow. It didn’t even flinch. Instead, it leapt at me, putting on that burst of speed I’d seen before and pushing me to the ground.
I tried to get back on my feet, but before I could, it was on top of me, holding me down. I tried to push it off, but it was too strong; too heavy. I couldn’t reach my backpack, because it was underneath me, digging into my back. I couldn’t reach my water gun, because I’d lost it when I fell. I could see Ella, sprawled on the ground nearby, head nearly severed, and I wondered if he’d killed her properly, this time.
Then, the vampire’s fangs were on me, and I couldn’t wonder anything at all.
Being bitten by a vampire…all I can compare it to is like…I don’t know, I’ve never been on drugs, but all I can imagine is that it would feel like that. All my thoughts just…drifted away. Distantly, I knew I was in danger, and a part of me kept screaming to run, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move, and…a part of me didn’t want to move. It felt good, even as that damn monster sucked the blood right out of my neck. I felt like I was watching myself die, but couldn’t bring myself to care.
I stared up into the flames that surrounded us. They were kinda pretty, and I didn’t mind dying to a view like that. I didn’t mind dying at all. Maybe…maybe if I did, I could see Mia again.
I closed my eyes.
There was a distant crash, and a cry. Bright light shone outside my eyelids.
Then, the monster pulled away with a scream, and the world rushed back in.
I gasped, then gagged on the smoke. The monster was off of me now, and I couldn’t figure out why until I saw the debris surrounding us. Until the light hit me, and I realised that it wasn’t fire. It was pure, honest daylight.
Had the roof collapsed? I thought that had to be it, until my eyes adjusted and I saw the figure standing where the roof used to be.
Ella.
She wasn’t dead. She’d broken through the roof.
Flames spread up her clothes and what remained of her hair. Her skin was burning away in awful chunks where the daylight hit her, but she didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she dashed for me. I tried to speak, tried to move, but whatever the vampire had gotten me with was still in my system. All I could do was cough as Ella grabbed me and leapt from the building.
There was an impact, then another as Ella threw me onto the grass. She was still burning, but I wasn’t—the sun was harmless to me, and the fire I’d set wasn’t burning her anymore.
I coughed and coughed and coughed some more, then threw up a mouthful of nothing onto the grass.
“Sammy…” she said.
“Run, Ella,” I rasped. “The sun—it’s killing you—”
Ella smiled, sadly. Her skin was almost sloughing off now, the muscle underneath completely blackened. The smell was horrific.
But Ella just…smiled. She smiled at her, then smiled up at the sun.
“I’m not running,” she said. “There’s nowhere to run to.”
“The trees—”
“Aren’t enough to save me.”
“The house—”
“Will be burned to the ground before long.”
“But you’ll die,” I finally got out. “You’ll be dead, Ella. You can’t come back from that.”
She shook her head, then, still smiling. She stared down at her burning hands. “I’m already dead,” she said softly. “If I lived…I was just going to ask you to kill me.” She looked back at me. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? You kill monsters.”
“You’re not—a monster—”
Ella sighed. She tipped her head back, staring up at the sky. “Do you…think I’ll go to heaven?” she asked.
I don’t think it really hit me until then—just how badly I’d failed. But I stared up at her as her body began to crumble, and I saw the fear in her eyes. She didn’t wanna die.
Was there nothing I could’ve done?
“…Yeah.” My voice broke on the word, and I realised with a jolt that I was crying. “Yeah, I bet you will.”
Her smile…it looked more genuine, when I said that. I’d made her happy. Made her…less scared.
“Good,” she said softly. “Thank you, Sammy.”
Her legs crumbled beneath her, and I caught her as she fell. Her eyes glazed over as she stared up at the sky, chest rapidly falling into nothing. “Tell—t-tell my family,” she said. “Tell them—I—”
Ella’s chest fell away, and there was no more air to speak with.
Her eyes flicked to me, full of terror, and I knew I’d carry this with me forever. I’d carry her with me.
“I’ll tell them,” I promised her. My voice cracked on the words.
She mouthed something, just as her face started to come apart in my hands. And…I can’t lip read like Rhy can…but I thought she maybe said ‘thank you’.
A breeze picked up, and she was gone; just dust in my hands.
I looked for traces of the other vampire, afterwards. I couldn’t find much, but the dust left behind told me all I needed to know. It was gone, and that was all that mattered. I was safe.
Then I went back to Wickersons, curled up into my bed and sobbed until I ached.
I failed her so badly.
I wanted to save her. I wanted to save her, like I couldn’t save my sister, but I failed again. I always goddamn fail.
Why am I the only one who survives these things, huh?
I brought some of the dust back with me; just…put it in my backpack. I know it’s weird, and I know I can’t ever tell anyone what it is, but I just…I couldn’t leave her there. I think I’ll keep a tiny bit, then spread the rest on the green; I asked around earlier, and found out she spent time out there. So…I think she’d like that.
Emergency services showed up to the fire a few hours after, I was told, but there wasn’t any house to save. They did, however, find the charred remains of at least two bodies, which checks with what I found in the attic.
They haven’t come to question me. In a way, the fire kinda saved my ass. If they’d found my fingerprints in there…
The police came to the same conclusion I did, I think; the killer was hiding out in the house, storing the bodies until it planted them away from home. I know they’ll probably identify the bodies soon…I just wish that there was something left of Ella to find.
I got hurt pretty badly, too. Cuts and bruises and scrapes, but a pretty bad cough popped up almost as soon as I got home. From the smoke, I think, and it became pretty clear pretty quick that I needed a doctor, but I covered my own ass by, um…setting a fire in the bin of the boys toilets, then claiming I inhaled smoke from it. I got a month of detentions for it, but at least the nurse checked me over.
I’ll be okay. Physically, at least.
I have to wonder…why’d this happen? I mean, this is my fourth monster this year, and Wickersons Quarry isn’t exactly a huge area. There’s no way that many monsters should be showing up.
And yet, I don’t think it’s gonna be the last. Something about this place…
I took a few days off class. Today’s my last day of break, so I thought I’d finally write this all down. As awful as it is, and as majorly as I failed…it’s still a case, and I guess it’s technically a success. I mean…the monster’s dead. Both of them. I just…wish there’d been another way.
For now, however, I gotta lay low. My friends have been worried about me, and Rhy specifically keeps insisting I rest and bringing me things. I dunno how to tell him that I’m definitely able to walk. I guess…maybe I should just enjoy it.
I’ll write again soon. I have way too many thoughts in my head, and it’s not like I can talk to anyone about them. This hunting log might become more of a diary than a log, but…oh well. If anyone ever sees this, I’ll just show them the parts I want them to see. Cases, failures and all.
God, no one should ever become a monster hunter. Worst job ever.
But for now, I rest, I recover, and I try my best to forget how it felt, holding a girl as she crumbled apart.
I’m gonna need so much therapy someday.
Signing out for now,
Sammy Stahl.
—
CASE: The Wickerson’s Quarry Vampire Killer
Status: Solved
Monster: Nosferatu
Weaknesses (confirmed): Holy water, silver, sunlight. Disintegrates when exposed to the sun.
Strengths: Bursts of speed, enduring, good senses.
Assessment: Be cautious.