Once Upon a Sunset

Chapter 2: In Which the Group Introduces Themselves

When he woke up, he got lost in the splashes of neon green on the black paint of the ceiling. Shortly thereafter, he realized there should not be black paint on the ceiling; nor should there be a ceiling, for that matter. He sat up and noticed that his entire right arm was in a cast. There was a blue sling on the bedside table.





The memories came back to him in a rush. He bit back a scream. The world around him ceased to make any sense. He felt nauseous, even tasting bile. He found a wastebasket in the small room and vomited as quietly as he could.





The dog walked into the room, and in the light of day, he saw that she was a Boston Terrier. She met his gaze with a question in her eyes.





“Ugh…” He plopped back down on the bed. He looked around for his clothes but they weren’t there.





“Where’d my clothes go…” he muttered to himself. The dog stepped over to the closet door and pulled it open with a paw. When she had her back to him, he noticed a white mark in the black fur behind her right ear. It looked roughly like the Jesus fish that some people had on their cars. When she had enough space, she wedged herself between door and jamb and pushed the door wide open with her head as she walked. She then trudged over to the other door and sat down.





There were clothes in the closet. With no other option, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt and put them on. It was a bit tough with only one hand, but he managed. The dog stood and walked out of the room. He followed her down the hallway into a living room.





The room didn’t have much furniture. There was a maroon couch, a T.V., an end table with a lamp, and a cross over the door.





A boy sat at the end of the couch reading a Harry Potter book. He was a skinny kid, no more than fourteen, with light brown hair, and he had a scar on his jaw shaped like a crescent moon.





He looked up from his book and looked into Chris’ eyes. “How do you feel?”





Chris swallowed and looked away. “I’ve had better days.”





“They told me you passed out before they got you to the hospital and you didn’t wake up. I hope the sleep helped. Sounded like you had a rough time last night.”





Chris felt sick again. He sat down on the other end of the couch. The dog jumped up onto the middle cushion.





“Hi Popcorn. How’s your day been?”





The dog looked at him. Her left shoulder came up a bit and dropped. Chris tried not to look alarmed, but surely the dog did not just shrug.





“What’s your name?” Chris asked.





“I’m Joey Crow. You?”





“Chris Townsend.”





“Hey, do you know Freddie Townsend?”





“No.”





“Oh.” Joey looked off for a moment thoughtfully before he turned back to his book.





Chris sat there quietly. “Popcorn, huh? That’s a weird name for a dog.”





Joey glanced over at her. She looked at Chris for one long, hard moment, then exhaled a sharp little breath through her mouth and lay down next to Joey.





Chris had to look away so they would not see the panic in his eyes. Did she just scoff at me?!





He heard a male voice at the door talking to someone in the yard. It took him a moment, but he realized that it was the same voice he heard praying the night before. A chill went through him. He remembered how the voice from before rang with the same majesty of a lion’s roar. The voice now had none of that greatness, but the dignity was still there.





The door opened. The sunlight blinded him for a moment, but the door closed and Chris got a look at him for the first time. He was struck at once by the innocence in his face. The boy was handsome and tall, with a head full of brown hair and dancing gray eyes. He wore blue jeans and a white tank top, and the muscles underneath were strong and tanned. When he saw Chris, he lit up with a smile full of slightly crooked but perfectly white teeth.





“Hi!” He crossed the room to Chris and shook his hand. “I’m Derek McElhannon. I’m Joey’s cousin. How are you feeling? Any pain?”





“Not really,” Chris said. “I’m a bit nauseous, but that’s about it.”





“You probably just need to eat something. Did you offer him something to eat?”





“I didn’t have time. He just got up.” Joey said.





Derek shrugged and motioned for Chris to follow him into the kitchen. He rummaged through the refrigerator humming what might have been “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” but Chris wasn’t sure.





“So are you in the mood for anything in particular?” Derek asked.





“Not really.” Chris felt like an idiot letting people he didn’t even know feed and clothe him. Even hobo kids like to have some dignity.





“Hmmm…” Derek peered into the refrigerator for a moment and pulled out butter and cheese. “I want grilled cheese. Is that okay?”





“Sure.” Chris felt his cheeks burn and he turned away.





Derek hummed some more as he made the sandwiches. He had a nice voice, which made Chris feel even worse for some reason. Mercifully, he didn’t mention the night before, for which Chris was infinitely grateful. When the food was ready, the three of them stepped over to the kitchen table.





“Joey?” Derek looked at him expectantly. The two crossed themselves silently and folded their hands. Chris, not sure what to do, tried to imitate them but touched his right shoulder before his left.





Joey began. “Bless us, O Lord, with these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty, through Christ Our Lord, amen.”





They crossed themselves again. Chris tried again and failed. Derek chuckled a bit and said, “Don’t worry about it. Just bow your head or something.”





They started to eat, grabbing sandwiches from a plate in the middle of the small table.





“So who was outside?” Joey asked.





“Just Mr. Embry. He came for the rent.”





“Is it the first already?”





“Yep.”





“Cool! Only one more month of school!”





A moment of silence passed.





“So you’re not from around here, are you?” Joey asked.





“No.” Chris said.





“Where are you from?”





Chris swallowed. “I, uh…” He didn’t really feel comfortable answering. To relive that ball of wax after the night he’d had before was a bit too much.





“Just eat your food, Joey.” Derek’s voice took on a strangely paternal tone, not harsh but firm. Joey obeyed.





“Do you mind if I do ask where you were headed?” Derek asked.





Chris relaxed a bit. “I wouldn’t if I knew.”





“Hmm. I can relate.”





There was a pause, and Chris asked, “Where are we?”





“Maud, Texas. About seven miles or so from where we found you last night.” Derek said.





Chris thought about that night and winced at the fresh wave of nausea.





Derek grimaced. “Sorry.”





“Nah, it’s okay.” He forced a few more bites down his throat. He paused and asked, “Is there anything to drink?”





Derek gasped. “I completely forgot to get you a drink! Yeah, we have soda. What do you like?” He was out of his chair and standing at the fridge before he finished talking.





“Uh……Mountain Dew?”





Derek pulled a 20 oz. bottle from the bottom shelf and handed it to him. “Joey?”





“Sprite.”





Derek pulled one out, and a cream soda. He sat back down and pulled a prescription bottle out of his pocket.





“Oh, yeah. This is for you.” He handed it to Chris. It was a prescription for Hydrocodone. Derek grabbed a fresh sandwich.





“Does anyone else live here?” Chris unscrewed the cap and took two.





Derek shook his head. “Just us. I got custody of Joey about six months ago and we moved here from Hot Springs.”





“You guys don’t sound like you’re from Arkansas.”





“We’re not.” Derek said. “We’re from Pennsylvania.”





“He’s from Philadelphia,” Joey said. “I was born in Pittsburgh.”





Chris nodded. “Philly’s a nice town.”





“You’ve been there?” Derek asked.





“Briefly.” Chris didn’t elaborate, hoping that they wouldn’t ask any more questions about his past. They seemed to take the hint without offense.





“So, about last night,” Chris said. Derek visibly tensed. Joey’s eyes flashed with dread.





“Where are the other kids?”





A beat of silence filled the room. Chris felt as if he’d gone too far with that question. But Derek and Joey both sighed with relief.





“They went home last night after we brought you home.” Derek said. “They should be here soon.”





“Who was the girl with the—” He had trouble saying “crossbow” but after a moment he succeeded.





“Lizzie Embry. Her grandfather owns this house.”





“Huh. She’s nice.”





“Yes, she is.”





Joey glanced at Derek, only to look away when he noticed. Derek frowned.





“What?” he asked. Joey shrugged.





“Did you ask Popcorn if she was hungry?”





Derek shook his head. “She’s not. She doesn’t like these anyway. The cheese doesn’t react well with her digestion.”





Chris frowned, but otherwise felt it would be better to pipe down. A clock over the stove told him that it was 3:36. Not long after the last sandwich disappeared into Derek’s mouth, there was a bark in the living room and the sound of tires on gravel.





“There they are. Can you let them in, Joey?” Derek grabbed the plates from the table and took them to the sink. Chris froze, unsure of himself, and followed Joey.





Jack, large and red-faced, stepped into the room. “JOEY! What’s up, man? How’s it goin’?” He grabbed Joey’s hand and pulled him into a hug. Kim followed him, a mousy girl with dark brown hair cut below her ears.





“I’d like to get in the house sometime this week,” Lizzie said behind her. Everyone cleared away from the door and she walked in. She was a very pretty girl, with long brown hair that shined in the sunlight, almond-shaped blue eyes and slightly pouting lips. She saw Chris and smiled.





“Hey! You’re up! Are you better?”





Chris shifted bashfully. “Yeah. I guess.”





“You guess? What, is Derek not being sociable?”





“Very funny, Liz.” Derek pulled two chairs into the room from the kitchen and went back for a third. Jack sat on the sofa and Kim crawled in his lap. When Derek came back, he shook his head.





“Nuh-uh. Not on my couch,” he said, and she sat next to him. Joey had his usual seat on the end next to the lamp. Derek and Lizzie sat in the kitchen chairs with an empty one in between them for Chris. When he sat down, things got very quiet. Derek turned and put his hand on Chris’ shoulder.





“I really hate to do this, Chris, but how much do you remember from last night?”





Chris was silent for a second. He felt very afraid. “More than I want to.”





Derek nodded. “I know. But we have to know what happened last night before we arrived.”





Chris drew a ragged breath. “I don’t know if I can,” he whispered. “It was too awful…”





He didn’t want the tears to come, but typically they did as they pleased and ran down his face anyway.





“It’s okay, Chris.” Lizzie leaned forward and took his good hand in hers. “We know what you’re going through. Just do what you can.”





Chris closed his eyes. “Okay.”





He told them everything that he remembered, fighting his urge to rush his way through the things that were particularly horrific. Everyone listened quietly, their faces set like stone. Lizzie looked at him with pity in her eyes. Derek betrayed no emotion at all, his eyes dark and determined. Kim listened with an odd pallor, as if she were feeling sick. Jack watched him with haunted eyes, as if his own memories were also tormenting him. Joey was conversely riveted and revolted, barely moving. Popcorn watched him as he spoke, her eyes like Derek’s. When he was finished, she stood on her back feet, leaned onto the seat of his chair in between his legs and put her paw on his knee. The message was clear: you did good, kid, real good.





It was Lizzie that spoke first.





“He wasn’t buried there recently, was he?”





“No,” Jack said. “It’s been over twenty years since anyone was buried there.”





“Besides, there was no vampiric aura on that place,” Derek said. “Probably the vampire was on the train, jumped off, and found that girl. Did you find out who she was, Jack?”





“I’m not sure, but Shania Conkleton didn’t come to school today. Her grandmother’s buried out there, so she might have been visiting.”





Chris felt even worse, now that the girl had a name.





“So who was the vampire, then?” Lizzie asked. “It couldn’t have been one from out of town, could it?”





“No, he was definitely local, and a young one,” Derek said. “He felt like all the others. A few weeks, maybe. Old enough to know how to ensnare a victim, but young enough to still think he’s impervious.”





“So do you think he’s from Texarkana?” Joey asked.





“Probably,” Derek said. “Brown hair, young, about nineteen? Twenty?”





Chris nodded.





“And he was singing…” Derek leaned back in his chair and thought. Kim pulled a folder out of her purse, and after turning a few pages pulled out a picture.





“Is this him?” She handed it to Chris. He dropped it almost immediately. The young man in it was tanned, smiling, and sweating a little, but was otherwise the same monster that killed the girl.





“Y-yes.”





Kim picked the picture back up. “Japheth McCain. He was a college student majoring in Musical Theatre. He lived in Liberty-Eylau when he was reported missing about a month ago.” She filed it back, but behind a different colored tab.





“Was he in that musical with your cousin?” Lizzie asked. Kim nodded. Lizzie absorbed this and shook her head. “You just never know anymore. People are dropping from sight like flies.”





“And in a growing area,” Derek said. He was looking at Popcorn. “She thinks they’ve planned this so that it doesn’t appear as deliberate. They know that the police would’ve caught on eventually, but it would give them enough time to gather their numbers and be ready if need be.”





“Ready for what?” Joey asked.





Derek shrugged. “Anything.”





“Maybe they think people still believe in vampires,” Kim said. Derek and Popcorn looked at her. Kim blushed a bit.





“I was kidding.”





“I know, but that’s a valid point. Sometimes older ones that have slept for a while or vampires from third world countries where people do believe feed in such a manner that they do not arouse much suspicion. To my knowledge, there is no precedent for what may be happening here, not in Texas at least, but it could be that the one causing this is trying to build up a coven in case of an attack from a group of hunters.”





Popcorn made a small noise to get Derek’s attention. She tapped Chris’ knee.





“Oh, right. We’ve got to explain some things.”





Derek cleared his throat. “Well, Chris, the simple truth is we fight vampires. There’s been a bit of an infestation here. It started about ten months ago when a boy in New Boston, north of here, went missing. A few months later, a girl went missing in the same area. To the west of New Boston, in DeKalb, a carload of kids out after homecoming went missing. Luckily, there hasn’t been another group that large that has disappeared at once like that. But since then, all around, one or two people have dropped out of sight every few weeks or so. A few from Texarkana, a couple in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and about two or three from every town in Bowie County except Maud and Redwater.”





“Do you know exactly how many?” Chris asked.





“Missing people, yes, but there was already a rather high number of missing kids from this area before this started, and with those statistics, it’s hard to determine who left of their own accord and who were just out at the wrong place after dark.”





“What do the police think?”





“They’re starting to suspect that something might be up,” Jack said. “But they don’t have enough evidence to say anything for sure. Of course, the Sheriff’s Department might not have noticed had parents not been knocking down their doors demanding to know where their children are.”





“Are they all kids?” Chris asked.





Kim consulted her folder. “The oldest was 25, the youngest was 14. Granted, like Derek said, some of them are probably runaways or people that left the area on their own.”





“But how many people have gone missing since this started?”





Kim counted. “Thirty-seven.”





Chris felt as if the air chilled ten degrees. “Have you caught any of them besides that one?”





“Yes. Several, actually,” Lizzie said.





“How many?”





“Fif—are you sure?” Derek was asking the dog. “Fifteen, and the one we killed last night.”





Chris felt a bit better. Sixteen dead vampires were sixteen reasons to sleep better at night. But the looming thought of as many as twenty-one possible vampires roaming the fields and woods of the area made him feel worse than he did before.





“So what now?” Chris asked.





“We’ve been trying to locate the source of all this and eliminate it,” Derek said.





“But how did you figure out it was vampires in the first place?”





Derek paused. “I…I can’t really explain that. I just…know these things.”





Chris thought for a moment. “Like the future or something?”





“No, nothing like that. Just vampires. I know, it doesn’t make any sense to me, either.”





“But you can’t just assume it’s vampires, even if you have a hunch.”





“That’s what I thought the first time I encountered them, but every time we have this ‘hunch,’ we find them.”





“‘We’?”





“Me and Popcorn.”





Chris looked down at the dog seated at his feet. She dipped her head twice. He thought hard for the words to form his question, and, failing, tried unsuccessfully to wing it. “So she’s…is she…uh…”





“Oh, I don’t know why she is what she is,” Derek said. “For what it’s worth, she doesn’t have a clear idea either. But she’s every bit as smart as everyone in this room.”





“How do you talk to her?”





“Uh…oh, what’s it called…”





“Telepathy.” Lizzie offered.





“Uh, yeah. That.”





Chris absorbed it all as best as he could. The world as he knew it had changed into something from nightmares, something he couldn’t recognize but was still frighteningly familiar. “These vampires. What does it take to kill them?” He didn’t think he could sleep again without knowing.





“You have to stab them with a wooden stake through the heart. Iron and silver will hurt them. Holy objects and prayer work, but you must believe in the Most High God for it to be very effective, maybe to work at all.”





“Sunlight?”





“Also true.”





“Why don’t you hunt in the daylight?”





“It’s not possible,” Lizzie said. “The three of us have school, and Derek has to work.”





“But isn’t it more dangerous?”





“Much more dangerous,” Derek said. “But with faith the size of a mustard seed, you may move a mountain."





Chris blinked. “What?”





“Anything is possible if you just have faith in the Lord,” Derek said.





“You don’t really expect me to believe that, do you?”





The mood of the room changed. Derek, not affected, said, “Well, yeah.”





“So what, I’m supposed to believe all this ‘I am the Light’ mumbo-jumbo just because you say so?”





Popcorn made a small growling sound. Derek stiffened. “Now, hold up. That’s not the case.”





“Then what is it?” Chris asked.





“It’s the truth. He is the Way and the Light.”





“Well, I don’t buy it.”





There was a moment of very uncomfortable silence. Derek stared at Chris. The intensity in his eyes made Chris squirm a bit in the chair. But all Derek did was smile.





“Before you leave my house, you will. You will.” With that, he relaxed in his chair and looked down at Popcorn.





“So what do we do now?” Lizzie asked. Popcorn left the room for a moment and returned with a map. She and Derek unfolded it on the floor. The legend told Chris he was looking at Bowie County, Texas. Several red dots were spread across the map, with a few more black ones scattered around. Derek pointed to a green spot just west of the small town of Maud.





“Okay, Chris,” he said. “This is where we are. The black dots are places where someone was last seen during the last year. The red dots are places where we’ve killed a vampire.” Almost as an afterthought, he pulled a red Sharpie from the end table drawer and marked the spot on the railroad east of Redwater. “Now, like we said earlier, there hasn’t been any activity in Maud, but it seems like they’re trying to move in. See how the dots are moving closer?”





He couldn’t tell which marks were new, but there definitely was a correlation. “What’s keeping them away?”





“I’m not exactly sure,” Derek said. “Popcorn thinks our presence here has been keeping Maud and Redwater relatively safe, but as you saw last night, they’re drawing a little close for comfort.”





“Had they never attacked that close before?”





“No,” Kim said. “Last night we were well within earshot of houses. The people living on that road know something happened out there. Some of the kids at school were talking about it today. A lot of people called the police to investigate, but they didn’t find anything.”





“I dunno about that,” Jack said. “Robbie said they found one of Lizzie’s arrows.”





Lizzie drew a sharp breath. “Oh damn...it must have fallen out of the quiver.”





“Well, remember, it’s Robbie,” Jack said. “There’s no tellin’ if that’s true or not.”





Lizzie didn’t seem convinced.





“Do the police have any ideas about last night?” Joey asked.





“Not one.” Jack said.





“How do you know all this?” Chris asked.





“My dad’s a Deputy,” Jack said. “I ask him about work when he comes home. Occasionally he’ll have news about the disappearances.”





“And he just tells you all this stuff? I mean, isn’t it classified or something?”





Jack shrugged. “He thinks I care about the rest of the job.”





“So, Derek, where to next?” Lizzie asked. “Do you have any ideas?”





Derek and Popcorn studied the map. Occasionally Derek would shake his head, or Popcorn hers. Eventually, after a moment of pondering an area near a creek, they nodded.





“Carbondale.” Derek folded the map and gave it back to Popcorn.





“Where’s that?” Chris asked.





“It’s down the highway from here,” Lizzie said. “I only went there once, with my cousins. There was a party down there on the old highway with some of the kids from Simms.”





“Because that’s legal.” Kim said. Lizzie chuckled.





“Do you wanna take my truck?” Jack asked.





“Uh…sure.” Derek said. “We’ve got to get the stuff out of the car, but yeah.”





“Can I go to Eddie’s house while you’re gone?” Joey asked.





“No, I’d rather you stay here.” Derek stepped into a bedroom adjacent to the living room and emerged wearing a light brown button-up shirt with short sleeves over the tank top.





“Please, Derek?”





“Joey, I’m not sure how late we’ll be out. Ms. Johnson might not appreciate you being there until midnight, and I don’t want you walking home after dark.”





“When do I get to go with you?”





Derek’s face hardened. “Now, that is not a discussion we’re going to have right now. You’re staying here tonight and that’s all.”





Joey glowered at the floor.





“Hey, I’ve got my Xbox out in the truck,” Jack said. “You can plug it up in here till we get back, if you want.”





Joey’s face lit up. “Where is it?”





“It’s in the back seat. Go get it.”





He didn’t need another invitation. Derek went back into the bedroom. Lizzie followed him quietly.





“Derek, I need to talk to you.”





He opened his closet door and pulled a glass bottle out of a case. The glass was marked with a golden cross, and there was water inside.





“What about?”





“Listen, are you sure it’s a good idea to take Chris out there?”





“You mean after last night?”





“Yeah, that was pretty awful. I’m not really fond of making him relive it again.”





Derek pondered for a moment, which Lizzie took to mean he was discussing it with Popcorn.





“She thinks he’ll have to face them sooner or later, so if he gets a bit adjusted to it—they’re her words, not mine—but she thinks he’d better see them now and get used to them than be overwhelmed by it later.”





“Overwhelmed?”





“I don’t know how to put it. That’s just what she said.”





“And you agree?”





Derek shrugged. “I haven’t known her to be wrong yet.”





Lizzie looked over her shoulder. “I don’t like it.”





“I don’t either.”





Lizzie gazed through the doorway at the broken boy in the kitchen chair. Derek touched her shoulder.





“Hey, he’ll be safe. He’s got all of us to protect him.”





It didn’t make her feel any better, but she smiled at Derek to put his mind at ease and went outside to help Jack and Kim put the gear in the truck for the outing.





Chris joined them a minute later. He approached the truck cautiously, not sure what to do. Jack motioned for him to join them at the tailgate of the red Suburban.





“We all have somethin’ we carry with us when we go out,” Jack said. “I’ve got a cross and stake in my pockets, Lizzie’s got the crossbow, Kim’s got a Bible. What did you have in mind?”





“Uh…um ….”





Jack pulled a tire iron from the back of the Suburban. “It ain’t a crowbar, but how’s this?”





“Sure.”





Derek left the house with a leather satchel. Popcorn was beside him.





“Are we ready to go?” he asked.





“Yeah. All set.” Jack pulled the tailgate closed and stepped over to the driver’s side door.





“Do you need some help getting in?” Derek asked.





“I don’t think so.” Chris tried climbing in the back seat and succeeded. Kim sat beside him, with Lizzie on her other side. Derek helped Popcorn into the truck and climbed into the passenger seat.





Joey watched from the window as they drove away.