Cemetery Girls

London, 1985


Standing on the sidewalk outside school, Lucy looked at her watch; it was already half five and if Joanna didn’t hurry soon they’d be walking home in the dark. Her best friend Joanna had to stay after school for a make-up test and Lucy had agreed to wait for her. She paced back and forth, now and then kicking a loose pebble and sending it reeling ahead of her. She promised her mother she’d be home by six, but the way things were going, it wasn’t looking very likely.

“Still here?”

Lucy turned around to see Joanna approaching her. “Didn’t think you’d ever finish.”

“Cor, me neither, and was it ever murder.”

“Mum’s going to be upset that I’m late,” Lucy said as the two girls started walking away from the school.

“We could take the short cut through the park,” Joanna offered.

“We could,” Lucy said apprehensively, “but maybe we shouldn’t.”

Joanna grinned. “You’re just afraid of going past the old cemetery.”

“Am not,” Lucy said defensively.

“Then lets go,” Joanna said, crossing the street to the park.

“Hang on,” Lucy said, running up to catch her friend.. “I’ve heard it’s a place for criminals after sundown.”

“Oh rubbish,” Joanna said. “Race you to the swing set!”

Joanna took off and Lucy quickly ran after her. Her school bag was slung over her shoulder and bobbed against her back and cold air stabbed at her face. She ran past the water fountains and the duck pond, past the jogging trail and the jungle-gym when she finally got to the swings. Her heart was beating fast and she was out of breath. But where was Joanna?

“Where’d you go?” Lucy asked looking around the deserted park. She wasn’t on any of the swings or the slide, she wasn’t at a picnic table, nor on the merry-go-round. Had she went on without Lucy? “Joanna?” Lucy called out. “Where are you?” The sky was getting darker and Lucy began to feel uneasy.

“Did I scare you?” Joanna shouted jumping out from behind an enormous shrub.

Lucy gasped and clutched her heart. “That wasn’t funny,” she said to her giggling friend.

“Sure it was, you should have seen the look on your face when you thought I was gone.”

“The last time I wait for you,” Lucy said adjusting her book bag.

“Oh I’m sorry,” Joanna said. “Come on, lets go before your mum has the whole of Scotland Yard out looking for you.”

The two girls made their way out of the park and back onto the street. Lamp lights were just beginning to come on and Lucy didn’t like the shadows they cast on the sidewalk. Nor did she like that the cemetery was approaching and that she was going to have to walk past it in the dark.

“Do you think Neil fancies me?” Joanna asked, breaking the silence on the walk home.

“Didn’t he steal your cardie and throw it out the window?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah. I rather like him,” she grinned.

“He’s just a Billy Idol wannabe,” Lucy said, wrinkling her nose.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Joanna asked. “Would your prefer Prince Charles?” she teased.

“At least he has a certain future.” Lucy said but quickly stopped.

“What?” Joanna asked, almost bumping into her. “Oh,” she said as she realized they had reached the cemetery gates. “It is sort of spooky I guess,” she said peering past the rusty iron bars.

“So let’s just keep going,” Lucy said.

“Wait-” Joanna gasped, “there’s someone in there.”

“Probably someone visiting a grave,” Lucy said, her stomach starting to flutter.

“At night?” Joanna asked. She climbed up on the bars of the gate to see better.

“What are you doing?” Lucy asked, tugging on her friend’s jumper.

“Having a butchers,” she said, peeking into the rapidly growing darkness. “It’s a lady,” she said, “but I can only see her back.”

Against her better judgment Lucy climbed up on the gate beside Joanna. “Oh look, see the dirt piled up? It’s a fresh grave, I bet she’s just lingering from a funeral or something.”

“Maybe,” Joanna said, not sounding convinced.

The two girls watched as the lady dropped to her knees and bent forward. She looked as if she were digging in the fresh dirt with her hands, but the girls couldn’t see very well.

“What’s she doing?” Joanna whispered.

“I don’t know,” Lucy said, shaking her head.

They watched as the lady continued to stoop and paw at the ground for a few more minutes until they heard a cracking sound.

“What’d she do?” Joanna asked.

“I don’t know!” Lucy said again. “We should get out of here.”

Joanna nodded but the girls stayed put. They watched as the strange woman reached into the grave, and after another cracking sound, pulled up a body. The girls stared in wide-eyed horror as the woman bent over the body and bit into its neck.

Lucy screamed and the lady quickly turned to them.

“Run!” Joanna yelled, jumping down from the gate.

Lucy couldn’t move, the strange woman’s yellow-like eyes were locked on hers. She had blood around her mouth and what seemed like dirt in her hair and on the front of her shirt. She smiled and stood up when Joanna jerked Lucy down from the gate.

“Come on!” she yelled, grabbing her friend’s hand and tugging on her. They both took off up the street without looking back.

“Yes run,” the lady in the cemetery said with a smile. “Run run run little girls.”

Behind her an old vault creaked opened and she turned to two faces; one with a scowl and the other with a yawn.

“Ivy, what are you doing?” came the scowl.

“Morning sisters,” Ivy said wiping the blood off her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

“Morning,” the yawn said sleepily.

“Must I repeat myself?”

“I was hungry, Edele,” Ivy whined. “And he was only buried today.”

“You clot,” Edele said with a groan. “How many times must I remind you? They embalm now, there’s no blood left in the bodies anymore.”

“He was Jewish,” Ivy said. “But he was starting to congeal,” she said making a face.

“That’s why you should stick to the living,” Audrey said.

“Oh,” Ivy frowned, “there’s a problem Edele,” she said.

“What’s that?” Edele asked.

“Two little girls saw me.”

Edele sighed. “I knew this would happen! Why didn’t you wait for me and Audrey to wake?”

“I was just so hungry. I still am,” she frowned again. “Sorry Edele.”

“What’s this mean?” Audrey asked.

“No one will believe what the girl saw, but most likely someone will come to check the grave. Stick him back in the ground,” Edele ordered, pointing to the body, “then clean your face. We’re going out tonight.”


“But mum I did see something!” Lucy shouted as her mother shut the light off in her room.

“Nonsense young lady, now get to sleep.” Lucy’s mother shut her door leaving the room in blackness.

Lucy shut her eyes and tried to go to sleep but she knew it was useless. She’d never be able to get that grinning bloody face out of her head. What kind of person dug up a dead body and . . . and bit it? Not a sane one, that’s for sure. Was she some kind of lunatic escaped from an asylum? Or was she something different all together? Her eyes didn’t look normal, it was almost as if they were yellow, like the way a wolf’s eyes might look.

It was all so crazy, no wonder her mother didn’t believe her. Lucy wasn’t sure she believed herself. But she pulled the covers up over her head anyway.


Edele led Audrey and Ivy to a table in the back of the dark club. Loud, energetic music poured from the walls and bodies thrashed and danced back and forth like great puppets.

“Isn’t it fun watching them?” Ivy asked. “Off playing like they haven’t a care in the world.”

“Oh but they do have cares,” Edele said. “Cares and desires and fears and longings. Hopes and dreams. They just come here to forget them.”

“Maybe they’re smarter than we think,” Audrey said.

“Not a chance,” Edele said shaking her head. “Let’s find dates,” she said standing up.

The three went off into the crowd, each going a separate way. Edele much preferred grabbing someone off the street than having to go and look for her meals, but occasionally it was fun to go out amongst the living and pretend to be one of them. Even more fun was luring boys away from safety and into her clutches.

She took a seat at the bar and faced the dance floor. Kids spun by her all drunk on fun and various other spirits. She watched the pulsating bodies for a few minutes, boredom starting to sit in. The problem with reeling in dinner was the waiting.

“This seat taken?” came a male voice beside her.

Edele whirled around to see a rather attractive young man sit on the bar stool beside her.

“It is now,” she said flashing a smile.

“I’m Brandon,” he said.

“Edele,” Edele said back. “What brings you out tonight?”

“Needed to cut loose, you know?”

“Tough week?” Edele asked.

“Yeah, I go to university, it’s bollocks. And you?”

Edele smiled and twirled a strand of her long black hair around her finger. “Me and my mates are out looking for a bit of fun.”

“Fun’s good,” he said.

Edele scooter closer to Brandon. “So, do you have a flat or something?”

Brandon nodded, a smile creeping across his face. “Would you like to see it?”

“Can I bring my friends?”

“Absofuckinglutely.”

Edele grinned and hopped off the bar stool. “I’ll fetch them and meet you outside,” she said, then quickly flounced off into the crowd

She instantly spotted Ivy with a guy, dancing rather closely. So closely in fact her tongue was half way down his throat.

“We’re going,” she said, tugging on her arm.

“All ready?” Ivy asked with a pout.

“Dinner’s getting cold,” Edele said.

Ivy smiled. “See you,” she said to the guy, then followed after Edele.

A minute later they found Audrey dancing with a boy in much the same way Ivy had been.

Edele rolled her eyes. “The minute I let you out of my sight it’s all kissy face and swooning eyes,” she said with disgust as they made their way outside.

“But he was so cute,” Audrey lamented.

“There you are,” Brandon said as Edele and the others approached. “Was afraid you might have changed your mind.”

“Now why would I do that?” Edele asked. “Girls, this is our new friend Brandon,” she said. “Brandon, this is Audrey and Ivy.”

“Lovely to meet you all,” Brandon said, his eyes sweeping over all three girls.

They were all undeniably gorgeous, though one wasn’t particularly prettier than the other. Edele had pin-straight black hair flowing past her back and dark eyes, Audrey’s hair was somewhat shorter and more of a reddish-brown with hazel eyes to match, and Ivy with medium length blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. They were dressed in a rather odd fashion, like from the Victorian era. And not only that, but there seemed to be rips and tears scattered all about, and their clothes just looked old and . . . fairly dirty?

“Isn’t he pretty?” Ivy asked.

“Indeed,” Audrey chimed in. “Nice work, my dear,” she said to Edele.

“Shall we go?” Edele asked a grinning Brandon.

His flat wasn’t terribly far from the club but they had to take the underground anyway. The girls didn’t have any money but Brandon seemed only too happy to pay. They hardly ever used the subway and spent most of the short trip staring out the widows into the darkness.

“That was fun!” Ivy said as they emerged up on the street a few minutes later.

“Don’t you girls ever ride the tube?” Brandon asked with a bit of puzzlement.

“We like to walk,” Edele said. “Is that your building?” she asked, pointing to the tall structure across the street.

“That’s it,” he said. He led them across the street and in his building, up the lift, and into the hallway. "And to think, I almost didn't go out tonight," he said, pulling his keys out as they got to his door.

“What a shame that would have been,” Edele said.

He pushed the door open and stood back, raising his arm. “Please, make yourselves at home.”

The girls went inside and Brandon quickly followed.

“Isn’t it nice?” Audrey said looking around.

“You do well for a uni student,” Edele said.

“Well, my parents are loaded,” he said with a smile.

“You just keep getting better and better,” Edele said, trailing her finger over his lips. “He’s perfect, isn’t he?” she asked the girls.

“I hope so,” Audrey said.

“I get him first,” Edele said with a grin. “Where’s the bedroom, love?”

Brandon swallowed and pointed behind her.

“Can’t we watch?” Ivy asked with a frown.

“Yes, let’s share him,” Audrey said, coming up behind him.

“Oh very well,” Edele agreed. “But I get the first taste.”

“Cor, is this really happening?” Brandon muttered as the three girls dragged him off to his room, unbuttoning his shirt and unzipping his trousers all the while.

“Yes, perhaps you should pray,” Edele said with a grin and she pushed him down to the bed.

The three girls crouched over him and stripped him of his clothing within a matter of seconds.

“He looks so good in his skin,” Ivy cooed.

“Yes, it makes you want to rip it off of him,” Edele said.

He may have found that strange but he wasn’t given a chance to react as Edele quickly bent her head over and licked a path up his chest. “So salty,” she said, stabbing her tongue out at his bottom lip. “I’d almost forgotten how fun your kind can be.”

“My kind?” he asked, lust making his voice husky.

“Yes, you human boys.” She grinned at the confusion on his face. “But enough foreplay, my dear.” She bent her lips to his throat and lick him before sinking freshly fallen fangs into the soft skin.

Below her Brandon gasped as pain clouded his mind. He saw Audrey and Ivy lower their mouths to him and again pain resonated through his body. They were biting him! “What are you doing?” he managed to gasp out. He tried to push them away but their grip on him was superhuman. “Stop!” he yelled, trying to twist free.

Edele pulled back, her tongue catching the blood dripping down her chin. “What’s the matter?” she asked with a grin.

Brandon was horrified. She was drinking his blood!

“What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded, bringing his fingers up to his neck where there was more blood.

Both Audrey and Ivy had sat up and were looking at him.

“Is it really a good idea to bring home complete strangers? Really, you’ve no one to blame but yourself,” Edele said. “So grin and bare it!” she yelled, showing him her teeth.

“Jesus!” Brandon cried, scrambling up off the bed.

But before he could even get a second foot on the floor Edele had slammed him back down on the bed. “All right girls,” she said, “playtime’s over. Time to eat.”


Lucy poked at her Shepard’s pie, smashing flat a rather mushy carrot. She wasn’t hungry at all. She pushed her tray away and her head drooped against the lunch table as her eyes slowly shut. She was so tired and better she sleep during lunch than math class.

“What are you doing?” came a voice from beside her.

Lucy opened her eyes to see Joanna sit down. “I didn’t sleep much last night, I’m dead tired.”

“Why didn’t you sleep?” Joanna asked, starting in on her pear.

“Tossed and turned all night, kept having dreams.”

“About what we saw?”

Lucy nodded her head. “You didn’t see her eyes, they . . . they weren’t human.”

“What’d your mum say?”

“I imagined it, it was too dark, the light was playing tricks on me. She didn’t believe me.”

“Neither did my mum.”

“But should we tell someone?” Lucy asked. “I mean if there’s some escaped lunatic wandering around tearing up graves, shouldn’t we let someone know?”

“Like who?”

“I suppose we could tell the Vicar.”

“All right then, let’s do it after school,” Joanna said.


Edele’s eyes popped open. She reached up and shoved off the lid of the tomb, then slipped out, brushing away any wrinkles from her dress. Two other tombs stirred behind her and Audrey and Ivy soon clambered up and out.

Edele took a step toward the door but quickly stopped and sniffed the air.

“What is it?” Audrey asked.

“There’s a mortal in our cemetery,” she said.

“Do you think that girl’s come back?” Ivy asked.

“She’d better hope not,” Edele said crossing to the door and opening it a fraction.

“Do you see someone?” Audrey asked.

“The Vicar,” she said in disgust.

“What’s he doing here?” Ivy asked.

“Those two little prats must have told him what they saw. Perhaps they’re going to be more trouble than I thought.”

“What do we do?” Audrey asked.

“We wait.”

“For what?” Ivy asked.

“Bed time,” Edele said with a smirk.


“Lucy did you finish all your school work?”

“Yes mum,” Lucy said as she watched John Cleese bang a dead parrot on a shop counter.

“Then turn off the telly and get to bed please,” she said, popping her head into the living room.

Lucy climbed up from the floor and switched off the television. She packed away her school books, then brushed her teeth before kissing her mum goodnight and slipping into bed.

She had been dreading going to sleep ever since she woke up that morning. She couldn’t bare another night of nightmares and jumping awake every few hours. If only she could get that picture of those glowing eyes out of her head. She did feel a little better though, having told the Vicar what she and Joanna saw. He seemed to take the matter very seriously and warned the girls to keep their eyes open and stay away from the cemetery.

Lucy closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. But all she could see were images from her dreams. Caskets opening and horrible looking things crawling out of them, yellow, moon-like eyes and sharp teeth dripping red, wolves chasing her and leading her right to the lady she saw in the graveyard. She couldn’t bare another night of that!

Sighing she reached over to the table beside her bed and flicked on the lamp. She would read until she fell asleep.

Somewhere a dog howled, a car screeched off in the distance, and a little popping noise awoke Lucy. The bulb in the lamp had shorted out leaving the room pitch black. You can get a new bulb tomorrow, she thought to herself. She closed her eyes and pulled the covers up around her chin. Sleep was about to overtake her when a faint scratching noise made her eyes pop open.

Something was scratching against the window.

It’s just a moth, she told herself. It’s fluttering against the glass.

Just as suddenly as it started, the scratching noise stopped. Then the unmistakable sound of the window pane being lifted echoed in the dark room.

You’re dreaming again, Lucy thought. That’s all. Just dreaming.

The floor creaked as someone walked across it. To the bed.

Lucy eyes were glued shut. Someone wasn’t in the room with her. No way.

“I know you’re awake,” came a woman’s voice.

Lucy was paralyzed with fear. She couldn’t move, couldn’t open her eyes, could barely breath. Oh please, let it be a dream! she thought as tears leaked from her eyes.

“Such a sweet creature you are,” came the voice again and this time Lucy could feel a presence standing over her.

Her breathing was shallow and her heart was beating so hard she was afraid it would beat right out of her chest. “Mum,” she called, but it only came out as a pathetic whisper. Her mouth turned to cotton and she felt sick on her stomach.

She wasn’t dreaming.

Slowly she opened her eyes, more tears falling down her cheeks to wet the pillow beneath her head. A tiny gasp escaped her lips as she saw what stood before her.

A girl, no older than twenty, with a pale face and dark eyes. Her dress was old and tattered and what looked like mold clung to it. She had long raven hair that framed her face and lips that were nothing less than ruby. Around her mouth seemed to be red stains.

“Won’t you make a fine sister?” the girl said and reached down for Lucy.


“Lucy! Time to get up,” her mother shouted coming into her room.

Lucy’s eyes opened and she immediately brought her hand up to cover her face from the bright sunlight streaming through her window.

“Are you awake?” her mother asked.

Lucy nodded and sat up, squinting at the bright light.

“Lucy you look awful!” her mother said, sitting on the bed beside her. She was incredibly pale and her skin very clammy. “Do you feel sick?”

“A bit tired. Rather weak as well,” Lucy said.

“Back to bed with you,” she said, pushing Lucy back down. “I should ring for the doctor.”

“No mum, it’s all right. A day in bed should do it.”

Her mother frowned and pulled the covers up around Lucy’s neck. “You rest then and I’ll be back to check on you later.”

“Uh, mum,” Lucy said as her mother was about to leave her room, “could you close the curtains?”


Around lunch time Lucy got up at her mother’s request that she eat something. Lucy had no appetite whatsoever but managed to drink some tea. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair and as she swept a strand away from her neck she saw two little red spots. She scooted closer to the mirror to examine them better when she remember last night.

The scratching noise, the window opening, the strange woman standing over her bed. . . . And now two marks on her neck.

Lucy tore from the bathroom into her room and threw on her clothes, then grabbed her shoes and raced into the living room.

“What are you doing?” her mother demanded.

“I have to go out mum, uh to the library, to study. I’m feeling much better,” she said jerking on her shoes. “I’ll be back soon!”

“Wait-” her mother said as she ran out the door. “You forgot your books!”

Lucy ran all the way down the street, past the market, past the library to the old church on the other side of the park. Panting and gasping for air she climbed the steps and went inside.

It was cavernous with great vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows taking up most of the wall space.

“Hello?” she said, her breathing still heavy. She walked down the middle aisle, past the pulpit to the little rooms in the back. “Hello?” she asked again. She heard footsteps and the Vicar appeared in the little hallway.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I-I was here yesterday,” Lucy started, “me and my friend.”

“Yes, of course,” the Vicar said. “Lucy. Are you all right?”

Lucy shook her head. “I don’t know. I-I’ve been having these horrid dreams. Things crawling out of graves and blood dripping and, and wolves howling at me,” she said in a panic. “And, and last night I heard this noise and this thing, this girl came into my room and she looked like death and when I woke up I was sick and, and I have these places on my neck. . . .”

The Vicar looked alarmed and quickly swallowed. “Calm down child,” he said.

“You have to believe me! I know no one else will,” Lucy said, tears in her eyes.

“I do believe you,” the Vicar said nodding. “Let me see your neck.”

Lucy held back her hair and cocked her head to the side, giving the Vicar a prime view of the two little marks.

The Vicar closed his eyes in shock. “Can this truly be happening?” he whispered.

“What?” Lucy asked.

“There are more things in Heaven and earth than we. . . .” he trailed off.

“It’s a vampire, isn’t it?” Lucy asked.

The Vicar nodded. “And she’s bitten you.”

“What’s going to happen?” Lucy asked.

“I’ll not lie to you,” the Vicar said. “I don’t know. But if we work quickly nothing at all may happen. Come,” he said, leading her back out into the sanctuary.

Next to the doors, on either side, stood two wells of holy water. The Vicar took out his handkerchief and dipped it into the well, then dabbed Lucy’s neck with it.

She flinched and the look in the Vicar’s eyes was worrying indeed.

“Vicar,” she said following him as he went back to his office, scrounged around until he found a small vial, and then took off back to the well. “The one I saw in my room, it wasn’t the same as the one I saw in the cemetery.”

“There are two then,” he said, filling the vial with water. “And if there are two there could be three.” He put the stopper in the vial then handed it to Lucy. “Sprinkle some of this ‘round your window. On your way home I want you to stop at the market and buy some cloves of garlic. Garlic heals. Place some ‘round your window, then peel one and rub it on your neck.” He reached in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed Lucy a fiver.

“What’ll I tell my mum?” she asked.

“I don’t condone lying, but I suppose you must in this case. Tell her anything, but do not let her remove the garlic, understand?”

Lucy nodded.

“It’ll keep you safe. It’ll keep those things away from you. Perhaps you should tell your friend to do the same. Come back and see me tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said already starting to feel a little better.


“That was quick,” Audrey said as Edele stormed into the crypt that night.

“Garlic!” Edele screamed. “And holy water all around the windows!”

“How vile!” Ivy snarled.

“It seems the dear Vicar is helping her after all,” Edele said.

“Soon enough he’ll be busting in here after us,” Audrey cried. “What do we do?”

“We go after the Vicar,” Edele said, a scowl on her face.


John sat at his desk, his Bible on the right of him and a pile of scrap wood to the left. He quickly scraped up and down an old piece of fence post with his knife, sending slivers to the floor. Destroying vampires was one subject the seminary didn’t cover. So it was probably a good thing he’d seen every Christopher Lee movie ever made.

The night was quiet as he sat there carving stakes. In his little flat off the side of the church he could always hear sounds from the street. But tonight was still.

After he was done with the stakes he had to hang up garlic over his own door. He didn’t know where the vampires were staying, but just in case it happened to be the cemetery, he thought he’d rather be safe than sorry.

He’d been mulling over whether or not to go to the head Vicar about all this but John finally decided against it. Not only would he not be believed but it seemed the less people who knew about this, the better.

“John,” came a breathy voice.

The knife slipped and sliced into the Vicar’s hand. He quickly stood up, dropping the knife, and turning toward the voice. Behind him stood three females, all hideously beautiful.

“Dear Vicar,” one of them said, “you’ve cut yourself. Shall I kiss it and make it all better?” She smirked as the other two crowded behind her.

“Brides of the devil,” the Vicar whispered, “Lilliam.”

“Why’ve you dedicated your life to the church?” Edele asked. “You’re such a handsome, young man. Tell me, does God keep your warm on these bitter cold nights?” she asked as the other two vampires began to hang off her.

“We can keep you warm,” Ivy said licking Edele’s neck.

“What do you say Vicar?” Edele asked. She spit out his title as if it were some great foul thing.

“Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might,” the Vicar whispered. He reached back to the desk and grabbed one of the whittled stakes.

Edele scowled. “You wish to pierce my flesh, Vicar? Thrust your power deep into my breast?” She grinned. “Is that what you want? To slide it in deep, to the hilt, to fill me completely.”

Ivy and Audrey both giggled.

“Lost souls,” the Vicar said. “I pray for the children you used to be.”

“Why don’t you pray for the children we kill instead?” Audrey said.

“Now put away that cross from ‘round your neck,” Edele said, “and my sisters and I will bestow upon you all the meanings of carnal sin.” She started toward him but he jerked up his cross.

“Keep your evil back,” he said.

“John,” Edele pouted, “we just want to have some fun. And you do to,” she said, stepping closer to him. “I can smell it. You want me, my sisters, you long for the gifts of flesh we can so sweetly give you.”

“Never,” the Vicar said.

“Oh but you do. Can’t fool me,” she said shaking her head. “Come to me Vicar,” she whispered, sliding her hand down her body. “Ravage me, rip me open, cleanse me,” she moaned.

The Vicar’s eyes were locked on Edele’s, he didn’t blink as she neared him.

“That’s right my dear Vicar,” Edele whispered, “look deep into my lovely eyes.” She grinned as her fangs slid down her gums and she absently licked the length of one. “Tell Him hi for me,” she said before sinking her teeth into the Vicar’s neck.


“Vampires! I mean can you believe it?” Joanna asked as she and Lucy walked past the park to the church.

“You haven’t told anyone, have you?” Lucy asked.

“Are you mad? Everyone would think I was off my trolley!”

“Maybe we are,” Lucy grumbled. She stopped as they approached the gates to the cemetery. “Do you remember what the Vicar said?”

“What?” Joanna asked.

“’Stay away from that cemetery, girls.’”

“Do you suppose that’s where they sleep?” Joanna asked.

“Blimey, my house isn’t even very far from here,” Lucy said.

They walked on in silence until they got to the church.

“We’re supposed to meet him inside,” Lucy said.

“Well, let’s go on then, I’d like to get home soon,” Joanna said.

“Me too.”

They went inside the church, but surprisingly found it deserted.

“Vicar?” Lucy called.

“It’s us,” Joanna added. “Are you here?”

“Let’s look in his office,” Lucy said, “it’s just back this way.”

Lucy led Joanna to the back rooms. They searched each one but the Vicar was no where to be seen.

“Do you think he forgot?” Joanna said as they sat down on the stone steps outside.

“No,” Lucy said shaking his head. “It was important. He didn’t forget.”

“Then what?”

“We could check his house,” she said. “I think he lives just ‘round the church,” she said, pointing behind her.

The two girls crossed the lawn and made their way over to the house that was partially connected to the church.

“Vicar?” Lucy called out. When there was no reply she knocked on the door.

“Where is he?” Joanna asked.

“Should I try the knob?”

Joanna nodded.

Lucy reached out and twisted the door knob finding it unlocked. “Vicar?” Lucy asked, opening the door and poking her head in. She gasped as her eyes caught sight of the Vicar’s body.

“What is it?” Joanna asked, pushing the door open. She sucked in a breath as she saw the Vicar lying on the living room floor. His throat had been ripped out, almost severing his head completely. Blood was everywhere.

Joanna ducked out of the room and ran to a nearby bush where she threw up.

Lucy’s hands covered her mouth as she stared at the horror scene. “No,” she whispered. “He was our only help.”


“We have to tell someone,” Joanna said as they sat on the steps of the church.

“And say what? What do we tell them we were there for?”

“Well, what do we do?” Joanna cried. “Those girls are going to be coming for us and-and we have no one!”

“We’re safe during the day. The Vicar said as long as we keep the garlic on our windows we’ll be safe at night too.”

“Thank goodness today’s Friday, I don’t think I could sit through class having to think about all this.”

Lucy nodded. “Maybe you can sleep over tonight, maybe we’ll be safer.”


“All right girls,” Lucy’s mother said, “lights out.”

“Goodnight,” the girls said, as they got in Lucy’s bed.

Lucy’s mom switched the light off and went to shut the door but stopped. “Lucy, I meant to ask you, why did you have garlic hanging from your window?”

“Science experiment,” Lucy quickly said. “See if it’ll keep flies away.”

“Oh well, you’ll have to get some more tomorrow, I threw it all out today. Night,” she said and shut the door.

“Your mother threw the bloody garlic away!” Joanna yelled.

“Okay, let’s not panic. One of us will stay awake and keep watch, we’ll have shifts.”

“All right,” Joanna agreed. “I probably won’t be able to sleep anyway.”


Lucy thumbed through a magazine, barely able to make out words through the light of the moon. Joanna had fallen asleep within twenty minutes of playing I Spy and Lucy’s eyes were starting to droop. Just a few more hours, then it would be Joanna’s turn to keep watch. Lucy yawned and lay down. She was just going to rest her eyes . . . just for a minute.


“Lucy,” a voice called from somewhere. “Lucy wake up.”

Slowly Lucy opened her eyes. What was going on?

“Are you awake dear?”

Lucy bolted upright. She had fallen asleep! Next to the bed stood three girls, including the one that had visited her before.

“Joanna,” Lucy said, quickly turning to see her friend still asleep beside her.

“She’s fine,” Edele said. “Still sleeping. We wanted you first.”

“Why?” Lucy asked. “I haven’t told anyone anything.”

“Except the Vicar,” Edele said with a smile. “But we took care of him.”

“I’ll scream,” Lucy said.

“Then we’ll just have to kill your mum too,” Edele said shaking her head.

“What do you want?” Lucy asked, tears springing up in her eyes.

“Oh don’t cry child,” Edele said, walking closer to the bed, “it should be an honor, it should. We want you to join us!”

“Become like you?” Lucy asked.

The three vampires nodded.

“Be our sister,” Audrey said.

“Be our sister,” Ivy echoed.

“Join us,” Edele said.

Be our sister, be our sister, be our sister.

Edele stretched out her hand.

“But-” Lucy started.

“Shh,” Edele said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Close your eyes now.”

Lucy’s eyes shut.

“Lie back.”

Lucy fell down to the bed.

“And embrace us,” Edele said, lowering her mouth to Lucy’s neck and biting her for a second time. After several seconds Edele pulled her bloody mouth away and looked down at the dying girl. “So pretty.” She brought her own wrist up to her mouth and bit into it, then forced it on Lucy’s lips. “Yes, yes, good,” Edele said as Lucy began sucking on her wrist. “She’ll be a smart one,” she said smiling.


Lucy’s mother gripped her laundry basket and made her way down the hall to her daughter’s room. It was such a sunny, unusually warm day she wanted to get the wash done and have it have time to dry before evening. “Sorry to disturb you girls,” she said opening the door, “but-”

The laundry basket fell to the floor, immediately followed by Lucy’s mother.

Joanna lay on the bed, her eyes frozen open in horror. Her wrists and neck were nothing but gaping wounds, blood still trickling onto the bed. The white cotton sheets were soaked crimson.

Lucy was gone.

END