Vampire Kisses (gxg)

Chapter 21

A few days had passed, and it was time for them to clean the church - again.

The next disappearance had already happened. But it wasn't an alumni this time. It was a seventh grader. His name was Deisel Hinds. Penelope had seen his face in a news article. She thought she had seen him before.

On rainy days, the older students escorted the younger ones to the chapel underneath the protective shields of umbrellas. Perhaps, she had escorted him then. Or maybe, she had simply just passed him in the halls.

The article said he liked fishing and would bike to Sullivan's Rock with his friend to go fishing. One day, he left a note for his parents that he was going fishing, texted his friends to meet him there, and left home.

But when his friends went searching for him at Sullivan's Rock, he wasn't there. His parents didn't see him at six either. Once the groups figured out that he wasn't with either of them, they called the cops.

Diesel hadn't shown up since.

The loss of someone so young had shaken the community. The community was split over whether he had drowned, and his body carried downstream or if something had happened to him there, just like with what had happened to Heidi.

Whether that was a kidnapping or a killing was undetermined to them, but Penelope, Chris, and Victoria knew that he was likely dead. Another victim to the killer lurking in the shadows, prepared to emerge from them and drain unsuspecting people of their blood.

Penelope had been given a talk about being safe, and given pepper spray. Chris was reminded to defend his "weaker" female friends (Victoria could take care of herself, thank you very much). And Victoria herself just received more stern, disappointed glances from her mother.

Penelope was beginning to get seriously pissed at her girlfriend's mother. How could she not believe her own daughter! If she ever saw her in public, Penelope didn't think she would be able to restrain herself.

However, thankfully, they were one yep closer to solving the disappearance if the camera worked. She felt an excitement brewing in her. If the killer truly rested here, and they were possibly taking their victims as well as evidenced by the blood, maybe they'd catch them on camera. Maybe, then, this all would be over. Heidi would be laid to rest, and VIctoria proven innocent.

But as she walked up to the church, her eyes were sucked into the emptiness of the ledge of the inlaid window. There was nothing there.

"Someone took the camera," she said.

"Shit," Victoria replied. "Someone must have noticed it. Maybe they even took prints."

"I don't think the school did it, Bats. If so, they would have told the students about it. It must have been the killer," Penelope explained.

"Is that better or worse?"

"Worse. They might catch on to us or change their pattern."

"Unless, they think the camera was up for a different reason," Victoria said.

"What do you mean?"

Victoria grinned. "Make it look like some dumb teens were pulling a prank. Or it was for a senior prank. I mean, we are seniors after all."

"Egg the church?" Penelope muttered as they opened the front door of the chapel. "Doesn't that seems bit.. I don't know... heretical? Disrespectful?"

"It's to catch a murderer. It's not like we're killing anyone," Victoria pointed out. "It doesn't have to be egging."

As soon as she crossed over the doorway, Victoria suddenly doubled over, clutching her nose and wheezing. Penelope put a hand on her back.

"What is it?" Penelope asked as she pulled her outside.

"Smells like bleach. A lot of it. Someone was trying to hide blood," Victoria said.

"I guess that fully confirms it," Penelope said.

"But how are we going to catch the actual killer if we don't have cameras?"

"We do a stakeout ourselves."

"And when we catch them?"

That gave Penelope cause. SHe took the broom from the corner it was standing in, and began to sweep. She didn't know what she would do if she encountered a fully grown vampire.

"We deal with them," Penelope said. "We make them leave."

"How?"

"Vampires can be damaged by fire, right? I'll bring a lighter. As a backup, we can have Chris with a gun outside. And you can protect me. But don't get too close or the fire. I don't want you accidentally getting hurt," Penelope formulated.

Victoria nodded. "So if they don't leave, we'll burn him. But what if we kill him?"

Penelope bit her lip. She breathed in. "I think we'll have to be okay with that option. We'll have to be okay with it possibly going the other way as well, if we want to catch him."

"Pip, are you saying that you'll allow yourself to be killed?"

"No, I won't allow myself. But I owe it to the people who have been killed to solve their case no matter what," Penelope explained.

"Not with your life as the cost. Pip, I will defend you no matter what," Victoria said.

"I know you would, Bats," Penelope uttered. The two drew closer, and kissed in a beam of light that shone through the window and created a bright halo out of the stands of their hair.

Later, after they finished cleaning the church, they met up at the standard burger joint. Penelope felt bad about bringing Vitoria to a place with food she couldn't eat, but she had filled up a styrofoam cup with blood and was drinking from it, so she claimed to not be missing out on anything.

"Do you want the bad news or the good news first?" Penelope asked Chris.

"Bad news," Chris said.

"Someone took the trailcam," Penelope started. Chris had a shocked and frightened look on his face. "But it hasn't been reported so we think it was the killer who took it."

"I made sure to wipe the card before putting it up there. It should be untraceable to us," Chris said.

"Good. And for the good news... We have confirmed that the chapel is where the victims are being taken to," Penelope continued. "So in two weeks or so, when the next victim is set to go missing, we'll stake it out."

"Stake out a place with a murderer there?" Chris asked, disbelieving. "Please tell me you know how insane that sounds."

"Well, it might be the only way to solve this case," Penelope said. "Besides, Victoria will be there to protect us."

"You can wait in the car if you want. We need backup, and a guy with a gun sounds like good backup to me," Victoria told him.

"Yeah, I'll stay in the car," Chris said, crossing his arms.. He leaned across the table, leering at Victoria "Are you sure you can protect her?"

"Against a human, yes. But if it is an older armoire... I'm not even sure if I can protect myself. I promise though, that I will protect her until my death, whether it to be fire or the heart."

"Is that how vampires are killed?"

"Yes. Through fire, or through the heart. The heart has been converted to synthesize something vampires need to live. Without it, we die," Victoria explained. "Vampires can also die of a broken heart. If Penelope dies, I know I will die that way."

"Ok," Chris said. "I trust you."

"I trust you too," Victoria said.

They've come a long way from going for each other's throats, Penelope thought.