Beautiful Fighters - an original vampire story (15+) (SAMPLE ONLY)

Drowning in flesh

"My mother," Justin croaked, "but she's—"

"Not that one," Lara said, "the other one."

For a second, Justin had pictured Lara communicating with the 'other side' using a Ouija board, glass moving back and forth between letters to come up with some message. Your mother loves you very much, or some such; and ironic given that Justin had seen Alice's ghost when he first became a vampire.

He and Lewis had been brought up by two women, and his other parent's actions post Alice's death hadn't inclined him to ever want to hear from her again.

"BitersLife," Lara said, naming the social media platform aimed at vampires. It hosted numerous groups. Tricks for making the state-programmed artificial blood bearable to swallow when as a vampire every bit of you revolted against it. One devoted to fan art that shipped Maya and Shayla, and made Maya laugh like a drain when he showed her the pictures.

"God, you and I should try that position for real. Are my boobs really that enormous?" (Yes.)

"There's a private group on there," Lara continued, dropping her voice as voices sounded in the corridor. "Where vampires use codes to communicate information. When they were converted, and where they used to live. People use it to find their families."

Justin grunted. The state licensing laws ripped newly converted vampires away from their families for so-called safety reasons and ordered both sides never to see or communicate with each other ever again.

"The group works both ways," Lara added, "so any humans in the know are in it too."

Lara's husband and children were long dead. But she monitored the group on the others' behalf. Trisha, the 13-year-old in her care, deserved to know about her 'little' sister, the one now the same age as her. A mind fuck if you dwelled on it too long.

Lara dug her hand into her pocket. "A name came up that I recognised. When I asked another question, I got a private message."

He stiffened. Vampirism still took a lot of getting used to. The reactions to anything and everything exaggerated. In theory, his heart no longer functioned in the traditional way. It didn't send out oxygen rich red blood to his capillaries and veins. But in the here and now, it thudded, a dull whack-whack-whack against his chest.

Lara proffered her phone. "Do you want to read what the message has to say?"

He pushed the phone away. "Not interested, Lara."

"I know this is difficult for you, but shouldn't you at least read it?"

He scowled and snatched the phone from her, skimming the words. "Hello there. I'm writing this on behalf of another—Grania Johnson-White, originally of Llandia, latterly the West Country and now in Dunrovia. Ms Johnson-White is seriously ill and desperate to see her twin sons Justin and Lewis again and make her peace with them. Do you know where they are?"

At Vamp Towers, most of the vampires shared their conversion stories and talked about the families they had left behind. Not Justin, though when Lewis surfaced, the circumstances forced him to admit he was a twin, his brother having rejected the state licensing programme. Maya and Shayla heard the story, and later Lara. No-one else.

"That was the first message," Lara said, "and there have been a few of them ever since. All of them asking the same thing. What do you want to do?"

He let out a sigh. "Nothing. They won't allow me to visit her. And I don't want to, anyway."

Lara looked as if she wanted to argue but held her hands out in supplication. "Your call. I'll let you know if she posts again."

He shook his head. "Don't. I'm not interested."