Short Stories

Round Fourteen - The Vampire's Curse

"You are out of your wits, kid!" I yelled at the twenty-seven year old nutcase. Terrence Von Destro sat against the wall, bound by the chains of an unfortunate result of a trap gone wrong. "I am over eight-hundred years old, I have seen every trap that any hunter has ever rigged. A silly hole in the floor of my own home is not going to cut it! I am calling the cops to come and pick you up. Quite frankly, I'm tired of dealing with your mishaps."

"Just you wait, Clarissa. You inhuman beast!" Terrence shot back, a deep fire shining in his agitated eyes. "I'm persistent. I am the descendant of the greatest vampire hunter and I--"

"And you are whiny like a puppy! All of those stories about your family being vampire hunters were fake. Every time they caught a deer, they'd go to the nearby village and brag about how they caught a centaur." With that, I dialed 9-1-1 into my phone for the cops to pick up the nuisance. Maybe a few nights in jail for trespassing would keep him out of my hair for a bit.

ONE WEEK LATER

Finally finishing up the last of the paperwork on my desk, I was definitely ready to call it a night. The clock's hands indicated that it was almost six in the morning, it was time for me to get home before the sun came up. Unfortunately taking the night shift was the closest I could get to having a modern-day work life. On the bright side, it meant less people to be around. 

Gathering up my work supplies, I organized them into my briefcase and joyously exited the tiny space of the office cubicle. It felt nice to feel like a human again and being content with simple living. However, the simple living would be much easier if I didn't have that so-called vampire hunter breathing down my neck every five seconds. When will he realize that I don't want to hurt anyone anymore? I've used my powers for good time and time again, but that kid doesn't even seem to see. How many times must I rescue him from his own traps to show him that?

As soon as I stepped out of the office building, something was noticeably amiss. Terrence was out of jail because I dropped my charges on him. On any normal morning, I'd spot him discreetly spying on me from the restaurant window, but today was a different story. There wasn't a single sign of him.Should I be relieved or nervous? Did he give up or was he going to trying some other stupid idea? 

The whole way home, I kept glancing over my shoulder. It wasn't fear, but there was a strong feeling of perturbation. To stop just wasn't like him. Maybe it would be best if I checked up on him.

Two hours earlier...

"This should finally catch her." Terrence smiled, fidgeting with the last two wires of his trap. He had rigged a powerful UV light inside of a metal box that was big enough to hold at least one person. The UV light would act as the sun would and kill any vampire. The heating systems would keep her disabled. He would have to find a way to trap her inside. "She's a vampire, she hurts people." Then, an odd thought struck him. "But when was the last time she ever did hurt someone?"

At that thought, Terrence knew what he was doing was wrong. He'd been so wrapped up with his family's past that he never once thought that maybe she really did want to change. He started to rush out to shut everything down, but tripped over one of the wires. He crashed into the wall, turning the machine on like it was supposed to once it caught Clarissa inside of it. The door slammed shut as the UV lights  poured into the room. Terrence had caught himself in his own trap. As the hours passed, the heating raised the temperature to dangerous levels. 

"Terrence!" I called from his front doorstep. I had noticed on the gauge outside that his electrical intake was higher than average, but where was it coming from? Using inhuman strength, I pulled on the door and broke the lock. I spotted a faint light showing from under the crack underneath the door to the basement. 

Opening the door, I headed down the staircase to find one of his crazy contraptions. A metal box, hooked up to wires and computers. One monitor was on, displaying a signal that showed the box was occupied by one person. Terrence must have accidentally trapped himself again. There was a huge pit in my stomach as I looked at the thermometer attached to the box. It was reaching a deadly temperature at 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature rose any more, he would die. If he wasn't dead already. 

Frantically, I went to the computers to find some way to turn off the system. The monitors flashed ERROR signs all over the frozen screens. I would have to turn it off some other way. Heading straight for the fuse box, I shut off the main breaker and everything instantly powered down. Going back to the metal box, I searched for the opening to it, but everything was sealed shut. 

"Terrence, can you hear me?" I called through the wall. Suddenly, a hissing sound started from inside and instantly the door slid open. Ultra-violet radiation cascaded over me, burning my skin severely. Gritting my teeth, I raced inside the radiation-filled contained and dragged Terrence out. "You're going to a hospital." I told him, limping from the fresh burns on my skin. He shook his head limply as if to reject my statement. 

"I'll be fine." He mumbled as I sat him down on the couch. "I'm sorry."

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm not saying it again." He smiled weakly.