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  “Well, this asshole did more than make fun of my mom. He did he a hell of a lot more. He had killed her. I allowed my rage to consume me. I put Santino in a front choke hold. He was gasping for air. I held him in the same position for at least two minutes and he wiggled out of my clutches.

  “Santino nodded at me as if to say, ‘I see what I am up against.’

  “We circled each other on the grass. There were cement tables all around for picnicking. We both kept clear of the tables knowing that those cement beasts could crack our skulls open like watermelons.

  “So we stayed in the middle of the field. Clear of barbecues, tables and drinking fountains.

  “We collided into each other like a couple of gladiators. I took out my hunting knife and stabbed Santino in the shoulder. He cried out and pulled a switchblade from his pocket and managed to stab me in the thigh.

  “Like I said, he stabbed me in my right thigh with a switchblade. I wasn’t sure how much it hurt because my adrenaline had skyrocketed to a level I had never experienced before.

  “I grabbed his arms and shook them until he let go of the knife. I was clearly stronger than he was. And now my confidence was rising. I began punching Santino in the face as hard as I could. He flew back into the grass, just barely avoiding a cement table. I ran and leaped on top of him while drawing my sword and I went crashing down where he had been. He rolled out of the way just in time. My sword stuck into the grass where his heart would have been. I tried to pull it out, but the sword was stuck like Excalibur and it wouldn’t budge.

  “I no longer had use of my sword and my hunting knife was in Santino’s shoulder or it had been the last time I saw it.

  “So I grabbed a dagger from my left leg strap. Santino was still on the ground. I rolled on top of him with the dagger in hand. I did everything I could to pierce his heart but he slipped out of my hold. Unfortunately for him, in his attempt to get away from me he threw his body backward and cracked his skull on one of the cement tables. He dropped to the ground completely unconscious.

  “I looked at his body and I knew what I had to do. Then Norman lept out of nowhere with a sword that made mine look like a cracker jack prize.

  “He came flying down and sliced Santino’s head clean off.

  “The injury to my left hamstring was limiting my power and strength. So, not only was Norman stronger than I was and could fly, I was also limited in my fighting because I was hobbling on one leg.

  “I didn’t know how I was going to beat this vampire. My maker. I finally came to terms with what he was. What I was. What Santino used to be. Vampires.

  “I was no longer human and that thought enraged me to no end. What Norman had done to my parents enraged me even more. This monster was going to pay. I was going to see he would pay dearly.

  “I went to my sword and I yanked it out of the ground.

  “'Your sword is cute.' Norman laughed at the size of my blade.

  “'There is enough sword here to do the job.'

  “'And what job is that?' Norman mocked.

  “'You have taken everything from me, and I have done nothing to you. Tonight, I will settle this.'

  “I swung my sword and knocked the larger one out of his hand. He didn’t look worried as he reached behind his back and pulled a blade about the same size as mine out.

  “'Now, look who has the cute sword,' I said.

  “I whipped my sword at his chest and he blocked me with his blade. We went back and forth for a while, swiping and blocking each others strikes. I surprised myself by how good I was at sword fighting. I was alive still, and that was impressive enough.

  “Then Norman did something that was mind blowing. He flew up in the air and was twenty feet above me looking down. He then flew about thirty feet up a dirt hill that was at the back of the park. It was then I fully realized he could fly at will.

  “We both rested.

  “Once Norman had fully caught his breath. He began walking down the hill slowly towards me.

  “My leg wasn’t hurt at all anymore, but I could feel there was still a wound there by sticking my hand through the hole in my pants. I kept my feet planted and waited for Norman to strike.

  “'Why are we fighting, Todd? Once I kill you I will have nothing to remember this part of my life. I’ll make you a deal. You and I both know if we continue fighting I will eventually kill you. So, think about that for a moment. You killed Santino in cold blood here tonight.'

  “'No, I tried to kill him and you finished him off before I could. I wouldn't even have tried but he killed my parents on a damn whim because you sent him to kill me!'

  “'That's right. He deserved to be punished for being weak.'

  “I began laughing. I couldn’t believe he had the gall to say such a thing.

  “The next words out of my mouth surprised the hell out of me after I’d spoken them. 'I’d rather be dead, than know that you’re alive.'

  “Norman nodded his head at me. 'So, it is going to be like that.'

  “'Why are you fighting me when you are the one who made me what I am? Why turn me and then send someone to kill me?'

  “'You messed up my plans, Todd. You brought down Santino. And you seem to be a little too heroic for my taste. I have to admit I made a mistake turning you. Now, it will be my job to remove you from this scenario.'

  “I leaped at Norman with my sword drawn. I swung from left to right in a swiping motion, hoping to slice any part of his body. And I did. I sliced him in his abdomen about an inch above his waist.

  “He ripped his shirt off revealing a muscular frame.

  “Norman flew backwards and stumbled into the grass. I had injured him. He hadn’t planned on my kamikaze move.

  “He laid there, and I ran and jumped stabbing down at him with my sword. Unfortunately, he rolled out of the way. I had learned my lesson from fighting Santino. I wasn’t going to sink the sword two feet into the earth. When he rolled out of the way, I flipped my sword up and caught it with both hands. It wasn’t the slickest looking of moves, but I still had access to my sword.

  “As I caught my sword I swung my blade like a baseball bat just as he rose up and sliced him across his chest. He cried out and stumbled backwards. He had dropped all of his weapons.

  “He was lying on his back holding his stomach with one hand and his chest with the other. Norman lie there on the ground bleeding out.

  “I walked over to him, and I held my sword in my hand. This was the time to finish him. But, I wasn’t a killer. I couldn't continue down this vigilante road where all my enemies end up dead.

  “'Kill me, Todd,' Norman cried out in pain.

  “I looked down and something insane came over me. I had empathy for Norman. I was empathetic to the man who had sent Santino to kill me. How was that even possible?'

  “'Come on, Todd. You’re a killer now. Kill me. Finish this. You won.'

  “I looked at Norman and I pictured the faces of my mother and father. What they must have looked like before they died. I remembered this was the monster who was responsible for them being taken from me. And if I allowed him to live, he would surely kill me.

  “'You and Santino killed the brothers out by Lake Elsinore. You drank them dry.'

  “'You’re a fool to think you will never kill to feed.'

  “'I might be a fool. But I am going to make this thing work. I am not going to let the darkness, or what ever this is, overtake me like it has taken you.'

  “I lifted my sword and turned it to the side so it was parallel with his neck. I looked to the starlit sky and saw my parent's faces looking down on me. And in one strong, swift motion, I struck my sword down completely ending Norman’s life. As I watched, his decapitated body disappeared. I knew I had done the right thing. I had saved so many lives by killing the likes of Norman.”

  “What a fucking story!” Tommy said. “You're a lot older than us so I am sure you have a lot to catch us up on.”

  “In another time you would have been an amazin
g writer of nonfiction.” Sion said, nodding.

  “I'm impressed with your control,” Hunter added, nestling himself in his covers on the couch.

  “You have lived a pretty interesting life, Todd. Not as insane as Josiah's. But you are starting off with a bang. From then till now must be a series of tales.”

  “There are too many stories to count,” Todd said, grinning.

  “Well, a girl needs her beauty sleep. Could you boys keep it quiet?” Yari snuggled into her side of the couch.

  “Goodnight my friends.”

  “God night Jon Boy.” Tommy said.

  “Shut up, Tommy.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sleep came easy after Todd's story and I slipped directly into a dream. My dream was intensely vivid and I understood what that meant. I have experienced enough dreams where I have been visited by Maya and other loved ones who have gone beyond the veil to know this was going to be one of them.

  I was on a beach and the sun was out. I could feel the sun warm on my face. I was lying on the sand and I looked up and saw Maya looking down on me with her radiant beauty. My sister had been a beautiful woman in life, and in the afterlife, she had an ethereal beauty.

  “Josiah, my brother. I have come to warn you.”

  “Warn me? Warn me about what?”

  “Joshua is in danger. This weekend he will need your help and the help of your allies. Every last one of you in your group needs to go see his fight. All of you will be needed.”

  “In what way?” I asked.

  “When the time comes, you will know.”

  Suddenly, I woke up. Everyone was still sleeping and I could feel that the sun was still up.

  I debated waking everybody up, but the information wasn't urgent for the time being.

  So, I waited till evening when everyone was awake and asked them to join me outside on the porch so we could all get some fresh air. The seven of us all went outside and sat around the porch area. The porch area was quite large and had a sofa on it. Yari and Tommy took the sofa while everyone else sat on the porch.

  Once everyone was comfortable I stood up to speak, “Maya came to visit me in my dreams again. She had an urgent message.” Tommy quickly gave me a glance as if to ask if she mentioned him and I had to say, “Sorry, Tom. She had a more pressing issue to raise with me.”

  “What did she say?” Yari asked.

  “She mentioned that this weekend on Saturday night Joshua is going to be in big trouble. And All seven of us need to be there to help him.”

  “Did she say why we need to help him?” Jason asked.

  “No, she said, we need to go and we will know why when it happens. But for now, she wouldn't say why. I mean, she might not know herself. She is an angel, after all. A messenger. What she does know is all of us need to be there.” I paused and took a deep breath and looked each person in the eye. “We all need to be there. That is what she said. She understands how tough I am and if I could do it alone she would have told me. She was very specific that all seven of us should go.”

  Crickets chirped as I waited for someone to respond. Everyone was quiet and not even Jason jumped in to volunteer to go. “I know it was a hard fought fight last time and we were lucky to all get out of it alive. I can't guarantee anything except no matter what happens I will fight to the death by your side.”

  “I'll go,” Tommy said.

  “I'm in, Yari followed.

  I smiled at both my loyal friends on the couch.

  “I'm in, Josiah,” Hunter said.

  “You can count on me,” Todd said.

  I looked at Sion and Jason. “Look, I know you two feel you are the weakest links of the bunch. But hear me when I tell you this. Maya said we needed all seven. Not five. Seven. It breaks my heart to have to bring you back into the lion's den. But I have learned that when I am given a message from beyond like this, that it was best to follow their directions to the t.

  “I'll go, dad.” Jason said. “Of course I will. He is my twin.”

  Then Sion nodded as if to say he was in too. I could feel his sick stomach from where I was standing, the poor guy was scared and nervous. This world of fighting was not for him, but for now it was what we all had to do to survive.

  “Saturday night is in three nights.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Everyone had been tense all night worrying about Saturday, and I thought we could all use one of Todd's stories before bed.

  Everyone was laying in their usual spots in the morning getting ready for a day of sleep.

  “Hey Todd, I said. “Tell us something else you used to. All your stories are from the fifties. Anything newer?”

  “I could tell you about a crazy night I had with my partner.”

  “Your partner in crime?” Yari asked.

  “Your partner on the force? I asked.

  “Your lifetime partner?” Tommy followed.

  “No, my business partner,” Todd laughed. “So this is how this night went...”

  “How come these goons keep getting uglier and uglier?” I stared down at the two goons in front of me.

  “'Is it the fact their skin is slowly shriveling?' Jake, my partner said to amuse himself.

  “'That’s not what is happening to these fools.' I persisted.

  “'I think it is. Look at the shorter one,' Jake continued. 'All the scar tissue around his neck shows he’s a fighter and has spent most his days in situations such as this.”

  “'Are you two done?' The shorter vampires said. Then he leaped up with his knife and tried to attack me head on. I jumped completely over him and landed on the other side of his body and pulled down his pants.

  “'What the hell you doing?' the vampire screamed.

  “'Jake's a werewolf and I was hoping your full moon would help him turn.'

  “'Everyone knows Jake's not a werewolf!' He swung his elbow into my face. I rolled backwards with the blow. Jake shot an arrow that stuck so far deep into the vampire's throat he began twirling around in circles and collapsed in a seated position.

  “Then Jake jumped and swung his ax, decapitating the vampire. Once his head was removed from his body his entire body disappeared guaranteeing he was the murdering blood sucker we thought he was.

  “Everything happened so fast his much smaller friend could only watch on with his mouth agape. He was now realizing we didn’t suffer fools lightly. And when you murder innocent people, you are a fool to think there would be no repercussions.

  “'I don’t understand you two?' the young vampire said.

  “'Trust me, we don’t understand each other either,' Jake smirked. 'I guess at the end of the day, he is the yin to my yang.'

  “'Hey, I’m not touching your yang,' I protested, holding my hands up.

  “'Why do you guys talk so much?' the young vampire asked.

  “'I don’t know,' I said. 'It makes our job easier and it helps people like you know why you're dying. And sometimes we need assurances that you are as horrible as we think.'

  “'What the hell does that mean?' the young man had tears in his eyes.

  “'It means I’m going to ask you a couple of questions,' I stated, firmly.

  “'I’m not even going to ask you about the crime in question.'

  “'What crime in question?' he asked.

  “'The reason why my colleague and I paid you and your friend a visit tonight.'

  “'You don't know anything about me,' the young vampire hollered. 'Tonight is the first time I have ever seen the two of you.'

  “'You see, we have eyes and ears all around this county,' I explained.

  “'You may not know us, but we sure as hell know you.' Jake said finishing my statement.

  “'What do you know about me?' He shouted. The young man was shaking in his boots. And he should be.

  “'We know you and your friend committed some pretty heinous crimes.' I said. 'Would you like for me to list them off for you?'

  “The vampire looked away.

  “'Bu
t, I’m not going to ask you about that. I’m going to ask you one simple question.'

  “'Which is what?' he asked.

  “'How many humans have you killed just so you could feed?'

  “'Huh?'

  “'It is a simple question,' I began to speak extra slowly in a mocking tone. 'How many humans have you killed to feed yourself?'

  “The vampire looked down at the ground. 'I don’t know.'

  “'Fifty?' I asked.

  “'I don’t know, maybe,' he said.

  “'Maybe? Maybe tells me either my guess is super close or it is way higher. And you know what we think of that?' I asked.

  “The vampire was quiet.

  “'Hey, Jake? What do we think of that number?'

  “'It pisses us off.'

  “'Why does it piss us off?' I took my sword out of its scabbard on my backside.

  “'Because that means we have to kill fifty more of you fuckers to make it even.' With that, I swung my sword right through his neck and sliced his head off. Within moments, his entire remains had disappeared.

  Jake walked over to me and said, 'Why won’t these vampires get with the program? There is enough donated blood that is rejected to feed every vampire.'

  “I nodded and turned to look at Jake. 'I need to get home.'

  “'Why?'

  “'My anniversary is tomorrow.'

  “'You’re having another one? It seems like yesterday it was your anniversary.'

  “'It's because we celebrate two different anniversaries.'

  “'Who does that?'

  “'It makes sense,' I stressed. 'You celebrate the day you met and you celebrate you were married.'

  “'Too many dates to remember for me.'