Vampire Next Door                                 by: Paul G. Jutras

 

Ssssssssss.

Missy wasn't sure what frightened her most- being in the dark basement or being alone. Then she saw what was making the hissing sound and realized she wasn't so alone.

She moved the flashlight beam from the fuse box and screamed in wide-eyed horror at the pale face of a vampire. Covering its face, it let out a scream of pain and backed into the shadows. Saliva dripped down its fangs. Its acid quality eating through the cement floor like it was paper. His eyes gave a reddish glow and he could see it coming closer to him.

She moved quickly across the room. Missy began to climb up the stairs, grabbed by hands from underneath. All she could do was scream. Scream as she was pulled down into the shadows.

Mike opened his eyes and sat up in bed. With his heart pounding like a drum, it took him a minute to realize it was only a dream and he wasn't really the woman he wished he was. His hand moved shakingly across the blanket and stopped when it reached a vampire comic book. The cover of the book showed a man starring at the full moon pass the swamp branches and seeing a vampire in the sky.

"Man." That's the last time I read this before going to bed," Mike muttered to himself. He slide back under the blanket and rested his head on the pillow. He opened his eyes green eyes starring at the shadow across the white ceiling. Mike could still picture the ghostly white face and the dripping fangs when he heard the sound of a truck pulling to a stop.

"What could that be?" He asked himself. Kicking off the blanket, he climbed out of bed and glanced out of his bedroom window. A moving truck was backing into the driveway next door.

"Who would be moving in at two in the morning?" he wondered. What is that their unloading from the moving van? It looks like a coffin. Mike peered closer and realized how right he was. "A coffin!" he gasped. "Oh, no."

At first the house remained as quiet as a tomb. But then the hallway light switched on as Mike father busted into the room. "Hey what's going on?" he cried.

Mike couldn't move. He couldn't talk. He gazed just turned back to the window. He felt like he was doomed. Mike's mother ran over and put her arms around him. She could see the fear in her son's eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Mike nodded, stepping over to the window. "Vampires, mom. Vampires are moving into the house next door." He said as his father just shook his head and thought that those stories he liked reading was no good for him.

"What's the matter with you, Dean?" Mrs. Sherman demanded. "Can't you see that he had a nightmare?"

Kicking off the blankets in the morning, Mike pulled on a pair of torn jeans and a pink sleeveless top over his breasts forms and corset. His father was always teasing him about the vampire hobby that filled his room. From movie posters to books. More so than of his cross dressing habit.

"Breakfast is ready." Mrs. Sherman chirped as Mike headed downstairs to the kitchen. His father was reading the paper and his mother was sitting at the table.

"Have you heard the wonderful news?" Mrs. Sherman said as she took a sip of coffee." Someone has bought the house next door. They have a daughter your age."

"New neighbors?" Mike froze. His thoughts were back on the movers he saw and realized it wasn't part of his dream. His mother stared at him suspiciously as he looked out the window. A 12 year old girl with dark hair stood out front and dribbled a basketball. She wore a red dress and white polka dots, suntan nylons and clogs. "Vampires don't go out in the daylight, remember," he told himself as his dad drank his orange juice with a teasing grin on his face. "Why don't you make friends?"

Mike shrugged. "I suppose." He didn't want to admit to how he felt about going next door after his nightmare. He also knew that his dad was right about vampires and daylight. "Maybe she'd like a drink." Mike grabbed two sodas from the refrigerator and headed outside. He watched the new girl make a basket.

"Hello." Mike said. "I came to welcome you to the neighborhood and ask if you need someone to show you around?"

The girl opened a soda. "No."

"Mike smiled to himself and brushed his long hair off his shoulder. "My name's Mike, but most people call me Missy. Your family sure moved in late last night. The moving truck woke me up."

Sarah Rose." Sarah took Mike's hand. "My dad started the night shift last night and needed today to sleep.

"Aren't you a little dressed up for summer vacation?" Mike asked, taking notice how pretty the dress was. "Must be hard to move about the court like that."

"What's wrong with how I dress?"

"Nothing. It looks really good on you."

"You look good too." Sarah agreed, forming a smile. "I especially like your hair, uh, Missy. I can't do a thing with mine."

Mike felt all his tensions drain out of him as the two traded beauty tips. He realized she must of just imaged that the movers had unloaded a coffin. An upstairs window was suddenly opened in Sarah's house and a voice called out.

"Can you keep it down?" Mrs. Ross asked Sarah as she poked her head out. "You know how your dad is when he's awaken in the daytime."

Mike shook his head. "I don't suppose you'd want to come over to my place. Maybe we can see what we can do with your hair?"

"Sarah has to come in and finish breakfast." Mrs. Ross said "She can go out and play when she's done."

Mike laughed. He remembered that he had his own breakfast waiting. His mother was probably keeping his breakfast warm for him. "Catch you later," he told his new friend. "Maybe we can go for a bike tour of the town later."

Mike cut across the lawn and entered through the kitchen door. His mother had already cleared his fathers plate when he sat down at his breakfast. "How are our new neighbors?" his mother asked.

"They're normal enough." Mike said.

Mike rode over after he finished eating. He waited outside until Sarah went to the garage for her bike. Sarah walked the bike over to him. "Ready." She flashed a worried look to the house. "Where do you want to go first?"

"Is something wrong," Mike asked quietly.

"Nothing's wrong," Sarah said quickly. "Let's just get going before we wake my father up." She climbed on her bike and started off down the street. After she passed Mike's house, she turned around and rode back. "What are you waiting for?"

"Why are you so worried about waking your dad?" asked Mike. "Your mother seemed worried too."

"You don't know my father," Sarah said. "He can be a real monster if you wake him during the day."

She saw the strange look in her eye. "You know more than you're telling." Mike said peddling as Sarah turned away. "Where should we go first?" he asked, keeping his eyes forward. The two were stiff and had almost perfect posture.

"How about the arcade?" Mike said, turning down a street and riding toward a converted barn. The exterior of the arcade shined with lights of pinball and video games. He remembered how a year ago it had just sat dark and empty with a musty smell to it. "We're here."

"Huh?" Mike reacted with surprise. He turned back to Sarah, but she had disappeared from sight. "We'd you go? Sarah!"

He turned his bike around. Then he rode in the direction of her his house. "Why are you playing mind games?" Mike asked when he entered Sarah's driveway. He spun around it once and headed for Sarah house.

Mike pulled up to Sarah's house to find it dark and quiet. It was as if Sarah's family had just disappeared. "Sarah!" Mike jumped off his bike and let it fall to the driveway. "Are you here?"

"Hey!" Mike called out again and ran up to the screen door. Opening the screen, the thick oak door gave off an echoing effect with each knock. "Is anyone home?"

Mike walked over to a window and looked inside. The interior barely looked lived in.

Mike freaked when the front door opened by itself. So freaked that he rushed home without even looking back. If he had looked back he would of seen the silhouette of a man picking up his bike. Panic stricken, he raced up to his room and stared at Sarah's house from his window. He noticed that his bike was gone and felt like he was being watched.

"Missy, did you forget you bike?" Mrs. Sherman called walking into his room to scold him. "I've told you before not to be careless with it."

"I'm sorry mom," Mike said knowing it was useless to her that he suspected the new neighbors of taking it.

"That bike was expensive." Mrs. Sherman reminded him. "I expect you to get it back."

"Okay."

Returning to the window, Mike notice that Sarah was riding in her driveway. "We'd she come from?"

She pushed pas her mother and headed outside. "I'm going to get my bike back now, mom."

"Hey!" Mike called out and ran across the driveway. "Where'd you go?" Mike saw Sarah's eyes narrow as she circled once and then returned home. Mrs. Ross was starring angrily from the front porch. There was no sign of Mr. Ross or his bike.

"Have you seen my bike?" he asked.

"Dad saw your bike and took it inside." Sarah replied as Mike clapped his hands together in prayer to get his bike back.. "He was angrily that you woke him."

"Sarah, Please." Mike said. "Just let me get my bike. My parents will be angrily if I don't return with it."

"You don't know how dangerous that would be." Sarah stared at him mysteriously. "If you want it back so bad, I'll get it for you."

Mike stood at the front porch and watched Sarah disappear inside. Sarah's mother gave her a worried look. Leaning over the railing, she plucked a rose from her garden. Mike wondered if there was any furniture upstairs as he remembered how empty the downstairs was. Every curtain was pulled down to keep sunlight out.

Mike crinkled his eyes and smiled as Sarah walked his bike outside and carried it down the porch steps. "Thanks." Mike said, climbing onto his bike and seeing his mother walking. She walked over to the neighborhood basket of fruit in her. "I want to say your family is welcome over anytime you wanted."

That was probably a big mistake. Mike thought , riding his bike back home. Even though Sarah and her mother were out in daylight, he couldn't help but think of the coffin and how mysterious Mr. Ross had been.

After putting his bike away, Mike decided to walk down to the arcade by himself. The old barn was lit up as always. He couldn't help but wonder if the light had something to do with Sarah returning home. The manger stood near the door with a coin changer attached to his belt. The electronic sounds echoed outside as kids of all ages played.

"Missy." The manger said friendly. "I expected you to come by before now.

"My new neighbor changed her mind," replied Mike, getting change for a five dollar bill. "Has Sarah Ross come by at all?"

"Ross family?" The manager said, thinking for a moment. "Sorry. The name doesn't ring a bell. I'd of notice a strange face if she came by."

"Thanks." Mike smiled as he walked over to a martial arts video game. "Maybe I can talk her into coming by later."

It didn't take Mike long to go through the five dollars worth of quarters. He lost every game because he couldn't keep his mind on anything but the new neighbors. The fact that the habits of Sarah's family were the same as a vampires with human off spring.

Mike cross the front lawn of The Parker's on the way back to Sarah's house. Mrs. Parker had opened the screen door and was shaking a broom at her. "Get off my property." She called.

The shouts of Sarah and Mr. Ross were heard from inside the house. She could tell that Mr. Ross was angrily about something. Mike heard Mrs. Ross and Sarah's voices. Then Mr. Ross yelled again. Finally he saw Sarah storming out of her house and sitting on the porch.

"It's alright, Sarah." Mrs. Ross said in a comforting voice. "He's just mad that your new friend woke him up before. He'll get over it. Just remember to keep your friend away from the house. Especially at night."

Mike rode up with a smile and Sarah smiled bike and got onto her bike. The two rode off to the arcade. Mike didn't know if Sarah was the human daughter of a vampire or not, but he suppose some day he'd find out. With him invited over at any time, perhaps even tonight.

END.

 

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