The life aof a moutain vampire ch 1

Chapter 1

Life In A Small Town



This is the story of a mountain vampire named Xavier.  It is my story and it needs to be told.  For in the telling, I show that all small towns and their children, however peaceful and innocent they may seem, hold secrets, secrets that need to be told.

My name is Jev and you could say that I am, or rather was, you’re typical eighteen year old.  I used to spend my time hanging out with my friends and trying not to get into any trouble.  Well, any serious trouble, that is. In appearance I was only slightly different then most of the guys my age.  While they worked on getting tan and bigger muscles to impress all the girls, I was working on getting better grades and trying not to get beat up after school.  I wasn’t that interested in impressing anybody.  I am just short of 5ft. and my hair is a deep shade of red, almost crimson, and when left unbraided it reaches just below my knees.  What was really strange about my hair was that I am the only person in my family with such a peculiar color.  Both my parents hair are slightly diffrent shades of brwon, while by older brothers hair is an off shade of blonde.  My skin is pale, not completely white but just light enough to tell the difference when I’m standing beside some one.  I have been told that my best feature is my eyes, they are a bright green.  According to the eye color chart the color is known as willow green.  I have a slender build not to thin but also not to big, firm, I guess you would call it.  If seen from a distance you might think I was young kid.  Some have said that I resemble a kid of about fifteen.  Great, I’m an ah adult that still gets treated like a kid some times. 

Other than that what time I wasn't with my friends or family I could be found at home or at my job.  I worked at the local gas station that was just across the street from the only good pizza place in town.  My life was happy and not that interesting and yet somehow I felt different, distant, I guess you could say, and not a part of the whole social thing.  I had a few close friends and my one best friend, Lisa.

Lisa is the kind of friend that everybody wants to have.  She is funny and a bit off, but that is what makes her so great.  She's always there if you need a smile or a shoulder to cry on, or a swift kick in the butt if she thinks you need it.  As countless times before have proved, she wasn’t shy about giving her opinion on a subject, whether you wanted to hear it or not.  Yet despite all the hectic parts of my life, I found it more comfortable to be alone and not bothered by what was going on in the outside world.

I live in Raven, a small town tucked away in the south-western part of Virginia.  The only real reason it's on the map is because of the post office.  Nothing much ever goes on here, but hey it's home to me.  I guess you could say it's like most small towns, there are churches (twenty-one to be exact), main street, town hall, and of course the beer joint.  The summers aren’t too hot, nor the winters too cold.  Most the time the winters are very rainy and very little snow.  When we do get a snow storm it is a big one that lasts for days.  You could easily get lost in the rolling hills and tall mountains around here.  It seems like time has passed this place over, and for all I could care, it can stay that way forever.

For as long as I could remember I have always been fascinated by stories of the supernatural.  Especially stories that had to do with vampires, I couldn't get enough of them.  I have read almost every book I could find on the subject, and seen almost every movie that has one in it, yet still I wanted to know more.  So after work I would spend hours online looking up anything I could find on the subject of vampires and their habits, or going into any chat room that even mention vampires in its name.  I have met several people, who claimed to be real vampires, but they were just lying to me, they were wannabe vampires, like me.

Most of my friends think I’m crazy and a bit obsessed with the idea of vampires, but that doesn’t bother me much.  They tell me that I’m wasting my time looking up something that's not even real.  They ask me if I believed in them and all I can do is bite my lower lip, look at the ground and shrug my shoulders.  I'm not totally sure if they are real or not, but the idea is just too much to ignore.  I just had to find out for myself if they are real or not.  I mean look at all of the rumors and myths....vampires having clubs, biting people in their sleep when the person knew that the door was closed and locked from the inside.  Blood banks getting broken into all of the time; it is either a very sick person or the unknown.  Besides that the stories of vampires go back for eons.  If there are vampire bats then why can't there be vampires just in human form?  The answer to me is simple; people are scared of what they don't know, some like me just want to find out the truth about them.

The night my life changed started out like any other.  I was finishing up a double shift and was ready to go home.  Rebecca and I were standing outside after closing in the parking lot of the gas station, when I noticed that the moon was full and there was a large ring around it.  I pointed it out to her and we talked a bit about what it meant and the events of that day.  After a while she looked at her watch and noticed the time and said it was time for her to get on home. 

She turned to me and asked if I needed a ride.  I just smiled and said "No thanks, it's a nice night for a walk and besides I could use the exercise."  She just laughed and patted me on the stomach and smiled.  Maybe just a little bit there.  Hahahahahaah I just stuck my tongue out at her and smiled one of my crocked smiles.

Rebecca just smiled my way "Well, I guess I'll see ya later.  Just as long as you’re sure you don’t need a ride home."

"I'm sure I replied.  I'll see ya the next time we work together, but this time you’re running the register!"

She laughed again, as she climbed into her car and smiled "It's a deal!" Rebecca waved as she pulled out and headed off down the dark street, then I to started on my way home.

When I reached the red lights at the bottom of the hill I stopped to undo my braid.  After a few minutes of combing it out with my fingers I started digging through my backpack looking for my cap.  Pulling my hair back through it, I took another look at the moon and just shrugged.  I thought that it was odd to have a ring around it in the summer.  Usually it is seen in the winter or just before something bad happens. 

Little did I know that it was something bad, and it was going to happen to me. 

The night was warm and a soft breeze tossed a few clouds across the sky.  There was a slight scent of rain in the air but it seemed clear, so there was no real rush in getting home.

The town was quiet as I walked through it, down its dusty, dirty streets, but that was nothing unusual.  It seems that most small towns go dead after the sun sets, and Raven, being one of those small towns, seemed to fit the mold.  The only other person I saw on my walk home was a little old lady out walking her dog.  She smiled and gave a friendly hello as we passed.  I tipped my cap and replied "Evenin' Ma'am." as we continued on our way.  She headed off back into her house and waved as she shut the door behind her.  I laughed to myself and thought, what could possibly happen in a place like this? I mean, I knew most all of the people here and to some part considered them harmless if not annoying at times. 

The wind picked up and more clouds started to roll in so I decided to take a short cut past the old Raven Theater.  I had done it hundreds times before and didn't think much of it now.  Besides, it would take about five minutes off the time it would take to get home.

The theater had been closed down for as long as I could remember.  Over the past few years, though, it had started to get run down and fall apart.  I can remember my mom and dad telling me stories about the movies they used to go and watch there, and how cheap it was to go see a movie and get a bite to eat compared to what the cost is today.  If only we could still have the prices of the past, then there wouldn't be so much poverty today.  As I passed the theater I heard some guys talking but couldn't really see who they were.  There were three of them that I could make out, but they were just outside of the light of the street lamp.  I could tell from their voices though that they were some of the town’s local bad boys, and it seemed that they were always looking for trouble.  Some had even suggested that they might have had a thing going on between them, but no one really knew for sure. 

First there is Kevin; he was the oldest and the ring leader of the group.  Kevin is nineteen and all around bad.  He had been trough so many different foster homes while he was growing up that no one could remember how many for sure.  Now ah days he spends most of his time in Juvy hall.  He is tall and wiry, and would make a good basketball player, but he wouldn’t keep his grades where they needed to be.  His hair is a dark black and it covers his head like a shaggy mess.  His eyes are black too, his are the only ones i have ever seen.  Brad would be the next in charge I guess you could say. He is also nineteen but just a few months younger than Kevin.  He is stocky and built like a brick wall, football material you could say, all brawn and little brain.  He was one of those kids that would try something new just to see how far he could take it.  In apperance his face was more like one of those pug dogs, ya know all flatt looking.  He had a small pug nose and his eyes were kind of squinty and a light blown in color.  His hair was also brown and he kept it shaved off so his masave head would fit in his helmet.  And then there was Chris.  He is eighteen and the youngest of the three.  He’s quiet and spends most of his time looking at the ground.  Which to me is a shame because he has the most bueatiful blue eyes ive ever seen on another guy.  His hair is a sandy blonde and kind of hangs over his face.  If you can ever get him to smile he has one of the cutest smiles emaginable.  Ya know the kind that just curles up one side of his lips. His build is short, but not to short and a bit stoky, he is firm but not all mucles.  How he got mixed up with those guys aint too clear.  Some say he just wanted to be accepted by some body, any body, because his parents don’t seem to have the time for him.  Others think that he was some how forced to join their little band of mary men, but no one knows for sure. At any rate they were three guys that you didn’t want to get on the wrong side of.

I tipped my cap and said my greeting as I walked by trying to get passed as quickly as possible without having to run.  Kevin just said hey in his usual rough way and that was the end of it.

It was just after midnight as I reached the bottom of the hill to my folk’s house.  It was easy to tell the time because of the town clock, it had started to chime the hour.  Almost tripping I noticed that one of my shoes had come untied.  I knelt down to tie it just as a crack of thunder rolled across the sky.  Great!  Now I'm gonna get soaked just because of these darn laces.  This is just my luck I thought.  As another crack of thunder boomed overhead I looked up for a second and noticed someone out of the corner of my eye, someone was watching me but who? 

Who really cared I thought to myself grumbling under my breath.  After finishing I noticed another pair of shoes standing in front of me.  Looking up I realized that it was one of the guys from the theater.

Chris nodded to me "Hey, man, how's it going?"

I stood and brushed the dirt off my knee.  "I'm fine thanks, and you?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he just looked at me. "Doin good, thanks."  He seemed nervous and was looking around allot, as if he was expecting something to happen. "Hey, got a smoke, man?"

Shaking my head I took a step back.  "Sorry man, but I don't smoke."

Kicking a rock around with his foot he just smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, yeah...that's okay man.  By the way I'm Chris"

Giving him a strange look I take another step back. "Yeah, I know who ya are.  We go to school together...I think we have the same math class or something like that."

Looking around more nervously he begins messing with his hair.  "Yeah, that's right we do.  Hey, ya got any spare change so that I can get me a pack of cigs for later?  I'll pay ya back when I get the time."

I shook my head, just a little wary.  "Man, I only got a few buck and it's not even enough to buy a pack.  Sorry about that though."

Chris just looked at the ground and mumbled to himself.  He suddenly looked at me, "Yeah, that's okay dude.  Maybe I can get me a pack later."

Turning to go I tipped my cap.  "Well, later man.  I gotta get home."  As I started to pick up my backpack he scowled at me and mumbled something I couldn't understand.  "Excuse me, what did you say?  I didn’t catch it."

A small rock went skipping my way and I heard another voice behind me. "He said that you were a liar!  I think you are lying to us and we don’t take kindly to being lied to."

Swinging around, I tried to see where the voice was coming from, but the shadows were too heavy.  "I'm not lying and I need to go now.  I'm tired; I’ve been working all day and I want to go home to bed."  With that said I started off again in the direction of my parents’ house.

"Where do you think you're going?  We’re not done talking to you." Some one reached out of the darkness and grabbed the back of my backpack.

Holding tight I barked. "Let go its late and I want to go home."

"I don't think you're going anywhere until we’re done talking to you.  I don’t care how late it is."

Kevin steppes from the shadows and flashes a cold grin in my direction.  With a hard jerk he pulls the pack from my hands and drops it limply to the ground beside him.  Regaining my balance I give him a dirty look. "Look man, it's late.  Just give me my backpack and we’ll go our separate ways."  He chuckles at me and squats down, and started going through my stuff.  "Hey man, what tha hell are you lookin' for?  I done told Chris I don’t have any money!" 

Kevin just looks up and smiles.  "Look, you just shut your pretty mouth and don’t move and I won't have to beat your skinny ass all over this shitty town!"

Not sure what to do, I just decided that I didn’t care.  "Whatever man, just keep it.  I have to go."  Turning to go, someone grabbed me by my left arm from behind and pulls me back.

"The man said for you not to move so just keep your cute little butt still, ok?"  The stranger twists my arm behind me like he was going to break it and pushes me to my knees.  "Now, stay put and don’t move."

Looking behind me I saw that it was Brad.  He had been the one who had been watching me from across the road. I try to squirm out of his grasp, only to have him pull my arm up hard behind my back causing a sharp pain to shoot through my shoulder.  As I try to scream for help he just put his hand over my mouth and pulled my head back closer to his chest.  "Listen, brat, I told you to keep still and now I'm telling you to keep quiet.”  He leaned down and softly threatened “Keep it up and I'll just break your arm.  Who knows I could do more damage than that and you wouldn’t like what would happen then.  Now, shut your trap!!!"

Kevin just laughs in my face, "Now be a good boy and don’t make him have to hurt you again."

Gritting my teeth I just looked at him, "I’ve done asked for you to stop.  Your hurting me, I told you I didn’t have any money.  Just let me go already.  You can keep the pack."

Kevin just smiles and pulls a knife out of his pocket and starts to pick the corner of the backpack with it.  Leaning over he traces the tip of the blade along my cheek and smiled.  "Now if I find that you have lied to us, I promise that you haven’t seen hurtin' yet."

Squirming and shifting on the ground, again I try to pull my arm free.  "I haven’t lied to you!  I don’t have any money so just let me go.  PLEASE!"

After dumping everything on the ground and sorting through it he sighs.  "I guess you were telling the truth after all, huh?"  He tossed my pack into the nearby bushes then knelt down in front of me just looking me over.  "So now what are we going to do with you I wonder? 

Winching from the pain in my shoulder, I grit my teeth and look up at him.  "You can let me go.  I won’t tell anybody anything, I promise.  I haven’t done anything to you."

"Chris what do you think we should do with him?" 

Looking over his shoulder he smiles and traces the blades tip along my right cheek.  Chris shrugs his shoulders and takes a long draw off of his cigarette.  He just stood there for a bit looking at me then the ground. "I don’t know man.  Maybe we should just let him go.  After all he doesn’t have any money or anything like that."

I turn to Kevin and try to pull my arm free from Brad’s grip.  I take a deep breath and try once more to reason with them. "Man, I'm not going to tell!  Just let me go! Please."

Kevin nods and stands knocking the dust from his pants.  “Ok I guess it’s agreed then, we can go now.”

"Brad help him up," Kevin said, "We have to be on our way now, it's getting late."

Letting go of my arm, Brad helps me to my feet and smacks me on the shoulder.  "Now do have a nice night ya hear?" he lets out a laugh as they all starts to walk away.

Cussing under my breath I start picking up my stuff and putting it back into the pack, then started to walk home when Brad grabs my left arm.  "Where do you think your going?"  Giving him an annoyed side long look I yank my arm free and continue in the direction of the house.

"I'm goin' home.  Where tha hell do you think I'm going?"

Brad cracks a mirthless grin.  "No.  He said that we could leave.  You're comin' with us, so just get your ass in the car, NOW!"

Looking back at him I shake my head and grunt. "No, I don't think so.  I'm going home.  Ya'll don’t have to worry about me tellin, I done said that."  As I turned to leave Kevin comes up behind me and hits me in the back of the head with a rock knocking me out cold.