Friday night. What better way to spend it than playing Vidya. But first things first. The phone. Turning it to silent, making sure vibrate was switched off, now the night can commence. CS:GO. Perfect timing, too. The Russians are out in full force. What better way to ruin a few days than jacking some poor sputnik's AK and proceed to headshot a good fifty meters away. Round after round, kill after kill, and more importantly Cyrillic insult after Cyrillic insult, tonight was a pretty good night. Little did I know, somewhere around round five, someone sent me a text. Didn't get a chance to read it until nearly midnight. To my surprise, it was Fang of all people. "Hey Dweeb, that creepy bat of yours is outside my window. It travels fast." Last sent at eleven PM. I look at the clock and realize it was a minute to midnight. FUCK. Thoughts began running through my head. No way it could've been that bat I saw last night. She's messing with me, right? I quickly text back. Whatdoisaywhatdoisay..... "Wait, is it still out your window?" I sit back in the chair in front of my desk, anxiously waiting a response. The double checkmark tells me she saw the text. Good. "Yeah it was here. It bit me." She replied. This gut wrenching feeling comes over me. No fucking way. Immediately I begin to tap away. "No way. you're screwing with me." I send. No more than a minute later, she replied with not one, but two messages. I caught the first one "I wish I were Ki-" Right before I could finish the first message, an image pops up, and to the bane of my young adult life, it wasn't a nude image either. Fang's neck. Two pin sized holes, dried blood stream going down them, and bruising. Ho-ly Shit. This isn't real. This is....this is some plot. Trish had to have put Fang up to this. I don't even know what the fuck to say. Letting instinct flip on autopilot, I soon found myself dialing Fang's number. It only rang one time before she picked up. I didn't even give her a chance to speak. "Fang. Please tell me that bite's not real." The hesitance in my voice is present. Hell, if she could see me, I wouldn't be able to even hide the shakes. "....I wish it were, Dweeb. It's about as real as it's gonna get. Ugh, I feel like shit, too." A few coughs escaped from the Pterodactyl on the other end of the line. Multitask time. As the phone is wedged between my ear and shoulder, I began typing away, pulling up a Romanian paranormal board. "Did it.....Did you ingest anything from it?" I soon asks, quickly scrolling down a random thread via the mouse wheel frantically. "Fucker cut it's palm and forced me to drink it's blood...I couldn't help it..." She mutters in an annoyed, tired tone. How the fuck do I explain this? I can't just tell her she's gonna die and become a member of the undead, can I? Immediately I stand up, and move towards the window, to glance out where I had saw the bat a night prior. "Fang, you uhh.....you might notice some changes soon..." The Pterodactyl on the other end doesn't sound too enthusiastic. "Mmnn....What? Ugh, what're you going on about? What's gonna happen to me?" "What I'm trying to say is you're probably...." My voice trails off as that bat soon lands on the tree a couple of yards away again. Immediately, I froze. Fuck. I can hear Fang in the background. "What? What's gonna happen? Anon?.... Anon?" I immediately swipe the red call end button, and quickly close the shade. Last thing I remember was turning out all the lights, and huddling up under my desk, trying to keep quiet. No fucking way vampires are real. They aren't real..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One day earlier. It's science class, and of course me and Fang are paired up for another work packet Dr. Fernsworth has planned. Luckily, Fang is at least a team player, even if it's twenty eighty. We knock out about half the packet in twenty minutes time, giving us fifty minutes to coast till the end of class. Shuffling through some of the notes I took a day prior, I completely forget that I had a couple of doodles on a few pages, and one of them Fang caught a glimpse of. Without any warning, she pulled the notebook closer towards her, those Amber eyes scanning the drawings. "Got a fascination with bats or something, Dweeb?" She shoots me questioning look, one eyebrow raised. "Uhh, it's for art class." I immediately comment. One problem. I don't have art class, even worse, Trish has art class, and Fang could easily figure that out with a simple text or idle chit chat during lunch. After all, she told that trigger midget about the time I assumed her gender. I need to quickly erase any suspicion, and fast. As we continue working, I idly chime in. "You ever get the feeling someone or something's watching you?" I try to word that as normal as possible. Too bad it sounded crazier than I anticipated. A snirk escaping from the Pterodactyl's snoot tells me I failed that test with flying colors. "What the hell are you going on about? Who would watch someone like you?" That same questioning look followed by a smirk forming tells me she's not taking this seriously what so ever. "Well, that bat I drew?" I point towards the notebook. "I swear this thing was sitting outside my window in a tree. Just staring. Hours on end, too. I'm dead serious, Fang." There's hesitation in my voice. Probably from fear of being ridiculed or made fun of. The memories of Rock Bottom High are still etched into the back of my brain. Fang just rolls her eyes. "I think you've been around Reed a little too long, you sure you aren't seein' shit?" She chides as she leans an elbow on the table, turning back towards the Science packet. Fuck, maybe she has a point, maybe it's a side effect from the Carfe. Am I getting paranoid? It was probably nothing, I mean I go to school with meteor dodgers, I wouldn't be surprised if furries exist. The bell soon rings, releasing us from class. Naturally, Fang began texting. Do I even want to know who she's texting.....Whatever. I bid her farewell, and head off to Math. Thank god we got that packet finished in the nick of time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday Afternoon, 4:00 PM No sleep. I can't even shitpost properly. Every so often, I glance at my phone, and look at that image Fang sent. There's no filter, I even ran that shit through an AI program just to check. It's a hundred percent real. I can't even muster up the strength to text her and ask how she's doing. How...IS she doing? I go back to that thread on that sketchy Romanian website, and even while it takes a solid two minutes to load every page, I pervuse the info given. Most of it was the typical schlock or joke about how vampires sparkle, but one or two posts had some advice. Holy water, Garlic, and a crucifix. Garlic I can get down the street from the store, ezpz. The other two? I'm gonna have to consult Rosa about that. But how the hell am I going to word that without sounding like a schizo? I remember watching Bordello of Blood once....I think I could spin it as a cosplay, with Stella backing me up. Fuck. That means I have to cosplay with Stella. Whatever, I'll figure out a way out of this hole. Twenty bucks in my pocket's enough to get a jar of pickled garlic cloves, and I'm pretty sure a Super soaker's probably at least ten dollars for something basic. Look on the Brightside. All those rounds in CS:GO are going to pay off. I hope. Before I muster the strength to head out the door, I look at my phone one last time. Maybe.....Maybe Naser would be easier to talk to? I soon scroll through the contact list and pull up his number and dial it. God this feels awkward. The Fuck do I even say? It rings about three times before he answers. "Anon?" "Uhh, Naser?" I pause. The fuck is this, Am I seriously stuck on a choose your dialogue option prompt? "What's up?" "Nothing much." He answers. I can tell he's not amused, I can hear stuff in the background, sounds like a car. He must be out driving that beat up muscle car of his again. I don't hear a high pitched Parasaur in the background, so that means Naomi is absent. Thank god. "How's Fang?" I ask. I get a long pause of silence, except for the occasional jolts of noise his phone's picking up. "Funny. I should be the one asking YOU that." There's malice in his voice. I have so many questions running through my head now, and I can even hear those sirens. Of course, I fucking froze. Not sure what to say. Naser immediately continues. "We need to talk, Anon." I Immediately swallow. Volcano High's star athlete wants a chat with me. A dweeb who has feelings for his sister. A dweeb whom was probably the last person who his Sister spoke to. A dweeb who's looking pretty fucking suspicious right about now. I finally muster up enough strength to answer. "...I got some time. Where at?" "Back of Volcano High. You got forty minutes." Naser doesn't even give me enough time to answer, immediately hanging up. Fuck. A heavy feeling in my gut tells me he's going to do a whole lot more than talk, I really hope he's got a lot less in common with Ripley. Glancing back at my desk, I find that notebook with the drawings in it. Sure, that'll help. I still got the text and the picture Fang sent, too. Boarding the bus, I run through so many scenarios on how this is going to play out. One has me ending up in the trunk of Naser's car. One has me in an interrogation room with Fang's father, Ripley, and one even has me in the hospital. Do I really keep on expecting the worse? Stay positive Anon, stay positive. Getting off the bus one stop before Volcano high gives me enough time to rehearse a few lines. Sauntering up the steps, I take the side path leading to the enclave that was all to familiar. They still haven't fixed the bench, either. Around back, I see the track, and a beat up Muscle car in the lot out back. Naser's there, learning against the driver's door, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes narrow. He's level headed, right? He won't jump at me like Fang would. He wo- Immediately a clawed hand grabs my collar, pulling me forward. Naser lifts his arm up, causing me to lift off the ground about half an inch. "What happened Friday night, Anon?" His calm demeanor I saw in school completely gone. Ripley's been rubbing off on him. "...I can explain. Just let me go." I comment, as the fabric around my collar tightens against my neck, making it hard to speak. Soon, he drops me and I stumble a little. I breath in a few times. Focus Anon, Focus. You got an aliby, you got proof you didn't do anything. I immediately pull out my phone, and scroll through the texts. Bringing up the picture, I hold it up to the Grey Pterodactyl. Naser's eyes widen lightly, before they narrow at me again. Fuck. He probably doesn't like the idea Fang sends me pictures. Blackmail material. Thats probably whats running through his mind as he snatches the phone and turns around, immediately scrolling through our entire conversation history. I got nothing to hide! Except maybe a few pictures of homework completed..... And the railgun. Soon, he shoves the phone back into my chest, two fingers pinch the bridge of his nose, err, snout? His eyes squint. "...Alright. Whatever did bit her was at your place, too? Who was it?" He turns back towards me. Immediately, I reach for the notebook and show the crude sketches. "Some kinda bat. Red eyes and all." I answer. He should be able to piece it together, right? ".......How is she, by the way?" I shift the conversation towards Fang instead. That should ease him up a little. Naser immediately sneers before looking up from the drawing. "Pretty bad, Anon. She....." He trails off, that look of anger soon turning into sadness. Fuck. That backfired. Did she change that fast? Was it more than an argument? "Don't tell me." I quickly blurt out. "I don't want to know." Fucking lie that was. I didn't want to know, I HAD to know. "She still hasn't returned home. Anon, you gotta help me find her." The fact he didn't even entertain the pronouns once during our conversation, shit's about to get real. I know it. Naser's gotta be going through a lot. Rip's probably up his back about his sister, Naomi's constant pestering, and now he's got an undead Pterodactyl on the loose. Naser's a total bro, I'll never forget what he did for me on my first day. I give him a thumbs up. "I got you. I just need to get some stuff, first." Naser raises an eyebrow. "....Like what?" "I'll explain on the way." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday night, 7:00 PM "Anon, you gotta be kidding me. How's two super soakers and two jars of pickled garlic going to help me find Fang? And what's with the cross? Don't tell me Rosa managed to get you to go to church." Naser raises a brow, as his orange eyes roam over what's lying in the trunk. Two super soakers, two jars of pickled garlic, and a plastic crucifix. At least now I know he doesn't go to the movies, or plays Bloodsuckers: The hidden. I scratch the back of my head idly. "Well, we still need holy water. The Garlic should at least keep her from doing anything physical. That stuff's pungent. The cross? That should work, too." Naser just gives me a stare as if I was speaking Chinese. "You still didn't explain what's going with Fang." Oh, right. How the fuck do I even explain this without sounding like a schizo anyway? I close the trunk. "I think she's a vampire, Naser." I finally blurt out, after a solid minute of thinking. Naser just stares at me, like I'm still speaking a foreign language. "A Vampire. A blood sucking creature of the night. Can't go out in the sun. Sleeps in a Coffin. You expect me to think any of that's real? Let alone Fang being a vampire?" Clearly skeptical. What the fuck else bit her on the neck? Herself? "Look, I don't think any of it's real either. It probably is at this point. But you aren't telling me the whole story, either Naser. So tell me what happened Friday night." Naser's skeptical expression soon narrows, as if I struck a nerve. Nice to see he's a bit more level headed than Ripley, judging by the lack of physical assault after saying that. He knew I had a point. His expression soon softens to sadness again. "....The usual. Shouting match with pops." The Grey Pterodactyl soon sighs. "But.....things got physical, Anon. They never got that far before. I didn't see it for myself, but when I made it to her room, dad had a pretty big gash on his face." I immediately raise both eyebrows. That must've been some argument. Just as I was about to comment, Naser continued. "You know what shook me more than Fang getting physical with Dad?" He soon turns his head towards me after staring off in the distance for a few moments. "Pops was shaken. I've never seen fear drawn across his face before." This burdening feeling soon washes over me. I could've done something about this if I just answered that first fucking text. What do I even say in this situation? Minutes go by before I can finally say something. "....You think she's staying with Trish? Reed?" Naser perks up for a moment, before quickly removing his phone from a pocket. He begins tapping at the screen. Something soon pops into my mind. "WAIT! Don't text or call any of them." Naser soon looks towards me raising a brow. "Why the fuck not?" "Trish obviously hates you. Remember the whole concert? Her trying to Gore you in the hallway? I don't know about Reed, but Fang's gotta be with one of the two. They probably know your number." Naser immediately stops. I fish around in my pockets for my phone, immediately scrolling through the contacts. Thank god I don't have Trish's number. But I did have Reed's. Those Rock Ring sessions are about to pay off, even if I carried his ass half the time. I look towards Naser as I dial up his number, mouthing "Keep quiet." following with a zipper motion of my lips. It rings for a little while, before someone picks up on the fifth ring. A sigh. "....'Sup Compadre?" chill voice on the other end, sounds a little inebriated. Yeah, it's Reed. Act natural. Act like you're not looking for Fang. "'Sup Reed? You uhh, you wouldn't happen to have a copy of that homework assignment for Math, would you? I lost it." Naser immediately began glaring at me, causing me to hold up a finger to keep him from speaking. I can hear another voice in the background, sounded feminine. I couldn't tell if it was Trish or Fang, but I know Reed doesn't have any siblings. "Aww man, you lost it?" Another sigh, or was it an inhale? I couldn't tell. "I gots you, Bro. Swing on by. 4609 Pangea Street." "Cool, cool. I'll see you soon." I then hang up, turning towards Naser. "4609 Pangea Street. Reed's place." Naser immediately opens the driver door and climbs in. I follow suit. [NOTES] So, there you have it. The first chapter. The idea started off a few months ago when messing with an AI program. Kinda surprised I managed to write a full chapter about it. Chapter 2 is being worked on. I hope the ideas keep flowing so I could finish it. Feedbacks welcome and all that.