Dracula's Secret

17

Max's POV:

My phone rang early that morning. I can't remember the last time I got a call before four a.m. In fact, I can't really remember ever getting a call before four a.m. I didn't bother looking at the number, I simply answered and closed my eyes, yawning. "Hello?" I croaked.

"MAX!" I voice screamed through the other line. I held the receiver away from my ear. Who the hell is calling me to yell at me at four in the morning?  I've turned over a new leaf now. I'm officially a good person. "MAX! MAX! YOU'VE GOTTA HELP ME!"

"Alright, alright. Who is this?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. "What's the big emergency?"

"Someonewantstokillmeandit'sactuallymybrother. Idon'tknowwhyhewantstohurtme!" The person spoke so fast. "AndIthinkthatImayhaveaccidentallykilledsomeonetoo!"

"A double murder?" I gasped dramatically. "Is someone hitting the alcohol a little too hard?"

"It's Remington!"

"Okay, then you're high again. Listen, man. You've gotta lay off of those fucking drugs. They're doing things to your head."

"I know that they're fucking with my head, but this is real! I need a place to stay!" There was a knock on my door in that moment. 

"Are you at my house?"

"I've been running for hours and hours and hours. You have to help me." There was a long pause. "Please." 

I've seen everything. I've been alive a long time. I've known Remington for a lot of years. Most of them I've been sober enough to honestly tell you that Remington never asks for anything. He gets high and then you can't understand him, but he never asks for anything. And if he did, he would certainly never say please in such a defeated manner. Dear Lord, he's serious this time. What am I supposed to do?

"Okay, fine. I'll go open the door. Just get off of the line." He hung up when I told him that. I got out of my bed and grumbled to myself. "Going outside in my damn underwear for someone I haven't spoken two in a damn year." I walked through the house until I got to the front door, where I saw a rain-soaked, blood-covered, very tired looking Remington. He smiled weakly at me while I stepped aside for him. I turned on a few lights so that I could find a blanket so that he could just sleep on the couch for now. 

"But we've gotta-" He started.

I shushed him. "Just sleep for now. We can worry about it in a little while, okay?" 

Remington sighed and nodded. I turned out the lights once more. I hoped that he would sleep until at least ten this morning. Any time before that makes it too hard to process the information that he's already told me.

But I think that I'm just a bit too restless at the moment. I tossed and turned as I tried desperately to fall back asleep. The words that he'd told me just swam in my head. They took me back to my fuzzy memories from the first time the two of us had met. I was wondering who he was chasing after. He was sneaking around or something. The rest isn't really all that clear.

Later that morning, I felt really restless. I poured myself a cup of coffee anyways, mostly because I liked the flavor. Remington was leaning on the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room. I learned over the other side with my coffee mug in hand. "So tell me what exactly happened last night, " I encouraged him. 

He nodded. "I have these powers that I guess that I was born with. I don't know why or how I got them, but I think it might have something to do with my lineage." 

"What lineage? " I wasn't aware that he was related to anything supernatural (or anyone delusional.) 

"If I told you, you'd think me crazy. " He makes a good point, so I nodded. He went on. "But anyways, I hurt someone on complete accident. They ended up in the hospital, and I didn't think that they were going to get any better. Today, I magically appear in front of this person again, and the next thing I know, he's spitting out blood like he was cursed or something. " 

"Okay." I gripped my cup a but tighter. "You also said something about someone wanting to kill you too. Who wants to kill you?"

"My brother wants to kill me. It would make sense if the person that I've apparently cursed wanted to kill me, but my brother?" He shook his head and reached into his pocket for something. When he pulled it out, it was a box of cigarettes. He lit one and put the rest away. "I need a favor from you though. I can't trust anyone else to do this but you."

"What do you need?" I asked, worried that it would be something super serious.

"I need for you to go to Vegas."

I sighed. "That's all?"

"You don't understand. I know that you're the only one who can resist the temptation. I need you to go and find someone for me."

"Who?"

"A man named Ronnie," He began.

"Ronnie Radke?" I sighed deeply. Do I do it for Remington? "We're not exactly on great terms right now."

"Why not?"

"Well, I mean, I left his band kind of abruptly a few years back. He probably really doesn't want to see me. Ronnie's the sort of guy that holds grudges, you know?"

"Can you do it just this once? If he gives you a hard time, let me know and I'll talk to him."

"What exactly do you need from Ronnie?"

"He knows something that I don't."

"What does he know?" I asked the question a bit harshly, frustrated at these half-answers. 

"He knows what it's like to go to jail."

I froze. "What are you planning on doing?"

"It's not something that I've planned." Remington go a faraway look in his eyes. "But it's something that's bound to happen."

"Fuck, Rem. I don't think that you've done anything that bad."

"I unknowingly broke into a hospital, nearly and possibly killed someone, and I couldn't pass a sobriety test if I studied."

"It's not an actual-"

"Exactly! Are you going to help me or not?"

I took a long sip of coffee to avoid answering. This was a lot to take in.