Suburban Vampire: Book of Origins

How JEREMIAH came into the service of MINISTRY

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

Early Spring, 1876

The nation was starting to prepare for its centennial celebration, in hopes of healing the great wounds left over from the Civil War. There was a sort of optimism about, borne from the growth of the country as it expanded ever westward. Kansas City itself was growing, primarily from its role as a starting point for pioneers who were heading to the far-off destinations of Oregon and California, and also from its commercial role as a center for the cattle industry. The city brought people from all over the United States, from north and south, all with their own hopes and dreams. Opportunities abounded for ventures both legitimate and illegitimate. This made the city a perfect base of operations for Jeremiah and Allan. They would slum in the red-light districts, enjoying the pleasures of the flesh, often finding ample feeding opportunities in the meantime. Often they would find that the employees of a given cathouse would be more than happy to allow the vampires to feed on them, so long as their clients could control themselves and only take what they needed, for a fee. When they tired of such tame surroundings, they would go on hunts, sometimes as far afield as Indian Territory. And sometimes, Jeremiah and Allan would go off by themselves and scout a certain location for hunting opportunities, then meet again in Kansas City to report their findings to each other. This was what Jeremiah and Allan were doing in the early spring that year – while Allan headed west to Colorado Territory, Jeremiah was headed northwest, into Nebraska, where many new farming settlements were springing up. Surely he would find some good hunting there.

In Omaha, Jeremiah chanced to encounter a family headed for lands in western Nebraska that the family's father, a former slave, had purchased from the government. Jeremiah convinced him that he, himself, was a former slave. The father was happy to have a strapping, tough-looking man like Jeremiah about to help fend off bandits, Klansmen, and Indians. The ruse was sufficient to allow Jeremiah to travel toward the town of North Platte with this particular family, much to their misfortune. They never made it to the property they had purchased, the land into which went their hopes and dreams for a future they would never see. However, it allowed Jeremiah a convenient means of travel – he did appreciate traveling by wagon. He abandoned the wagon outside of North Platte, and that very night, he went hunting.

Jeremiah chanced upon a small farm north of the North Platte river. He took a position on a low rolling hill not far from the farm, and watched and listened. This family, too, was black, former slaves now looking to live a life of freedom. Apparently, this particular night, a neighbor was having trouble with some night riders who were harassing him. The man of the family was in a hurry, taking a Winchester rifle with him as he boarded his buckboard wagon and rode off into the night. This left the wife alone – she may have been cradling a shotgun, but it seemed she was by herself. Jeremiah thought that the situation was most convenient, as shotguns did not concern him.

Jeremiah waited until the husband was well off into the distance before making his move. The wife had entered the barn and was calming the remaining horses, leaving the shotgun near the door. There was one way into that barn and one way out. All too easy, Jeremiah said to himself, a wicked grin on his face.

She didn't hear him approach, busy as she was with putting some riding tack back in its place. "Good evening," Jeremiah said. "You must be the lady of the house, and I see that you are alone."

The woman did not turn around. "Mister Jeremiah," she said.

Jeremiah, of course, was completely surprised. "How did you know my name?"

"Oh, I can never forget that voice, not ever."

The woman turned to face him. Her eyes caught Jeremiah's attention – she may have been older, but she still had those same sad but defiant eyes. "Clementine Robinson."