Suburban Vampire: Book of Origins

How JEREMIAH and ALLAN parted ways

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

1880

Allan Cameron stepped out of the lecture hall in the company of another man, a middle- aged fellow with greying hair and mustache. Allan was laughing; the other man was not.

"I must say, Mr. Bierce," Allan said, "I find your take on the foibles of modern man most humorous, indeed."

"They say I am a cynic," Ambrose Bierce said, "I'd say my faulty vision forces me to see things as they are, not as they ought to be. And for this, I receive a great deal of criticism. 'The wickedest man in San Francisco', they call me -- all those haughty types, in their starched shirts, sitting in their pews, asking their God for forgiveness while their fellow man suffers, and they turn a blind eye. Hypocrites, the lot of them."

"Oh, I would agree. But I would not agree that you are 'the wickedest man in San Francisco'. No, there are others much more deserving of the title."

"You are far too kind, young Mr. Cameron."

"Think nothing of it. You know, I think you should share your candid observations of life with the world. You should publish a book filled with your pithy sayings."

"As in a digest or compendium?"

"I was thinking more like a dictionary."

"Well, if it's to be a dictionary, then it will be called a Devil's Dictionary. Hey! That does give me a smashing idea for a title!"

"You should consider it."

"I will, eventually. Too many other projects in the works, right now. You are an intriguing young man, Allan Cameron. Do come see me sometime. It seems we share much in common, especially our cynical view of the world."

"I thank you for the offer, Mr. Bierce. But I must be off now. Dinner awaits."

"Very well then. Good dining, Mr. Cameron!"

Allan excused himself and headed to the docks, brothels, and seedy taverns of the Barbary Coast. Mr. Bierce, of course, has no idea what Allan had meant by 'dinner'; luckily for him, Allan Cameron appreciated his wit and intelligence, and so Ambrose Bierce was quite safe from a more wicked man than he could ever be. Allan found the Barbary Coast to be a very fruitful hunting ground; after the mysterious disappearance of his sire, Jeremiah, he knew he had to find his own way, and so headed as far west as he could, to the west coast and to its largest and most cosmopolitan city. Here, a vampire could have ample opportunities for feeding, yet remain relatively unknown – plenty of prostitutes and sailors went missing along the Barbary Coast on an almost routine basis, and not much was done, or could be done, about it. Allan enjoyed the opportunities, and the anonymity.

This particular night, as the fog came rolling in off the Pacific, Allan went hunting. It wasn't long before he spotted a woman who was dressed rather provocatively – she had to be a prostitute, Allan thought. Allan followed the lady and noticed that she was following another lady, who was also likely a prostitute. Allan followed the first lady around a darkened corner, down some filthy alleyway – and she was gone. Just like that. The other woman was far off in the distance, but Allan was not really interested in her. He wanted to find the first woman he spotted, for there was something intriguing about her beyond the fact that she lost him so quickly.

Allan turned and went back in the direction from where he had come. Another alley intersected that one, and as he passed it, he heard a voice calling to him.