-Children of the Night-

Chapter 9~ Boogeyman

He had waited for nearly two hours now, crouched in the bushes for so long that his legs were numb. He didn't care about his health. He wanted to make sure that the specimens were all asleep. It had taken quite a while, but eventually, the lights in the house had all gone off. One by one. This would be a good harvest; a strong and lean man, , and a shapely young woman. He stood, leaning on the side of the tree he was under. After that encounter with the vampire earlier, he was slightly exhausted, and he was missing a few teeth. You filth. You don't deserve your power. He thought to himself as he angrily recalled the young blood sucker. Like a huge shadow, he creeped up to the side of the house. After listening intently for a few minutes, he slipped a bobby pin out of his back pocket. Picking the lock on the back door, he turned the knob slowly and opened the door. He tiptoed through the kitchen, silent and insane. They were upstairs, the parents in a room to the right of the staircase.He reached inside his coat, expecting to feel the handle of his favorite knife. Must have dropped it... deciding to improvise, he scanned the dark kitchen until something caught his eye. Glinting in the moonlight, a set of wide-bladed kitchen knives were on the edge of the counter. He grinned from ear to ear, thinking of the possibilities that these wonderful toys would give him. He spidered his fingers up and down the handles, until he selected the largest one and drew it out, slowly but surely. He then grabbed another smaller knife. These will work...nicely. He stalked through the living room, up the wooden stairs, and stopped in front of the master bedroom. He turned the doorknob so slow, it seemed like ages before he set foot in the room. The man and woman were asleep, nestled up to one another. Not wanting to use too much energy, he tiptoed up to the foot of the bed, and loomed over the couple. He waited. And watched. After a few minutes, the man awoke, rubbing his eyes and looking up at him. "What the-" the man began to sit up before his throat was cut open. Choking on his own blood, he tried to tell his wife to run, but he then felt a blade stab through his left eye, and then his right. He slipped into darkness. By now the wife was awake, and she let out a terrified scream. He silenced her by stabbing her in the chest over and over, until her chest cavity was torn open. The blood was splattered all over him and the walls. He laughed like a child at play. Using his knife, he sliced off one of the man's arms, putting it in his duffle bag. He then cut out the woman's eyes and put them in a small container filled with preservation fluids. I need to let them know....can't leave the artwork until I sign it. He covered his hand in blood, and began to write on the wall. I am the boogeyman, the boogeyman, the boogeyman. He then stored his new weapons in his duffle bag, and ran down the stairs. He heard banging on the front door, so he knew he had to be fast. He ran out of the back door, hopped the fence, and disappeared into the night.~

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I heard my alarm clock go off. 5 AM. Sleepily reaching over the side of my bed, I ran my fingers along the buttons and tapped the "off" switch. My blinds were still closed. Without moving, I scanned the dark room for any signs of an intruder. When I was certain I was alone, I sat up and rubbed my eyes as they quickly adapted to the dark. I took a shower, and brushed my teeth. My reflection was so different from what I was accustomed to seeing. I saw a pale, slightly more muscular, and chiseled figure. My face was more defined now, I looked like a statue. Wanting to test myself, I put one of my hands on the top of the bathroom doorframe. I pulled, expecting to fall. Instead, I did a complete pull-up with one hand. For about 5 minutes, I did this, not tired at all. My feet hit the floor and I looked at my biceps , surprised at my nearly inhuman endurance. Time to put on clothes. Opening my closet, I grabbed my dark jeans and a black v-neck shirt. I then started to reach for my grey hoodie...wait. I shouldn't wear that, He might notice me in it if I see him. I need another jacket... I considered my options until it hit me. My dad's old jacket. Pulling out the box, I decided to put it on. I felt pretty good in it. I flipped my hair, grabbed my bookbag and cellphone, then walked downstairs. My mother was up early this morning, sipping coffee and watching the news. I smiled at her. "Good morning, mom. How are you?" She replied. "Come look at this..." I walked across the old wooden living room floor, and looked at the television. There was a regular looking news lady, sitting at a desk. The headline at the bottom read: BREAKING NEWS! SERIAL KILLER AT LARGE. THE BOOGEYMAN? The woman began to speak. "This morning, police have found yet another murder scene. Two victim's bodies were found, mutilated in their home. Each victim had missing body parts. The word Boogeyman was sloppily written in blood on the wall. Eyewitness reports state that they heard screaming around 3 am last night, and by the time they examined the house, the killer had already fled the scene. We hope for the people of Connecticut that this all comes to a swift end. Back to you, Tom." The screen swapped over to a weather chart and a man in a blue suit. Mom turned off the tv and looked at me. "Be careful, Vincent. Make sure to watch your back. I don't want you to be late! I love you ,son." She hugged me. Was that really....the same man from last night? I hope he doesn't find us. I was terrified of the thought of this killer hurting someone I loved. I hugged mom back. By the time I arrived at school, I had already became paranoid... Looking over my shoulder at every turn. The day dragged on. Lunch with Austin. Fifth bell with Scarlett. I held her hand the whole time under the desk, not really surprised at the fact that our nonchalant teacher didn't notice. Mr.Partridge, the high and mighty college-graduate algebra teacher, was anything but. He always sat incredibly close in front of his computer, staring at whatever website he was on. He was a slightly lazy and apathetic man. Usually we would have to do a worksheet and that was it. Fairly easy. I nudged Scarlett's leg softly with my leg, triggering her beautiful smile. I smiled back warmly, looking into her deep and beautiful hazel eyes. If true love actually existed, this was exactly what it felt like. I thought about kissing her...about how much i cared about her. Until my eyes panned down to her open neck.My thirst started to take over, and my mouth began to water.It took a lot of control to not give in to my urge to bite deep into her neck. I turned away from her, and she put her hand on my shoulder. "Vinnie?.." I put my head down on my desk. "I'm fine, I just got a little dizzy..." I said, lying. The bell rang, and I made my way out of school beside her. She had to go a different way today, so we exchanged a long hug and went our separate ways. I didn't want to let go of her...not with the Boogeyman on the loose. All of the sudden, I bumped into a girl in the hall. "Sorry, I -" I stopped talking when we made eye contact. It was the girl. The one that Red turned..I remembered those grayish-blue eyes. She had on a black leather jacket, ripped up blue jeans, and black laced up boots.Giving me a knowing smile, she held out her hand. "So, your the one who Red was talking about...I never introduced myself. I'm Maxine, nice to meet you, Vincent." I was surprised by her steadfast confidence..and the fact she actually remembered my name. I shook her hand. Feeling the cold grip of another vampire was slightly comforting, it made me feel less alone. It wasn't until she walked away, her golden blonde hair bouncing as she stepped, that I noticed she had slipped a scrap of paper into my jacket pocket with her number on it. She's fast... I made my way home, watching my back. As soon as I got home, I saved her number in my cellphone. Locking the front door and closing all the blinds,I quickly fell asleep in the comfortable darkness of my room. My last thoughts were of Maxine's confident, knowing smile.

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