After a night of carousing with his buddies, Billy was ready to head home.
“Are you sure you want to walk home by yourself?” asked Todd, “You’ve heard the rumors, right?”
“What rumors?” ask Billy.
“You know, the problem…with vampires.” He said that last word almost in a whisper.
“Oh God! Really? I can’t believe you’re taking that seriously.”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s ridiculous, that’s why! I need to scoot. It’s so late, the sun’s almost up.”
Todd shrugged. “Suit yourself, but if you get killed tonight, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
“I won’t say anything! I’ll be dead!” Billy called back as he started walking. The echoing laughter from the guys made him smile.
He hadn’t been walking long when he heard something rustling in the dark. He stopped and looked around. The noise also stopped. He cursed his own paranoia and continued, but he couldn’t shake that…feeling. A moment later, he heard it again, louder. His fear turned to anger.
“Who’s out there?!” he roared. Nobody answered. He told himself he was just being stupid and the best thing to do either way was get home as quickly as possible. He was just about to turn around when something charged him from the shadows. It happened so fast, he had no time to brace himself as the hulking figure hit him like a freight train. The next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground by a burly man with a look of crazed hatred on his face. His eyes burned with a mixture of fury and disgust.
“Who the hell are you?” Billy demanded.
“Who do you think?” he said in a low, hoarse voice.
And then, Billy knew. This was the killer everybody had been whispering about. The vampire problem wasn’t just a rumor. The man reached in his toolbelt and took out two items that sent a wave of panic through Billy. He squirmed violently, but it was no use. His attacker was too strong. He shoved the wooden stake against Billy’s chest and raised the hammer high. Billy screamed in terror, his fangs glistening in the moonlight.
