ḾṎᕍ⁅ᖇṈ ℄Ṏv⁅ | The Lost Boys

ᏨᏲᾀᑬt⁅ᖇ tᏔ⁅Ṉtẙ-ຮḭჯ

A/N: another short chapter to make up for the late short chapter before this

I took up residence in Mike and Sammy's shared room. Sam kept a healthy distance away from the two of us, slinging a strand of garlic around his neck for extra protection, just in case we vamp out.

Michael conked out quickly, the exhaustion of the night taking its toll on him. I wished I could've fallen to sleep as easily, but I was too wired.

You sat with my back against the wall, playing with the onyx bracelet on my wrist.

"So, Sammy, how did you find out about vampires?"

He shuffled around then tossed a comic book towards me. It reads, Vampires Everywhere! A classic Dracula vampire was printed on the front. Arms raised and fangs bared.

I flip it open and land on a particularly gory page of a woman being preyed on by the vampire. The Undead's Concubine, it reads. I cringe and flip to a new page.

"These guys who work at the comic book store on the boardwalk—they're vampire hunters. They warned me about the infestation here in Santa Carla. I didn't believe them until I saw what was going on with Michael."

"Vampire hunters?" I echo. "How many vampires have they killed?"

"Well technically zero."

I decide not to comment on that. "And how does Max factor into any of this?"

Sam shrugs, playing with the bulbs of garlic around his neck. "All this started after Mom started working for him. He works the night shift, and he has this dog Anyway, me and the Frog brothers—those are the vampire hunter guys—checked. He's not one. So we're back to square one."

I flip to a page of a vampire being staked. A lump forms in my throat. That's enough of that for one night. I toss it back to Sammy and rest my chin on my knees.

"Those kids, how did they know?"

"Not sure." Sam tucks the book under his pillow. "They're pretty knowledgeable. You'll meet them in the morning. Just be prepared; they can be pretty intense."

I'm not sure how intense a couple of middle-schoolers could be, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. I rest my head against the wall and shut my eyes.

"What about you?"

I crack an eye open. "What about me?"

"What happened to you. Mike, he won't tell me."

I shrug and shut my eyes again. "I'll tell you when you're older."

Sam chucks a pillow at my head.