The Beached Whale

My Mission Begins

"Who could that be," the mother said as she rose to answer the door.

"Stop!" I startled her. "Whatever you do, don't open that door."

The bolt that locked the door slowly turned, and the door creaked open.

He was dressed foppish, and looked like he was from a different century. His suit was salmon colored. He wore a matching top hat.

"What are you doing here? I paid my rent." She turned to me, "This is my landlord."

"Don't invite him in."

The landlord laughed. He looked at the entrance way and took an exaggerated step into the home.

"How did you do that?"

"It's written in the lease they signed. I am always welcome in their home."

"You're supposed to give twenty-four hours notice," the mother said.

"Afraid it's an emergency. I hate to interrupt your lovely dinner, but you seem to have a special guest." He looked me up and down. "Been years since we had any illegal immigrants in the city. Where the hell did you come from?"

"Come here," I commanded the mother. She came right over back to the dinner table.

The soldiers arrived at the doorway. There were ten of them. They were wearing black thick outfits, some manner of armor. They had silver chains, and clubs of silver. The landlord gave instructions, "Once you subdue this criminal, take the woman and the boy. They will be questioned and imprisoned for harboring an illegal."

"Please," the mother said, "there's no need for this."

I slowly stepped in front of the mother. The ten soldiers, one by one, entered the home. They all stood in a line, but were hesitant.

"You won't be able to convince that landlord of yours to be reasonable, Ma'am. Vampires are as stubborn as a swordfish. These constables though, they're all human. They might listen." I spoke directly to the armored men. "You all saw what I did to your friends at the dock. This doesn't have to come to violence. I have no qualms with humans. I will grant you all safe passage." I pointed at the landlord. "But he must stay. Him and I have destiny to fulfill."

"My thralls won't listen to you, you ignoramus," the landlord said. "And now I've changed my mind. Kill the woman and boy first. Then we'll take the illegal."

The boy sprung up with a knife and fork in hand. "You try it! I'll mess every one of you up!" He brandished the silverware, ready to fight with his inadequate weapons.

The mother ran to her boy, and stood in front of him. She was desperate to protect her son. "Please, don't hurt us."

The past hit me like a tidal wave. I was here again. Just like when the bastard who turned me attacked us. My wife had done the same thing. Tried to save our boy. Begged for his life.

I would not let this injustice happen again.

One of the braver soldiers started heading for the wife and boy. He didn't make it two steps before I was behind him. I grabbed the back of his neck. I made sure my fingers snapped his spine as I lifted him up. He was dead already, but I needed to make a gruesome display. These men were hypnotized. But you can always break the spell, especially if the vampire who charmed them was weak. The human is always still there down deep. You can shock them awake.

"Leave now. Save yourself from a similar fate."

I held the man up by his neck, and placed my other hand on his waist. I folded him in half like closing a book. The sound his spine made as it snapped reverberated like ripples in a pond. Then I took his halved body, and folded it in half again. This crunch was even more disgusting, blood and guts smashed together and made wet ooze-y music.