Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Henry Sturges

Abe jerked awake with bandages around both arms. He ached. He could barely see out of his right eye and looked around the room with his left. Picture frames, a dresser, windows. His journal. He sat on the side of his bed and slowly stood up, accidentally knocking over bowls of water. He walked towards the dresser and picked up his journal, flipping through the pages until he heard screams. 

Abe walked out of his room and would hold his breath for a second or two to try and find where the screams were coming from. He finally reached the door the screams were behind and grabbed a nearby candle stick. Three. Two. One. He held the candle above his head and let out a battle cry, until he realized they weren't screams from someone getting attacked by a vampire. He found a woman and the man he saw at the bar in a bathtub. 

The man sighed, "If you could be so kind as to close the door." 

Abe nodded, "Uh, yes of course." He closed the door then hesitated. "I didn't see anything!" 

The woman walked out, wrapped in a towel. She looked up at Abe then awkwardly walked down the steps. The man walked out, trying to put on a shirt and mumbled. 

Abe, still holding the candle followed, "Uh, excuse me? Where am I and who are you?" 

The man glanced back "I am Henry Sturges and where you are is my home." Henry walked down the steps and grabbed his coat, “I saved your life during your pathetic attempt at taking another’s.” He rolled his eyes and walked into his study. 

Abe followed, candle still in hand, “Well what were you doing there and how did you know I tried to kill Barts?” 

Henry raised an eyebrow and looked at him, “How?” he asked. “I watched this boy on this mission of his, drunk! Might I add? And I think you wasted your time.” He grabbed another piece of clothing. “He is just a selfish boy with his heart set on vengeance and I realize this boy is a god, damn idiot!” he stumbled, pushing papers and books off his desk. 

Henry grabbed a small container of sunscreen and started spreading it on his face. “I doubt he even knew his target was a vampire.” He said to himself. 

“Vampire?” Abe chuckled nervously. 

“Immortal, bloodsucking, demons?” Henry glanced back walking over glass to the other side of the study. 

Abe furrowed his brows, “But vampires are just myths.” 

Henry chuckled, “Myths don’t beat you senseless after putting a bullet in their brain.” Abe walked over, picking up the boot Henry was looking for and handed it to him. Henry grabbed it, “Thank you.” He tried putting it on and walking at the same time. 

“Mr. Lincoln, vampires exist. In every city and state in the union.” 

Abe’s eyes widened when he suddenly thought of an idea. “If what you say is true you can help me to kill them! I can pay you to kill them!” 

Henry blinked, obviously thinking this man is crazy, “My services are not for sale! And the word you are looking for is destroy it is quite hard to kill that that is already dead.” He grabbed his tinted sunglasses and started walking towards the door. 

Abe took the other way and closed the door shut, keeping Henry from walking out. “Sir you don’t understand. My mother was murdered.” 

Henry took his glasses off, “And if I teach you how to murder her murderer so what? How will that honor her memory? How will that benefit the next boy whose mother is taken?” Abe furrowed his brows and attempted to say something, but Henry wasn’t finished. “If vengeance is all you seek, seek it elsewhere.” Henry tried moving around Abe. 

Abe stopped him, “Teach me to fight as you do. Please, I’ll do anything you say.” 

Henry sighed, “You promise to cast aside all notions of vengeance and commit to the life of a hunter?” he waited for Abe’s response. All Abe could do was nod. “You will have no friends, no family. I will give you names.” Abe told him what Henry wanted to hear, but all he cared about was killing the monster that took his mother. 

“I’m in.”