What Is And What Should Never Be

The Big Easy

I loved when a job took me through New Orleans. Casinos, Mardi Gras, Bourbon street, jazz bands with street performers on every corner, all things people come to enjoy when visiting NOLA. But what I loved the most was the food. I'd had a hankering for a muffuletta and was delighted when searching the internet, an article had popped up about a bizarre string of murders that left the dead with puncture wounds on the neck. I thought NOLA was a bit overplayed for vampires but figured these particular vamps hadn't received the memo and besides it didn't really matter because that's where the muffuletta lived. But as I ventured further and further into the case, the nest always seemed one step ahead of me, and time was of the essence.  Bodies were starting to pile up and the muffuletta suddenly became very low on my list of priorities.  Finally, I had caught a break when I overhead some local prostitutes talking about an encounter they had with some guys that had a weird fetish with "rubbing blood on peoples' lips". I scooted a couple seats down to get closer to the conversation.
"Girl, they think we stupid. Dat's how you get AIDS," said the women with who dat written on the butt of her velour booty shorts. Her buddy in a tube top cackled, "Yeah, that shits nasty". I stood up and flashed my fake badge, "Excuse me ladies, can I ask you a couple questions?"  Who Dat squinted her eyes as she gave me a once over, then laughed in my face, "I ain't saying shit." I glanced at Tube Top who was avoiding eye contact by staring into her drink.
"Okay, how about I arrest you for impending an investigation?"
Who Dat smugly sipped her Hennessy, "You can't arrest us. You ain't got nothin' on us."

"Yeah, you're right. But I could haul your ass down to the station and detain you for several hours for questioning. You know, workable billing hours." I said it with such conviction I almost believed it.  Tube top looked worried as she glanced back from me to Who Dat but refrained from saying anything. "Look, I just want to find those sick bastards with the blood kink. You guys were smart to not go with them. They've hurt a lot of people." Who Dat seemed to relax a bit at the acknowledgement of her intelligence. She let out a sigh and gave me the best resting bitch face I've ever seen. I guess this was my opening. I pulled out a photo of the suspects taken form surveillance footage from the last crime scene and laid it on the bar in front of her.
"Do these guys look familiar?"
Tube Top finally spoke up, "Yeah dats dem."  Who Dat simply nodded.
"Was it just these two or did they have more people with them?" I asked.
"Just the two," said Tube Top
All the accounts from witnesses I've heard these past couple of weeks , the footage and the body toll all add up to just two vamps. Perfect, I can handle two vampires, easy peasy.
"Did you see what kind of vehicle they were driving? A license plate maybe?
"A car," Who Dat shrugged, "white!?"
I waited for more information but they stared at me blankly. "Um, okay, good. Did they say anything about taking you back to their place?" It was a long shot but hey, what the hell.
"We don't go back to a Johns house," Snickered Who Dat
"They wanted us to though," said Tube Top. Who Dat threw her a dirty look but she didn't seem to notice. "They said they lived off of mile 28 but er'body know ain't nothin' out there but old warehouses. We ain't about to get murdered."
"We done?" But Who dat said it more as a statement and quickly gathered her purse and headed towards the door with Tube Top close behind. I watched them leave and turned towards the bartender, "How do I get to mile 28?"
...............
I drove my truck outside the city limits until the only thing around were single lane roads and swamps. The bartender had informed me that once I reached the abandoned gas station a couple of decrepit warehouses would be roughly a mile up the road. Upon reaching the gas station I parked my truck behind the building. It's so dark out here I doubt they would see me coming but this old truck of mine, could be heard for miles. Especially out here in the swamps where the roar of her engine seemed to bounce off the trees and echo off the quiet waters. I grabbed a few essentials and tucked them into various pockets and holders before making my way amongst the shadows towards the warehouses. After stumbling in the dark for some time I finally could see an outline of the buildings. A quick internet search earlier told me the warehouse hadn't been functioning since the 60's and I couldn't see how either place was still standing. Still the one on my right seemed my best bet since the one adjacent to it had burned down. Not much was left of it besides some steel framing and a partial roof. I crouched in some nearby brush as I scanned the horizon for any movement. The look of the building was intimidating to say the least and I hesitated for a brief second and thought twice about entering the building alone. I could call for backup, another hunter.....but I quickly shook the fear away and rallied my thoughts, "5 people have died. Finish this. And besides the sooner I get this over with the sooner I can be out of here and into the arms of my Creole lover, the Muffeletta".  I sprinted across the open clearing until I reached the side of the building, bee lining it to the first door I noticed. Locked. I quietly made my way to the front door occasionally pausing to look over my shoulder, listening to random frogs splashing in the distance.  At least, hoping it was just frogs. The big iron doors that were in the front of the building were flung wide open and barely hanging on by its rusted hinges. My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness of the surrounding swamp – the moonlight had lit the way. But the darkness creeping from out the doorway looked as if it would swallow me whole. I paused, staring into the abyss hoping my eyes would adjust like they did with the swamp but the door way remained black. I took a breath and entered.  It hadn't rained in Louisiana in months but the place remained nevertheless damp, probably due to the surrounding swamps slowly trying to take back the land. A pungent odor stung my nostrils, growing stronger as I made my way deeper into the warehouse. I was acquainted with the smell of death, decay, blood and whatever else was stained upon the dilapidated walls of the building I now trespassed in. That same familiar smell always lingered in the air where ever I went. There was a time I was convinced the smell was emanating from me. It was the only explanation on why the smell wouldn't go away. It was as if it was burned into my clothes, the seats in my car and my nostrils. Everywhere I turned was that smell. It was my life. My life fucking stinks. Why is it that all things that go bump in the night have to be so freakin creepy, I thought, was it too much to ask for a monster with some dignity. Not that the shady motels I stay in were any better if I was being honest myself. It did have cable though. I doubt the vampires were even getting electricity in this joint. Luckily the flashlight I wielded and the occasional moonlight shining through the broken window panes helped lead me deeper inside.  A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as I made my way through more darkness. The humidity was suffocating in the building with no breeze to tame it and my curly brown hair was beginning to stick to the back of my neck.  I was starting to wish I had called for backup, the stillness of the warehouse was making me anxious but I was covering ground fast as I searched the empty warehouse floor. My long silhouette glided against the wall as I made my way from room to room barely making out my feet in front of me. The moonlight leading the way had finally come to a stop and lay gently on an old rusted door a few feet in front of me and the smell that crept out from beneath the door let me know I had found the nest. To any other person the smell might have been overwhelming, maybe it even might produce some vomit but again, it was nothing I hadn't smelled before and definitely not the worst. I slid out my knife from its holder. Knife was an understatement, more like a foot-long machete used for slicing off heads in one clean stroke. Steadying my breath, I reached for the handle and as I slid the door open it was accompanied by a loud screech that echoed throughout the building. "Shhhit", I whispered under my breath. Not the subtlety I'd hoped for but I was ready. I braced myself and slung the door fully open but nothing, no vampires or massacre of bodies littering the ground. All was quiet. It was really quiet and now that I thought about it, it had been exceptionally easy to enter the warehouse undetected. "Fuck", I said through clenched teeth. My breath became sharp as I searched the darkness for any movement. It was probably too late to run now but I began to search for exits anyways. I'd been off my game as of late. Some strange things had been happening to me, headaches, dizzy spells, hallucinations. In Ohio last month a shifter got the jump on me, stabbed me in the gut. Blood instantly came gushing  from my wound. I thought I would bleed out before I could make it to the nearest hospital and I was right, I passed out in the car before I could even put the key in the ignition. I awoke the next day feeling groggy and achy but I was no longer bleeding and the wound was no longer a gaping hole. I would have thought I hallucinated the whole thing if it hadn't been for my clothes still damp and sticky from my own blood. Then there were those unnerving dreams about the man in a trench coat... A rat skirting across the floor drew my attention back to the job. I stepped out into the open as my eyes adjusted to the new darkness. It was eerily quiet as I stopped and listened for any movement.  The sound of water plunking into puddles on the stained warehouse floor only made my heart beat faster, knowing that something monstrous waited in the shadows. My breath caught as rustling sounds skittered all around me like a thousand roaches running from the light but they weren't running away. Appearing from beneath the darkness at least 20 vampires surrounded me as single vampire stepped forwards. I recognized him as one of the suspects from the crime scene photos.
"Hey, it's a surprise party." I said sarcastically as I continued to scan the room looking for a way out.
The vamp formed a twisted smile, "Yeah, surprise bitch."
The vampire studied me, "You must be a newb. Coming into a nest all by your lonesome."
"Awe you think I'm the only hunter here. That's cute." I smirked. Just keep the bastard talking. Buy yourself some time as you come up with a plan to dig yourself outta this mess. But if you die tonight you deserve for it for being a complete and total fucktard.
A fleeting flash of fear swept across the vampires face but was replaced by a cold confident smile. "Well then...WERE WAITING! Come on, join the party!" his voice boomed off the walls as he looked around the room. "tsk tsk maybe they didn't get the invite."

"Would it be too much to ask if you guys could come at me one at a time?"
His vampire family laughed as he quickly closed the distance between us. Before I had time to react he grabbed my throat and body slammed me to the ground. Choking for air I raised my weapon to strike but another vamp was pinning my arm, twisting it at an odd angle until I heard a loud crunch as my bone broke thru my skin. I let out a scream soaked sob. The vampires laughed again and I could see the hunger grow in their eyes as the smell of my blood hit their nostrils. I tried to reach for my gun but the other vampires were already on me stripping me of my weapons. Desperate, I began to claw at the faces with the non-gimp hand and arm.  It was such a weak attempt that they laughed and I knew I was a goner. This is how I die. A burning sensation began rising in the pit of my stomach. It's the fear, I thought, churning in my stomach mixing with bile making me sick. So this is what it feels like when you know you're about to die. Rows of razor sharp teeth were now inches away from my neck and I could feel another sucking on the mangled opening in my arm. The fear intensified inside me and I could feel it in my chest now slowing climbing up my throat and into my mouth. The burning grew stronger and stronger like white hot pokers trying to stab their way out. But this wasn't fear. Oh god, were they already tearing into my flesh, draining me? I tried to shut my eyes to avoid seeing them eat me alive but the pain moved to the back of my eyes keeping them open and I felt as if I was going to explode. The vampires stood up in bewilderment as I began to exude light from my body. I could hear them screaming in pain, but I lied there as the blinding light fully enveloped me, the nest of vamps and finally the warehouse.