Vampire Boys Of Summer (Completed!)

Episode 81: Revolt Of The Humans

I’ve heard it said before that true happiness, like true love, is short lived. I don’t believe that assumption. But I do know this. Neither can be achieved without hard work. Nothing comes easy. Nothing is handed to you. With that said, our idyllic moment had to be interrupted. It came in the form of a scratching sound. Like claws on wood. Separating myself from Haru, I saw what it was. The vampires, having grown tired of tearing into each other, had realized there was human blood still in the cavern. While most of that blood was in the dazed, would-be victims lining the walls awaiting their turn, there were two bodies much closer to them: myself and Angela.

The remnants of the vampire army clambered onto the stage, some of them pulling themselves up by their ragged fingernails. Haru put me behind him. “Ryo, we got company.”

Ryo lifted his head from where he lay his cheek against Angela’s, trying to bring a little more warmth back to her. Just moments ago, we believed her to be dead, but somehow Ryo called her back. It had been a beautiful moment just to hear her say his name and to see him answer her with a kiss. But now, there were other kisses we needed to avoid. Haru and Ryo didn’t need to worry about it, but my bestie and I were vulnerable without their protection. To guarantee her safety, Ryo also put himself between Ang and the cavern vampires. We waited for the first ones to reach us. I was hoping this would not be our last stand. Regardless, I was both proud and honored to stand with my vampire boys.

The first attacker came at us head on. Haru put him down, unconscious but without lasting injury. Another came in the same fashion at Ryo, thinking he would fare better than the first. Wrong assumption. Ryo was still angry. He put his attacker down in the same fashion that Haru had, though this one would probably suffer from some lasting effects when he awoke. Ryo wasn’t as good at holding back as Haru.

But now as my two vampire boys had been tested, multiple attackers came forth. They had gotten smart and instead of one on one, they came in groups of four towards us. This wasn’t good. With these kind of angry groupings they would eventually overwhelm us. Ryo looked over at Haru guarding me. He had a grim, but determined look. Something in his eyes told me he would fight to the death to protect us all. He took a step forward to meet the army head on with his head held high.

And then something came through the crowd. It began at one side, parting the hungry vampires as if they were paper dolls. I saw a swirl of long black hair. Vampires thrown, kicked, beaten down. Chi was making a path for us. Haru grabbed my hand and looked to Ryo. They both nodded, and then Haru swung me up on his back. The next thing I knew we were running to the edge of the stage heading for Chi and her frenzied attack on the army. I looked back to see Ryo pick up Angela in his arms and say something to her. I didn’t hear what it was but she responded with a weak smile.

We were getting ready to jump off the stage and into the open way Chi had made for us. In her hands she wielded what must have been a broom handle once, spinning it and twirling it around her head and body, striking everyone she could in order to hold the path open. But Haru hesitated making the jump. He was scanning the room as if looking for something or someone.

I spoke into his ear, as if I too was a mind reader. “Where’s your dad?”

“He won’t face us,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because he can’t beat us when we’re all together like this.” He turned his head to look at me. “That’s why he has tried to take out Ryo…Me…and Luhan…Wait a minute…” His head shot back around to focus on Luhan. The Asian clan leader was trying to defend the hypnotized humans that lined the cave wall. They had been placed there by Colin to await their turn at becoming vampires. Dazed out of their heads, they were just standing there as if in the midst of a deep sleep and dreaming. Luhan suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked to the stage at Haru. Whatever thought had interrupted Haru from explaining his dad to me must have occurred to Luhan as well. They shared this look and then Luhan nodded and raised his arms over his head. He closed his eyes and stretched out his fingers as if trying to touch filaments in the air. I could see his mouth moving, but I was too far away to hear what he was saying. Still I could follow the rhythm of his lips and tell he was chanting out a cadence or something. I thought to myself, this is a hell of a time to meditate.

I looked over at Ryo and Angela. They had also stopped, hesitating to jump into the crowd. Ryo was smiling as if someone had just told him the most wonderful secret. But for me, I was confused as hell. “What’s going on? What’s Luhan doing?”

Haru didn’t reply. One look at the humans along the wall provided the answer. Some were shaking their heads, others were rapidly blinking their eyes as one does sometimes when waking. Confused looks and furrowed brows. Their dazed, addled minds were becoming their own again and they looked out on the multitude of vampires with terror. But then something else crossed their faces and they paused to listen as if new commands were coming through. The human servants who were fighting alongside the enemy vamps also began to have an awakening, and turned away from their supernatural companions to run back to where the labyrinth stood. They attacked the wooden structure, tearing off boards, watching them splinter into useable weapons, and then charged back into the crowd.

“Did he just….” I started to ask. “How the hell is Luhan freeing them?”

Haru smiled back at me. “Because…he is the master of their master. My father was once part of our group, but he left because his vision of our role in the world was different than ours. And though he took off and started a clan of his own here…well, you just can’t escape your master. Luhan may not be able to control him, but he has power over some of the things he has done.”

“So the people your father took under his power..?”

“Luhan can free them.”

“What of the vampires he created?”

“That he can’t undo. Just as he can’t bring anyone back from death.”

I looked out on the vampire army. They were so crazed and delirious in their blood hunger that they couldn’t regroup as a cohesive fighting unit. The human spirit however wasn’t chained to such desires. Once awakened, most of them instantly realized their need for survival. While some screamed and ran away, others chose to fight the vile army with their makeshift stakes ripped from the labyrinth’s construction. A few didn’t even bother with splintering the wood into stakes. They just grabbed up entire boards, waded into the crowd, and began to pummel the vampires with them.

The revolt of the humans was giving us a chance for another day.