Welcome To Fright Night

Chapter 2

The inn was a small but decent looking place. Not extravagant but suitable for them. Once they were checked in they decided to look around town and see if they could find any clues.

"And you're positive that you don't anything about the disappearances?" Natsu asked one man. "See any suspicious looking characters? Weirdos?" 

"No." The man answered.

He asked the same questions to other people but their answers were the same. They didn't know anything and they didn't see anything. Later he tried to question the people who had gone missing and returned but according to them they were all too exhausted and stressed over the situation to say anything. 

"Well looks like we didn't get any answers today Happy." Natsu told his feline companion. "We better go meet up with others." 

"Aye sir." 

They started walking back to the inn. The two of them were halfway there when someone grabbed hold of Natsu by his shoulder and pulled him into an alleyway. 

"What the hell?!" 

"Shhh!" A voice hushed. The voice belonged to a man who was around the same age as him. His face was covered in sweat and he was looking around, as if he was making sure they were alone. "Are you one of the professionals the mayor hired?" 

"Who are you?" 

"Answer the question!" 

"Yes! I am!" 

"Good. Now if you want to know what's really going on, follow me." 

Natsu and Happy were confused by the young man's actions but he seemed to have the answers they were looking for so they followed him to edge of town where a secluded house was. Inside the house there was an old man at a desk, looking very cranky and irritated. 

"Jack why have you brought this stranger here?" The old man asked rudely. 

"Forgive me sir but he's one of the professionals the mayor called here. The wizard." 

"We don't need his help. Send him away." 

"You don't know that. He's been known to defeat great monsters and beasts." 

"Doesn't matter, he won't believe us. Send him away!"

The old man got up from his chair and left. 

"I apologise for his behavior. He's not very well mannered." 

"Hold on, who are you people and what are you talking about?" Natsu asked.

"Oh right. Sorry." The younger man apologized. "I am Jack Proctor and I know what's been happening in this town. Why they've been disappearing and why those who come back are completely changed." 

"Okay why?" 

"Are you aware of the legends and myths that are told in this town? The ones about vampires?" 

"I know one of them." 

"Alright well some of those myths are true. There is a vampire in this town and it's attacking the people here." 

"Say what?" Happy said.

"You have to believe me. My grandparents encountered vampires when they used to live in this town, by a miracle they got away unscathed but they lost a good friend." 

"Are you drunk?" Natsu asked. 

"I know it's crazy but it's the truth! Nobody in this town believes us! But dear God I pray that you'll listen!" 

"Buddy you're scaring me. You sound crazy." 

"Look if you won't work with us then at least take these for protection." 

Jack handed Natsu various items. Strings of garlic, wooden stakes, and glass bottles of holy water. 

"If you value your life and the lives of your companions you'll hold on to these, lock your doors, say your prayers, and whatever you do don't go out after dark." 

"Oooookay." Natsu said thinking this man had lost his mind. 

"Also take this." 

The last thing he gave him was a cross pendent on a chain. 

"It was my grandmother's, when she gave it to me before she died she made me promise that I would give it to any woman in danger of being attacked by the vampire. I saw you had two young ladies with you, give this to one of them." 

Natsu was a hundred percent convinced that this man was completely nuts but he had a feeling that he should heed his warning. So without a word he returned to the inn with the stuff he had been given where he told his friends everything that had happened.

"I'm telling you this guy was a total lunatic." Natsu said. 

"But he seemed very sincere." Happy said.

"That doesn't make him right." Gray said. 

"And if you're so sure that he was crazy why did you bring back all this stuff?" Lucy asked. 

"Well..." Natsu said. "I'm pretty sure this guy is insane but...There is a chance he could be right." 

"Natsu you don't honestly believe in this vampire crap do you?" Gray asked. 

"Not exactly I...I just want to be cautious. We don't know what we're dealing with here and I don't want to take any chances." 

"I kind of agree with Natsu." Juvia said. 

"Juvia I didn't take you for someone who believed in this mythical horror nonsense." Gray said. 

"Right now I just want to make sure that none of us disappear at night. I couldn't bear it if I lost you my darling." 

"Nobody is going to disappear. I don't know about the garlic and the holy water but I do agree that we should probably keep our doors locked tonight and not go outside." 

"Me too." Lucy said. "But can we at least throw out the garlic? It stinks!" 

"Fine!" 

Natsu started throwing the garlic out the window and into a nearby trash pit. As he did this the cross necklace he had received from Jack had fallen from the pile of wooden stakes and caught Juvia's eye. 

"What's this?" She asked holding it up. 

"Just some necklace that belonged to the crazy guy's grandma. Apparently it serves as some defense against vampires." Natsu answered. 

"It sure is pretty." 

"You can have it." 

"Really?" 

"He said to give it to either you or Lucy." 

"Thanks." 

She then fashioned the cross around her neck. After that she and Lucy went into the other room to get some sleep, while the boys and Happy slept in the room they were in. Hours later nature called and Natsu had to use the bathroom. The nearest one was downstairs in where the front desk was. 

He had just stepped one foot inside the bathroom when he saw a shadowy figure loom over the front window. Suspecting that something wasn't right he went to the window and looked through it. He saw two men walking together but one of them was giving off an aura that made him shiver a little. But before he could brush it off as unnecessary paranoia he saw something that made his body go stiff and his blood run cold. 

The man giving off the aura grabbed the other man by the throat and open his jaw revealing razor sharp fangs. In one swift move he sunk his fangs into the other man's neck causing puddles of blood to run out allowing it to be drank by the vampire. Vampire. It was a vampire. A real live vampire.  Needless to say after that Natsu didn't have to go to the bathroom anymore. 

"Oh my God." He whispered while trembling.