The dark

Kaleb Harris groaned as he tried to shield himself away from the sun. The sun. What a pain it always was. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Six in the

morning. Damn. Kaleb ran a finger through his curly hair, his moms hair. That's right. He had another dream about his mother. Getting out of bed, he

walked over to his dresser and inspected an old picture sitting there. A pretty young brown skinned woman stared back at him, smiling. His mother

had died after giving birth to him. She had been killed. But by who he didn't know. They wouldn't tell him. And by they he meant Aunt Lisa and

Uncle Javiar. They weren't biological relatives. Uncle Javiar had been a distant friend of his mothers, and Lisa was his sister. Aunt Lisa had been

raising him for eighteen years. Uncle Javier had visited throughout the years, when he wasn't traveling non stop. Kaleb didn't know anything about his father

either. Kaleb let out a sigh and walked towards his window. He peered outside towards an old building. His school. And from the look of the poster

hanging on it he could expect that they weren't doing anything in class today. That was ok. He was a senior and they didn't do much anyway. Kaleb

had great eyesight. So good it won him money sometimes. He used to bet his friends that he would know what they were doing in class a mile

down the road from the school scheduling posters. That was until they got tired of his greatness and stopped betting with him. "Kaleb!" A voice

shouted from downstairs. Aunt Lisa. "Get your ass down here or you'll be late for school!" Kaleb groaned again. He was so tired. He wished he could

just sleep in and dream of his mother again. In his dreams she had told him to expect something big coming. But wouldn't specify what it was.

Kaleb had learned long ago to pay attention to his dreams. Every time he had a dream about his mother whatever she said in it would come true.

Kaleb had won some money by doing that too. He had come to realize that these "dreams" were also visions. It freaked him out but he was kind

of glad. It was his one time to see his mother. In a vision or not. Kaleb threw on a shirt and slipped on some jeans. He had taken a shower the

night before so he felt that he smelled good enough. Aunt Lisa would kill him if she found out how he got dressed sometimes. Kaleb rushed

downstairs and gave his aunt a sly grin. "I'm sorry auntie I was just so tired and." Lisa held her hand out. "No excuses. You know how I feel about

the importance of school." She scolded. Kaleb picked up a brush and ran it through his hair. He went over to the sink and splashed some water on

his face. Aunt Lisa gave him a dirty look. "Is that how you prepare yourself in the morning?" He grinned. "Only sometimes." He said, throwing an

arm around her shoulder. "I had a dream about mom last night." He confessed. Lisa's playfully scolding face dropped into a frown. "Oh." She

sat down into a kitchen chair. Kaleb had told her all the visions of his mother since he could remember them. Aunt Lisa had always believed him

about his dreams. She thought they were visions too. Visions from a dead person were usually a bad sign and she was a little scared about

hearing about his dreams. But she always listened. "What happened this time?" Kaleb sat down beside her. "Well she said something was

coming." Lisa was silent. "Was the shadow behind her?" She said softly. Kaleb couldn't remember seeing one. For the past few months there

was a shadow in some of his dreams about his mother. They were in a field as usual. Thats where she always was. Sitting in a long flowing

gown. There was always a smile on her face. Kaleb had thought he looked a little like her. Granted he was a few shades lighter than his mother.

She was a pretty young African american woman. She looked like they could be in the same class. She had died when she was eighteen.

Kaleb thought sometimes about what her short life could have been like. In his dreams he would sit across from her. And they would talk for a

long time. About his school, about how things were going. It relaxed him to dream of her. Until the shadow came. It loomed ominously from

behind her, but she seemed to ignore it. Kaleb had a bad feeling about it. But it never seemed to hurt her. It was just. There. But the shadows

were nothing compared to the dark. Sometimes he dreamt of dark figures. They were all shadows. And sometimes he would have flashbacks

when he dreamt of them. Of his mother, still alive. Sometimes she was laughing in them. And then a long claw like hand would come down on her.

Kaleb believed whatever they were they had killed his mother. He shook the bad dreams from him. "No Aunt Lisa." He said, forcing a smile. "No

shadow this time." Lisa looked relieved. "Alright. Go to school kid, and be safe." Kaleb stood and walked to the door. What did he have to be

safe from?" He looked back one last time at his aunt. She sat with a worried look on her face, hunched over. A shadow seemed to be looming over

her. Once at school Kaleb felt like he really should have just found a way to stay home. "Its too hot in this damn classroom." He complained. His

class burst out laughing. The teacher, Mrs. Jones frowned. "Do you think you might have something useful to say for once?" She scolded. "She's

such a bitch." His friend, John Thomas said, leaning over to whisper to him. Kaleb smirked. He always hated his English teacher. She always picked

on the three of them. Him, John, and Kyle. Kyle Richards was over at his desk looking bored. His spiky hair was holding up despite it being one

hundred twenty degrees in the classroom. "Cant we open a window or something?" Kyle complained. Mrs. Jones glared at him. "If this was a

class full of better students maybe you would deserve it." The class groaned. So it was gonna be the this class isn't as well behaved as the rest of

the school speech huh? He heard it already. Mrs. Jones was about to get into it when the door burst open. A disheveled looking Ms. Vinnie rushed

in. Ms. Vinnie was hot for a thirty year old. If only she showed off her body a little more. Kaleb thought. "Mrs. Jones, turn on the tv." She gasped.

Mrs. Jones wasn't to pleased at being interrupted but she turned on the class tv anyway. A female announcer came on. "It appears the murders

in Pitchtown were random. Or was it? Sources say the crime scene matches the scenes of at least twelve other murders in six other states. The

bodies were all mutilated in the same way. No animals can destroy a person the way these bodies were destroyed. Be on the lookout, and stay

safe." Kaleb drowned out the rest. Was this what his mother was warning him about? He turned and looked out the window. A dark cloud hung

over the town.


After class Kaleb walked slowly through the hallway. Murders in my own town. He thought. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice a figure

blocking his path. "Sorry." He muttered as he bumped into it. "Kaleb!" The voice shrieked. "Is that how you say hi to your girlfriend?" He grinned.

"Sorry Malissa. Lost in thought." "Hey have you heard about the murders here?" She asked. Kaleb nodded. "Where did everybody else go?" He

said, looking around the empty hall. Malissa frowned. "They announced school was out early so everyone could get home safe. The murders only

happened at night." Kaleb nodded slowly. "Weren't you listening?" Malissa said worriedly. "What are you doing here then?" Kaleb questioned.

"I came looking for you." She replied. Kalebwas about to respond when he heard a voice he didn't want to. "What the hell are you two still doing

here!" Mrs. Jones yelled, stomping down the hall. "It's getting dark get out of here!" Since it was a few more days before his graduation he

thought that he would give her a piece of his mind. "Listen you bitch." He began. Her eyes widened in shock. Without warning a door at the end

of the hall burst open. Kaleb noticed that it was raining heavily. A dark figure stepped in the doorway. "Is that another student!" Mrs. Jones

shrieked, walking quickly down the hall towards the door. "Shouldn't you little brats be home by now?" The figure raised its head slightly. Its

mouth parted. Long teeth slipped out. No. Not teeth. Fangs. Kaleb shook his head. People didn't have fangs. Mrs. Jones was still yelling when two

figures appeared beside the person in the middle. He saw Mrs. Jones flinch in shock. "Who's there?" She called, cautiously. In a flash the person

in the middle threw out a hand. It gripped around the teacher's neck. Mrs. Jones gurgled furiously and beat on the arm. The hand grabbed on

tightly to the skin on her neck, and pulled it off viciously. Beside Kaleb Melissa screamed in horror. "What the hell?" Kaleb said. Putting a hand

protectively in front of Malissa, he took a step away from the scene. "When I tell you to run you run." He whispered to her. She nodded. Kaleb

noticed the two figures were eating on whatever remained of Mrs. Jones. Kaleb was distracted by his plans when Mr. Pino, the principal stepped

out from his office into the hallway. "What the hell is all that noise?" He turned his head towards Kaleb and Malissa. "What are you two doing

here i thought we sent all the students home." "Mr. Pino look out!" Malissa screamed. The principal looked behind him to late. He let out a scream

before the head killer tore his arm off. "Ahhhh!" Malissa screamed. Mr. Pino fell without a sound. The thing that ripped off Mr. Pino's arm hissed at

them. "Go!" Kaleb yelled. Malissa ran and he followed. The last thing he saw was a tall bald man hissing at him from over the bodies. His eyes

were pure black and he had blood on his sharp teeth. Running through the rain, Kaleb tried to keep an eye on his girlfriend. He had never seen

it rain like this. He could barely see her. Her red shirt kept appearing and going from his vision. "Malissa!" He yelled through the pounding rain.

"Kaleb!" A voice screamed back. He saw her tan hand reach out for his. Kaleb grabbed it and pulled her behind a building. He pulled her into a

hug. "What the hell were those things?" She asked. "We have to call the cops." He responded. Peering out to see if those things were around.

He took out his cell phone and began to dial. "What the hell?" Kaleb took the cell away from his ear. "No service. That's never happened before."

Malissa shook from the cold. "Come on. We'll go to my house and get my aunt." Kaleb picked her up and began to run. He knew he was fast. And

wanted to get as far away from that school as fast as he could. They arrived ten minutes later, bursting through the door. Aunt Lisa was sipping

on some coffee and she stared at them wide eyed. "I heard they let out early, what took you so long?" She questioned Kaleb. "The killer is here

Aunt Lisa." Kaleb said frantically. "That guy from the news that killed all those people except theres three of them!" "Actually." The door closed

from behind them and Uncle Javiar stepped out from behind it. "Theres more." "Uncle Javiar?" Kaleb said confused. "What are you doing

here?" "I've faced these things before." He continued, ignoring Kaleb's question. He looked at his sister. "We have to get him out of here before

they sence what he is." "Ok." Malissa said, stepping from behind Kaleb. "Just what the hell are we talking about here?" "What were those things.

They Ate the teacher. Ok Ate. They ripped her apart and ate her, so just what were those things?" "Vampires." Uncle Javiar said simply. Malissa

laughed. "Theres no such thing." Javiar stared at her. "Thats what we thought. Eighteen years ago in Alaska. When they came." Kaleb stepped

forward. "Whose we?" "Oh just your mom and I and a few other people." "Mom?" Kaleb asked, surprised. Javiar nodded. "They trapped us. But

some of us managed to survive." "Not all of you." Kaleb muttered. "You mean your mom?" Javiar asked, and nodded again. "They didnt kill her

though. They couldnt." "Give me some answers." Kaleb said, sitting down. "How do we get out of town alive?" Javiar was silent. "We make an

exchange." He said. He looked up. "We get him and we exhange him for the survivors of this whoever's left." "Who the hell is him?"

Kaleb demanded. "The guy who killed your mom." Javiar answered. "We leave town, find him, bring him back and make a deal. They'll leave town

if we hand him over." "Why the hell would those vampires want to kill whoever hurt mom?" Kaleb said. Uncle Javier stood. "Because one of them

killers is your father."