I couldn't stop thinking about the three scars on my cheek that seemed to be signalling my death. Mum had picked me up, but I hadn't said anything in the car, despite her usual attempts to get some conversation out of me. I'm not really the talkative type.
What could I do? Vampaneze were stronger and faster than me and had their abilities at their disposal (such as the knockout gas that I fell victim to). The only way I'd be able to combat them would be to become a Vampire or Vampaneze.
Trouble was, I had no idea where to look.
I was tempted to try the alleyway again, but it wasn't likely that any Vampires or Vampaneze would be there, and it was more likely that those who I had encountered last time would be there. I wasn't sure that they were the ones who had marked me, but I had a pretty strong hunch.
We got home and I raced up to my room, shut the door and fished out my old Darren Shan books. If anything could help me now, it was them. I couldn't find the second book, but I found the rest of them and started skim reading them to try and pinpoint any weaknesses they had. The only one I picked out was that they wouldn't last very long in sunlight, and they almost never kill in their victim's house. I thought that maybe I could stay here forever, they'd eventually give up and...
No. They ALMOST never killed in someone's house. If they got tired of waiting, they would. My mind didn't help by showing me my corpse in all its glory, but I tuned that out by thinking practically. The only way out of this that I could think of was to convince a Vampire or Vampaneze to blood me, as I would no longer be a human and my blood would be poisonous to whoever it was that had marked me. Not only that, but I'd be able to fight the Vampaneze on equal footing. There were problems though. Even if I did find a Vampaneze (though I was hoping I'd find a Vampire - Vampaneze kill when they feed but Vampires don't) I was only 16. According to the books, blooding children was frowned upon, but I figured that I was technically an adult, and if that failed at trying to convince them to make me a full Vampire/Vampaneze I could become a Vampire or Vampaneze assisstant, meaning I'd be a Half-Vampire or Half-Vampaneze. It also said that I wouldn't be able to have children, but I didn't find that much of a problem. If I wanted one, I'd adopt one. If I died then I wouldn't be able to have children either! With the one solution clear to me, I now had the tricky task of finding a Vampire or Vampaneze. I was lucky in the sense that I was on school holiday, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to search so freely!
The next day I woke up early, meaning to start looking, when I realized that the Vampires and Vampaneze wouldn't be awake! It didn't seem so much of a problem the more I thought about it, as they wouldn't be moving. I could find where one of them was, then wait 'till dark (it was winter, so it wouldn't be so much of a wait) and then confront them. Then I thought of another problem. Vampires and Vampaneze avoided cities and places where humans went, unless they had to feed. That meant I'd probably ONLY see them at night, and they'd be doing their best to avoid being seen. Even if I did see one, I'd have to be careful not to let them knock me out, otherwise I couldn't explain my dilema to them. I left a note on the kitchen table saying I would be out all day, and then started walking into the city centre.
The first day yielded no luck. I was constantly checking where I had first seen the creatures of the night, but with no success. I read through the third Darren Shan book to see if it could tell me how long I had to search, but I don't remember it ever giving an exact amount of time. I'd just have to be hopeful.
The annoying voice in my head protested that I could have scratched myself when I was asleep and not noticed it, but I ignored the voice. This time it seemed more likely that Vampires and Vampaneze existed when I put the two clues together, and despite the voice's protestings it eventually gave up. Two more days passed without any luck. On Saturday, as I prepared for another day of searching, I heard my mum knock on the door of my room and enter. I knew she would have something already rehearsed so I listened to her speech. She was asking why I was spending three days in a row in town. Thinking quickly I spun her a quick story that my friends had now started a tradition where from Wednesday to Saturday (of this week) we spent all day hanging out. Mum was skeptical, but seeing as I didn't hang out with my friends often she eventually became convinced and let me go.
That got me thinking. If I was unable to find someone to help and ended up dead, would the creature of the night after me stop with just one person, or go after my whole family? Admittedly there was only me, my little sister and my mum where I was staying but it might be really hungry for blood. My stomach whirled around as I thought about this, but it only willed me on to find a Vampire (or Vampaneze if the situation got desperate) and become blooded. I wasn't thinking about what would happen afterwards, as my mind was totally focused on the search. If I had thought ahead, I'm not sure I would have continued.
The day passed with still no signs of finding someone who would blood me. I got desperate and searched the internet to see if I could find anything to help me. I remember reading about Vampire Hunters in one of the books, and while I didn't want to KILL Vampires or Vampaneze, it might help me track them more easily. Sadly, I found nothing.
Later, up in my room, I was lying on my bed and thinking hard. How could I find a Vampaneze or Vampire? They were faster and could move more quietly than me.
They don't exist. I ignored the small voice in my head, but it persisted. It's a book for god's sake, and because two COINCIDENCES happen you're convinced that the Vampaneze are after you. Get a hold of yourself! I tuned out the voice, but doubt was forming at the back of my mind. It had been two coincidences, but because they'd been relatively close together, I'd partnered them up as a whole idea. I might have banged my head on something for the first one, and scratched myself for the second. It wasn't a very convincing arguement, but it did put my mind at rest. I looked at the bedside clock and decided to go to sleep. I wouldn't stop the search until I was entirely sure, but I wasn't going to worry about it as much.
Of course, soon after I was proven wrong.
