Chapter 2: Seeking Protection

David searched for information on vampires first and first read up on Dracula, the most famous of vampires. "A vampire's powers include hypnosis, manipulating shadows, speed, turning into a bat, and injecting victims with a venom that makes them turn into undead armies for his to command," he read aloud. "Vampires are always in need of fresh blood and therefore hunt for thralls, usually female, to satisfy their blood needs.

"A thrall is bound to the vampire after the vampire has bitten them. Instead of using his venom, the vampire will drink the thrall's blood, but just enough to make the thrall feel tired and need rest. Because he won't drain the thrall's blood, vampires usually need more than one thrall to satisfy their blood needs and if a thrall should try to escape, the vampire can easily track them down by the smell of their blood and the mark he has put on them. The mark is to ensure that no other vampire touches his thrall, as even kidnapping another vampire's thrall is forbidden.

"A thrall can only be released from the vampire either by the vampire himself, which would usually lead to the victim's blood being drained, or by a mixture of garlic, onions, and rosemary. Vampires dislike the smell of these three things and will stay away from someone who has these items. A wooden stake to the heart also is good to take care of vampires, but one must be close enough to do so."

David wrote that down before looking up on how to get rid of ghosts before recalling something. "A cross. Ghosts can't touch holy items," he said to himself, writing that down before looking up how to get rid of ghouls, finding almost the same answer as to get rid of ghosts, though with ghouls made of stone, trapping them in something like mud or cement would stop them as would breaking them into pieces and scattering the pieces.

He began to think about what he could do and immediately went up into the attic to search for anything that could help. He found his dad's old hockey armor and put that on and he happened to find a cross that his mother had been given sometime back and had probably forgotten was in the attic. "Okay, cross and armor, check. Now for a wooden stake," he said and went into the backyard.

It was his fortune that his father had been working on building a new shed and had left some cut pieces of wood nearby just in case he needed them. The twelve-year-old found one that would do fine for a stake and was pleased it had a sharp point at one end. He then went into the garden and plucked some branches of rosemary before going into the kitchen and cutting up some cloves of garlic and some slices of onion, putting all three items in plastic bags. "Perfect," he said as he made enough bags to keep himself safe and save Poppy and Bridget and their families.

He felt a twinge of sadness that he had accepted a candy apple from Vampirina, though she had seemed nice. Then again, vampires would do anything to reel in someone to be their slave or even part of their army.

Thankful that his parents were out of town for the weekend, David hunkered by the door, clutching the precious items close to him as he grabbed his dad's old hockey stick for good measure, ready to defend his home and life.

Poppy had seen where David had gone and led the others there. "I hope we can talk to him and get him to see he doesn't have to be afraid," she said.

"Well, remember how it took Mom and I a bit to see that the Hauntleys were harmless?" Edgar asked quietly.

"True," Edna admitted. "But then Chef Remy and King Pepi proved that we didn't have to worry."

"I don't know. This young David might not be so willing to listen," Boris said.

"I'll scout ahead," Demi said and floated up to David's home, being careful as he peeked in and saw the boy was armed to the teeth and ready to face off the monsters, though he seemed afraid too. Curious, the blue ghost told the others.

"So he's afraid, but willing to face us to defeat us?" Oxana asked.

"How do we show him he doesn't have to worry?" Vampirina asked.

"Perhaps it would be best for Miss Edna and the children to stay out here while the rest of us go to face the boy," Remy suggested. "If he is armed to attack, they might get hurt."

Edna agreed. "We'll wait out here," she said. "Be careful."

"We will," Boris said with a nod before looking at his daughter. "Stay with Miss Edna, our little bat."

"Yes, Papa," Vampirina said, though she was a bit scared. When Edgar had found out her secret and later Edna, they had just stayed away until Chef Remy and King Pepi had stepped in to help, although Edna had put garlic around her home in hopes of keeping the vampires from getting to the kids. She had removed that after making amends with the Hauntleys, though her house had smelled like garlic for a few days afterwards.

Demi, Gregoria, Oxana, Boris, and Chef Remy went up to the door and knocked first, hoping to at least show that they were being neighborly and braced themselves to face any attack the boy had.

David jumped at the sound of the knock and he got up and carefully opened the door before jumping back at seeing the monsters there. "Get back!" He warned, brandishing the hockey stick and the cross.

"Please, don't be alarmed," Oxana said, stepping into the house.

"We truly mean no harm," Boris said gently.

The twelve-year-old year old stood firm despite being afraid. "Yeah, right!" He said. "You'll regret coming here and after I'm done with you all, I'll free those humans you're using as thralls!"

They looked shocked. "We are not using humans as thralls!" Remy said, his face hard with anger.

"No way!" Demi said, shaking his head.

"Humans haven't been used as thralls in several hundred years," Gregoria said. "Not since the peace treaties between monsters and humans."

David got one of the bags of garlic, rosemary, and onion ready in his hand to throw. "You can't trick me!" He said before throwing the bag, which exploded against the floor, sending chopped garlic, chopped onion, and rosemary to the floor.

The aroma was appauling, to say the least.

Boris coughed harshly. "Gracious, that is strong," he said.

"What a terrible odor!" Chef Remy said, the fumes hitting him strongly.

"Ugh! You trying to stink up the place, kid?" Gregoria asked.

Oxana felt her eyes water from the stench. "Garlic," she said in horror.

To David's surprise, while the stench was a bit unbearable, it didn't send the monsters running. Thinking he needed a stronger batch, he threw another bag, making it explode and the stench become stronger. "Stop!" Demi said. "You'll make the Hauntleys sick!"

"Good!" The boy said, his brown eyes hard. "Because you're not welcomed here."

"Alright! That's it!" Chef Remy said, moving forward, walking through the fumes of the vegetables and herbs. "Time to settle this, boy!"

David brandished his weapons. "Bring it on! I'm not afraid of you!"

The skeleton could see that wasn't true as the boy was slightly shaking and he cocked a brow bone before smirking and making his scariest face and roaring.

The twelve-year-old jumped back in surprise and went to throw another bag of the pungent mixture, but couldn't find any. "Looking for these?" The blue ghost asked as he held up the bags. "You're not going to use these again."

Feeling more trapped, David held out the cross and raised the wooden stake to throw it, but just as he released it, Gregoria jumped up and deflected the stake. "You gonna poke someone's eye out with that!" She scolded.

Now with only the cross, hockey stick, and hockey armor for his protection, the boy tried standing tall, but that was hard. "Keep away from me!" He said, holding out the cross, trying to keep his hands from shaking. "I won't let you monsters hurt anyone else and I will release your thralls!"

"We don't have thralls!" Boris exclaimed, the very idea filling him with horror.

"Get him!" Remy declared and charged. David swung the hockey stick, but to this shock, the skeleton simply jumped over it or separated briefly before coming back together again.

"Stop him before someone gets hurt!" Oxana said worriedly.

The boy grew scared as the five closed in on him and he held out the cross again. "Go away!" He declared.

"Can't do that," Gregoria said with a shrug.

Seeing the skeleton and ghost coming closer, David tried to hold his ground, but knew he needed to get to someplace higher and a bit more secure to fight off these creatures.

He turned and ran, hearing them run after him and he didn't dare look back, knowing that if he looked back or stopped, he'd be caught by the monsters, which he didn't want.

As he was running, he hit the scatter rug in the hallway and went down hard, dropping the cross and hockey stick. He tried to get up, but his body was temporarily frozen in shock and pain, giving the monsters the chance to grab him. "No! Let go!" He demanded, trying to grab either the cross or the hockey stick, but they stopped him.

"Calm down," Oxana said, her voice soothing.

David covered his ears. "No!" He cried out, recalling how soft tones were often used with hypnosis to make it more effective. He closed his eyes tightly too as he struggled to get free.

Remy sighed as he helped the Hauntleys hold down the boy. "He's terrified," he said softly. "Yet brave enough to try and face his fears."

Demi and Gregoria didn't look happy. "Mr. Hauntley, you and Mrs. Hauntley may have to use your hypnosis," the gargoyle said.

"Before it's too late," Demi said.

Oxana and Boris looked at each other and nodded, to which Gregoria, Demi, and Remy held the boy down while Boris gently pulled the boy's hands away from his ears. "No!" David screamed out. "Help! Somebody!"

"Shh," Boris said softly. "Calm down."

"Don't be afraid," Oxana soothed as she and her husband began using their hypnosis, but the boy's eyes were closed. Remy reached his hands towards the boy's underarms and gently poked his fingers there, making David's eyes fly open in surprise. It only too that one second of his brown eyes to meet the four eyes glowing a light blue with hypnosis and he struggled, but couldn't close his eyes as the hypnosis was too strong to look away from.

"That's it," he heard the male vampire said gently.

"Just relax," the female vampire said.

David tried to fight it, but couldn't. "No," he pleaded weakly.

"Shh," he heard Boris shush him. "Go to sleep, young man. You'll feel better when you wake up."

The twelve-year-old's body went limp and his eyes closed as he lost consciousness. Remy gently picked him up, shaking his head sadly. "Let's hope he'll be more willing to listen when he wakes up," he said.

"We'll know in about an hour," Oxana said as they headed back to the Scare B&B.

Hmm. What do you think will happen? Read on! :)

Oh, and I mostly made up with the facts about monsters.

And please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418