Edgar was taken aback by the reporter's reaction to his warnings. Couldn't she see these things were really happening all around her? He pushed his way through the chaos of wires and video cameras trying to get back into focus with the broadcast, and Alan stood in the doorway of the comic book shop looking rather cross as he watched his fellow warrior make a fool of himself. He folded his arms and huffed, taking a moment to check the sky. The stars were being chased away by thick cumulus clouds moving in at a highly unusual rapid rate, and it wasn't just the speed in which they came that set him back, it was the color. Not the expected dark gray masses, these were a dark crimson outlined in flaming red that turned the moon from its slight yellow to pale pink. The town itself was now bathed in the same eerie color of blood red.

The reporters stood back in awe, gasping at the new spectacle rolling in before them, and yet they seemed unable to lift a finger or a camera to get a good shot of it. Edgar didn't care, he was still arguing with the reporter to put him back on the screen. He pulled the video in one direction and the reporter pulled it in another. It wasn't until the screeching sound of birds filled the air with their horrific cries that he finally let go to see just what was going on. Ravens filled the crimson sky in larger than life numbers almost shadowing out the red glow the clouds had consumed the town with. It seemed as if they were following the storm, and this storm would be no heavenly down pour.

Alan tapped his foot anxiously, becoming more and more impatient with his brother. This was no time to worry about being on the news. The end was seriously near. "Edgar," he yelled, trying to get his attention diverted. "We're seriously close to unraveling in the face of the enemy. Get your sorry Rambo ass in here and help me get rid of this snake infestation."

Edgar continued to watch the birds pass over for a minute before letting go of the reporters arm and charging dramatically towards the door where his brother stood. "Come on man move," he said, shoving Alan out of the way, slamming the door shut behind him. "Uh, get the sea salt, and the incense and candles." He scrambled around trying to find their lone book of spells that he had set aside, outside of their other books, tools and weaponry. For some reason their parents were awfully involved with this particular book, that is when they were coherent.

Alan placed the candles around the main lobby of the shop in four different corners and lit the wicks with a lighter. He continued around the room in the same manner with the incense of fern, sandalwood and sage, letting the tips burn for a few seconds before blowing them out. The sacred smoke rose in spirals filling the room in abundance with the mixed scents of the outdoors.

Edgar impatiently searched for the sea salt, hoping against hope that it wasn't in their weapon room where the slithering serpents dwelled for the time being. If that were the case he would have to make a b-line for the store, and being caught in a torrential down pour of blood was not his idea of a peaceful evening fighting demons and monsters bringing fourth Armageddon. "Christ!" he screeched. "Where the hell is my sea salt?"

"Check the safe," Alan yelled, waving his way through the thick smoke, his eyes already red and hazed.

"Dam it!" Edgar cursed, tossing a box across the room and out of his way as he sank down behind the counter, just below his sleeping parents, to check the safe. Sure enough, there it was. He held it up, giving a salute of victory. "We'll kick their ass man," he continued, hopping over to where Alan now sat on the floor.

He quickly opened the container and started to sprinkle it around himself and his brother to make a perfect circle on the cold floor. As he did, he nodded to Alan and they began to chant in unison. "With this salt we sprinkle about, we banish all negative spirits out… within these walls you may not stay, we ask you now to go on your way." One final pinch of salt and the circle was complete. "It shall be done," they both agreed.

There was a sharp cracking sound that ran along the back wall where the best of the best Spiderman and Batman comics sat on display, and a few of them fell to the ground. The earth below them trembled and sent a large fracture straight up the wall behind them as the candle's wicks were suddenly blown out. The sound of hissing snakes roared all around them and they jumped into each other's arms.

"What the hell," Alan grimaced, clutching Edgar's camouflaged shirt. "I thought you said that was a protection, banishing spell thingy?"

Edgar shrugged, still looking around the room in paranoia. "It was," he said honestly. "You know I don't know anything about this witch craft shit. We need to find Serenity."

….

Off the Boardwalk, down near the beach, Dwayne returned to Serenity's abode before David and found Paul outside smoking as usual and staring at the sky, mesmerized by the speed in which the clouds moved, and the color that was oh so breath taking. "What the fuck is going on?" Dwayne asked him, following his gaze to the clouds.

Paul took another puff and let the smoke roll out through his lips slowly. "Either this is some good shit, or we're in for a blood bath."

"Why the hell are you sitting out here?" Dwayne asked. "Is David in there?"

Paul looked over his shoulder at the door and smirked. "Nope. Marko kicked me out. He's in there doing something with a naked Serenity." He chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, you can't blame me for trying to be part of the action."

Dwayne looked him up and down and scowled. "You're one twisted asshole sometimes. Why the hell would Marko be trying to get it on with an unconscious girl?" Aggravated, he turned and shoved the door open, only to find Marko sitting on the bed watching over Serenity. Paul was right on one account, she was in the nude, but Marko had carefully wrapped her in a sheet off the bed. The ice bath had made her condition even worse. She twisted and turned on the mattress mumbling words that sounded more alien than human, even as Marko had tried to probe her mind, all he got back was gibberish, and every time he touched her now she screamed bloody murder.

He jerked his head around when he heard the door fly open, hoping it was David and when he saw that it wasn't, his worry flared to anger. "Where the hell is David? Is he behind you?" he asked, letting his words lash out at Dwayne like whips.

"No good huh?" Dwayne asked, taking one of the chairs from the kitchen table and turning it around so he could straddle it backwards.

Marko looked away from him as his eyes blazed amber. "I'm going to kill the son of a bitch who created this shit. Actually, I think I'll inject him with it first before I tear his throat out."

"Take it easy man. Since when did you take on such feelings for humans?" Dwayne asked, folding his arms over the back of his chair.

"I haven't," Marko snapped, looking at his blood brother with low, hunter's eyes. "Everything inside of me is aching to drink her up…every dam drop. But then something pulls the need away. I don't know why and I can't explain it."

"Maybe it's time we take her to a real doctor."

"No." David's voice rang out through the small cabin as he hobbled through the doorway. "We take her there and it's really the end, for her and all of us," he continued, limping over to the bed and pulling the antidote out from inside his coat. Not to mention the fact that he hated hospitals like he hated Max's laboratory and all the dam cacti that went with it. He searched his pocket for the needle looking as if a black hole had suddenly developed inside and swallowed it whole. With a loud irritated growl his hand finally brought it forth.

Dwayne pushed his face down to the inside of his arm at the sight of it. What was it with this girl and needles? She had become a regular pincushion it seemed. He guessed that if he were in her shoes, he would want someone to just put him out of his misery.

"What happened to you?" Marko asked, watching his sire take a seat painfully on the other side of Serenity.

"There was an ambush of cacti at the lab," he mumbled, pushing the needle out of its protective sheath and plunging it into the bottle of liquid herb. "The bastard cacti lost." He steadily filled the syringe and when no more could be expelled from the tube, pulled the needle out of the plug, disregarding the small amount of laughter coming from Marko and Dwayne. He gave them a quick warning glance and moved to uncover Serenity's naked form.

Marko daringly pushed his hand away. "She's naked," he protested.

David raised an eyebrow looking down at him in awe at his odd behavior. "We've all seen naked girls before. Is there a reason I shouldn't see this one?" he asked with a slight arrogance and tone that told Marko he had better step back or get reprimanded for it later.

"No," Marko answered calmly, backing down the bed as David continued.

"This has to go directly into the center of her stomach, so I'll need you to hold her down." At this point her breasts were exposed and Marko felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. Something about this was not right to him. David treated her like an object, and Marko wanted to hide her from him. Dwayne watched from a distance. He seemed more squeamish about the needle than the partial nudity, naturally.

Paul skipped in full of spirit through the door covering his head with part of his jacket as the rain started to pound against the windows. It was thick, red rain and a bitter metallic smell filled the sea air. "Shit, does this mean no more human meals?" he asked, shaking off what little of the rancid rain had hit him.

"Paul sit down," David said, staring into the clear liquid and tapping the needle to make sure no air bubbles escaped through it. He regarded Marko sternly. "You ready?"

Marko nodded, moving up to hover over his angelic mystery and placed a hand on her chest just above her breasts. David leaned in, rubbing the tender skin just above her navel and plunged the needle straight into her abdomen. To his surprise, she barely flinched. With one quick jerk it was over. He sat back and recapped the needle. "Now we wait," David said.

While the boys took care of her body, Serenity's astral one moved languidly from the bathroom through the kitchen towards her soft bed. She couldn't recall the past few days, or why she was still awake this late at night. Her eyes were cloudy and her lips parched, but no matter how much she tried to drink, the water would not slide down her throat. Maybe she had been sick, she thought, as she dragged her feet across the cold tile floor.

She noticed that her wooden chairs had been moved in a disorderly fashion and had been placed all around her bed. She studied them for a minute realizing that some strange magic was at work when four apparitions appeared to be sitting in them. Yes, now she could hear their voices, talking about poison and red rain and…wait a minute, she could see herself in her bed already. How could that be? Was she dead? She moved closer to the strangers that surrounded her and it struck her suddenly that she must know them somehow. The curly haired blonde struck a cord in her heart. No, that can't be, but wait, the other blonde with the steely gaze, she knew him too, but the feeling was not pleasant, rather it was bitter and caused a spot on her neck to pulsate in pain. She ran her hands over her face and pinched her arm. No feeling. "How did I die?" she asked out loud hoping one of the strange young men would answer. Instead she heard another voice behind her.

"You are the chosen four," it said in monotone with no expression what so ever. Serenity jumped and turned to see Howie standing beside her, like a stone cold statue with no real expression on his face, except for a blank stare directly into the mirror in front of him, and he was a ghastly pale color. The two puncture wounds from Dwayne's bite stood out like bee stings welts. "You are the chosen four," he said again.

"Howie?" Serenity asked, moving apprehensively to touch him on the shoulder. She gasped when her finger hit bone. He was ice cold. She studied his face as he kept saying the same words over and over. It was as if he were trying to get the message across to someone and until he did would be stuck there forever. She peeked into the mirror in front of him only to see the four boys sitting behind them surrounding her bed.

"You are the chosen four," he repeated again. "You and only you have the power to stop the dark force that's present…"

Serenity gulped and stepped in front of him, looking into his frozen stare. His pupils were almost white like someone had stuck him into a freezer with his eyelids open. It was a horrible picture to her and she cringed, trying not to look away or run screaming.

"You have to know what to see," he whispered, reaching up and clutching onto her shoulders with his chilled, bony talons. He turned her around so she could see again into the mirror. It was David who stood before her with his artic gaze, gloved hands clasped together, and that irresistible smirk he wore often and proudly. Then Max appeared behind him, clutching onto David's shoulders like Howie had hers. A wave of dark panic overcame Serenity and she turned around trying to shove out of Howie's grasp, screaming, "No, no, let me go," only to look up and see Max in front of her.

…..

On the outside, while Serenity battled her demons, Edgar and Alan drudged drearily, as fast as they could, through the onslaught of blood rain in an attempt to get to her cabin. Despite their plastic covers, which consisted of nothing less than black trash bags, their clothes and hair were sticky wet. Even their boots were soaked as they tromped through the slimy sand that was now a dark crimson color. The smell alone was enough to make then turn back. It was the smell of copper pennies and road kill. "Bastard vampires are probably loving this," Edgar growled as he tried once again to read the scribbled directions he had gotten from the post office. The paper was soaked in red and the ink had run. "Can't even read this dam thing," he cursed, knowing it was his own handwriting. Desperate times called for desperate measures, which meant breaking into the mail carriers office. He figured they would have plenty of time to explain everything after they saved the world.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Alan yelled after him, trying to keep his face dry. The water ran over their lips and down their chins making it very hard not to taste blood, which sent Alan into a superstitious panic attack. No way in hell did he want to turn vamp.

Edgar stopped and looked down the row of dimly lit cabins cracking a smile, and blinking wildly to keep the rain drops out of his eyes. Alan was too busy worrying about drinking the poisonous down pour to notice his partner in crime had stopped and he smacked right into him, sending Edgar to his knees in the sludge. "Christ!" Edgar yelled, quickly picking himself out of the goo and shaking his hands off. "Dam it Alan, focus," he continued. Alan only nodded and lifted a hand to point out the one cabin free of red oozing, slimy rain. From where they stood it appeared that the rain was hitting the roof of this little hut, but not a drop tarnished the paint or the small deck that ran around the outside of it.

"That's gotta be it," Edgar claimed, readjusting his gear and starting once again towards the small wooden dome. Alan slid his backpack to the center of his spine and followed after his brother.

The red rain continued to drum down on the windowpanes relentlessly, but Serenity's condition still hadn't changed. She was now very still and quiet and pale. Her heart was barely audible to the four vampires who sat around her, waiting for her to do her magic and come out of the turmoil she was in. Marko still held her hand, her skin as cold as his and he quivered, looking to David for direction, but he showed no indication of worry. Dwayne had made himself quite comfortable on the easy chair in front of the TV watching a muted skateboard video.

"It's been too long," Marko said finally. "What if we give her a little transfusion?" he asked, anxiously rolling up his sleeve to bare his wrist to the lips of his newfound and intriguing girl.

David grabbed his wrist with a sharp, NO! "If we do that now she'll become one of us and you can kiss those sweet powers of hers good bye. We wait it out." He was very edgy when he spoke, and grimaced in pain when he let go of Marko's hand. The cacti needle was digging its way deeper into the flesh of his calf muscle. He wasn't sure if it could wait until night fell again to be removed, but it was a chance he was willing to take.

Paul tapped his knees impatiently, sensing the tense emotion in Marko and wondered if he could will Serenity out of her comatose state. He had noticed earlier that she had a radio sitting on the kitchen counter against the fridge and decided that hearing some familiar tunes might nudge her out of her slumber. He jammed silently to himself as if the music were already playing in his head as he made his way over to examine the rock box. "Maybe we can get some tunes outta this bad boy," he smiled, flipping the dial to FM.

"Dam well better be something worth hearing," Dwayne muttered, his eyes still glued to the TV screen.

"Touché my brother," Paul rocked, doing a little dance back over to his seat, but instead of taking it back he kneeled uncharacteristically down beside Marko on the floor while he rolled the dial back and fourth on the radio to try and find the right tune. There was a short shuffle of static and then the whisper of a tune. "Come on baby," Paul urged, patting the speaker until the words came out nice and clear.

'We both lie silently still
In the dead of the night
Although we both lie close together
We feel miles apart inside'

"You hear that bro?" Paul asked as Marko leaned towards him a bit. "Some of the best dam lyrics ever written." He turned the volume up a bit and sat the radio down on the edge of the bed.

'Was it something I said or something I did
Did my words not come out right
Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess thats why they say'

Paul couldn't help himself enough to keep his lips shut and joined in the chorus, keeping it low enough so as not to foul up the beat.

'Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song

He stopped singing for a moment when Marko nudged him. One of Serenity's fingers had squeezed into his, a little sign of hope. Paul nodded, rocking back and fourth in tune to the music and took an unneeded breath before he started to sing again.

Yeah it does'

'I listen to our favorite song
Playing on the radio
Hear the dj say loves a game of easy come and
Easy go
But I wonder does he know
Has he ever felt like this
And I know that youd be here right now
If I could have let you know somehow
I guess
Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn'

Paul let the last few words roll off the tip of his tongue, allowing the notes to linger and then fade away to the melody in the background before he decided to stop. He looked utterly beaten when Serenity made no more movement or took even the slightest breath. Saving a life was not in the vampire brochure. It was always kill, kill, and kill some more. The savage beast in him lived for it, but this was something he hadn't known for a long time, and suddenly he wanted so badly for her to just rise up and prove that he could still keep the feral animal inside at bay.

Marko caught a glimpse of Paul's last few thoughts and shoved him playfully away, making sure not to let go of Serenity's hand. "Your singing sucks ass dude," he teased.

Paul fell back on the floor catching himself with his hands behind his back. "Yeah, well at least I'm not coddling a mort." He raised his boot off the ground and kicked Marko in the calf. "At least when I do it I actually get some ass." He jumped up snickering and bounced away before Marko could touch him.

"Boys?" David interfered. "Daylight is coming in less than an hour. It's time we make this place a perfect night. That means blankets, sheets, towels and anything else we can use to cover the windows and every nook and cranny to keep the light out." Dwayne and Paul jumped right on it, but Marko grunted, looking down at Serenity, unwilling to leave her side.

"Marko," David looked at him with calm raised eyebrows, but his intent was clear. "I'll sit here with her. Little princess isn't going anywhere anyway."

….

Serenity screamed and reached out for the boys on the bed, trying to get their attention before Max could carry her away to God knows where. He picked her up like a delicate flower and pressed her to him, running his nose along her neck over and over again.

She could hear singing now. A familiar song, a familiar voice, and she remembered Paul. She lashed out at Max, kicking and punching, wiggling and squirming every way she could, screaming out to Paul for help, but it was no use. Max was like a giant stone set for the ages and she was nothing but a worm squiggling about in his dirt.

"Now, now, Serenity, it's so much better if you don't fight," Max said, holding her away from him for a minute, unaffected by her struggling. "This will all be over soon. But I promise, you will feel every bit of it." He laughed contemptuously in her face.

She couldn't help but squint and close her eyes, turning as far away from him as she could. She thought she felt a hand squeeze hers and looked to see Marko, holding her hand on the bed. Oh yes, she remembered Marko, the devilishly charming blonde who rocked her heart. Why couldn't he help her now?

Howie appeared at their side again, chanting his chant, "You are the chosen four."

"What the hell does that mean?" Serenity yelled as Max pushed her head to the side, switching his face to the demon inside. "Howie, dam it, help me!"

Max's roaring laughter filled the room. "There is no help for you my dear." With that said, he tore into her throat, ripping a gaping whole in her flesh. She could feel her own warm blood streaming down her chest, but she was paralyzed, unable to move, and suddenly Howie's face was in hers, like a horrid decaying corpse.

"WAKE UP!" He screamed.

About a half hour later, the boys had succeeded in turning the cabin into a black hole lit only by a few standing lamps; one beside Serenity's bed and the other next to the kitchen table. The rain still pelted the roof in a thunderous rhythm that sounded more like hail, and the air had become stagnant. It caused for severe irritation on the boys part, for even in their cave during sleeping hours they had the luxury of fresh ocean air.

Dwayne gave an unnecessary yawn and stretched his arms high above his head before claiming the easy chair once again as his sleeping spot. Marko had taken his post next to Serenity on the bed, and Paul lay across the floor just to the side of it. David, however, paced with a limp back and fourth in front of the door, listening to the sounds outside, trying to detect any mortal presence, or vampire for that matter. The rain had strangely impaired his senses, and he wouldn't have been surprised if Max decided to show up at the last minute when the four of them were at their most vulnerable to take Serenity away. That was one little tidbit he had not shared with Marko or the rest of his pack yet, and even though he dreaded it, the time would have to come sooner than later, especially since certain members of this little tribe were becoming too attached to this child of the light.

He looked at Marko. He was still staring down at Serenity in awe, fighting the sleep issue that dragged him down, causing his eyelids to look heavy and his shoulders to sag. Paul was already out for the count, his hands neatly crossed over his chest, and Dwayne was just about there.

David decided to take the other side of the bed, up against the wall. Such a shame, he thought that this cabin didn't have high ceilings and rafters. It would make for a much better sleep. He slid his gloves off and set them down, one on top of the other on the kitchen table and looked back over his shoulder, thinking for a quick second he heard footsteps outside the door.

Before he could make a move to check, the door burst open and none other than the two Frogs barged in. They looked like drowned rats soaked in blood; a vision from the horror movie 'Bloody Mary,' but still like trained army geeks, they held up their Holy water squirt guns ready for action. "On your knees blood suckers!" Edgar growled.

Dwayne's eyes popped open burning amber and he quickly rose to his feet, laughing condescendingly at the two boys. Marko's face also changed and he snapped a warning glare in their direction. Paul felt his warning and got to his knees, blinking his eyes from the light coming in.

David slammed the door shut. "Wrong place, wrong time boys," he snickered as Edgar and Alan guarded each other back to back.

"You…you over there," Alan snapped, referring to Marko. "Get away from that girl or I'll shoot."

Marko sneered and shot off the bed raging towards Alan, who let off a few pumps of the squirt gun right into his delicate face. Marko roared in pain, clutching his cheeks with his hands as he fell backwards over Paul who still sat on the floor in shock, and landed backside down on the bed beside Serenity.

Serenity shot forward taking a deep breath, and sat upright taking in the surroundings, her eyes wide, still seeing the vision of Max in front of her. She gasped and looked down at Marko, moaning in pain. The steam rose off his face through his hands, and she hastily grabbed hold, prying them away from his cheeks and touched them with her own. In an instant, the burns were gone. Marko righted himself on the bed his breathing heavy from the agony of fire on his face and stared disbelieving into her eyes. "Good to have you back," he grinned.

She winked and smiled. "You didn't seriously think that was the end of little ole me did you?"

Dwayne growled and moved forward like a big cat on the prowl ready to pounce on Edgar. "You missed, sucker!" he sneered.

David closed in behind Alan. "It's about time this town started delivering," he quipped.

Marko and Serenity both turned their heads. "No!" she shouted, springing out of bed. "No one is eating anyone here."

Paul's jaw dropped to the floor finally realizing that Serenity was awake, even more so than he was, and Dwayne stopped in his tracks, turning to see her with a low hiss. David casually stepped back and folded his arms.

"You heard me, no one is killing anyone." She yanked the squirt guns out of Edgar and Alan's hands and threw them to the ground.

"We're here to rescue you," Edgar insisted as Serenity dismantled the rest of their weapons.

"Well thank you, but they already did," she answered.

Alan curled his top lip and frowned. "We went through all that dam rain. We smell like vampires." Paul couldn't help but laugh at him. "It's not funny!" Alan argued. "If I turn vamp from this someone is going to pay."

David put a hand on his shoulder, enjoying the tormented looks on both their faces. "Relax and take a load off boys, we need to have a talk."

Alan shoved his hand away. "The hell we do." He moved away from David and took a position in the far corner of the room. "There's no way I'm going to trust a blood sucking fiend."

The other boys were beginning to linger unsteadily again as the daytime hours ran their course through their bodies. David knew they wouldn't hold up much longer. Serenity noticed it too as Marko sat raggedly on the bed. She crawled up beside him and took his hand in hers, remembering in her nightmare of a dream that he had taken hers in the same manner. "Listen guys. There is more going on here than this war between you. We need to figure it out, together. If you can't handle that, than feel free to exit the premises." She put a hand to her head, still feeling a bit woozy and laid back down on the bed. Marko crawled up beside her and crossed his arms over his chest, still only wearing his white tee. Serenity curled up beside him and tucked one hand under his folded arms.

Edgar took a spot next to Alan in the corner and they both slumped down to the floor with their knees in the air. Alan slammed his coat down, feeling the rain dried and cracking on his face. "I hate this," he growled. But there was nothing he could do until night fell once again.