Chapter 11: Mr. Bill Compton

"If something happens to you", she whispered, "I don't think I'd be able to blame anyone but myself."

Fern propelled herself forward and started to move faster than she had ever moved before. She was not able to fly as many vampires were, but she then learned she contained enough internal strength to go well over 600 miles per hour. Leo seemed daft to what was going on and continued to struggle around on Fern's back and emit guttural sounds into her ear. One bone protruding from his body in particular had pierced itself into her back and emerged just below her rib cage on the other side. The interesting thing was that she didn't really even notice.

Through the blur of dense hanging trees and brush, Bill Compton's house jumped into her line of vision. Fern practically slammed herself into the door and called out "Bill Compton, I need your help!"

To the unwanted surprise of Fern, it was not her old friend Mr. Compton that opened the door, but rather a blond, beautiful young woman.

"I must see Bill Compton", Fern hissed while the young woman looked at her with a mixture of confusion and horror.

"What is that thing on your back? And…and do you know there's a bone coming out of your stomach?" the young woman breathed; seemingly not bothered by the fact that Fern looked to be only 8 years old.

"Please, I need Bill!"

"Sookie", came a deeper voice from inside, "who is it and what could they possible want at this hour?"

Bill Compton transpired out of the darkness of his house and stood with his mouth agape at tiny Fern and the convulsing, mutating thing on her back.

"Fern?" he breathed, "what on god's green earth is that thing on your-"

"Bill listen, you know I would normally not visit without calling upon you first but I'm having a bit of an emergency and…well, have you ever seen anything like this happen to a vampire?"

Fern ripped Leo from her back and gingerly placed him down on the porch where he immediately proceeded to spit up a fountain of the black liquid. The young woman named Sookie recoiled and cupped a hand to her mouth. "That's fucking disgusting!" she squealed through her hand.

"This is of vampire kind?" Bill questioned and motioned towards his freshly blighted porch.

"He's a newborn, actually. I only just awakened him and he was doing fine for about a minute or so…and, and then this! In all my years I've never seen anything like it! I know that I'm older than you, but you do a great deal more reading and I was hoping you might have an idea of how to save him."

There was complete silence for a moment or so, save for the guttural sounds of Leo, until Bill Compton shook his head lightly.

"I do not believe I have seen anything like this happen to a vampire", He replied with a sullen expression.

"Oh god, Bill what am I supposed to do? I have wanted a companion for so long and-"

"Wait, let me finish. You are welcome to come inside…and if he really means that much to you I happen to be in contact with a healer."

Fern choked back what she thought to be oncoming tears and nodded her head. She scooped Leo up and plopped him back down inside and watched for a second as he dug his nails into the floor.

Bill wasted no time and whipped out a cell phone, ferociously dialed a number, and walked into the living room.

Sookie continued to stare at Leo, though her hands had dropped down to her side.

"I'm terribly sorry", Fern whispered without looking up from Leo, "you're probably not used to seeing things like this."

It was another new feeling for Fern, sympathy for a human being. And what one was doing with Bill Compton she had no idea. But she was beautiful…and there was something…different about her.

"Oh, you would be surprised. I've been mauled by a Maenad before. This ain't any weirder or more frightening than that was" Sookie whispered back, a slight smile on her face.

Awkwardly, Fern returned the smile and sat down on the floor next to Leo.

"So…uh, how old are you anyways? I mean, not to be rude or anything I've just never seen any vampires that look like children."

Fern closed her eyes. "260 years old. But it seems as if I've been around longer than that."

. . .

Three hours passed of Fern pacing back and forth between Leo, the window, and the living room. Sookie had retired upstairs to take a nap, and Bill was sitting on the couch twiddling his thumbs.

Almost a second before Fern felt her panic levels maxing out, the doorbell rang. Bill rushed to open the door, and a small, crotchety old woman waddled inside. She was about the same height as Fern and wore bright blue nurse's scrubs and a bit too much rouge on her pasty white cheeks. She paid almost no attention at all to Bill or Fern and shook her head at the bloody, bone-y creature that was Leo.

"Ma'am," Fern said, "I'm sure Bill already informed you of the details but-"

"Be quiet, vampire. Just let me assess the situation" she croaked, and placed her brown bag on the floor.

She made her way around Leo in a circle, poking him with her foot occasionally and emitting several "mmhmm"s.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Bill interjected.

The old woman pulled a pair of white elastic gloves out of her bag and snapped them over her tiny hands.

"He's rejecting the vampire's blood was placed into him. He's not human and he's not really vampire either" she sighed.

Fern growled angrily. "Then what the fuck is he and how do we fix it?"

"He's an abomination. Your best option is to just let him out of his misery, a steak through the heart or a quick bathe in the sun should do it."

"Like hell I'm going to let him die!" Fern yelled, clutching onto his hand. "There has to be a better option than that!"

The old woman lifted an eyebrow at Fern's outburst, and sighed again.

"If you would let me finish- I was going to give you the more risky, expensive option. He might return to a semi-normal vampire state if you were to drain the blood already inside his body, and replace it with the blood of a much older and more powerful vampire. Let's say at least 800 years old."

Bill and Fern exchanged apprehensive glances. There was only one vampire in the state of Louisiana that was at least 800 years old, and he certainly did not give out his blood for favors. There would have to a sacrifice on both ends.

"Bill, I'm terribly sorry to inconvenience you again…but I need your help getting Leo back to Shreveport."