"Michael, come on. It's one o'clock already. Kaylah's making us lunch."
"Go away."
"You're supposed to watch me and entertain me, and make me appreciate the brief but happy years of childhood."
"Entertain yourself. Or just have Kaylah do it."
"I'm gonna tell her that you said that, and she's gonna kill you for it. So watch out."
"Go right ahead and tell her."
Michael pulled his blankets back over his head, and went back to sleep. Sam and Nanook go outside and check out Grandpa's truck.
"Nanook, this is my life. I come from a broken home. My mother works all day. My brother sleeps all day. My cousin Kaylah just does her own thing. And my Grandpa, who is possibly and alien, stuffs chipmunks."
He sees Grandpa's marijuana garden, and breaks off a leaf from a plant.
"Whatcha doin, Sam?"
Sam hid the evidence in his hand.
"Grandpa, stop doin' the Indian Walk!"
"Gotta keep in practice. It's a dyin' art."
"Well, good!"
"Whatcha doin' over here?"
"Oh, I was just, having a look at your truck. What's all that wood in there for?"
"Been fixin' to build me fence one of these days. Bought all the materials, then put it off, for about ten years. Well, one more day won't hurt. Wanna go into town with me?"
"Great. I wanna get some new comics."
A classic 1957 Chevy in creampuff condition. Grandpa takes down an old coffee can from the tool bench and fishes out the car keys from inside.
"Get in, Sam. Got to let her warm up a bit. Hear that, Sam? Just like a baby pussycat. Okay?! Let's go to town!"
He turns off the ignition and gets out of the truck.
"I thought we were going into town?"
"I hate going into town. That's about as close to town as I like to get. Kaylah! What you got cooking for lunch?"
"Reuben sandwiches. I know Sam doesn't like sauerkraut, but he can get over it."
"What did you do last night, Michael? You look wasted."
"I can't remember much after the Chinese food that looked like maggots."
"That takes care of my appetite, big brother."
"Not mine. I saw the maggots and I still ate my funnel cake."
"That's cause you're always hungry, Kaylah."
"Ain't I though? Besides, I could sit next to a dead body covered in maggots and eat a cheese pizza, and I will not get sick. It's not sights or smells that bother me. It's sounds."
"Sounds? How?"
"You know that flesh sound in movies? That bothers me."
"You don't suppose Grandpa's an alien, do you?"
"But what would that make Mom?"
"You're right. Not even to mention you and me. Or Kaylah. He's her great uncle."
Kaylah's dog Áed and Sam's dog Nanook start licking at Michael's feet."
"Beat it, Nanook. Kaylah, get your dog to stop."
"Áed, stop. Gread leat. Buachaill maith."
"I thought you said he didn't understand English."
"Stop is how you say stop in Irish Gaelic."
"Sam. Make him stop."
"Did you spill something?"
"No. Why?"
"The bottoms of your feet are covered with salt."
"Holy shit, Michael."
"I told you guys it was pretty weird Chinese food."
"Wanna go to the comic book store with me?"
"No."
"Kaylah?"
"What use do I have for comic books? How about just a normal bookstore for once? Which reminds me, after lunch, I do need to go the bookstore downtown. Terry said he has some old books in there that he knows I will read."
"Okay fine."
Sam rides to the comic book store on his bicycle. Once he enters the store, the Frog Brothers just stare at him.
"How do you like Santa Carla? Notice anything unusual about it?"
"No. It's a pretty cool place if you're a Martian."
"Or a vampire."
"Are you guys sniffing old newsprint or something?"
"You think you're cool, don't you? You think you know what's really happening around here, don't you? Well, you don't know shit, buddy."
"Yeah, you think we just work in a comic book store for our dad, huh?"
"This isn't a comic book store, right. It's a bakery."
"This is just our cover. We're dedicated to a higher purpose."
"Now I get it You're like those people in the airport trying to get you to give them money. You're part of a cult."
"We're fighters for Truth, Justice, and the American Way."
"You better get some fresh air."
"Hey, man, take this. It's on the house."
Edgar hands Sam a comic called Destroy All Vampires.
"I don't like horror comics."
"Think of this more as a survival manual. There's our number on the back, and pray that you never need to call us."
"I'm gonna pray that I never need to call you."
Back at the house, Kaylah was getting ready for the evening. She put on a white halter criss cross top with fringe, red bell bottom jeans, and black cowgirl boots with white embroidery. And of course, her white fedora with the black ribbon.
"Well, I'm off to work."
"Kaylah, where do you work at that has you dress like that?"
"I'm a model for a lot of the local clothing stores. Today is Saturday. Saturdays, I usually model for the punk store. Mondays, I model for the country western store, Tuesdays, I model for the Christian girl store, and every Wednesday, it's that Bohemian store. Every Thursday is the Paparazzi jewellrey store. Each store pays me $200 a session. So I am literally making $1,000 a week, and I'm not even eighteen yet. And I sometimes babysit."
"Well, I might go to the boardwalk tonight."
"Okay. I'll see you then."
Lucy was just leaving her shift when Max drove up in his sports car. His dog, Thorn, a white German Shepherd, is in the seat next to him. Max leaps from the car.
"Say hello to Thorn, Lucy."
"Hi, Thorn."
"You know, Lucy, this isn't working out like I planned. I never get to see you. Which is, of course, why I hired you in the first place. How about dinner one night this week?"
"You're cute, Max."
"I know. It's so 'Eighties.' It was the Cute Decade."
Meanwhile, Star is busy piercing Michael's ear.
"Ouch."
"Don't be a baby. That didn't hurt and you know it."
A drop of blood appears on her finger. She reacts, restraining herself from tasting it. Quickly she wipes it off and inserts an earring in his ear.
"I wouldn't have given my Mom such a hard time about moving here if I'd known I was going to meet you."
"I used to fight with my family all the time. Just got fed up and ran away."
"Now you and David."
"No. They've made me one of them, but I miss my family."
"Let's go see them."
"No no. Everything's different now."
Marko was walking around the boardwalk looking for Kaylah. He thought he would find her sitting on a bench with her guitar, but he did not see her on a single bench. He then saw her pull up on her bike, and was amazed at the way she was dressed. Even David was drooling a bit.
"Kaylah! There you are!"
"Don't tell me you were looking for me, Marko."
"Of course he was."
"Shut up, Paul."
"You shut up, Marko."
"Well, we can't hang out right now. I gotta go to work."
"Work?"
"Yeah. I model for the local clothing stores. Tonight is when I model for the punk store."
She headed for the punk store, with the lost boys in tail behind her.
"Where is she?"
"Have no fear, The Wild Queen is here."
"Thank God."
"Maya, I was not gonna leave you hanging. Now, what am I wearing first?"
"This."
"Oooh. A cropped silver leather jacket. Not glittery and not too metallic. And remember. No hand on the hip poses."
"You say that every time."
"Just wanna make sure you know what I won't do."
She first held the jacket over her shoulder, and threw Marko a seductive look.
"I don't know about you boys, but I am gonna stay here and watch this photoshoot."
"Me too."
"Paul!"
"What? She's hot!"
"Yes, but I don't think she has eyes for you."
"We'll see about that."
For the first time since he met Paul, Marko was tempted to kill him. Over a woman he barely knew. Never once did she smile in her modeling shoots. She did not have to. He watched her in all of her poses. It seemed like no one else was around.
"Here, Kaylah. You know the drill. You always get free clothes."
"As long as it's something I will actually wear, though. I don't look good in everything."
"What do you mean, Kaylah?"
"Marko! You guys are still here?!"
"Just Paul and me."
"Okie dokie. Let's go to the Milkshake Shack. My treat."
"No. My treat."
"Fine. But I just want a large iced French Vanilla coffee with whipped cream. Stephanie knows my order. Stephanie!"
"Kaylah! Hey, Chris. Get Kaylah's order up and running."
"You got it."
"What are you getting, Marko?"
"Um, I guess, just a medium sized peanut butter milkshake."
"Coming right up. Is he with you, Kaylah?"
"Yes."
"Then it's on the house for both of you."
"Thanks, Stephanie."
"Anything for you. Oh! I was wondering if you could do me a favour, though?"
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if I could get a photo of you drinking one of my products. For publicity purposes, I promise."
"Okay. But I am not doing it tonight. Not in this shirt. Or these jeans."
"That's fine. How about tomorrow?"
"After church, yeah."
"Okay then."
"Thank you so much."
"It's no problem at all."
A lot of guys always starred at Kaylah. With the way she dressed, she was impossible to overlook. But, Marko certainly did not appreciate his best friend. Paul, who was like a brother to Marko, had a thing for Kaylah. But Kaylah paid no attention to Paul. She never even flirted with him.
Back at the house, after everyone but Lucy had come home, Sam was feeling like a little kid again, taking a good soak in a bubble bath. Michael reaches for the doorknob on the bathroom door, then pulls his hand back. There is a war raging all through him. He is fighting the urge to make his brother his first kill.
Michael bursts into the bathroom, but Sam has already dunked his head under the water. Nanook growls, and shows his canines to Michael. The dog lunges at Michael, and they both land in the hallway.
"Michael? Are you there, Nanook? Michael? Kaylah? Grandpa?"
"Don't turn on the light, Sam."
Sam tuned on the light anyways.
"What happened, Michael?!"
"Nanook."
"What about Nanook? What have you done to Nanook?! What have you done to my dog, you asshole?!"
At that point, Kaylah came out of her room to see what all the commotion was.
"What's going on out here?"
"Sam, I did nothing to Nanook! I didn't hurt him. He bit me! This is my blood!"
"But why did he bite you, Michael? You're lucky my dogs didn't come up here. Otherwise, you'd be dead. You against eleven dogs. You wouldn't last five minutes."
"What did you to do him, Michael? Why did he bite you?"
"He was protecting you!"
"What the fuck?!"
"Michael, look at your reflection in the mirror!"
"Holy shit, Michael."
"You're a creature of the night, Michael! Just like the comic book! You're a vampire, Michael! My own brother, a hot damn shit-sucking vampire! Wait'll Mom finds out!"
"Finds out what?"
"Kaylah, he's a vampire!"
"I know that. But you're looking at me like I should be scared. I know he's not full vampire. Besides, I'm not afraid of something, or someone, that I can easily kill, and I can kill anything. Or anyone."
"Stay back, Michael! Stay back!"
Sam makes a cross with his fingers, attempting to keep Michael away.
"Come on, Michael. Let's get that slash cleaned up."
"Kaylah. Wait. Stand in front of the mirror."
"My reflection is solid."
"I just wanted to be sure. I couldn't remember if you drank from that bottle or not."
"I had left before they brought it out. It's funny how they didn't stop me. Thank God the actual fact that I had a baseball game helped keep me alive. That, and the fact that I am a praying woman. Just be thankful that I didn't drink from that bottle. You need me to still be a human."
In his room, Sam searches for the comic book with the Frog Brother's number on it.
"You did the right thing by calling us. Does your brother sleep a lot?"
"All day long."
"Can't stand light?"
"He wears sunglasses in the house."
"Bad breath? Long fingernails?"
"His fingernails are longer, but he always has bad breath."
"Salt sticks to the bottom of his feet?"
"Yeah."
"He's a vampire alright."
"Get yourself a good sharp stake and drive it through his heart."
"I can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"He's my brother."
"You better get a garlic t-shirt, buddy. Or it's your funeral. Has Kaylah turned?"
"You know Kaylah?"
"For the past year and a half, if you live in Santa Carla, you know Kaylah."
"We both have a crush on her."
"Oh, damn. No, she hasn't turned. She wakes up a six am, and I swear, she goes to sleep at midnight. She couldn't have possibly turned."
"Good."
Sam hangs up the phone. He stays up all night reading the horror comics, but keeps his door locked.
In Michael's room, he feels a strange sensation on his nose. He wakes up to realize he is floating above his bed. Kaylah sensed something in his room was off, so she opened the door to find him floating.
"Michael!"
Michael fell flat on his bed.
"Kaylah! Are you trying to kill me?"
"No. I'm trying to kill the vampire in you. The vampire you is not the Michael that I know."
"How can you help me?"
"Michael, I have an in depth knowledge of a lot of ancient texts. Texts that can shed light on this kind of situation. I have copies of books that were originally written on scrolls. I'm fluent in a lot of dead languages. Which reminds me. Say something in Latin."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
"Adiuva me lamia interficere in me."
"Do you know what you just said?"
"No."
"You just said help me kill the vampire in me. All vampires know Latin. Which means I need to start translating some old prophecies concerning vampires into Welsh. Specifically Welsh because No vampires have dared to set foot in Wales. Or Israel. Actually, Hebrew would be more powerful. What's wrong?"
"There's someone outside. It just feels like there is."
Kaylah heads downstairs to go outside. Michael tries to stop her, fearing that the Lost Boys are outside waiting to kill her.
"You can throw all you want at me, devil, but I am not taking the bait! This is one fish that you won't be frying! I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies. I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief. I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody. I raise a hallelujah, Heaven comes to fight for me. I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm. Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar. Up from the ashes, hope will arise. Death is defeated, the King is alive!"
"What are you doing?"
"Singing the word of the Lord to any demon who can hear me! I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me. I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee. I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery. I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me! I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm. Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar. Up from the ashes, hope will arise. Death is defeated, the King is alive!"
"What if they hear you and come for you?!"
"I'm not scared! Sing a little louder! In the presence of my enemies! Sing a little louder! Louder than the unbelief! Sing a little louder! My weapon is a melody! Sing a little louder! Heaven comes to fight for me! Sing a little louder! In the presence of my enemies! Sing a little louder! Louder than the unbelief! Sing a little louder! My weapon is a melody! Let's sing a little louder! Heaven comes to fight for me! Sing a little louder!"
She continued o look up at the sky, knowing the Lost Boys would be flying around looking for a kill. She wanted them to find her. She wanted them to even dare to kill her.
"I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm! Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar! Up from the ashes, hope will arise! Death is defeated, the King is alive! Oh, I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm! Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar! Up from the ashes, hope will arise! Death is defeated, the King is alive! Come at me, Lost Boys! I'm waiting! I am not afraid! For the Lord my God is with me! He gave me the power to cast out demons like you! I can kill you with a single mention of the name Jesus! Every knee shall bow! Every tongue will confess! And your tongues will be next!"
Even though she liked Marko, she did not like what he was.