CHAPTER 3
"It seemed to fill my vision and was darker and darker." She had been found alone shortly after dawn, suffering from shock, so the doctors said. The student I.D. card prompted them to call the college and the office notified her brother Bobby.
"Then what Cindy?" was the question from her brother. At that, Cindy reached, unconciously, to her throat where she had a scarf tied. "Is something wrong?" asked her mother. Bobby carefully reached up and unwrapped the scarf to reveal two puncture wounds on his sister's throat.
Unwrapping the scarf, he saw what he expected, but still dreaded, two bite marks! "When did those happen, Sis?"
Still disoriented, Cindy was vague in her response. "I'm not sure I understand." Sadly, her eyes were unfocussed and she had a blank stare as if she was searching for something, or maybe seeing something. Bobby could only see one course of action: learn the identity of the vampire before it killed Cindy!
Bobby pored over numerous photographs, hoping to find someone who didn't photograph and trace the vampire before it was too late.
Failing that, Bobby used old-fashioned detective work: just who was Cindy supposed to meet when she was first attacked? He knew the family couldn't accept his beliefs, but that was likely out of fear of something they could not control.
Bobby made certain to be home before sunset; he would be there to guard his sister against further attacks. A vampire couldn't enter the home without a verbal invitation but if someone mistakenly did invite the monster he would stand and protect her from danger.
"Bobby, what is that smell?" Cindy was dizzy and found the odor over-powering. Bobby replied to her, "It's garlic, Cindy. I will keep an eye on you until the vampire is killed."
As Bobby was well aware, the real problem was destroying the vampire before it killed Cindy. At that point, Cindy would need to be killed before she could rise and feed on the blood of the living. Time was on the monster's side, and it was running out.
Cindy was in a daze the next night and when her family questioned her, she tried to make light of everything. Bobby exposed her to a crucifix which shocked her to a state of awareness. She told the others what Bobby suspected: that she had been bitten and worse, forced to feed on the creature which meant she would turn upon her death unless the vampire died first.
Sadly, everyone thought she was delusional because of the attacks. Bobby sat with her and told her he would hunt the monster to save her, and if he failed he promised to save her soul by killing her. This last was said with a heavy heart, as Bobby reminded his sister how close they were and that he loved her more than his own life. Bobby wept deeply, fully aware of what he likely would need to do for his sister's sake; Cindy wept also: aware of the pain her brother suffered at the thought of killing her but grateful that he loved her enough to do this.
