BECOMING
INTRODUCTION
Why Paul chose to drink and who he made his first kill.
DISCLAIMER
This story takes place a few weeks before the events in Lost Boys movie occurred, so if you're partial to the characters Star and Laddie, don't be mad that they're not here and no mention of them is made. Max doesn't have anything to do with the plot, so don't be mad that he's also not here. The Lost Boys belong to Warner brothers. The only characters I can claim as mine are Paul's father, mother, and sister, Christy. Also note, there are some intense scenes between Paul and his father.
David shook his head when he saw the shiner on Paul's face. It was the third time this week. He knew what was going on and wanted to help, but the human was so dang stubborn.
"What happened?" Marko queried.
"Walked into a door," Paul answered shortly. David let out a snort. That was one of the lamest excuses he had ever heard, yet there had been a time he had used the same lie.
"You walked into a door?" Dwayne repeated. Apparently, he wasn't buying it either.
"That's right. You want to make something of it?" Paul snapped.
"Easy, Paul. Dwayne didn't mean anything by it," David soothed.
"We're just worried," Marko added.
"Well, don't be. I can handle it," Paul said. David raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.
"Come on. Let's go for a walk," the leader of the Lost Boys finally suggested. They headed into the night. David glanced at his friend.
"You know, you don't have to take what he's doing to you," he finally stated.
"What do you mean?" Paul queried.
"You don't have to take your father's abuse," David responded.
"What do you know about it? Huh?" Paul spat out.
"I know I don't like seeing friends wearing black eyes," David replied.
"Just...let it be," Paul requested.
"Are you sure?" David checked. Paul nodded. Then, "What time is it?" David looked at the sky.
"I'd say around ten," he answered. Paul gasped.
"I'm late! I gotta go!" Without waiting for a reply, he dashed off.
"Oh, Paul," David sighed. When he got home, Paul found his father in the living room.
"Where were you?" the man roared.
"Out," Paul replied. The man approached him and Paul took an involuntary step back.
"Don't you run, boy," Paul's father threatened. Paul raked his fingers through his hair. What could he do? He didn't want to go through this trash again.
"I'm going to ask you again: where...were...you?" the man asked.
"I was out with some friends," Paul replied. Without warning, the man stretched out a hand! Paul put his fingers to his stinging cheek. He let out a ragged breath. Please, no. Not again, he thought. He stepped backward.
"Don't you dare," his father said warningly.
"Dad, please," Paul implored. He was smacked again. Seeing another attack coming, Paul raised an arm to defend himself. His father grabbed him and threw the boy across the room. Paul groaned in pain. He managed to pull himelf up. He stared at his father, who began to approach him. Paul ran for the door.
"Don't you dare!" the man roared. Ignoring his father, Paul continued his flight. He flung open the door and ran into the night. Meanwhile, David was riding around town. A strange smell reached him. Like flesh hitting flesh. Suddenly, he spotted his friend.
"Paul!" he shouted. The boy turned around.
"David," he noted. He hurried to the bike. David stared.
"It happened again, didn't it?" he questioned. After a moment, Paul nodded.
"Get on," David invited. Paul did so and David took off. Once they were at the cave, Paul became moor cheerful. Marko and Dwayne were already there.
"Hey, Paul," Marko greeted. He became confused when the boy didn't give an answer. Dwayne, however, realized the situation.
"Another fight?" he asked.
"Yeah," Paul answered. Dwayne pulled out a bottle and took a drink. Paul looked at it longingly. Man, that'd make him forget everything. Dwayne saw him looking at the bottle.
"Want a drink?" he offered.
"It's exactly what you need," David urged.
"Sure. I could use a drink," Paul agreed. Dwayne handed him the bottle and Paul chugged it down. After several minutes, David took the bottle away.
"That's enough. You're already going to have a hangover as it is," he said.
"Listen, can I stay here tonight?" Paul queried.
"Yeah, sure," David agreed. Paul walked to a mattress and lay down. From the spinning of his head, he figured that his hangover was already starting. When he awoke, Paul was surprised to see that it was the middle of the day. Looking around, he saw no sign of the Lost Boys. He groaned and pulled himself to a sitting position. David had been right. He had a massive hangover. He walked out of the cave and fell under the sun's glare. What the heck? What was this trash? Why did he feel so tired? However, Paul decided it didn't matter. He continued on his way home. With any luck, at the rate he was going, his father wouldn't be around when he got home. Though it took a long time, Paul finally reached his house.
"Dang, you look awful," his younger sister Christy commented.
"That's about how I feel," Paul stated.
"Want to watch some MTV? That always makes you feel better," Christy reminded.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Paul agreed. She went into the living room and turned on their television set. Her older brother followed her and sat on the couch. The video for Money For Nothin' by Dire Straits was just starting. Paul stared at the screen. That really didn't apply to his life, but he didn't really care. It was just good to get his mind off things. About two hours and a dozen videos later, Paul decided to get something to eat. He stood up and went to the kitchen. He opened a cupbard and stared. What looked good? He reached for a jar of peanut butter and then it happened. Paul screamed and doubled up. It felt like something was tearing him apart from inside out. He screamed again and fell to the floor.
"Paul, what is it?" he heard Christy call. He could only scream. Whatever was happening, hurt really bad. The boy heard frantic footsteps.
"Paul!" she exclaimed, kneeling beside him. "Come on, Paul. Take a deep breath," she instructed. Paul did so. After a few more times, he was back in control.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Paul replied, as she helped him to stand.
"What's going on?" Christy questioned.
"I don't know," Paul answered truthfully. "Listen, I'm going to go out, all right?"
"Are you sure you should?" Christy asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Paul assured. He left the house. The boy headed in the direction of the cave. He had to talk to David. He'd explain what was happening to him. Why his insides had turned on him. Paul was surprised at how fast he found himself moving. Maybe he was just determined to get an explanation as fast as possible. Finally, he was at the cave.
"David?" he called. There was no answer. "David? Dwayne? Marko?" He looked around. Wow. It was really bright in here for a change. Or maybe he had just gotten used to the darkness. Hearing footsteps, he turned around.
"You're back," David noted.
"Something weird just happened to me," Paul said. He quickly explained what happened.
"You're half vampire, Paul," David told him matter-of-factly.
"What?" Paul asked.
"The pain you felt was the need to feed. You need to make your first kill in order to become a full vampire," David explained. Paul swallowed. He wasn't sure if he could...kill somebody.
"It's a lot to digest. Why don't you take a walk? Go clear your head?" Dwayne suggested. Paul nodded. That was a good idea. He left the cave and headed back to town. To his surprise, he found himself back at home. Paul frowned. Why had come back here? It wasn't like things were all peachy keen. But the boy could feel there was something wrong. So, he walked in. When he got to the living room, a terrible sight met his eyes. The room was in shambles, with his mother lying in the midst of the mess. And his father...Paul's eyes flashed as the man drunkenly tried to stay on his feet. He lunged towards his father and sank his teeth into the man's neck. When he was finished, Paul looked up and growled. He had done what David had said he needed to. He had made his first kill. He had become a vampire.
THE END