Marko had been a vampire for several decades now, but nothing like this had ever happened to him. He stood next to his motorcycle for almost two hours and waited. Paul had called Marko through the mental connection several times to come to a beach party, but Marko had a date.

Marko loved this way of life. His brothers and he were only accountable to Max, the head vampire of Santa Carla. Usually, David, the leader of the Lost Boys, was in charge to deal with Max.

Max was David's sire, which can be compared to a father, superior, friend, companion and in some cases the sire is also a lover. Max saw himself more as a father figure, and even though he wasn't the Sire of Marko, Dwayne, and Paul, as was originally planned, he felt responsible for the younger vampires.

As for the three, David had once again resisted Max's instructions, and now David himself was the sire of his companions. Marko, Dwayne, and Paul still had a good relationship with the head vampire, but they were grateful to David for the fact that the mental connection to Max was only weak.

David, on the other hand, always knew exactly where the three other vampires were and what they were doing. After all, he was their sire. He was happy to take responsibility for them, they just suited him and his way of life.

Max didn't always have it easy with his sons, as he always called the Lost Boys, because the way they spent their nights was very different from Max's ideas. Max had lived for almost six hundred years, he was a descendant of Count Vlad Dracula, even though he had never met him personally. Max still had no title of nobility, but he had always made a point of doing something useful with his time.

He had built up a variety of businesses over the centuries and was able to make a small fortune. His shops were mostly relatively small, but on the side, he had taken on orders from the top city guides, because that was always profitable!

So he could keep his secret for centuries. David and his brothers were not so interested in business and honest work. They preferred to whiz through the city on their motorcycles and wanted to have fun.

Well, Max found it very amusing at first, but unfortunately he had missed the right time to stop the younger vampires. He surely understood his sons' needs because they were young, but he really wished they would become a little more solid over time.

He hoped that they wouldn't end badly, they weren't the first young vampires to do this, and they certainly weren't the last. Max's biggest weakness was the longing for a real family. The younger vampires understood this wish, but still thought it was funny.

The Lost Boys knew that Max had a family when he still was human. There had been his wife Nelly, whom he loved above all, a son, Jeremy, and a little daughter. However, this family was taken from Max when he met his own sire. Little Mary had only been four years old at the time. Under what circumstances exactly Max's family had died, however, the younger vampires did not know.

A vampire as old as Max had his thirst for blood under control, and he only needed blood twice a week. It looked a little different from his sons. David could control himself quite well, after all he had been a vampire since 1906.

Max had watched him give part of his wages to a beggar who had an infant with her. David found it terrible that the poor woman had to sleep on the street. Max was very keen on David's generosity, the young man was only twenty years old at the time.

Marko met David and Max in 1947. He was a Jew, his parents had given him everything they had so that he could escape from Nazi Germany. Marko had already seen many bad things at the age of twenty-two. Neighbors and friends were deported from the Nazi troops. His family was hidden by a German family but eventually reported by the family's son.

It later turned out that Marko was the only survivor in his family. Marko was also no longer dependent on drinking every night, but some people annoyed him so much that he was sure that he would do a great service to the rest of the people if he made these nerve saws his victims.

Dwayne met David twenty years later. His father was a native American, his mother was not. So Dwayne was a half-breed, and for that he was harassed by some members of the tribe.

David helped him one night when he got involved in a fight. The tribe celebrated a big festival and one of the older men insulted the introverted young man. Then Dwayne struck. He liked David and stayed with him.

Paul met Marko at a beach concert in 1985 when he was twenty-four years old. They both liked the music of Iron Maiden, and that evening there was a concert by a cover band from Los Gatos who played mostly Iron Maiden songs.

Marko watched Paul, who was mostly happy and relaxed. The tall blonde rocker was alone at the concert and danced. At some point he smiled at Marko, who was also there alone and the two of them started talking. The next evening they met again and Marko introduced Paul to his brothers, who also liked him. A few nights later, Paul didn't go back home, he had found a new family that accepted him for what he was.

When David explained to him that Marko, Dwayne, and himself were vampires, Paul shut up for the first time in complete shock. He finally took David's blood, he didn't care what became of him as long as he could only stay with the three vampires. Marko became his best friend.

Max had come to Santa Carla with David, Marko, and Dwayne in 1979. In the early years, the younger vampires lived with Max in the big house. But when Paul came along, it didn't go as well. Max loved a quiet life, and Paul was everything, just not calm.

He had to keep communicating, joking about everything and everyone, and turning up the music loudly every night. It was just too much for Max.

Paul then showed David, Dwayne, and Marko the sunken hotel, a place that no one except Paul ever went to. The locals were sure that it was haunted because many people had died there in 1906 in the great earthquake. The locals stayed away from Hudson's Bluff.

Paul, however, liked going there when he wanted to be alone. When his brothers saw this place, they were thrilled. That was the ideal place for vampires. The rooms of the sunken hotel were largely intact, the furniture was just waiting to be used. Even the expensive floors and wallpaper, like the wall lights, still existed.

Of course, there was no electricity, but that didn't bother the Lost Boys in the least. They took their personal belongings and clothes from Max's house and moved into the cave.

Max was not very enthusiastic about this idea, but he was willing to visit his sons in the cave, at least he had never seen the sunken hotel with his own eyes before. After the visit there, he was sure that it was an ideal place for vampires. David was right when he explained it to Max so he let his sons stay there.

He understood that the younger vampires wanted a little more independence and if there were any problems, well, he was not far away!

In the main room, which Paul had already decorated with all sorts of things, it was pitch dark at night, which didn't bother the vampires, since they could see very well even in the dark.

However, Paul had brought barrels into the cave weeks ago, the young vampires loved to light a warming fire. Vampires didn't feel cold like humans, but a nice fire made the place cozier, as did the numerous candles that Paul had deposited in the cave over time.

David was the sire of the younger vampires and the leader of the Lost Boys, but to him Marko, Dwayne, and Paul were his brothers. David had decided that they would be perfect additions to his delicate family. Not everyone was suitable for this life as a vampire.

The community of the four vampires was largely shaped by equal cooperation. David, Marko, Dwayne, and Paul did a lot of things together, but everyone had their own space.

David and Paul loved to tinker with the motorcycles that Max had given the younger vampires. Dwayne sometimes helped them, apart from that the dark-haired vampire liked to read. He was very talented in art and carved figures of all sizes out of wood. He also had canvases and oil paints with which he had made portraits of his brothers and Max. Dwayne liked to take long walks in the woods, or just lay on top of the cliffs that the locals called "Hudsons Bluff" and gazed at the stars.

Marko was a comic book fan, he had all kinds of comic books. He had learned to knit and sew as a young boy, and his grandmother had taught him everything. He knitted colorful hats for his brothers and had made a jacket. It was originally a simple denim jacket, Marko found it a bit boring, but still didn't want to part with it because it was practical and comfortable. So he collected all sorts of patches and one day sewed them on the jacket. Marko attached colorful fringes to the shoulders of the jacket and his unique piece was ready.

His brothers envied him a little, especially Paul. He would have loved to have an individual jacket but did not have Marko's talent for such work and Paul was far too impatient. One night Marko found a tailcoat in one of the sunken hotel rooms and gave it to Paul. The tall, blonde vampire looked at his best friend in confusion and didn't know what to do with the tailcoat. Marko got Paul to try this jacket on and it fit as perfectly as if it were made especially for Paul. The two of them attached some silver chains and the like to the garment and decorated it with safety pins. Paul was very happy, now he also had an individual piece of clothing!

Dwayne and David preferred their leather jackets. David still had the black trench coat he had worn as a mortal young man and pulled it over his leather jacket. Besides his memories, this coat was everything he had taken with him from his human existence.

Dwayne eventually found that he constantly messed up his shirts when he drank blood. It annoyed the brunette vampire tremendously and he just didn't see that he had to dispose of these shirts after wearing them once, so he just didn't put them on anymore. His brothers sometimes teased him because of his bare chest. Dwayne didn't care. He had a well-formed upper body.

The longing gazes of young women amused him many times when they noticed his bare chest. Well, what can I say, vampire or not, Dwayne wasn't a bad guy. He flashed most of the young women off, because they certainly didn't like the fate that they would expect near the vampire, and he had no choice anyway - he was dependent on human blood, whether he liked it or not!

To be honest, most times the four vampires enjoyed a good hunt. Some people were just terrible jerks. The Lost Boys were especially keen on those who thought they were worthier than others or on gangs that terrorized other people on the boardwalk or on the beach.

None of the four vampires had been on the sunny side in mortal life, all four had gone through bad times. In public, the four vampires sometimes behaved like late-adolescent, and they did so deliberately to keep people at a distance.

They were vampires and friendship with mortals was hardly possible unless a person was to be accepted into the family. This aloofness was important for the Lost Boys because they didn't want to be exposed. Mortals would never accept vampires, they were too scared.

Vampires were the most dangerous predators and their food was human blood! Well, the Lost Boys lived on equal terms, but there were situations where David had the last word - after all, he was responsible! Marko had gotten into such a situation.

It was about a young woman. Her name was Michelle, or Shelly, as everyone called her. Marko had spotted Shelly at a beach concert and he liked her straight away. He had actually followed a petite blonde there when he was looking for food. This blonde had insulted two younger girls badly for no reason. Obviously, these two girls didn't fit the blonde's idea of beauty, that was all. Marko couldn't stand people who were so mean to others, so he decided to free humanity from the arrogant blonde by sucking her life out.

The vampire followed her to wait for a suitable moment. There were too many people nearby, the boardwalk and the beach were very busy that evening. The blonde ran ruthlessly through the crowd and bumped into people all the time without apologizing. The young woman pushed aside children who stood in her way, Marko shook his head in disbelief when he saw that - well, she would get her own medicine soon!

Marko followed her to the stage on the beach, where a local musician played for the first time. The man was a guy with long brown hair that he had tied in a ponytail. His muscular body shone in the spotlight, obviously, he was oiled up. He wore pants that were as tight as a second skin. He sang and played the saxophone - the guy was pretty good, and Marko decided to come back to the concert when he was done with the blonde.

She was standing a few meters from the vampire and seemed to be looking for someone. Someone had obviously failed to turn up for the date with the young woman! After a few minutes, the blonde turned around with an angry face to leave the concert again.

Marko was ready to follow her again and turned abruptly, and accidentally hit the glass from another young woman who was standing behind him. That young woman was Shelly.

Any other person would have been terribly upset, but Shelly just looked at Marko in confusion, and then laughed out loud.

When the vampire looked into Shelly's eyes, the grotty blonde was forgotten. "I'm very sorry," Marko apologized, pointing to the mug that had fallen into the sand.

"Oh, forget about it," answered Shelly. "Beer isn't my favorite drink anyway. Actually, it wasn't even my drink, my friend gave it to me before she went off with any guy to go for a spin on his motorcycle!"

Marko grinned. "Okay, what do you like to drink," he asked. "Of course I'll buy you a new drink!"

Shelly shook her head. "You don't have to," she replied.

Marko looked into Shelly's eyes. He couldn't explain what it was, but there was something different about the young woman. She was definitely not a vampire, but she wasn't human either!

Marko's curiosity was piqued. "I'm to blame for not having anything to drink," said Marko very firmly, "so I insist on getting a new drink! Can you tell me what you like?"

Michelle smiled. "Well, if it's so important to you," she said finally. "I like white wine, and it's boring hanging out here alone anyway. It's nice that you keep me company after my friend left me alone for a guy!"

Marko nodded. "That's right, but it's not just boring," he replied. "It is also dangerous for young women who are alone in the city. There are some bad elements around here!"

Shelly waved it off. "Oh, you really don't need to worry about that," she said. "I can take good care of myself!"

Marko didn't like that answer at all. Michelle didn't even notice the danger she was in. If Marko was overcome by the thirst for blood, there was no mercy, for nothing and nobody!

But Michelle was lucky. The vampire would have to satisfy his addiction to fresh blood that night, but it wasn't that bad that he couldn't control himself for now! "Well if you think so," Marko replied as he strolled over to the boardwalk next to Michelle.

The young woman took a closer look at her companion. There was a strange smell on the man, not unpleasant, but strange to Michelle. He was a little small for a man, but he had a sympathetic smile and was friendly and accommodating.

The young woman liked the jacket her companion was wearing and wondered if he had sewn on the patches himself. If so, it would have taken forever.

Suddenly the young woman thought of something and she stopped abruptly and grinned. "My name is Michelle, by the way," she said, holding out her hand. "But my friends call me Shelly."

The man looked at her a little confused, then grinned too. "How thoughtless of me," he apologized. "I'm Marko," he added, taking Shelly's outstretched hand. Then the two went on laughing.

A few minutes later they reached the arcades. There was the Frog family's shop next to a cozy Italian restaurant that Marko headed for with Shelly. The store had comic books and was the largest store of its kind in the area.

Marko took a look inside, he liked to waste some of his time in there. Frog's shop sold every comic that Marko's undead heart desired. The vampire knew that Jane and Marcus Frog used to be vampire hunters, but that was before the couple's sons were born.

Marko also knew, however, that Marcus Frog was training his sons to be vampire hunters. Marko and his brothers were very amused by the fact that this crazy family did not understand that "the enemy" was very often in their shop.

Marko and David had bailed out Marcus' sons Edgar and Alan a few times when the Surf Nazis, another gang, were causing trouble there. Edgar and Alan were very young, and they still posed no danger to the vampires. However, Marko was very certain that the Frog brothers would be serious opponents once they grew up.

Still, the vampires weren't worried, they were prepared for Edgar and Alan. The Lost Boys loved a good fight against a worthy opponent, and even without Max they outnumbered the hunters.

Vampires had the strength and endurance of at least ten men, they were fast, they could move silently, and they were also able to fly. Their senses were very sensitive, they could eavesdrop on conversations that led people who were far away, vampires could see well in the dark and the best thing was that they could read minds and communicate with each other telepathic as soon as they had exchanged their blood with each other.

Shelly noticed Marko looking into the shop and smiled. "The business belongs to my uncle and aunt," she said.

Marko looked at the young woman in astonishment. "Would you like to go inside and say hello," he asked. "I'm a regular customer there, I love the shop!"

Shelly shook her head. "No, no, I don't know my relatives at all," she explained. "My father broke off contact with his sister many years ago, but I don't know why."

The vampire smiled again. "Well, the whole family is a little weird, but who cares, I get all the comics I like reading there," he said. "Do you like comics too?"

Michelle shook her head. "No, I read comics as a kid, now I prefer a good book," she replied.

Marko smiled. "What books do you like to read?", he asked.

Shelly looked at Marko thoughtfully. "I like mystery, I prefer to read vampire stories like Dracula," she said.

Marko smiled. He stopped and looked into the young woman's eyes. "Do you like vampires, Shelly?", he asked.

Shelly was amazed that he suddenly looked so reaped. "I don't know," she finally replied, laughing. "Somehow, they are fascinating beings as long as they don't get too close to me."

Marko grinned again. "Well, you probably never know that exactly," he laughed, imitating his fangs with his index fingers. "Maybe they are among us!"

Shelly laughed at Marko's hint, she was actually pretty sure vampires didn't exist. But on the other hand, she did exist, maybe vampires did too.

The vampire and the young woman found a booth in the Italian restaurant and spent almost two hours there. They talked about everything and Marko liked Shelly very much. He didn't think for a minute about making the young woman his dinner.

However, he was also unable to find out what made Shelly different from other women, but Marko would! The vampire had had numerous dates of this kind over the past few decades, with a wide variety of women. He had never committed to a particular type. He believed that every single woman was special.

Most of all, however, he enjoyed the young women who thought they were better than other people. These women would never volunteer with Marko or his brothers, but the four were vampires, they could manipulate them. The vampires could make them putty in their hands. Marko loved to do that, he influenced these arrogant ladies, and after all they wanted nothing more than to be with Marko. When they were in this state, however, he stopped paying attention to them. Last but not least, he practically let himself be persuaded to go on a date with the ladies, but he did not waste his time going to a restaurant with the women for dinner.

He took the woman to a remote place on his motorcycle, made her refill the needs he had as a man, and then sucked her dry to the last drop. He carelessly threw the remains into the sea, that's it! For Marko, this type of victim search was the best sport ever! The more condescending a woman was towards him, the better the challenge! Marko loved the horrified look on the faces of women when they realized what Marko really was!

He'd killed a lot of young women that way, and young men too - as a vampire, you weren't necessarily gendered, everything was possible. There had never been an exception so far. All dates with Marko ended the same way! The people died!

With Shelly, however, it was different. Marko had feelings for her, he wanted to get to know her and he wanted her by his side, and he really wanted to know what Shelly was!

Marko would like to introduce the young woman to his sire, he absolutely needed to talk to David, get his advice. The problem, however, was that David had met a young woman himself. The Lost Boys had spotted the young woman sleeping in a remote spot on the beach a while ago.

Apparently she was homeless and David offered to come with the Lost Boys. The young woman's name was Star, and for some reason Marko disliked her. He couldn't say exactly why Star was friendly and funny.

Well, David was the boss and he had fallen in love with Star, but Marko just didn't trust her! Well, since David was busy bringing Star into the family, Marko would have to contact Max.

He could certainly talk to Paul or Dwayne, too, but Paul could rarely remain serious when it came to women. Paul loved women and found it difficult to kill them. The women Paul sucked out had to be really nasty to others. Paul almost only killed men.

The tall blonde vampire believed women should be spared and protected at all costs. Well, the women liked Paul too, because he made them laugh and was always very generous.

Paul would a woman never let pay for her drink herself when she was with him, for example. Since Paul was not yet able to control his thirst for blood so well, he mostly viewed the women's world from afar and enjoyed watching them.

Every now and then Paul flirted in Max's video store with Maria, one of the employees, but he did that for Dwayne, who was seriously interested in her. Dwayne usually had no problems approaching a woman, but when he was really interested, like in Maria, he was shy.

Well, and Paul loved to tease Dwayne with it. Paul loved the fact that with Star there was a female influence in the cave. The tall blonde rocker was sure for a long time that the hotel would be much nicer if some female vampires enriched the life of the Lost Boys.

After leaving the restaurant with the young woman, Marko offered to take her home. Shelly was happy to agree because she too had enjoyed the time she had spent with Marko. She wanted to get to know him better, even though she felt the man was hiding something from her.

Marko would have loved to spend a little more time with Shelly, but his thirst for blood came on and he didn't want to risk doing anything to the young woman. "Do we meet again," Marko asked when Shelly got off his motorcycle in front of her parents' house.

Michelle nodded with a smile. "What about tomorrow night," she asked somewhat uncertainly.

Marko smiled back. "Nine o'clock," he asked back.

Shelly nodded and looked shyly at Marko. She kissed him on the cheek then turned and went inside. Marko looked at the young woman in surprise. He hadn't expected a kiss, he was usually the one who took the first step. He waited for Shelly to disappear into the house, then drove away satisfied.

Well, by a stupid coincidence, Marko and Shelly had met. Since that night the two of them had spent their time together almost every night.

That evening Marko and Shelly also had a date. As always, they wanted to meet in the little side street where Marko could park his motorcycle.

But Shelly just didn't appear that night, and Marko had been waiting for her for almost two hours. Never before had a young woman dared to make him wait so long. Even if Marko didn't like to admit it, he was in love with Shelly, he would do anything for her. However, that didn't change the fact that he was a vampire, which Shelly now knew.

She should know that he was the dominant part of this relationship. Vampires were inherently possessive, jealous, and territorial. A vampire in love was like a ticking time bomb, his protective instinct was aroused, but you should never keep him waiting. Vampires got angry very quickly! However, Shelly was making this mistake, Marko's pride was hurt and he was boiling with rage, the vampire felt the need to tear something or someone to pieces.

Marko knew nothing of the huge drama that had taken place at Shelly's home. He also didn't know that Shelly was out of town! The young woman had not left the town willingly!