Companions of the Night © Vivian Vande Velde

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: Since the story is from Ethan/Michael's perspective, there are some quotes taken directly from the book—quoted. For legal purposes, I've cited those quotes. I'm using the Magic Carpet Books, paperback copy. Thank you and please enjoy.

Chapter One /

Brockport, New York was the perfect place when it came to knowing someone like me. It was a college town and Rochester offered enough bars to stay me if I desperately needed to feed. It was a definite step down from the more magnanimous New Orleans, but I had no right to be choosy. Besides, a smaller place did provide smaller temptations. I was able to attain a sprawling Victorian home, though I doubt the previous owners would have attest to that considering I forcefully took it off their hands. But no worries, I heard the wonderful couple is enjoying their old age somewhere in Europe. I also happened to meet up with an old protégé, Regina. She was nasty business too considering that her actions forced me to move from New Orleans to Seattle.

Regina, in the beginning, had a penchant for abstaining from feeding for days on end until she could no longer take it. She would go on these binges, tearing at any human that crossed her path. I have to say that she's still fairly new to the lifestyle, but she's slowly learning. I couldn't blame her actions, however, as it was not uncommon to try and hold on to some form of humanity. I myself have gone through the same thing, slaughtering animals at first, but it wasn't the same. Animals didn't have the same essence that humans had. Drinking the blood of animals was like drinking bile with no nutritional values to our vampire bodies. It's awful. So even if a vampire does decide to hold on to his or her false humanity by drinking animal blood, their vampire nature—eventually—takes over in a terrible way. Either way, one would end up submitting to the consumption of human blood. That, or they decide to see the sun one last time—a painfully brave way to go, in my opinion.

I had contemplated many times before, but believe it or not, I feared being non-existent. After so many years of living, one would think death—or at least the form of a death, would seem like a slap on the wrist, or a type of freedom. It seems more eloquent that way I suppose, but my truth was the complete opposite. Many others like me are sure to agree. Immortality, after a while, does warp ones view. Immortality is strength in some ways and strength is not so easy to give up. I suppose feeding on humans was a design by an all-mighty, if there was one, to feel more human, but it does nothing but give me sustenance and showcase the actual mental and physical power I possessed. With that said, it is not still a life I coveted.

I had only been in Brockport for a year, more or less, when Regina came to me in tears. She shook so fiercely, I knew that she was in trouble again. A trend I really hoped she had dropped when I was around.

"It's a whole group of them," Regina murmured after she had calmed down. "I didn't expect Joey's father to be superstitious enough to make a guess about vampires." I wanted to yell at her for being so stupid. It was one think to feed from a favorite and another to reciprocate attraction. Not to mention, Regina wasn't exactly at an age to be soliciting attention from minors. I didn't really care about what she does, but she was a risky person.

"What do you expect me to do?" I truly would have left her to fix things herself, but our relationship would have implicated me if she made a mistake. Still, it didn't stop me from making Regina think I wasn't going to help her.

"Please," she said, with the same tone of voice she used when she needed my help so many years ago. "You must help me."

I shook my head, "just move then. That's what I taught you."

"I can't." Her eyes were wide, "I think they know more than they've let on. They're going to kill me. These aren't the sort of people you can deal with by just leaving."

I knew that if I was in the same situation she'd help me. So I said, despite not liking it at all, "fine. But I'm warning you, this is the last time. I can't afford to keep bouncing around the country."

Regina nodded, taking my hands in hers to squeeze them in her usual gesture of thanks and affection "One of them owns a laundromat, near the theater."

"Alright," I threw on a sweater I was able to pinch off a college student last week. "Did you kill the boy?" I spared her a glance. If I was going to get myself into trouble, I might as well know what I was dealing with.

"No. He hit a—" I stopped her, I didn't need details but I was appeased to know that she didn't toy with the human and mercilessly kill him. That, I believed, was the little show of humanity we had left. Everything a vampire does after the two priorities of survival and feeding came down to personality.


The weather wasn't cold enough to have it snow, but wearing the sweater had been a good idea to not draw attention from a passerby. A light coat and shorts might make sense in Seattle, but not here. I opted for a bicycle just in case things go bad. Bicycles were a lot harder to trace to a person than a car. I move slowly, surveying my surroundings carefully. It was not my first hunt, but this being a favor that directly affected my own safety had me a bit more cautious than usual. Which was unfortunate because as I rounded the corner, I sensed danger before reacting. Suddenly, I was knocked off my bike, sending me spiraling towards the empty street. I knew I was hit by a car and this wouldn't have been a problem is I saw it first. For a sickening moment, I thought Regina had led me to an ambush, but I knew she was better than that. I did wonder if these were the men Regina talked about or if I happened upon thugs.

One of the men immediately got out of the car and shouted obscenities at me, then one word in his sentence confirmed it, "You're with that vampire whore!"

I looked up to take a better look and saw that there were four of them. The man who was yelling took me by the arm and pulled me up. "You're not going to fight?!" He was about to take a swing at me when I jerked my hand, just below his chin, forward and up with enough force to snap the man's neck. I would deal with the clean-up later, after I took care of the others. But something was wrong, I tried to seed the thought of fatigue in their minds, but the adrenaline that rushed through them resisted my push. Before I could rethink my strategy, tried to come at me with a bat but I subdued him easily. However, there was a stinging pain on my leg, an injury, I assume, I got when the car hit me.

One of the men must have noticed as well as one of them took a bat to my leg until I collapsed on the asphalt. He same man bashed my head down once before the bald one told him to stop.

"Remember, we need the proof." He opened the trunk of his car, "let's load up. Stick to the plan."

"What about Ken," the other asked, tying my hands behind my back. He slammed my head against the round once more, for, what I could understand, good measure.

"Sidowski!" The bald man warmed and I was dragged towards the car. He pushed me into the back, making sure I hit my head on the door frame, for the third time tonight, as I got in.

Sidowski huffed, "Sorry." Though I very much doubted that he meant it.

"Roth," the bald man gestured to the third man and both carried Ken's body into the trunk. That was, I suppose, less work for me later on. Though there was still the problem of being incapacitated. Even with the physical attributes of being a vampire, this was a situation I could not get out of without help. Regina was obviously the best choice, but she shows her face no and the bane of my existence could end a lot quicker than intended. Instead, I focused my efforts on Roth, out of the three men he seemed to question their actions the most.

"You're wrong." I said as the bald man climbed into the passenger side. "What did I do wrong?!" I pleaded for their mercy, trying my best to sound pitiful. Having lived for years did wonders to my acting skills.

"Shut up!" Sidowski slapped the side of my head. I let out a pained moan, and that wasn't difficult as it truly did hurt. Baldy turned around from the front seat and handed Sidowski a length of cloth. Without words exchanged, he jerked my head up, forcing the cloth around my mouth and trying it behind—tightly. Appealing to Roth now was going to be harder that I thought.


It didn't take long to get to the laundromat from where I was taken. Quick-Clean Laundry, the neon sign read. Roth parked to the left side of the building, checking around the corners for curious eyes before nodding at the other two. Baldy and Sidowski pulled me out of the car and into the laundromat. I struggled, putting on the face of a scared college student. Once we got in, that was where I noticed a young woman ducked under the desk. She couldn't have been any older than seventeen or eighteen, but this was perfect. If I had to try and get the sympathy of someone, a frightened youth with no context of what was going on was easier to manipulate. Sidowski kicked me behind the leg and I landed on my knees—painful, really—but it allowed me to focus my stare at the young woman and I exacted her expression. She was scared, I could feel it. I could also hear her heart frantically beating in her chest. I wanted to shout out, even if it would come out as incoherent muffles, however, Sidowski—surprise there—dragged me backwards from my hair and bound my hands to something metal behind me.

"What the hell—," (6) Sidowski yelled, all of their attention on the girl, still on all fours. Thinking about it now, I feel a little bit guilty about it, but at that moment, I tried to use that distraction and break away. But Sidowski caught me and slammed me back. I must have blacked out for a moment because the next thing I knew, the young woman was on her feet, spilling her personal information. She said her name, Kerry Nowicki, and something about balloons. This made things complicated. If I did happen to break through my bindings and ended up killing the four men—Kerry Nowicki might be an unfortunate collateral.

The realization of an actual end hit me. I had to admit I was a little scared. I've been caught in the sun before—briefly—before having been saved by the man I fed from the night before. That was twenty years or thirty years ago. I still remember it, I couldn't feel the warmth of the sun, just the tingling sensation of knowing you're burning. And of course, the pain. I'm sure no vampire would ever want that sort of end for themselves. Even the poetic ones who've fallen in love with humans.

It wasn't the time for regrets, but I regretted helping Regina at this moment. I would have left her to herself too, if only I didn't feel guilty about abandoning her. I remember meeting her less than a hundred years ago near the newly built Martha Washington Hotel in Manhattan. She worked as a waitress and modeled when the opportunity was there. I was new to the area and visited bars often—scooping out potential lovers for the night as well as someone who I could feed from. At some point she recognized me from my frequent visits, as to why I didn't notice her before was a mystery. Regina was a beautiful woman who held herself in a way that told people she wasn't just anyone.

"You're here every night," Regina handed me a drink.

I gave her my best smile, "I don't think I ordered a drink."

She glanced at a table at the far end, and looked back at me with a raised eyebrow, "you've got some fans. Not hard to imagine with those pretty eyes." She laughed and leaned into the table. "So what's you're poison?"

"Anyone up for a good time," I replied, winking, stopping myself from laughing at my own private joke. I remember wondering how she would have reacted if she knew what I really meant.

"Ooh," she giggled, "You better be careful mister, you're sounding like real trouble." I must have struck a chord with her as she continued to seek me out in the bars she knew I went to. I admit that we talked a lot and I did enjoy my time with her. At some point, Regina started asking me questions about the people I invited to my home. She asked why I never met up with her in the mornings. Mostly, she commented on my youthful appearance.

Regina is a smart woman and one day—or night rather—she came over to my table with a small grin. "You're one of those undead things aren't you?"

I laughed, "Undead things? Surely, I'm living quite healthily."

She raised an eyebrow at me, "That Bram Stoker fellow, I read his book, Dracula. I get that sort of feeling from you."

"Are you sure you've read the book? I'm nothing like the Count." I've read the originals of course.

"Maybe not all those flying and turning into bats stuff, but you definitely have the aura of a man who has lived long enough. And you bring home guests all the time, who knows what you do to them." She sighed, "Oh, and you never drink your drink."

I nodded, "And this makes me like the Count?"

"You're suspicious, is all I'm saying."

For some reason, I was drawn to her, so I asked, "Would you like to find out?"

Regina took everything with a calm expression, only nodding once in a while as she listened to my truth—just the small details of course. From then on, I knew what our relationship could entail. When I finished my story, she simply smiled and told me she was going to go home and mull things over.

The next night, we exchanged a partnership—she began bringing me willing guests and soon we had a method going. If a bar patron was willing enough, Regina would point me the way and I'd swoop it to seduce them. Some would come home with me, not always for sex, but I did occasionally tend to such pleasures.

Before I knew it, I was so caught up in the easy prey and lifestyle, I was turning up bodies more than I intended. The police got involved and Regina—without my knowledge—stepped in for me and took all the blame. As to why she did it, I never asked and she never explained herself. I almost skipped town, I'm sure she knows this, but I felt incredible guilt. So before the police could take her away, I took her to New Orleans.

"What's the point of running away when I'm just going to die sooner or later?" She told me, "Turn me." Her reasons were not clear to me—immortality and youth didn't seem like good enough reasons for me—but she insisted. Before long, I finally headed her request. From then on, I tried never to get involved with a human.

My attention snapped back to my current situation as the bald man was saying, "Maybe closer to dawn he'll be more reasonable (12)." This situation went from bad to worse. If anything threatened my continued existence, it was definitely this. Part of me accepted this fate. It came with the territory, but when Sidowski took off my gag, I saw it as a sign of hope. Quickly, I told the girl my name before Sidowski kicked me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I tried to speak again, but he hit me again. The girl—Kerry, was in hysterics and I saw it to my advantage. She had been far too frightened during the whole ordeal, I knew that anything said after the fact would increase her aversion towards the three men. I stopped myself from grinning, but I was dead sure that the girl was on my side. From the way her eyes glazed over when the bald man called me a vampire, and the slight rise of her eyebrow when Roth used my canines as evidence of said vampirism, my belief of getting out of this mess was solidified. All I truly had to do now, was get out of these ropes.