Dying. What a bitch. Was it worse the first time? He couldn't remember. David did remember what Marko felt that morning when he got staked, though. Then Paul in the bathtub. Dwayne's electric frying. He'd died three times today, and now it would be four. The little blonde twerp and his friends sure were creative little fuckers.
Time had slowed down. He was outside himself now. Couldn't feel the blood in his throat dripping slowly into his lungs. Couldn't feel the horns splitting him like a bug under a nail. Couldn't even feel himself crying out, though he sure as hell heard it. Fucking embarrassing. A hundred years of endless nights, and this was it? David had pictured himself going out in a haze of holy bullets, maybe getting to see a nuclear bomb drop up close and personal, or chilling out with a bottle of blood passed between his brothers as the sun finally died and took the planet with it. Nope. He was a deer horn shish kabob.
One small comfort. Maybe he didn't win the physical fight, but he won something else. Michael proved him right. He'd snapped. He was a killer, just like David said. Just one more minute of fighting would have been enough to force him to turn his bloodlust on the humans in the house.
Too bad it was only the two of them in the room. He'd loved to have shared the moment with his brothers. So much went wrong tonight. And yet, still. There was that.
"You were mine," David whispered in Michael's mind through their shared bond as his eyes drifted closed and a soft smile played on his lips, "you are mine." He knew that one immutable fact, which made dying all the more frustrating. He didn't want to let go. He refused. That burning obsession might be the only thing left when they dragged his corpse outside to be consumed by the sun.
Then David died.
Then—he woke up. He woke up the year before the Emersons came to Santa Carla.
Michael jolted awake, slapping his mouth with a resounding smack to feel his teeth. His heart hammered in his chest, the nightmare stark and raw in his mind. He was a monster. No, wait, someone else was. Or—Sam? Maybe.
He lowered his hand, the hazy memory of his dream fading too quickly to grab onto. He wasn't sure he wanted to catch it, either.
The only remainder of whatever he'd dreamt about was a gut feeling of dread and hunger. Shit, maybe he should've taken mom up on that sandwich offer before turning in early.
Michael glanced at his bedside clock, hidden partially under a dirty shirt. Midnight. Turning over in his bed, he punched his pillow to fluff it and tucked his arm underneath his head. He didn't fall asleep until dawn. Even then, his old man's bitching downstairs about the fucking coffee meant there was no way he'd get any real rest until the asshole went to work. God, he hated Phoenix.
"Did you hear me?"
David's ears rang with the words. His mouth was so fucking dry, and the raw throbbing in his chest where he'd been skewered was slowly ebbing away second by sluggish second. He'd woken up in one piece, by some miracle (or perhaps the opposite of a miracle), but somehow his body hadn't realized that yet.
"I said, did you hear me young man?" Max repeated himself, fingers drumming on the video counter. His face remained human, but his claws were out and sharp enough to gouge holes in the wood if he so chose.
He went on, glancing towards the entrance of the video store just in case anyone was close enough to overhear them, "I told you and the rest of the boys not to come in here during store hours. I've got a business to run. A reputation. As soon as I find you a mother, things are going to change around here. Mark my words. I am looking."
David's eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered this conversation, he remembered Max droning on and on about finding them a mother a year before they died.
"It's a bad idea, Max." David stated, his voice low. It held none of the typical sarcasm or irritation, just simple honesty. As if Max would ever listen to him–and he knew this wasn't how the conversation had gone the first time. He had said: Yes Max, of course, whatever you want! played along, all while thinking about how deranged the head vampire was even by their standards.
Max frowned, removing his glasses and glancing at two girls in passing with a brief polite smile. They'd shoplifted a video under one of their puffy jackets. Max's meal for the night if this bullshit conversation wrapped up as quickly as it usually did.
"Oh?" Max asked, fussing for a handkerchief in his coat pocket to wipe his lenses. He didn't even need glasses, but he loved making a show of being as annoyingly human as possible in public.
"I'm sorry, I don't recall asking for your opinion. Humor me though, David, why is it a bad idea?" He tilted his head back slightly, both as a subtle warning and a sign of amusement.
David reached under his coat to pull out a half-empty pack of cigarettes, ignoring Max's warning frown as he smacked the pack against his glove to shake one free, "a couple reasons actually," he began, "first off, we're not children, we don't need a mother. Second, we kill people, we're predators, this isn't the family experiment you think it is, Max. This is going to end badly." He remained calm, it seemed as though death had given him a clarity he had been lacking. He tucked the cigarette into the corner of his mouth and shoved the pack under his coat, trusting his point had been made.
Dwayne nudged Paul across the store nodding silently towards David. Marko stood at the edge of the counter, idly flipping through a magazine but watching David all the same. The silent energy between them buzzed in the air. This wasn't a fight, and yet it was.
"Ah, I see," Max nodded with a carefully controlled tone as he replaced his glasses on his face, "you're not children. Hardly even a quarter my age, sharing and scraping for tiny slices of the powers I decide to let you borrow, and you're not children." He shook his head, "my mistake. I'll keep that in mind. Your mother will have grown men to care for."
"Let me be totally honest with you for a moment, Max. You're losing it. Ten, fifteen, maybe twenty years ago you were a force to be reckoned with–but now, well, you're losing that killer instinct. You're becoming human." Without another word he turned his back on the older vampire and walked out the door.
Dwayne, Paul, and Marko drifted after their leader. It was time to stop protecting this asshole. The game had gotten old a long time ago. Knowing where it led, David knew without a doubt there would have to be some changes.
"Nice one," Paul complimented David, grinning as he skipped ahead of the group, knocking into a couple and ignoring them as they scrambled away. The guy knew not to pick a fight with them.
"What was that about?" Dwayne asked, rolling his eyes at Paul's antics.
David snatched a zippo lighter from a stall they passed and lit his cigarette, "I'll tell you everything when we get back to the hotel but we're going to be taking a little trip and leaving a present for Max when we do." He looked at the comic shop as they walked past; yes, the duo of wannabe hunters would be the perfect distraction and the perfect revenge for what they were going to do if things didn't change.
Marko tucked his hands into his pockets, side eyeing a blonde at the jewelry stand. His eye for easy meals never failed them. On lazy nights at the hotel, they could always rely on Marko to find something to share with the boys.
"She's visiting family," he remarked, "running the stand for the weekend while her cousin goes on a date." All they had to do was let him work his magic while they headed home to give him some space.
David nodded, "we'll meet you at home." His mind felt like it was going a mile a minute, processing everything that had happened, all the possibilities, and what had to happen now. Starting with Max and ending with Michael. He smoked his cigarette down to the filter, flicking it into the sand.
Did it matter how they were suddenly back from the dead? Or why? Maybe he was dead and being under Max's thumb was just the private hell David had earned for himself. Maybe they were doomed to repeat that same awful night over and over again. Maybe not. Dwayne, Paul, and Marko wouldn't be here with him if he was truly in hell. They'd all have their own private worlds with Max at the helm. Maybe they'd actually be kids, with the white picket fence bullshit and a simpering little mommy too.
They rode faster than they ever had, and the wind biting at David's skin felt so much fucking better than the stale air of the video store. It was real. This was all real.
Paul and Dwayne's echoing laughter assaulted the hotel, bouncing off of cave walls. David had been pondering for the last few days when they were. He'd been taking notes of every tiny thing he remembered happening before. It was still a few months before Max brought Laddie to them, a little longer and Star would be there too. A passing interest they'd all regretted. She was far more entertaining before the blood. Some people didn't take to it too well. They carefree attitudes they had towards life were just passing phases, easily stripped away when they were put to the test. Star was one of them.
"Appetizer?" Paul asked, offering David a joint once they'd settled in a bit and lit the oil barrels.
He took it without a thought, maybe it would help calm the thoughts tumbling through his head. He used his free hand to grip at one of the handles on his steering wheel. He'd been doing that a lot lately, testing himself. Pinching. Biting. Everything he could do to ground himself and believe all of this really was happening. Tonight the conversation with Max finally convinced him.
"Things are going to be different this time around." David finally said after a long silence that was only a little concerning for the others. He closed his eyes and took a long drag.
"What? I didn't lace it," Paul protested.
Dwayne kicked his feet up on the couch, eyeing David silently. "This time?" He asked, ignoring Paul. They all knew he'd laced the joints. He always added something special to them.
"I know what's going to happen this year." Daivd took another drag, the smoke drifting slowly from his lips as he continued to speak, "and it's not good."
"Is the circus coming to town?" Paul asked, squinting in confusion, "I hate clowns."
"What do you mean?" Dwayne pushed David to explain himself, lobbing an empty bottle from beside his feet at Paul to shut him up.
"We're all gonna die if we don't change things, those comic book fuckers are gonna kill us all." He took another drag, faster this time, growling at Paul when he tried to take the joint from him.
"The ones who threaten everyone with vampire comics?" Dwayne asked skeptically, "I really don't think they're a threat, but we can eat them if you're worried."
He shook his head, "no, I have a plan, a good plan, and it doesn't involve their deaths, not yet at least." He gave the joint back to Paul, nothing but a small stub was left.
"Gee, thanks," Paul said, none too happy. "So what's got you freaked out about those two losers? They never do anything. They're wimps."
"Do you wanna know how you're gonna die, Paul?" David asked, eyes narrowed slightly. It was so much easier to bring this up now. He'd been holding it close to his chest for days while he tried to figure it all out.
"Fuck, I can get you another joint. Fine," Paul jumped to his feet and held up his hands, laughing softly. "Don't bite my head off."
"You're gonna die in the old man's house in a tub full of holy water and garlic." He felt calm, detached, whatever was in that joint was the good stuff or maybe this was a continuation of how he felt after dying. Either way, he was giddy. Floating and free.
Paul's eyebrows shot up, "you mean Max?" He asked, alarmed, "how much did you piss him off?"
David shook his head, "no, the old man on the outskirts, his house. Those comic book freaks are gonna kill you in a bathtub. Marko is gonna get a stake to the heart and Dwayne," he looked over at the brunette, "an arrow and electrocution." He hoped Dwayne would understand, and would see how serious he was.
Dwayne sat up on the couch, rubbing his hands together and focusing intently on David, the relaxed air about him disappearing in an instant, "that's pretty specific," he began very calmly, "what are you trying to say, David? Did you have a dream this morning? Did Max threaten you?" It was an odd question. They didn't dream.
"I dunno if it was a dream but if it was it was pretty fucking vivid." David gripped the wheelchair a little tighter. He was relieved to finally tell them, let it all out. Keeping secrets from the pack was physically painful.
David continued, "I lived the next year, I felt each of you die then felt my own death. I made a promise to claim the one who killed me and then I was in that damn video store again. I was listening to Max ramble and bitch. When he brought up getting a 'mother' for us tonight, I knew it was all real. It happened." He kept his eyes locked with Dwayne's and let the sound of Paul's protests fade into the background. If anyone was going to believe him it would be his second in command, and someone had to believe him or they were going to be screwed.
The silence that followed was almost deafening. Even Paul was silent. The birds that nestled in the cracks and rotting rafters didn't seem to stir.
"That's a lot to take in," Dwayne finally spoke, leaning back, hands resting on his knees. He met David's eyes directly, "can you show us?" They couldn't exactly repeat memories, or replay anything in their minds like a video. They could share feelings, though, impressions. Snapshots in their mind's eye. It came in handy for hunting.
David nodded slowly, "are you sure?" He asked, knowing their answers. They met each other's gazes, nervous. Just a little concerned for their leader. Marko would get quite the surprise in the next minute or two, since he wasn't with them to share in the conversation.
Taking a deep breath, David finally let it all go, sharing the feeling of their deaths, of the proud feeling toward Michael's killer instinct before his own death, he shared it all. He shared memories of Star and Laddie, of the night on the bridge. The good, the bad.
Emotions and images washed over all of them, so strong that Paul lost his footing on the edge of the fountain he'd been pacing around, sending him tumbling to the ground, "holy shit!" He shouted, pressing his palms to his forehead. He could actually smell garlic and singed flesh. Both his and Dwayne's. His skin buzzed with the feeling of holy water that wasn't really there, and couldn't stop brushing at his arms to try to wipe it away.
"Holy shit is right!" Marko shouted from the entrance of the hotel, unconscious girl in tow with an arm around his shoulder, "fuck, man, could've used a warning…" he trailed off, using his free hand to pat at his chest where the stake had pierced him in David's memory. He hadn't been safe from the exchange of thoughts and pictures David had shared with the others. He couldn't be. They all had to be on the same page.
David shrugged, "now do you believe me?" He hadn't wanted them to feel it, hadn't wanted them to know death, but maybe it was better this way. The relief of carrying the pain for too long was immense. Now that he'd let it out, combined with the weed, he'd never felt so good.
Marko settled their meal on the couch beside Dwayne, careful not to wake her, "so all that stuff — it happened?" He asked, visibly shaken. It wasn't easy to intimidate a vampire, but seeing your own death could definitely do the trick. A human body couldn't withstand the kind of pain they could. The pain Marko had felt from being staked was tenfold what a human might feel. They died quickly. A vampire's body would attempt to heal around an injury until there was no blood left in them to continue.
"The guy who killed you, Michael, where is he?" Dwayne prompted, following up Marko's inquiry with one of his own.
"Arizona. Phoenix, to be exact." David ignored Marko at the mention of Michael.
Paul climbed onto the edge of the fountain, seating himself on the edge closest to the pack leader. His generally idiotic grin temporarily vanished, "what do you wanna do, then?"
"I want to break him open, show him and the world what he is before he joins us. I want that killer instinct to be ours and I want to leave the Frogs to play with Max." He wasn't always a planner but for this, this needed to play out perfectly.
Dwayne was thoughtful for a moment, not one to question their leader's choices. When he wanted something, that was it. Feeling and seeing exactly what had happened to him, too, Dwayne knew Michael was more than a passing interest. In fact, he very much seemed like he was a natural. He'd fit right in with them.
"We'll need time to plan," Dwayne pointed out, "peak season is already over on the boardwalk. Maybe wait a while until it's busy again, distract Max at his busiest."
David nodded, "we just need to make sure we don't miss our window of opportunity. We can't have Laddie and Star to babysit. Or distract." They couldn't mess this up. They had to use their second chance wisely.
"Spring break is a good time," Marko suggested, "it's insanely busy then."
"Oh man, a road trip would be fun. We going to Arizona?" Paul's good mood had returned in full force at the idea of a vacation from Santa Carla.
David closed his eyes, going through the timeline in his mind, "they came mid spring break, so if we leave by the beginning we'll be fine. We only need a few days."