The Vanishing Vampire Page 7
I didn’t want to leave. I saw no way to stay.
I was so wrapped up in these thoughts as I walked that I didn’t see the three of them coming.
They must have been hiding behind parked cars. They hit me hard, pushing me against a tree.
“It’s him!” Bud Mellon shouted as he grabbed my right arm.
“Got him!” Lud Mellon said, forcing back my left arm.
I should have been able to fling them like bits of paper. But something had stolen my strength. I looked up.
“Stay where you are, evil one.” Husker Teridakian faced me, holding up his cross. “I have found you. The light of the sun will cleanse the earth of your foul presence. The old evil one may have escaped for now, but I will atone for my failure with your destruction.”
He reached out toward my scarf. I jerked my head to the side. I felt his fingers grab the cloth. I looked around desperately for some way to save myself before he exposed my flesh to the burning light of the sun.
There, on the lawn behind him, was Browser. Attack, I thought, sending the dog a command to leap the fence and pounce on those who wanted to harm me.
The dog didn’t move.
So this was how it was to end. Here I had been tortured by the thought of spending an eternity as a vampire, and I was about to be crisped into ashes before I could begin my new existence.
I tried to yank my arms free. It was no use.
“Die, vampire!” Teridakian shouted, tearing the scarf from my head. The sunglasses went flying. The scarf flapped in his hands.
I shut my eyes against the sunlight and braced for agony.
“Die, evil one!”
Had time slowed down? Surely by now I would feel my skin turning to cinders.
“Back to ashes, undead monster!”
Nothing happened.
I opened one eye. Then I opened both. Sunlight fell on my face. It felt good. I blinked. I looked at Lud and Bud. I looked at Teridakian. I understood. Teridakian didn’t. He backed up, his face squishing together in a puzzled expression.
“Perhaps you made a mistake?” I suggested.
Teridakian stared at me. He took the cross and pressed it against my forehead.
I stared back. “You made a mistake. Leave me alone.”
He lowered the cross. He stared at me for a moment more. Then he sighed and walked off.
“Guys,” I said to Lud and Bud, “maybe you should let me go.”
“Sorry.” They dropped my arms and stepped back.
“He told us to do it,” Bud said.
“He said you were a vampire,” Lud said.
“I’m not a vampire,” I said. I was me again. My decision to save Vladivost must have saved me, too. I had helped the person responsible for all my problems. Even though the thought of turning into all those termites had disgusted me, I did it because it was the only way. And I had offered him the formula. What could be more human than that? From the instant I rescued him, I had begun to change back. That was why I was so weak leaving the warehouse. That was why I had no strength against Lud and Bud, and why I had slept last night.
I wasn’t a weak vampire; I was just a normal human. After having the strength of a vampire, the human form seemed so weak. But I knew I would get used to it again.
They were still standing there. I wasn’t frightened. I looked at Lud. There was something I had to try to understand. “Why did you take my comic book?”
“Huh?”
“Last week. You took my comic book.”
“I wanted it,” he said.
“It’s mine. I want it back.
He looked extremely confused. Then a slight bit of understanding showed on his face. “Oh,” he said, nodding. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded, crumpled comic. He held it out to me.
“That’s okay. Keep it.”
“Really?”
“All yours,” I said.
“Hey, you’re okay. Thanks.”
I turned from them and walked toward school. The warm sun felt wonderful on my face. I was beginning to understand something else. Like just about everything in life, the word monster was not a simple concept. Vladivost was right about that—no one sets out to be evil.
“Splat!”
I looked ahead, squinting. I could no longer zoom in on things, but I recognized the voice. Norman came running toward me. I’ll say one thing for him—he figures stuff out pretty quickly. “You’re back!”
I nodded.
“How?”
I explained what had happened. At one point, the Mellon brothers walked past us. Norman tensed, but I told him not to worry. “They won’t hurt you,” I said.
I finished my story. Angelina came by, and I gave her the good news that I would be able to torment her again. She seemed pleased.
Norman and I continued our trip to school. We walked into the building together. I felt great. Dawn was at her locker. I realized I hadn’t been very nice to her. This was my chance to make up for things.
“Hey,” I said, walking up to her, “if you’re still interested in that bike ride, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Oh, sorry,” she said, giving me a sweet smile. “I tried and tried, but you just didn’t seem interested. Well, I’m going to be pretty busy from now on.” She turned and walked down the hall. She strolled right up to Lud Mellon. I watched, my mouth half open, as the two of them walked off, talking and giggling. You could almost see hearts and bluebirds swirling around their heads.
“Go figure,” Norman said.
“Yeah.” But I guess Dawn was way ahead of me. She saw something special in Lud. Where the rest of us just saw something to fear and hate, she saw something to like.
That’s how life was. One day, you’re a monster. The next day you’re a person. Blam.
Kids can be such monsters … literally! Especially at Washington Irving Elementary. Read on for a sneak peek at The Unwilling Witch.…
I almost walked right past the woman.
She was huddled on a bench, so quiet that I didn’t pay any attention to her at first. But her trembling caught my eye. She was scrunched up and shaking all over. I was on my way to meet my friend Jan at the edge of the park across from the mall. Usually, I got there first. This time, Jan would have to wait.
“Are you all right?” I moved closer, hoping I could figure out what was wrong.
She didn’t answer me.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need some help?”
She raised her head.
I saw a doll once with a face made from a dried apple—all deep, dark wrinkles and hard ridges. That was her, but she looked even older than that doll. Her eyes stared past me into the distance.
I tried to get her attention. “Should I go for help?” I reached out to touch her shoulder and let her know I wasn’t running away. “I’m coming back. Don’t worry—I’ll bring someone who can help. You’ll be fine.”
Her right hand shot out and clutched my wrist. It was so quick and unexpected, I shrieked in surprise.
“No time,” she whispered.
“There’s time,” I told her. “There’s always time. Let me get help.”
“The moment for passing is here.” She searched the park with her eyes as she spoke. “It must be now. Now or never. Now or lost forever.”
I tried to step back. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I had to break loose. I expected to slip easily from her withered fingers, but they held me like her hand was a steel claw. “It’s okay. I can get help. Just let me go. Please.” I tried to stay calm, but I hated the feeling of being trapped.
Her grip tightened. She pulled me closer, then raised her left hand toward my face. “Mine is done,” she said, slowly and clearly. “Yours has begun.”
As she touched me, a blast of power surged through my forehead. It was like walking in front of a giant water hose. The force washed over me with so much strength that I was thrown free of her grip. I hit the ground hard. I looked up, expecting her to be tossed over the back of the b
ench. I winced at the thought of those old, brittle bones breaking. But she was on her feet.
“Wait.” I couldn’t let her move.
She faced me for a moment. “Wisdom and kindness,” she said. Then she sped away. The helpless, shivering woman fled down the path, fast as a young girl, gaining speed with each step, her black dress flapping behind her in the breeze like a flock of ravens.
Starscape Books by David Lubar
NOVELS
Flip
Hidden Talents
Hyde and Shriek
True Talents
NATHAN ABERCROMBIE, ACCIDENTAL ZOMBIE SERIES
My Rotten Life
Dead Guy Spy
Goop Soup
The Big Stink
Enter the Zombie
STORY COLLECTIONS
Attack of the Vampire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
Beware the Ninja Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
The Curse of the Campfire Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
Invasion of the Road Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
About the Author
David Lubar grew up in Morristown, New Jersey. His books include Hidden Talents, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; True Talents; Flip, a VOYA Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror selection; the Weenies short-story collections Beware the Ninja Weenies, Attack of the Vampire Weenies, Invasion of the Road Weenies, In the Land of the Lawn Weenies, The Curse of the Campfire Weenies, and The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies; and the Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series. He lives in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. You can visit him on the Web at www.davidlubar.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE VANISHING VAMPIRE
Copyright © 1997 by David Lubar
The Unwilling Witch excerpt copyright © 1997 by David Lubar
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Marcus Calo
Illustrations by Marcos Calo
A Starscape Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
ISBN 978-0-7653-3077-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 9781429993067 (e-book)
First Edition: May 2013