A red haired woman, Dinorah, walked through an alley that she used as a shortcut to get to her apartment. She never thought things like these existed, vampires. While she walked through the dark and damp alley she heard some sounds, including an ominous growl that seemed to take all the happiness from her and replace it with increasing dread. She kept walking, she didn’t want to disturb whatever made the sound, for it to see her or, worst, follow her. Still, there was something that caught her attention. In the borders of the alleyway there were countless of dead animals: dogs, cats, rats and crows. What was so peculiar about it wasn’t the quantity or the variety; it was the way they died. They had been bled to death. Being so focused by that scene, she hadn’t noticed that the growling had ceased. She felt her heart beat rush and her body quiver with fear. Nothing could have prepared her for what she was about to see.

She turned and saw a man. He had a dark glow in his skin she never thought a person could possess. His hair was copper red and had bloodshot eyes. At his feet there was a dead bum. The bum had suffered the same fate as the animals. Dinorah screamed, and as soon as she made for running, the man stood in her way. She screamed even louder, but the man’s face was expressionless, he didn’t move nor made a sound. He put his right hand on her cheek, wanting to caress her. She only felt cold and fear. When he opened his mouth, she heard growling. She took a step back and he pulled her towards him and then pushed her to the floor. He had his back to her, and from between his legs she realized that the growling had come from one of the other three vampires that had arrived. He turned around and screamed: “Run, go!” Dinorah didn’t think about it twice and ran like she had never done.

When she arrived to her apartment, she locked her door and closed all the windows. She didn’t care for the warmth in the room, or even cared about going out ever again. She just wanted to stay safe in the haven that had become her apartment. She wanted to erase the image. That creature so beautiful and so perverse...

At first, she felt so scared of that man, but he protected her.

Then, she thought something horrible: he only protected her so he could be the one that kills her. Wait a minute, Dinorah, she thought. Are you talking about vampires? Are you crazy? Obviously, yes. They were not vampires. It couldn’t be. That’s impossible.

She decided to take a bath and get some sleep. When she got out it was 2:30 am. She had to wake up at 6 am and she hadn’t slept all day. When she got to her bed and covered herself in her gray cotton sheets, she heard a thud against her bedroom window. Normally, she would have ignored the noise, but this time she was full of curiosity. She took from her drawer a knife and got closer to her window. Lying against the windowpane, full of blood, was the redheaded man. How did he reach the 17th floor? She took a step back and saw him opening his eyes. Very slowly he hushed: “Help me.”

She opened her window and he fell to the floor inside. He had various claw and teeth marks on his beautiful skin. With a lot of work, and some help from him, she got him off the floor and onto her bed. She got some bandages and ointments out of her bathroom. “No, that won’t help me.”, he said. “Then, what can help you?”, she asked. The vampire looked at her and touched her face just as he had done in the alley and said: “Stay with me, don’t leave me alone.” “You want to stay here? The Sun will hit directly here.", she warned.

“Cover the windows.”

“Don’t you need to sleep in a coffin?”

“No… you see a lot of movies. We just need refuge from the Sun. A box or the ground can serve as refuge, or windowless rooms, as long as the sunrays don’t touch us.”

“Oh, and those other three, were they also vampires?”

“Vampires, I hate that word.”

“But, it’s what you are.”

He chuckled.

“Ok... the ones who attacked you, where they also… like you?”

“Yes”

“And, why did you fight?”

“There are two groups of our kind. There are those that care for other living beings and others that kill indiscriminately. They kill everything that crosses their path, including those like them.”

“They wanted to kill you?”

“Yes, but they failed to recognize that I’m older”

“What does age have to do?”

“As older as you get, as stronger as you get.”

“Oh. How old are you?”

“Old.”

“How old?”

“I was born in 1407. My name is János.”

“Where are you from, János?”

“I was born in Hungary. I was the son of a military man. All my life I had been raised for the military—Ow!”

“Are you ok?”

“I need some rest. It’s almost daylight.”

Dinorah looked at her clock; it was past four in the morning. She hadn’t realized how sleepy she truly was.

At 12:15 pm she opened her eyes. She couldn’t believe that she had lost her job interview. Mad at herself she rose from her bed as she remembered who slept besides her. It didn’t look like there were many scars left, and those that were still there looked as if they were healing right before her eyes. He seemed paler than the night before, and appeared to be dead. He didn’t move and felt even colder.

Dinorah walked slowly through her apartment and got her newspaper that was left right in her welcome mat. The first page’s headline read: INEXPLICABLE DEATHS AT THE CAPITAL. Below was a complete report with photos of the dead animals and a photo of the dead bum covered in a white sheet. The subtitles read: Citizens show concern at the thought of the return of the fearsome ‘Goatsucker’.

Dinorah smiled.

She spent her day looking for something to do. It was very weird having a dead being in your bed. Especially when you know that he’s not really dead, that he’ll wake up in any moment and can kill you in an instant. Dinorah tried to keep her mind busy. She got on the internet, played some Solitaire, looked through the ‘Want Ads’, just anything that wouldn’t let her think about what was waiting in her bed. Then, she couldn’t resist it anymore. How did he know of her home? How did he know where to find her? He must have followed her sometime, or at least seen her.

At that moment, she couldn’t stand being in her apartment, and decided to go out and look for things to do. When she came back, minutes after the sunset she entered her room shyly. Would he still be there? Would he be waiting for her? For what?

Much to her surprise the vampire wasn’t there. He only left a note that said: Thank You.

He couldn’t wait until I came?, she asked herself. Don’t I deserve some explanation about what’s happening and why he came to me? That night she sat in her room, standing in front of her window; if someone came, it would be him. She spent there long hours, until she realized that she didn’t have to stop her life to wait for him. She had to move on. Her life was complicated enough to have some vampire as a guest in her home. She got up, walked to the bathroom to put her pajamas, and before getting in there, she got out of her apartment.

She decided to look for him. She went into every dark alley, she kept alert for the growling, and she didn’t fear bumping into any vampires. She wanted to find János, she needed to. Where was he? Why did he hide?

Dinorah walked through the city for hours. When she looked at her watch it was 3:15 am. She didn’t know how long it was until sunrise, and she still had no idea where János was. She didn’t want to give up. She was tempted, obsessed, she needed to find him.

She looked through the center of the city, and suddenly heard a growling. There were two possibilities: that was János feeding, or another vampire…

She kept a look out, she wanted it to be him, and it had to be him. She arrived at the plaza. There were many bums, but also three other people that captured her attention. There was a man around her age, and a couple that he watched too. But, where did the growling come from?

She concentrated on the couple. The guy seemed to be a little drunk, she didn’t knew if it was because of the alcohol or the beauty and seduction of the woman. The woman had a black dress on, as black as her hair. Her hair reached the middle of her back and had curls. Dinorah kept looking silently at the couple. She didn’t know why she felt so attracted to them, but she wanted to know how it felt to be that guy. She imagined the woman was János, and she was the guy: being in his arms, being able to admire him up close, being in the light that emanated from his beauty.

The couple kept walking to the center of the plaza. The woman laughed and they talked as they walked hand in hand. They sat at the border of a fountain. There she started kissing him in his mouth, and slowly moved to his neck. She held the guy’s head, and started drinking his blood. The guy didn’t move, nor scream. He only gave a soft exhale when the woman finished her feast.

“I advise you that you should not get close to her, not yet.”, said a familiar voice. Dinorah turned and saw János. “I’ve been looking for you”, she replied. János smiled and said, “I decided to stop bothering you, so I left you alone”

“Why do you tell me to stay away from her?”

“She’s very powerful. One of the most powerful”

“More powerful than you?”

“Yes, and believe me, much more powerful than me.”

“Wow, okay... and, now, would you answer some questions for me?”

“Yes, but not here, anyone can listen to us.”

János held her hand, and levitated slowly until he took flight and reached Dinorah’s apartment. The feeling was completely inexplicable for her. She felt her heart beat in her throat, but she didn’t know if it was because of the flight or the vampire.

When they arrived at her apartment, Dinorah decided to ask him everything she could think of, and, even if she didn’t knew, János had decided to answer her everything. “Who was that woman?”, was her first question. “Meriti.”, he replied. “From where, when, how do you know her?” she asked insistently. “One question at a time. Meriti was born thousands of years ago, in Ancient Egypt. She was one of the Queen’s favorite maids. How do I know her? Well... she was the one who made me.”

“Then, are you close to her?” she asked avoiding his eyes. “Well... it’s a long story... But a hundred and twenty-five years ago she tried to kill me, so I try to keep as far away as possible, though I come back near her from time to time. When she senses I’m near she may try to kill me. She has her reasons although I don’t approve of them.

“I was with her for two hundred years, and you could say we were inseparable, except for that one occasion that provoked our separation. It was in 1539. I didn’t have a hundred years of experience in the game of eternity, believe me that’s nothing. One night she left, disappeared. I went around the world looking for her. I tried to see if any of my victims had heard of her, or seen her. After a few weeks, I decided to go to Egypt. I went to all the places she told me about. My shelter was anywhere, an ancient tomb, beneath the sand, and lastly a faraway cave. It was in this cave that I found her.

“I had never seen others like us, for a long time I thought we were the only ones. But that night I discovered that there were many like us, and two more like those who attacked me that night. The other two were women. One had auburn hair and freckles on her exposed shoulders. The other woman had cobalt hair. This woman… this woman was beautiful, without compare, and more powerful than the rest of us, and she was the one who we all feared, Neferakhen.

“My greatest discovery was that there was a presence, a presence that had me uncomfortable for days, and that night I felt it even more. I didn’t know what it was, but Meriti told me, ‘It’s the father.’ It was the one who had started it all. He was the first child of the night. He was the one who controlled us, and needed us at the same time. He was the fount, the only one above Neferakhen, and could easily be her equal. They were father and daughter, lovers, brother and sister, they were complements. If they united completely the world we knew would end.

“Neferakhen attacked me first; she knew I would be easier to kill. With a swift hand movement I was on the floor. That is all I really remember. I was unconscious. The hit had been too great for me to keep fighting. Meriti took me to Hungary and kept me company for the necessary years to reach my maximum strength. They had defeated Neferakhen and the fount, but she feared them still. We still felt his force; we knew this was far from over. On 1613 she left. She only said she had to leave, that she was condemned to keep fighting and that she couldn’t bear the thought of me dying because of her incompetence. The last time I spoke to her she told me, ‘I would rather your death by my hands than by Neferakhen’s.’

“I bump into her almost every 125 years. But, we mainly exchange looks and with a hand gesture we say goodbye. I barely speak to her. Neferakhen and the fount come back at that time. Meriti and the others keep fighting. By some unexplainable force, the father calls all of his children, and we all arrive to the city they are. This time, he’s going to be here, and Neferakhen is already amongst us…”

“Aren’t you afraid?”, asked Dinorah. “I think you, should be the one who’s afraid.”, János replied. “Why? Because I’m mortal?”, she asked.

“No, I actually think that being human makes you invulnerable for now. And you are right in some extent... Haven’t you asked yourself why do I know of you, Dinorah?”

“I never told you my name...”

“Or where you lived, or that your parents died after you moved here, or how they died—“

“Unknown causes...”, she whispered in a trembling voice.

“They are not unknown to me... Do you remember of that other woman that accompanied Neferakhen in the cave?”

“Yes...”

“She is the leader of their kind, at least while Neferakhen sleeps. She sent one of her stooges to look for you. He went to your house, your parents already knew what was in store for you, and so they sent you and your brother here. But he didn’t care, he killed them.”

Dinorah was outraged. She felt her blood boiling and started circling the room. “Where is he? I’m going to kill him!”, she said screaming and crying. “Meriti already did.”, answered János.

“Why? Why did she do that?”, she asked

“We need you, believe it or not, we do. There are three people in the world that can help us. Never had they been together, in the same place at the same era. And what makes it all better is that they are all connected to Neferakhen in some way”

“Well, I’m sorry to inform you that I don’t have any Neferakhen in my contact list.”

“Stop being so stubborn and pay attention. Meriti is wise, she visited your parents when you were young, and she gave them a knife. That was the same knife she used to defeat the fount for the first time in Ancient Egypt. You don’t know the value of that knife.”

Dinorah looked towards her drawer. She walked towards it and opened it. There was the knife. “My father told me he found it when he was young—“

“Meriti is close... I feel her... I hear her.”

The bedroom window opened and with gusts of wind Meriti levitated. “János.”, she said passively. “Meriti, why are you here?” the vampire asked. She replied with a smile and entered the room. “You are very smart, that’s why I chose you. You have found her. Blood of my blood.”

“What?”, asked the mortal woman. Meriti kept silent. She approached Dinorah, and took her in her arms. “Do not fear”, she whispered in Dinorah’s ear. “I’ve been protecting my family for years. You are one of my last descendants. Don’t worry, I will do everything to keep this family alive.”, reassured the ancient vampire. “Give me the knife.”, she added. “That can’t be the same knife you are talking about.”, Dinorah said.

She took the knife, and showed it to Meriti. It had a metal blade, and the handle was covered with old black tattered leather. “You can’t expect me to believe that this knife was used thousands of years ago in Egypt.”, argued Dinorah. Meriti smiled, and started to tear the tattered leather. As soon as the first black strip was off, Dinorah saw the original handle. It was gold with encrusted precious stones; there were also some carved hieroglyphs. Meriti pointed them and said, “ ‘ATON’. The Fount, our Father.” “What do I have to do in all of this? What am I supposed to do?”, asked Dinorah ” “Kill Neferakhen”, answered Meriti.

“How am I supposed to kill someone I don’t know, or where to find her—“

“She will find you.”, replied Meriti.

“Well, that’s comforting! You want me to kill someone that you’ve tried to kill many times before. How am I supposed to be able to do it? I won’t do this.”

“If you don’t, she will kill you. It’s your choice; her life or yours.”

Meriti looked outside. “It’s getting early. János, take care of her for me. Don’t let anything happen to her. I’m going, and I will see you later.”, with those warning words, she left.

Some time passed and they didn’t have any idea of what had happened. Dinorah had become accustomed to János’ presence and she actually enjoyed his company. He told her about a lot of things he experienced in his lifetime: his life in Hungary and of wars he participated in by being recruited in different militias over time. Dinorah told him what little she could about her life. It was very frustrating, that he knew more of her than she did.

On a much unexpected day, Dinorah received a much unexpected visitor. She opened the door and saw someone she hadn’t seen in a long time: her brother, Thomas. “What are you doing here? Is everything alright?”, she asked concerned. “Yes... I’m a little shaken, but I guess there are worse things... I could be dead…”, he trailed off.

Dinorah took him by his arm and carried him to the sofa. His big hazel eyes were cloudy, and he looked thinner than as she once remembered him.

“Thomas, please tell me. What happened?”

“I’m scared... very scared. I’ve seen some things these last days... Do you remember my best friend from college?”

“The geek that always helped me with Math?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this… I don’t think you will believe me.”

“Come on, Tom. Tell me.”

“Do you know about vampires?”

Dinorah started laughing. She couldn’t hold her laughter. János had been listening in the bedroom and anticipated that much anticipated moment: the perfect entrance. Thomas shrunk in the couch. “No, not another one.”

“Thomas, don’t be scared. This is János. He’s good, really, don’t worry. Now, what did you want to tell me about vampires?”

“She is one of them, and some other guys… they called her N—“

“Neferakhen…”, whispered Dinorah. “How did you know?”, asked Thomas astounded.

János looked at him and said, “Then, everything has already started… When was this?” “Some days ago. How did you know her name?”, he asked his older sister. “Long story, it all start—“ “Shhh… shut up.”, said János. “What happened?”, whispered Dinorah. “Do you remember of that force, that presence, that makes us feel so uncomfortable?”, he asked. “Yes… Are you feeling it?”, she asked with fear. “They are very close; Aton is looking for us...”

“Thomas, don’t dare go far. You must stay close to your sister… Meriti is close too… with the third one…”, János warned. “Thomas, is he one of the three needed?”, asked Dinorah. “Yes”, answered the vampire looking out one of the windows. “Who is the third one?”, she asked. “Enrique…” said Thomas with some sort of understanding. “Yes… you saw him Dinorah, the first time you saw Meriti by the fountain. The man who was watching her… That was Enrique.”, replied János.

They started hearing a piercing sound. Dinorah and Thomas covered their ears, and closed their eyes tightly. They tried to keep the noise out of them. Over the noise they heard János say, “They are here.”

Five vampires, including Meriti and Enrique arrived. They stood behind János, Dinorah and Thomas. The sound became more piercing but only the immortals seem to be untouched by the noise. They heard screeching cats and barking dogs in the distance, Dinorah’s neighbors’ complaints could also be heard above the noise. Meriti spoke in her formal and grave voice, “That’s the father’s cry. He’s calling us all here.”

Suddenly, every crystal of the apartment broke, including those of the windows. Cold gusts gave the mortals a bitter shiver down their spines. After what seemed just like seconds, Neferakhen and Aton arrived. “Both of them, together…”, said Neftis, one of the vampires that arrived with Meriti. “Be prepared for one hell of a fight.”, she added.

Neferakhen got closer to them and with a swift gesture of hand they all fell to the ground, except Dinorah, Thomas and Enrique. There were no more piercing noises, just a low growl. Dinorah looked at Aton. What a beautiful creature! He had copper hair and his long hair flowed nicely on his back. Aton said, in a supernatural voice, “Neferakhen, my blood, take care of these petty nuisances; I have to take care of some business with my other children. “Run, the three of you! Don’t separate!”, yelled Meriti.

Thomas and Enrique ran. Dinorah went to her drawer and got her knife. Neferakhen tried to get her, but János got in the way. The blow that was meant for Dinorah had injured him instead.

“János!”, she screamed with agony. “Run, fool!”, he screamed in pain. She started running, she ran as she had never done. Enrique and Thomas were way ahead of her, and she felt Neferakhen was running right besides her.

Run! Don’t stop. Don’t let her get you. She’s getting closer. Don’t fall. Run!, these were the only thoughts on Dinorah’s mind.