One In A Million Guy

The bad seed. Every town has one. Ridgeview, Ohio had Brandon Walker on loan. From where? No one could say. He was a tall and mysterious, riding into town on his Harley, smiling at the ladies. He had the reputation of a party animal. He enjoyed the night and slept the day away. Then again, half the kids of Ridgeview are like that out of high school. To call him a heart-throb would be an understatement. Every town he visited, he chose one special young lady amongst the many to spend the night with him. His tastes leaned towards those of looser morals. Tonight, he set his sights on a sweet girl.

They held hands as they ran through the dirt road. Walker, with his leather jacket and jeans, and Stacy, an upstanding young girl in her pink poodle dress. He knew she was innocent from the moment he caught sight of her passing the malt shop. Her heart beat like a woodpecker on a drum. She’d never been out this late before. She’d never accepted an invitation to spend time with what her parents would call a "greaser". It was against everything they stood for, and she couldn't have felt better about it.

Walker desperately gripped her hand as they approached the farm. There were no crops to speak of, and hardly any livestock. There were patches of grass here and there, but whoever owned the property had long since given up on tending to the land. He grabbed the red wooden door and pushed it open. He stood by and extended his hand.

“After you,” he said bowing.

Stacy mocked a curtsey and entered. Walker looked behind him towards the road. No one was around. Perfect. He closed the door behind him.

Stacy walked to the wooden pillar and leaned her back against it. She bit her bottom lip and smiled that sweet smile of hers. “You don’t think the owner’s gonna mind?” She asked.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about him.” He said feeling the seams, making sure it was closed tightly. He lowered the wooden plank in place, locking the door behind him. Walker turned to Stacy, leaned his back against the door and bit his lower lip back at her. “I am the owner.”

“You are not!” She said playfully waving the admission away with her hand.

“Am too,” he said putting his hands behind his back.

“Not too much light in here.” She said noticing only two lanterns.

“I like it this way. Sets the mood.” He said.

“I hope you’re not fibbing me,” she said. Every word out of her mouth accentuated her ruby red lips which contrasted with her pearly white teeth. Walker loved that. The trash he picked up either wore too much make-up, or not enough. This one was pure.

“Now what kind of man do you take me for? I’m one in a million. So are you.”

“I’ve heard stories about you, Brandon Walker.”

“What kind of stories?” he said taking a step forward.

Unknown to the young couple, they were being watched. Waiting in the rafters, out of sight, a pair of eyes kept a vigil watch on the young man. Every step he took would be noted.

“The kind that end in heartbreak. They say you got a girl in every town you visit. And you leave them just as things get interesting.”

“You could say something like that,” he said stepping another inch forward.

“They say you’re good at…you know.”

Walker’s motions and body language were being carefully observed.

“I am.” He replied.

Another step noted.

“So where does that leave me? Am I another notch on your belt?” Stacy asked playfully.

“Do you want to be?”

Closer and closer Walker lurked. Every inch he took made Stacy’s heart beat a little faster. She felt nervous and excited all at once; an effect that can be quite dizzying. He knees wanted to buckle as he inched towards her. She heard the stories—gossip travels fast in small towns. She knew this man wasn’t just the dangerous type, he was also a lover. He wasn’t the usual horde of football players and science geeks that wanted to take her to socials. He was the tall, dark and mysterious stranger she had always fantasized about.

Walker didn’t need her to respond. He knew the answer. He stood before her, face to face and stared deeply into her brown eyes. He parted his lips slightly and ran his hands through her auburn hair. It sent shivers down her body. Walker liked it. He liked being able to instill the deepest feelings from the slightest touch.

“I knew you were special from the moment I saw you,” he whispered, staring at her longingly.

“You did?” she said closing her eyes, taking in the moment.

“Yes. A guy like me has to go through a lot ruff before he can find his diamond. That’s you all over, Stacy. You’re my diamond.” She quivered at his final word and his touch. He ran his hand further into her hair and gently pulled it back. A moan floated off Stacy’s lips as Walker moved in for her neck.

Above, it became obvious that it was now or never.

Falling through the air, he landed with a hard thud in the dirt. A cloud of dust engulfed the kneeling stranger.

“Don’t even think about it, Walker.” He said.

Walker turned his head to see a man of six feet in jeans rise from the dissapating dust cloud. He wore a white shirt with brown vest brandishing a Sledgehammer. His five o’clock shadow suggested he’d been up in the rafters for a while. It seems the wait was over.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’d put that down and walk away.”

“Can’t do that, Walker.” He said. “I’ve been following you for two months. I missed you in Virginia. I’m not gonna miss you here.”

“What’s he talking about?” Stacy said realizing she was still in Walker’s grip.

“Don’t.” Walker stated.

“You didn’t tell her? Sad, Walker. Very sad. Better she finds out this way as opposed to the alternative.”

“I’m warning you!” Walker said.

“I don’t want to alarm you, miss, but he's not what you think he is. He rolls into town, seduces a pretty girl and a couple of days later they turn up. But not in the way he found them.”

“Oh god…” Stacy said trying to fight his grip.

“That’s not the best part, is it, Walker?” he said staring down the greaser in the leather jacket. “You see, he—“

Walker slammed his other hand against the wall, inches away from Stacy’s left ear.

“You just couldn’t leave well enough alone." Walker said lowering his head. "Fine. Have it your way.” The sounds were terrible. Stretching and crunching, moans and groans, all sounding uncomfortable but not to Walker. He raised his head to Stacy. Where there was once passion and desire, Walker’s eyes were filled with something different. She looked and wanted so badly to scream. She lost her chance when he covered her face with his hand.

Walker turned to the stranger, only it wasn’t Walker anymore…not the Walker that had been seen in public. His smooth skin was now bruised and sweating. His once baby-blue eyes were a hypnotic shades of yellow and orange. His voice croaked slightly. And his teeth… there was no mistaking those jagged, elongated canines.

“Vampires,” the stranger said smiling. “Always got to do things the hard way.”

“What do you know?” the thing that was once Walker scoffed. He snarled his teeth and balled his fists.

“Please,” the stranger laughed. “I’ve dealt with the big gun. You’re nothing more than a Derringer in an ankle holster.”

Walker could see this was a man determined. But a man none the less. “Okay, you’ve got skill. I’ll give you that. You’ve followed me across state lines. You found where I live. Fine, I'll give you that, too. But you have one failing.”

“Which is?” he humored Walker.

“You’re locked in here with me. No one ever leaves when they’re locked in with me.”

“Fair enough. But I should point out that you too have a failing. One you’ve narrowly escaped state after state.”

“Which is?” Walker asked.

“You never could keep track of time.”

With a swift motion, the stranger grabbed the sledgehammer. Gripping it with both hands, he forcefully swung it hard enough to build enough centrifugal force to shatter a hole through the wooden barn door and release the dawn's early light.

Like a cannon to the chest, the rays of the sun drove the vampire flying back into the wall. Walker couldn’t move. It was as if the sun was a giant hand keeping him in place as he burned. Holes melted into his face. His torso burst into flames which spread to his limbs. He screamed a hideous scream that could only be heard in the fires of Hell. He kicked and convulsed, but in the end it was no good. His burning flesh smelled terrible to the stranger, but he couldn’t turn away. This had to end here.

When it was all said and done, all that remained of the Vampire Walker was a skeleton locked in the throws of agony. It’s mouth gaped open and the set of fangs were plain as day. The stranger slung the sledgehammer over his shoulder and walked to the boney abomination.

“Sorry, Walker. They’ll find you, eventually, but no one can know what you were.” He poked the butt of the sledgehammer gently at the skull's mouth. It was soft enough not to knock it off the neck, but hard enough to shatter the evidence of Walker’s hidden self. He wiped the handle of the sledgehammer with the bottom of his shirt, removing any fingerprints left behind. The weapon was placed next to the body in the hopes that someone would find him and alerty the authorities. The investigation would yield the result that a jealous boyfriend or some unsavory character from Walker’s past had finally caught up with him. There would be enough for dental records to identify him, minus a couple of fangs. There would also be families in five states glad to hear the man who murdered their daughters was finally dealt with.

The stranger walked towards the scared young woman crying in the corner. She was shaking, but not crying. Shock was setting in. Fortunately, he was good with people.

“Stacy, was it?” he said. She looked up but wasn’t moving. “It’s okay,” he said extending his hand. “My name is Joshua Stern. And I think it's time we got you home.”

The End