1st Chapter and poem of my book

Hi, There, What do you think of my poem and book below?

I am considering this one to publish

Thank you

In the light of darkness

The world shifts away from me

And I’m lost I cannot be found

I don’t want to be found

The endless fears and cries

My very own broken heart

It feeds me it keeps me

But as the air around me freeze

I look down at my lover’s body

As his life slipped away

My heart becomes hollow

And as he disappears

Nothing remains

Nothing of us both

Just wandering souls

Endless memories

And hollow shadows

Time doesn’t heal

Like everyone says

Time rots away

Every ounce of my humanness

I wait patiently now

For darkness to consume

What’s left of my walking corpse

I don’t want to be

Without him I don’t want to be

Take me…

Author: CM Dentlinger

The Beginning

River

It was a beautiful day on 10 April 1912. A lot of cars were making their way towards the dock and people were walking almost running with their luggage. The taxi stopped and I paid the driver with the money my father had wired for me to come home. Home was in New York and what I was leaving behind was London. I climbed out of the car and looked towards where we came from which was Southampton and I knew I’d miss it. The glamorous and ruddy parties, the perfect courtesans the city and the piece of paper I obtained that I at least finished my degree and was a qualified accountant having a very high paid job. Numbers was my thing after all but what I wanted was something I hadn’t found yet. Something missing to make me complete. Something I knew I wouldn’t easily find or if I’ll find it at all. I turned back and looked up at her. She was majestic like the papers said and she was indeed a beautiful thing. I smiled at her sight and I couldn’t wait to get onboard Titanic, even if it was to see my ill estranged father and the whore he married who thought she could replace my mother. It had been five years since my mother died and I couldn’t bear another woman in her bed. Leaving was the best thing I could have done for myself. Titanic was magnificent. Her length overall was 269.1 m and she could carry a total of 3,547 passengers and crew. She was equipped with a telephone system, a library and a large barber shop on the ship. The First-class section had a swimming pool, a gymnasium, squash court, Turkish bath and Electric bath. First-class common rooms were adorned with wood paneling, expensive furniture and other decorations The Café Parisien offered cuisine for the first-class passengers, with a sunlit veranda. There was even technologically advanced features which included three electric elevators in first class and one in second class. She also had an extensive electrical system powered by steam-driven generators and ship-wide wiring for electric lights and two Marconi radios manned by two operators sending and receiving passenger messages. First-class passengers paid a hefty fee for such amenities. The most famous feature was the grand hall. Living in a life a luxury all my life I felt quite pleased boarding as a first class passenger. When she finally set out for New York, there were 2,240 people aboard. After crossing the English Channel, Titanic stopped at Cherbourg, France, to board additional passengers and stopped again the next day at Queenstown. The ship smelled as new as it was. The dishes and cutlery was never used, the beds never slept on and we were the first passengers to walk the halls. I spent my first nights dining with a bunch of rich folks I barely knew. We just knew each by last name and it appears the Callahans was well known which made me fit in perfectly. I took a walk on the deck. It was freezing outside even though inside the heaters warmed every room on the ship. I sat on a wooden bench and smoked a cigarette inhaling the sweet scent of sea and I didn’t know, I didn’t know it would be my last human night. I supposed if I would have I would have done the same thing which was sitting outside breathing. I went back to my room declining the invitation of a brandy and cigar. I went down the hall and my eye fell on her. I knew she was engaged but she wasn’t married yet. She blushed and looked away immediately as she unlocked her door. I could if I wanted to all I had to do was talk to her, introduce myself as River Callahan, putting the emphasis on my last name so she’d know she was in the presence of money, but I resided to my room alone and had a good night sleep. The next day I spent some time in the gym working up a good sweat to keep occupied and sent a message to my father letting him know that I was indeed on the ship. Then I lied on the deck like everyone else bathing in the sun. I dinned one last time with my rich fellow passengers then instead of retreating to my room I made my way down third class The less fortunate knew the meaning of a good time and I was right they were having a party down there. Loud Irish music echoed through the whole third class section and everyone was dancing and getting pissed on cheap beer. I spotted a beautiful foreign girl sitting on her boyfriend’s lap. They were kissing and drinking beer as they laughed. It didn’t take long for me to get drunk on the cheap beer. It tasted like crap but the taste wasn’t the objective, getting drunk was. Soon I was dancing with a pretty young Irish girl. I invited her upstairs. She declined at first but I assured her it was okay. I took her to my room. She was in awe at the luxury and jumped on the bed feeling the sheets beneath her hands. I joined her and pulled her down and kissed her. Suddenly the ship rattled. I looked at the clock on my bedside table. It was 11:40 pm on 14 April 1912. The girl looked at me ‘What is it?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know’ she followed me up the deck and I took her hand leading the way. There were large chunks of ice on deck and some kids were kicking it about. I knew something was wrong and I went to find one of the crew members. ‘I have to see if my family is alright’ the girl said, and pulled herself lose out of my hand. I watched her running across the deck. It was the last time I saw her alive. I found officer Murdock and he was rubbing his hands through his hair which could not be a good sign. At first he would not tell me anything until I revealed my last name and my father’s first name. ‘The iceberg scraped the ship's starboard side’ he uttered and went inside. I overheard Captain Smith saying that compartments were flooded and watertight doors were being shut. The whole impact had lasted approximately 10 seconds. The watertight doors were immediately shut, and within ten minutes of the collision the five forward compartments were flooded to a depth of 14 feet (4.3 m). While the ship was designed to remain afloat with the first four compartments flooded, the collision caused flooding of the six forward compartments. The fifth and sixth water-filled compartments weighed down the ship's bow enough to allow more water to flood the vessel, accelerated by secondary flooding as regular openings in the ship's hull became submerged. I watched the crew running about and two hours after the collision first class passengers were emerging with life jackets and complaining terribly and the dismay they were in unaware that they had the first option to live. I went to see Murdock again and he shook his head. ‘She’s going to sink within an hour to an hour and a half. The third class compartments are beginning to flood’ he said. I heard a bellow from one side and saw the lifeboats were being made ready. ‘How many boats are there?’ I asked. ‘Twenty’ he replied. ‘We are loading women and children first then of the men so stay close’ he alerted me. I took out my pocket watch it was just after midnight. ‘Is anyone coming?’ I dreaded the answer but I had to know. ‘They won’t be here on time’ Strange enough but instead of thinking of the Irish girl I was thinking about the foreign girl who I recalled looked German and her boyfriend. A thought ran through my mind. If I was going to die I’d rather die saving someone than live. Their lives were more worth than mine. I did not have a girlfriend or family who cared for me and the woman in life which was my mother had died. My father couldn’t love me that much after I slept with his new wife. It was shortly after midnight and the third class section was beginning to flood. I went down and water was already knee deep and rising. I grasped my mouth with both hands like a girl when I saw the Irish girls’ body floating past. Her head was bleeding and I could only assume the crash mush have killed her. I went down the hall and the lights above my head was starting to flicker. It was empty. People had left but I heard a yell down the hall. It sounded like a girl. With huge strides I could master, I reached her, it was Anna, the German girl she was helping Radek, her polish boyfriend as he leaned on her. ‘A cabinet fell on his leg’ she explained. I took to the other side and put his arm around my neck for support. Water was rising fast and soon we had to swim. Reaching the second class sections all seemed empty except for a crew member, a maid running down the hall. She heard us and turned then she gave us each the last two lifejackets in her hands. ‘You must hurry’ she said and then water began to rise. ‘The last two boats are leaving’ she ran down the hall and frantically pressed the buttons of the lift. ‘Wait!’ Anna yelled wait for us. But in all our haste the maid left and the lights began to flicker rapidly of the second class section. Our only option was the stairs. ‘Here’ I handed Anna a jacket and was helping Radek put on his. ‘What about you?’ he asked in his Polish accent. ‘I’ll be fine. I assured him, my legs not injured.’ We found the stairs just in time as water rose. Soon we were in the grand hall and the ship was sliding. Chairs and tables slid to one side. Dishes crashed to the floor followed by glasses shattering. I could hear dishes falling and breaking as they caught the floor. ‘First time I’ve seen this’ Radek said and Anna pressed a kiss on his lips. Holding each other’s hands we managed to get on deck and crawled to the edge the ship holding onto the railing as her stern began to rise exposing her propellers. We were at the stern as it went upright holding on to the railing. Everything unsecured crashed into the water and the lights went out. People were yelling and screaming splashing in the ice cold water. Some jumped off in the hopes of catching a boat but they were long far off watching us from a distance. Titanic began to sink and the moment the last part we were holding onto hit the ice water I encouraged Anna and Radek to take huge breath whereby he finally confessed to not being able to swim. At 2:20 am according to news reports the whole ship sank. We tried to hold on to each other but when we hit the water we lost grip. I got the surface and Anna was frantically looking around. ‘Radek’ she screamed and yelled his name repeatedly. The people in the water was too many and splashed around like crazy. I went down again but I could not find him. We called out his name and through all the screaming people I saw his head being pushed down by some woman who could not swim. I swam towards him but he went down and when I came up again pulling him with me, he had already died. He had drowned. Anna swam to him but he was ice cold. She didn’t try to revive him as if she knew he would have died anyway. She just cried. ‘We are all gonna die anyway’ she said as she looked around at all the other people. ‘No one’s gonna save us on time so I guess I’ll see him soon’ she shivered immediately and I could not even warm her up as I was shivering to. ‘We just have to keep moving.’ I encouraged. It was the only way we could stay warm. The night grew quiet and the voices softer. We stayed afloat in the middle of the Atlantic ocean I could see people going down leaving whatever they were holding onto. We found a barrel which might have gotten lose from the cargo section and we held on the ropes that were still around it. Those who had life jackets died afloat and I could see a mother shivering as she cradled her dead baby. The child looked as if it was sleeping but by his ailing blue complexion he died long ago and the mother however refused to let go and to accept his fate. The from behind the barrel she emerged. She was not shivering like everyone else. She pushed her deep red curls away from her face smiling at us. Then she swam towards a young man who was shivering and looked very afraid. She pulled his head to one side and bit him in his neck. She began sucking. His blood darkened the water and he didn’t make a sound at all. She pushed his head down. Then she cupped water in her hands and rinsed off her mouth. ‘What is she?’ Anna stuttered. ‘A nightmare’ the woman replied. ‘I am what humans have nightmares about. A bloodsucking demon’ it should scare me to death to witness and from what I had just heard but I wasn’t afraid. We were going to die anyway in the ice water no one would come in time. ‘I can save you, when you are like me you will survive.’ It didn’t sound like much of a choice to me. ‘I’m scared’ Anna said to me. ‘Of dying’ she continued and then she turned to the woman and nodded. The woman opened her arms to me and I went willing. She turned me around so I faced Anna and pushed my neck aside. Her sharp teeth sank into my flesh and I let out a scream it was so soft because our bodies was weakened by the ice water. I could see Anna’s eyes widened in shock and horror as she witnessed the pain on my face. The woman spun me around and then she took out a small pocket knife and cut onto her wrist. Then she pushed her open wrist to my mouth. ‘Drink’ she demanded and I sucked on her slowly until I sucking like a baby. ‘Enough!’ she screamed and pushed me aside. I swam back to the barrel and held onto the ropes. Anna was shaking her head. ‘No’ she said. ‘I don’t want to’ but the woman pushed her neck aside and bit into her flesh. Anna didn’t make a sound she was terrified and I wanted to save her but from what would I be saving her to die like everyone else around us? The woman pushed her wrist to Anna’s mouth that refused at first but then she began to drink and when the woman was squirming with pain she pushed Anna away. Anna held onto the barrel with me. We stayed afloat by hanging onto it while fighting the agonizing convulsions taking control of our bodies. Only two of the 18 launched lifeboats rescued people after the ship sank. 1517 people perished that night most of whom contracted hypothermia in the -2degrees Celsius water where death could occur in as little as 15 minutes. And after only four hours survivors were rescued. Most families lost their sole breadwinner and those in third class lost everything they owned. And while the world mourned we were re-borned and saw a whole new world through a pair of vampire eyes.

One of the most famous stories of Titanic is of the ship's band. The eight-member band, led by Wallace Hartley, had assembled in the first-class lounge in an effort to keep passengers calm and upbeat. Later they moved on to the forward half of the boat deck. The band continued playing, even when it became apparent the ship was going to sink, and all members perished. There has been much speculation about what their last song was but it was alleged that the final tune played was that of the hymn "Nearer, My God, to Thee”

Adia

I hate studying in the library especially at night but the intellectual people in the study group I just left at UNAM Campus did learn me a few things, I was all ready to go for the Economics test the following day and was feeling very much confident. I turned the radio harder listening to John Mayer’s ‘say what you need to say’ singing as loud as I could while driving in my brand new red Toyota Yaris a ‘small’ present from my father for my twenty second birthday. It was such a relief just to think that one more year of studies is left before I obtained my degree. Even if I did take a gap year helping my father until I figured out if I wanted to continue studying. I had no dreams so it was evident that I’d be groomed to run my father’s business. Neon Airlines was a company he began as a pilot with years of experiences and after he left Richard Branson’s Virgin Airlines he decided to begin his own airline business which came with private jets and Helicopters for hire, a travel agency and a private school for pilots and air hostess. I threw myself completely in my studies putting romance aside just the occasional flirting and kissing would do and my only relationship was my first year at campus. Things went downhill with my studies when the boat rocked. He was not my first love but he was handsome and for being that came the loads of girls. After I broke it off, he did not seem that cute at all. I think I was so flattered that I almost lost my virginity to him if it hadn’t been for my conscious. It was a warm summer’s night in April the night you just want to stay outside and breathe the sweet air at midnight all the young people were out and about. I steered just off Sam Nujoma drive in the beautiful city of Windhoek. My father had found it absolutely weird for me to stay in Namibia and study while I had an opportunity to go abroad to England. He thought I would fit better in at Chelsea College in Fulham, London but I did not want to go abroad. I loved staying here. I heard people saying that England is a very depressing place and that included the weather with matchbox houses to live in. I loved having a backyard and being able to walk around my house and feel warm sunshine in the summer. My father did suggest a gap year that I took when I finished high school. Although I didn’t go anywhere I was stuffed in his office as his assistant for the greater part of that year making appointments and answering the phone and odd errands. I glanced once more in the rear view mirror my eyes seemed puffy and the green in them seemed to have darkened-studying too much and my long brown hair was in urgent need of attention yet just before I left the library I did notice a couple of guys in the corner staring at me with their flirting eyes. I turned into the suburb of Ludwigsdorf until I reached Exellior street where I lived down the road. Suddenly I was greeted by flashing lights, blue and red flickering-police cars. I stopped right there in the middle of the street, shocked. What was going on? Was it Anna? My father? I noticed an ambulance too and a body was carried out of my home on a gurney, covered with a green sheet. I was forcing my stubborn legs to walk and a police man recognized me. ‘Adia?’ I nodded. It was sergeant Rukata ‘Your father…I’m so sorry’ the herero police officer said. This was a nightmare and this was where it all began. He did not want me to go inside he just told me the police found Jack Barnes’ body sprawled out on the floor of his study after the housekeeper called them. It was a horrific murder I heard the other police officers say amongst themselves. He was stabbed in his neck with what appeared to be a barbeque fork and somehow drained of his blood. Who would do something like that? In a way I was thankful for not being at home. My mother died giving birth to me and my over protective father just left me alone in this world. I rushed to the gurney carrying my father’s body and pulled off the green sheet covering him. I gasped. He was really dead. Tears flooded my eyes and I let out a shriek followed by hysterical cries as I sank down on my knees, my arms reaching out as my father’s body was taken away. Hands grabbed me from behind. It was Anna, our housekeeper and she pulled me back into her arms keeping me still until I found some relief and only sniffing remained. ‘Does she have somewhere to stay?’ Rukata asked Anna. ‘No’ she replied. ‘We have nowhere to go’ ‘The study is off limits. We taped it off, please don’t go inside. I found the key and locked the door. It would seem like whoever gained access got in through the study only but we will come back to investigate further’ he left. And soon enough all the cars left and the neighbors went inside their houses. There was nothing left for them to see anymore after the daughter came home. But then a car arrived in the driveway and out scrambled a boy and a girl. ‘Adia’ Jess called out running to me followed by Luke. She sat on the lawn next to us and took me in her arms but all that remained was sniffs. ‘I’m so sorry’ she cried and Luke hugged us both. ‘I’m so sorry Ade’ he whispered in my ear. They held me for a while and then looked up at Anna still sitting behind me. ‘She’ll be okay’ she assured them. ‘I’ll take her in the house’ and with that she got up. My friends each took me by the hand and walked with me into the house and into my bedroom where they encouraged me to lie down. Anna came in with a glass of water and a small white pill. ‘It’s a sedative’ she explained. ‘The ambulance man gave it to me when I told them you’d be here soon.’ She popped the pill in my mouth and brought the glass of water encouraging me to swallow. The house grew quiet and I remembered crying myself to sleep. It took me the rest of the week until the funeral to mourn the worst of the pain away. I knew the week went by because I was standing infront of the mirror in a black dress, black stockings and black heels but I could only remember vaguely. My eyes were so puffy they seemed to narrow from all the crying and my face had huge red blotches. I could barely recognize my reflection; the thin girl staring back at me looked like a lost shipwrecked survivor barely holding on to life. I could not keep any food down in my body and only ate the chicken soup Anna forced fed me. But it was all over and as I stood there looking at myself I tried to recall the events of the week. I looked down at my hands, red dirt still clung to my fingers. I remembered standing when his coffin was lowered and I felt my heart being ripped out. It felt like my mind was leaving my body. A basket was passed to me with flower heads and a hand guided my arm encouraging me to take some and throw it onto his coffin. I remember feeling numb, my legs giving way and I waited for the darkness to claim me. I saw blurred visions and papers being flashed in my face making wind. The strong smell of lavender brought me back and when I looked up, flowers were decorated on my father’s grave already. After everyone left I stood there refusing to budge and I just kept staring. I imagined this day once but in the far future when I would have been older with children and a husband when I would have been able to let go but never had I imagined that day to come so soon. The air began to darken and I smelled the coming of rains in the air. As the first drop from the heavens landed on my forehead I knew I had to go but my feet were grounded where I stood. My soul was unable to leave him and a gust of wind twirled around me and only me. A white dove flew down and sat on his grave. It looked at me and out of nowhere I just knew I’d be fine. From afar I spotted my car and ran towards it before rains poured down. The shower only lasted until I drove off and the sun came out again. I went back to my house. It was filled with people everywhere giving their condolences shaking my hand and hugging me. I could recognize business associates and distant family members probably hoping for an inheritance. Anna was scrambling about filling tea and coffee pots refilling sugar and cream pots. She spent all morning preparing sandwiches and pastries in a darkened kitchen, no cakes she had said one do not eat cakes at a funeral it just did not seem right. Cakes are for celebrations this was not one, this is a mourning, people should be mourning she had said. I glanced back once more before I headed to the forbidden study as I knew that by the next morning I would not see these faces or remember these names. It didn’t matter anyway, nothing mattered much and I made my way down the hall. It was the first time I ever set foot in my father’s study it was always off limits and now I had a chance to find out why but I was too tired to ramble through his drawers I plunged down on his fancy leather chair and just looked around at his display of books some ere pretty old and others like I’ve never seen. On the very top shelf were dusty ones and one very odd looking book as I got up to make out the title Jess and Luke appeared. Jess was a lean pretty redhead. She wore her hair just below her shoulders and always tied them but for the funeral she let them hang lose and looked very beautiful. Luke was a real gentleman; good looking with neatly cut brown hair, lean but with buff shoulders and arms from constantly working out. I never understood why he’d do that and Jess was always with him working out herself which explained her arm muscles. They pretended not to like each other but I knew they did, they were always together and it was just a matter of time. ‘Adia’ Jess began and knowing her I knew she wouldn’t know what to say so I nodded in appreciation. She was never a person for words and not much emotional either. She kept to herself and expressing sympathy was the hardest ever but I loved her all the same. Whenever I needed help she was right there beside me. ‘I’m so sorry’ Luke uttered as he crushed me in his arms. It took me by surprise and I spilled out some more tears wetting his shirt the more I cried the tighter he held me and he did not let go until I was silent. That was the kind of the person he was not afraid to express but like Jess, afraid to say it. Then he wiped away tears on my cheeks with both his thumbs on either side. He pressed a kiss on my forehead ‘Alright?’ he asked. I nodded as I swallowed the last burning knob in my throat ‘I’m so sorry to do this’ he mumbled ‘But we really don’t have time left’ I looked at him confused ‘Please sit’ he suggested as he pulled out a chair for me ‘Jess’ he called her as she stepped forward ‘The truth is Adia’ Jess began and looked at me intensely ‘Your father was killed by a vampire’ There was a moment of odd silence you could hear the whispering wind outside howling ever so softly. I searched their faces for some kind of evil joke but they were truthful. I grinned ‘You have to be joking’ I insisted. ‘I just buried my father and you think making a comment like that is relevant’ I wanted to scream from the top of my head and throw things at them for begin so insensitive. Anger raged like I never felt before. Jess turned to Luke ‘I told you we have to show her’ ‘Show me what!’ I shouted ‘I’m not going anywhere with you!’ Suddenly Luke stepped behind me grasping me in a tight hold with my arms down my side and surrounded by his strong ones. He carried me kicking and screaming out of the house towards his Ford Bantam bakkie parked outside. Jess opened the door and they pushed me inside. She got in beside me and locked the door. ‘This is kidnapping’ I reminded them. Luke turned around after he got in the driver’s seat ‘Do not scream’ he demanded as he drove off towards Katutura State Hospital. Jess opened a duffel bag that laid in the back and took out a crossbow and stakes. So did Luke and handed me a stake as well. ‘Just in case’ he added. I didn’t ask my questions but followed as they hurried down the halls. I did not know what to expect except that my friends have lost it. Luke picked the lock to where the recent deceased laid with what appeared to be a small pocket knife, one other thing I did not know about him. Once inside they started opening the refrigerator doors and were pulling out bodies lying on metal beds inspecting the necks. I felt sick to my stomach ‘Found it’ Jess called out and I approached to see her pointing at two hole in the neck. The body was that of a young girl about fifteen. ‘What now?’ I asked ‘We wait’ Luke said ‘For what?’ ‘For her to wake up’ I stared at my friends. It could not be a midlife crisis I told myself it must be something else. I threw down the stake I still held on to ‘You are completely mad!’ I said ‘I don’t think I know you at all!’ I was about to walk away when Jess took hold of my upper arm so tightly she was able to spin me around to face the body ‘Look’ she said and let her grip go when I paid attention. I gasped so deeply I almost forgot to breathe as the young girl’s fingers moved. Suddenly she sat up slowly and then opened her eyes. This time I grabbed Jess’ upper arm pulling her further backwards but subconsciously in front of me at the same time. The girl’s eyes were crimson red. She looked at us then she licked her lips. She opened her mouth and hissed revealing her long sharp canines. Dark veins branched down her eyes as her face deformed in front of us. ‘Has she seen enough?’ Luke asked Jess. I nodded. In seconds the girl flung toward me leaping almost soaring. Jess stepped in front of me and pushed a stake in her chest. The vampire girl gasped as she looked down. There was blood oozing out of her and her flesh crawled into itself wrinkling as it turned to a charcoal color and all that was left was what appeared to be a burnt stiff body covered in blood. It all happened in a matter of seconds. Jess and Luke stared at me waiting for some kind of reactions but I was too busing savoring the truth that vampires do exist. ‘Was she the only one?’ I managed to ask. ‘For tonight I suppose.’ Luke answered calmly ‘Do you have anything to ask?’ he added as he wrapped the body in a white linen sheet on a counter in the corner and carried it running down the fire escape to his car. He threw it in the back of his truck and it sounded like one big rock not a body. ‘Now we go to the veldt and burn the carcasses' He said it like she was an animal and maybe she was she sure acted like one. We drove towards Hosea Kutako airport and turned off into the veldt where a few stones were packed like an altar and a heap of ashes laid, I could only assume it be that of other vampire bodies. Luke took out a small can of petrol from the backseat and threw it on the body followed by a match he lit. It set alight immediately and huge flames came from it so hot I stepped backwards. There was no stench at it all it smelled like nothing maybe that is what it was-nothing. As I stared into the flames I could think of a million questions to ask but did not know where to begin. ‘Your father has books in his study’ Jess suggested as if she was reading my mind. ‘Read through them maybe you’ll understand more’ ‘My father?’ I asked confused. ‘Your father was working on a cure for vampirsm’ ‘Vampirsm?’ I chucked at the name but I was the only one laughing. ‘As you can imagine having immortality taken away from you made your father a very hunted man. That’s why he was so protective of you’ It didn’t make sense nothing did. He could have told me why didn’t he, was the only questions flooding my mind as they drove me home. But that was only the beginning they told me. Jack Barnes together with Jess, Luke and sergeant Rukata belonged to secret society of vampire hunters. Once a year meetings are held in different countries to discuss the outcome of man-kind should the night creatures become out of control and how to destroy them once and for all. ‘Now that your father is not with us anymore, you have to step in Adia Barnes’ Jess announced sounding as if I did not have a choice, maybe I did not as I was not rejecting the vacancy either. The story seemed deeper that a cure and loss of human life. The moment I got home I rampaged my father’s study pulling out papers from his desk drawers until I remembered the dusty books on the top shelves and the titles read, night demons, demons, witches, witchcraft, werewolves, banshee and finally vampyr. The last book was an unusually thick book and filled with the oldest paper from ink calligraphy handwriting to typed pasted notes and pen writing. I sat on the floor and paged. Hand drawn pictures and color paintings showed crimson eyes and dental outline of sharp canine like human teeth and dark veins branching from the eyes downwards. Notes of tests done were written everywhere. There were no color photographs though and I glanced through the words,

‘Vampires are beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence in the form of blood of living creatures. A vampire is the manifestation of an unclean spirit possessing incubus-like behavior. They were first sighted in the early 18th century. Evidence that a vampire was active in a given locality included death of cattle, sheep, relatives or neighbors. Vampires could also make their presence felt by engaging in minor poltergeist-like activity, such as moving household objects, and pressing on people in their sleep. Sacred items, like a crucifix covered in holy water, rosary sprinkled with holy water, or holy water itself are said to harm vampires. Vampires are unable to walk on consecrated ground, such as those of churches or temples. They do not have a reflection and sometimes do not cast a shadow, perhaps as a manifestation of the vampire's lack of a soul. Some traditions also hold that a vampire cannot enter a house unless invited by the owner, although after the first invitation they can come and go as they please. Methods of destroying suspected vampires varied, with staking the most commonly cited method, Potential vampires were most often staked through the heart. Piercing the skin of the chest and burying sharp objects, such as sickles, in with the corpse, so that they may penetrate the skin while transforming into a vampire. Decapitation was the preferred method in some countries. Further measures included complete incineration of the body. Vampires entered into sexual liaisons with the living, driving them mad. Modern vampire tends to be depicted as a suave, charismatic villain. 'Coven' has been used as a collective noun for vampires, possibly based on the Wiccan usage. Vampires turn into a burnt corpse when staked of which the burning flesh have no smell. They burn when exposed to sunlight sometimes fatal. Eyes reflect blood red when made and later darken the older the vampire gets. Vampires are ice cold to touch with pale skin. Vampires cannot fly but have the ability by jumping creating huge stride stretching a few feet. Abilities include reading minds and talking to each other via telepathy and also with those humans they become bonded to, excellent sense of smell. When feeding the blood of humans they also feed on the memories of their human victim remembering and seeing their life story flashing like a movie in their minds. They can see very well in the darkness, moves swiftly. The Order is the vampire’s society. An order exits for each type of vampire and it is the long lasting members who decide the sacred kiss. Sacred kiss meaning the formation of a vampire as the other vampire’s mate i.e. the transferring of blood to each other confirming a sacred union hence the bonding of vampires. The Order decides on all other vampire’s that live, how long their time span should be if not given the Sacred Kiss. However since the Order could delay the process of ending such vampire’s lives, the council of assassins called slayers was established. Their duties is however to eliminate all and every vampire. What the order do protect is century old vampires and the sacred of law of not killing one’s maker if not presented to the Order good reason to do so. This being the most absolute vampire law'

I finally closed the book and lied on the carpet looking at the ceiling. ‘you’ll be fine’ I turned my head to the sound of a female voice’ Anna, the German housekeeper looked at me lying on the floor. ‘Your father asked me to look out for you’ I sat up instantly ‘You know?’ I was surprised and jolted upright. The housekeeper knew and not the daughter. I examined her, she was simply a beautiful woman. She always wore long dresses and skirts and decent blouses. Her blonde hair always short and curly and on her feet she always wore pumps and other flat shoes. She stepped closer. ‘How old do you think I am?’ she asked. ‘Thirty?’ I replied in a question. She shook her head. ‘I lived with your father for a few years now as you should know. I am one hundred and twenty one years old. One of the last so called Titanic disaster survivors however twenty one was the age I boarded the ship and the time when I stopped aging guess stress makes me look thirty’ Suddenly my whole body felt heated. It took me a while to realize that it was fear heating my body, she was a vampire too and she would kill me, launch at me like the teenage girl in the hospital morgue. Anna laughed at my reaction. ‘I won’t harm you’ she promised. ‘If I wanted to I could have done so a long time ago. Your father helped me become more vegetarian. I’m on a strict pig’s blood diet. Not the most appetizing I assure you but once a while I make a trip through a reserve park or farms for lions and meat eating animals now they are a treat but the best is human blood. I have not drunk it in many years and I’m not planning to either. I was one of those unfortunate ones the vampires did not kill. Taking human lives was not what I planned for my future. ’I suddenly felt sorry for her I touched her hand, she felt cold like the book said and I realized she was always cold to touch and she never went out in the sun. That’s why she didn’t attend my father’s funeral. Her eyes were not crimson but dark brown almost black and as I looked at them closely for the first time I could see a shimmer of red in them. ‘Do you know about the cure?’ I dared to ask. She approached me in such a swift movement and I noticed her feet barley touching the ground. How irritating it must have been walking as slow as humans. She pulled away some of the books behind the shelf a red button displayed itself. She pushed it and the bookshelves moved apart revealing another room. I stepped inside. It was a laboratory of some sort complete with white jackets against the wall. A fridge with chemicals and flasks of red liquids, science books stacked on the cabinets, microscopes and lots of other science equipment. I stood there frozen. I keep wishing to wake up from the nightmare ever since my father died. It felt like I have been living a lie all my life a world created for me by my father blocking out reality and he went through all this trouble keeping his secret life secret from his only blood-,me.