"Fade to Black 10 (new)" by Tansy A. H. Pye

Scene 10
Revelations.

She screams. The vampire is at her side in moments. He follows her gaze. He puts his hand over her mouth, all the time looking over and listening for any signs that the police have heard her. She begins to cry. The Vampire walks her over to the swings and sits her down on one of them.

“Stay here. I’m going to go and have a look, Okay?” She nods. after a while he returns.

“She’s dead. seems to have been dropped from a height. She’s cold though. It was earlier this evening I think. We need to go, before the police come. I’ll take you and the bag we’ll just have to stagger the trip.” Christie nods, she’s shivering, she feels too cold to move, painful shudders wrack her body, her jaw is locked in a painful grimace. some where deep inside her mind a tiny sane voice recognises the signs of shock. She doesn't move. Dimly she feels the Vampire take her arm and lift her up.

The next thing she remembers she is sitting in her room nursing a cup of strong hot tea. She takes another sip.

“At least it wasn’t you” She says. The vampire is looking out of her window, he turns to face her.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. However did you make me tea?”

“I didn’t. Your Mum did. She heard the bathroom door when I cleaned you up and called upstairs, did you want a cup of tea? I thought it was a good idea so I said yes, in your voice. I had to sneak down and get it from the kitchen though. I think your Mum might be thinking that you’re avoiding her.” He smiles. Christie looks down, she is clean and wrapped in a bathrobe, nervously she checks underneath. She has nothing on. Blushing furiously she wraps the robe tighter around herself. Wracking her memory, she dimly recalls undressing herself in the bathroom and stepping into a shower. She tries to remember if the vampire was there. Did he see her naked?

“You cleaned me up?”

“I started to, but then you seemed to decide that you needed a shower, so I left you to it and fetched your tea.” Christie decides to assume that he did not see anything. though she is pretty sure her robe was in her bedroom and with only her and her Mum in the house she often ran from the bathroom to her bedroom without it. She hopes even in shock she remembered she had company.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“Going to pieces like that on you.”

“There was a dead body. I think it’s to be expected. Do you feel better now?”

“I guess so, a bit... Who was it? Oh wait another one of the girls I suppose. Oh God. This is all my fault.” She feels all the warmth and colour drain fro her again and begins to shiver. The vampire walks over and squats down in front of her. In his long coat he looks like a crow or vulture. He also looks pained and worried.

“It’s not your fault Christie. I should have gone when I had the chance. I thought I could control it, I thought I wouldn’t have to act out the film, but now I’m not so sure.”

“What do you mean? What are you talking about? It couldn’t be you. You were with me.”

“Not all night. When I went into the trees I found something.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of torn black fabric, he then pulls the edge of his coat round to reveal a tear at the bottom, the two pieces match. “I don’t remember being there before, but I must have been. If I can’t remember that, what else am I forgetting? I’m sorry Christie. I think it is me and I don’t know how to stop it. I am going to try to leave you again, but I don’t know how far I can go. You have the files, you need to find Danny. I have never met him, between you, you may be able to stop me.”

“No! Please don’t go. I cant do this without you. It cant be you. I need you. There must be another explanation,. Please.” The vampire has stood up and is standing by the window once more.

“It is me Christie. I am killing those kids. Of course I am, who else could it be. I am a vampire, the only one here. Possibly the only one in the world. There just isn’t any other explanation. You have to face it Christie. I am a monster and you may have to stop me. There is no one else who can. If you don’t then all the kids will die and then what? Once I am loose of the constraints of the film script. Will I be able to control it then? You have to be strong Christie.” Christie is sobbing again, she feels as if the only thing keeping her sane is about to leave her.

“No... Don’t go. Please, don’t go. We can chain you down, or put you in a cage or something.” The vampire spins around, he looks angry, his eyes glowing fiery red. There is a blur as his body turns to mist, for a moment the two red points still hang in the air then they too, fade and are gone, the mist swirls to completely cover the floor of Chrisite's room, where it flows against her feet it feels like thousands of pins and needles, she lifts her feet out of it. Suddenly the mist coalesces into the vampire, his face only inches from her own, his eyes are still glowing red, his face feral and contorted around his fanged mouth, as he speaks his breath smells of rotted flesh and earth.

“You think you could chain me? You think there is a cage in the world that could hold me?” Christie is terrified, she has pushed her self back as far as she can, all the way to the wall of her room. He leans down over her, she tries to scream but no sound comes out. He presses his fanged mouth against her neck. She feels the points of his fangs pierce her skin, she ties to struggle, but he has her tightly pinned against the wall, she braces herself for the pain she expects to come, her eyes tightly shut. Then suddenly he is gone. The large bat loops the room once to gather enough speed, then there is a tremendous crash as the window shatters outwards.

By the time her mum bursts into the room. Christie is curled into a ball against the wall, crying and screaming. Blood pouring from a wound on her neck. As son as her mother touches her, she can finally stand no more and passes out.