Unlike me, Talon is a human turned vampire. And he has the temperament of an evil dictator. Running this place like his own personal kingdom.
There’s a hierarchy of sorts that he enforces. Vampires on the top tier, and no surprise ghosts and poltergeists are on the bottom.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Matchbox asks. “I’ve had to cover for you. Told them you were out checking the perimeter.”
“Thanks man.” I see he’s changed into theGhostfacecostume, hiding his black horns from view.
“Whatever. You know I’ve got your back no matter what. Let’s just hope Talon doesn’t find out.”
“I think if he doesn’t already, he will soon. The watcher interrupted a hell of a good kiss.” I ache to get back to her, and feel those sinful lips against mine again.
“That’s what you were doing? If you weren’t already dead, I’d think you had a death wish. You know how he feels about fraternizing with the patrons.”
“So, it’s okay to kill them, but making out with them is a step too far?” I scoff.
“I don’t make the rules, man.”
We get in position as we’re alerted to another group about to enter our domain.
Digging deep, I unleash my inner monster. Becoming the ghost. A whisp of terror to torment and haunt. Letting a cruel laugh out of my mouth, it echoes around us, bouncing off the pitch-black walls. Following the couple closely behind, I pull the girl’s braid and she shrieks, trying to move closer to her boyfriend. But he’s too busy being picked off the floor by Matchbox.
“What the fuck?!” He cries, feet kicking at the air. The dude is a complete douche, I can tell. Backwards baseball cap and a heart full of hate, I can taste the sour air around his corrupt soul. The monstrous bloodlust that lives in my veins is just begging to be set free, to consume his darkness.
I know that if I let him walk away from this place, he’ll do more harm than good, as evidenced by the yellowing bruises that trail up his girlfriend’s arms and the one on her face that she tried to cover with makeup.
Not an ounce of remorse fills me as I suck out his soul, leaving him as a lifeless husk of flesh on the floor. The soul thrashes about for a moment, screaming in agony as it’sabsorbed into me. It feels so fucking good. Like a high I could never achieve when I was alive.
The girlfriend is long gone, rushing off into the void, and hopefully onto a better life without this piece of shit to abuse her.
“You could have at least left me some.” Matchbox complains.
“I’m sure there’s plenty more on their way. This town seems riddled with his kind.”
He just nods, rolling the lifeless body into position while I press a hidden button on the wall, revealing a trap door that opens easily for us to shove him into. That last body should meet our quota for the year. This season has been busy and with the heightened tourism thanks to some viral videos, it’s allowed us to feast regularly.
The vampires should be satiated at least until the summer season, if not longer with how much fresh blood they’ve gorged themselves on.
Plans for the campers to spend a whole week here are well under way, and I’ve been finding myself excited at the prospect of chasing fresh meat with no time limits. All day. All night. Just pure terror whenever we feel like it.
“Phantom.” The Watcher’s voice crackles from the speaker above.
“Fuck.” Dread coils in my stomach. I knew it was a risk going after the girl like I did, but it was so fucking worth it. The taste her on my tongue lingers still, taunting me to finish what I started with her. Knowing she’s running around, terrified, alone and vulnerable makes me want to abandon my post all over again.
“Get your ass in the office. Now.” The Watcher demands and I know I’m truly fucked.
“You rang?”I ask, popping my head into Talon’s office. Or rather, lair. Its decor looks like it’s been directly transported from Transylvania, complete with high arch ceilings and gothic sculptures. Several gargoyles are affixed to the black and crimson covered walls. Candles flicker and dance creating long ominous shadows about the darkened room.Talon likes to keep reminders of the past while forced to live in the modern age. I’d say he’s adapted quite well for himself seeing as he’s the creator and owner of this depraved place.
In the corner of the room sits what can only be described as a wall of screens. It shows countless groups of people being scared, attacked, or murdered from every angle of the compound. A gorgeous sight.
“What the hell kind of game are you playing at out there?” He asks, security footage pulled up on one of his many monitors. Showing a zoomed in portion where I’m kissing the hell out of my girl.
“Nothing.” I shrug, trying and failing to appear nonchalant.
He turns to face me, fangs on full display, black wavy hair slicked back with a streak of gray on his right side over his ear, and a finely tailored suit hung about his tall frame. “Nothing, my ass. You’ve abandoned your post for some hot piece of ass. And if anyone is going to be getting that, it’s going to be me. Understand?”
I crack my knuckles, knowing that one wrong word and he’ll throw me out of here. Or worse, have my contract terminated. And then it’s a one-way trip back to the pit of Hell.
Talon is centuries old and one of the most blood-thirsty, murderous vampires alive. But with modern technology,mortals slowly began to catch onto his penchant for killing. To go undetected, he started Nightmare Acres. A place for the creatures of the night to quell our monstrous desires, but only in service to him.
