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A thick fog was creeping across the town, the streetlights casting eerie shadows across the ground. It was still early in the autumn and a light chill graced in the air. A regular Friday night, alive with enthusiastic people spilling out of the bars across the town, noses red from cold and eyes glinting, chattering excitedly about whatever live music act they had been watching over a few glasses too many by the fire. Stumbling drunkenly down the streets, eager to get home to their warm beds. In other words, easy pickings.
But Coral wasn’t here for the easy pickings. They were too easy. The drunken revellers never put up enough of a fight, never made for an exciting chase. No, Coral preferred to prey on the performers.
Her favourite Friday night activity was lurking in the darkest corner of the bars, eyeing the crowds laughing and joking, always carefully watching. She’d been frequenting the same bar for a while now, yet to pounce. Every Friday, like clockwork, the same girl with her guitar would mount the stage and strum out some tunes, everything from sad ballads that would have the audiences in tears, swaying with complete strangers with their drinks in the air, to upbeat numbers that would have the whole bar on their feet, stomping to the rhythm. Coral was intrigued by her. She knew exactly how to work the crowd in her favour, and when she sung, it was entrancing. She was the perfect challenge.
Now Coral didn’t always kill her prey. Sometimes she was in a merciful mood and would take just enough to satisfy her hunger and no more. She didn’t revel in the kills; she enjoyed the chase. But this girl?
She would make a perfect vampire. She was already mesmerising – she had the men wrapped around her little finger, and most of the women too. Feeding wouldn’t be an issue for her in the slightest. Coral hated it. She could flirt her way to her prey without blinking an eye, but Coral had to work for it. So no, she wouldn’t turn this girl. This girl had to die.
Tonight was different. Instead of hiding in the shadows, watching and waiting, Coral slunk in from off the street, sitting on a stool at the edge of the bar which she knew had a direct line of sight from the stage. Where the girl would have no choice but to see her. On a usual night, Coral would creep up on her targets from the shadows, surprising them, scaring them a little before the real fun began. They would run, Coral would chase and inevitably catch them. Something was different with this girl, though. She had wormed her way into Coral’s head with her stupid songs and the way the gemstones on her dress would flash as she spun around and around on stage, hypnotic.
The problem with leaving her spot in the shadows meant that people thought it was fine to try and talk to her. Coral was tempted to hiss at them, show her fangs, anything to scare them away, but they weren’t her priority tonight. Instead she sat in silence, unmoving, glaring at anyone who dared approach.
Soon, the lights dimmed and the loud conversations took a lull as all attention directed toward the stage. The band appeared from behind the curtains to raucous applause, taking their places along the back of the stage. Coral wasn’t too interested in them, however. She had eyed the bassist for a while, but their singer was no doubt the star of the show. Coral was sure she’d be dearly missed.
Today, the little girl who played the drum approached the microphone, grinning eagerly. Coral frowned for a moment – where was she? But she knew better than to jump to conclusions.
The girl tapped the mic a few times, omitted feedback that reverberated around the packed bar.
“Hey y’all! Thanks for comin’ down again tonight. I know you missed her last night, but she’s back! That’s right…” she gestured dramatically to the curtains to her right, “the one, the only, Lucy Gray Baird!”
The crowd exploded into loud applause, jumping and shouting as the curtain swept to the side, revealing the girl – Lucy Gray, apparently – dressed in her skirts and gemstones, feathers in her dark hair, guitar slung across her back and a beaming smile on her face. She twirled across the stage to the microphone like a glittering mirrorball spreading her light across the room, waving excitedly at the crowds. Coral was seething. How could this girl command such power and garner such love from these common people? She was acting like she owned the world, and the worst part is, she may as well have. She was just the type of girl that Coral loathed, the type of girl that clouded her thoughts and felt like walking directly into sunlight, fiery and hot and uncomfortable. Golden glitter coated her eyelids today, Coral could see it shimmer every time she blinked, drawing her attention up to the girl’s face. Everything about her screamed of light, from the way her clothes sparkled to the warmth of her gaze to her honey-smooth voice as she began to sing, the very opposite of Coral’s cool demeanour and icy glare.
Lucy Gray – what a tragic name, Coral thought, perfect for the tragedy that she would become – strummed her guitar softly, beginning with a slower paced song. The crowds were electric, restless, eager to fall into the trance that Lucy Gray’s voice cast upon them. Her whiskey voice crooned across the bar and it fell silent. She was like a siren – in fact, if they weren’t so far from the coast Coral would have suspected she actually was. Her voice was her weapon and it worked just as well as a silver dagger for making Coral’s brain turn ashy. All the more reason she had to die.
Coral’s eyes were fixed on Lucy Gray now, sparkling under the dim lights of the stuffy bar. She sauntered around the stage, commandeering every space she entered, the crowd wrapped tightly around her finger. Her eyes scanned the crowds, occasionally catching the eye of some unsuspecting youth who would turn to their friends in excitement, fanning themselves, whispering ‘Was that real!?’
Eventually, as Coral knew, as she had planned, Lucy Gray’s eyes locked onto hers. She smiled warmly at Coral as with everyone else and looked away quickly, but Coral caught her glance back over at least thrice more before the song ended. Good. She’d caught her attention – the next part would be easy. Lucy Gray had the kind of warm heart and curious mind that would fall perfectly into Coral’s trap.
The show progressed much the same as the ones Coral had been to previously. Every so often Lucy Gray would glance in her direction, a sparkle in her eye, and Coral knew her fate was sealed. She surveyed the crowds for something to do – a group of heavily inebriated men sat in a booth in the corner guffawing loudly, likely making rude jokes about Lucy Gray. Coral would kill them too if she had the time. She didn’t typically target men, however. Their blood just wasn’t as sweet and thrilling. She watched a couple slow dancing together in the back of the room, hands resting around each other’s necks, giggly and comfortable. But her attention was constantly drawn back to the star of the show.
Before Coral knew it, Lucy Gray was announcing the final song of the night. Coral knew the crowds would scream for an encore after it, and that would be her cue to leave, to lie in wait. In the meantime, she sat back to watch what would be the songbird’s final performance.
She picked a slow love song again, the type that calls for a steady waltz, and the couple at the back of the room obliged. Lucy Gray pointed them out, singing their praises, and Coral scoffed. Love. What a pointless emotion. It made for a vulnerable heart, though, something that Lucy Gray surely had. A vulnerable heart that would be her downfall. She watched the performance through scornful eyes, softening with every glance Lucy Gray threw her way – they were getting more and more frequent as the night drew on.
The song drew to a close. The crowds were electric. Their sweaty bodies pressed against each other, partying as if they were in a club, not just a regular bar. Lucy Gray commanded their attention easily, they clamoured for her as if she were a famous singer on her record breaking stadium tour and they would die just for a glimpse of her, rather than just playing Ye Olde small-town pub on a Friday night. She was so full of life that it truly was a shame Coral had to kill her.
As Lucy Gray and the band bowed, and the crowd screaming for an encore, Coral slinked out behind them. She knew exactly where the backstage door led outside, and where she would go to lie in wait. She saw Lucy Gray sneak a final glance at her now-empty stool and saw her face drop in disappointment when she saw it was empty. Coral pulled her hood over her conspicuously red hair – a dead giveaway.
She cracked open the door, the frosty air a dramatic change from the heat of the bar. The mist had thickened as the night aged, only leaving enough visibility for vague silhouettes down the road. A perfect cover for a kill, Coral thought, if she’d needed one. She was experienced, though. She hadn’t yet been a vampire for a year, but she learned fast, and she was deadly.
She leaned casually against the wall next to the fire escape, strategically turned to face the door behind which she knew lay the backstage dressing rooms. Lucy Gray had seen her leave before the encore – there was no way she wouldn’t come out, just to check. Coral pulled out a cigarette to pass the time. She didn’t often smoke, but it was the perfect time and the perfect excuse. The faint muffled sound of the band’s final song reverberated through the wall behind her – it must be an upbeat song to end the night. She could hear people’s boots stomping and Lucy Gray’s country voice loud above any other noise. A dramatic contrast to the stillness and quiet of the now-empty streets.
It wasn’t long before the loud cheers began again, and people started flooding out into the street, chattering loudly. A typical Friday night. Coral stayed against her wall, finishing her cigarette, waiting for her victim. She didn’t have to wait long, it turned out.
The door cracked open and Lucy Gray’s boot emerged. Someone was yelling at her from inside the bar, and she was turned away from Coral. “I’ll be right back, Maude Ivory, don’t ya worry!”
All things going in Coral’s favour, she would not be right back.
Lucy Gray closed the door behind her gently and shook her gorgeous brown hair out. Her feathers were still entwined with the strands. She shivered and crossed her bare arms, rubbing them together to try and fend off the night’s chill. Coral didn’t move, eyeing her from her spot by the wall.
She finished her cigarette and dropped it onto the floor, crushing it under her boot. Lucy Gray wandered over to her, smiling that infuriating smile of hers.
“Hey, you. Saw you leave right before our encore. Were we really that bad?” She grinned as if to show she didn’t mean it, like her playful tone didn’t already get the message across well and good.
Coral shrugged. “Nah, just came out for a smoke.”
“So you liked our show?” God, this girl was infuriating. Coral did not want to small talk with her any more than she had wanted to sit in the middle of that bar.
“You were good. You really know how to charm the crowds, huh?” Coral decided she had to loosen up. Lucy Gray was clearly the type who loved to talk.
“It’s all part of the Lucy Gray charm.” She winked, and Coral fought back a shudder. She had goosebumps all of a sudden. “I sure hope I’ll see ya at another of our shows.”
If you have any, Coral thought. She shook herself abruptly. What was she doing? She wasn’t supposed to be having a conversation with Lucy Gray. She was supposed to be luring her in. This girl was too distracting for her own good.
“Are you sure you’re not some kind of witch? You had everyone in there hypnotised.”
Lucy Gray giggled, and even her laugh was melodic. “You flatter me. Does this ‘everyone’ include yourself, gorgeous?”
Unfortunately it did. Coral shifted closer to Lucy Gray, the scent of her perfume overwhelming her senses. Somehow she was even more beautiful up close. It sure was a shame such beauty would go to waste, Coral lamented. She glittered like fairy lights strung up high in the sky. They were standing mere inches apart now, and Coral could feel the warmth of Lucy Gray’s skin, still hot from the show. She hovered her fingertips above Lucy Gray’s wrist, almost touching, but not quite.
Lucy Gray didn’t move an inch. She just stared at Coral, blinking slowly, a slight smile on her face. Her glittery eyeshadow had smudged a little, leaving traces of glitter along her cheekbones. Coral wanted to reach out and wipe it away, a tender gesture. What was wrong with her tonight?
Coral stared into her big brown eyes, unblinking. Why was this suddenly so hard for her? She really needed to get a grip, and soon, before she did something stupid. She moved closer yet, their bodies practically entwined. Lucy Gray’s eyes fluttered shut.
Her guard was down. Perhaps harder than Coral had thought, perhaps easier, if not for her own impulses. It was no matter anymore. In one fluid movement, Coral bared her fangs and stuck them into Lucy Gray’s pretty neck.
Lucy Gray made a sound of surprise, or fear, but Coral didn’t care which. She tightened her grip on the girl’s wrist, feeling the warmth that would only last so long. Lucy Gray didn’t struggle, though. It was almost disappointing how easy it was to drain her blood. Eventually, she fell limp, her once warm skin an ashy cold. She had done it. Lucy Gray was dead and would no longer pose a threat to Coral. She wouldn’t become a vampire. She wouldn’t sing again.
So why did Coral suddenly feel so empty?
A light breeze began to blow through the trees as Coral stood over Lucy Gray’s lifeless body for a beat longer. Soon, both of them would disappear, and the mystery of what happened to Lucy Gray Baird that misty autumn night would be whispered around town and would simply remain a mystery.
Goodbye, Lucy Gray. We hardly knew you.