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Alan and Edgar sat behind the counter of their parent’s shop, the bright lights from the boardwalk pouring into the small comic filled store, just like every night, as their parents lacked to responsibility to take care of their kids nor their shop. Edgar bounces his leg while Alan quietly reads a comic. “Stop reading the products dude! What if someone wants to buy it.” Edgar pesters his brother. Alan, the quieter of the two, simply rolls his eyes and places the comic book back down onto the counter, the pale mysterious creature on the cover seeming to peer up at them in the dim lighting. Suddenly the bell overtop of the door chimes, signalling that a customer has entered. The two look up from their seats and spot a scruffy old man. It's not their usual demographic — which hsually consists of younger teens and kids— but they don't think much of it, instead opting to continue what they were doing previously. The man plucks one of the only non-comic books in the store off the shelf, and makes his way over to the till, placing the thick, dark book onto the counter, its gold encrusted letters shining as the low light gleams off of it.
《VAMPIRES》It read. The man pays, and is about to turn and leave when he spots the comic Alan was previously reading on the counter, his voice dropping and turning conspiratorial, just barely above a whisper. “you should keep reading that” he comments “you never know when it might come in handy.” then pauses for a moment. “strange things happen here y’know, you should keep an eye out.” he says criptidly, and slowly slides a small sliver cross over to Edgar, and with that, slowly turns and leaves the shop. “uhh, thanks?” Edgar calls after him. “that was strange, huh.” he comments, and Alan simply responds with an “mhm” while Edgar staches the small pendent in his pocket. The next evening, the two were opening the shop, the sun having just gone down, while the local biker gang sits just outside the video store, which just happened to be right across from Edgar’s and Alan's parent's shop. Their pale skin seeming to almost shine in the dim moonlight, and their eyes sparkling with a glint that Alan couldn't quite place. “Hey, Alan! Come help me open the shop instead of just standing there.” his brother called, immediately snapping him out of his analyzation of the four young men. He had always gotten an odd feeling and – he would never admit it, especially to his brother – what the old man the other night had given him an odd feeling as well. He had just seemed so sincere. He reasoned with himself. The radio that had previously been playing music had switched to talking “three more young adults have gone missing at Santa Carla beach. If you see them-” the radio host had abruptly been cut off, Edgar having just turned it off, continuing to open the shop.
A few hours later, the distant yelling and rowdy music flooded into the small store as a tall, lanky man stood in the doorway, his long blond hair rustling as a cool summer breeze flowed into the small building. The two boys behind the counter not paying him any mind, instead busying themselves in their respective activities – Alan his comic again, and Edgar fiddling with a small cd player. — instead of actually helping customers like they are supposed to. After a few moments of the young man just standing there, Edgar pipes up, always having been the louder of the two. “y’know you can come in, right? You don't need to just stand there in the doorway” and the man smiles a shark tooth grin, and slowly steps into the threshold. While the brothers go back to focusing on other things, the blond slowly stalks around the area, moving with almost unnatural grace, ignoring the products, and instead walking around, almost circling the two boyslike a predator stalking his prey. They look up, and are suddenly met with him lunging at them, but he was different and uncanny. His face was now monstrous, and had twisted into a ghoulish looking creature. His nose was now wrinkled into a snarl, his lips now cracked and dry, his eyes dark and soulless, and probably most noticeable of all, a large set of fangs stuck out of his mouth hideously. In a split second, the creature had Alan pinned to the ground, who was now thrashing and screaming in terror, its claws preying over him, seemingly about to tear him to shreds. Edgard suddenly remembered about the silver cross in his pocket, throwing it at the ghoulish creature, if only to distract it for a moment, to let Alan escape. But contrary to that assumption, as soon as it came in contact with it’s arm, the silver left a harsh, angry, red welt on the pale skin of the ghastly creature. Suddenly it leaps up, while hissing, then scrambling out of the shop, disappearing back into the night in which it came from. Edgar runs over to his brother, who is shaken, but thankfully unharmed, and helps him up. “What even was that thing!” Edgar exclaims “I- uh, I think it might’ve been a vampire.” Alan responds quietly. “I mean, remember that old guy from the other day?” “Yeah, that would make sense.” Edgar replies gravely. “Well, what are we gonna do?” he asks, and Alan responds with a small shrug. “I don't think he’s the only one...” he mutters, barely loud enough for his brother, who was right beside him, to hear. “y’know that group of bikers? The ones who are always outside of the video store? He’s always with them. So, it would make sense if they were all vampires as well.” he says. “So, we’re dealing with four of them?” and Alan responds with a small nod. “We hurt their friend, so, I don't think they’ll just let that slide.” he comments, and Edgar responds with “well, we should probably figure out what to do.” and Alan just nods, like usual. The two start walking back to their spots behind the counter, after quickly shutting the door, while Alan looks around, paranoid, but this time it wasn’t to work, it was to plan.
The next night, they were in their spots this time, presumably to work, but this time they were prepared. For a few hours nothing was unusual, the odd kid or teen coming in to browse for a bit, then leaving. Nothing seemed amiss, but then they saw it, a horrid face peeking from out of the dark, just for a moment, until it was shrouded in darkness again. After a few moments, two vicious creatures pounce out of the night with uncanny speed, lunging at them, but the two boys were prepared. As the blond they saw previously lunged at Edgar, a new snarling face lunged at alan. As the blond lunged, Edgar grabs a wooden stake from out of his bag, and stabs the villainous creature, but misses the heart. It doesn't kill it, but stuns it enough for Edgar to grab the silver pendant again, and it runs back into the dark. As the new one was distracted, watching its friend, Alan grabs a small water bottle of holy water, and splashes it at the creature, and the sound of sizzling skin, and the smell of burnt flesh fills the air, he too goes running into the night. The two boys pause to catch their breath. “i guess that will keep them gone for the rest of the night, Edgar comments.” “Yeah, but probably not for long” Alan replies, anxious, and Edgar nods solemnly. Thankful they were at least safe for the rest of the night.