He nodded, but she had the distinct feeling that he knew she was hiding something.
They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Overstreet insisted on paying the check.
Rising, Sara offered her thanks, then left him sitting at the table, lingering over a second cup of coffee.
As soon as she got home, Sara booted up her computer and searched for his name. And sure enough, a national magazine had published a series of articles titled Vampires Among us—Truth or Fiction?
A link took her to the story.
“Vampires. The very word makes your flesh crawl … with terror or titillation, depending on your point of view.
Vampires have been a subject of fascination and horror for countless centuries. Every culture and civilization throughout the known world, both past and present, has their own myths and legends about vampires, be they skeletal creatures who feast on human blood or psychic vampires who prey on the energy of their victims, leaving them exhausted in both body and spirit.
Thanks to the creative imagination of Bram Stoker, Count Dracula is probably the most famous blood-sucker of all time …
Sara read avidly, fear and fascination growing stronger with every word.
So, what do we really know about these creatures of the night? Popular fiction says they sleep by day and hunt by night. They can’t be seen in mirrors, they are repelled by crosses, holy water and garlic. Some believe they must sleep in their coffins; others believe they must rest on the earth of their homeland. Some believe vampires are capable of flight, of transforming into bats or wolves and of changing their size and dimension. It is commonly believed that they are able to control animals and the weather and hypnotize mortals to do their will.
But did vampires ever truly exist? Do they exist now? Do vampires walk among us, unseen and unknown? Every year, hundreds of people disappear without a trace, never to be heard from or seen again. Are vampires responsible? During the next few months I’ll be traveling the country, digging deeper into the legend and mystique of vampires and other so-called creatures of the night.
The man definitely had a flare for the dramatic, Sara mused as she pulled up the last installment. She read through the lasts few paragraphs quickly until she came to the last few lines.
He said there had been vampires since the beginning of time. When questioned, he said he didn’t know where the first vampire had come from, though there were some who believed that Vlad the Impaler was the father of the Undead. Whoever the first vampire was, it’s believed that he made a deal with the Devil, trading his soul for immortality.
Our vampire said he had never turned another into a vampire, but that he knew how it was done. Indeed, he even offered to show me. You may be sure that I quickly declined.
At this point, he grew impatient and the interview was over.
As for me, I hope never to see him again.
As someone once said, “Ignorance is bliss.”
Oh, how I long to be ignorant again.
Chilled to the marrow of her bones, Sara sat back in her chair, thinking that ignorance was, indeed, bliss. Overstreet had written the most remarkable story since Dracula. After what she’d seen last night, she had no doubt at all that the man had indeed met a vampire face-to-face. Judging from what she’d read, she thought he was lucky to be alive. As was she, having recently encountered one of the creatures herself.
And then she frowned. Had Overstreet come here looking for another vampire? Maybe the one Travis had killed last night?
Travis listened with growing concern as Sara told him about her day.
“… met this man at the café this morning. At first, he just looked like some ordinary old guy, and since we were both alone, I asked him to sit with me. You won’t believe this, but he used to be a freelance journalist! When I asked him if he’d written anything I might have read, he told me he’d written a series of articles on vampires. I wouldn’t have believed a word of it if I hadn’t seen one with my own eyes.” She shuddered. “I hope I never see another one.”
“Yeah,” Travis muttered. “So do I.”
“Do you think he came here for another story about those creatures? Maybe he was going to do a series on the one you killed last night.”
“Maybe.” Travis shifted on the sofa, a horrible suspicion working its way into his mind. “Did you get the guy’s name?”
“Overstreet. Carl Overstreet. Have you ever heard of him?”
“I might have.” Travis grunted softly, his mind racing. Last he knew, Overstreet had retired. Now he was here, in Susandale. And Travis was afraid he knew why. Damn.
“Travis?”
“What?”
“I asked if you wanted anything.”
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“So?”
“I’m good.”
“You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”
“No.” He forced a smile he was far from feeling, careful to keep his fangs out of sight.
“You don’t think there are more vampires in town, do you?”
“I hope not.” He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. He hated having to lie to her, but he had no choice. It was either keep lying or stop seeing her. And that just wasn’t an option. He wanted to know her better, be a part of her life if only for a short time, even though he knew that it was highly unlikely. Still, he enjoyed being with her. Enjoyed pretending he was the same man he had once been.
“I know you said something about going out to a movie, but would you mind if we stayed in tonight?” Sara asked. After last night and reading about vampires today, she was in the mood to stay home.
“It’s all right with me.”
“We can watch a movie
