Creature of the Night

Mary and Jane were waiting at the end of the street for Mary’s brother, James. He was unnaturally late. They had to wait because Mary couldn’t go home without him. It was late afternoon and the two quickly discovered that standing at the end of the road was boring. They were thankful for their flashlights. It was getting very dark when someone tapped Mary’s shoulder.

Mary turned, followed closely by Jane. The man who was standing behind them was unlike anyone they had ever seen. He was wearing sunglasses, though it was already very dark. And worst of all -- his teeth. His canines were as long as dagger blades. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth. The two glanced at each other and came to an agreement. They flashed their flashlights at the vampire’s eyes. As he shielded his face, they turned and ran.

They hadn’t gone far when the vampire materialized before them.

“Running is not going to work,” muttered Jane, starting to run in the other direction.

“Yes. We’ll either have to kill him or trick him,” replied Mary.

“Do you know any ways to kill a creature of the night?”

“Vampires hate light. We’ll have to take off his sunglasses.”

“As if that's going to be easy.”

The vampire materialized ahead of them again. But this time, the friends were ready. They ran towards him. This confused the vampire. He was used to his prey running away from him, but this? While the vampire was too startled to do anything, Mary threw a well-aimed stone that knocked off his glasses. Then the two began to run again.

“Whose house do you think we can use for light?” asked Mary.

“The Davises’ house. They're away for the holidays,” replied Jane.

The two ran for the mentioned house. It was a simple cottage with a small garden. They entered the house. The vampire, lacking the ability to consider his decision, followed them. As he stepped in, Mary and Jane turned on the lights. The vampire screamed as he crumbled to dust.

Relieved, Mary and Jane cleaned up the monster dust and returned to the road. Just then, James arrived.

“Hello,” he said. “Sorry I’m late. You look like you’ve been through hell. What happened?”

“Long story,” the two friends said in unison.