Flat turned away from the stove as the window opened. Crested lay on the floor watching television, her ears turned to the window, but she didn't move. Gyaru read on the couch. She looked up at Flat with a sigh and placed a bookmark as a cloaked figure climbed through the window.

That's not Vincent, Flat thought.

A girl stepped into the room. She wore an opera cloak of midnight gray with a vermilion liner. As the hood fell back, it revealed a deep brown mass of curls on her shoulders. Her skin's dark complextion seemed out of place.

Is that a vampire? Flat thought.

"Where is that SKANK werewolf?" the Vampire said.

"Tsk. She went out," Gyaru said as she chewed the tip of her thumb.

"Do vampires ever use the door?" Flat said.

"Bark."

She walked around the couch to face the werewolf. "Vincent is mine. You can't have him." the Vampire said. Gyaru slapped the book shut, hanging her head.

"What you gona do about it Marie?" Gyaru said.

"I'll fight you," the Vampire said, leaning into Gyaru's face.

Gyaru got up from the couch. The Vampire girl didn't back down. Flat stepped between them with a garlic press in her hand.

"Are you trying to start something?" Flat said.

Room Six's door opened with a bang. Mama Bear walked in wearing a bathrobe; Go-Go came in behind her.

"No more yelling. Marie. Barbra. Take this outside," Mama Bear said. The Dorm Mother seemed to tower over the girls. Flat could see the hair on Mama Bear start to bristle. Marie hissed, then climbed out the window. Gyaru shrugged.

"Take it outside? You're going to let them fight?" Flat said.

"They both regenerate," Mama Bear said.

The girls went to the old playground behind the dorms. Gyaru had changed into a tube top and shorts. As they stood off against each other, Marie dropped the cloak. A half dozen belts ringed her hips, topped by a white ruffled shirt.

Gyaru scratched her head. "Why are we doing this?" Gyaru said.

"I told you I'm taking Vincent from you," Marie said.

"Again? You need another beating?" Gyaru said.

"I love Vincent," Marie said.

Gyaru shook her head and transformed to twice Marie's height.

"And he loves this," Gyaru said. She pulled her claws through her tail.

“You furry bitch!” Marie screamed. But a flash of light and smoke popped between them, a cloaked figure walked out of the smoke.

"Enough!" Vincent said. "Marie, go home. You're not fighting anyone."

"No, she can't have you," Marie said.

"You have no say in this," Vincent said.

"I love you. We grew up together. We're a couple, it… it's going to be perfect," Marie said.

"We went roller skating in seventh grade. Once," Vincent said.

"Vince, that's almost going steady," Flat said.

"Bark."

"Marie, stop. And you two shut up," Vincent said. He pointed at Flat and Crested.

Vincent turned to Gyaru, a ring box in his hand, the engagement ring glittered in the moonlight.

"Tsk. No," Gyaru said. She folded her arms. "No."

"That's not helping," Vincent said.

"I'll not have her as a memory of this," Gyaru said. She changed back to human form. Gyaru got close with a finger in Vincent's face.

"Dinner. Dancing. Karaoke and you propose on your knees in public," Gyaru said.

"Not a rejection," Vincent said. He snapped the box shut.

"Marie, go home. It's over," Vincent said. Marie picked up her cloak. As she walked away, she looked back with tears on her face. After a few feet, her body bent and twisted as it transformed into a great horned owl. Marie's wings opened to fly away.

"Congratulations," Go-Go said with a hug to Gyaru.

"Did she turn into a bird?" Flat said pointing.

"I'm missing my shows. Vincent get out of here," Mama Bear said as she walked away.

"Ladies good night. I have to go rent a Karaoke room," Vincent said.

"Baka," Gyaru said, but she started to cry.

Flat elbow bumped Crested. "Your the flower girl," Flat said.

"Oh Bark no," Crested said.

October 31st, 2020.

Vincent opened his eyes with a knock on the coffin lid. He expected the sun's burning rays. Or a vampire hunter's stake, but Rudy and Crested stared down at him as the cover opened. Vincent leaned forward to get out. Instead, Rudy pushed him back into the coffin.

"Stay down…Crested," Rudy said.

Crested leaned into the coffin; she sniffed Vincent. Around her neck was a spiked leather gorget with a large silver cross. Her nose wrinkled, and she snorted.

"He's not tainted. He reeks of cigarettes, werewolf, and sin," Crested said. Vincent sat up.

"It was one of my better nights," Vincent said.

"Go wash. I'll be in the car," Crested said.

Vincent climbed out of the coffin as the dog girl left. He checked his suit on the valet stand.

"Is a rogue vampire on the loose?" Vincent said.

"Two drained bodies from last night," Rudy said.

"My alibi is iron clad all night," Vincent said.

"Sure. There are reports of vampire hunters flooding into Charlotte. Being Halloween makes this worse. We need to find the killer or things will get out of hand. You're with Flat, I've got Crested. Bernard and Shem are on standby. Gyaru and Go-Go are already out," Rudy said.

"With Flat? And why so many for a tainted? I can take Babs out and deal with it. We've done it before," Vincent said.

"Using a seven foot tall werewolf the last time did not help the optics. And now we have have full on missing white girl syndrome running rampant on the socials. And Crested pushed for the Mean Girls to pick it up," Rudy said.

"Crested? She still has that hate boner for vampires?" Vincent said.

"The state is phasing out the vampire hunter license. This is her last chance to get one," Rudy said.

"So the Dog Girl can get a merit badge?" Vincent said.

"Vincent. We have a vampire murdering young women. You get to take Flat. She can't track. But a vampire can't do much to her. Show her the ropes," Rudy said.

"OK."

In the parking lot, Rudy dropped into the seat of the custom Lambo, a forfeiture with police package mods. The suspension groaned under his eight hundred pounds. Crested in the passenger seat wore mirrored aviators with the air of a bored trophy wife.

"Work the Fang Club. Call me if you get any leads," Rudy said. The tires left a streak as the Lambo drove off.

Flat had been talking with Crested and stood on the other side of the car. She wore old jeans and a school hoodie. Vincent had dressed in a charcoal gray suit. The opera cloak folded over his arm.

"No," Vincent said.

"What, No?" Flat said.

"We have to get you clothes," Vincent said.

"What's wrong with this?" Flat said.

"We're going clubbing," Vincent said.

They drove into the second ward. A few people walked the streets. Vincent parked on a side street near a dim alley. A brick stair case led down to a basement door. Flat followed Vincent inside, as a ghoul walked out. Dead eyed and gray skinned, the ghoul gave them no notice.

Another stairway took them two stories below the street and opened into an underground mall. It felt like a subway station without the train. Men and women in opera cloaks walked about. Flat could see a few ghouls. As they walked past the shops it felt sparse and nearly abandoned.

“Welcome to the Underward,” Vincent said. “This use to be the hub of Charlottes vampire culture. Now not so much.”

“Is the rogue vampire here?” Flat said.

“No. A tainted wouldn't come anywhere near here. The elders would never tolerate it. We’ve worked too hard to get over our reputation. Even the ghouls don’t want trouble,” Vincent said.

“So why are we here?” Flat said.

“Right this way,” Vincent said.

Vincent led Flat to a shop with a sign that said, Night Tailor. A bell over the door rang as it opened. Vincent walked in with Flat. Like all the shops in the Underward this one was small. Vampires thrived in tight spaces.

"Yossel?" Vincent said. A vampire rose from behind the register. He was older and pale, dressed in a European suit with his hair slicked back.

"Vincent and a young lady who is not a werewolf?" Yossel said.

"We need an outfit for her," Vincent said.

"Your out hunting?" Yossel said.

"The Fang Club," Vincent said.

"The deaths were on the news. Let me see," Yossel said. He looked Flat up and down, then searched through the clothing on the racks.

"Miss, do you have any special needs?" Yossel said.

"Like?" Flat said.

"Fireproof?" Yossel said.

"I'm a Baseline," Flat said. Yossel raised an eyebrow.

"The Children of Heroes. Hummm…I have just the thing," Yossel said.

As Flat left for the changing room, Vincent handed Yossel a credit card.

"There are vampire hunters in the city," Vincent said. Yossel nodded.

"My cell exploded with texts about it. The hunters get worked up over a tainted," Yossel said. He ripped the receipt off the register.

"Because there are few vampires and fewer tainted. A hunter needs a kill to become a true vampire hunter. Have any hunters come down here?" Vincent said. He signed the receipt.

"No. They should leave this business to the Children of the Night. We can police our own," Yossel said.

"That's why I'm here," Vincent said.

Flat walked out of the changing room. Yossel had picked out a wine-dark double-breasted jacket that flared into a skirt at the waist. It had a black ruffled underskirt and leggings. Two rows of brass buttons ran along the front. The jacket had oversized cuffed sleeves and shoulders. Vincent could see Flat could move in the outfit.

"I don't have the money for this," Flat said.

"I've already paid. Two more will arrive by post."

"Vincent," Flat said.

"Let it go. Vampires are trust fund kids," Vincent said.

Yossel examined Flat pleased with his choice.

"Miss werewolf will be jealous," Yossel said.

They left the Underward. Vincent took the beltway to the edge of town. Flat looked at the tablet with last night's crime scene photos.

"What do you see?" Vincent said.

Flats stomach dropped into her hips as she looked at the tablet. Raw crime scene photos had been a shock the first time. That hadn't gotten better. "Two dead white girls. High school age, not good with makeup. Looks like a murder, their necks ripped open and all," Flat said. The two girls could have been any of her friends from last year.

Vincent nodded in agreement, "What else do you see?"

"Ankh tattoos, their dressed for a dance club, both are trying to hard to be trashy. Compensating for insecurity?" Flat said.

"The Ankhs are with a temp marker," He held up a marker from the cup holder. "They got into the Red Vine Club without question," Vincent said.

"Is that a Vampire bar?" Flat said.

"In style but it's not Vampire owned. A Elder would never tolerate a tainted vampire," Vincent said.

"It's their first time?" Flat said.

"There were other killings this week in New York. We are looking for an out of town vampire who is talking women into immortality," Vincent said.

"Sleep with me to become a vampire?" Flat said.

"That's the usual story. Naive young girls or older women who's time has passed. It's all a lie. You can only be born a vampire," Vincent said.

"Not like the movies?" Flat said.

"Not at all. I’m mortal like everyone else. Vampire aging slows down after twenty five, that’s it," Vincent said.

They pulled into the Fang Club. Cars filled the parking lot off into the darkness. Vincent parked the next block over.

"Lets get you marked up," Vincent said as he picked up the marker.

"Wait. With an Ankh?" Flat said.

"Yeah. Your the bait," Vincent said, uncapping the marker.

"Wait a minute…." Flat said.

"I'll be near by the whole time. I can use magic to be invisible to vampires," Vincent said.

"Magic. No. Why am I the bait?" Flat said.

"Pretty as I am. It's likely a dude vampire. And a tainted vampire with any brains is not going to hang around with other vampires," Vincent said.

"How do we know it’s not a woman?" Flat said.

"The bite pattern," Vincent said.

"What do I do when I find him?" Flat said.

Vincent handed her three silver spikes the size of framing nails.

"Jam these into him, silver interrupts vampire magic. No mist or animal forms," Vincent said.

"And we fight him?" Flat said.

"Once he's spiked we can arrest him like anyone else. Do you have Baseline cuffs?" Vincent said.

"Yeah," Flat said.

"Then we should be fine," Vincent said.