Making my way back to the bar the sky a deep shade of blue as I reach the front step. My mind is still reeling as I take my keys from my pocket.

    "Please... please let it be just a coincidence..." I sigh unlocking the door and stepping inside, my hand gliding across the wall till I can feel the light switch. Flipping it my heart leaps into my chest. "What the fuck?!" I shout finding all the bottles behind the bar smashed, tables flipped, and a few chairs broken.

    But as soon as the words leave my mouth a lanky creature lifts itself from the bar eyes white and milky, pupil's sharp pinpricks. Old torn up clothes adorn its body as its claws dig into the hardwood countertop. Pulling itself up onto it eyes never leaving me as I slowly lift my arm back to the switch. Smacking it the room is flooded back into darkness as the creature roars.

    I can only imagine that it had tried to dive at me as a loud crash of glass hits my ears. Moving fast I bound up the stairs to my loft unlocking the metal door before slamming it shut on the creature's face.

    "Holy shit..." I pant yanking my phone from my pocket and dialing my sister's number. After a long-drawn-out minute, she doesn't answer. Cursing the Ghoul pounds against the door. Leaving large indents with every hit. "Come on come on... Dammit." I curse to myself until suddenly a loud pop like a gunshot rang out and scrapping of nails clatter against the wood before another window was smashed through.

    "Mac?! Mac you alive up there?!" Sheriff Springs voice bellowed from below.

    "Holy shit." I open the door poking my head out. "Ain't you a sight for sore eyes." Stepping downstairs, I find Sheriff Springs at the bottom step looking out towards where the creature had smashed its exit.

    "You saw it too." He breaths his face red and pupils dilated with panic.

    "Yeah... yeah I did." I respond. The relief that hit Springs face was instantaneous as he walked over to the bar and slumped into a chair.

    "What— What was that thing?" He finally asks after a long silence. I walk around the bar and take out two unbroken glasses.

    "Do you have time for a drink?"

    Springs nods holstering his gun and leaning against the bar as I place the glass in front of him and reach back under the bar for whatever hadn't been broken which is few and far between as the floor was covered in glass and sticky with liquor. Pouring some Bourbon into the glasses Spring downs the first glass immediately.

    "So." He finally says as I pour him another drink. "What in the hell is going on."

    "Well not a lot so far, I got to wait till I can talk to someone but what little we know is that Ghouls are running rampant in the woods. There is only one thing that can create Ghouls like this and its either a growing Baron or a blood Baron."

    "What the hell is a Baron?" Springs downs his glass as I finally down my first.

    "A Baron," I say putting the glass down. "Is a Head Vampire. A man or woman who either by blood relation or marriage is a direct decedent of the first vampire."

    "Wait Dracula?" Springs looks at my skeptically as he leans forward. "That guy is real?"

    "Yep, he goes by Alucard now a days." I respond with a shrug

    "And how do you know this." He asks the skeptical look now turned to curiosity.

    "My mom apparently, she hasn't't said it but she knows the Barons whose kid bought the old Pendragon estate."

    "That big one that's been getting renovations for the pass year or so?"

    "That's the one." I respond pouring myself another glass, placing the bourbon back under the table and lifting it to my lips. "Have you by any chance seen Oliver?"

    "Short lanky man with the wild orange hair?"

    "That sounds like him." I down the glass as Springs gets up.

    "I saw him on the path on my way up here so he— " The look of realization dawns on Springs face as he bolts for his truck. I'm right behind him as he piles into his truck, I bolt passed him. "What are you?!"

    I don't respond my brain going a mile a minute as I rush down the dirt path and towards the man road. The smell of blood and magic wafts into the air as I come skidding to a stop the trees caked before me in an almost mixed black crimson.

    "Oliver?!" I shout looking around the thick scent of blood clogged my nostrils as I searched high and low. "OLIVER!!" I shout again as movement caught my eye whipping around, I find him leaned against a tree giving me a thumbs up. "Fuck..." I mumble moving closer to him, I bend down on one knee and check him over. "Are you okay? Can— "

    Oliver lifts his hand shutting me up with a finger as he nods his head. He gestures to the trees then to himself before shaking his head.

    "Oh thank the gods..." I breath out a sight of relief. "Did you kill it?" He shakes his head to my question before pointing deeper into the woods. I nod helping him up. "Let's get you back to the bar, I have some questions for you."

    He leans against me as we walk back towards the bar stopping when Spring rips around the corner.

    "Everything okay?" He asks getting out of the truck. "Damn your fast Mac." He continues as he walks over.

    "Go tell the mayor, we need to put the town on a curfew till we get these creatures." 

    Springs nods "Curfew got it. You two gonna be okay by yourselves?"'

    "Yeah, yeah just go." I respond pulling Oliver in the direction of the bar.

    Giving us both a once over Springs nods his head and gets back into his truck before disappearing down the road towards town.

    Once alone I continue to lead Oliver down the dirt road and towards the bar. His steps dragging against the ground as the smell of magic wafts from his body.

    "Oliver."

    He looks up a bit a soft rim of red almost invisible if he hadn't been so close against the soft greens.

    "Are you related to the you related to the Pendragon Vampire clan?"