Sanity and Vampires (Captured sequel)

Chapter Two- Attack of the Hungry Vampire

Chapter Two- Attack of the Hungry Vampire

Resurgence

1.      When all the fun starts.

  Please don't blame me for this.

  We had suitcases and purses shoved into the back; ready for a weekend of vampire-survivor bonding. Nam Ha; like a typical obsessed girlfriend, insisted on bringing her boyfriend Quang along. The car was whirring up in speed as we drove through the strangled darkness of the forest.

  At the beginning of the drive, Nam Ha was telling a story about last week, when we visited her old friends' wedding with Ngai. It was long, and her boyfriend mostly just smiled and nodded through it, like he had other things on his mind. At the time, I hadn't thought much of it.

    As we screeched up to the little rental house, it vaguely resembled a gingerbread house. Way too corny-cute. But then, Aubrey stole a glance at me. Then at Quang. I saw it in her eyes. Something was wrong. 

  "Hey," Aubrey whispered in my ear, just to clarify. "Is something off about Quang?"

  "No," I said. "You're going nuts."

  I stared at the man who was sitting shotgun. Quang. Nam Ha's boyfriend, total sweetheart. I knew him too much; he was showing up at the house so often. He was obnoxious and always spoke up at the strangest moments. He was awkward, too. Whenever he talked, he had these fervent hand motions, like a preacher.

  This was supposed to be a great way for us all to catch up. Forget our differences. But today, Quang didn't talk with hand motions or say anything obnoxious. Instead, he was uncharacteristically quiet.

   "Quang is acting strange today," Aubrey whispered in my ears, stronger. Her Australian accent resonated into my mind.

   I blinked at her, and turned up my head, towards Quang and Nam Ha, who were holding hands in the front of the car.

  Quang looked like Quang. He had a crew-cut, his ugly yellow-and-blue jacket still tugged around his round belly, and the ghost of a smile. Nam Ha's favorite person in the world. Her best friend. The most trustworthy man in her life. But as I held still for an instant, staring at him, I hallucinated, and I saw a demon.

  For an instant, Quang looked like someone different. This imposter had long black hair. Dark, like the ebony waves of Lucifer himself. He had his hair tugged up, roughly, into a strict ponytail down his back. His slacks were grey. His whole outfit was a colorless, unperturbed, and grey. A mocking little smile trailed back to us.

  Tyson.

  The second I saw him, I started shrieking. In an instant, I practically broke my ears.

  "Oh my fucking God!" I yelled.

  Within a second, my face grew red. I sounded like a malfunctioning toy.

"Cái quái gì??!" Nam Ha shrieked in Vietnamese, before stopping herself. "What the devil?! Laurie, not again. What the hell is the matter with you?"

  I stopped yelling. I was breathing through a vise. I forced a giggle out of my lips. "Nothing."

  Quang stared at me. It startled me to see the raw panic in his eyes.

   "I'm sorry," I whispered.

  Nam Ha stared at me. "It's been ten months, Laurie. Even Sasha and Hayden have found peace in their new lives. You need to forget about old things."

   I nodded to myself, sternly. I had Bipolar disorder. We all knew that. Whenever I did these sorts of things, I knew that I was crazy, and knowing that upset me.