The Red Guard: Vampire Hunters of Vatican City

Chapter Four - Agreements

"I feel like there's a lot going on here," started Chloe with a grand gesture of her hands that enveloped the entirety of Vatican City.

The priest nodded his head again. He didn't say anything for a while. There was so much to say; he wasn't sure where to start. "Yes," he started.

"It's funny, you know. I was just here the other day with... I was just here the other day. It was so exciting and awe-inspiring. I never would have guessed that this... whatever this is... is going on." She was met with more silence. "Let's maybe start with the basics. How long did it take me to recover?"

"It took a week," replied the priest.

Chloe's eyebrows shot up in shock and surprise, "A week?" She paused, processing this information. "I missed my plane! What about... well, what about everything?"

"Yes, you missed your plane. I managed to get your belongings from the police station... some of them. Not all of them, I'm afraid. I could only take what your family wouldn't miss."

"Wait. What? My family?" She felt like she was sorting through information very slowly.

"They will request your belongings. The police will return all of your things to your family. And your companion's things will go back to his family. That's usually the way things work."

"I'm missing. Is that it?" 

The priest nodded. 

He's good at nodding, she thought. "And...will I be found?" she asked, holding her breath.

Now the priest looked at her with a new intensity. "That's a good question. We got the virus under control in your body, but you can never fully recover from the bite. You will always draw vampires to you now. You have a certain scent about you that they just won't be able to resist. If you go home, you will only put your friends and family at risk. Vampires will be curious about you. They will wonder why you smell so appealing and disgusting at the same time. But your human companions, well, they won't be able to run away from them. So, you tell me, will you be found? Certainly, we won't try to keep you if you choose to go home."

Chloe felt the air rush out of her lungs, "Excuse me?" she demanded. "Keep me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Keep you on with the church, of course. You could become a nun and work for the church." He sounded like he was hesitant. Like he was holding back some information.

Chloe couldn't contain a snort of derision. "Listen, no offence or anything, but I'm not exactly 'nun' material. I could never sit around reading, of all things, the bible every day. No. Way."

Now the priest smiled. "Of course. Well, if that's really what we did all day, then I wouldn't be a priest, either."

Chloe stared at him with her big brown eyes demanding answers. "What do you mean?"

"I mean there are some nuns and priests that run the religious aspect of the church. For sure. But, like, we have to have our facade. Just like the vampires have their facades. The general population can't know about these secret worlds. They couldn't handle it. So we give them something to believe in."

"Do the religious nuns and priests know?" asked Chloe.

"Some do, most don't. We are pretty secretive about our existence."

Chloe eyed him up a little bit. He was interesting, if not crazy. But if he's crazy, thought Chloe, then I must be crazy too, right? She frowned. Her head was starting to spin with questions. "What's your name? If you saved my life, I should at least know that."