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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23rd, 1982
I FLINCHED, CURLING INTO MY FATHER'S CHEST as another vampire bared its bloody fangs. He bit into the teenage girl's neck as she screamed out in pain and terror, uselessly trying to stop the ending of her life. Blood poured from the wound and soon, her struggling stopped and her eyes went dull with lifelessness. He'd already killed three girls before her, luring them into his trap and pretending to be attracted to each of them, only to brutally end each of their lives. On the couch, I was watching the glowing screen with wide and slightly scared eyes.
"Alice? You okay, honey?" Dad asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Dad. Don't worry about me." I said, giving him a reassuring smile.
He laughed, pulling me closer into his side and patting my shoulder lightly. I'd always loved Dad's laugh. It was the kind that was light and pure and could make even the most depressed person laugh with him. He was always the one to cheer me up when I was upset.
"Popcorn's ready!" Mom called, coming into the living room, balancing three cups of soda and three bowls of popcorn in her arms.
"Thanks, sweetheart." Dad said, leaning up to give Mom a short kiss on the lips.
I smiled and took a bowl of popcorn from the table where she'd put them down, shoving a handful in my mouth. Mom sat down on the other side of me, her pajamas on and her light hair in huge pink curlers. In my eyes, my mother was one of the most beautiful women on Earth. She beat out all the movie stars or models out there and Dad joked about how she should've been one all the time.
Just as the vampire on screen was about to be defeated, the house went pitch black and the vision of the sadistic vampire and his bloody fangs disappeared from view. My breath hitched and I clutched onto Dad's arm a little tighter.
"George? Did the storm hit a power cord?" Mom asked, feeling around for me to pull me into her lap as Dad stood up from the couch.
"I don't know." Dad mumbled. "I'll go check it out."
He grabbed a flashlight and a lantern from the hall cabinet and handed the lantern to my mom, who was now sitting beside me on the couch, wrapping me tightly in her arms. She grabbed his wrist before he could turn away and he stopped, glancing down at us, his face illuminated in the dim light.
"Be careful, Honey. It sounds rough out there and I don't want you getting hurt." Mom said, a little worry in her voice.
"Don't worry, Nancy. I'm sure it's nothing. The storm isn't even that bad." He said, kissing her lips for a moment. He turned to me and kissed my forehead, ruffling my hair affectionately. "Make sure you protect your mom from the vampires, alright kiddo?"
