Station 12

            Kane was a legend.  He spent most of his career working in the Undead Division, and studied the vampire culture intensely.  He crossed over to the Lycanthrope Division occasionally to lend a hand, and had racked up more than a dozen kills... which was pretty good for a part-timer.  During one encounter with a werewolf, he was left with a large scar on his face that stretched from above his left eye down to his nose.  I thought it made him look distinguished.  I think it got him a lot of chicks back in the day, too.

            Jake and I went upstairs to the education wing.  Kane was wrapping up his last class of the evening.  There were about twelve or thirteen students in the small lecture hall, and me and Jake stood in the back so we wouldn’t be a distraction.  Kane stood at the front of the room, his hands in his pockets, pacing ever so slightly.  His booming voice echoed throughout the hall.

            “Forget everything you know about vampires,” he said.  “Forget what you’ve seen in movies.  Forget what you’ve read in books.  Most of it’s fiction.  I’m gonna tell you the facts.  Vampirism is a virus.  It is transmitted through blood and destroys the central nervous system, killing the host.  Specialized cells in the vampiric blood, known as E6 blood cells, reanimate the host... hence the “undead” status.  Vampires require human blood for sustenance, although they can survive on the blood of most animals.  In comparison to you and I, they have superior strength and agility.  They cannot fly, and contrary to what you’ve seen on television, once they’ve been sired, they do not suddenly become experts in the martial arts.”

            (This always drew a laugh from the class.)

            “They are not shape-shifters,” he continued, “nor can they alter their facial appearance.  Due to the fact that their blood’s primary function is to enhance motor skills, their nerve endings have poor receptors, or in some cases, are dead.  This is why they have an incredibly high tolerance to pain.  Although they are predominantly creatures of the night, they can survive for limited amounts of time in daylight hours.  Their skin is highly sensitive and susceptible to burns, but they do not burst into flames when exposed to sunlight.  Prolonged exposure to sunlight weakens them considerably, and will cook their skin to the point of charcoal.  A stake through the heart does not guarantee death, and garlic has no effect on them.  They have no allergic reaction to religious artifacts, so when facing a vampire in combat, put the crucifix away and take out a shotgun.”

            (Another chuckle from the class.)

            “They will cast a reflection and will appear on video tape.  Most of them are docile beings.  They keep to themselves and avoid trouble.  But there are a select few who don’t play nice with others, and it’s our job to keep them in line.  Throughout the course of your career, you may be in a situation where you’ll have to kill a vampire.  So how do you do so? 

            “The same way you’d kill anything else.

            “Just be thorough.  If you’re going to use a blade, make sure you decapitate them.

Formats

Softcover

$15.99

$11.00

E-Book

$3.99

Softcover

$11.00