How to Be a Vampire (10 page)

“How about changing me into a wolf?” Andrew asked.

“Not now,” the vampire told him. “I have to get started with your lesson, kid. Tonight you're going to track your first human prey. Humans are trickier than rabbits.” The vampire leaned closer to Andrew. “But much tastier. They're worth the trouble.”

The village clock chimed three as the vampire began hunting lesson number two. He explained how to listen for a human heartbeat. How to follow it. How to hypnotize a victim. How to find the juicy artery that runs along the side of the neck.

“Now,” the vampire said when he had finished, “have you got all that, kid?”

“I'm not sure,” Andrew said. “Could you go over the stalking part again?”

The vampire sighed. Then he repeated the stalking instructions.
“Now
have you got it?” the vampire asked him.

Andrew nodded. “I think so.”

He needed to stall only a little more.

“And I know who I want for my first victim,”
Andrew went on. “See, there's this kid who gives me a hard time in art class. Once he pushed my face down in a bunch of wet plaster, and he held me down for so long, I practically smothered. Finally our art teacher came over and pulled my head out, and—”

“Stop!” the vampire cried. “I don't care about your puny human activities! We have to get on with our hunt!”

“Right,” Andrew agreed. “Anyway, I know where to find this boy. Some kids dared him to spend the night at the Cameron mansion.”

“That old abandoned house?” the vampire asked. “The one next to the cemetery?”

“That's the place,” Andrew said.

“That's where we'll go,” the vampire said. “I'm impressed with your eagerness, kid,” he added. “Some of my pupils don't want to hunt their own kind. Not for a long time. Let's go.”

“Wait,” Andrew said. “I better go to the bathroom first.”

“No!” The vampire clamped his hand on Andrew's wrist. “Enough of your delays. We're going now!”

A
ndrew felt himself shrinking.

He blinked.

Lights swirled around him.

Everything was out of focus.

He felt himself leaping through space. Then he hit the ground running. He ran faster than he ever imagined he could.

He sniffed the air. The smells! So many of them. And all so exciting! He lifted his chin and gave a great, long howl.

“Quiet, you fool!” came the vampire's voice inside his head. “Do you want the dogcatcher coming after us?”

Andrew turned his head. Racing along beside him was a large gray wolf. A wolf with fiery red eyes.

That's when Andrew knew that he, too, was a wolf.

They ran past the hospital, keeping to the shadows. Andrew sensed small animals fleeing in their path.

Now the Fear Street Cemetery came into view. And the Cameron mansion. Andrew slowed his pace.

“Hey!” the vampire called. “Keep running!”

“Let's check out the woods!” Andrew yelped. “Come on!”

Andrew took off. He cut through yards and sped across Fear Street. He dashed into the woods.

The vampire caught up with him.

“Stop this!” he demanded. “We must hunt!”

“I know,” Andrew told him. “But I'm not ready to stalk my victim yet. I want to wolf around for a while.”

The vampire wolf drew his lips back, baring his long, white teeth. He gave a horrible snarl.

“I see your point,” Andrew said. “Enough wolfing around. Let's get on with the hunt.”

Andrew trailed the vampire back toward the village. They stopped in a grove of trees outside the mansion. Andrew regained his human form without much ripping or tearing.

“The boy you're looking for,” the vampire whispered. “Is he inside the mansion?”

Andrew nodded. “He's spending the night . . . no, wait!” Andrew pointed to a winding pathway that led
from the cemetery to the mansion. “There he is! He's walking toward the house! See him? In the big, bulky coat?”

“A brave lad,” the vampire said. “Or an incredibly stupid one—to be walking in the cemetery at this time of night. Can you sense his heartbeat?”

“Loud and clear,” Andrew answered. “Oh, man! This kid is going to be so sorry he ever picked on me!”

“Excellent!” the vampire exclaimed. “Revenge and food—perfect together!” He smiled down at Andrew. His fangs gleamed in the moonlight. “I knew you had the right stuff, kid. Go on. Go get him. Remember everything I taught you.”

Andrew nodded. He held his breath and listened.

There it was. A heart beating. But this was no small rabbit heart. This was a human heart. Pumping human blood with every beat.

Andrew crouched down. He began moving toward his victim. He moved silently, speedily.

His fangs slid down. Saliva began to drip from them.

Inside Andrew's head the beating of the heart grew louder.

It sounded like a drum, beating and beating.

Andrew drew closer.

He raised his arms.

He bent his knees and sprang at his first victim.

“H
ey!” cried the boy. “Let go! Help!”

Andrew grabbed him around the neck.

“Don't!” the boy wailed. “Stop!”

Andrew wrestled him to the ground. He put a hand over his mouth.

“Ummmmph!” the boy cried. He kept struggling.

Andrew muffled a laugh.

T.J. was really into his acting job!

Andrew picked T.J. up by the collar of his big coat. He pretended to slam his head on the pavement.

T.J. pretended to be knocked out.

Andrew dragged his victim up the rickety stairs of the Cameron mansion. He pulled him inside the deserted house.

At a distance, the vampire followed them inside.

Andrew pulled T.J. into the living room. It was filled with old, dusty furniture. A big, overstuffed couch. And tattered, overstuffed chairs.

Andrew grabbed T.J. under his arms and lifted him up. He shoved him into one of the chairs.

T.J.'s head rolled on his neck. He groaned. Then he blinked his eyes open and looked around.

“What . . . ? What's going on?” T.J. said. He tried to get to his feet.

Andrew pushed him back into the chair. “Quiet!” he snapped.

Then Andrew turned to the vampire. “Now what?” he whispered.

“Think about what I told you,” the vampire coached him. “The artery, kid. Go for the artery.”

“Oh, right.” Andrew examined T.J.'s neck.

T.J. moaned and rolled his head around some more.

Andrew turned back to the vampire. He shrugged. “I—I can't see it,” he said.

The vampire strode over to T.J. He pressed a long, yellow fingernail to T.J.'s neck.

“There,” he said. “That's the artery. It's pulsing plainly.”

T.J. stared at the vampire. His eyes were wide. His mouth hung open slightly. He started to tremble.

The vampire stared coldly back at him.

Then a strange look came into T.J.'s eyes.

Andrew gazed down at T.J.'s neck. The artery pulsed invitingly. Andrew drew his lips back.

“Stop!” T.J. screamed. “Get away!”

Andrew barely heard T.J.'s scream. All he heard was his heartbeat.

T.J. bolted out of the chair. He shoved Andrew away. He ran for the door.

Andrew tackled him in the hallway. He dragged T.J. back into the living room and pushed him into the chair.

“Good, good,” the vampire said. “Now go for his neck.”

Andrew leaned over T.J. He felt his fangs begin to tingle.

“Andrew?” T.J. whispered weakly.

Andrew blinked. At the sound of his name, his fangs stopped tingling. Saliva stopped dripping. He straightened up, glancing away from T.J.'s neck. He moved his thoughts away from the blood throbbing through T.J.'s blood vessels. He tried his hardest not to sink his teeth into his best friend's neck!

He had to think of something else—and fast. He pictured his room. The Super Bowl poster over his bed. The Archie comics on his bedside table. His guppies swimming around in his fish tank.

It worked.

His fangs slipped back up into his gums.

Andrew let out a sigh of relief. The plan was going
to work! It had taken a long time for T.J. and Emily to convince him that he could do it. But now he felt sure. The plan was going to work!

Andrew leaned over T.J. He pretended to examine his neck as he whispered in his ear, “Okay, T.J. Hand me the stake.”

“T
he stake, T.J.!” Andrew whispered again.

T.J. stared straight ahead. He didn't move.

“Give it to me!” Andrew mouthed the words. “Now!”

T.J. only sat there, still as a statue. Frozen!

Andrew's own heart began to pound. Why didn't T.J. open his coat? Why didn't he hand him the stake the way they'd planned?

Andrew straightened up. He turned toward the vampire.

“Uh . . . why isn't he trying to get away?” Andrew asked.

The vampire smiled at Andrew. “I hypnotized him
for you, kid,” he explained. “Since he is your first victim, and all. He's ready for you.”

Andrew stared back at T.J. This hadn't been part of the plan! Now what? Maybe he could reach into T.J.'s coat and grab the stake. But T.J.'s coat was buttoned up. It would take too long. The vampire would know something was fishy.

“Well?” the vampire said. “What are you waiting for?”

“I don't want to rush it,” Andrew said. He felt trapped.

Andrew stared at T.J. At his neck. He saw the throbbing artery. His fangs slid down again. They began to tingle.

Andrew swallowed. T.J. always said he wanted Andrew to bite him. He wanted Andrew to promise to make him his first victim. Well, Andrew was about to keep his promise.

Andrew stopped thinking human thoughts. He gave in to the tingling feeling in his fangs. He concentrated on the artery. On the blood flowing inside it. Andrew bent over T.J. He drew close to his neck and opened his mouth.

“Andrew! Stop!” Emily raced out from behind the big, overstuffed sofa. She waved a wooden stake in the air.

Andrew straightened up. Emily! What was she doing here?

The vampire whirled around, snarling at Emily.

Emily screamed. She ducked back behind the couch.

Then it all came rushing back to Andrew. The plan. The stakes. T.J. and Emily were there to help him destroy the vampire!

Andrew shook his head. He cleared his mind of his vampire thoughts. His fangs slid back up into his gums.

The vampire seemed stunned by Emily's appearance.

Andrew went into action. He grabbed T.J. and pulled him to his feet. “Wake up, T.J.!” he cried. “Quick!”

T.J.'s head rolled around on his neck for real. Two wooden stakes fell out from the bottom of his coat.

The vampire streaked across the room to Andrew.

Andrew let go of T.J. He slumped back into the chair.

Andrew turned to see the vampire lunging at him. Red sparks flew from his hate-filled eyes.