Vanish

I was starting to regret my decision to take on a bunch of night classes.

I am not a morning person. Classes at 8 AM would be a disaster, but there is something to be said about the possibility of your school day being over before lunch. My entire first college semester was full of night classes, some ending as late as 9 or 10 PM. Was the few hours of sleep really worth it?

I regularly stayed up far later than the classes, and I thought I wouldn’t mind the walk back to the dorm at night, but when I left the class building after my first day I immediately felt a chill down my spine. I felt like I was being watched. And whoever was watching me had no intent of stopping at that.

Another thing I noticed when I went outside was a tall guy in a hoodie. He was sitting alone on a bench, just staring at the ground. I could have sworn I saw him glance up at me for the briefest moment, but maybe I was imagining things.

I was on edge the whole walk back. I kept hearing rustling, even footsteps, but every time I turned around there was no one there.

Eventually I made it back to my dorm, trying to tell myself it was just nerves because I was starting college and living away from home for the first time. I must not have done a good job at calming myself down, though, because my roommate Luke noticed immediately.

“What’s up, Milo? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I tried to laugh it off.

“It’s nothing.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Wanna play some games?”

I nodded. That sounded like just what I needed at the moment.

*****

I was in the fifth class to attend my college. It was a newer school focused on STEM that caught my interest right away. I had always been interested in science and technology and there were plenty of things that made it a good fit.

I’m a bit of a country boy. I was born and raised in a small town in Arkansas that I seldom left for almost 19 years, so when picking a college I really wanted to do something adventurous. I had been sheltered my whole life and wanted to get out of my comfort zone a little.

There was also the fact that I was one of the few openly gay guys I knew and really wanted to broaden my horizons a little. I wasn’t shunned or bullied much, but in a small town the dating pool dries up pretty quickly. A college campus sounded like a great change of pace.

I knew what I was in for, what kind of guys I would attract. I am a twink, through and through. I’m 5’9″, have a baby face, soft brown hair, and a body that ticks off all the boxes. I have a long torso that flares out into a heart-shaped bubble butt. I’m skinny in most places, save for a few curves. I have small hands and feet that look dainty and feminine. I’m also half-white and half Latino, so my skin has a golden tint to it. I’m not confident in most things, but my appearance is something I allow myself to be proud of.

But I was starting to wonder if it was really all that good a thing. The majority of students were male. In fact, of the two dorm buildings, only two floors on one had women living there. I was in the other dormitory, which the students had dubbed “Boy’s Club,” but we weren’t exactly boys anymore. We were men. Well, most of the others were, anyway. I definitely still felt like a boy.

I’m not that strong. If I was in a fight with a man, I’d lose 95% of the time. I didn’t think I would be paranoid at all, but that feeling I got walking back to the dorm made me wonder.

The following day I did my best to not think about it, but something I saw in the afternoon brought it back up right away.

I was walking to class when I saw that hooded guy from the night before again. Just like last time, he was covered up from head to toe, even though it was still pretty hot outside. He was doing the same thing: sitting with his head down, hands in his pockets.

I tried to approach him, but the moment he noticed me he got up and walked away. I just tried to shake it off. I didn’t need to worry about it. After all, I was about to start my first class with my psychology professor, Mr. Murray. He was so nice when I met him during orientation. Also, he was also exceptionally handsome. He had the silver-fox archetype down pat, with his salt-and-pepper hair, glasses, and kind voice. I knew I was too shy to ever make a move, even if it was ethical, but a boy can always dream.

The rest of the day went on, business as usual, until my final class ended at 9 PM. I definitely paused at the door for a moment, mentally preparing myself for the walk back to the dorm.

I got the sensation of being watched again. I don’t know how to describe how eerie it was, knowing that someone was watching me, but seeing nobody no matter where I looked. Once again, I told myself I was being paranoid. What, did I need to call my mom to pick me up? I couldn’t walk a quarter mile on my own?

But then halfway through the walk things changed. Suddenly, all at once, the chill went away. It was like a switch had been flipped. A few seconds later I heard a ruckus behind me. When I turned around I saw Mr. Hoodie running away, and holy shit that man could run. He could have gotten a scholarship as a track star or something, what was he doing at a STEM school? In no time at all, he was out of sight.

I just stood there for a minute or two, trying to process what happened. I definitely didn’t feel like I was in danger anymore, but now I had even more questions. Who was this guy? Was he following me? And even scarier, he was pretty damn close to me for a moment, but I never heard anything. If he could sneak up on me so easily, what would have happened if I didn’t turn around?

Wait…he wasn’t running away because I caught him. He was already booking it before I even knew he was there. So what set him off?

I definitely had more questions than answers by the time I got back to my dorm. Luke greeted me again, and I asked him about it.

“Hey, have you seen a guy around here that always wears a big hoodie?”

He thought for a moment.

“Yeah, I think so. What, is he tall and always looking down?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a guy in my C++ class like that. Why?”

Luke was two years older than me and as straight as an arrow. He had a long distance girlfriend I saw him face-time every night. But he didn’t care that I was gay at all. He slipped into a sort of big-brother role right away. We’d only known each other for a week or so and we were already friends. But despite that I didn’t want to tell him the details yet.

“Just curious. I’ve seen him a few times, and he doesn’t exactly blend in, you know?”

He chuckled.

“You know what his name is?”

“No, he doesn’t talk much. And I’m not really eager to get to know him. He has a weird vibe.”

Considering how my past two nights were, “weird vibe” was putting it mildly.

When I got back to my room, I thought some more about what had happened. If nothing else, it had demonstrated that I was an easy target for someone with bad intentions. Even if the hooded man didn’t want to hurt me at all, it was chilling to think about how close he got to me.

Feeling a little silly, I looked up where I could buy some Mace.

Better safe than sorry.

*****

Thankfully, the next few weeks were completely uneventful. I saw the hooded man a few more times, but it was only ever during the day. He was always alone, looking like he didn’t want anybody to talk to him. I was starting to feel kind of bad for how I thought of him. He didn’t seem harmful at all, just standoffish. It wasn’t fair of me to write him off as a creep right away.

My freshman year continued and I made some more friends besides Luke. I had a few classes with a guy named Collin. He was gay like me, but we weren’t each other’s type. He’d kiss me on the cheek sometimes, but that was as far as it went. He had some night classes as well, so we would usually walk back to the dorm together.

I also had a sort of friendship with Mr. Murray. He was so nice, always willing to answer my questions and lend a hand if I needed help. I don’t know if he could tell how attracted I was to him, lack of experience meant I had no gaydar to speak of, but he liked me as a friend, at least.

Things changed one night in late September. Collin didn’t have class that day and when I opened the door to walk back to my dorm the creepy feeling smacked into me like a cold wind. It was so intense had to turn around and walk back inside. I needed a minute to calm down.

I had my Mace in my backpack, but I was still terrified. What was going to happen to me?

“Mr. Norton?”

I almost jumped out of my skin. I hadn’t noticed that Mr. Murray was there.

“Whoa, are you okay? What’s going on?”

I felt embarrassed to have to actually say it, but seeing the genuine worry on his face made me want to be honest.

“I, uh…I’m a little nervous about walking back to my dorm by myself. I’m usually with friends.”

He raised his eyebrows, but then smiled warmly.

“There’s nothing wrong with that at all. If it’s company you want, I can walk with you. I’m heading home myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. It’s no trouble.”

I still felt on edge the entire walk back. The creepy feeling hung in the air like a fog.

Then I saw him. For the briefest moment I saw the hooded man, but when I did a double-take, he was gone. That’s when I started to freak out. He was fast, but nobody could be that fast. Was I seeing things that weren’t there?

Mr. Murray noticed my change in breathing.

“Mr. Norton?”

I heard him, but couldn’t speak. I could hardly move.

“Milo?”

Hearing him say my first name with so much concern snapped me out of my trance. I turned to him.

“I…I thought I saw someone.”

He looked around.

“I don’t see anybody.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m sure it was nothing.”

Luckily we were almost at my dorm, so the rest of the walk took about thirty more seconds. I thanked Mr. Murray profusely before going inside.

The dorm was empty when I returned. Feeling like a scared little boy running from monsters, I dashed to my room and hid under the covers. I said every prayer they taught me in Catholic school over and over until I stopped shaking.

At that point I was either in serious danger or losing my mind.

I couldn’t tell which prospect scared me more.

*****

The next day I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was terrified of confronting the hooded man, but I felt the need to learn some more about him. I asked Luke to find out his name. I think he could tell that I was kind of desperate, because he did so without question. He told me about it when we were eating dinner that night.

“He told me his name is Pierce.”

“What was he like?”

“I don’t know, we talked for like five seconds. He kept telling me he had to leave.”

“Okay, thanks anyway.”

Luke leaned forward slightly.

“What’s wrong, Milo? Is he bothering you?”

I drummed my fingers on the table.

“I honestly don’t know for sure. I just…see him around campus sometimes and it feels a little strange.”

“If he ever does anything, let me know. Or tell a teacher. Something. You’ve been freaking out lately.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to make you worried.”

“Don’t worry about me, worry about being safe.”

“Yeah, I bought Mace already. I think I’m just paranoid.”

“You got someone to walk home with tonight?”

I nodded. “Collin is going to be with me.”

“Good. And if he can’t walk with you, call me.”

I felt myself smile a little. “I promise I will.”

It was nice to have people that wanted to help me.

*****

That night the same evil aura met me when the door opened. I froze in my tracks. Naturally Collin noticed immediately.

“What’s wrong, babe?”

I felt myself shiver. I was scared out of my mind, but remembered what Luke said. I needed to take this seriously, and that meant being honest with the people who cared about me.

“I’m really scared. I’m getting a bad feeling outside.”

Collin came back inside. He was about two inches taller than me, not as skinny, with chocolatey skin. His upper body was sort of average, but his legs were strong as steel. He was a power bottom and worked hard to make his ass and thighs as good as they were.

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. Can’t you feel it?”

His brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry, no. But that doesn’t mean you don’t.”

He held out his hand.

“I promise that nothing is going to happen to you. I’ll be right here, okay?”

I felt my eyes mist up when I nodded and took his hand.

The walk felt like it took an hour. I was a wreck the entire time. It felt like a demon or a monster was right behind me, breathing down my neck and waiting for me to lower my guard. I felt an anxiety attack form. When I get an anxiety attack I get really cold and my heart pounds so hard I can almost hear it. The only thing keeping me grounded was Collin’s hand wrapped around mine.

I was in tears when we got back inside. Before I could say anything, Collin walked in the direction of his dorm, still holding my hand.

“Wanna sleep over?” He asked it in a way that sounded like a question, but both of us knew what I would answer.

“Yes, please.”

I texted Luke so he wouldn’t worry about me as my friend led me to his dorm. Once we were in his room I broke down crying and he hugged me so tight.

It took me a while to calm down, but eventually I felt better.

“Collin, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. Never let me catch you saying that again.”

I spent that night cuddling with my friend. I was still scared, but I wasn’t alone.

*****

The next day my worst suspicions were confirmed. That morning a male student was found passed out in the lounge of Boy’s Club. His clothes were ripped and his hair was messed up, but otherwise he was unharmed. The weird part was that when asked about it he said he couldn’t remember anything. He was mostly embarrassed about the whole thing and didn’t want people to know about it. The staff kept him anonymous, but took it very seriously. A 10:30 PM curfew was set and everyone was instructed to walk in groups at night.

Now my friends knew that my vibe was not off, something weird was going on. I had somebody walk with me every time I went outside, whether it was Luke, Collin, Mr. Murray, or anyone else I could find at the time.

Things calmed down for about a week. I stopped getting that horrible feeling at night. But then something happened I wasn’t prepared for.

One night, I woke up, and I was outside. It was the dead of night, nobody was around, and the evil feeling was so thick I felt like I was choking.

I was wearing nothing but the briefs I fell asleep in. Did I sleepwalk?

I started running as fast as I could back to the dorm. I was far away from my bed, far away from my friends.

The feeling got worse and worse. I was scared for my life.

Then he pounced.

In an instant, Pierce, the man in the hood, came out of nowhere and clamped me tightly in his arms. I started screaming, but he put his hand over my mouth and hissed in my ear.

“Be quiet or you’re dead!”

I complied.

Strangely, now that he’d caught me, he wasn’t doing anything, he just held me still. As the minutes ticked by and my adrenaline faded, I noticed a few things. The first is the fact that he wasn’t holding me in a way that hurt me at all. It was more…protective. And the evil energy wasn’t intensifying, it was actually getting weaker. Eventually it was gone. He whispered in my ear.

“I’m sorry for scaring you like that, I had to act fast.”

He held my hand and started walking me back to the dorm. He didn’t say a single word the entire time. He was about to let go when we got to the main door, but I stopped him.

“You’re not running away again. Tell me what’s going on.”

Pierce took a deep breath and sighed.

“I suppose you deserve to know. But it’s not safe outside right now. Can we talk about it in my dorm?”

If he had asked me that yesterday I would have either run away or sprayed my Mace until the can was empty. But now I knew he wasn’t the one responsible for what had been scaring me. He was trying to protect me.

“Okay.”

We got to his dorm, which was a single room normally reserved for RAs. But it didn’t seem like the right time to ask about that.

Pierce didn’t turn on the lights when we got in his dorm, all he did was open the curtains a little bit, just enough so I could barely see.

He took off his jacket, revealing short hair and strong arms.

“This is going to be a little scary, but it’s something I need to do to show you what I am. Don’t panic.”

He flipped the light switch.

Then he disappeared.

Well, maybe “disappear” wasn’t the right word for it. His clothes were still there, but Pierce’s body was almost completely gone. I say almost because I could still see the barest, faintest shape of him. It was like he was almost faded away completely, but not quite.

He turned the light off again and suddenly he was just as solid as he had been. Except…he wasn’t completely solid. He was just a tiny bit translucent. The edges were a little fuzzy and I could barely see the light of the window through his head.

“Milo, do you want the lights on or off? It doesn’t matter to me.”

I thought for a moment.

“Keep them off.”

I saw his shadowy form nod.

“Pierce, who are you?”

“If I had to give what I am a name you’d know, I would say I’m a vampire.”

I looked at him, wishing I could see his face.

“I’m sure you’re skeptical. But I can prove it further.”

He took off his shirt and turned around. What I saw made me gasp.

Pierce had a gigantic bite mark on his back. It looked like something ripped off a chunk of his flesh. I couldn’t see it very well in the dark, but it looked so painful, and shiny, like it was fresh.

“This is the bite that changed me. The vampire that did this is after you, and I’m trying to save you from the same fate.”

He put his shirt back on and I felt myself begin to cry. I rushed in to hug him.

“I’m so sorry!”

Pierce seemed shocked by what I was doing.

“Sorry? What are you talking about?”

“I blamed you for what was happening! I was so scared, and I hated you so much! But you were helping me!”

I sobbed into his shirt and he gingerly laid his hands on my back.

“It’s okay, Milo. It’s natural for you to fear me. I’m used to it.”

“It’s not okay, but thank you for not being mad at me.”

Once I got my bearings, there was a few moments where I just held the hug. Then I remembered the situation. I had completely forgotten that I was almost naked. I let go and took a few steps back.

“Sorry if I…uh…made you uncomfortable.”

“No, not at all. In fact, I can’t remember the last time anyone was so kind to me.”

I felt my heart break a little.

“Tell me about yourself. Tell me what’s going on. I want to help you as best I can, Pierce.”

He chuckled. He had a nice laugh.

“You and I have a lot to talk about, then.”

*****

We got to Pierce’s dorm at about 3 AM, and the sun was just starting to rise when he was done telling me his story.

Apparently, vampires did exist, and the folklore about them wasn’t far off, but there were a few things humanity got wrong.

Vampires are extremely rare, he was unconvinced there were more than a couple dozen on the entire planet. They were extremely dangerous, they did drink human blood and were immortal, but there was another part of the story nobody knew about.

When a vampire drinks human blood, sucking out their life force and stealing it for eternal youth, which was called devouring, the human didn’t die, nor did they turn into a vampire themselves. They would be transformed into a creature in between human and vampire. Pierce was one of them.

“I met another of my kind who called us nosferatu, or fera for short. I always liked that name, it’s like a vampire, but not really.”

A nosferatu would only become a vampire if they made the choice to devour a human. That would erase all their remaining humanity and give them dark powers.

There were several differences between nosferatu and vampires. Nosferatu were mortal, they aged and died just like humans did, just at a slower rate, but vampires would live forever as long as they kept drinking blood. Both were creatures of the night, but for different reasons. Fera avoided sunlight because of what he had already shown me. Any amount of light took away their opacity, and direct sunlight would make them virtually invisible. That’s why Pierce wore so many clothes when he was outside, even a hood gave enough shadow to help him in a pinch. Vampires have the visibility and pigment to go in the sun because they stole it from a human, but they were always at their strongest when it was dark.

Both species could enter a sleep that functioned as suspended animation, stopping the clock, but it was only delaying the inevitable. If they were awake, eventually the fera would die and the vampires would have to feed. Another thing that humanity got right was their powers of trickery. Fera and vampires could make most humans see things that weren’t there, believe things that were obviously false.

“Most,” he emphasized. “Not all.”

Rarely, a human is born that’s immune to the illusions they could create, though it was more common that a human could just see through fera illusions, which were normally weaker. Fera, and probably vampires as well, could pick them out from a mile away. There were two people like that at my college. One was me. There was a reason why I could sense something evil that nobody else could, I was completely immune to the trickery. That horrible feeling I got at night sometimes was the wicked aura of a vampire.

I was blown away and sat back a little in my seat when I heard that.

“Why me?” I asked. “Why can I see through it?”

Pierce shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s random as far as I know.”

“Wait, you said there were two. Who’s the other?”

In the dim light I could have sworn I saw him smile slightly.

“The other is your roommate, Luke.”

Luke was susceptible to vampiric illusions but not to those of the nosferatu.

“There’s a reason why I have a class with Luke. We’re both keeping an eye on each other.”

“Wait, Luke knows about you?”

“No, but he can tell there’s something off about me. To everyone else, I’m an average, forgettable college student. Think about it, have you met anyone else who knows who I am?”

I thought back and realized I hadn’t. I’d told Collin and even Mr. Murray about Pierce and they had no idea who I was talking about.

“Luke is a kind soul, and I knew he would be able to help you in some small way. That’s why I…may or may not have pulled a few strings to make sure the two of you would live in the same dorm.”

Huh. I suppose our pairing did seem somewhat random. I was now also able to guess how Pierce was able to get a dorm to himself.

“I’m sorry for affecting your life in these ways, but I have a mission. The vampire who made me is waking up again.”

When fera slept, their physical bodies stayed in one place, but when vampires entered the stasis their forms disappeared and could move anywhere in the world. That was why they were so elusive. Pierce had been sleeping for years, waiting for the vampire to start stirring. It was his mission to find him and kill him.

“Who is he?”

The fera chuckled darkly.

“He called himself Dmitry. He lies so much I doubt it’s his name, but it’s the only one I have for him.”

Pierce was turned into a nosferatu in 1950s Britain. He was originally a Jewish orphan named Pierce Herzig (Yes, a vampire named Pierce. It was a little on the nose, but he wasn’t changing his name over it). He had a difficult and lonely life, until he met Dmitry at age 20.

“He was my hero. He gave me love and a home when nobody else would. I loved him so much. And I really believed he loved me.”

Dmitry was a rich, powerful man with a lot of influence, and he took an interest in Pierce right away. He showered the young man with gifts and affection. They even had a romantic and sexual relationship in secret.

“I thought he was so beautiful and perfect. He had me completely fooled. Then it happened.”

This was the first time I saw him get mad.

“One night, I saw what Dmitry really was. He was a monster. I can’t remember what he looked like exactly, he wiped that memory, but it mentally scarred me. Then he bit me and made me a fera.”

Pierce woke up on the street the next day, naked and nearly invisible to the people around him. He spent the next few years learning about what he had become. He even encountered another nosferatu who lived in a forest in Norway. She helped him a lot and became a sort of motherly figure in his life.

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“She’s gone. She died a year after we met, it was just her time.”

I winced. “I’m so sorry.”

“I appreciate that, but sometimes I think she had the right idea. I was a nosferatu for three years when I made the decision to track down Dmitry and stop him once and for all.”

Dmitry was cunning, manipulative, and endlessly patient. In his research, he found evidence that the vampire would sleep for decades, even centuries at a time. If he wanted to defeat him, he would also have to be willing to play the long game.

“Vampires and nosferatu can sense each other, and the bite of transformation creates a sort of psychic link. I knew that Dmitry was asleep. So I slept as well.”

He went deep into the catacombs of Paris and slept for over fifty years. There was a small amount of lucidity fera had in their slumber, and even more for vampires. At some point, Pierce could sense the vampire begin to wake. That was two years ago.

I raised my eyebrows. “He takes that long to wake up?”

“Yes. In my travels, I learned about the story of Cthulhu, a slumbering, monstrously powerful being. It’s somewhat like that. Dmitry has so much power that starting himself up again takes time. But he can still wreak havoc before he wakes fully, just not as much.”

My eyes widened.

“If Dmitry is so powerful, how are you going to kill him?”

“There’s one thing humanity got 100% right about vampires: they’re killed with a stake through the heart.”

Both species had supernatural healing abilities, though more serious injuries would take much more time and energy to mend. The only thing Pierce found he couldn’t heal was the bite mark from when Dmitry devoured him. Vampires were even stronger in their healing ability than nosferatu, making them nearly indestructible, but a stake in the heart was instantly fatal.

Before Pierce entered his stasis, he spent over a year training, 24 hours a day. He became stronger, faster, and better with his illusions. He was even able to kill a weaker vampire in a small Ukrainian village. But even with his new skills, defeating Dmitry would be no small task, especially as he got closer and closer to waking completely. Pierce needed to stop him before that happened. That’s where the students would come in.

“Dmitry has a weakness for young men, I was rather small and thin when he found me. I’m sure that’s why he chose a place like this, it would be full of boys he would want. When he found a target, he would let his guard down. I almost got him the other night.”

Immunity to illusion is exclusively a human trait, vampires and nosferatu can be fooled just like anyone else. The guy who woke up in the Boy’s Club lobby was one of Dmitry’s targets, and would have been devoured if Pierce hadn’t stepped in. At this point the vampire knew that a fera he created was trying to stop him from feeding, and Pierce’s illusions were powerful enough to get close. When he grabbed me earlier, he was putting all his strength in concealing both of us from the vampire.

“But if Dmitry knows someone powerful is after him, why doesn’t he just go somewhere else?”

“Pride. I know him well enough to know he believes he’ll outsmart me eventually. I’ve heard stories about him possessing humans, shapeshifting, all sorts of unspeakable things. What he did to you earlier, making you sleepwalk, that’s something I didn’t even know he could do. He’ll just keep reaching into his bag of tricks until he succeeds, or until he wakes up. But I’m not giving up either.”

By that point the light of dawn was starting to filter in through the window. He was getting more and more faint, his shirt was beginning to look like it was floating.

“Well…what can I do?”

I could vaguely see Pierce furrow his brow.

“You? You don’t have to do anything. Killing Dmitry is my mission, my burden. I would never want to drag an innocent into this.”

I was about to protest, tell him that I wanted to help him, but I saw his point. What would I be able to do?

“The best thing you can do is stay safe, okay? Keep doing what you’re doing. I won’t always be able to protect you, and what just happened was way too close for my liking. Now that you know what’s going on, things should be a little easier. At least, I hope so.”

He stood up.

“It’s almost morning. We should get you back to your room.”

After he put his jacket back on, he walked me back to my dorm. It made me curious about something.

“Uh, Pierce?”

“Yes?”

“Why put on the disguise? I know about you now and Luke is asleep. If anyone sees you, you could just use an illusion, right?”

His body language began to look almost…embarrassed?

“I really don’t like tricking humans. It makes me feel…dirty, so I avoid it unless I don’t have any other options.”

I almost laughed. Pierce was far and away the most interesting person (sort of) I had ever met.

The nosferatu picked my lock, which took him about four seconds, and I walked in. I felt the need to speak up before he left.

“I’ll see you around, Pierce.”

I couldn’t see his face, so I had no idea what he was feeling.

“I’ll see you around, Milo.”

In an instant, he was gone.

*****

I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep, so I just got dressed and used my laptop. At around 7 AM Luke came into the kitchenette and was very surprised to see me.

“Wow, am I dreaming? Is the world ending?”

I laughed.

“Yeah, I know. But I wanted to talk to you about something.”

He sat down at the table with me.

“What’s up?”

“I talked with Pierce. He and I have an understanding now.”

Luke cocked an eyebrow.

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“We both had the wrong idea about him, he’s a really nice guy. You don’t have to worry about him bothering me.”

“What kind of conversation did you two have?”

“One with a lot of private details I don’t want to go into. All you need to know is that he’s a friend of mine now.”

He shrugged.

“Okay, then.” He pulled out his phone and looked at the time.

“The cafeteria just opened. Wanna get breakfast?”

I smiled. “Sounds great.”

*****

There were some significant changes to my life over the next few days. My biggest concern was the way Dmitry had drawn me out of my bed and far away from the dorm in my sleep. Whatever immunity I had to his tricks was apparently only active while I was awake, so this meant I was defenseless for about a third of the day. I ordered a sleepwalking alarm online, but for the two nights I was waiting for it to be delivered I slept in Collin’s bed with him, telling him I had been sleepwalking lately and wanted company for a few nights.

I also made a conscious effort to spend some time with Pierce in his dorm during the day. He had been more or less alone for a long time, and I wanted to be there for him when I could. He was sort of surprised at first, I think he assumed that I would want nothing to do with him, but over time I could tell that the company was very welcome.

It was on the evening of the second day that I told him I had to go to night class and he seemed to perk up a little bit.

“You’ll have someone with you on the walk back, right?”

“Luke and Collin won’t be available, so I’ll just ask whoever’s there. It’s fine.”

The lights were on, so could mostly just see the sweater and jeans he was wearing. The clothes fidgeted slightly.

“I mean, if you want, I could do it.”

“Really? I thought you were busy every night.”

“I do patrol campus, but it’s normally uneventful. And if something happens I’ll be on top of it. Is that okay with you?”

Was that okay? Nobody else, probably in the entire world, would be better at protecting me from Dmitry than Pierce.

“Of course it is. My class ends at 9:30.”

That night I saw him waiting for me outside, right on schedule. I waved to him and he approached.

“I can sense Dmitry slightly. How much of him can you feel?”

The night around me felt warm and safe…mostly. I could feel just the slightest tinge of unease.

“He’s really faint.”

We began the walk back, him holding my hand. I could tell he had to slow down quite a bit so I could keep up.

“You have any idea what he’s up to?” I asked.

“Not really. He’s only pulled the stunt with you that other boy so far.”

“What happened with the first student?”

“Seduction. Probably Dmitry’s favorite trick. I was making my rounds when I felt his presence weaken. That’s normally what happens when he casts an illusion. When I ran around campus until I found a junior guy talking with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen I could guess what was happening.”

I furrowed my brow.

“I didn’t think he would do that. Doesn’t he live as a gay man?”

“To my knowledge, yes, but there’s no boundary he won’t cross to get what he wants. I got there just in time, he was ripping off the poor guy’s clothes. We had a tussle for a bit until I guess he decided it was too much effort. He tends to conserve his energy as a priority, especially when he hasn’t fed in a while. I wiped the boy’s memory and left him at the dorm.”

I said the next part without thinking and immediately wished I hadn’t.

“How did if feel seeing Dmitry again?”

Pierce stopped walking and I backpedaled as hard as I could.

“Forget I said that, that’s such an inappropriate thing–”

“No, I’m just trying to remember how I felt.”

He was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again.

“I’m not really sure what I was feeling, if I’m being honest. Tracking him down had been my obsession for so long, actually seeing him in front of me, even in a form I didn’t recognize, it didn’t seem real. I think I got upset when he gave no indication that he recognized me. He must have created so many fera over the years he doesn’t bother keeping track.”

There was definitely some bitterness creeping into his voice.

We started walking again. He was the one who spoke next.

“I didn’t really have much time for my personal feelings when he went after you. All I could think about was getting there in time.”

I remember how he told me that he was small and thin when he met Dmitry. That was hard to imagine, now he was at least 6’2″ and built like a boxer or an MMA fighter. But apparently there was a time he looked more like I did. I wondered if he saw who he was in me. Maybe that was why he was so desperate that night.

“I’m glad you’re not scared of him anymore.”

He began laughing.

“Was that really what I made you think? I’m more scared of him than I am of anything in the world.”

“Oh. Well…you could have fooled me.”

We got to the door.

“I gotta go. Goodnight, Milo.”

“Goodnight, Pierce.”

He nodded before running off.

It was bizarre, the more I talked with Pierce the more fascinated I became. I thought he was some unstoppable force of nature, but interacting with him showed me he had fears and insecurities just like anyone else. In a lot of ways, he just acted like a guy in his mid-twenties despite being around for over eighty years.

I smiled to myself before going to Collin’s dorm.

*****

One night a few days later I had a horrifying dream, though dream wasn’t the right word for it. I knew from the start I was seeing something that was actually happening.

I saw Pierce, except he wasn’t wearing the hoodie like he normally did, just a t-shirt and jeans. He was walking up to one of the main public areas of campus, a big fountain, the streetlights making him fade in the night. Under those lights I could see what he was so interested in right away.

Knowing how tall Pierce was the man waiting for him at the fountain had to be 6’8″ or more. He was ripped, his chest wide and his form imposing, at least from what I, and I assumed Pierce, could see through his clothes.

The man was dressed in an elegant, luxurious suit of the darkest black I had ever seen, with long coattails and accents of deep red. He had shiny black shoes and gloves that were a bright, spotless white.

Then there was his face.

He had golden blond hair that was shoulder length, a chiseled jaw, and dark eyes that glittered in the night. His skin was flawless, lightly tanned and glowing with health. This person wasn’t just terrifying, he was gorgeous.

Pierce spoke the name that confirmed my suspicions.

“Dmitry.”

A smile spread across the vampire’s face. He spoke in a deep, rich voice.

“Hello. Pierce, was it? I knew I remembered you from somewhere. You were that orphan boy. It’s been quite the long time. I hope I correctly recalled how I presented myself to you back in the day.”

I could see the nosferatu clench and unclench his fists.

“You definitely weren’t as tall.”

The vampire chuckled.

“Indeed, but you’ve grown a lot since then, so I figured I should as well.”

As the two of them talked, Pierce was slowly approaching, and I couldn’t tell if he was aware of it.

“Tell me, my boy, what’s your angle here? Why do you insist on playing these pointless little games?”

I could practically feel Pierce get furious.

“These aren’t games, these are lives.”

“I’m feeding. Humans are beneath me, little more than cattle. I’m simply playing my part in the food chain.”

“Cattle? Was that all I was, too?”

Dmitry looked amused.

“Do tell me, why is how I regard you on your mind at all? I was under the impression you wanted only to kill me.”

That seemed to genuinely stop Pierce in his tracks. Dmitry took the opportunity to close the gap between them fully. He put his hand under the fera’s chin.

“My, my, part of you still feels for me, doesn’t it?”

I heard Pierce exhale sharply.

“I loathe you with every fiber of my being,” he spat.

“Do you?” Dmitry stroked his cheek and it caused him to shudder a little.

The vampire gave a low chuckle. “What are you doing? Why do you deny who you are, what I made you?”

“You…” Pierce swallowed before continuing. “You’re not the one who decides who I am. I make that choice.”

The vampire smirked, obviously relishing in having the upper hand.

“I think we both know you don’t really mean that. Even now, after so long, you’re still putty in my hands. You didn’t even bring your weapons because you wanted to talk to me again. That scared little boy at my feet is who you’ll always be. I’m just helping you see that clearly.”

Pierce slapped Dmitry’s hand away.

“I’m done with your mind games. Tell me what you want or I’m leaving.”

The monster smiled, still unfazed.

“Very well. I suppose I just wanted to talk to you again. It’s so interesting to see an old pet crawl back to its master.”

“Goodbye, Dmitry.”

He turned to leave, but then the vampire said something that made him stop.

“That scrumptious little human boy, the one you’ve taken such an interest in…he’s named Milo, correct?”

The shock of hearing him say my name almost woke me up.

“I’m done talking to you.”

Pierce walked away, but Dmitry continued.

“You truly believe you can protect him, don’t you? But he knows just how weak you really are. I’ve been showing him everything.”

Then, even though I wasn’t there, even though I didn’t know where I was, he looked directly at me.

“This weakling is your hero? Pathetic. I will devour you, Milo, and it’s going to be delicious.”

Dmitry licked his teeth, revealing upper and lower fangs.

The beast lunged at me, eager to tear me apart.

*****

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. The image of Dmitry stayed in my mind, like an afterimage. He was so scary, so evil, and I hadn’t even seen him in his true form.

A moment later I could hear a light but insistent knocking. I knew it who it was.

I walked out to the kitchenette and opened the door. As expected, Pierce was standing there.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “Just a little shaken.”

Pierce didn’t look so hot, either. He was holding his arms and wouldn’t look me in the face.

I remembered how quickly and easily Dmitry was able to manipulate Pierce, make him doubt himself. What was worse was that he wasn’t even lying for a lot of it. The nosferatu still had feelings for the vampire, at least at some level, that much was obvious. What Dmitry had done was psychological warfare on him just as much as me. Probably even more so.

“Pierce, do you want to talk about this?”

He ran his hand through his hair.

“I’m not sure what there is to talk about.”

“Whatever you want to say, I’ll listen. Wanna come in?”

He paused.

“Sure.”

Pierce walked inside and I asked a question I hoped would lighten the mood.

“So, is it true that vampires can’t enter homes without being invited inside? Would you not have been able to go through that door on your own?”

The fera chuckled weakly.

“Humans really come up with some crazy things. No, I just like to be polite.”

We got in my room and I turned on the light out of habit. Pierce almost disappeared.

“Whoops. Do you want me to keep the lights off?”

“No, you should have the lights on so you can see.”

“Okay then.” Once again I was before him wearing only my underwear, but I didn’t draw attention to that. Pierce had to be used to it by now. I sat on my bed and the nosferatu sat next to me.

“So, that’s Dmitry? I was expecting him to look…I don’t know, more beastly?”

“He’s really vain, so I don’t think he’d want a form that wasn’t attractive. At least, not at first.”

“Yeah. But still, he’s…scary.”

“I know. I know that better than anyone.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, feeling a little silly because it looked like I was trying to comfort a shirt.

“But you still held your own out there. You stood up for yourself.”

“I don’t see it that way. One look, and it was like I was back where I started.”

I heard him sniffle.

“Pierce, give me your hand.” I held out my palm and felt a pressure I returned.

“This is how Dmitry wants you to feel. He wants you to feel powerless.”

“You think I don’t know that? But how am I supposed to feel?”

“I don’t know, angry? Fired up? Ready to prove him wrong and wipe that smug look off his face? Isn’t that what you’ve been wanting to do this whole time?”

“I am mad at him, but I’m really more angry at myself. I shouldn’t have let him get under my skin so easily. I’m mad at myself for still caring.”

I gave his hand what I hoped felt like a reassuring squeeze.

“Why? Don’t those emotions prove you’re better than him?”

There was a pause.

“What good is it being better than him if I can’t protect people?”

“What do you think you’ve been doing? You saved two people already! And you killed a vampire back in the day, right?”

“I mean…yes.”

“You are powerful, Pierce. I don’t want to hear you so defeated. You shouldn’t have to bear this burden alone.”

“What are you talking about? Nobody else is suicidal enough to try to kill Dmitry!”

“I’m talking more about the emotional burden.”

I got up and turned off the lights. I wanted to make eye contact.

“I’m not that strong, I know that. Maybe I can’t help you defeat Dmitry, but I want to be there for you in other ways. You’re my friend, and I don’t want you to be sad.”

I saw him bury his face in his hands.

“I haven’t had a friend in so long…” he murmured.

“That ends now. If you ever need to talk…you can track me down, okay?”

“Okay. And…thank you.”

He stood up.

“Try to get some sleep, Milo.”

I gave him a hug.

“See you later, Pierce.”

I felt him return the hug. It wasn’t awkward like it was in his dorm.

He left.

I was a little apprehensive when I tried sleeping again. Dmitry was able to do a lot while I was asleep, but I had Pierce on my side. He wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to me.

I drifted off, thinking of my friend.

*****

I was hanging out with Pierce in his dorm the following day when I felt the need to ask a question that had been on my mind for a while.

“Pierce, can you describe to me what you look like? I’ve never been able to see you very well.”

The coat he was wearing leaned forward a little under the lights.

“I’m not really sure if I remember what I look like. I haven’t felt the desire to look at myself in a long time.”

“Well, can you look at yourself at all? I heard that vampires don’t appear in mirrors, or on camera.”

He chuckled like he often did when we talked about human perception of vampires.

“I think that started because we can make ourselves invisible in a moment. But if we wanted to we could be in pictures, or mirrors.”

He stood up.

“It’s going to have to be dark for me to do this. Walk over to the vanity, please.”

I went to the sink and mirror outside the bathroom as Pierce turned off all the lights and drew his blackout curtains closed. I couldn’t see two inches in front of my face, but I knew the fera had powerful night vision. I heard him approach and stand next to me.

“Yeah, I’m not that different than I remember. What do you want to know?”

“I don’t know, I guess the basics.”

“Alright. I have green eyes and reddish hair. I’m kind of pale, but that’s to be expected.”

I heard his hand rub on some skin.

“When I was turned into a nosferatu, it kept all the traits I had when I was human. I still have that little scar on my cheek. I still can’t grow a beard to save my life.”

I laughed in spite of myself.

“I’m sure you look very handsome.”

“I definitely look better than I have in decades. I’m glad my training finally put some meat on my bones.”

“How old do you look?”

“From what Mor told me,” he said, referring to the nosferatu he met in Norway (Mor was what Norwegian children called their mothers), “Fera age at about half the speed humans do when active. I’ve been awake for about seven years total, so…twenty-three, twenty-four? Somewhere around there?”

“That sounds about right.”

There was a pause.

“Why do you want to know these things?”

“Well, it’s just kind of weird that I don’t even know what you look like. We hang out all the time.”

“I suppose.”

He turned on the lights and returned to being floating clothes.

I looked at my phone as saw the time.

“I have class soon. See you later.”

“Bye.”

I could have sworn I heard a smile in his tone of voice.

*****

The buzzing and loud beeping of my bracelet woke me up with a start.

Holy shit. That was close. I was almost out the door. Dmitry must be up to something.

Immediately I felt unsafe. I wasn’t comfortable going back to sleep, at least not alone.

I called Collin and he answered in a groggy voice.

“Dude, what the fuck?”

“I know, I’m sorry, but I sleepwalked again. I’m scared to go back to sleep on my own. Can I come over, please?”

“Ugh, fine.”

In a few minutes I had gathered what I needed and went to his dorm. He led me to his room and we got under the covers.

“Thank you so much. I feel a lot better.”

“Don’t worry about it. I always sleep better with someone next to me.”

He spooned my body and sighed.

“I gotta say, I’m surprised you called me and not your new boyfriend.”

I felt my cheeks burn and knew I was blushing up a storm.

“What? I don’t have a new boyfriend!”

“Don’t lie to me. You keep visiting a new ‘friend’ for a few hours every day. You light up when you talk about him. He walks you back at night, I’ve seen it a few times.”

I remembered that on Tuesdays and Thursdays he had a class with a window that would have given him a clear view of Pierce walking me home.

“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just a friend.”

“Whatever you say, man. I just could just tell something was up. If he’s not your boyfriend, who is he?”

“He’s named Pierce. We just met because we…had common interests.”

I’m terrible at making things up on the fly. I’m sure he could tell I wasn’t being honest, but he would have thought my reasons for lying were completely different than what they were.

“Well, if he’s not your boyfriend, can you introduce us? That guy’s a smokeshow.”

“Collin, please just drop it.”

“Okay, okay.”

He kissed my cheek.

“‘Night, babe.”

He fell asleep. I followed suit, still unsure of why the conversation made me so embarrassed.

*****

I didn’t see Pierce again until the next night when he walked me back to the dorm.

“Did Dmitry try something last night?” I hadn’t heard about anything happening to a student that morning.

“Yeah, he did. How’d you know?”

I explained what happened to me.

“Damn. Smart move on your part getting that alarm.”

“Well, what did he do?”

“See, I wanted to talk to you about that. I need your help with something.”

I furrowed my brow, not understanding how those dots connected.

“Dmitry was able to make you dream something specific. That’s a skill I had never heard of before. It made me wonder if I could do the same thing, but I need a human to test it on. Are you okay with that?”

“Absolutely. I want to help you out.”

“Okay. Go to sleep tonight like you normally would. At around 2 AM I’m going to try to show you what happened with Dmitry last night. Let me know what you end up seeing.”

I nodded. For the first time in weeks, I was excited to go to sleep.

It was like waiting to see a movie, and I was going to get a front-row seat.

*****

Pierce knew something was wrong when he saw the deer carcass on the ground. He had come to investigate the smell of blood, which would usually hang around Dmitry like a cologne. But drinking a deer’s blood would serve him none, vampires fed only on humans.

Then it clicked. This was a diversion to draw him away.

The nosferatu ran as fast as he could, the trench coat he was wearing whipping in the wind. By the dorm, he could see a student walking alone. The curfew had been lifted for students, but it was well after midnight. When he got a little closer, he could see the young man’s eyes better. They had a glassy look Pierce recognized, indicating he was under vampiric hypnosis.

Desperately, he counteracted the command with his own. He projected an aura of menace and whispered in the human’s mind.

It’s not safe out here. I’m in danger. Something horrible is going to happen to me.

Luckily the kid got the message right away. Seeming to snap out of his trance, he turned around to go back inside.

At that moment, he saw a shadowy form rise nearby and move towards the student. Running as quickly as possible, he lunged at the shadow right as it reached out to take the young man, causing it to melt back into the ground.

A few moments later, the human was inside the building. Pierce was reeling from the close call.

He saw another shadow form on the ground and heard a dignified, haughty voice.

“You really are a nuisance.”

The shadow rose from the ground and coalesced into a what looked like a human. Dmitry was in a form Pierce hadn’t seen before.

The vampire appeared a similar age to him, though more slender and an inch or two shorter. His skin was fair and his hair a coffee brown, quite long and messily tied up in a ponytail, contrasting with a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a white ruffled shirt, tight brown pants, and leather boots. The most striking part was his nails, which were long, sharp, and pitch black.

Pierce looked at the bright eyes and full lips the vampire had gained and scowled. Of course Dmitry would want to be beautiful no matter what form he took.

“I will never understand you,” Dmitry said. “You must have worked for a long time to develop those skills, yet you choose to remain a halfling. There’s so much power right at your fingertips, and you refuse to grab it.”

“I’ll never become a demon like you. I’d sooner die.”

The vampire laughed, his voice light and youthful.

“Well, I suppose that can also be arranged.”

The fera reached into his coat and pulled out two things: a wooden stake and an iron hammer. Ever since Dmitry humiliated him that one night he made sure to have them with him at all times.

“Pierce, do you know what happens when a vampire bites a halfling?”

“I can’t imagine anything good would come of it.”

“That’s a matter of perspective, my boy. The vampire gets nothing from it, all the life force the vampire could steal had already been taken away. But that doesn’t mean the halfling has nothing left to lose. They would be drained dry of all things that attach them to this earthly realm, and before long they would disappear completely.”

Dmitry curled his fingers and his nails became longer, resembling claws.

“I never thought I’d create a halfling so troublesome I would have to put it down. But I’m not too proud to acknowledge a mistake I’ve made. A mistake that needs to be erased.”

Pierce tightened the grip on his weapons. A moment later both sprang into action.

It was a blur of punches, kicks, blocking, and weapons. The two beings held nothing back in their brawl.

A minute later, Dmitry got close enough to swipe at Pierce’s chest. The nosferatu howled in pain, the vampire’s scratch burning his flesh. Despite his agony he found an opening a few seconds later, and pounced with his stake.

The wooden point was just a hair’s breadth from impaling Dmitry’s chest when the vampire changed form. In an instant, he morphed into a swarm of bats, flying high in the air. Pierce could see them melt away into the darkness once more.

The fera fell to his knees, mentally overwhelmed. He was so close. Did he hesitate somewhere? Was Dmitry just toying with him?

The cuts on his chest burned. He winced and held the wound closed with his hand. Pierce felt mocked, beaten and maimed while that bastard ran away without injury.

He remembered what Milo had said. Even though he didn’t kill Dmitry, he had saved an innocent. The night wasn’t a failure.

Dmitry’s presence was gone. He must have retreated for the time being. The nosferatu stood up and left to go to his dorm.

*****

I woke up with a smile on my face the next day. It had worked!

The fera looked happy when I told him the news, but then got a little nervous.

“You know, if you want…I could show you more.”

“More as in, what exactly?”

Pierce shifted in his seat.

“Well, I have a lot of stories. A lot of experiences. Things I’ve never told anyone about. But you told me the other night that I could tell you about what was on my mind, get things off my chest. I’m bad with words, I don’t talk to people much. But I could show you some things.”

His tone was very apprehensive, like he feared the request was crossing a line. I was quick to reassure him.

“If it’ll help you feel better, yes. Just give me some warning ahead of time. That fight was pretty intense, I don’t think I could dream like that every night.”

He nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll wait a few days.”

Talking about the fight reminded me of something.

“Do you still have that wound?”

“Yes, but I’ll be okay.”

“Can I see it?”

Once most of the light was gone he took off his shirt.

Pierce had five jagged, deep cuts raked across his chest. It reminded me of the bite mark on his back, it looked freshly made and incredibly painful.

“You and I have very different standards for things being okay.”

“I’ll be fine. If one scratch was enough to take me down I would have given up a long time ago.”

“All the same, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

He snorted.

“I’ll stop pushing myself when Dmitry’s dead. Then I might be able to relax.”

I think he was trying to be flippant, but something in his tone made me worry. All that training, the years of solitude, an entire life being dedicated to one mission, it couldn’t have been good for his mental health.

Then I remembered something from the dream. There was a moment where he was being harsh with himself, but remembered something I said and felt a little better.

It was so strange to know I was playing any part in his mission, but I was more than happy to help.

That’s what friends are for, after all.

*****

The sunlight was dampened by the trees, making the forest look gloomy. Snow crunched under Pierce’s feet as he walked into the village.

In his research, he had found evidence that a vampire named Astasia had been living here for decades. She had an entire village under her control. Men, women and children alike would disappear every so often, but they believed that it was because of monsters in the woods, and Astasia was a guardian angel sent to protect them. They gave her offerings, prayed to her, did everything they did to curry her favor, while she was the one responsible for their suffering. It was vile.

The nosferatu looked at the children playing in the snow. He wanted them to have bright futures, ones free from such fear and uncertainty. If he could kill Astasia, he would be doing some good in the world.

He made it to the biggest house in the village and entered the door without knocking. His hands trembled slightly as he held the hammer and stake. He had spent months preparing for this moment.

Inside, the cottage looked like a palace, with animal skins and marble staircases. It was an illusion the vampire had created.

“Hello, boy.”

Pierce turned to the sound and saw a nude woman descending the stairs. She had alabaster skin that seemed to glow. Her body was curvy, with an amble bosom and wide hips. Her face had angelic beauty, except for her eyes, which were solid black and burned with evil.

“I’ve never seen you before. Welcome to my humble abode.” Her voice was a clear soprano, like the call of a bird.

Astasia got closer and tilted her head.

“That’s odd. Normally men find this form…distracting, but you’re fully present. I wonder, are you one of those men who long for something different?”

Suddenly her body shrank to that of a nude boy that appeared to be 20 at most. His hips and buttocks flared out even more. His shoulders were narrow and his features were cherubic, with a button nose and rosy cheeks.

“Does this please you more, sir?” Astasia chirped, her voice even higher in pitch as the boy.

Pierce swallowed and felt himself harden. He shook his head, trying to block the arousal. The fera needed to concentrate.

“What are you doing here?” the vampire asked.

He raised his weapons.

“I’m here to stop you.”

“Is that so? You look like one of those in between. You’re not even a proper vampire. What makes you think you have what it takes to kill me?”

Pierce didn’t answer, he just sprang into action.

The moment he got close, the entire room turned upside down. The nosferatu needed to hold on to the stairwell’s handrail to not fall. He had never encountered illusions so powerful. Pierce fought with an illusion of his own, turning everything upright again.

“Impressive,” Astasia said, now back in her female form. She had a dagger in each hand. “This may not be as easy as I anticipated.”

The two fought using their might and magic. The room shifted around them, morphing and contorting to match their illusions. Astasia seemed to like shapeshifting; over time she had transformed into a wolf, a snake, even a beast that had fur matted down with dried blood. That must be the form she had used to convince the villagers that monsters lived in the woods.

At one point she became that feminine boy again and her demeanor changed in an instant. Her eyes looked wide and innocent and her weapons disappeared.

“Please, sir. Help me. I’ve been alone for so long.”

As hard as Pierce tried to resist, that face and those words made him hesitate for the briefest moment. Astasia used that fraction of a second to dash forward, a knife materializing in her hand.

Pierce dodged, but he wasn’t quick enough. She cut off his left hand, and it fell to the ground, still holding the stake.

“I will admit you’ve fought well, boy, but this ends here.” Astasia dissolved and multiplied. Suddenly there were dozens of clones, each inching forward.

“Part of me wishes I didn’t have to kill you. You would make a good and faithful servant.” The vampire’s voice seemed to come from all around him and not any doppelganger in particular.

When looking around frantically the fera noticed something: of all the duplicates, only one casted a shadow.

Without thinking, he picked up the stake and threw it at that Astasia as hard as he could. There was a scream and all the other clones disappeared. The stake was in her chest, but not deep enough to kill.

Frantically, he picked up the hammer and threw that as well. Unexpectedly, his aim was true. The head of the hammer connected perfectly with the blunt end of the stake and drove it into the heart of the vampire.

Astasia screamed, a haunting, demonic sound, and the illusions around them began to shatter like glass. Suddenly they were in a simple cottage. Flames engulfed the vampire’s body until there was nothing left.

Pierce fell to the ground, pain making his vision blurry. With the last of his strength, he picked up his severed hand and pressed it back against his wrist. Using all his might he reattached the hand and mended the bones, but before he could do any more he became limp. From past experience he knew he wouldn’t be able to move again until he was healed. He just had to wait it out.

For the rest of the winter the villagers were safe. All of Astasia’s lies and illusions died along with her. Unbeknownst to them, the fera who saved them was in her cottage, recovering strength so he could continue his journey.

*****

A few days after Pierce showed me his battle against Astasia my class with Mr. Murray shifted to a subject that interested me quite a bit: sleepwalking.

My alarm did work, but overall it made going to sleep feel dangerous. I felt so vulnerable. If Dmitry could make me get out of bed and try to leave what else could he make me do?

I asked Mr. Murray for advice and he seemed very concerned.

“I’m sorry you feel that way. Sleepwalking is a scary experience. What do you think is the source?”

I knew exactly what the source was, but he wouldn’t have believed me if I told him, so I just said I didn’t know.

“Well, oftentimes environmental factors play a role. What does your room look like?”

I furrowed my brow. “Normal, I guess?”

He folded his arms.

“I think there might be something I could do to help. Is it okay if you show me your sleeping area?”

I felt my heart skip a beat. No way this was happening. That request had to go against so many ethics teachers were supposed to have. Did he…want to be alone with me that badly?

My mind was apprehensive, but my dick had no such reservations.

“Sure.”

Feeling giddy with excitement, I took Mr. Murray back to my dorm. Luke was in his room, so thankfully I could take us to mine without him noticing.

Mr. Murray pretended to look around, but he dropped the pretense before long. He sat on the bed.

“Sit with me, Milo.”

I took a seat next to him. Right away he put his hand on my thigh.

“It’s so nice to be with you away from prying eyes. I’ve wanted to get you alone for a while now.”

My heart raced. Was this the day I would lose my virginity?

He got closer to my ear and whispered.

“You’re a beautiful boy. I’ve been wanting you for so long.” He licked the side of my neck and I almost came. Mr. Murray was normally so reserved and polite, who knew he could also be this seductive?

I heard a knock on the door.

“Milo, are you okay in there?”

Hearing Luke’s voice gave me pause. Of course I was okay. There was nothing to worry about…right?

“Tell him to leave us be,” my professor murmured, reaching under my shirt and teasing my nipple.

Arousal clouded my mind.

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

We could hear Luke leave and Mr. Murray got up to lock the door.

“There, we wouldn’t want any more distractions.”

He began stripping me until I was nude. He stroked my skin.

“So beautiful,” he purred.

My body felt like it was on fire. I could barely even think. He kissed me, lightly chewing on my lower lip. We made out and he felt me up for several minutes. He nibbled in my ear and husked into it.

“So delicious,”

Suddenly something felt wrong. That dark feeling that before had only come at night was creeping in.

“I want to eat you alive.”

He opened his mouth, revealing sharp fangs. Everything clicked.

Dmitry was about to devour me. I screamed at the top of my lungs and struggled with all my might, but I wasn’t strong enough.

Suddenly, the door to my room burst open, nearly getting ripped off its hinges. Mr. Murray/Dmitry was wrenched off me and thrown against the wall.

Somehow, Pierce had come to my rescue. He held out his hand, palm up, and raised it forcefully. Mr. Murray’s eyes drifted closed and he crumpled to the floor. The fera turned back to me.

“Milo, are you okay? Did he bite you?”

I felt around my lip and ear and didn’t feel any pain.

“Not with his fangs, I don’t think.”

“Okay, good. That’s good.” I could see his body’s tension relax a bit.

I felt so stupid. I should have known something was wrong.

“How did he do that? I thought I was immune to Dmitry.”

“You are, but he isn’t,” he gestured to Mr. Murray’s body. “Looks like Dmitry found another loophole to get past your defenses.”

The professor’s body still wasn’t moving.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“He’ll be fine. I just drove Dmitry out. He’ll forget all about this when he wakes up.”

My heart was still pounding.

“Thank you so much for saving me.”

“I’m not the one you should be thanking. Thank Luke.”

I blinked a few times. “What do you mean?”

“He saw me in class and told me something felt off about you. That’s why I came here.”

I needed a minute to process that. “But Luke doesn’t know about any of this.”

“He’s still very perceptive. He must have put together that you trusted me a lot. He could guess I would be able to help you in a way he couldn’t.”

I was blown away.

A moment later I heard the front door open and Luke walked in, eyeing my destroyed door as he entered my room and saw us.

“Alright, I think it’s time the two of you told me what’s going on.”

I chuckled nervously, then remembered I was naked and covered up.

“Can you give me a second?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He went to his room again and I put my clothes back on. I remembered how Pierce said he made sure Luke and me would be roommates. Now I knew why. Luke was a good person, and he deserved to know everything.

Pierce and I went into his room and told him what was happening. Giving him all the details took half an hour.

“Holy shit, I knew something bad was happening, but this is a lot.”

We talked a little bit more before Pierce left to continue his training, carrying Mr. Murray’s body like it weighed nothing. Now Luke and I were alone in the dorm. I looked at my friend, the one who proved to always have my back, and felt so lucky to know him.

I gave my roommate a hug.

“Thank you for saving me, Luke.”

He ruffled my hair.

“Any time, bro.”

*****

Pierce Herzig was in deep trouble. He had been fired from his job and evicted from his place of residence because he couldn’t pay rent. The boy of 20 years was afraid he wouldn’t survive the winter.

He took odd jobs and tried to scrounge up every penny he could, but it wasn’t enough. It was almost nightfall and he hadn’t eaten all day.

Rain started to come down. In his rush to find shelter he slipped and fell, landing hard on the ground beneath him. A part of the young man didn’t want to stand up again, just stay down and wait to die.

“Are you alright?”

Pierce scanned his eyes to his left and saw a man dressed in luxurious clothing. He couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was as well, with his blond hair and warm smiling face. Pierce’s attraction to other men was something he always kept secret, but it flared up in this stranger’s presence.

“Stand up, boy. Come with me.” He held out a gloved hand.

The man had a low, smooth voice, colored by an eastern European accent. Perhaps he was one of the rich men fleeing the Soviets.

The kind stranger helped the boy up and pulled him close, covering them both with an umbrella.

“Thank you so much, sir.”

“It’s no trouble at all. We should get you somewhere warm.”

The man took Pierce to a warm, fancy home. The boy have never been anywhere so impressive.

“We need to get you cleaned up. Come with me.” The rich man took off his coat, revealing a strong body. Pierce felt his attraction increase.

He led them both to an elegant bathroom with a clawed tub.

“Strip down.” The stranger said it so casually, but Pierce was ashamed.

“I don’t…I don’t want you to see me…”

“Well I do, and this is my house, so it’s only natural I get what I desire.” He removed Pierce’s clothing until the boy was nude in front of him.

The young man’s body was emaciated with hunger. There were bruises and scratches all over him.

“Oh my,” the blond man muttered. “We have a lot of work to do.”

The man held the boy’s face in his hands.

“What is your name, child?”

“Pierce, sir.”

“My name is Dmitry. Understand that you belong to me now. I’m going to take care of you and provide everything you desire.”

Pierce’s eyes widened.

“But…why? You don’t even know who I am.”

“I don’t need to know you, little one. I fell in love the moment I first saw you.”

To Pierce’s shock, Dmitry leaned forward and kissed him, so tender and gentle. The boy felt himself begin to cry.

Dmitry, his new lover, new owner, bathed the young man gently, removing the dirt and grime of his old life. When it was done he stripped bare and got in the tub with Pierce, holding the boy in his strong arms.

The young man was sobbing. He’d never been so happy before.

“Dmitry…I think I’m in l-love with you, too.”

“That’s only natural, young one. We were meant to be together. You were born to be mine.”

Pierce sniffled. “Th-thank you so much. I’ll do whatever it takes to repay you.”

Dmitry’s lips formed a smirk the young man couldn’t see.

“I know, boy. I know.”

*****

I could only imagine how hard it was for Pierce to show me that. I had seen him at the lowest point of his life. It was easy for Dmitry to come in and draw him close, make him dependent. Seeing what the two of them used to be put all their recent interactions in a new perspective. It was so dark that a part of Pierce still loved Dmitry, the one who manipulated him and would go on to turn him into a fera. I couldn’t fathom how that felt.

Days passed and Dmitry was oddly quiet. Neither of us felt his presence very much for almost a week. According to Pierce, hypnotizing Mr. Murray would have taken a lot of energy, but it still seemed like too long of a lull. What was the vampire up to?

One night, Pierce walked me back to the dorm and stopped at the door.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” I was turning around when he spoke again.

“Milo?”

I looked at him. I could tell something was on his mind.

“What’s up?”

“I just wanted to thank you. For everything.”

I tried to smile despite how worrying his tone was.

“You’re welcome.”

I had such a bad feeling when I went to bed that night.

*****

In my sleep, I was shown what was happening, though it felt different than what either Dmitry or Pierce showed me, it was more a mixture of the two.

Pierce was standing in the middle of a grass field on campus. He didn’t have his stake or hammer from what I could see.

Then, even though there wasn’t a cloud in the night sky, a bolt of lightning struck the ground at his feet. I’m amazed the sound didn’t wake me up, but Pierce didn’t even flinch.

A rough, dirty hand shot out of the ground where the bolt landed and an evil aura poured out of the hole. I wasn’t even there, but I could feel that dangerous energy with every cell in my body.

Another arm came out of the dirt, followed by a head and torso. Soon, a humanoid figure made of darkness and evil climbed out of the ground.

Dmitry was awake.

He coalesced into an interesting form. His skin was charcoal gray and looked rough, like stone. His hair was black with streaks of white, with goat horns pushing through. His clothing consisted only of a loin cloth, and two black feathered wings unfolded behind him. His face was still handsome, but there was no mistaking the body’s intent. Dmitry was a devil and wanted everyone to know it.

He laughed, his voice gravelly.

“It feels so nice to be out and about again.”

The monster looked at Pierce, his form towering over the nosferatu.

“I didn’t expect you to greet me when I woke up. But I suppose the why and wherefore isn’t that important. It just saves me the trouble of tracking you down.”

The beast’s arm shot out, wrapping his hand around Pierce’s throat. He lifted him up easily.

“You’ve been a thorn in my side far too long, boy. It’s time I took care of you, once and for all.”

Pierce choked out the last thing I expected.

“Yes, please, I need you!”

Even Dmitry looked shocked. He put the fera down and gave him a confused look.

“What are you saying?”

“I realized that you’ve been right this whole time. You’ve been trying to show me what I am and I’ve been fighting it.”

Pierce’s form changed. He shrunk down, changing back to how he looked when Dmitry found him that day so long ago. Except I had seen that memory recently and knew a few things were different. His clothes vanished and his naked body looked even thinner and shorter. His hair was oily and there were patches of frost bite on his face. Pierce looked even more wretched and helpless than he was when Dmitry first found him collapsed on the street.

“Please, Dmitry. I miss the way things were. I miss serving you.”

I saw something begin to form in the vampire’s eyes.

“This has to be a trick.”

“What would I have to gain, lying to the one who owns my soul?” Pierce walked up to the monstrous vampire, his hips swaying slightly. He put his bony arms on the beast’s chest. I could see the rise and fall of Dmitry’s breathing speed up. The vampire was getting aroused.

“I’m in love with you, Dmitry. I never stopped loving you, I was just too foolish to realize. But I won’t run away any more. I can’t escape who I am: yours.”

Something shifted in the demon’s loincloth. His eyes glazed over.

“You still want me, Master. Why don’t you take what belongs to you?”

Dmitry roared and grabbed Pierce’s body, pulling it up to face level and roughly kissing his lips. His claws dug deep into the fera’s back. All of his self-awareness and control was gone, his lust had turned the vampire into a mindless beast. Pulling back from the kiss, he opened his mouth wide and lunged, digging his teeth into Pierce’s neck.

At that same moment, the stake and hammer materialized in Pierce’s hands. With one swift motion, he hammered the stake into Dmitry’s chest with all his might.

The vampire howled, fire erupting out of nowhere and engulfing his body. Both the nosferatu and the vampire collapsed to the ground. Just like Astasia, Dmitry burned until there was no trace left. Pierce had returned to his regular clothed form.

This all happened over the course of what couldn’t have been more than one second.

Then I remembered what the bite mark on Pierce’s neck meant and I screamed.

*****

I woke with a start and ran out my room without thinking. I needed to get to Pierce.

Freezing cold and out of breath, I sprinted to the field and found my friend on the ground.

“Pierce!”

He opened an eye blearily, or at least I think he did. It was hard to see.

“Hey, Milo. I did it. I finally killed Dmitry. I beat that demon at his own game.”

Tears poured down my face.

“You knew he was going to wake up tonight, didn’t you?”

He nodded, then hissed and put his hand on his bite wound.

“This plan was the last resort. But it worked and that’s what matters.”

“How can you say that? You’re going to die!”

“I’ve already been dead for a long time.”

I collapsed onto him, holding his body as tight as I could.

“I don’t want you to leave! Please, don’t go!”

He put his hands on my back.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, but there’s nothing anyone can do for me now.”

I wailed. I knew the truth now. I knew who Pierce was to me.

“I love you, Pierce! I’ve been in love with you all along!”

The nosferatu held me a little bit tighter.

“I think I feel the same way about you too, Milo.” I could hear him start to choke up as well.

We both cried, knowing we were in love but finding it out too late.

“Please,” I whispered. “It can’t end like this.”

He cupped my face with his hands. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wish things were different.”

The nosferatu leaned in and kissed me gently.

“This isn’t such a bad way to go. I’ve accomplished what I set out to do, and the love of my life is right here to keep me company.”

“But what about me? I’ll be alone again!”

“What are you talking about? You have wonderful people in your life, and a whole future ahead of you. This isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.”

He wiped some of my tears.

“I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You’ve been a friend to me like nobody else had. I was able to confide in you in a way I never could before. You’ve done so much to make the last few weeks some of the best of my life.”

Pierce stroked my cheek.

“I can’t apologize enough for what this must be doing to you. From the beginning, I knew that I could die in my mission to kill Dmitry. It’s something I’m at peace with, but that’s not how you feel. I’m sorry I hid my plan from you. It was something that I had to do, and you probably would have tried to stop me if you knew about it.”

I understood his reasoning, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

“Milo, can I ask for one more thing?”

I nodded.

“It’s a selfish request, I know, but I’ve been alone for a long time. The last person to make love to me was Dmitry. I don’t want that to be how things end.”

He moved his hands down to hold my ass.

“Will you…mate with me?”

I pushed back, leaning into his hands.

“It would be an honor to be with such a hero.”

He sat us up, grimacing in pain.

“You’re probably freezing out here. Let’s go back to my dorm.”

*****

I cleaned up as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste time. When I went in Pierce’s bedroom it was pitch dark.

“Do you want me to turn the lights on?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine.” It’s not like I would be able to see him anyway.

He took the lead, laying me down on his bed and kissing me passionately. I thought it felt good when I believed Mr. Murray was kissing me, but with Pierce I was in another galaxy.

I heard him take off his clothes and began to feel his body. His form was strong and firm, though I took care to avoid touching his wounds. I felt his cock, which was circumcised and growing by the second. It felt so thick and heavy in my hand.

Unable to help myself, I put his dick in my mouth. It wasn’t the first dick I’d sucked, but it was definitely the best.

“Baby, turn around, I want to see your hole.”