THE VAMPIRE UNDERGROUND

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ash sat at the edge of the parking lot, his hands covering his face. He looked like he had been crying.

But as he turned to his left to see his group member Colin sporting a childish werewolf mask over his face, he wiped the tears from his eyes, not from crying, but from laughing.

“We’re not the comedy category, guys,” Ash said, standing back up and sporting a goofy soccer outfit. “This is supposed to be scary!”

“It’s a musical,” Thomas, the director, said. His best friend Valerie was manning the camera. “It’s impossible to make a horror musical not campy. Rocky Horror. Hello?”

“What about Phantom of the Opera?” Ash said. “That wasn’t campy.”

“Do you see Andrew Lloyd Webber around here, smart-ass?” one of the other cast members Janelle said. She had fake blood running down her long-sleeved t-shirt. Her character had been eaten already, as had the other female cast member, Marina.

“I’m just saying,” Ash said. “That mask is ridiculous.” He turned to Thomas. “Can you do what Spielberg did in Jaws? Show the werewolf from his point of view, and not show him until the very end?”

“I paid thirty bucks for that mask,” Thomas said. “I’m showing it as much as possible.”

“But it looks fake.”

“This is a high school movie, dickwad. Relax.”

“No! It’s not just a high school movie! One day, when I’m rich and famous and directing two features a year, this little movie’s gonna be dug up on Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition and I’m gonna look like an idiot!”

“Like that’s gonna happen,” Thomas said. “Come on, let’s get set.”

“Where do you want me to start?” Ash said.

“Where you’re standing is fine. Remember, we’re gonna do this part in only three takes.”

Ash sighed. “But it’s kind of a long song.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” Ash turned to Valerie, who had the HD camera in her dinky hands.

“You’ll be great,” she said. “I’ll just follow you.”

“OK,” Ash said. “Just tell me when.”

Colin crept up behind Ash, the werewolf mask covering his face. Ash wished that at least Colin’s entire body could be covered with something; only his face was. The rest of him was dressed in a modern green t-shirt and blue jeans, erasing any credibility from the film.

“At least it’s snowing,” he whispered. “At least it’ll give the movie a classy look.”

“What was that?” Colin said from inside the mask.

“Nothing.”

“OK!” Thomas shouted from a few yards away. “And… action!”

Ash turned toward the camera. And he started to sing.

“Oh my! What a sight! It’s the wolf maaaaaaaan!”

He strutted into the parking lot, Colin following close behind, hunched over, his hands in claw mode.

“He ate my friends! Now I’m next! Yes, it’s the wolf maaaaaan!”

Colin reached for Ash, and he dodged his grasp. Ash jumped around Colin, still singing at the top of his lungs.