Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

10

       This was a revelation to both Ronnie and Lincoln. As soon as he'd heard it, he had to ask: "I've seen a hell of a lot of vampires in my day, but a werewolf? Can you prove that?" Helsing nods to him. "Not only can I prove it to you, but I'm actually planning on killing a vampire tonight. You can come watch, and that way, you'll also see my extraordinary adeptness. How's that? Why don't the both of you meet me at the park around 12 am? I'll make it quick; I promise." He smiles while waiting for an answer. Ronnie looks to Lincoln. "I can't make it, Lincoln. I'm heading to my mom's tonight for her birthday. You should go and then tell me how it went. Okay?" He returns her gaze with care. He felt something in his chest that prevented him from telling her no. "Yeah... I'll do it." The man in black laughs and pats Lincoln on the back. "That's the spirit!" he bellows. He walks off while waving goodbye, and leaves Ronnie and Lincoln sitting beside each other on the step. "Hey Lincoln, can I ask you something?" The way she asked that question made her sound almost sad—or rather, melancholy. "I think that I might... Oh God, never mind. I'm sorry, I need to go. Bye, Lincoln." She walks away with considerable haste as if she were fleeing. Lincoln stays seated for another minute, trying to understand what she was about to say, but comes to no viable guess. He stands and lights a cigarette. It starts to snow.

       When night finally comes, Lincoln heads to the park. He sees Helsing standing by the gate. He points up to the sky. When Lincoln looks upward he sees the full moon. "So how does it work?" he asks him. "Can you just turn into a werewolf whenever, or what?" Helsing yawns and then scratches his chin. "We have to wait a few more seconds. It's only 11:58. As soon as the clock hits midnight, the moon will be positioned just right. While we're waiting, do you want to talk about the mayor? She's quite the beautiful darling, isn't she? She's so professional yet weak. I could fall in love with her if I'm being honest. It's too bad that my job prevents me from pursuing a relationship. What do you think of her? She seems to like talking to you." Lincoln doesn't respond. "That's okay, you don't have to answer. I was just making conversation. Say, do you like to drink?" he asks. He bends down behind the gate and pulls out two glass bottles. "I brought drinks for the both of us. You know, to make things more fun?" Helsing pops off the cap of both bottles and then takes a large swig from one. He offers the other bottle to Lincoln. He accepts it and also takes a drink. While Helsing takes a second sip, he starts coughing. "Damn it," he says. His whole body starts to transform. Hair begins to grow in dense patches; eyes start to glow yellow; teeth start to sprout. Right before Lincoln, a werewolf was turning.

       When Helsing settles into this form, he does not say much. He pants with a deep instinctual urge to kill, and he follows that urge like a hound to a scent. His nose lowers and sniffs around. The scents begin leading him forward, and Lincoln follows behind him, all the way to an alley across the street. Helsing looks up and subsequently so does Lincoln. They both spot a man staring down at them. The scent had led him here, and the man on the roof confirmed his suspicions. Helsing had found a vampire. One surprise after another unfolded. Helsing, in his monstrous state, leaped nearly fifteen feet up high and landed atop the building, meeting the vampire face to face. It moves fast, dodging his clawed swipes and evading his bites. Eventually, the vampire flies high up and dives straight down, ready to pounce on Helsing—but the vampire's plan horribly fails. As he approached Helsing and got within his range, Helsing had already won. He made a strong scratch across the throat of the vampire, which released a string of laryngeal gore. Vocal cords ripped through and arteries pulsed with blood flowing down in a crimson stream. The vampire gags for a few minutes before it finally suffocates on its own blood. Helsing uses one last swipe to decapitate the vampire then takes its head and sprinkles something on it, preventing the head from disintegrating and leaving the rest of the body to turn to ash. Lincoln can only stare on with—what he would describe as—the first time he's ever been truly afraid in years.