Blood Runs This School

Their Sanctuary

The bartender who is called Chester turned back to me with a sigh "They're too much of a handle in my old age"

"They come here often?"  I take a sip of the water which is ice cold and refreshing in the fiery warmth of the pub. The young man who had been tending to the fire appeared behind the bar and asked if any of the men needed refills, almost all of them said yes.

He laughed "Their hear every late afternoon until early in the morning, it's exhausting but hey they pays the bills"

"You got that right!" One of them cheered sloshing his beer over the counter and across Joe's shirt who didn't seem to notice, the scarred man was quick to wipe it away with a napkin. He worked so casually behind the bar, as if he had enough years of knowledge as Chester. His scar however intrigued me, somehow it looked strangely familiar to me.

Chester followed the gaze of my eyes with a noise of understanding"That's my grandson Issac only twenty-two and he know the ropes of this place better than I do, he's been working here since he was eleven before the outbreak ..."

The outbreak of the vampires ...

I nodded in understanding for that's what Grandpa used to call it. Sometimes he'd whisper in his sleep when he'd drifted of reading the newspaper in the front room '...the outbreak will be the end of us all'he would mutter it over and over again until mum would shake him awake.

"Oh they wanted to take him away of course, we were sent that goddamn letter when he was sixteen like everyone else" He said the memory shadowing his face with a grim look in his eyes "'the delight' the 'honor' no I wouldn't fall for it, I'd already lost his parents to those devils and I wasn't about to lose him too" 

"That's awful, I'm so sorry" I said feeling shocked he shared this with me.

"Yes I think so too" He sighed looking at his grandson with a glimmer of gratitude "I'm just glad I have him" 

"Those bastard Vampires!" Joe barked suddenly as he glared down his cup, slumped against the counter muttering to him "Taken away everything I ever had ..." 

"He used to be a headteacher, a good one too apparently " Chester explained and I raised my eyebrows hard to imagine him being anywhere near children "I know hun, however the outbreak changed us all. It took away his wife-"

"She couldn't handle it, off her meds she was" Joe coughed down his cup hiccuping despair "Paranoid bitch she had to up and dose herself. She left me ..."

I sucked in a harsh breath unable to think of something say. Joe appeared now to me in a very different light.

"Don't worry dear, everyone in this room has been affected by them someway or another, I'm sure this is nothing to new to you" Chester smiled understandingly and turned away to serve another pint of beer.

He's right this is nothing new to me, I heard about these stories all the time from my friends and distant family. Vampires running havoc, destroying lives left, right and center. My family has been lucky.

"Anything else?" Issac was suddenly in front of me and gestured to my empty glass bottle. 

"No I'm okay, how much was it?" I asked reaching into my pocket.

"No don't, its fine" He said holding his hand out in refusal to take anything.

"Are you sure?" I said pausing.

"Of course" He said with a positive smile "what kind of world do we live in if we have to pay for water?"

I shrugged "Perhaps one where water is served in really expensive looking bottles"

He laughed gently "Grandpa's right, you're not from around here" He cleared away my glass bottle and wiped down the surface of the wooden counter.

"What makes you guy's so sure about this?" I frowned trying not to feel hurt over something stupid.

"You're not like the people who walk in through those doors" He said gesturing to them "The type who come here to drown their sorrows, to forget" 

"Do I have to be?" I watched his scar move as he spoke, a dark red slash that wriggled every time his mouth moved. It wasn't ugly, just different.   

"To live around here, yes" He walked around the counter to straighten the stools next to me which had before been sitting a bit askew "Most people I've met come to this town to escape, to rid the burdens of everyday life and to find a place which is hidden from the Vampires radar."

"And is that why you're here?" I asked without thinking my curiosity getting ahead of me. I cringed and quickly started  to apologize "Sorry I don't mean to be-"

"It's fine" He shook his head taking the stool seat beside me  "And I've lived here all my life, when I was younger this was my sanctuary. So hidden so isolated from society, a tiny village where life is different. But the world changed and so did our quiet little village, people sense this place is different the moment they drive through and it's no wonder it becomes their sanctuary too. Who are we to judge them right?"

I nodded, this place is different. It's no wonder people come here to escape, perhaps if more people knew about this place they would all be lining up.  But I guess that defeats the purpose.

"So what about you huh?" He asks leaning his elbow against the counter looking intrigued "Why are you here mystery girl?"

"I-" A loud deafening sound ricochets from behind me and bounces of every stone wall. A large gust of cool icy wind blows against my skin. I gasp at the sound whipping around to discover the last man on earth who should be in this town.

His cheeks flushed and fangs bared his dark eyes burned with determination. A trail of dark red blood dripped down the corner of his mouth like a water droplet falling from the sky only way less innocent.

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Happy belated Halloween!   You guys are all hating me for the cliffhanger I can tell, I would of written more but it's my first day back at school tomorrow  and sleep is required for me to function (sucks doesn't it?)! 

Also during this half term I have been slowly editing my chapters and man they needed work! It really makes me cringe reading some of the stuff I wrote I hope you can all forgive me! So if you find any confusing things that don't add up, I promise I'm getting around to it (just very slowly!)

OK that's all, If you guys are getting fed up for waiting for chapters you can always start reading my new book soundless sleep which is also being updated today! xxx