Vampires Suck

Chapter 18: All Gone

AIDEN

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I mentally steeled myself before finally pushing open the car door and stepping out. In an instant, the smell of ash and burnt wood filled my lungs, causing a few hacking coughs to escape me. When I finally calmed down, I looked around, seeing for the first time the aftermath of the fire.

Everything was completely destroyed. All I could see were burnt down trees and piles of ashes, soot, and other debris. Leftover smoke filled the atmosphere, and a few embers glowed here and there. There was no color, only shades of black and gray—it was as if the fire had completely sucked out whatever life and vitality had existed here before, and now what remained of this place that I used to call my home was just a barren wasteland.

Whoever did this had no intention for anything to survive. My fists clenched at the thought.

A few yards away from me, I spotted the two squad cars parked a few yards away from the crime scene tape surrounding the area, their lights still flashing. In between the cars were two officers—a tall, well-built Hispanic-looking one and a short white one with a pot belly bulging out of his pants—who seemed to be involved in a deep conversation. I made my way over to them, feeling and hearing the crunch of the gravel that was now mixed with debris as I walked. The officers' conversation became more audible the closer I got, and now I could actually make out exactly what they were saying, though they were talking strangely softly. I paused to listen.

"—heard the house belongs to Aiden Vaughan. Apparently he's one of the most respected vampires in Lake Woodlands," the Hispanic one said, his tone matter-of-fact.

The fat one gave a sort of gasp at that, his dumb-founded expression almost making me laugh. "You don't say?" he asked. Then, just to sound even more unintelligent, he added, "Isn't that the really rich one?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course. Leave it to the humans to always care about money first.

The Hispanic officer nodded his head. "Apparently his parents used to own half the nation's oil refineries way back in the 1800s before they sold 'em off to Rockefeller or something like that."

The fat one did a double take. "They've been around that long?"

I couldn't help the little smirk that made its way across my face at just how ignorant some humans could be.  Did he not realize the fact that it was vampires they were talking about there?

The Hispanic one seemed to think the same thing too because he just gave the fat one a look before saying disdainfully, "Of course, dumb-ass! They're vampires."

The fat one actually looked to be hurt by this—his face dropped, turning a bright red color, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. It surprised me when I realized I actually almost felt bad for him. But the feeling didn't last long when he started up with the questions again.

"So how come the kid vampire lives all by himself? Where did his parents go off to anyhow?"

That seemed to spike the other officer's attention because all of a sudden his face lit up and he spoke faster, "I don't know, but I heard—"

A sudden burst of anger filled me, and deciding I'd heard enough, I cleared my throat rather loudly. Both the officers to turn around in surprise. When the fat one saw me, he suddenly paled—guilt and shock written all over his face. The other officer on the other hand just stood emotionless as his eyes watched me cautiously.

"Hello," I attempted to say politely, "I'm Aiden Vaughan, the owner of this property."

Recognition passed over their faces and both officers visibly relaxed a little. The Hispanic one was the first to speak, however.