Story time with Jolene

I was not terribly enthused to begin my workday, so I jotted this down instead.

I hadn’t intended for it to end up being Halloween-themed. That was sheer accident.

Details of the challenge on the jump; otherwise, read it below and throw sharp objects at me when you are done for having wasted two minutes or less of your life when you could be doing something with those chair legs instead.

It’s not easy being an insomniac in the best of times.

These are not the best of times.

While everyone was looking the other direction — alien invasions, zombie apocalypse, the threat of AI annihilation — the vampires were quietly working in the shadows. Literally.

Something that was contained, but it broke loose. I have no idea what it was. A vampire infestation, I guess. I’m not a vampyrologist.

Whatever it was that happened put a damper on my normal cure for restless nights: a long walk in the park.

A damper. Not a stop to it.

“Hey bud, want a wooden stake,” the grifter said as I walked past the bush he was hiding behind. I made a point of not looking at his opened trench-coat. I fell for that once and the wooden stake was the morning wood variety and no amount of brain bleach can erase that image.

“Forecasts report a high risk of vampire attacks tonight,” he added. “Last one!”

I waved him off, holding up the plastic cross I received at Sunday School back when I was around six. It glowed pale green in the dark. I suppose it did so so my childlike brain would equate it with Jesus being a glowing beacon in the dark. Little did they know how well it would ward off vampires when they gave it to me — the shape in the night was enough to deter most attacks.

“That cross might not keep a feral at bay. A nice piece of oak like this could make the difference between being home in time for breakfast or vampire food.”

I probably should have picked it up, but I still had three chair legs I could whittle to a point and soak in garlic. It would have saved me the effort. But I was feeling cheap.

“Thanks, I’m good.”

I walked down the park path, as the full moon emerged from the clouds.

I stopped, panicked.

I had counted on the overcast night to protect me from werewolf encounters. And now… It was clearing.

I had left the silver bullets at home.

Dammit! I cursed to myself.

A howl rose in the nighttime air.