Building up to Christmas with Dusty the Demon Hunter - A Blast from the Past - Trouble Times Three - Part 2

Vampires - Trouble x 3 is my third adventure with Dusty the Demon Hunter. I had a great time with this one, putting folk lore and mythical creatures in with Dusty.

Part 1

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I hope you have as much fun reading as I did writing it.

Dusty the Demon Hunter - Vampires - Trouble Times Three

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The next day, Dusty did housework. She cleaned the kitchen thoroughly; she flicked a duster around the living room and vacuumed all the carpets. She paid particular attention to her own room and her grandparents’ bedroom; she knew how vital it was for there to be no chance of contamination if she had to perform a ceremony to travel on the astral plane.

If she took even the most microscopic speck of dirt with her into her circle of salt as she began her ceremonies, she risked extreme danger to herself. Dirt could harbour not only germs but other nasties and she never took any chances with her own safety.

The bathroom was easy, it needed little attention and she was done.

She felt pleased with her efforts and knew that she’d be guilt-free and better able to enjoy her free time for the rest of the day.

That was when her thoughts went back to the previous evening’s adventure. She sat at the kitchen table, sipping her tea and thinking over the conversation she’d had with the strange young man.

She remembered that he’d tried to glamour her and she realised she was not as immune to supernatural influences as she had imagined.

Then she decided to use the mental link she was developing with Hunter. She thought hard about him and as soon as she knew that he was on his way, she thought some more about the vampire.

When Hunter arrived, he found Dusty rummaging through cupboards and cabinets. He stood in the kitchen and watched her for a moment or two before he asked what she was looking for. He didn’t have long to wait for the answer; she’d found the garlic capsules and held them aloft in a triumphant stance. Hunter looked at the plastic container and wondered what she wanted garlic for.

“Are you expecting a sudden influx of vampires?” Hunter asked.

“Yes, actually.” Dusty placed the container on the table in front of Hunter and allowed him to take a closer look at the label.
“Will they prevent a vampire from biting?”she asked.

Hunter read the ingredients and properties of the capsules and thought for a moment. “I think so, but you’d have to take them on a regular basis before your body accumulated enough garlic to be effective.”

“That’s ok. I was planning on taking a handful now and two or three doses a day for the foreseeable future.”

She took the capsules from Hunter, popped the top and tipped it up into her mouth. She had forgotten that the capsules were gel and would absorb the moisture in her mouth, and she suddenly had difficulty in swallowing them.

Hunter laughed as her expression changed to realisation and she rushed to the sink to get water to wash them down with.

She had done such a good job of cleaning that all the glasses were put away and she was forced to drink straight from the tap with her head under the stream of water. Hunter laughed more when she finally emerged. Her hair dripping, she didn’t look at all dignified.

“What was that all about? The taste can’t be that bad that you had to down them before the capsules dissolved.”

“No, I suppose not, but if they had dissolved, the garlic would have been noticeable on my breath.”

“I don’t mind a hint of garlic,” Hunter said. He stood up and crossed the kitchen to pull Dusty close to him. He leaned his head down for a kiss.

When they had finished their greeting, Dusty pushed him away so she could speak to him without interruption.

“It’s not because of you that the garlic can’t be detected. I spoke with a vampire last night...”

“What? Where? You didn’t invite him in, did you? Did he bite you?” Hunter’s words were tripping over themselves in his concern.

“Calm down. I’m not that naive, you know. How do you know it was a male, anyway?”

“I didn’t, I guessed.”

“Well you guessed right. His name is Jerik and I don’t know much about him yet, except that he can glamour me.”

“Can he? He must be really old then. Vampires develop their skills slowly and glamouring is one that takes a really long time to perfect. It’s quite easy for them to glamour a human but a half-demon like you and me takes a lot of skill, especially if you’re prepared.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing. I thought I was prepared but he still managed to glamour me, so I guess I need practice. I thought that garlic couldn’t do any harm, especially if he couldn’t smell it.”

“Oh, he’ll still smell it. Vampires can smell garlic even before it seeps through your pores but if he does smell it, he’ll know that you’re wary and that’s good.”

Dusty thought about what she needed to do. “So what can protect me? I’d call my grandparents but I don’t want to spoil their conference. A cross?”

Hunter nodded.

Dusty continued with her list: “Silver?”

“That’s werewolves, not vampires.”

“Oh. Holy water then?”

“Sometimes it helps, but where can you get holy water from? Please don’t say ‘a church’ because the water in the font is not holy. It has to be blessed using the proper ceremonies and believe me, a priest that is willing to perform those ceremonies for anything out of the ordinary is very difficult to find.”

Dusty frowned at Hunter’s answer.

“Still, I don’t really want to kill him, I just want to protect myself.”

“Well, I suppose a cross and the garlic may be enough...” Hunter said.

“Oh, a stake!” she said.

“I didn’t think you wanted to kill him?”

“I don’t but if it comes down to him or me, I believe that opinion may change, rapidly.”

“Well it has to be a stake made from hawthorn wood to be effective.”

“Really? How do you know?”

Hunter didn’t answer; he looked at Dusty, raised his eyebrows, folded his arms and scowled at her.

“Oh, sorry,” she said when she realised that he was insulted that she didn’t understand just how knowledgeable he was. “I keep forgetting that you’re two centuries older than I am, so you’ll have far more information and experience in these matters.” She shrugged at him and smiled in a lop-sided apology. She was relieved to see his icy expression melt.

“What else do you want? Would you like me to stick around to make sure you’re safe?” He asked at last.

Dusty’s eyebrows almost met in the middle as she frowned. She seemed to be thinking on Hunter’s offer and he was almost convinced that she was going to tell him that she didn’t need his body-guarding service when she nodded and said a very quiet, “Yes please, I’d feel safer if you were there.”

Hunter was a little surprised that she admitted to him that she was bothered by the vampire’s appearance at her house.

“Don’t you like vampires?” Hunter asked, half-joking.

“No. I don’t know enough about them. My grandparents have studied demons and mythological beasts but not fairy stories such as vampires and werewolves and the like.”

“Fairy stories?” Hunter made Dusty jump a little with his exclamation. She hadn’t expected such an incredulous reaction from him.

“I know they aren’t fairy stories but...” Dusty started to speak but Hunter flapped his hand at her and she went quiet.

“They certainly aren’t fairy stories! The fairies are bad but vampires are much worse. You know that the legends and stories that humans have revelled in telling over the centuries have some basis in truth, but vampires have survived this long because they are clever. They are highly intelligent killing machines. So are werewolves for that matter, but I don’t think we have any of those around here. There’s no scent of them, at least.”

Hunter became more animated as he told her the details. He was striding around the kitchen, waving his arms as though he was warding off a swarm of insects at times. Dusty watched and waited.

“There’s usually a whole group of them. They never travel on their own, it’s too dangerous.”

“What could possibly be dangerous to a vampire?” Dusty asked.

“No, you don’t understand. It’s too dangerous for one vampire to travel unescorted. If he got a bloodlust on him, he could wipe out a whole town in an evening and then they’d all be in trouble.”

“So he’d have had someone with him last night?” Dusty asked. Again, she had gone quiet. She was creeping herself out as she imagined another pair of vampire eyes watching her last night when she didn’t even realise.

“That settles it then; I definitely want you to stay with me tonight.”