The Vampire Pub

By Wayne Thoden

Jenny sat at her computer, typing away.  It was the only place she felt that people understood her.  She spent much of her free time on the Internet in the Vampire Pub chat room. 

Her parents didn’t understand or approve of many of the things Jenny did, especially the way she liked to dress.  She always wore black, flowing clothes.  Often she wore a black veil to cover her face.  Oh yes, her face, well. . .that was covered with white make-up; she wore black liner under her eyes and on her lips, and there was always a small trail of red coming from the corner to resemble a dribble of fresh blood.  You see, Jenny was a vampire; at least that’s what she wanted to be.

“Jenny, come on or your gonna be late for school,” shouted Jenny’s mom.  Jenny sighed and lumbered out of her room.  “Oh no!  You’re not wearing that to school.  You’ve gotta do something about the way you dress. I am not gonna get another call from the school because you’re dressed like some kind of monster.” 

“I’m not dressed like a monster,” cawed Jenny.  “I’m dressed like a vampire.”

“Don’t you snap at me, young lady, and you’re not a vampire, you’re a thirteen year old girl!”

“Like, I know I’m thirteen, Mom, and I know I’m not really a vampire.  This is just the way I like to dress.  I’m just expressing myself, being original.”

“Well, you’re not dressing that way for school, Jenny.  Now go express yourself back to your room and put some normal clothes on. . .now!” ordered her mom.

Jenny turned and stormed back to her room, stomping her feet down hard to display her displeasure. 

“Put some normal clothes on,” Jenny mimicked her mom.

“I heard that,” she heard her mom warn from the kitchen.

Jenny proceeded to change into some normal clothes, even though they were still black.

“Oh, I wish I were a real vampire,” Jenny spoke under her breath.  “At least then I could dress the way I wanted to, go where I wanted, and I wouldn’t have to listen to anyone.” 

Even though they argued about the way Jenny dressed, Jenny and her mom had a pretty good relationship.  As long as Jenny kept her grades up, her mom didn’t usually get on her case about the way she dressed, unless Jenny went too extreme.  And at times, it seemed like Jenny was trying to push the boundaries of their relationship and get a reaction out of her mother by being more and more outrageous with her outfits.  Her mom figured it was just a phase her daughter was going through. 

“Does this meet your approval?” Jenny whined as she came back downstairs.

“Well, it’s better than what you had on, and you know, there’s nothing wrong with a little color, Jenny.  You might want to try it some day.”

“Gee thanks, Mom!  I’ll keep that in mind,” Jenny said sharply, then she quickly left the house and started walking to school.

She enjoyed the warm rays of the sun on her face, one of the benefits of not being a vampire.  At the corner, she met up with her friend, Tina, as she did every day.  Tina, like Jenny, was into the whole gothic, or “Goth” scene as well.  She too was dressed in black and shared the same feelings about being a teenager as Jenny: parents don’t understand anything and don’t know anything.  These are the same feelings that every teenager has had about their parents since the beginning of time.

“What’s up Jen?” asked Tina.

“Same old crap.  My mom’s being a pain in my butt again.

“Mine too.  Hey, you going to that party that Jarek invited us to?” asked Tina.

Jarek was one of the vampires in the Vampire Pub chat room that the girls were talking with the night before.  Nobody used their real names in the chat rooms.  Jenny went by the name of Angelique, and Tina was Josette.  The girl’s thought the names were cool.  They got them from some old TV show called “Dark Shadows” they saw on the sci-fi channel.  They thought the show was pretty good for its time.  It had witches, werewolves, vampires and other gothic creatures the girls fantasized, or even romanticized about.
 
“I don’t know if I’m going,” said Jenny.  “We don’t even know who Jarek is.”

“Yeah, but the party’s in Bayport.  It’s probably people we know anyway.”  Tina grabbed Jenny’s arm, turned, and looked at her to gain her full attention.  “And wouldn’t it be cool to finally see all the vampires from the Pub?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jenny said with some uncertainty.

“So we’re going then?  Right?  Come on, Jenny,” Tina sounded like she was trying to coax a pet dog back in the yard.

“Okay, we’ll go. . .Josette,” Jenny teased, then smiled.

“Great.  I’ll call ya after school.  Love ya, Angelique.”

As the girls wandered onto the grounds of the school, they split up and went to their respective classes.  Even though Jenny was uncertain about going to the party at first, Tina had set her mind at ease, and she was now looking forward to the evening.  She wondered if any of the other kids from the chat room were going.

Although there were other kids in school that were into the “vampire scene,” they were few, and Jenny wasn’t sure who Jarek had invited, so she hadn’t asked anyone about it.  Most of the kids that did talk in the chat room didn’t dress the part in school as Jenny and Tina did.  A lot of the kids called the girls freaks, but Jenny and Tina didn’t care; they liked the attention they got from being different. 

When Jenny got home from school that day, she was anxious to get her things together.  She picked out some of her coolest looking vampire clothes and packed them into her backpack.  She studied for a while, then ate dinner with her parents.  They had the usual dinnertime conversation:  she filled them in on what was happening in school and they talked about upcoming family events. 

After finishing dinner, she cleared the table and got ready to go.  She grabbed her backpack and told her mom she was going to Tina’s house to study for a while, then left.  As she approached Tina’s house, she could see her friend waiting for her in the doorway.
 
“Come on, Jenny!” Tina said excitedly.  “Let’s get ready.”

The girls were excited about going to the party, so they got dressed in their best vampire attire and full makeup.  Jenny wrote the address down as Tina finished putting on her makeup.  Then they left for the party, telling Tina’s mom that they were going over a friend’s house. 

While walking to the party, they talked about—and tried to imagine—what Jarek and some of the other vampires would look like.  They hoped that everyone would live up to their expectations, and that they themselves would meet the expectations of the others.

“Look, there’s the house,” Tina whispered to Jenny.

They had finally arrived.  The house looked like any other house in the neighborhood.  Except it was at the end of a dead end street and there weren’t any other houses near because the property was so large.  Nervous and excited, the girls walked slowly up the steps, but before they could knock, the door opened. 

“Welcome ladies,” a deep voice spoke from behind the door. 

The girls looked at each other, smiled, giggled, and walked into the house.  As they walked through the door, it closed shut behind them. 

Though the house looked like any other house on the outside, but that was not the case on the inside.  The room was dimly lit with candles on the walls and tables.  A beautiful brass chandelier hung over a large oak table in the dining room.  All the furniture was exquisite and looked to be very old and expensive.

“May I take your coats?” a voice spoke softly from behind the girls.

Startled, the girls turned around abruptly let out a slight shriek.

“You scared the crap out of us!” said Jenny.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to frighten you.  May I take your coats?”

The girls handed their coats to the man who stood before them, apparently a butler.  He was tall and thin with gray hair and pale, milky looking skin.

“Thank you,” said Jenny.

“Yeah, thanks,” added Tina.

Turning around, the girls were again surprised.  Standing in front of them was a tall, handsome man.  He was wearing a dark suit, and his hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail.  His skin was pale and his eyes were a haunting, ice blue.  The two young girls stood motionless, their eyes locked on his.

“Good evening, ladies,” the sound of his voice at last breaking their gaze.  “You must be Angelique and Josette.  I am Jarek,” he extended his hand to Jenny.

She reached her hand forward and Jarek took it in his own, bent slightly, and kissed it.  Then he faced Tina and did the same.  Jenny felt a chill run down her spine.  His lips and hand seemed unusually cold, but then so did the house.

“Won’t you please follow me?” asked Jarek.

The girls followed their mysterious host across the room, through a door, and down a large curved stairway.  Jenny’s hand moved easily along the well-polished banister as she glanced at the paintings that lined the wall of the stairway. 

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Down to the party,” replied Jarek.

They reached the bottom of the steps and entered a room that was as eloquently furnished as the upstairs.  Against one wall stood a wonderful mahogany secretary desk framed on either side by matching bookcases.  Against the adjacent wall were a beautifully carved couch and two parlor chairs.  In front of the couch was a small coffee table with a burled wood finish.  The floor was polished black marble with a small Persian rug centered under the coffee table. In the rear of the room were two exquisite coffins, side by side, on a raised platform embossed with gold leaf.

Tina whispered to Jenny, “Wow!  Look at the coffins in the back.  Cool decorations, huh?”

Jarek sat the two girls down and offered them a cup of tea to take the chill off.  The man who took their coats soon appeared with a small silver tray.  On the tray were two cups of tea, a silver teapot, and a glass of what looked to the girls like deep red wine.

“Ladies,” he said as he handed them their tea.  Then, turning to Jarek, the butler softly uttered, “Master,” and handed him the wine.

His duties complete, the man bowed his head slightly and quickly exited the room.  Jenny and Tina looked at each other and smiled.  They were totally taken in by the whole performance. 

“So, tell us about yourself, Jarek,” said Jenny.

“What is it that you would care to know, my dear?” he replied.  His voice had a soothing almost mesmerizing tone.

“Well, how long have you been a vampire?  How old are you?  Where are you from?”  Her words poured excitedly from her lips.

Jarek laughed and took a sip of his wine.  “Well, my dear, I have been a vampire for close to three hundred years.  I died at the age of twenty-eight in my birth country of Romania.”

Jarek proceeded to give a brief but interesting history of the travels that eventually led him to his present location.

“Very interesting,” said Jenny.

“Yes, very,” echoed Tina.  The girls now acted as if they were performers in this grand play.
“Can we see your coffins?” Jenny asked.

“I don’t normally allow anyone to examine the sleeping quarters,” Jarek explained.  “However, you may take a closer look.  But please do not touch!”

The girls stood up and walked over to the platform on which the two coffins sat.  It was obvious that they were old and that the workmanship was superb.

“Wow!” mouthed Jenny.  “These are real.”

“Of course they are,” replied Jarek.

“Why are there two?” asked Jenny.

“It is simple, my dear.  There is one for each of you.”

Jenny and Tina suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

“I think this guy really thinks he’s a vampire,” Tina whispered to Jenny, then to Jarek, she asked, “Where are all the other guests?”

But as the girls turned around, Jarek was gone.

“Where did he go?” Jenny asked, grabbing Tina’s arm.

“You are the guests,” answered Jarek.

His voice now came from behind them.  The girls let out a slight shriek and turned quickly, but again Jarek was not there.

Tina started to back up.  “I think we should be going now, Jenny!” she said, but her backward movement came to a rest against Jarek’s body.

Jenny turned and looked at Tina.  She was standing still, afraid to look back.  Jenny could see that Tina was starting to cry.  She also noticed Jarek’s eyes had began to glow.  His brow now looked swollen and his cheeks were raised.  He grabbed Tina by her arm, his nails cutting into her flesh. 

Tina screamed, “What are you doing?  Stop it!  You’re hurting me.”  Her voice rang in terror.

Jenny backed up and fell against the platform.  The fear inside her was so great, she could do little more then whimper Tina’s name.  Tina pulled away from Jarek.  The long black lace sleeve of her shirt tore off and remained in Jarek’s hand.  Jarek laughed as he smelled, then tasted, the blood on Tina’s sleeve. 

Tina raced towards Jenny, but without warning, hit hard into Jarek—who was now standing in front of her again.  She fell backward and started to scamper away from Jarek, screaming Jenny’s name.  Then she backed into the coffee table.  With no place left to go, Tina turned and grabbed the silver teapot and threw it at Jarek.  Without a moment’s hesitation, Jarek reached out and caught the pot.  He raised the index finger of his free hand, moved it slowly back and forth, and shook his head in a scornful manner. 

“Now, Tina, is that any way to treat a piece of fine silverware?”

Jarek placed the teapot gently down on the table, and in the same movement, grabbed Tina and lifted her out of her cowering position and held her firmly against his chest.

Reaching around her waist with one arm, he took his free hand, placed it over Tina’s mouth, and turned her head to the side.  He looked across the room at Jenny.  She was watching wide-eyed and whimpering as she sat between the two coffins, tightly holding her knees and rocking back and forth.  Jarek smiled at her.  He opened his mouth and revealed two sharp fangs.  He looked at Tina’s neck, bent his head slightly, and slowly licked from Tina’s shoulder up her neck to her ear.  He smiled at Jenny again, then fiercely drove his fangs into Tina’s young neck as his hand muffled her cries of pain.

Tina tried to fight, but Jarek’s strength was overpowering.  Jenny screamed out to Tina as tears poured from her eyes.

“Nooo, nooo,” she cried.

But Jenny could only watch as Jarek fed hungrily on her best friend.  Like a wild, starving beast, he held her tightly, squeezing her as if to drain every drop of her warm sweet blood. 

Tina, now terribly weakened, could only surrender to Jarek.  There was no more pain; she just lingered, almost at peace with her situation.  She could feel her heart beating slower, straining to pump the blood it could not find.

In a final attempt to convince herself this was not happening, she weakly opened her eyes and looked at Jenny.  She whispered Jenny’s name in a barely audible tone, then lifted her hand toward her friend.  Jenny reached back in vain as Tina fell limp.  Her feet dangled above the floor; her head and arms arched back in an almost ballet like pose.

She slowly fell from Jarek’s arms and dropped gently down.  Blood ran down her neck and onto her shirt.  Her chest rose as she struggled to breathe.  Almost motionless, Tina lay on the floor fighting for breath.  Then Jarek looked at Jenny.  His face appeared normal again.  He calmly wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth. 

“Welcome to the Vampire Pub, Jenny,” he said.  “If you’re going to stay here, you must do something about the way you dress.” 

Jarek walked over to Jenny, picked her up, and laid her on top of her coffin.  Brushing her hair away from her face, he softly wiped the tears from her cheek.

“Don’t worry, my dear, soon you will have your wish.”  He looked at her neck longingly.  “You will become one of us.”   

Jenny sat at her computer typing away; it was the only place that she felt people understood her.  She spent much of her free time on the Internet in the Vampire Pub chat room. 

“Hello Nightchild.  How are you this evening?” Jenny’s fingers worked the keyboard. 

“Okay, I guess.  My mom is being a pain in my butt.  Sometimes I wish I could just get outta this place,” answered Nightchild.

“Hey, I’m having a little party this weekend.”  Jenny turned and smiled at Jarek while Tina prepared some tea.  “Do you want to come?”