Lee and his Vampire mother (part one)

It was midnight, a full moon was shining, the streets were quieter than usual due to a power cut and the weather getting steadily worse. The rain had started in the afternoon and continued to get heavier until the scene resembled a horror movie. Lee looked like a ghost in his favourite pair of pyjamas as he clutched a candle and peered through the blinds in the lounge. He hoped that he would see his mother approaching in her black dress, red high heels and hugging her ancient umbrella. She was on a date, it was the first date she had been on since the imprisonment of his father four years previously for murder. He had been traumatized by the whole incident, he was especially damaged by the media attention, he was forced to drop out of school during the trial. Once his father was convincted and sentenced to life the family relocated across the country to find refuge with his grandmother. His father had severe mental issues and claimed to be a vampire slayer, he had kidnapped and murdered a local yoga instructor. He admitted he suspected the eccentric woman was a vampire, she openly slept in a coffin, claimed to be two hundred years old, only held classes at night and a number of her customers had disappeared without trace. Lee’s mother testified she agreed with him in court because the body was found burned and with a stake in the heart but there was no evidence of a fire, flammable liquid or clear cause of the blaze. The coroner confirmed in the autopsy of the charred corpse that the woman had prominent and unusual front teeth, she also appeared to have a rare condition meaning she received third degree burns after being exposed to a small amount of sunlight. Lee's mother wore her wedding ring, celebrated their anniversary and treasured her wedding album but her husband forbid her from writing, phoning or visiting to avoid retaliation from satanic groups.

 Lee was genuinely shocked when his mother showed him an advert in a lonely hearts column, he was ashamed to admit that he couldn't read it. He had left formal education without qualifications and as his father had been the main breadwinner in the family they struggled financially. His mother worked as a waitress in a small café and his Nan received a modest state pension, they had fallen behind on their rent and the landlord was threatening to evict them. Problems worsened as Lee was forced to quit his job as a road sweeper to stay home and care for his grandmother. The eighty year old was in constant pain suffering from terminal bowel cancer. The three generations of family were extremely close, he couldn't handle the thought of her alone in a hospice or old peoples home. This negative chain of thought led him to his grandmother’s room, he opened the door and checked on her. Her frail figure was breathing heavily under a blanket and she appeared to be in a deep sleep. He wondered how long she had left to live and worried about life without her, she was the rock that had held them all together. She was always a strong woman, she had ran a small hand car wash single-handedly for decades after her husband died of a heart attack. She was  tall and well-built with a powerful presence and a loud laugh, in the last six months she had lost strength rapidly. She was losing weight, losing her hair and losing her positive outlook on life. She was bedridden and highly medicated, her room was the only place in the flat that had kept its original furnishings. Most of the possessions in the home had been pawned or sold at flea markets to raise quick cash. Lee kept it secret that he and his mother slept in sleeping bags on the floor, didn't have a wardrobe and washed their clothes in the bath.

Lee jumped with fright and almost dropped the candle when he heard the front door open, he was excited to see his mother. The first thing he noticed was that she had lost her umbrella and was soaking wet. The next thing he noticed was the blood which started from her neck and was flowing down her dress. He rushed over to grab her and could see that she was crying and severely distressed, she had a scarf wrapped around her mouth. Instead of embracing him as she usually did she shouted "do not touch me" and "get out my way". He looked in her eyes and realised that they were not their usual bright blue but an intense red. Her nails which were painted gold when she left were now black and sharp like an eagles talons. His mother who was half his weight and size picked him up with ease and threw him across the room. He smashed into the wall by the fireplace and crashed to the floor. She growled like a savage dog and rushed towards her bedroom, Lee laid in shock on the floor. He was scared and felt as if the force his mother had used was evil and supernatural in origin. He heard his grandmother cry for assistance and rushed to her room to comfort her. His mother continued to roar and began to smash up the few possessions she owned in her room. Lee turned on one of his nans old vinyl records about love to soothe her and then barricaded the door shut. He clutched a bible, rosemary beads and began to pray for the first time in his life.

Morning

Lee had an unpleasant night, failing to sleep for a single second his mother had continued to growl ferociously for approximately three hours until she collapsed. There was an audible thud followed by her usual snoring, he was relieved that her strange behaviour had ceased  but was still unable to relax. He was worried that his mother had been attacked on her date, tried to commit suicide or got drunk and fell over. He refused to accept his mothers eyes had turned red or nails black, he decided it must have been his overactive imagination caused by the stress of caring for his nan. He heard his mothers alarm clock start to ring at five thirty am, it was a loud and annoying sound which continued for over an hour, his mother did not turn it off. His mother worked the early morning breakfast shift at the café which began at six thirty and she was never late. His mother always went to work even in rain or snow, when she was sick and when she was depressed. If she did not work, she would not be paid and they were desperate for cash, the fact that his mother had not turned off the alarm was extremely concerning. She would usually have been washed, dressed and waiting for the bus within half an hour.

Lee knew he had to check on her but was scared what he would discover. He began moving the rocking chair, bookcase, lamp and other objects he had placed against his grandmothers door for protection. He took a deep breath and approached his mothers room, there were claw marks beneath the door handle as well as a trail of blood on the floor. He knocked on the door and waited patiently for a response, when there was no answer he knocked again but this time louder. He started to panic and began kicking the door until he busted the lock and it opened. He rushed in and found the alarm on the floor, he bent down and picked it up to turn it off. His mother was extremely tidy so he was shocked by the sight of broken glass, splinters of wood, torn clothes as well as shredded paper scattered everywhere. He could see a bundle in the darkest corner away from the window, his mother was in her sleeping bag with her face wrapped with a blanket like a Mummy. She began to speak but it was hard to understand as the sound was muffled, on the third attempt to communicate he realised she asked him to close the blinds.

Lee closed the blind and asked his mother if she was "alright," she responded she was "fine but I think that bastard of a date spiked my drink, I started feeling faint, went to the bathroom to puke and collapsed. I ruined my dress, I must have cut myself when I fell".  His mother demanded that he went from room to room closing the blinds and curtains in every window because she had a headache. Lee did as he was asked, when he returned his mother had not moved, "would you like an ambulance or a doctor?" his mother said, "No - please leave me alone." The son was upset and offered to help her out of the sleeping bag, the woman refused once again  but asked him to visit the chemist to purchase plasters, antiseptic cream and painkillers. He got his coat and shouted goodbye - there was no reply.

The pharmacy was a ten minute walk away from their apartment, Lee was consumed with a feeling of dread so decided to run. The business was owned by an elderly couple and had been operating in the local community for twenty five years.  Lee's grandmother was a loyal customer since the start, she offered a discount at her carwash and often received preferential treatment. Lee knew the store opened early, there was usually a queue outside however he was the first customer in the shop. The pharmacist husband said nothing and purposely hid out of view in the back, his wife who managed the store smiled and welcomed him in. He sat in a chair while the Lady asked about his family, chatted about the weather and collected the items he requested. The woman assumed correctly that he wouldn't have any cash and automatically added it to the debt they already owed. He said thank you and goodbye to the kind woman before rushing out determined to get home as quickly as possible.

He reached home within four minutes of leaving the chemist but realised immediately that he had forgotten his key. He sensed it was an emergency so shouted, knocked and rang the bell. He looked through the letterbox and saw his mother crawling on her hands and knees from her room towards his Nans' bedroom. He continued to look through the letterbox until he heard a piercing scream from the direction of his grandmothers room, he was forced to act and picked up an ornament which was on the landing. The ornament had been painted by his mother in an art class as a child and it was made of concrete in the shape of a fairy. Lee smashed the pain of stained glass on the top half of the door with the heavy object, he then put his hand through and let himself in. The flat was silent apart from a faint sobbing, when he entered his Nans room he was horrified to discover his mother was crouching on the bed and savagely biting his Grandmothers neck. He stood in silence for a few moments as he could see his grandmother was already dead, she had stopped moving, speaking and breathing. His mother continued draining blood until she collapsed to the ground crying.

She looked completely different as if transformed into something else, something not human. His mother was bigger and more muscular than normal, her face was distorted and she looked older. He noticed she had huge front teeth like a sabre tooth tiger which were dripping with blood, her mouth was covered in blood. Her eyes were red and nails black as she cried and shook she slowly started returning to her normal self. Lee rushed over to hug and comfort her. After a while she regained composure and said " I did it to save her I became a vampire to save her. She was too sick, it was too late. It was a trick, the vampire was a liar. He said I could transform her to make her immortal and all I did was kill her - this is murder."

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