I'm scrolling through all the comments on her profile. Valentina, I doubt that's her real name. And she's a Growden? I swear I'm making an entire family tree. Lemuel Growden, Linus Growden, now a Valentina Growden?
"Hey... Deidre—why are you named Deidre?"
My mother was strange with naming her children. "It's Day-Dre." Like how one says Doctor Dre. "Really..." Anansi crosses his arms. "That's fucking stupid."
My teeth flash out my jaws, "I will bite you..."
Anansi puts his hands up, "Chill..."
I Fear the Day... that's what father meant by it. He said she feared waking up. At first, I used to think my mom was being goofy, then I learned that a lot of pale vamps suffered from Heliophobia. My mother is dark skin... It didn't make sense why a dark skin vamp would fear the sun.
Abanyela is a vampire in myths. He gouged out his eyes for fear of the sun. The craziest vampire who existed believed the sun shined on him specifically and told him to do so.
It's a history of vamps going crazy in the sun if they stand in it for too long. The reason this comes to mind now, one of the comments says: STAY OUT THE SUN
Her post goes back eight years ago.
Everything is offensive and irritating. My phone automatically refreshes. It seems she's moving, well... back on the road. "Hey Seamus, do you mind—"
"Yes!"
Seamus didn't want to drive which is understandable. He's looking at his new hands. Remembering the post, Valentina met somebody. "Seamus, did Isla have a boyfriend?"
"I think... I never met him." He scratches his ear. "She has an account on a vampire only website. Have any idea why?"
"Dude, I just found out why she was acting crazy. I've been paying attention because I do want to know about my niece."
"What else? You said you killed. Did she attack other people?"
He sighs looking out the window. "Her parents are dead. That happened 7 months ago."
"So, this is recent?"
"I was getting settled in Maine. My name isn't Seamus... it's Quimby Bradley. I'm from Texas but the Irish thing is true."
This is just like the fucking name game all over again. "You playing tag with me?" I ask not taking my eyes off the road. "You might be in some deep shit."
"Tell me about it. Your brother came with pink eyes, evaporated my soul. Now I'm telling you I'm a murderer and your like... it's fine."
I'm not a feelings type of person. I got down on one knee for my wife and had a waterfall of emotion. If he wants tears, he might need a counselor. But I relate, this man lost his family. And I just have half of mine. "You know Valentina?"
"Girlfriend... real fucking strange. Do vampires usually walk naked?" he gawks at me. "In blood. Black blood?"
"No. Black blood belongs to drunken vampires. Vampires that eat other vamps."
"I thought vamps couldn't eat off other vamps."
"Well, we can, but we die." I say. It's not even death. It's like you lose everything, your mind is blank. You're left thinking. I want to live. So you kill whatever. "How long has your niece been dead." I don't where my brother is and I'm not finna speak his name while he's gone. "It's been months."
"Too bad. I could have brought her back."
"With magic?" Seamus ogles. "No, bone marrow. Humans read all these fucked up vampire love stories and they think blood is the life of it all. But then you question what if, blood doesn't work? Humans say, use magic. But then you give vampire speed and some fucking wings. That solves a lot." Vampires don't match what fantasy books say. I'm the baby brother but our mother didn't raise us dumb.
"But it doesn't, does it?"
They used to talk about Moonlight Vampires. Tsuhiri Ikainisai, she married Taiyomeki. A beautiful story of the moon and the sun coming together. Until you hear that she drowned him in his own blood.
History never has peaceful tales.
Back at the motel, Thankful is sitting in the waiting area while the delivery guy and Unwin scrub the floors. "Where's the clerk?"
"Oh?" she looks behind the chair she's sitting in. "She's in the bedroom making up the beds. I'm about to call in another pizza."
"Not now." I move to sit across from her. "But I'm hungry!" she whines. "I had to wait to get you back and now you're making me wait for pizza!"
"I'll buy you a pizza later. I got Seamus—Quimby, a new body."
"Quimby?" She quirks a brow. "Who..."
"I'm Quimby," he walks slowly into the area. "My real name is Quimby, not Seamus. I've been hiding for years because I killed my niece..."
"Excuse me?"
"It's a lot about Seamus we don't know."
"Really... well, Sea—Quimby, why don't you sit down."
Quimby takes a seat and breathes heavily. "I'm a murderer."
"Hi, Quimby," my wife and I jest. This is now a therapy session. Quimby has some issues and that's understandable. "I'm of Irish descent I'm not from Maine, I'm from Texas. My niece, Isla, was dating a girl who was a vampire. To cut a long story short. I killed my niece but before that, I killed people for her."
"Why?" Thankful solicits. Quimby rubs his face, "I didn't want to, I don't think I was ever doing it willingly. The girl is Valentina, she used to talk about praising a vampire named La Dama Falsa."
"Pause!" Thankful quickly retrieves her phone. "abeula!"
"Well don't stop him now. Continuar chico blanco." Curioso shushes Thankful.
Quimby swallows, "She came to the house a lot. I saw that my niece, Isla would give her... oral sex."
"Ok."
"And at first, I was a huge pervert and I stood by the door..."
"Go on..." Thankful's hands fall to the side of the couch. "I jacked off seeing two girls..." Quimby sighs, delivering a half-smile.
"And you said you are her uncle?"
Quimby sighs again, "Half-brother..."
"Jesus Christ..." Thankful's jaw falls open. "Why—why did you say you were her uncle?"
"My sister and I... got to know each other. We stopped, but I was having fantasies. I thought for a minute, I was in love with my sister."
I lean over the armrest, rubbing my temple. "I'm afraid to ask for more."
"She was with this other girl and a week after she complained that her stomach hurt." Thankful and I look at each other, "That's a drunk."
Thankful gets up, "I need a break." Thankful leaves the area with her waving off Quimby.
"Go on Quimby." I rub my forehead. This is too much information. I was not expecting to hear about somebody involved in incest.
"I took her to the doctor. They said they couldn't do anything but then he dragged me in the room and put a gun to my face. He asked if I was a hoarder."
"Hoarders are people that kidnap vamps and force them to be Drunks. A group of Drunks is a hoard." I'm scared to find the rest of this shit. "What's the doctors name?"
"Um.. I think it was... Doctor Lalji. Hadi Lalji."
A goddamn Arab. "Continue."
"Dark skin, croocked nose—red eyes." Lamia Arab. "So, I was in the doctor office. He put a gun in my face. I said, I'm not what you think I am, he told me. He knew, but also said that I was a sick pervert who needed Jesus."
"You do."
"He told me my sister had consumed vampire blood."
"That was along fucking story. Did you bring your sister?"
"No."
"What did you do with her?" If he says something along the lines of, I had sex with her dead body I'm calling the police. "I put her in cement."