The Vampire Hunters!

The boys headed home. This was a very exciting night. It was very hard to comprehend what had taken place—a woman came out of her grave to seek her killer. What else could happen next?

Mark pondered this thought. He figured that there must be other things out there that are beginning to come to life. They had to be aware and ready to do battle with the supernatural. This was going to be the first of many tough battles. They decided to sit down on this night and figure out their roles for these future battles with the dead. He decided to volunteer the services of his cellular phone. Marcel contributed his van for the cause. Jimmy, not wanting to be left out, gave in the computer skills that he picked up in the armed forces. George volunteered to use his wizardry with electronics. Together, they felt that they would make an awesome foursome.

The next morning, the guys went out on patrol. They went back to visit the cemetery. They weren't exactly sure of what they were looking for, but they were sure that they would notice what looked unusual. Anything would serve as a clue. Jimmy and Mark checked the mausoleums. George and Marcel examined the graves. Still, nothing unusual turned up during their investigation.

They sat in the van to compare the results of their observation. Mark felt that despite their negative findings, the cemetery still held an ugly secret that they were sure to discover. They drove away in anticipation of the night and her surprises.

They waited for nightfall. They then drove back in the vicinity of the graveyard. They pulled up to the gate. Again, the lock was on the ground. Marcel drove past the gate. He switched on the new set of lights on the van. The lights enabled them to see even more in the dark than before. George unveiled a surprise for the gang: he had set up a two-way radio hook up. At the other end of the radio was the lovely wife, Irene. She would be able to keep in constant touch with the guys and call for help with necessary.

They parked the van and waited for a strange event to happen. They have already seen the lady in the cemetery. Would she make a return appearance? They were ready for her this time. They had the crosses, garlic and the holy water for starters. They weren't going to let her get by this time. Still, she did not make a second appearance. Perhaps, she had settled what she had come to do.

Mark, again, spotted something in the distance. It looked like a man-an evil-looking, sinister man. What did he want? But then in a second, he was gone. All of a sudden, the van began moving backward. But why? The van's motor was shut off. The key was sitting on the transmission tunnel. Some force was taking control of the van. Marcel started the van and decided to take on this force. Still, the van kept up its backward roll. This force was stronger than what they had anticipated. While Marcel was doing battle with his own van, George now spotted the same individual. He was pale white. His eyes, however, were a fiery red hue. He looked like he could pass for the son of Satan if not the prince of darkness himself. He kept himself about five feet away from the van but walked toward the van as if to push it backward. Why was he controlling them? What was he up to? Jimmy wanted to hop out and pop him one, but he couldn't get the door open. They found their match. Jimmy instead opened the window. He reached for some holy water. With his award-winning pitching arm, Jimmy heaved some water on the evil one. At that moment, the pushing stopped. The man screamed as if in deep pain. Marcel regained control of his van and left the land of the deceased. Mark called Irene to share what had happened. It was time to go back to the house and plan their attack upon the dead. It was obvious that their new foe was indeed a vampire. Much work had to be mapped out in meeting and defeating him.

Mark accessed some information from his laptop computer. With the help of George's printer, he then went onto print out a hard copy document for the gang to peruse. He mapped out what to expect from a vampire and what they needed to do. It was decided that he—Mark—would take charge of this mission. Meanwhile, Jimmy went to the back of the apartment and practiced his karate moves. He had just recently taken a break from teaching in one of his twenty dojos. He had been a black belt for close to two years. He had many students in his short time. He was preparing to teach this vampire a lesson in messing with the living. George had prepared some stakes. According to Mark's research, a vampire can be killed with a stake driven through its heart.

Mark produced a suitcase filled with various items that he was working on. He gave each of them an electronic device. He wanted to plant them in various spots throughout the cemetery. He also installed a radar receiver in the van as well. With the radar devices in place in the cemetery, he would be able to track any activity. They returned to the van and went back to the cemetery.

The van was parked on the outside of the gate. Mark wanted to set up the radars. George insisted on going in his place. Mark agreed. He showed George how to set them up even though they were still on the lookout for the vampire. Mark took his place at the receiver. Marcel stayed at the wheel, ready to drive in to rescue George at the drop of a hat. Jimmy assisted Mark at the receiver.

George walked past the gate, out of the view of the van. Within a matter of a few seconds, he had transformed into his alter ego. He then went on to place the devices throughout the place as Mark had directed him to do so. Mark, on the other hand, could not locate him on the radar. George took care to remove the fuse so that he wouldn't draw any attention to his rapid movement and, thus, his secret identity. When he was done, he returned to the van. He discreetly placed the fuse back into the radar. Mark was now able to receive a signal from the devices. They were now ready to find their nemesis.

Mark focused the devices on any possible activity in the different quadrants as he had planned. Do vampires show on the radar? This was uncertain. The guys were still ready for any type of activity. He scanned the receptors. They seemed to be fine, although he still saw no unusual activity. Jimmy called Irene to let her know of their status. She would worry to no end if something happened to him. Marcel ran a small checklist to be sure that the van's system was functioning to perfection. All systems were fine. George assisted Mark at the controls of the radar.

It now seemed like hours had passed. Still, all was quiet. Jimmy had nodded off in the back. He slept with Betsy, his trusted .357 Magnum. If there was any danger out there, he was going to blast a hole in it as soon as possible.

Radar 3 had picked up some activity. Mark nudged George to verify the activity. George assembled his camera and pointed it in the direction of #3. The darkness gave no clue as to what they were about to encounter. Whatever was out there wanted the guys to know that there was going to be a big surprise. A loud beep now came from the screen. Radars #4 &#5 were also sending some indication of activity. Either this was one big something or several little some things. Jimmy woke up and loaded up Betty Sue. Everything in a cemetery should be dead. If it wasn't, Jimmy was going to make sure that it did die.

George grabbed the vampire kit. It contained the crosses, holy water, and garlic. He asked George to go out and join him to investigate. They agreed and left the van. Jimmy hopped in the front seat. Jimmy had the job of maintaining radio contact with George and Mark. They watched as both of them walked into the darkness. Soon, they disappeared into the blanket of blackness.

Jimmy called out to them. The radio went dead. The contact couldn't be maintained. Anything could happen to them and no one would know anything. Within a matter of minutes, they might need to be rescued. Now what? Marcel started up the van. He wanted to make sure that he was ready to move as soon as possible.

Mark walked slightly in front of George. He was just as unsure of the dark as George was. George, however, pulled out a pair of night vision glasses. Even though Mark was in front, George was still able to perceive any hazards near them. George went down like a ton of bricks. Mark soon followed after.

They both woke up in a mausoleum. Mark was bound hand and foot. George was also tied up. Mark was sitting with his back to one wall. George had his back to the other. Who did this? Why? How were they going to get out of this predicament? Mark couldn't feel his radio, but he knew that it was still with him. They were truly in danger.

Jimmy checked the radar. Still, no signal. He radioed Irene to see if there were any signals going back to the apartment. She didn't get anything except nervous. Half of the search party was gone and there were no clues as to their whereabouts. Marcel assisted at the radar. He also got no signals. There had to have been some sort of backup to Mark's system. He wouldn't have gone so far without some type of backup to his radar.

George managed to stand up. He looked out of the window. All he could see was nearly miles from the cemetery. The van was nowhere in sight. How far were they? There was no walkway to the solid stone building. Whoever did this to them certainly went out of their way to keep them hidden. Mark also stood up. Now, both of them were standing, yet they couldn't clearly see each other. This would be George's big chance. If Mark couldn't see him, it would provide an opportunity to get them both out of this. He had to act quickly. He pretended to hop around the floor. He got close enough to Mark and forced Mark's head into the cold granite wall. Mark fell unconscious to the floor. Part one of his plan was done. The stage was set for his big change.

George broke through the ropes that held his hands and feet together. He pulled out some sort of control from his vest pocket. With a few turns of a switch, it let out a very low audible beep. It sent out a signal to the van.

Marcel and Jimmy picked up a distant signal. It had to be them. It was too far. How did they get so deep into the cemetery? They had to be rescued. Marcel headed the van in the direction of the signal.

George didn't change after all. He, instead, jimmied the door open and brought Mark outside. He then revived him and the two of them started walking. The signal was now beaming stronger than before. George had hoped that it was on the same frequency as the van radar. It was their last ditch effort to get back home. Mark's radio was smashed to pieces. He couldn't call for the needed help.

Jimmy checked the map and placed the overlay on the console. According to the map, they were about a mile away from each other. How could that be? Marcel navigated the roadway until he was able to pin down the signal. They had to be in sight of each other. Whatever separated the party wanted them to go further into the cemetery. It was a heck of a plan and it succeeded. This was not going to be an ordinary foe. This one was very smart. Marcel shut off the van. They had to be in sight. A few minutes had passed. The party had been found. Both men jumped into the van. It was decided to scrub the mission and come back in the morning. He started it up and headed back toward the gate. The rear wheels were stuck in what could have been mud. Someone had to get out and set the vehicle free. Nobody, after the ordeal that George and Mark went through, wanted to do the job. Again, Jimmy alerted Irene. The guys were hesitant about getting out. They nearly lost Mark and George. The factors were too costly. Marcel put his expertise to work. He flipped a switch next to the gear selector. As a result, the van began to move forward. They were free for now, but for how long was unsure to them.

They followed the map to find their way back to the front entrance. The gate was in their sights. Marcel sped for the open wrought iron. Would it slam shut before they get there? He had to take a chance. Would the vampire let them go or keep them here for eternity? He pushed the needle in the speedometer even further. At this point, if the gate closed, they would go flying through the windshield. They were too close now to step on the brakes. He went for it. Everyone inside braced for the worst possible moment.

They found the hill leading to the main gate. Now they felt like astronauts in a space launch. They were now traveling faster than 70 miles an hour. The engine roared beneath them. They were taking the chance of their life. The van has never traveled this fast before. They were never captured by vampires before, either. This was their gamble for their life.

They reached the gate. Nothing but the van moved. The gates stayed where they were. They were finally free of the graveyard prison-or were they?

They were suddenly airborne. There was no road for them to drive on. The hill turned literally into a launching pad. They must have been some 2 miles high in the air. If they started falling, they could be smashed to pieces. This was going to be very difficult to avoid. Whatever was trying to get them was trying to kill them. The van had no devices for flying. Was their death going to be certain?

The forces inside of the van were too strong. Smashing into the ground would not only kill them, but it would also produce an inferno when the gas ignites from the crash. There was only one thing left to do. They must bailout. At that point, they would only lose the van and not their lives.

George kicked the door open. He pulled Jimmy with him. Marcel bailed out of the driver's door. Mark left by way of the passenger's door. Now the four of them were also airborne. George saw a tree and grabbed hold of the branches. Jimmy did the same. Mark landed in the nearby lake. Marcel landed on a soft section of sand. The van crashed into the street. A huge fireball followed. In an instant, the van was consumed in flames as the fiery wreck lay in the street. Their only means of transportation, as well as their radar and contact with Irene, was now gone. They were on their own.

Irene sat at home. She called Jimmy. No answer. She continued trying to reach the van, not knowing of its untimely demise. There was no other way to make contact. She knew that Jimmy had always kept the lines open. Something must have gone wrong. She had to wait for some sort of news. She couldn't very well go out and look for them. The agony was in the waiting.

George was the first to wake up from the ordeal. He went over to the others to help them. He had lost most of his crime-fighting tools. He only had his radio. It was partially smashed but of no use. Irene had to wait for them to arrive in order to find out the details. They dusted themselves off and started walking home.

They had been on the road for the better portion of three hours. The cemetery was behind them in the distance. Still, they knew that they had to go back in a few hours while the sun was in the sky. They had to deal with the vampires with their own rules, not the vampire's rules. It would be helpless in the daytime. That was when they had to strike.

They reached their headquarters. Irene had looked too haggard for belief. She hadn't slept for the whole evening. Jimmy took her aside and explained what had happened to them. She broke down in tears and embraced him tightly. Mark pulled out a suitcase. He frantically searched for his backup receiver. The radars were still in place. What would they reveal in the daytime? He was unsure of that himself.

George had gone outside to get his car ready. He wanted to head back to the death ground. The guys poured over a map of the cemetery. They had no clue as to what they were trying to find. The map revealed a huge property that had to be close to 5 miles in perimeter. They were looking for a very tiny needle in a gigantic haystack. Where would they begin to look for clues? There had to be some sort of break. They needed another clue.

It was time to go back to the battleground. Whatever evil was present in that cemetery was still there and didn't want them to go in. It had to be a vampire. They were okay in the daytime but had problems in the evening. It was decided that they would battle this force in the daytime when the vampire was resting.

They decided that the best place to start was in the main office once again. Vampires need to be buried in their original soil. Hopefully, this cemetery is the original resting spot. If not, then this vampire brought his soil with him. They needed to check the records of all of the occupants in the graves and tombs. Mark's laptop was destroyed in the wreck. He had no immediate way of accessing the records. He had to devise a way to do so. Irene had access to a computer at work, but she had no way to get in. Time was getting short. It was nearly noon. They needed a name, location and a way of destroying the undead.

They went to the main office. It was pretty big. George went up to the front desk. He asked the secretary to help him select a plot for a loved one. He said that his wife died recently. Mark sneaked away and hid in a bathroom. She didn't see him. The woman, along with George, Jimmy and Marcel, went outside to her car. She took them on a ride throughout the cemetery to select a plot.

Mark heard the door close. He came out of the bathroom. The computer was still on. It was connected to a printer. This was a good sign. He quickly went through the computer's files .He was hoping to get everything done within ten minutes. He hoped that the guys could stall her long enough. He printed every piece of information he could find. He was doing fine until he located a tomb located in the direct center of the property. The computer had a password. He tried to get in, but his efforts were futile. His instinct had troubled him over this password. Perhaps, this was the clue that he needed. He made sure to make note of the coordinates of the section. He believed that whatever they were looking for could be found in the center of everything. His search was over. He cleaned up the evidence of his search and went outside. This would be the sign that he was done.

Fifteen minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the office. George spotted Mark. George made up a story about visiting another cemetery. They picked up Mark and left. They now had some evidence to go on. The Battle

It was now 3 o'clock in the afternoon. There wasn't much time left in the day. Soon, it will be time for the vampire to get up and wreak havoc on the living. They had to act fast or risk their lives and, quite possibly, the lives of everyone else.

They were still a great distance away from the spot where they would meet danger in the form of a vampire. Still, they had to get there. They went on bravely. At times, they would run some of the distance in order to make up some time. The shadows were getting longer. The names on most of the tombstones were getting harder to read in the afternoon light, or lack of light. The day which seemed to be in such abundance was now giving way to the darkness in the distance. The sun had not yet set. They still had some of that time on their side.

They reached a mausoleum. It looked so familiar to George. Of course. It was the place that he and Mark were held captive. Their enemy had them and they didn't know it at the time. Now they had to seek out the enemy and destroy it.

The door was partially open. Was he already awake? Were they walking into a trap? They had to proceed with caution. They did not have the benefit of having the van to get away. George's crime-fighter apparatus was gone for good. He had to rely on his natural ability. It didn't matter now if anyone did know his secret. His alter ego was as dead as the bodies in the nearest morgue. Mark had no computers or phones to call for help. He only had his brilliance to carry him on. Jimmy and Betty Sue had parted company in the demise of the van. He only had his hand-to-hand combat skills from his army days. Should he have to break the vampire's neck, he was ready to do so. Marcel was ready to assist and defeat this monster from the unknown. Together, for the sake of friendship, they all had to get out alive. There would be no compromise.

The sun was down. There would be no form of outside help. Irene had to wait until morning in order to find out their fate. They looked over the grim structure. In it awaits either death or more death. It was agreed that they would continue. If they went at it one at a time, they could be eliminated one at a time. They had to do whatever they were going to do at the same time. It couldn't destroy the mall at once. It tried that with the van.It didn't work. It was all or nothing time.

They didn't have to go very far. The enemy came out to meet them. He wasn't familiar to them. He must have been in the place for a great deal of time. The mausoleum was nearly faded with age. He stood at a height of about 6 feet. His complexion was as white as bread. He certainly lacked the blood that vampires seek. He was dressed in black bereft of any signs of Christianity. His walk was slow, yet menacing. He was as sure of himself as the lion in battle. A fog seemed to follow him as he went forward. He spoke nothing. His motions told the whole story. He had triumphed over the others before. He wanted to finish the four men standing in his presence. Mark reached into his pocket. He fumbled for the cross that he brought from home. It was no where to be found. He must have dropped it running to the where they are now. In fact, all of their tools for the battle were probably lost in the run. They only had their prayers to help them.

He first lunged at Jimmy. He retaliated with an effective blow to the head. This sent the vampire sprawling backward to the door. Mark followed up with a piece of a tombstone to his skull. George took advantage of the situation and picked up a large stake lying near an open casket. Why was there an open casket a few feet away? The vampire's casket was in the tomb. Where did this one come from? The stake found its target, however, and their foe went down. Marcel saw the lake in the near distance. He ran to it as fast as he could. He noticed, however, a crowd of people standing in the distance. Who were they? Of Course. The casket was the clue. THE WHOLE CEMETERY WAS FILLED WITH VAMPIRES!! The battle had grown to an epidemic proportion. Mark, Jimmy, and George followed Marcel to the lake, unaware of what he had discovered. They had to leave together or die together. What was he doing? Marcel reached the lake, turned around and pushed the others in. This was not a time for a midnight swim. What was going on? They swam to the middle of the lake and rose to the top. They began to see what Marcel saw before the dive. The lake was now surrounded by what must have been a thousand bodies of the dead. They were trapped. Or were they?

Marcel reminded them that they were Christians. Together, he insisted, they could turn the whole lake into the holy water by making the sign of the cross. He started. Mark did likewise. Then Jimmy and George did the same. They noticed that the vampires were beginning to step back. They did it!! They created a newer and more powerful weapon—a huge lake of holy water.

They each scooped up a handful of water. Jimmy ran toward one of them. He threw as much of the water as he could. The slow vampire screamed in pain. The new holy water worked. He then took off his shirt and whacked the next one. It was slightly out of his reach, but the shirt found its target anyway. Down went the second. Jimmy was on a roll. This had to have been much better than karate. He ran back to the lake. He jumped in, shirt and all, and came up dripping wet. He struck a few more and racked up an impressive scorecard. George and Mark did the same. What seemed like certain death was now turning into a macabre block party. The enemies were dropping like flies and they still had plenty of water left. Marcel threw water on as many graves as he possibly could. If the vampires couldn't enter their graves before dawn, they would have to die in the sun.

The running, the first fight, and the lack of sleep were catching up to them. They had been fighting most of the night. They had to leave to get some rest. They each scooped some more water and picked up a few stakes. Marcel poured a great deal of water into the empty coffin. If one came back to the empty box, there would be some surprise waiting for it. They headed back to the main gate. The lake was now blessed. What they didn't finish tonight could be finished in the morning. The victory was close at hand.

They were able to make their way home. Jimmy called up one of his buddies who was in the Navy. He owned a crop duster. Jimmy made arrangements for him to dust the cemetery with holy water throughout the day. With the cemetery now fully blessed, there would not be a visit from any more vampires.

That evening, the guys went out to celebrate. For some reason, they were hungry.

THE END