The shades were pulled because if the light broke through, penetrating the mounds of materials built to block it, then the Van Horns would lose their immortality. Legend had it that Draculans were descendants of Prince Dracula, known to worship Lucifer. As for Draculans, they ruled the darkness yet wouldn't last once light shredded their grip on nature.
Sigman Van Horn walked into his brother's apartment and closed the door right as the sunrise filled the cracks around the buildings. He was anxious to tell Amwolf about the hunter and the girl, but his brother had an old woman sitting in a reclining chair as he examined her leg. Amwolf was performing an early morning exam on one of his patients.
“This went very well. Everything looks good,” Amwolf said.
“Thank you, Dr. Van Horn.”
Sigman motioned to his brother, who was facing him. Amwolf shook his head and so Sigman went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of blood.
It was disgusting to drink blood from a bag, and he missed the taste of flesh. It was a poor substitute he complained to Amwolf, but since hunting while weakened couldn't be attempted, he would drink it for convenience, just this once.
Sigman heard Amwolf address the woman at front door. He was glad she was leaving.
“Now, do you have a ride home, Mrs. Parker?”
“Yes, my son is downstairs in the lobby waiting.”
Amwolf said, “Thank you for coming here.”
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I just love your bedside manner, Dr. Van Horn. When the hospital told me you'd be out for four weeks, I panicked. I didn't want to reschedule. You're an angel to see me!”
“Well, ah, thank you.”
Sigman heard the door close and he popped out of the kitchen, “What was that?”
“Just easy money. And I banked some extra blood from her and her son too.” Amwolf finished packing up his medical bag.
“Good thinking. We might be holed up here for a while. That hunter cut me last night.”
“What happened?” A look of shock crossed his face.
Sigman sat down at the nook set. His hands rested on the table. “It was awful. I was ready to take the second bite of that girl, the one from the alley, and he grabbed her out of the taxi. Then he ran into a church.”
“That can't be good,” Amwolf said.
“It wasn't. He had that blade on him and he got my shoulder. Then I got a dose of Holy Water!”
“Ouch!”
“Exactly. I couldn't finish him off. Why is that, do you think? Am I getting too old?”
“No. I've seen that Hunter in action. He's just that good. Let me look at your shoulder.” Amwolf got up. Sigman took off his shirt and winced in pain. Amwolf touched his shoulder. “I'll going to stitch it up.”
“Why do you have to stitch me and you get to glue your wound?”
“It's too deep for glue. What a baby! It won't hurt.”
“You always say that and it always hurts.”
“We can't feel pain, at least not as severely as humans.”
“I hate needles.”
“You're a vampire, get over it.”
“Again, with the slur.”
“Just relax. This is so minor...”
“Save it for your paying patients.”
Amwolf opened his medical bag and gave his brother a shot of pain medicine, then he began to close the wound. “You realize that you're in a weakened state now, so you'll need a few days of rest before you can hunt.”
“Well that hunter won't rest, believe me.”
“Did he follow you?”
“Ouch!”
“Sorry,” Amwolf said.
“Nobody followed me, but he rescued that Kelly girl.”
“So, she's alive!” Amwolf said.
“Yes, why do you care?”
“I was at the hospital last night to check up on a patient, and I pulled her records. I read her surgeon's notes and he is a genius--”
“Don't want to hear it,” Sigman said.
“Anyway, the girl's name is Kelly Harper and she's thirty-two years old, single, and--”
“I don't care. Are you done?” Sigman looked over at his shoulder.
“All finished. Don't interrupt. She's a type O.”
“A typo?”
“Isn't that exciting; the possibilities.”
“She's a mistake?”
“Type O blood. Her blood type, stupid.”
“Who cares? A good bite is a good bite, no matter what the blood type.”
“You're not listening, are you? She was born under a full moon. I checked. You could change her, take her for your bride. Think of it, you could have Draculans born not made!”
“Turn her yourself. I'm through with women.”
“You know I have too much going on with my work to settle down right now and start a family. But you...you have nothing to do. It would give Mother so much satisfaction if you'd take another bride, and to find one with type O, that might give her a granddraculan. Why, she'd probably talk Dad into putting you back into his will.”
“You raise a good point. Dad's not getting any younger, one day a hunter or sunlight is bound to catch up with him and if I'm out of the will, I'll be stuck with homeless men for centuries.”
“Touché!”
“But I don't want another bride, I keep thinking of Victoria.”
“What about the other ninety-nine? There must have been a few that were worth taking?”
“Maybe one. Bambi. Now that was a fun trip to Vegas. Too bad that hunter found her in Beverly Hills.”
Amwolf nodded.
“Those Draculan hunters saved me a ton of money by killing off ninety-eight of my brides.”
Amwolf put away his equipment again.
Sigman offered, “May I help?”
“No, it's done. I'm tired. I think I'll get some rest.”
“Me too. It was the worst night of my life.”
“Worse than Salem?”
“Please! That was a walk in the park compared to last night. The only thing that would have been worse is a visit from Mother.” Sigman began to laugh. “If Mother found out a girl that could give her granddraculans is available and I didn't turn her, could you imagine? She’d tear me up.” Sigman laughed so hard, tears rolled down his checks. “Thank the Devil she won't ever find out!”
“Umm, Sig.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I told Mommy about her.”
“You didn't!”
“Yes, I let it slip out.”
“You did it on purpose to punish me! I won't take another bride, I won't!”
“Well, you don't have to, Mom suggested I take one.”
“Oh sure, her favorite son would give her granddraculans!”
“Now, now. I told her I thought it would be a better option for you. See I do care, Sigman. I hope this will make amends and then you'll get your trust fund back.”
“So I can get out of your apartment!”
“No. The money would be a good thing, but you need direction and purpose to your existence. Staying up all night, binging, all those things, you need direction.”
“If only I could get an acting job. I'd have purpose in spades!”