The day for departure had finally arrived and no member of the pack was more excited than Christoph. The moment he had anticipated for seven agonizing days had finally arrived and though he felt as if he might jump right out of his skin, he felt an unexpected sense of comfort in thoughts of the days ahead. Never expecting he would be accompanied on such an important journey, it was even more surprising he would be traveling with a family that he not only created for himself but had, surprisingly, grown to love.
Looking down into his shiny, polished coffin, Christoph took in the contents that lay before him. Articles of clothing he had meticulously folded were about to find a new home in his hard, vintage blue, plastic suitcase. Opening his luggage to finish packing, he felt a stab of shame for not having treated it with more care. The lining inside had seen better days, becoming worn and tattered from his years of travel. Each side of the interior had an elastic bordered cloth pocket and he planned to use both to stow away the small, homemade weapons he predicted they would need along the way.
At times, passing sensations of doubt would stiffen him and force him to stand frozen right in the middle of an undergarment roll or a crease inspection. Christoph wasn’t just anxious over his own fate but also for the potential trouble the roadtrip could cause his family. Fortunately, his jumping nerves gravitated more toward excitement than fear and he smiled as he closed the lid and secured the rusty golden latch. Hurriedly, he rushed down the stairs and out through the front door to seek his pride and joy, the chariot that would whisk them off to their destination.
Parked out of sight of nosy neighbors, Christoph’s cherished 1961 black Cadillac hearse had remained hidden inconspicuously behind their home. It boasted custom green ghost flames, which he had always been fond of but he couldn’t wait to see the expressions of the passing drivers when they saw them in it. He wasn’t bothered in the least that the exterior paint was imperfect or that the interior upholstery was worn. He was just plain excited at the hearse’s inclusion in such a significant adventure and he chuckled to himself at thoughts of chauffeuring himself and his pack of vampires across the country in such a fitting vehicle.
Christoph rarely had the opportunity to drive it as they had all agreed during one disheartening first wake that its presence in their driveway drew too much attention to their secret. Finally getting the chance to drive it again was akin to being reunited with a favorite toy from childhood. As a subliminal shout out to his clan, he jangled the keys in his right hand the way a human might shake a bag of dog food for a wayward puppy. Placing his luggage on the cement beside the car, he ran his hand down its sleek lines and reminisced about the past adventures he and his chariot had shared together. More than aware that he was quite early and that the others were not yet ready, he grinned as he loaded up the back and the trunk. Deciding there was no law against an early start he jumped behind the steering wheel of his cherished vehicle and waited patiently for his pack’s arrival.
The feeling that he had left something important behind tugged at Christoph’s comfort level, so he reluctantly pulled himself back out of the driver’s seat and darted back up the stairs to his bedroom. Slamming the door behind him, he entered his