Chapter 3 Darlene the Vampire

He grabbed the knob and opened the door, and there she was, seated on the ground as she held a picture frame close to her cheat as she seeped softly. Mari let out a sigh before walking further into the room, he bent over and hugged Rina.

"It's fine, mom. I'm sure they would come back to us soon"

"Soon? Soon you say? It's been five years already, Mari, isn't that enough?" She asked with her teary eyes that almost provoked Mari to tears.

"You should trust me, mom. How do you think they would feel if they see you in this state? You have to be strong for them"

"Sure! That's true. Courtney must not see me cry"she said as she wiped her tears with the back of her palm.

Omari helped her to the bed and tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

"Have you eaten?" He asked

"No" She nodded

"I'll go prepare you something to eat then" he said and retreated from the room.

Mari went to his room, changed into something more comfortable and went to the kitchen. He made scrambled eggs sauce and bread with a freshly extracted orange juice. He place them on a tray and took it up the stairs as he slowly took his steps carefully and opened the door. He shut it with his foot and walked further into the room.

"Get up, mom. I made you something delicious"He said in a sign tone as he placed the tray on table.

Rina sat up and paused to stare at Omari.

"What's wrong, mom? Why are you staring at me?" He said with a short smile

"You look so much like your father, you remind me so much of him"

"And that is why whenever you miss him, you can stare at me so you can feel his presence"

"Hmm!" She nodded her head and began to eat.

"This is delicious. I taught you well" She teased and they both laughed.

After Rina finished eating, Mari took the tray back to the kitchen and went back to his room.

He threw himself on the bed as he let out a deep sigh of relief and at that moment, his phone beeped and he tilted his head and looked at the phone lying beside him and he sprang up to a sitting position as he saw that it was a mail from Goby Station. He opened the mail and it was his appointment letter that instructs him to resume to work the following week. He jumped up for joy with his hands covering his mouth to muffle his sounds.

He sat back on the edge of the bed and suddenly thought about Darlene.

"She is so pretty" He thought aloud that he didn't notice his mom that was standing by the door.

"Who is she?" Rina asked with a smile and Mari jerked back to reality

"It's nothing, mom. Just lost in my thoughts"

"I hope you bring her to me soon" She smiled as she sat beside him.

"How was the interview?"

"I got the job and I would be resuming work by this coming week"

"Wow! I'm so happy for you. I knew you were going to make me proud" She said and Mari hugged her, trying so hard to fight back the tear threatening to drop.

"Please, don't ever leave me. I don't know how I would survive without you".

Darlene grabbed the knob of her small apartment and walked through the narrow passage that leads to the living room. She threw her rugged bag on a single seated chair and threw herself on another bigger chair.

"Oh!" She let out a sigh

"Today was fun and crazy" She said with a smile that didn't last the next minute as she remembered Mari

She sprang up to a sitting position as she recalled what he had said to her, "He must have been born blind for telling me such nonsense. How could he call me ugly? Or am I really ugly?" She thought in silence for a moment.

"No!" She shook her head really hard

"I can't be ugly, not when I've lived this long" She grinned and went to her room.

She took off her clothes and took a long bath. She walked back to the room with a towel wrapped around her chest. She made the bed and laid down on her back and soon slept off.

Later in the evening, Darlene woke up, grunting and stretching her limbs as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh! It's dark already. I love it dark" She licked her lower lip and got out of bed.

She walked to her closet and brought out a black pair of pant and crop top shirt that she wore and packed her brown hair in a high ponytail.

Darlene retreated from her house and walked down her street, to where there was no light and she walked into the garden and hide herself behind a tall tree.

Soon a couple walked into the garden - the lady held the man's arm as she giggled hard at the joke the man was saying as they walked in. Darlene licked her lips as she saw them and grinned.

The couples sat on a bench that was backing Darlene, so they could not notice her presence. Darlene tiptoed quietly behind them and grabbed the lady. The man fell to the ground in fear of the monster before him while the lady could only make muffled sounds for help as Darlene had covered her mouth with her hand.

Darlene's fangs grew longer as she nuzzled the lady's neck and sniffled in the delicious aroma of the blood and in a twinkle of an eye, she bit her neck and fed on her blood.

"This feels good!" She said and the lady dropped to the ground and her eyes fell on the man.

She grinned!

She slowly took her steps towards the man crawling on the ground and screaming for help. Suddenly, she sprinted towards him, gripped his neck and fed on his blood. She licked her lower lip which was stained with blood in a slow pace and smacked her mouth swiftly.