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I finally cornered Eddie in the alley. He hadn't yet fed and the gunshots had weakened him. There he was lying on the garbage-strewn ground. The blood and filth had ruined his clothes. His bright blue eyes were looking at me, but they had lost their fire. In my right hand I held my gun, in the left I held a wooden stake. I was going to plunge the stake into his black heart, but not before he told me where Stevie was. I had to hurry. Surely someone heard the gunshots and called the police.

Stevie was his younger companion of sorts. The first time I saw them together I knew something was wrong: the way she never spoke, the way she fawned over him like she was his servant, the way she always followed his orders like a zombie, the way her dark sad eyes stared off into the distance. Eddie had her under his evil spell and something had to be done about it. If Stevie couldn't free herself then I had to do it for her. After four months of chasing and planning I finally had Eddie where I wanted him. If the 'head vampire', so to speak, is killed then all of the other vampires he brought into the world will become human again.

"Tell me, dear boy," he said, struggling to pull himself into a sitting position, "just what makes you think she wants to go anywhere with you?"

"Shut up, Eddie! She's been your prisoner for God knows how long! Enough is enough!"

Eddie smiled at me, his gleaming white teeth now smeared with red. He wasn't going to last much longer without blood. "A prisoner, eh? Is that what she told you? Of course not. We both know Stevie never tells anyone anything..."

I kicked him square in the face. More blood poured from his nose and mouth. "Dammit, Eddie! I'm going to kill you whether you tell me where she is or not!"

He started laughing. Weak as he was his laughter bounced off the greasy brick walls and echoed in my head. He made a futile attempt to clean up his face with the tail of his shirt. He only succeeded in smearing it across his face some more. "Let me get this straight, lad. You mean to kill me and free our dear friend Stevie from this horrible vampire curse, right? Then what, wisk her off into the sunset and live happily ever after? Of course, I haven't seen a sunset or sunrise in many many years. But I wouldn't trade places with you right now to see the most beautiful sunset in creation."

His stare met mine and my blood turned to ice. I didn't like the way he was so sure of himself. The fire was back in his eyes. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't right at all.

"I have good news and bad news for you, lad. The good news is all those vampire myths and legends you seem so fond of are all true. Especially that one about killing the maker to free those he has made. Isn't that right, Stevie?"

In a split second my world turned a blinding white and the crash of breaking glass burst through my ears. I could feel myself spinning and falling, the world was rushing by. After what seemed like an eternity I landed on a ground covered with oil and filthy water and trash. With my last ounce of strength I pushed myself onto my back. Slowly my spinning world came into focus. I was staring at the night sky with shreds of grey clouds floating by. Then Eddie and Stevie stepped forward and blocked my view. Stevie was still holding the jagged neck of the bottle she had smashed over my head. Why? Why? I wanted to ask her but I was to dizzy to speak. Why, Stevie? I was only trying to help you.

"Sorry, dear boy." Eddie said, that wicked grin of his returning. In his hands were the gun and stake. He tossed them aside. "I guess I'd better tell you the bad news now. Even if you had succeeded in killing yours truly it would have been all for naught. You see, I didn't make Stevie a vampire. She made me. And as you can see she is rather protective of me. You should have left us well enough alone, lad.

"He bent over and kissed her cheek. He smeared blood on her face but she didn't seem to notice. Her expression was blank. Those dark eyes of hers kept staring into mine. I realized that they didn't belong to a lost soul, rather it was like staring into the darkest reaches of hell.Eddie knelt down and pulled me up into a sitting position. "Better luck next time, lad," he whispered. Then I felt his teeth sink into my neck, all the while Stevie was watching with those cold dark eyes.