Copyright c.e. jordan c.e._jordan@mailandnews.com
If anyone desires to use this story--or indeed any other story of mine in any other place than the nifty archive, please be kind enough to notify me first. Thank you.
As usual, I welcome any comments ;-) Thanx.
ROBBIE THE VAMP
It was late one summer afternoon and a hot wind swirled around Ricky as he raced up to kick the black and white soccer ball into the goal Matthew had painted on the backyard fence. Ricky's body was sweaty and his t-shirt and blue soccer pants stuck to him as he ran.
This was a simple one-on-one' game between he and Matthew. There were no rules except that which ever one of them kicked the ball into the goal' got two points. That person also got a free kick to try and get an extra point. But to get that extra point he had to try and kick the ball from about twenty feet away into the goal marked on the fence.
This was Ricky's last attempt at a free kick. If he got this one point he would finally beat Matthew who had won the last two times they'd played the game.
"Hey Ricky, it's getting late we gotta go inside soon, so you better make this kick a good one, or I'll beat you again," teased Matthew.
There was a "thunk" sound as Ricky's foot connected to the black and white ball. The boys held their breath as they watched it soar into the air, then Ricky began jumping up and down happily as it sailed straight toward the goal.
"See that? See that?...I win! I win!" Ricky turned and grabbed Matthew in a sweaty embrace. But Matthew, whose eyes were still on the ball, held him still, "Wait Ricky..."
Ricky turned to follow Matthew's gaze just in time to see the ball miss the goal, bounce off the top of the fence and shoot into the neighbor's yard. Then there was the awful sound of smashing glass.
Still holding on to each other, the boys said in stereo, "Oh nooo..."
The big house next door always looked deserted. Nobody seemed to know who lived there, or even `if' anyone lived there. Even the adults in the neighborhood kept their distance from it. It was just too big, too dark, and too old, like something out of a horror movie.
Recently one night when Matthew couldn't sleep, he sat at his window looking out. He was surprised to see a dim light moving behind the window curtains directly across from his own room. But the next morning he didn't notice anything different about the old house, so he figured it was just his imagination.
There was silence after the sound of the glass breaking. Matthew and Ricky looked at each other.
"I guess I'd better go get the ball...huh?" Asked Ricky uncertainly. He was spending the weekend with his best friend Matthew and the last thing he wanted was to get him in trouble.
Matthew looked over at the house, and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. it was getting dark. He wanted his ball back but he was also curious. He had never been into the next yard in all the years he'd lived there, which was pretty much all of his twelve years.
"We'll both go...so I can apologize for breaking whatever that was...it sounded like a window."
In the far corner of the yard Matthew and Ricky pulled at the loose wood of the fence which separated the houses. It gave easily. The two skinny boys wormed themselves through the gap and were suddenly into the other yard. It seemed like they were transported to another world. A rich earthy smell assailed their noses and bugs seemed to be everywhere. Although everything was weedy and overgrown, big red roses ran wild along with all kinds of other flowers. This must have been a beautiful garden once, thought Matthew.
Ricky whispered, "Gee, I wonder where the ball went?"
"Why are you whispering?" asked Matthew who was also whispering.
"I dunno, I feel like I'm in church, or a grave yard, or something." The boys giggled nervously.
There was a soft sound above them. They both looked up and immediately noticed the window with jagged shards of smashed glass. It was on the second floor.
"How will we get inside?" asked Ricky. For some reason it seemed much darker here than in Matthew's yard. And Ricky found himself sweating again, but this time it was from irrational fear rather than simply the heat. He unconsciously plucked at his sticky T-shirt, pulling it away from his moist body.
As they hesitated wondering what to do next, they heard a sharp rapping sound coming from the window above them. Startled, Ricky leaped backward, and tripped over a root. He fell backward right onto his behind.
"Ow..." He didn't know which hurt most, his ankle or his bum. They barely heard the light sprinkle of laughter coming from above them.
Matthew kneeled next to the dark-haired boy and gathered him up in his arms. "Are you alright Ricky? Are you hurt?"
"I...I'm alright, I think...I..think I just twisted my ankle a little bit..."
They looked up again at the window, someone was up there holding their soccer ball. The person waved to them and pointed in the direction of the front entrance.
Matthew kept his arm around Ricky's shoulder as they walked up the stairs to the front door of the old house. The boys were apprehensive. It was late, practically dark, they should have been back home inside their own apartment by now. But they had broken this stranger's window and they had to face the consequences whatever that happened to be.
Matthew reached out to knock at the door, but it swung open by itself, `just like in a horror movie' though Ricky. They just stood there for a moment, then entered the shadowy interior of the house.
The door slammed shut behind them causing them to look back. When they turned around again, they gasped, because someone was standing right there in front of them. He was short and wore black jeans and a dark hooded sweater. Ricky thought that was strange, until he realized how cool it was inside the building.
They stood tongue-tied before the still figure, and didn't know what to say, finally, Matthew stammered, "I...we're sorry that we broke your window, we didn't mean to do it..."
Ricky piped up in a small voice, "Can...may we have our ball back...please?"
Amidst a sudden outburst of laughter the person said, "Don't worry about the window--you should have seen your face when you looked up at me...you fell flat on your ass...it was sooo funny..." He giggled again.
"Huh?" Mumbled Ricky.
"What?" Said Matthew.
"My name is Robbie, I'm staying here for a little while." He swept the hood back from his face as the two boys stared at him in astonishment. It was a kid--a boy! And he couldn't have been more than a year or two older than they were.
They watched as Robbie started dribbling the soccer-ball around the living room as if it were a basketball. It made a thump, thump, thumping noise on the wooden floor. He moved swiftly around the furniture and around the speechless boys. His hair, thick reddish dread locks, cascaded down to his shoulders and flew about as he moved around the room. Ricky couldn't tell if he was a light-skinned black kid or if he was white.
In the dim light Ricky thought Robbie's eyes looked funny, they glittered too much and seemed to glow in the dark like some kind of animal, and they were very, very green.
"I'm Matthew and this is..."
"Ricky, yeah, I know." said Robbie.
"That's a soccer ball not a basketball," ventured Ricky timidly.
"I don't know soccer...we played basketball in Brooklyn." While they were looking at him playing with the ball, suddenly his voice seemed to come from behind them. They spun around and there he was standing still with the ball in his hand. The boys looked all around the room totally confused.
"How did you do that?" asked Matthew.
"Do what?" Robbie had an innocent smile on his face.
"Where is everybody else?" asked Ricky, abruptly changing the subject.
"They are...gone, it's just me."
"You're all alone?" Ricky thought it was cool that Robbie's folks trusted him enough to allow him to stay by himself without even a baby sitter. His own mom would never do that.
"Yeah, I'm all alone." The boys detected a hint of sadness in Robbie's voice.
"Well, you can always come over and play with us Robbie. How about tonight, we're gonna look at movies and play video games, and maybe even get on the internet."
Robbie licked his lips briefly, "You're...inviting me?"
"Yeah," said Matthew, enchanted by the older boy's dazzling smile and beautiful shining face.
"Kewl, then I'll see you a bit later, okay?"
All Ricky and Matthew could think of was their strange new friend. He was so cute-looking and weird at the same time. There was something a little scary about him too. They couldn't quite put their fingers on it. But still, they liked him.
When they got back home to Matthew's apartment, there was a note from his mother saying that she was visiting her sister who lived nearby, and to call if there was any problems. They were relieved that they didn't have to explain why they stayed out so late.
"I'm so stinky and sweaty I need to take a shower right this second." Ricky said this as he pulled his t-shirt off and headed barechested for the shower.
"Well, not before I get in there first..." Matthew grabbed the elastic waist of Ricky's shorts and dragged him backward. Giggling, Ricky yelled, "Hey, you're giving me a wedgie!"
The boys raced each other to the bathroom and playfully began to wrestle at the door to see who would get in first. The half-naked boys fell in a heap onto the cool bathroom floor. They rolled around with their sweaty bodies sticking together until Matthew yelled, "Wait! wait...time out..."
They were panting like little puppies.
Matthew rested for a minute. His slender body lay directly on top of Ricky's small body. Ricky looked up at Matthew's soft face and into his big blue eyes and he was very, very glad that Matthew was his friend. It felt so comfortable and natural to be with him this way. Ricky gently put one arm around Matthew's back and held him close. His other hand stroked Matthew's face tenderly; his fingers traced the bare area where Matthew's eyebrows should be.
"You don't have any eyebrows..." Ricky said.
"So what?" Matthew retorted. And he ground his body hard against Ricky.
"Ahhh..." Ricky gasped. A flood of exciting feelings raced through his body making him feel light-headed.
"If we lay around like this neither one of us is ever gonna get a bath."
Reluctantly, Matthew shifted off of Ricky, but they still held onto each other."
"I know," said Matthew, "why don't we both do it?"
"Uh...do what?"
"Bathe together dummy, this bathroom is more than big enough for the two of us."
His heart was racing a mile a minute, but Ricky answered casually, "`kay."
But the boys just stood there for awhile, too shy to move. one pair of light blue eyes deliberately avoided looking into the other set of darker blue eyes, until Ricky simply stripped off his soccer shorts and undies in one swift movement and stepped into the bathtub.
His cheeks were red from embarrassment, but he figured Matthew was his best friend whom he would trust with his life. They played and did everything together anyway, so he thought 'what does it matter if we see each other naked?'
Ricky turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature of the water. He glanced over at Matthew just in time to catch his blonde friend staring back at him with those big eyes. Ricky took a handful of the cool water and threw it on Matthew startling him out of his dreaminess.
"Ooooh...that's too cold Ricky..."
"Then, come in and fix it yourself."
"Alright..."
So, slowly and deliberately, Matthew slipped his boxers down and off his slender legs. He stepped into the tub facing Ricky and smiled. This wasn't so bad he decided. He stepped even closer to Ricky. Their warm skin touched and the water poured over both of them making their bodies glisten like pearls. The boys played and splashed happily together getting water all over the place.
Finally, they started soaping each other's slippery skin, and their laughter and giggles gradually quieted down. Ricky stood still holding his breath as Matthew's small soapy hands roamed over his body: his chest, his palpatating belly, his clenching butt and now his stiff soapy sex. Gasping, Ricky rose onto his toes and nearly collapsed against the avocado-coloured bathroom wall as the feeling took over. The sensations were overwhelming and too scary. Ricky caught Matthew's hands with both of his and held them tightly against his chest until his own breathing calmed down. Matthew understood.
Maybe we'd better get out of here now, I wanna see the `Airbud' movie again," said Ricky.
"Oh no, not again..." moaned Matthew, "You must have seen that thing a jillion times now."
Ricky crossed the corridor into Matthew's room holding his shorts in one hand and wearing a towel around his shoulders. There was a slight sound to his left and he glanced toward the window--and screamed. Matthew came running into the room still naked and wet. Ricky was backed up against the wall and he was shaking.
"Ricky, Ricky what happened! Why did you scream?" Matthew forgot that they were still naked and pulled Ricky into his arms making his skin tingle. Ricky still shook, "I saw...I think I saw...it was Robbie..."
Matthew looked around the room confused, "Robbie? Where?"
"There," And Ricky pointed to the wide open window.
Matthew went over to the window and looked out, "There's nobody out here, besides its three floors straight down."
Matthew glanced at the big house across the way, and it was dark as always.
"But he was right there, at least I thought he was...just kinda floating outside the window smiling at me. He looked so strange..."
Matthew grinned at him, "You sure it was `Airbud' you looked at last night, or some horror movie?"
"Um...well...I did look at "Buffie The Vampire Killer on TV."
The boys had just dressed when the doorbell rang. Matthew was excited to see that it was Robbie who had taken up his invitation to visit.
Matthew greeted him, "Oh, hi Robbie...you came, kewl!"
Ricky's welcome was more reserved, just a little smile. He was still shaken by the vision, or whatever it was, of Robbie hovering in space beyond the window like some weird angel. He couldn't help it, Robbie scared him a little bit.
Both Ricky and Matthew knew there was something peculiar about the long-haired boy, they could sense it. While Matthew was intrigued, Ricky was curious and suspicious. Robbie obviously got along best with Matthew who was clearly infatuated with his fascinating new friend.
Ricky hung back and was aware of every little touch and smile that passed between Ronnie and Matthew. He saw how Robbie put his arm around Matthew's shoulder when they were looking at TV. Ricky felt guilty that he was jealous each time Matthew smiled back at Robbie because the boy with the long dreadlocks turned out to be a lot of fun. He even entertained them with magic tricks. He was really good.
"Watch this." Robbie pulled a sheet from the bed and draped it completely over himself. He asked, "Are you guys watching?"
"Yes", said the boys together. They had a funny habit of saying the same things at the same time.
They waited, staring at Robbie standing there covered with a white sheet like a Halloween ghost. Suddenly, they felt arms come around their shoulders from behind and Robbie's voice said loudly in their ears, "What the hell are you guys staring at?"
Both kids yelled and nearly jumped out of their skins. Robbie was rolling around the floor laughing at the stunned look on their faces. The two boys turned around to where the sheet was, just in time to see it slowly collapse to the floor quite empty.
"Damn, that's a neat trick, how'd you do that? You should be on TV!", said Matthew.
"How did I do it? Well, I can tell ya, but then I'll have to kill ya..." And he grinned.
Ricky walked across the room to turn on the computer. As he did so, he happened to glance into Matthew's dresser mirror and his heart nearly stopped beating. He backtracked and looked again. There was no mistake. He could see Matthew talking to somebody who just wasn't there. He turned around and looked at the real boys. Matthew was there and Robbie was sitting next to him, but in the mirror there was no Robbie.
Everything was clear now. Robbie's strangeness, his tricks, the vision outside the window. It had to be true. Robbie was a vampire! God! He and Matthew had invited a vampire into their room! Was he gonna kill us? wondered Ricky, will he suck our blood and leave us dead?
Ricky stood across the room and stared at Robbie talking and playing with Matthew just like a regular Kid. Perhaps all he wants is to be friends, Ricky hoped. But he had to find a way to warn Matthew and protect themselves.
He pulled open the top drawer of Matthew's dresser. Ricky knew there was a small silver cross in there which Matthew's grandmother had given him. He grabbed it and hid it behind his back. His heart was thumping in his chest but he had to protect Matthew from this 'undead' boy. He had intended to be subtle about it, but Matthew and Robbie had their arms around each other's shoulders and that made Ricky lose it.
"I know what you are," he said confronting Robbie. Robbie's emerald eyes blazed but he said nothing.
"What are you talking about?" asked Matthew looking impatient and annoyed.
"This!" And he trust the silver cross into Robbie's face.
A light bulb exploded with a loud pop, darkening the room. Robbie flew up and across the space somersaulting through the air like Xena the Warrior Princess. Both feet hit the wall and he tumbled back to the floor landing lightly on the balls of his feet, soft as a cat, right in front of the stunned Ricky.
He was forced to step back as pure unadulterated power radiated from the young child of the night. Robbie's eyes glowed like a green furnace. Later, Ricky would swear that he saw smoke come from them. The cross slipped unnoticed from Ricky's numb fingers onto the floor. Robbie reached out with one hand, grabbed the front of Ricky's shirt and jerked him forward, "Do not interfere!" he whispered.
"Wha...what's happening?" Asked Matthew totally bewildered.
"He's a..." began Ricky.
"I'm a prince of the night," said Robbie smiling gently at Matthew, "...and I've come for you. Please, come with me, we'll have lots of fun."
"No Matthew, he's a vampire, he'll kill you!"
"Be silent! If I wanted to kill you, you'd both be dead already.
He turned back to Matthew, "I like you, I want you to be with me, you won't be dead, you'll be transformed into something a lot more than human, you'll hear the stars sing...you'll have time to explore all the mysteries of this world and others..."
Matthew was more fascinated than scared, Ricky realized that his pal was listening mesmerized as Robbie spoke. Would his best buddy really leave him to go off with a vampire?"
"I'm so lonely Matthew, come with me," the nightchild begged. The windows vibrated with his sadness, and a blue flame briefly ignited where the silver cross lay abandoned on the tan-coloured carpet. Ricky quickly stomped out the small fire.
Quicker than Ricky's eyes could follow, Robbie spun around and leapt towards Matthew. Matthew's feet rose off the ground and his head slammed back hard against the wall. A model car crashed to the floor from a shelf. Robbie's strong left hand pressed against Matthew's chest and held him pinned against the wall. Ricky bravely attempted to help free his friend, but Robbie casually swatted the dark-haired boy and sent him tumbling across the room to land flat on the bed.
Matthew trembled as he watched Robbie's translucent incisors slide down into place. It was hard to focus on that awesome visage, but Matthew dared not look away as the young vampire's liquid face shifted, changing into something so awesome, so awful, so beautiful, that Matthew could hardly bear to look upon it.
Matthew could hear Ricky crying in the background, "Please Matthew, don't do it, don't let him do it...don't leave me...pleeease..."
Matthew shook in Robbie's grasp, the boy-vampire's terrifying face was now only a breath away from his own. This glorious power could be his in a second. He could live forever, flying through the endless night with Robbie, he could be the friend that the lonely little vampire had been searching for. All he had to do was say yes. But he could also hear Ricky pleading, "Please don't leave me Matthew, don't die..."
Robbie's husky voice almost caressed him, "Come with me, I will bathe you in starlight, we will ride together across the kingdom of darkness for all eternity...decide Matthew! Are you gonna remain a weak human boy, or will you be my friend forever?'
A cold fire blazed from the creature's eyes and enveloped the helpless blonde kid in its aura. Matthew could feel his body gradually responding to Robbie's terrible need. Totally beguiled, his desire grew, a desire to be with Robbie, to share his impossible dark power. Matthew now yearned to feel Robbie's cool lips pressed upon his hot young skin. he wanted to know the ecstasy of pain and pleasure as Robbie's sharp teeth pierced his tender neck. He was almost ready to offer the bright red petals of his blood in exchange for a ride into eternity--but what would eternal life be without real love?
Matthew heard the sound of sobbing as if from a long distance away. It was Ricky crying. Matthew didn't want to make Ricky cry. His friend's tears pulled him back to reality and made him remember that Ricky was the first person he thought about when he woke up each day. He couldn't wait to hear his bud's voice on the phone, just shooting the breeze or maybe planning what they were gonna do that particular day. And each day he couldn't wait to see that familiar freckled face that he...that he......loved.
"Why don't you leave Matthew alone, he's my friend," Brave Ricky pulled at the vampire and was swatted again sending him sprawling onto the carpet.
"Matthew you can be my friend too." The voice was now silky, soft and insistent and seemed to caress Matthew. Robbie slid his hands from Matthew's chest to his neck, then he reached up his left hand to rumple the boy's hair fondly, like an adult playing with a little kid, "No one will ever hurt you again, you'll never ever get old."
Robbie took Matthew into his arms excited by the boy's hot blood, his smell. He could hear the sweet liquid rushing along near the surface of Matthew's skin. He could hear the deep throbbing sound of the heart pumping deep within the human body. As he pressed his cool face into the hot downy curve between Matthew's neck and shoulder, he could barely restrain his instinct
to take this sweet boy. His sharp teeth made the slightest nick in the tender skin. And Robbie licked hungrily at it.
Held in this embrace at the edge between life and death, Matthew's eyes fluttered open and saw Ricky lying there, whimpering. And he remembered playing soccer with Ricky, the fun they had at the movies, or wrestling--and the intimate way they had touched each other this very day. No, he couldn't leave, Ricky
was his friend...forever.
"No..." Gasped Matthew.
"But it's something wonderful," the sharp teeth glistened.
"No...I can't...I can't leave..."
"As you wish." Robbie's dreadlocks flew as he spun with Matthew in his arms and he tossed the boy like a rag doll, bouncing him onto the bed next to Ricky.
"Here, take your friend. You win. You know I can just take you both if I wanted, but I won't. You have to want to come with me."
His young voice was filled with disappointment and sadness. The walls shook with his unshielded power and his sorrow. Again, things fell off the walls and crashed to the floor as Matthew and Ricky huddled together. The awesome vampire was now just a boy crying pink tears. He spread his arms wide and rose up hovering between the floor and ceiling. Then he twisted in the air and fell backwards out the window and into the darkness beyond.
Ricky and Matthew ran over to the window, they looked all around, but nobody was there.
~*~