Page 72 of Magic and Muffins

“I heard it was haunted,” a woman said. “I saw it on a ghost hunter show a few years ago.”

“I can guarantee it is not. In fact, our meeting room is set up so you don’t even know you’re in an abandoned building.”

Vena grinned, loving this “adventure.”

I shoved my trembling hands into my pockets so I wouldn’t give my fear away. Going to a vampire meeting was bad enough. Attending one in an abandoned insane asylum? No amount of sweet bribes was going to make this better once it was done.

However, itdidhelp that other buses were showing up. Part of me found comfort in “safety in numbers,” but the other part knew that meant there would be more victims if things went south.

Our driver opened the main doors and led us through an old entryway that had all the creep factors. Broken tiles scattered the floor, along with decaying pieces of lobby furniture and enough cobwebs to turn a horse into a mummy.

Vena and I would be in so much trouble if this were a horror movie. Like cast extras, we dumbly followed a stranger down a dark hallway…into a place my gut said we wouldn’t be able to escape from. To meet vampires!

Vena snaked her arm through mine, an excited smile plastered on her face as she pinched my inner arm in warning. Taking the hint, I tried to slow my breathing.

The driver opened the doors to a large, slightly less terrifying room lit with several lamps.

“How do you have electricity here?” Vena asked.

“Generators.” He gestured to a table with a notebook on it. “Please sign into the guest book, then have a seat. The meeting will start soon.”

He and the other bus drivers congregated around the doors, repeating the same thing to attendees that continued to file into the room. We stood in line and signed the guest book, which was nearing its last page. It was a testament to how many people had become victims.

Someone clapped loudly as we were following the people in front of us toward the seats.

“Welcome, new friends!” a familiar peppy voice said. The neatly dressed man didn’t fit the dismal surroundings. “Please sit, and we’ll get started. I know you all have questions and are eager for answers.”

I realized he was the person who’d spoken with Vena on the phone.

When the room settled, he smiled. “Welcome to the night life! Who here came to find a sponsor?”

About half the people in the room raised their hands.

“And who is here to support the vampire cause? To be an ally to persecuted vampires?”

The remaining people raised their hands, including Vena and me.

“You all are in the right place, and we will celebrate this unity in just a few minutes, but I want to introduce you to our beloved queen and leader, Orphia Prince. She is the driving force behind our efforts and has saved countless vampire lives from those genocidal maniacs, the werewolves. We owe her gratitude and obedience.”

I felt Vena bristle next to me. I placed a calming hand on her arm.

The man turned on a large screen, and Orphia’s face stared back at us.

“Hello and welcome,” she said, all diplomatic smiles and faux warmth. “I’m so glad you’ve joined us this evening. Vampires need your help. We cannot survive without the support of people like you, so thank you all for being here.

“We have lived in the shadows for so long. The wolves murder our kind without hesitation or motive. Humans fear us because of the lies they have been told. Yes, we consume human blood to live, but we don’t harm our donors. We source our blood ethically, ensuring the safety and wellness of our donors so they're able to donate again in the future.

“Humans have no reason to fear us. It’s all propaganda pushed by the wolves. We’ve been slaves to the fae, always having to find them food but never for ourselves.

“It’s time we end this tyranny. For those who are looking for a sponsor, I applaud you and your bravery. Know that this is a great time to become a vampire because we are close to winning the freedom we deserve. We will show those who dare to oppress us that we are more than the fabled shadows they think we are.

“For those who are here not to convert but to support, I applaud you as well. We need allies like you. Please fight these injustices alongside us.

“In order to fight these injustices, I want you to know who to watch out for. These people have done everything in their power to push us down. They’ve killed countless vampires in brutal mass attacks.”

A slide show of people I knew came on the screen. Cross, Shepard, Anchor, Doc, and…

My face flashed on the screen, along with Vena’s. We looked at each other in wide-eyed panic.

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