Day Eighteen Monster University: Gabriel And John


Gabriel And John
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved 

            “I have long since been accustomed to being two people.  WE ARE NOT TWO PEOPLE! WE WERE BORN ONE!  Edward, we were split.  HENRY, IT WAS UNNATURAL! WE ARE ONE! We were conjoined Edward, then when we split so I could marry you killed me in a blind rage.  I COULDN’T BE DISCONNECTED FROM YOU! AND THE GUILT CONSUMED ME! SO I CONSUMED YOU TO MAKE YOU PART OF ME ONCE MORE!  And that lead to this immortal life Edward.  We can only get by most of the time as normal because I am dominant most of the time.   YOU ARE OLDER.  MAKES SENSE.  YOU ARE MY BROTHER. Yes, I am aware. Yes we are brothers, together forever.  YOU TAKE CARE OF ME; I PROTECT YOU.  KILL THREATS TO US.  Yes, Edward.”
            “Look, I really wouldn’t make me angry.”  Gabriel said to the football player poking him the chest.
            “Oh please, you will do my paper, I will get an A, I will play football, and you won’t die.”
            Gabriel barely got out a sigh before John took over.  John smirked.  “You think so little man?”  The football player’s eyes widened as John filled out and stood taller.  Moments later there was a bleeding lump of former football player on the ground.  John bounced off.  It had been so long since he wreaked any havoc and chaos!
            ‘So long my ass. You just tried to come out when another football player tried to beat us up.’
            ‘YES, WELL YOU WOULDN’T LET ME.’
            ‘For good reasons John!’
            ‘STILL HATE THESE NEW NAMES. BUT I KNOW I GET IT WE NEED NEW NAMES TO GET BY IN SOCIETY.’
            Gabriel sighed. ‘Good John. Good. Try not to wreak to much havoc.’
            John smiled and stopped outside of the boxing ring. “Let’s get some fun in!”  He went into the gym. “The first person to bring me down wins a thousand dollars!” John yelled.
            The builders of the gym all smirked and slammed their firsts into their palms. “Let’s go little boy!”
            Two hours later John was whistling as he wiped the blood off his knuckles. “Who are the little boys now?” He smirked as he took all the money in the place and bounced out.
            ‘Did you have to rob the place?’
            ‘OF COURSE! THEY LOST! I WON!’ John laughed as he walked down the street. He was having a good time. It wasn’t often he got free. He stopped when he heard a giggle. He swung around. “Who are you?”
            The young woman smiled. “My name is Maria.”
            “Why were you giggling Maria?”
            “Well, I was giggling at something my inner self stated.”
            “Inner self? You mean like a sister?”
            Maria laughed. “Yeah, she is my older sister. Killed her I did about five years ago. Then I ate her.  She disconnected us. She cut us up just for love!”
            John smiled. “My brother did the same! Now he is always in control until he gets angry enough and I can be free!”
            “Me too!” Maria laughed.
            “Want to go get into some trouble?”
            Maria smiled. “I would love too!”
            ‘You may just get love after all John.’ Gabriel whispered to him.
            John ignored his brother in favor of stealing a car and joyriding to another town. He drove the car right into a bank. “Come on Maria!” He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the wreckage.
            Maria laughed and bounced over to the vault. “I got some explosives.”
            John instead flexed his muscles. “Let me show you what I can do!” John placed his hands on each side of the vault doors and gripped them bending the metal and then pulled ripping the door off. “Well take your fill!”
            Maria grabbed a bag and started to fill the back with money as John broke open the safety deposit boxes and dumped them in another bag.  When the sirens came close John grabbed her and ran up to the roof and jumped over to the other building. He laughed as Maria moved to hang off his back. He never had such fun! Except when he went on a killing spree!
            The next morning Gabriel woke up with a moan as his body protested all the use of the muscles last night. He sat up and looked down at the woman next to him. “Hello.”
            The woman woke. “Hi. I am Anna.”
            “Nice to meet you Anna. My brother seems quite taken with your sister Maria. We hadn’t meet another set like us before.”
            “Yes, well everything works out for the best doesn’t it?”
            “It does.” Gabriel smiled. “Well I got to get ready for classes. And you?”
            “I go to school to. Majoring in Psychology.” Anna laughed.
            Gabriel smiled at her laugh. “Would you like to go to dinner tonight?”
            “I would love that.” Anna smiled. “See you then.” She gave Gabriel a kiss and grabbed her clothes and left.
            That night Gabriel found Anna waiting for him at his house. “Let me grab something and I will be back out.”
            Anna smiled. “Of course. I realized I didn’t give you my address or phone number when I left today.”
            “Oh I am sure I could have found you.”
            ‘DO NOT MESS THIS UP BROTHER! I LIKE MARIA. MARIA MINE. ANNA YOURS.’
            Gabriel ignored him in favor of grabbing the flowers he bought earlier and taking them to Anna. “I got you these.”
            Anna smiled and gave a thank you as she got into the car. “Where are we going?”
            “We aren’t going to do anything as crazy as drive three towns over and rob a bank; but I think you might have some fun.” Gabriel smiled as he drove to the next town to go to an exhibit.
            Anna got out of the car, her eyes wide at the exhibit he had gotten tickets for. “How did you get tickets to this?”
            “I have my connections.” Gabriel stated as he took her hand.
            “This is an interactive exhibit of the psychology of serial killers.”
            “I thought you would like it with your major and our inner workings. I find it fascinating. If you don’t we can go somewhere else.”
            “NO! I love it! Thank you!” Anna stated as she started to go to each booth about each of the most prolific serial killers.
            Gabriel smiled as he watched her go space to space. “This was John and I.” He pointed to a set of conjoined twins about killing fifty men in one night because of an insult.”
            “‘And they hunted them down and ripped the spines from their chests before bathing in their blood.’ A little gross on the bathing there Gabriel.”
            “Yes well they did insult John.” Gabriel shrugged. He could be just as ruthless as his brother. Even if his brother was more blood thirsty.
            “And you like the good brother protected him.”
            “Well John talked me into the bathing. I wanted to make their spines the whips to strangle them to death. They never talk about that as much as bathing and drinking the blood. This was right before we had that surgery three towns over to separate.”
            “Why did you do it?”
            “My fiancé wanted it done. I agreed because she threatened to have John killed. We were mortal once.”
            “Well I am glad John killed her. And well, I am glad for this too.”
            Gabriel smiled. “Let’s go do something fun.” He smirked as he grabbed her hand and speed off towards a higher populated town. He got out and took her hand. “You don’t mind a bit of blood right?”
            “What did you have in mind?”
            “Well you see I happen to know some very bad people live in that prison there. And well I need a new whip.”
            Anna laughed as she let him lead her into breaking into the prison. “We could get in trouble!”
            “Nah! We have our contacts Anna. Just let go!” 
            Anna was standing in the middle of the unit that Gabriel had broken into and was watching Gabriel rip the spines out and then use it to spray the blood all around them. Anna was never more happy than she was to be able to be a monster. Though sophisticated in the public light this was the true her. She smiled as the blood ran down her face.
            Gabriel looked over and smile at her. There was blood everywhere. They were bathed in it. And looking into her eyes he saw both Anna and Maria and within that his own eyes showing both himself and John. And within those reflections he found peace and a since of belonging. Everything works out for the best. And sometimes… just sometimes… Gabriel learned that John can be right about some things…

Day Seventeen Monster University: Ian

Ian
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

“I heard an interesting thing. That I have a grandson with the same immortality issue as myself. Maybe it is a blood line thing. After all I was a great blood thirsty warrior! And he is the basis of Stoker’s Dracula! He had my name. I hear he goes by Drake now. Well, instead of Vlad I go by Ian. I also hear he still feels guilt over drinking the blood of our food source. Well that won’t do. I will just have to find him. I mean Bo suggested this town for a reason. It seemed to be a Monster Paradise! Oh look at all the young impressionable bags of blood. I am a history professor now. History! Ha! I lived history! But oh so many tasty bags of blood running around. Time for Drake to learn the way of the Dracula blood line! After all guilt and a Dracula don’t go hand and hand. In fact I wonder if there is a curse upon Drake, he used to be as blood thirsty as myself! I may have to look into this farther. After all once a blood thirsty monster always a blood thirsty monster! And he should be evolving into an Incubus but is stuck as a vampire… Yes more research is needed.”

Ian smiled as his students came in. He smirked when he saw his grandson. Yes, his parties were nice, but a good hunt will get Drake’s blood flowing and get him to really accept his godhood he had been given! After all even before immortality they were Draculas! Gods among men! “Good Morning class!” Ian greeted. “Today we are going to go over the timeline we will be covering this semester and what is expected of you! So get your computers out or your notebooks and start paying attention! I don’t accept late work. You will have weekly assignments…” Ian went on outlining his grading policy and so forth. “And your teaching assistant for this class is Hal! If you need anything just go to him and he can help you!” Ian looked at the time. “Class dismissed.” He called. “Oh Drake would you stay a moment.”

Drake watched the man. He looked a lot like him. When he asked him to stay he waited. “Yes?”

“Well there is a few things. First I am your grandfather. Bo just found out and told me. I told him I would tell you. The second is I think a curse has been placed on you. After all you were a blood thirsty warrior before your godhood! So we will be checking on that. And lastly we are going for a true hunt. It will get your undead blood flowing and get you set up to start coming into your transformation!” Ian clapped his grandson on the shoulder. “Come one we will rock this town!”

“Curse? Why wouldn’t Frank or Cameron have figured that out? Lucas knows curses as well and we have pretty much been friends for the last few centuries.”

“Well if it is the curse I think it is, they wouldn’t know about it. And if you don’t know about it no checks will bring it up. So I am going to have to take some of your blood and test it. If it is the curse I think breaking it will be simple enough.” Ian stated as they walked to his office. “So arm please.”

Drake nodded and gave him his arm. “When will you know?”

“Tomorrow night. It will work because that is when we are going to go hunting! Now if you excuse me I have a few ‘brides’ to take care of.” Ian laughed as he turned into a bat and flew out the window.

Drake shook his head but went off to his next class. “A grandfather…” He whispered. Family. He thought the guys would be his only family for so long. But lately everybody has been gaining a family. Sam got married. Frank found a daughter. Lucas might as well be the second father of that little girl, both are extremely protective of her and Cameron is the type to have nothing to do with her until she is eighteen. Drake shook his head with a chuckle at that thought. Frank would kill Cameron, if Lucas didn’t get to him first. He tried to focus on his classes but he found out he his grandfather had the same curse as he did. And answers would come tomorrow night.

Ian landed in his lab and put the blood into the potion simmering. It was one he used to check his blood for curses every so often. It would check his grandson’s as well. He then went over to his captives. They were under a thrall to please him as his ‘brides’, well at least until he grew tired of them and drained them. He smirked as they came to offer him wine and grapes as they joined him on his king size bed. “Time for some fun lovelies!” He stated as he bit down on the neck of one.

Ian stretched as he woke the next day. He went over to the potion and nodded. “Just as I thought. Well, nothing that cannot be fixed.” He stated with a smirk. “This should make the hunt very much a party tonight!” Ian looked over at his brides. He sighed. They were good, but so boring. He drained two of the three last night and the third was on death’s door. He had to turn her or kill her. He walked over and snapped the neck of them all. He picked up the phone.

“Tony’s Cement Shoes! You Kill ‘Em, We Sink ‘Em!” Ella’s voice came over the line.

Ian laughed. “Oh, Ella dear Bleu found a gem in you!”

“Ian! Well you see I have had to revamp the whole operation! I mean, they have had no business mindset whatsoever! But I have fixed it now!”

“Of course you have! That is why in Italian families the women run the family. Men can’t do shit. As a man I fully agree with that sentence.”

“Then why aren’t you settling down instead of dealing with these ‘brides?’”

“Not everybody can be as lucky as Bleu!” Ian laughed. “By the way three, Bleu and Tony should have the key.”

“Oh we have the keys. And a key system now! I swear I don’t know how these men took care of themselves for as long as they did. Did you need our services besides the three brides today?”

“No, the hunt I have already informed both Gus and Ewan. They will handle the bodies. Poor Drake was as cursed as I thought. But a few drainings of virgins will break that!”

Ella laughed. “Great! We will contact Ewan and Gus if they need any help. Have a great night Ian!”

Ian laughed as he hung up and after getting ready for the day smirked at his grandson as he came into his class. “Today class we are going to start a little game to learn about Stalin! It is the Stalin game and your objective is to over throw Stalin, AKA me. You must have 50 signatures of fellow classmates, none of them can be spies, and none of you can be placed in jail, the gulag or killed.” Ian showed the board with the different names and sections. “You will then turn it into the head of the History department for validation. If you overthrow me you get an A. If you don’t, your grade is based upon participation. Good luck!”

After class Drake came up to him. “Well?”

“Well it is the curse I thought. It is a curse given out by Van Helsing. I mean that man turned his own son into a monster, and then tried to kill him. But all you have to do to break it is to gorge yourself on the blood of ten virgins tonight. No biggie. We are going hunting after all.”

Drake swallowed but nodded. He wasn’t too pleased he had been cursed for as long as he had been. “Let’s break this!”

Ian laughed and clapped his grandson on the shoulder. “Let’s.”

They waited until night fall and being middle of the week they choose to hunt outside of the college town. Thankfully pure blood gave off a sweeter scent so they were able to easily find the ten sacrifices for Drake and Ian found himself a couple of ‘brides’ that would last him a few weeks. Drake dropped the body of the last one and felt a power flowing through him and he felt the curse breaking as a weight lifted off his mind. “Oh goddess that is power.” He stated.

Ian smirked. “Of course it is. Now off you go grandson. Hopefully that thing called a conscience won’t bother you again.”

Drake smirked. “I shall think not grandfather.” He stated as he turned on his heel and turned into a bat and left.

Ian smirked. “Come brides. We have a busy night ahead of us. After all my grandson is finally free.”

Day Sixteen Monster University: Bleu

Bleu
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved


            “I am not much of an enforcer anymore. I used to be forever ago. Sometimes I leave my uncle and go and work for the mob/mafia, whoever is in charge of the underground. It has become so ‘commercial!’ Well, at least right now I am on the in, right now the leader of the Monster Mafia is Bo in away. We all listen to his guidance.  Hey as long as I don’t have to go to school and can work with my hands I am good.  Even though when I look in the mirror I look like a thing, a goblin type thing. I hate it. But I kept my abilities and strength from life and I can use a charm to make me look like I once did. So that is something. And this time I am working on cars all the time. I love cars. I have since Henry Ford built the first one! Now if humans could all be smart about things maybe they wouldn’t have to be disposed of so very often.”
            Bo sighed as Bleu came into his office. “Can’t you go bother your uncle?”
            “Nah, he is off for the weekend. Monster business. You need anything done? I got all the cars done and Drake’s latest clean up done.” Bleu looked into the mirror. “Wish I could make this permanent instead of being this thing that I am.”
            Bo sighed. “We are monsters Bleu get over it. Now why don’t you go help out someplace else? I mean we should be fine for the week, we have Gus and Ewan. We can fix anything we need for the week. Go relax. When was the last time you took some time for yourself?”
            “Don’t know. Don’t really care. I need to work with my hands you know this Bo.”
            “So go do something with your hands! Go do that rebuild or something. God, I can’t fix everything Bleu!”
            “Sheesh! I just came to see if you needed some help. Geeze! I am going! I am going! But if you have to clean something up it is your fault!” Bleu stated with a laugh as he slammed the door and took off. 
            Bo shook his head. Sometimes he felt like the father of all the monsters.
            Bleu was wondering about town. There had to be something to do. But what? Suddenly he saw an hold ’67 Impala body. Ooo! Bleu smiled and moved on towards that house. He watched as the husband and wife were fighting about the ten thousand dollars the wife spent on the body and not knowing how to fix it up. Not bad. Bleu looked it over. It had most of the original parts, yeah it needed about twenty thousand in work but thirty thousand for a nice Bleuty like this? No bad at all. And it seems the husband didn’t know the gem he had in that woman. Bleu got a sinister smile on his face. Well he would have to just plant some thoughts in that pretty head of hers. He whistled as he waited for her to storm out and leave. She seemed the type. And he wasn’t disappointed as she walked off towards Jo’s Pool Hall.
            Ella was furious. How could her husband not see what a buy that was? Well, it was a lot more than she thought it should be but it came with a lot of original parts that just need to be fixed. He spent over one hundred thousand on that stupid new car of his! This was a bloody classic! “Tequila!” She ordered as she sat down.
            “Make that two.” Bleu sat down. “Why is a darling like you upset?” Bleu smiled as he waved to Jo to leave the bottle.
            Jo rolled her eyes. “Anything else?”
            “Nah. Later.” Bleu stated. “Well, darling?”
            “My husband! He is all upset because I spent money on a car body! It was a 1967 Impala! It was only ten thousand and only about fifteen thousand to repair! That is a steal! But no that is wrong! Can’t spend my own money on anything that doesn’t fit his cookie cutter suburban life! I don’t even know why I married him!”
            “Suburban wife doesn’t seem your type of scene.” Bleu poured her another shot. “I mean I see those tattoos on your back.”
            Ella laughed. “I for sure ain’t America’s sweetheart. I am too loud, too mouthy, too wild, but I thought I loved the bastard.” She downed the next shot. “To bad he couldn’t just… disappear.”
            Bleu smirked and poured her another shot.  “Well, darling, you know sometimes that could be arranged.”
            They drank between them about two bottles of tequila and the night was coming to an end. “You know I can make it so he disappears.” Bleu told her as he walked her home.
            Ella looked up at him. “How?”
            “I wasn’t always the good mechanic that I am now. Everybody has a past Ella.”
            “What is your past?”
            “Me? I used to be an enforcer a long time ago. Until they killed my uncle and I.”
            “Killed?” Ella was drunk but keeping up. “Huh?”
            “Well, you see I and my Uncle Tony were the cleaner and enforcer for a mob. Well, we have done that for years, but the point is that we caught someone cheating the boss and selling him out to the enemy. We were killed for it. We got our own pair of cement shoes; just like the ones we used to put on people. Anyways you see darling, our need for revenge, our need for payback made us creatures. We are immortal; and creatures of the waters.”
            “Show me.” Ella demanded. “Show me now.”
            Bleu shrugged, if she caused issues he would just kill her too. Even if he sorta liked her. He dropped his charms and morphed into his little water creature goblin body. “There ya go.”
            “Dude, you remind me of a goblin… or that creature from the book Lord of the Rings! So cool!” Ella stated.
            Bleu blinked.  “Okay. Well anyways as I said I can make your husband disappear.”
            Ella smirked. “Well, that would be quite beneficial. Especially after you figure out how to grant me this immortality. Let me know when it is done. Don’t tell me before because you know cops and shit and I have to act like the grieving widow that I am.” She kissed Bleu’s cheek and bounced into her house.
            Bleu stood there for a bit of time but then smiled and made his way back to the shop. He had a ‘mess’ to clean up. And he wondered about how to grant her immortality.  He would have to talk to Bo in the morning.
            “YOU WHAT?” Bo yelled the next morning.
            “I want Ella Thompson to be granted monsterhood. I know that James has a way without making them slaves. Or the Frankensteins. Come on! Even Kristoff knows a way. I am going to kill her husband and it is about time that my family has a matriarchal figure again. You know women rule the home. Without it you know that I am just bouncing along in life. And not to mention most of the family that we have spread out across the world. Come on!”
            Bo sighed. “Fine! Fine! When you take the husband I will have someone take the wife and grant her monsterhood, as you so call it! But you better keep her in line! Got it Bleu?”
            “Got it boss man! I will be taking him tomorrow night! Killing him and then I can ‘rescue’ her! Have them set it up and let me know!” Bleu left without waiting for an answer.
            Ella woke with a scream on her lips but quickly clamped her mouth shut when she saw Bleu put a finger to his lips.
            Bleu bent down, he had already plunged her husband full of paralytics. “Just do as they say and you will gain your immortality.” He whispered as he started to drag her husband from the room.
            Ella looked up at the woman in front of her. “Who are you?”
            “I am Beth. Frankenstein.”
            “Like the Bride of Frankenstein?!”
            Beth laughed. “Of course darling. Now we are going to meet my son and granddaughter and we will help you gain immorality. We are meeting a warlock.  Come along Ella.”
            Ella stood up and put on a robe to find herself slammed against the wall.  “What?”
            “And you hurt Bleu, you will regret it. Got it little girl?” Beth demanded.
            Ella nodded.  “Yes ma’am.”
            Beth looked into her eyes and nodded. “Come on we don’t have long before Bleu is going to stage a ‘rescue.’” She swept out expecting Ella to follow.
            Bleu shot Ella a smile when they walked into the cemetery.  He had the husband laid out of an alter; Kristoff was talking to Frank about daughters and the joy and heartache. “Hey Ella! Beth!”
            Beth nodded and went and took her granddaughter from Frank. “Bleu. I hope you  know what you are doing?”
            “I am doing what feels right in this blackened soul of mine.” He laughed as he took the spade and drove it into the husband’s chest. “After all we can only do what our soul tells is right.”
            Ella blinked and watched as the warlock and Bleu took organs from her husband. Well, former husband, and put them through a cleaning and ritual before making her drink them down. Once she took the last gulp she collapsed on the ground and let blackness overtake her.
            Bleu smiled and with Ewan’s help staged the rescue. He had been driving by when this homeless man was killing this husband and wife. He hadn’t been able to save the husband before the homeless man had killed, and apparently ate, him. But he was able to save the wife.
            Ella woke with a groan as the white of the hospital came into view and the purple black hair of Beth was at her side. “What…”
            “Everything went perfectly! You just have to eat some organs ever so often. Nothing Bleu won’t help you with!”
            Ella was going to respond when she saw Bleu come in with flowers “Bleu!” She smiled.
            “Ella. I have come to take you home.”
            “Home sounds great.” Ella smiled.

Day Fifteen Monster University: Tony

Tony
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

            “For as long as the world has rotated, there has been mob/mafia type groups and with them the cleaners. I was that in life, and now I am in death. My own boss betrayed in and my nephew in the end and had us swimming with the fishes. We morphed and became these creatures that live in the water.  A cleaner and enforcer in life, as we shall be in death. I laugh at that. It works though, we can deal with and hid anything. Of course we are a repair shop to the humans. How I and Bo got into the leadership of this thing I don’t know. I ain’t no leader. I am a cleaner born and breed. And a cleaner is what I will go to judgment as; even if it sends me to hell when this world ends.”
            Tony sighed as he took two new bodies to where Ewan wanted the other officers to find them. He didn’t mind cleaning up, he really didn’t but sometimes he just wanted a break. He was after all a creature of the water and sometimes it would be nice to just stay in the water and admire his handy work or to just relax. But he was always on call. Especially in the fall months. Sometimes he hated the fall months. Really hated them. Most monsters did take a break around the last two weeks of the year but with the parties he never just had time for himself. And that is what frustrated him. He was a monster to damn it and he had needs. Needs for life and blood and souls and screams and fear! And he needed them! Well, he didn’t ‘need’ them like some monsters did, but he missed being a part of a huge mob hit and then cleaning it up. It was just something about it that got one’s blood, or sludge, flowing in their veins. He needed a vacation.
            Bleu looked up when his uncle came in. “Hey! You Drake called again…”
            Tony blew then. “You deal with it! I am out of here! I am taking a small vacation! If you need me don’t look for me! Got it?” He yelled as he grabbed a suitcase from his office. He always kept one packed in case he needed to leave town quickly. Old habits die hard. He chuckled at that. He had a warped sense of humor.
            Bleu blinked. “Whatever Unc, I will see ya when you get back.” Bleu grabbed the keys to the truck and was out the door. He had seen his uncle blow up once before and he did not want to see that again anytime soon!
            Tony didn’t dilly dally. He was out the door and into his pick up and half way to the lake before the closed sign came to a stop on the door of the shop. He smiled as he grabbed a cold beer out of the cooler. Yes, yes, not cool the drinking and driving but one beer wasn’t going to do any harm. After all once he was at the lake he wasn’t going to move. He was going to terrorize some teenagers. Maybe go all eighties B rated horror movie on them. He laughed at that as he finished the beer in a few gulps.  He loved those old fashioned horror movies.  And now was the time for some fun and relaxing.
            Tony got to the lake and smiled as he threw down his fishing gear and his cooler. He would chill for a while like any normal human male getting away; but as soon as the students came he would have his real fun. Drownings, slicings, stabbings, oh the fun he would have. Until then he had his beer and he had his fishing pole.
            It was around ten that evening when the cars drove up. Tony sat up straight. He had been dozing off in the shallow water of the lake. He smirked. How he would love the smell and taste of the fear of those kids as they realized they had just signed their deaths by coming out to the lake this weekend. He whistled as he packed everything up and then dived into the water.
            “Come on Jenny! Let’s go for a midnight swim!” Jim yelled as he stripped and jumped into the water.  “The water is warm and perfect for tonight! Come one Jenny!”
            Jenny looked at her boyfriend. “I don’t know. It is getting late.”
            “Jenny! We have the whole weekend! Come on. It is just us and Jack and Charlie. Come on pretty baby and take a midnight swim with me.” Jim smirked.
            Jenny rolled her eyes but soon started to strip as she swayed her hips as she walked into the water. “Well come and catch me lover boy.” She smirked as she dived. She after all was at school on a swimming scholarship.
            Tony smirked as the female got close to where he was hiding. In his real form he blended in so well with the lake bed. When she swam over him he moved as quick as a snake and grabbed her ankles pulling her down.  He smiled with his razor sharp teeth when she got eye level to him. He felt her fear. Smelt it. Tasted it.  He smirked as he held her close and then used his teeth to rip out her throat. He slurped up the blood and let the body float to the top.  He could hear the screaming of her boyfriend and her two other friends up top.  He moved from the spot and watched.
            Jim screamed as he rushed over to Jenny. He grabbed her body and almost threw up at the gaping hole in her neck and the vacant dead eyes that were clouding over. He screamed and pulled her to the shore.  “CALL THE COPS!”
            Jack was trying the phones. “Dude! I can’t get a signal!”
            Tony smirked as he came up behind Jack and grabbed his hands and twisted breaking his neck and ripping his head off.  He laughed as Charlie and Jim screamed and ran towards the cabin. The cabin that he owned.  He smirked as he dropped the head and stepped on the body as he made his way to the cabin. “Come on out and play!” He yelled.
            Charlie and Jim huddled together as the monster kept coming closer to the house. They knew they were going to die. They knew they were never going to see the light of dawn again. They both sobbed as the house shook and the door was broken in front of them.  “Please!” They yelled.
            Tony smirked and grabbed Charlie and threw her to the side. He then took his fishing knife and stabbed Jim a dozen times letting him down in his blood. Tony smirked as he walked over to Charlie. “Your fear smells so good.” He stated.
            “Please… Please… Please…”
            Tony looked at her. “Well I can make it quick.” He picked her up and then rammed his fist into her chest and ripped out her heart.  Tony dropped both the body and the heart. He yawned and plucked a beer out of the fridge. Man, killing kids were hard work. He sat down in front of the television and put on the baseball game. He fell asleep content he could clean it all up tomorrow and nobody would ever find the bodies of the now missing teenagers.

Day Fourteen Monster University: Morgan

Morgan
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved


“It seems ironic that my voice when I speak is like sweet cream or honey. But when I cry, when I wail it sounds and feels like death. I remember hearing that wail for the first time. I was a warrior. I was a queen! They called me The Phantom Queen with how quiet and light on my feet I am. I was the queen and men followed me to their deaths and their victories. Then I married.  Then I fulfilled my duty to take a husband and become round with my heir. Then I failed. For all my success on the battlefield when it came to being a woman I failed. My child was stillborn and I almost died, losing the ability to have a child. It had to be my fault. And so I dove into magic trying to find a solution to have a child. Instead I ended up with immortality. To keep the curse I must kill those who failed their child. Fitting. It is my fault my child is dead and I was punished. Others should be as well. Now I use my honey voice to calm them and then I strike fear into them when I wail and allow them to know Death is coming for them.”
            Morgan looked out at her dinners. She loved running the restaurant. It allowed her to see families. It allowed her to watch them. She still grieved for her only child. She still desired a child. She hadn’t thought of adoption before. Oh she knew of it, but she didn’t think a monster would be able to adopt. But then she heard Frank had a daughter now. She was given immortality. In an over dramatic ritual, Morgan know easier and better ones, as long as the child would be as cursed as she was, to wail and kill those with her cries. It isn’t so bad. We have a set victim, we don’t have to have so many a year or a decade or are cursed to gain forgiveness. Because forgiveness can only truly come from within. And well she was never going to forgive herself for failing her duty as a woman. It is why she moaned and cried and turned those like her to a bleeding mess as their blood vessels in their body burst at hearing her cries.
            “Earth to Morgan! Earth to Morgan!” Came a voice and a hand in front of her face.
            “Oh, sorry I was just…”
            “Just lost in thought there darling?” Came the drawl of Abe.
            “Shush Abe!” Yelled Caliban. “She was doing her thing more than likely.”
            “Oh she can do that without spacing out on us. I mean we are planning a party here!” Abe stated as he reached over the counter and filled his glass with more sugary carbonated beverages.
            “I don’t see how you can mix all those flavors.” Caliban stated. “And I am basically a kid.”
            Abe took a long drink. “So good! Full of sugary goodness! I mean my father never allowed me this. Hell the man basically made me with all he deprived me of when I was growing up.”
            Morgan rolled her eyes. “Why are you two planning a party again?”
            “Well I am so glad you asked!” Abe clapped his hands. “You see with Sophie joining us monsters, and Darin in town, and of course Sam basically getting hitched I thought we should have a big New Year’s Eve to do and celebrate everything! Bring in fresh food, let our hair down, and just have fun. I mean yeah James Parties are fun but we need them more than once a year!”
            Morgan rolled her eyes and scanned the families again. She had heard some rumors and she needed to validate them before she just went and killed the parents. That was the one thing about her that set her apart from other monsters. She didn’t just go off one rumor but validated and only hunted very specific people. She has gone decades without killing and she isn’t required to kill. She is only required to live. Well it wasn’t really a requirement as ‘failing’ can be so differently interrupted so she never really had to kill them. It was just sometimes… just sometimes… it was satisfying to kill those who failed their children.
            For over a week Morgan watched the same family. The mother was always hunched into herself. The father was always trying to act tough. She had heard that their eldest had died. Suddenly and without cause. So Morgan decided to check in on that. After just a couple of hours she found the abuse. The pain the kid had gone through and finally was released. It wasn’t the parents. It was a teacher at the school. The parents hadn’t noticed. Too busy. Always too busy. Well, Morgan normally only killed the children but a teacher was like a parent to a child. She would kill the teacher instead and then choose to spare or kill the parents. After all, they had failed their eldest.
            One Friday night Morgan walked into Jo’s with a strappy little dress and heels that made her legs go for miles. She saw her target. She smirked and walked right up to him. “Buy me a drink slugger?” She smirked as she bit his ear.
            The man, Wayne Stevens, just nodded and snapped his fingers to Jo. “Whatever the lady wants and a refill. NOW!” He yelled.
            Jo raised an eyebrow to Morgan and Morgan licked her lips. Jo laughed. “Well, if you hadn’t I would have.” She stated as she poured the good tequila on the man’s credit card.
            Morgan laughed and took the shot took the bottle and went and straddled her victim. “Come one honey! Let’s go dance!” She pulled him by the tie. “I want to dance!” She started to sway her hips and lead him into the middle of the dance floor.
            It was two in the morning and Morgan was dragging Wayne into the woods.  She smiled as she took off her shoes, dropping them as she went and then skimmed out of her dress at the water’s edge. “Come one Wayne!” She called.
            It wasn’t long before the man was by her side and undressing.  “I can’t believe one of the most gorgeous women in town thought to notice me.”
            “Oh, Wayne, don’t know you when you hurt kids all the queens notice? It was just I got to win.” Morgan stated.
            Wayne looked at her. “What are you talking about?”
            “What do you think I am talking about? A little kid now at rest because of your abuse. Abuse, their parents missed because they trusted you?” Morgan held his head between her hands. “And now my soul cries for that child Wayne. And you will bleed the tears I cry.” Morgan then opened her mouth and let out a mournful cry for the child.
            Wayne tried to get away but soon the blood was dripping from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears as every vessel burst in his body. As Morgan held him to life to feel the pain. To feel the pain of failing a child. To feel the pain of not doing what his job was and to protect and care and teach the child. Soon his heart exploded out of his chest and she was covered in blood. She dropped the body.  She sneered at it as she dived into the water and cleaned off before putting her dress back on leave his body.
            Morgan found herself walking to the home of the parents. They were sitting outside yelling. Each blaming the other for not noticing what was happening to their eldest.  Morgan stopped and listened.  The mother. The mother was having an affair with Wayne. Well, that wouldn’t do and as the father slammed into the house Morgan went and grabbed the mother. She looked into her eyes. “You failed your child. Your failed your child for sexual gratification. For your sins you must die.” She let out a mournful cry and again held the woman as she died.  Morgan dropped the body and went home to clean up. She left a message for Ewan about the two lovers who cut their own hearts out than to be apart. She then took out a million in savings and snuck in and put it in a ‘hidden’ safe in the house. It would keep the father and allow him to be home more with his remaining children. After all if the father failed then she would have to take him as well. She smiled at the young babe that still lived and with a kiss to the babe’s head she left with the wind. Giving one final mournful cry to grieve the passing of a child…

Day Thirteen Monster University: Sebastian


Sebastian
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved 

            “Funny that I live in the shadows during most of my ‘lives.’ After all I was created by darkness. I am older than most of the monsters that are in our group. I was created with the dawn of times. I have seen not only this vast Earth, but the nothingness that it once was before the balls of gas formed in space. I wasn’t always a monster. I was once a creator of life. I gave souls. Now I take them. It is my punishment. I refused to not give souls to infants. I thought all humans deserved a chance at life. To live, the soul had to be given to the body. Thus adding the soul to the body and allow the body to live. All beings generally have souls. There are a few exceptions though. Frank wasn’t given his own soul, he is made up of the pieces of souls left over though he says he is soulless, those pieces have knitted together to create something of a soul. No sometimes there is just evil in the world. I wouldn’t say we are evil, though we kill to live. We are just doing what humanity is doing… doing whatever is needed to stay alive. That is probably why when I was banished to the shadows of Earth I tried everything to be able to walk among the mortals and I found a way. I must drain souls to gain a body. About one hundred a year. Which is probably why I work with Bo and the other monsters as the private investigator… Funny how being a shadow who wants to be among the humans I live my un-life in the shadows…”
            Sebastian sighed as he was going through the paper work. His job was mostly to find and create identities. He had to research backgrounds, make sure that pictures and most evidence that one of their family wasn’t how they said they were. He had only met a handful; but they were okay beings. Right now he was finding what he could on Mary Sheldon and whose daughter she gave birth to; as Frank wasn’t giving up the babe. He didn’t blame him. Kids were a soft spot for him as well as most monsters. Most monsters only regretted not being able to have their own children. He wasn’t having much luck with Sheldon. She grew up listening to monster stories, took it seriously, majored in classic lit and started teaching at a local high school getting her doctorate and then moving to teach at the university. No relationships. No marriages. Nothing. Not even a picture of her with any men. It just didn’t make sense!  He sighed as he threw the paper away from him.  He looked up at the calendar. He had to take a soul soon. He had to take two a week and then he would have two weeks where he wouldn’t have to take any souls. He could pretend to be normal. He slacked on taking the first this week so he would have to take both quickly and close together. He stood up and jabbed his hat on his head and left. He had to do a bit of research anyways on this Sheldon chick. It was like she was a bloody monster herself. But if that was the case she would know the rules for not attacking any monsters living in their town. If they do they are declaring war. It was only because of James that Kat was still alive and it wasn’t divided into kingdoms, Frankensteins and the voodoo priestess and her slaves. Most would have sided with Frank. Nobody touched family. Family was such a rare commodity in this undead life. He locked his door and headed toward the bars.
            “Hey Seb!” Jo yelled. “Usual?”
            Sebastian nodded. “Of course Jo.” He took a seat at the end of the bar… in the shadows. Tonight he was hunting. He looked out the window into the skies. He saw the billions of stars, many he created, many he knew had died out long ago. He closed his eyes against the pain of his creations dying. He knew they would. He knew soon there would be nothing he created. Not even this Earth that he sat upon. Soon he would be up for re-judgment and given a new punishment for his disobedience. Even when these monsters went to heaven or hell he would be stuck in an endless loop of punishment because he was a creator. A destroyer. A true monster. He gave all this life and he would take it one day as part of his punishment. He shook himself out of his stupor; after all he had to focus.  He flicked his soul gaze on and looked at the people. He tried to pick those who were unnoticed, unwanted, unneeded or evil. After all there was just sometimes evilness in the world. 
            It was a few beers in when a bar fight caught his attention. It wouldn’t have held his attention if it wasn’t for the dark oily souls that were leading the fight. Sebastian smirked. Two for one! Always loved a bonus. He moved over and jumped into the fray. He had to get on his victims sides so he helped them. Soon the little college boys that started the fight were limping away nursing their wounds, sans the cash they lost at the pool game. Lost… Stolen… Po-tat-oes… Pah-tot-os.
            “Hey man that was cool of ya. Why us and not the frat boys?” One of the meals on legs asked.
            “Looked a bit unfair, seven against two? Thought I would even it up a bit.” Sebastian gave a grin.
            The two men laughed. “Well this is Bubba and I am Jay. Niceta meet ya.” Jay held out his hand.
            Sebastian took it. “Seb.”
            “Come on! Let’s get us some beer with our prize money and play some pool! Come on you can join us Seb, after all those who fight together drink together!” Bubba stated.
            It wasn’t long before the stolen money ran out but Sebastian just slapped his credit card on the bar and they continued to drink. Jo came up to him. “Hell Seb they are drunk enough don’tcha think?”
            “Just making sure. You know I avoid struggle. You do me a favor and call the bodies in, in the morning? Gus, should get use out of the skin; and they are trouble makers they will think they got on the wrong side of each other and shot each other when I am done with the scene.”
            “No problem sug. Look, just don’t forget to not get blood on the building. The alley can be hosed. The building seems to have a life of its own sometimes and I don’t want to feed it, if you know what I mean?”
            “Got it Jo. We will be leaving soon.” He signed his name on his slip. Not bad for a lovely meal of two dark souls, he thought as he signed the seven hundred dollar bill.
            “Hey we should go find something else to do!” Jay yelled.
            “Yay! Come on Seb buddy!” Bubba agreed as they stumbled into the alley.
            Sebastian smirked. “Well I have an idea my fiends.” He then dropped his power to look human and stood there looking for all the world a black void. There were sparks of lights inside of the black. Like it was an universe upon Earth. Which based upon what Sebastian was made sense. “How about you run!” He then grabbed Bubba and sucked out his soul through his mouth. The black light that was dripping in an oily substance showed just how dark and evil Bubba was as a human. Sebastian dropped the body and placed one bullet in the heart and took off after Jay.
            Jay tried to shoot at him. “What are you man?” He asked as Sebastian held him up.
            “I am the darkness. The shadows. The beginning and the end. And this is your end Jay.” Sebastian stated as he sucked the black soul from Jay’s body. Dropping it and shooting once in the chest. Sebastian wiped the black oily residue from his chin and licked his fingers. “Well that was pleasant.” He looked at the time. “Only one… I may be able to get a bit of work done.” With that Sebastian left the bodies and went back to the office. After all it was his job to solve the mysteries of the town monsters.

Day Twelve Monster University: Darin

Darin
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved



            “Cursed to live forever.  Cursed to be connected to a painting.  A curse that can evolve.  I have decided to start over again.  Always starting over.  Never evolving myself like that curse.  What is the point of life?  I would destroy the portrait of myself if I thought it would grant me freedom.  But I cannot.  I will not be granted freedom until I gain my redemption.  Damn the fates that cursed me.  Okay so it may have been my fault for trying to find the secret of immortality.  I should never have asked Henry for a key to immorality.  And I should never have been so shallow.  Sybil… She was one of a kind.  Killing her and making it look like suicide was not my brightest idea but I wanted to preserve her beauty!  Like mine was preserved.  Killing Henry was just because of my insanity.  If my Sybil couldn’t have immorality no other but I shall.  Destroying all his works but my own portrait was not hard since Henry, the dear little man, loved me.  I was his ultimate muse.  Funny how I find my own muses from life to life before I toss them away.  Will I ever not be shallow?”
            Darin got up from his desk in his flat.  He was in London; but he was moving to Grand Prairie Rapids.  Lucas said they would put him up for a while.  He looked down at the people in his bed.  His most recent muses.  He smirked.  One thing about the curse was that to remain forever young he had to hurt those who loved him.  These two beauties so did love him.  But alas their time as his muses has ended and he had to feed the curse so he couldn’t age.  He took the needles and plunged them into the arms of his muses.  All this time and he still used ‘poison’ the poison changed and the delivery method changed, but it was one thing about him that was consistent from muse to muse. After their hearts stopped he took the hearts and drained them over his painting. He cleaned up after and grabbed his guitar and his duffel and smirked as he got on the plane.
            Lucas was not in a good mood. He was waiting for Darin and pacing as he waited for him. His plane landed a hour ago. “Darin!” He yelled.
            Darin was plying a young set of twins when he heard his name. It was low. Damn wolf frequencies. “Darlings I will be living with my college friends. You will be my perfect muses as I prepare for my shows. Here is the address. And my number so you all can give me a call darlings.”
            The twins giggled as they took the piece of papers. “We will call you!” They giggled again as Darin gave them a kiss to their cheeks. And he bounced out.
            “Damn if Luc! I gotta find my victims to give me my immortal beauty!”  Darin laughed.
            Lucas growled. “We have no problems with your tactics Darin. It is having me wait for hours to pick your lazy ass up!”
            “Hour. Hour, Lucas.” Darin sighed. “A hour.” Darin through his guitar and bag into the back. “Come on! I hear Frankie is a daddy! And I want to see this little bundle of monster!”
            Lucas growled.  “You will keep everything kosher with the child Darin; or I will kick you out!”
            “Whoosh! What side of the bed did you wake up on? You know we don’t touch each other’s families! So how is the cute little bundle?”
            “We are looking for the biological father. Part of us is hoping he is a monster so it will be hardwired into her brain to be like us. The other part doesn’t want any monster to stake claim to our cub.”
            “Our cub?” Darin looked at him.
            “Hey! She is as good as mine too. Frank is my best friend man.”
            “Okay, okay! Sheesh I didn’t say anything Lucy.”
            Lucas growled. “Do not call me Lucy! I have killed whole packs for less.”
            “Down boy! Friend remember all said in good taste!”
            “Yes, well, keep your ‘good taste’ in muses away from Sophie. The baby doesn’t need your victims as role models. Her grandmother and Morgan are the best I think.”
            “Not Jo and Kat?”
            “Frank still wants to kill Kat, and Jo, no offense, could be a bit more selective in her bed mate.”
            “And if Sophie has succubus blood?”
            “Then we teach her how to choose good victims and not the drunken frat boys that will just take their pleasure and make her work for hers. But she doesn’t seem to have a draining aspect or we would have started to see that by now.” Lucas pulled up to the house.  “FRANK! We are home!”
            Frank came out with Sophie. “Darin. Meet Sophie. Drake is out on the hunt and Cameron is over at his latest prey’s house.”
            Darin smirked. “Cute kid pops!” He threw his guitar on the couch. “So what is for grub?”
            Frank rolled his eyes and went back into his office with Sophie. Lucas laughed. “On your own my man. This is fend for yourself house.” Lucas grabbed his book bag. “Later Darin.” And he left.
            Darin huffed.  “Well, what can I do now?” He looked at his guitar. “Looks like it is time to get a gig. It is Friday after all.” He grabbed his case looked in the mirror and smirked. “You are one handsome dude. Go get them tiger.” He then growled at himself. He laughed as he walked out the door. Yep, he was an egotistical asshole.
            It didn’t take him long to talk Jo into letting him play Friday and Saturday at her pool hall. He smirked at the all the college kids. Not as nice as twins but most could be talked into joining him and becoming his muses for the night, weekend, week, month, etcetera, etcetera. In fact he had a couple hanging off him now. Sorority girls. “Well, it is only a matter of time before I can’t do shows for free. I am a high demand commodity right now!”
            The girls giggled. “Of course you are Darin! You are amazing! That last song, it is like it totally sang to my soul.”
            “Yes well it was so hard to come up with without proper muses. You two wouldn’t like to come with me when the bar closes to help inspire my next major hit would you?”
            The girls giggled some more. “Of course we would Darin!”
            Darin smiled and slapped them on their asses. “Well, I got another set to do darlings! Be in the front for me!” He smiled and slipped them something in each drink. It made them compliant enough for the night until he… well, until he killed them tomorrow morning and had Tony come and get the bodies. Poor Tony. Under appreciated. That man needs to let loose and have a party. Maybe get Jo to throw him one. Okay so Darin just loved a good party. Didn’t matter the excuse he always found another victim at them. He jumped on stage and started to play. Soon… Soon… Was all he could think as he looked down at his ‘muses.’
            The three crashed through the doors of the room Darin was staying in, he did tell the girls to keep it down they didn’t want to wake his roommates baby. The girls were tearing at his clothes as they crashed into his bed. Well, this was the fun part!
            The next morning the girls were still sleeping when he woke. He stood up and after putting on a robe he held up the two syringes full of ‘poison’ he sighed as he plunged them deep into the sleeping girls’ veins. But he was too afraid of death. Too afraid of growing old. Too afraid of being ugly. Yep he would always be that shallow guy. He waited until their hearts stopped and then taking a knife he cut open their chests and took their hearts out. He walked over to his portrait, blood dripping the whole way across the room, and squeezed them over his portrait. The more blood the better. The more blood the younger and better he would be. The more blood he gave the more it craved. And the more it craved the more he had to feed it… or pay the price… And there were a lot worse things in this world than death…

Day Eleven Monser University: Sam

Sam
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

    “Freedom.  Freedom is such a wonderful thing.  I used to take it for granted in my mortal life.  Free to do whatever I want whenever I want.  That is what caused me to become what I am.  I am a Zombie.  I used to be a slave to Marie Leveau.  I gained my freedom however.  I don’t know how to this day I gained my freedom; but she set me free!  Well almost killing her as I fought off the control ingredients added to my Dead Man’s Blood probably played a role. I traveled for a good long while; eventually settling in the towns the Monsters live for a couple decades.  When I lived as a mortal I was a solider; I never wanted to settle. But I had fallen into bed with Marie and it is today my biggest regret I gave up my mortal life for a moment of passion. But moving back here I can let my other side show, the side that isn’t a hardened warrior. I open a game shop and comic book store called Den of Insanity.  I also sell old geeky collectibles.  It is a good life.  Well Undead Life…”
    Sam looked up as the door opened. A new student. Cute. Wondered if she was smart. He loved the smart ones. Brains…All he thought about now. Though she was good looking as well. Maybe he could have some fun with this meal if she proved to be… stimulating… “Hello! Welcome to The Den of Insanity!” Sam gave a closed lip smile.  His teeth he was still working on after all being free he had to gain his own fortune and Marie, now Kat, never cared about her zombies but how they could please her. “May I help you today?”
    “I am looking for those special leather horror comics!” She bubbled.
    Sam lifted an eyebrow.  He went to the back room and smirked.  His victims were good for something other than food. He used their skin to make leather and then wrote in their blood to create these special horror comics. They were quite expensive but people seemed to enjoy them. One could only buy them from either The Den or from people who have bought them in the past. Even the stories of the comics being haunted hadn’t stopped their popularity! Of course they were haunted, they were the blood and bodies of of his victims. The organs were used for the stitchings, the bones he ground down to mix with the blood to create his ink. He didn’t believe in waste. A human was much like a pig. One can use anything but the squeal. He smirked at that thought. He grabbed one of his newest and brought it out to his customer. “Here we are the newest one! And the best thing about them is they are all one-shots!” Sam gave the same closed mouth smile.
    “Wow! I was worried I would have to hunt down the others!” She smiled
    “Nope. Since they are handmade and only made by myself it would be illogical to make them anything but one-shots.”
    “Well you could have and had a bidding war!” She laughed.
    “Sam.” Sam held out his hand.
    “Roslyn.” She smiled.
    “Pleased to meet you Roslyn. Anything else but the comic?”
    “No! That is all I can afford right now.” She smiled.
    “Well the cost is 300.” Sam stated taking her credit card which gave him her address and phone number.
    “Yeah but so worth it!” Roslyn smiled as she took her purchase which came in a bloody wooden box.
    Sam smiled and gave her her card and receipt. “Well enjoy! The next one comes out next week!” He smiled. He knew he would be reselling that book in just a couple of weeks. He first had to woo the girl into trusting him; the perhaps a bit of fun until he ate her brains and made her into the comic after next.
    She smiled and bounced out with her prize and a wave back towards him.
    Sam made it a point to bump into her often around town. The coffee shop. The book store. The grocery store. He would smile. He would chat with her. He would draw her in. Soon he was meeting her for coffee. Then dinner. Then he would take her to the bar. The world saw them as a new couple in the honeymoon phase.
    Roslyn smiled as she laid her head on Sam’s chest. “I love you.”
    Sam tensed. That he wasn’t expecting. Sex. Comics. Geeky conventions. Coffee. That he expected. Not ‘I love yous’ and this warmth filling his chest. After all she had seen his teeth. She had seen his scars. His flaws. And she still said that to him. It made him wonder if she would accept a monster life. He could get another brain. So many people came through his shops. He wondered if maybe he should tell her. If she accepted him change her. Grant her immortality. If she didn’t she could still become his next meal and comic. Even if his gut tightened at the thought of actually killing her. He could change her. He had a different method to change her than Marie and even different than James. He looked at Roslyn. “I got something to tell you…” He then spilled everything. His time in World War, his human life, falling for Marie, time as Marie’s slave, fighting the magic and almost killing Marie, and then his freedom and his travels. Then settling down and staying in one place. His having to eat a brain a month and what he does with the bodies. He then looked at her and waited for the screaming. What he didn’t expect was the excitement in her eyes.
    “That is so cool! Zombies and monsters are real! They are real! Like Dracula and Frankenstein and Wolfman are all real! But my fave is zombies! And you are real! Can I be a zombie? How does one become a zombie? I mean you have bit me in the heat of the moment and I am still human! How does this work? Can I be a zombie without being a slave first? Can only voodoo priests and priestesses create zombies? How often do you have to eat brains? Does it have to be a specific brain?”
    And the questions went on and on and Sam’s head spun. She was accepting him? She wanted to be a zombie? “You would give up a mortal life. Give up children. You can live a relatively normal life and even adopt but you would live forever as a monster.”
    Roslyn smiled. “Eternity with you sounds amazing! We can even have a Halloween wedding as zombies! It is all the rage!”
    Sam blinked. “Well it would involve me biting you then you biting me and drinking a bit of my blood. Yeah sounds like vampire type but I just have to bite you. Vampires have to drain you to almost the point of death and then feed you about a pint of their blood. You then are buried for three days before you raise as a vampire. For zombies it is just a twenty four hour fever and you must feed on a brain within three hours of awakening. After that it is twice a month for the first year and then once a month for the rest of eternity.”
    Roslyn looked excited!  “Yes! Turn me! We can be zombies together and I am getting my MBA and we can expand your shop and your comics! You can just create the comics while I run the store! And we can adopt in about a hundred years! Yes!”
    Sam was blown away. He didn’t say anything but he pulled her close and bit down on her neck. “Bite me. Bite me and break the skin.”  He moaned as he felt her bite down. “That is it. Drink. Drink my zombie.”  Soon he stopped her and her eyes rolled back into her head and the fever started to rage war against her body. Sam got up and dressed. He had twenty four hours to find not only his brain but a couple for Roslyn. He had never changed someone before but he knew others that had; and it was better to go with two versus one in the beginning. Better to overfeed than underfeed. He left activating the high security gates and locks on his room so nobody would go in and either be hurt by her or hurt her. He started his car and blinked as he pulled away. He gained a bride. He never thought that would happen. Not when he was living not when he was a slave and especially not after he gained his freedom.  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to find three sacrifices and quickly.
    It didn’t take him long to find a bar outside of the college town that didn’t ID students and he had four into his van with very little struggle and no evidence. He went back to his store and left them sedated until he would harvest the brains for Roslyn. He killed his right away and ate the brain then processed the body. That took him about seven hours. He then slept for about four.
    Sam putted around his shop until about an half hour before she would wake. He didn’t want to see her body in pain. He quickly killed the kids and harvested the brains; leaving the bodies to drain into his ink bins. He would come back with Rosie to show her how to process the waste. He had a bride to feed.
    Roslyn arched her back as her heart stuttered to a stop. She sat up with a start and her eyes were wild.
    Sam saw this and held out a brain. It was dripping with blood and freshly removed. “Rosie. Take this Rosie!”
    Roslyn took the brain and stuffed it into her face. She chomped it down and made a slurping sound. She looked up at him. “More Sam?”
    Sam smiled and handed her the second brain he had gotten for her. “Here you are lovely.”  He smiled.  After he feed her the third brain. “Good?”
    Roslyn smiled. “Good. I still feel like me but I don’t feel my heart anymore.”
    “Yep; that would be different. Come on I can teach you how to process the skin, blood, bones and organs for our comics.”
    Roslyn smiled. “After a shower?”
    “Of course my dear. Of course.”  He kissed her bloody lips. “Perhaps in the interest of saving time we shall shower together?”  He smiled.
    Roslyn smiled and pulled him down for a bloody kiss. “Why what a brilliant idea my soldier boy!”
    Sam kissed her again as he dragged her to the bathroom. His undead life already looking better than his living life even if he spent decades as a mindless zombie slave. But now he had a bride as monstrous as he was and loved it.

Day Ten Monster University: Hal

Hal
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

“In life I was the person who could charm and calm anybody.  In death my body was used to scare the animals away from the fields.  My soul was restless.  I mean I was murdered and the murderer put me up in a field as a scarecrow. Shower burlap bags to my body; stuffed them straw. I was murdered by a jealous man. After all I had it all. Town respect. A lovely wife. Three strapping sons and a princess of a daughter. And I had a silver tongue. I could get anybody to do anything I pleased. So yes, my soul was restless. So I made a deal.  I have to have the brain, face, heart and livers of five people during a year.  I tend to eat all five at once.  Less heat for our detective to deal with.  Can say traveling killer.  I look for my victims in the classes I am a TA for; after all they trust me.  They come to me.  I don’t even have to do the work.”
 
    Hal was sitting in his office when the door opened.  “Hey guys!” Hal greeted the group of kids.  “Ready with your questions?”
    “Of course Hal!” One of them laughed. “I swear we wouldn’t be passing this class if it wasn’t for you!”
    “No Jake, that isn’t right. You are all bright kids who got into college. You all can do anything you put your minds too.”  Hal stated as he went up to the board. “Now let’s start off by summing up the lectures last week and we can go from there. Now there were many reasons behind the actions of the United States and the Pacific Front of World War II …” Hal started.
    Hal loved history and loved teaching it more. Teaching allowed one to show not only an unbiased view of events; but if it was worded correctly and presented a certain way to the students, they would start to take on the teacher’s views as well. It allowed the teacher to spread their beliefs as well as educate the society of what happened. And if the people didn’t know the past they were doomed to make the same mistakes in the future. After all Hal had learned from his mistakes and has grown in his many years on this Earth. It was really a pity these five wouldn’t get their chance to warp the minds of innocents. But Hal was more afraid of no existence or hell than he was upset about the loss of the lives of five teenagers starting their further education. He finished his review and smiled as the kids left. He dropped his smile as the door closed and raised a hand to his face. The magic making him look human could only fool humans. He always felt the burlap that was now his skin. He closed his eyes at the pain. No matter how much time had past he mourned his mortal life. He kept watch over his descendants. Made sure they never ran afoul of monsters. Made sure Bo put out they were protected. But he never met them face to face. How he wished he could. He shook his head. He had things prep. Mainly his basement.
    Hal got home that night and went right to his basement. He looked up when Gabriel came in. “Gabriel or John?”
    “It’s me. Gabriel.”  He stated as he sat down on the bench. “Thought I would come and see if you needed help.”
    “Bored?”
    “Partly. Partly is that busy work keeps John at bay.”
    “Oh is John unsettled?”
    “Yeah. Someone tried to pick a fight with me.”
    “Oh about what?”
    “I was helping someone with chemistry and his boyfriend didn’t like it.”  Gabriel smirked. “The jock was hiding their relationship; and when he saw me helping him he got jealous and came up and tried to pick a fight.”
    “Well I am sure you friend informed him you were straighter than an arrow.”
    “Nope. He was using me for not only chemistry help but to get his boyfriend to make their relationship public.”  He picked up the scalpel that Hal just finished sharpening. “What day should we expect the screaming?”
    “Soon. My anniversary of being undead is coming up and I have to kill, remove the organs and eat them by midnight that day. I was thinking this weekend. I will dump the bodies right outside of town. That Ewan can say it was traveling killer. That night I will take them out to celebrate then you all can say you picked me up at the bar and when they leave I will grab them.”
    “Sounds like a plan.” Gabriel stated and grabbed another scalpel to sharpen.
    Hal nodded his thanks as he sharpened his knife.
    The weekend came and after review Hal smiled. “You all approved on the last test! I think we should celebrate! My treat!” Hal smiled. After all what was a few hundred when tonight was the last night of their lives.
    They were all excited and they first went to dinner at the local bar and grill before moving to the bar. The six of them were laughing and talking and debating the age old question: ‘Who was the bigger monster? Hitler or Stalin?’
    “Hey Hitler may have convinced a generation to commit genocide but Stalin killed his own people!” Hal exclaimed. “No matter who big of monster Hitler was you have got to say he was a hellva politician!”
    “Stalin killed anybody who he thought was out to get him. Hitler targeted the Jews and anybody who wasn’t a Hitler baby!” Jess yelled.
    “Exactly!” Hal exclaimed. “They both were horrible but Stalin killed based upon his paranoia; Hitler targeted specific groups! Making Stalin a bigger monster because he was unpredictable! Hell, Stalin killed his own blood!”
    The debate lasted through dinner and into the bar. Once at the bar Hal fed them shots and mixed drinks and they danced and let their hair down. Hal almost felt bad for them. Almost. Hal made sure that Jo knew to charge him for all five of them. He said his goodbyes and left the bar. He then laid in wait for them to leave.
    Hal dropped all his spells. He wanted them to fear him. He waited and at two in the morning they came stumbling out. He pulled up in a taxi minivan and they all stumbled in spitting out the addresses to the dorms. Hal locked the doors with a smirk. He then drove to his place.
    Jake finally noticed. “Hey dude! This is the wrong way!”
    Hal turned his head around. “No it isn’t.” He rasped out.
    The girls screamed and the men froze. But before they could do anything Hal pressed a button on the dash and released a paralyzing nerve gas. Once he got to his house he dragged each one into his basement and strapped them down in the surgical tables. He hummed as he prepped them.
    They started to wake up. They tried to scream. Hal gave a straw filled smile. “I used to allow my victims to feel all the pain I inflicted upon them. But then I started to hunt those in college. Got to know them. Got to care a bit. I have paralyzed you all but you will be alive as I remove your face, your liver, your heart, your brain… I then will cook them all up and eat them. Giving me my power; allowing me to be immortal. You see for as much as I care for you all… I fear nonexistence or hell more.”  Hal explained as he held up a knife. “If it is any consolation I debated not killing you all.”  He then plunged the knife into Josh’s chest and slashed down opening him up and pulled his chest apart. He picked up the scalpel and carefully cut out the heart. He did it to all five of them before he carefully removed their faces, livers, and brains. He left the bodies to drain of blood down the drain as he moved to the kitchen and cooked the organs. He made a stew with the hearts, wraps with the faces, the brains he made sloppy joes and the livers he made liver and onions. He sat down and eat every bite. He was so full after he wanted to sleep. But he couldn’t until he dumped the bodies. He moved to the basement and dragged the bodies back to the van. Once he had them all in he drove to a farm field right outside of town and dumped them. He then drove to the local sandpits and dumped the van. He jumped into the car waiting. Thank God for the monster community. It made all this so much easier. He went home and after a quick hose down of the basement passed out for the weekend and let the power of their restless souls fill his body and grant him another year of undead life.

Day Nine Monster University: Ewan

Ewan
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

Ewan
Monster University
Katherine Rochholz
All Rights Reserved

    “I have always been a warrior.  Always.  I was set to be a king once upon a time.  Now I am a ‘Detective’ at the local police station.  I understand how it is needed in our group.  We all know of each other but never get close.  I won’t ever get close to them.  I was killed by my own brother on the land of my birth.  It was after a fierce battle.  One that would have gotten me my throne and my brother stabbed me in the back and then beheaded me with my own sword.  I swore when I made that deal with the devil that I would never be betrayed again.  So while I put my head on each day I make sure it is loose enough that I can look 360 degrees.  I look at my whip.  It is what I use to bring justice to those who betray those who trust them.  It is made from the spine of my own brother.  I ripped it from his body as I came back from the dead.  I sat upon my hell steed, it was blacker than my desire for revenge, and I held my head up high to seek him out.  I stopped in front of him and called his name.  Sean fell to the ground and I jumped off my steed and before he died I ripped out his spine through his chest.  I feel to this day no regrets.  I am content in my undead life as a monster.  After all there are worse monsters than us out there…”
    Ewan stood up and looked into the cell.  For a college town it was quite small and it was the way he liked it.  Small police department.  He was one of four detectives.  He looked at the homeless man.  He dated all the papers to show he wasn’t here when Sheldon was killed.  He shrugged.  Frank only protected himself.  Though he didn’t understand why Frank kept the brat.  He would have walked away.  For a soulless creature he had more of a conscience than most of the monsters in their group. He shook his head. The drunk in the cell at least would no longer be homeless, would have three meals a day and be taken care of. He backdated the files and with a few swishes of his pen and few clicks of a mouse the drunk had no alibi and soon the knife and bloody clothes would be planted. He stood up, throwing the file in his active box and locked his computer, throwing on his suit jacket and leaving to finish this up. After all his night was coming. When he could kill the betrayers in the town. He smiled as he got in his car. His fellow detectives just thought he solved a case.
    Ewan pulled up to his house, his mustang purred as he parked in his driveway. He smirked. He loved his cars as much as he loved his steed. Power was power. He walked out back of his house to the stable. His horse was as black as coal and his eyes as red as blood. “Oh don’t look at me like that boy. You are still my favorite. And soon we will ride through this town and claim the lives of those who betrayed their blood. Worse of the living and dead you are to betray blood.”  He stated as he took his whip and did a few practice swings destroying the pumpkins he had lined up on the unused gates in the stable. He felt the splatter of their innards and smirked. He turned to clapping. “Ajit.”  He greeted to the man that became a brother to him.
    “Ewan. Did you get that thing with Frank fixed?”
    “Yes. Still don’t get his want to be a father.”
    Ajit shrugged his shoulders. “I somewhat get it. And Frank is always the most human of us all.” He then laughed. “Ironic considering he was built of dead humans and never was born and lived a human life. He is the only on to never actually be anything but a monster.”
    Ewan smiled. “Yes well Frank was created by power. I think he absorbed enough soul remnants that he is probably the only one of us with the closest thing to an intact soul. So Halloween is coming now; have you picked your victims?”
    “I have a good idea. We all don’t have a steed that can sense the betrayal of blood.” Ajit stated as he petted the steed.
    Ewan shrugged. “We all have our cursed and our blessings Ajit. What you here for?”
    “I was in the area. Thought I would stop by when I saw you.”  Ajit shrugged. “Hear Lucas took out a local alpha last night.”
    “Yeah I had to help the mutts clear the bodies. And announce a poisoning that killed quite a few. I don’t blame Lucas though. He has always been protective of his pack.”
    Ajit nodded. “That little girl will be spoiled and protected from the world.”
    “That she will.”  Ewan stated.
    Ajit stopped petting the steed. “Well I am going to bounce out. I got things to do. People to investigate. There is one I like; have to talk to Seb about him.”
    “Tell Seb poker night is coming up. Expect him to be there this time. And if you see Draco before me you tell him that he is the only one required to be in his mask. I won’t have that invisible bastard cheating again.”
    Ajit laughed. “Please a few beers and we are all cheating.” 
    Ewan shrugged. “Yeah but I lost 500 to him last time.”
    Ajit laughed. “For a man who can remove his head to look at the cards you lose every time.”
    “It is that invisible bastard!” Ewan yelled.
    Ajit shook his head. “Until next time Ewan!”
    Ewan sighed as started to clean up. For as much fun as he had practicing he hated cleaning up. Maybe he should hire some maids. He gives them money and he doesn’t have to do anything about the clean up. He just had a few more nights then he would gain the souls of the betrayers. He captures them inside of his whip and they in turn power him and his immortal life. He finished the clean up and plopped down in front of his television and turned on a game.  He didn’t care which he never was frantic about sports not like some other monsters. Because in the end sports didn’t change. The players did. Even the rules to an extent but sports really don’t change and anything steady in their undead bouncing unsteady monster lives was meant to be grabbed on to and obsessed over. Ewan never even noticed when he dozed off.
    “Brother! You were wonderful in battle!  Keep this up and our father will make you the next king!” Ewan’ brother slapped him in his back.
    Ewan smiled at his younger brother. “Ah, Brother you did great! It was an amazing battle! We are gaining much land!”
    Cinead smiled at his brother; nobody noticing the envy burning in his eyes. “Let us take our bounty back to our father.”
    Ewan kept making headway in battles; showing why he was the General of his father’s army as they gained land and power. It wasn’t long before his father was about to name the new king. One more major battle win, destroying his father’s life long enemy, would gain Ewan his crown.
    The day of the battle came and Ewan took his broadsword, that had been forged out of and in the blood of his enemies, and struck down all in his way to kill the leader of the land his father desired. It was hard fought but Ewan made it to the enemy king. They fought and soon Ewan’s sword was buried into the chest of the enemy. As the life left the enemy king’s eyes Ewan took the crown and crowed. He dropped his sword and held up the crown showing the war was over and he had conquered. Suddenly his eyes filled with shock and pain as he looked down to see his sword through his chest. He looked back to see his brother taking his sword and smirking.
    “Brother. I am sorry but I will be king. And there is nothing you can do.”  Cinead swung the sword and…
    Ewan sat up with a start. He only had that nightmare as the day he gain another soul grew closer. The nightmare fueling his anger and his thirst for the blood and life of a traitor. Ewan stood and shook his head looking at the clock. He had slept most of the night. He would just get ready for the day. After all an arrest was to be made. And other things to clean up.
    The next few days ran the same. Falling asleep and having his last mortal moments play out in his mind. The hurt, the betrayal, the pain of his brother killing him fueling his anger and blood thirst. The want of a traitor’s soul to give him power. Finally the night was upon him and and put on the warrior armour he had been killed in and mounted his steed. “Find the traitor!” He held his head high in one hand as his steed took off. It wasn’t long before his steed stopped in front of a house. And the name of the betrayer was in his mind. He waited for the woman to come out of the house.
    “What are you?” She asked.
    “Alissa Rose Williams, you are guilty of betraying your brother for personal game. Your punishment is death!” With that Ewan watched as the life was draining from her. He took his whip and cracked it; wrapping it around her throat and watched with a sick satisfaction as her soul left through her mouth and entered his whip and traveled through to him allowing him to absorb the power of the soul. He flicked his wrist wrapping the whip back up and left the dead body on the lawn as he rode home. Another successful night where justice was served. He went home and fell into his bed and allowed the nightmare to finish as the power of the new soul was integrated into his body. 
    “I want justice!” Ewan’s soul screamed. “I will pay anything!”
    The being that Ewan would call the devil smirked and looked at him. “So be it my Headless Horseman!”  He snapped his fingers and Ewan was sitting upon his steed once more. He held onto his head and drove the steed as hard and as fast as he could. Finally reaching his kingdom. He found his father had died and his brother had claimed Ewan’s wife and unborn child as his. Ewan found his brother. Called to him. And as the life left his body Ewan went up to him and ripped his hand through his chest and pulled out his spine. “My son will have my rightful place as king you traitor. I will see you in hell!” Ewan yelled as he turned and walked away. Leaving the body of his brother in a pool of blood. He went and looked upon his wife and unborn child. “Never will you both feel the betrayal again.”  He kissed them both and left. Spending the next five decades watching his family.
    Ewan woke the next morning. He groaned as he sewed on his head. He looked at the portrait of his family. “My only regret is I shall never see either of you again. But the thirst for the blood of traitors is now to deep in my own blood. I pray that you forgive me.”  His phone went off. “Yes?”  He asked answering it. He listened to the details of a murder, a strangulation of a woman over on the other side of town, that he needed to cover. “I will be there in fifteen.”  He grabbed his gun and badge and ran his fingers over his whip loving the shock of the souls trapped there and walked out the door.  Another day in his damned existence… And the countdown to his next hunt begun.