Reginald Baxter the Vigilante Vampire (3 page)

Reginald breathed out again as he turned. 'I can still hear his heart beating,' he thought. 'Good.' He watched as the other man seemed to slowly come around the other aisle. The man's face twisted in confusion and anger as he took in the sight of his partner lying on the floor. Then Reginald watched as his gun came up and pointed directly at his chest.

"You're going to die for this!" he shouted as his finger began to close on the trigger.

Reginald stepped forward and easily grabbed the man's hand as he began to fire. Shoving the arm down, he felt pieces of tile and concrete hitting his pants leg as the robber frantically fired off his gun. As the last bullets hit the ground, the robber kept pulling the trigger, causing a clicking sound to echo through Reginald's head each time.

"What are you?" the robber asked, his look of anger dissolving into panic.

Reginald leaned forward and opened his mouth, then shut it. "I don't know," he said, feeling at a loss of words. With that, he raised his free hand and brought it down onto the man's skull. He crumpled into a pile on the ground.

For a moment Reginald stood there, feeling the intense wave of strength ebbing away. His breaths became ragged and he could feel sweat pouring from all over. His heartbeat was echoing through his head as his body began to try to cooldown. He flinched as a car passed by outside, causing a small beam of sunlight to hit him.

'I can't stay here,' he thought frantically. As he saw everyone begin to get to their feet, he started looking for an exit. His eyes darted all around before seeing a door in the back corner just several feet away. As he took a step forward, he noticed the second robber's bag laying at his feet. Reaching down, he quickly rifled through it until he found his wallet. 'Got to get away. Can't let them know who I am.'

He dove for the door and pushed through it, causing it to slam behind him with a bang. There was a second door on the other side, which lead outside to an alley that ran behind the convenience store. As the sunlight hit him, he felt as if all his energy was draining. He pulled his cap down lower and pulled his coat collar up to give extra coverage for his neck as he stumbled along down the alleyway. He walked side to side as if he were drunk, trying to keep as much of his body out of the sun.

As he came to the street, Reginald groaned loudly. 'This is the opposite direction from the house,' he feebly thought. 'I don't know if I can make it like this.'

He stepped onto the sidewalk and immediately bumped into a man as he was quickly walking. "Watch it, dumbass!" he shouted as Reginald fell back against the wall. He leaned there and watched as people walked to and fro on their way to work. The morning traffic was just as cluttered as always. He felt his eyes begin to blur as he struggled to stay conscious.

He jumped as he realized his surroundings. He forced his eyes to focus. "The river," he hoarsely muttered out loud. "Near the river."

With new determination, he forced himself to quickly walk along the sidewalk. He smiled as he realized he was going in the right direction. He forced himself to stand straight as he waited for the sign to allow pedestrians to cross the street. As he passing to the other side, he felt his leg give out, causing him to trip and fall into one of the idling cars waiting to continue. With a tight smile, he waved and forced himself to get back up.

Now that he had crossed the street, he walked directly towards the river. As he came closer, he looked around and let out a relieved sob. Just down the street along the river, he saw a large set of storage sheds lined up directly on the river's edge. With renewed vigor, he hobbled towards them. Despite keeping his head down, Reginald felt like his face was burning.

"Damn," he muttered, walking inside the gate. "I wouldn't be reacting this badly if not for that whole fight."

He buried his quaking hand into his pocket as he continued forward. Dropping them several times, he finally managed to pull his keys from his pocket.

"I think I can make it," he said, leaning against the side of the wall as he walked forward. The ridges in the tin seemed to help hurl him forward as his legs seemed to turn to mush.

"Here," Reginald said, arriving at one of the larger units. He bent down and fell into the door. With his head pressed against cool tin, he managed to get the padlock unlocked after a couple of tries. With a mighty heave he pushed the door upwards. Diving with the last of his strength, Reginald landed on the cold concrete floor inside. He was already asleep when the door came crashing back down a second later.

Reginald stood in a hallway outside a wooden door. He looked down at his hands to see them shaking, almost causing the wax from his candle to to drip onto his hand. He managed to keep a firm grip on the candlestick despite feeling his palms sweating. "Come on, Reginald. This isn't something to be worried about," he muttered to himself. He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Come on, be a man."

Just as he thought of reaching for the handle again, the door opened. The surprise almost caused him to fall backwards.

"What is taking you so long, my dear Reginald?" a woman's voice asked.

He forced his eyes to focus and saw one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. It was not the first time he had seen her, though he still felt as nervous with each encounter as he had his first. She had long brown hair that fell down her back and kind green eyes. He saw that a light gown covered her lithe figure.

"Ah, I just arrived," Reginald managed to get out.

"You just arrived?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "It does not take so long to simply check the shutters and the doors. I was believing that we would meet again in the morn for all the time it took."

"I took special care," Reginald said, walking meekly into the room. "There is no moon tonight and the animals will be more attracted to the lights." He put the candle down on the dresser, next to several other candles. The candlelight illuminated the cozy room, with its hand carved bed with the knitted sheets to the double window with its curtains drawn. There was a dresser that had a mirror where Reginald could see himself looking just as uncomfortable as he felt.

"Come now," the woman said, sitting down and patting the bed beside her. "Sit, there is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of, dear."

"Yes, Miss Regina," he said, sitting down a couple feet away from her.

"I use my husband's name, do not forget it," she said, laughing.

Reginald managed to laugh as well, feeling some of his tension ease.

Regina took his hand into hers. "You have been ignoring me lately. You will cease this nonsense now."

Reginald shrugged. "I have not been ignoring you, my dearest wife. There is little enough time in the day with the war being fought. The mayor has a never ending string of errands for me to run."

"That may be so, but there are no others who work quite so hard."

"There are no others who are sons of the mayor," Reginald said, almost hiding his annoyance.

Regina cleared her throat. "That may be so, and I am aware that he has been a most controlling force in your life, but he is not the full cause of this. Your father stopped by today and asked if everything was well with us. He mentioned that it was you who have been asking for the extra duties."

Reginald sighed. "Yes, that is true."

"Have I done something wrong?"

Reginald stood and walked to the window. He frowned as he stared out into the darkness. "No, you are as perfect a wife as I could ever hope to have. It is I that is imperfect."

Regina fidgeted with her hands before responding. "You have no cause to be quite so insecure, my dear husband."

"I am aware that you were quite taken by Daniel Hawthorne when my father approached your parents. He has forced me upon you. Though this is one of the things I am most grateful to him for, I fear this is not the life you wished for. I should have married into my learning rather than to you."

She hesitated for a moment before displaying a confident smile. "I will admit that you are not the man I once dreamed of being married to, but I have come to appreciate and with time, I have learned to love you. I believe that you are, and always will be a great husband, and future father of our children."

"Children," Reginald said, thinking deeply.

"Yes," she said, standing and placing her arms around his chest.

He forced himself to enjoy the warmth without fidgeting. 'She is right. There is nothing to feel ashamed of,' he thought. "Is this something that you truly wish of me?"

"Yes."

"It is yours, and not that of my father's?"

She hesitated. "My parents, as well as yours, are anxious for grandchildren, but the desire is mine as well. I would have it no other way."

Reginald ran his hands over his shirt, clumsily smoothing out the wrinkles. "Very well, dearest Regina, I shall perform my duty." He turned and and tried to focus on his wife in front of him. They just stood and looked at each other for a couple of moments. Finally, she stepped forward and planted her lips onto his for only the second time in their marriage. Reginald was stunned for a couple of moments before he realized she was edging him closer to the bed.

He tried to keep his breathing under control as his anticipation built. He rubbed his clammy hands on his pants to dry them as they neared their destination. Finally they broke contact and Regina smiled. "Help me undo the knot," she said, turning around.

"Huh," was all the response Reginald could muster.

She laughed and said, "Your father has discussed how this works, has he not?"

Reginald laughed uneasily. "Oh, um, no, but yes, I know." He reached for the knot on the night gown. With his shaking hands, he left it in a worse knot than it started in. She laughed and walked over to the mirror and began to help him undo the knot. Just as he was about to finish, they heard their dogs barking from the yard.

"They must have game to chase," Reginald said, glancing towards the window. Regina grunted in agreement as they finished up the knot. As the gown fell to the floor, Reginald fought to remain conscious as he saw her nude for the first time. He reached out and placed his hand on the dresser to steady himself.

"Are you going to be well, Reginald?" she said, looking concerned.

"Yes," he said in between deep breaths. He glanced up at the ceiling, then back towards the window, seeing her for just a split moment before she was out of vision. "I'm fine, my dear wife."

She looked uncertain. "If this is too much for you, we can take this slower."

He forced himself to look her in the eyes. "No, I am fine," he said again. He took a step forward with a new sense of determination. He kissed her. As they were kissing, he felt her begin to unbutton his shirt. Before she was done, they heard the horses neighing loudly from the stables. They exchanged worried glances.

"We might should blow out the candles," she said, glancing towards the window.

Reginald nodded, still feeling the adrenaline flowing through him. As she began to blow them out one by one, he stepped over to the window and peered out. "I do not see any light or movement out there," he said. "To be safe, I will make sure there is nothing lurking outside."

"That's not necessary," she said, holding up one last candle and shielding the light with her hand. "Let us just make sure the house is secure. There may be Indians or Frenchmen around. The battle is to the north, but we cannot be too careful."

Reginald shrugged as he stepped to the dresser. "If that is the case, locked doors and shutters will only delay for moments. It would do even less for fire." He reached behind it and pulled out a musket. He took a pouch from the drawers and quickly loaded his musket. He placed the remaining ammunition and powder into his pocket. "I can move quietly and swiftly. I should manage to handle one or two."

"Be careful, dear," she said, handing him his coat.

"Thanks," he said, looking longingly at her. "We shall continue when I return. Have no fear, Regina. I am certain there is nothing to worry about."After putting on his coat, he slung the musket over his shoulder by the strap. "Thank you," he said, taking a lantern that Regina had just lit with her lone candle. He carefully adjusted the wick to where the lantern barely put out any light. With a last look at his wife, he turned and walked from the bedroom.

He eased his way down the stairs until he reached the front door to the house. Shielding the lantern, he looked out from the window beside the door. In the starlight, he could hardly see any familiar shapes. As his eyes adjusted, he slowly began to make out the details from his yard. 'Something feels off,' he thought, feeling the confidence from earlier begin to wane. He wiped his clammy hand on his shirt and stepped out of the door into the night.

He shivered as the cool breeze washed over him. The sweat made it feel as if the dead of winter had arrived, despite being cool November. He slowly walked out into his yard, keeping his eyes moving in all directions. He looked back towards the cozy two-story house that his father had built for them. Forcing a confident smile, Reginald waved to a window on the second story. He was certain that he saw a figure inside wave back, restoring a small bit of his bravery.

He walked over towards the stables to see if anything was out of place. Nothing looked strange simply from peering inside the window. Holding out the lantern he slowly moved it from one side to the other, trying to examine every corner of the stables, but saw nothing but their two horses. "Are you well, Ellie?" he asked one of the horses. The horse blinked and snorted. "I suppose that is a yes. I will let you get back to sleep."

Reginald walked on to the edge of his property and examined the woods that surrounded them. He saw nothing out of place as he checked the perimeter. As he reached the corner and was about to turn around to go back inside, he saw a light shining from a distance through the trees. "Now what is that?"

Despite his timid nature, Reginald left the relative safety of his property and walked into the trees. He walked slowly, avoiding the fallen branches and tangled vines that covered the forest floor. He patted the musket to help remind himself of its presence in case he would need it. He smiled as he kept walking forward in absolute silence. Though he was a horrible shot, his father often complemented him on his ability to quietly track game. He usually was able to get within twenty feet of a deer or boar without it noticing him. "If only you could hit the broad side of a barn, you would be the best hunter in the whole town," his father always chided him.

Soon Reginald was close enough to the light to make out a flickering campfire in the middle of a small clearing. He was shocked to see a couple sitting around the fire staring up at the sky. The man wore light pants and a thin shirt that hung open despite the chilly weather. A strange hat with a tilted brim shielded much of his face, especially in the firelight. The man had a stern expression on his clean shaven face. He seemed larger than anyone that Reginald had ever met.

The woman was another sight to behold. He wasn't sure if it was the events from before, but Reginald could hardly look away from her. She had long black hair that hung down to her waist. Some of the hair hung down over her shoulders and framed her ample bosom, half of which was already displayed from her low cut dress. She had an amused smile on her face as she stared upwards with her dark brown eyes. Both of them had a skin tone that made placing their origin difficult, but Reginald was certain neither were British nor French.

Reginald stood and watched them for several minutes. Finally the woman said, "Stranger, if you are tired of standing in the darkness, come foreward.." He felt his heart skip a beat as she looked straight at him in the shadows of the trees. He almost decided not to move, just in case she had been talking with her companion, but from her tone, he knew she was speaking to him.

Reginald walked the last several feet until he was standing on the edge of the clearing. "Hello," he said, failing to find any more words than that to say.

The woman simply raised an eyebrow. "Hello," she echoed.

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting you," Reginald stammered. "I noticed the light and decided to see what it was."

She nodded. "That makes sense."

He was hoping she would say something else, but struggled not to fidget as an uncomfortable silence fell. "Are you doing well tonight?" he blurted out.

"We are. Are you well?"

He laughed uncomfortably. "Yes ma'am," he said, trying to sound more comfortable than he was.

She smiled, easing his anxiety somewhat. "That is good indeed.," she said, leaning back more comfortably. "What would a man be doing wandering the woods this late, if I may ask?"

"Ah, my animals started acting scared, so I thought there might be wild animals nearby."

The woman smiled, flashing her white teeth. "That is something that is rather likely. The nights are full of the wild."

"Umm, yes."

"So you live nearby," she said, breathing in deeply. "Pretty close."

Reginald felt uncomfortable giving any more details to a couple of strangers, so he asked, "Hoping not to be rude, but from where do you two hail? Are you here for the war?"

The woman laughed. "Wars mean little to us. We live for ourselves and no other. Men and women die no matter who they are, so we've little interest on who dies for what or where."

Reginald let a long silence hang in the air for a while. 'What kind of answer was that?' he thought to himself, trying to look interested in the stars. "Well," he said, not truly sure how to respond. "That is interesting. Why are you the two of you be out in the woods on such a chilly night? Surely you can afford a room in town."

"We are stargazing, my friend," the woman said, pointing at the sky. "At least that is what we are doing now. We were originally hunting."