Nico and I sat at a table in the hideout, playing Risk in a vain attempt to distract ourselves. We waited in pure silence, trying our best not to cling to the idea that Vlad might have suffered a fate worse than death. Every minute we sat there seemed like an hour.

                I was about to pick up a Risk card when Cheng walked into the room, wearing his lab coat, which had several bloodstains on it, both old and fresh.

                “How is he?” I said, not looking away from the table.

                “He’s alright,” said Cheng. “I stabilized him, gave him antibiotics, bandaged the wound properly, and injected a cure just in case.”

                “You’d better not be !$^#in’ with us,” said Nico.

                “Nico, relax,” said Cheng. “He’s fine. He’s not going to die. But it will take him at least a week to recover.

                “Better than being turned into one of those things,” I said. I stood up from the table. “I’m going to go talk to him, see if he’ alright.”

                “He was asleep when I left him,” said Cheng, taking off his coat. “But go ahead.”

                I walked down the hall towards our makeshift hospital room. Inside, Vlad was watching television, flipping through the channels.

                “I tell you, there’s never a @!@*ing thing on basic cable,” he said to me as I walked in.

                “Tell me about it,” I said. “How are you feeling?”

                “Oh, I’ll be fine. But next time we see a beggar, I’ll have my gun ready.”

                “I certainly hope so,” I said. Vlad continued to stare at the TV, then looked up at me.

                “Thank you for getting me out of there,” he said. “I’d be dead otherwise.”

                “Not a problem,” I said. “I know you’d do the same for me in a heartbeat.”

                “That I would,” said Vlad as he reached for his vodka flask. I simply sighed in sarcastic contempt.

                “Here’s to a speedy recovery!” he said as he took a swig.

                “Get well soon then,” I said. “That is, if you don’t die of alcohol poisoning first.”

                “Wouldn’t dream of it!” he said as I left the room. I went back to the main room and joined Nico and Cheng. We soon went off to rest for the night, relieved that we had all survived to fight another day.

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The four main characters in this story are vampire hunters. They make due by scavenging for loot to sell.

John
Age: 37
Nationality: English
Description: The intellectual leader of the group.

Vlad
Age: 45
Nationality: Russian
Description: A grizzled, middle-aged, heavy drinker. Has an abnormal brain condition that prevents him from being drunk.

Nico
Age: 30
Nationality: Somalian
Description: Occasionally boisterous, fiercely loyal to his friends, with a heart of gold.

Cheng
Age: 28
Nationality: Chinese
Description: The resident smartass who says what's on his mind.

updated Mar 20 by CodenameWraith