“They’re just freaking fun. Like Lassie for kids who watched The Munsters.” – S. N. Holl
Hunting Vampires
I plowed into the man’s legs, tangling myself in them and bringing him to the ground. I nipped at his heels as he moved impossibly fast, getting away from me. I snarled, baring my own teeth at the dead-thing. He laughed, meeting my eyes, then froze as I exerted my will on him. I stood between the dead-thing and Kevin, keeping him frozen while my human recovered. I pushed the dead-thing back with my gaze, getting him further from Kevin.
I heard him scramble to his feet and slide a drawer open. I held the dead-thing with my gaze, just like Nelli did with her sheep, while Kevin came around, moving slowly. I could almost feel the creature struggling to break my gaze, trying to get away but he couldn’t. I forced myself to keep concentrating though it was getting harder, almost a physical effort to hold the dead-thing’s black eyes.
By J.A. Campbell
Inkwolf Press
Doc Vampire-Hunting Dog
An Echelon Electric Short Series
Into the West
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#6 Westward, Home. (Forthcoming)
Published by Quake
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Published by Decadent Publishing
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Doc
Vampire-Hunting Dog
A Doc Vampire-Hunting Dog Novella
J.A. Campbell
Doc Vampire-Hunting Dog
An Inkwolf Press Novella
First Inkwolf Press Publication/ December 2011
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by J.A. Campbell
Cover Art © S.N. Holl
Interior Art © Adam McLaughlin
Published By: Inkwolf Press
Smashwords Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Inkwolf Press: Inkwolfpress@gmail.com.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
For Kira
This is also for all the Border Collies out there, and the people who love them. You are all amazing.
Acknowledgments
No story however short or long is written alone. I want to thank the usual suspects, Shoshanah (S.N. Holl) my best friend and amazing cover artist, Deidre, my other best friend (since we were four), Mardel, my Irish Sailor, and Angela, stalwart writing buddy. Thank you guys so much for your support. I have a special thank you to Author Devin O'Branagan. Without your forum and monthly flash contests I might not have ever conceived of Doc. Doc’s original short story, included here as the prologue, won the grand prize out of six rounds of contests. You can find out more about Devin's great forum here: http://forum.devinwrites.com. I also want to thank Adam for the great sketches he did of Nelli and Doc.
Prologue
My name is Doc. I am a vampire hunter – though I didn’t start out that way.
* * *
“Hey Doc,” Kevin, my human, said, slamming the front door behind him.
I winced at the noise. I never could get him to shut it gently. I grinned at him, then turned back to the sheepdog trials on the TV. I especially liked to watch them when Nelli was working. She was a master, driving the sheep effortlessly. I often had fantasies of working with her – flying over the fields as the sheep ran before us. It was a good dream.
I growled as one of the younger dogs made a mistake, wanting to show him how to do it properly.
“Easy there Doc, those sheep aren’t going anywhere.”
I snorted and settled back in the lazy chair. He was right, but oh how I wanted to chase them.
“This weekend,” my human said smiling at me. “We’ll go find some sheep this weekend.”
I cocked my ears forward and tilted my head, asking for a promise.
“Promise.”
We might not exactly find sheep but he’d take me out so I could run.
“I didn’t get her this time,” he continued, clattering around in the kitchen before coming out and scratching my ears.
I licked his hand before going back to the trials. Joy of joys, Nelli was next.
A quarter of my attention was on my human but he was talking about hunting again. I never went along so I didn’t feel the need to focus on him. He was talking about the signs he’d seen of his quarry. I watched Nelli as she effortlessly moved the herd, her black and white coat gleaming in the sunshine.
“You’re drooling, Doc. Nelli on again?” He sat next to me and pushed a dish in front of me.
I perked my ears forward and grinned.
“Well then I won’t ask to change the channel.” I noticed him put the remote down out of the corner of my eye. He knew Nelli was my girl.
I barely heard the knock on the door, because Nelli was executing another flawless lift on the TV.
A sharp crash jerked my attention away from the TV. I grumbled in annoyance and turned. What I saw pulled all my attention away from Nelli and her spectacular run. A strange man had Kevin pinned against the wall. I wrinkled my nose. He smelled dead.
My hackles rose and I growled. How dare he invade my home! The man ignored me, snarling something at my human. Kevin struggled but couldn’t reach anything to use as a weapon. The dead-thing was grinning, fangs bared.
I barked, trying to get the dead-thing’s attention. He ignored me again so, despite my training, I charged at him. I had to protect Kevin at all costs.
I plowed into the man’s legs, tangling myself in them and bringing him to the ground. I nipped at his heels as he moved impossibly fast, getting away from me. I snarled, baring my own teeth at the dead-thing. He laughed, meeting my eyes, then froze as I exerted my will on him. I stood between the dead-thing and Kevin, keeping him frozen while my human recovered. I pushed the dead-thing back with my gaze, getting him further from Kevin.
I heard him scramble to his feet and slide a drawer open. I held the dead-thing with my gaze, just like Nelli did with her sheep, while Kevin came around, moving slowly. I could almost feel the creature struggling to break my gaze, trying to get away but he couldn’t. I forced myself to keep concentrating though it was getting harder, almost a physical effort to hold the dead-thing’s black eyes.
Kevin edged around behind the dead-thing and lifted a sharp stake. I couldn’t break my gaze to look and see what my human did, but suddenly the dead-thing fell to his knees and screamed.
Blood spattered out from his chest, coating my face. I jerked away, blinking goo from my eyes. The thing screamed again then crumpled to the ground, body falling to ash.
I stared, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I wasn’t sure, but at least my human was safe. He was regarded me with a puzzled expression that probably mirrored my own. He pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled at me.
“I don’t know what just happened, Doc, but you saved my life.”
I grinned, happy that Kevin was happy.
He squatted down in front of me and, despite my gore covered state, buried his fingers in my white ruff and pulled me close, wrapping me in a tight hug. I tucked my chin under his and sighed.
“Didn’t know that Border Collie eye of yours was good for anything but sheep,” he said softly. “Maybe next time I’ll bring you along.”
I wagged my tail, happy to do anything as long as I was spending time with Kevin.
“Okay, let’s get cleaned up. Then I’ll find you some more herding trials to watch. Maybe we can even find some more of Nelli.”
I grinned, perking my ears forward at her name. I licked some salty water from Kevin’s face and he ruffled my ears one more time before leading me to the bathroom.
* * *
That is how I became a vampire hunter.
CHAPTER one
“Let’s go, Doc.”
I grinned and wagged my tail, following Kevin out the door. I winced when he slammed it and sighed around the leash clutched in my mouth. One day he’d learn to close the door quietly.
Kevin returned my grin and ruffled my ears. I wagged my tail and followed him down the sidewalk toward the park. I knew he had a ball. I could smell it and I could barely contain my impatience, wanting to dash ahead, but I stayed at his side. I paused, sniffing an interesting scent and wrinkled my nose, catching a whiff of dead-thing, though the scent was old. I didn’t have a way to tell Kevin but I tried, flattening my ears and whining.
“It’s alright, Doc. We’ll be there in a minute.” He ruffled my ears again, not understanding.
I sighed and followed, not as excited as I had been a moment ago. I still wasn’t sure what those things were, the dead-things that looked like men, but I knew they were dangerous. This was only the second one I’d scented but it was far too close to home.
“You okay Doc?” Kevin kneeled in front of me when we got to the park and I didn’t perk up like I normally did.
I wagged my tail but couldn’t quite fake a grin.
He arched his eyebrows at me and pulled the ball out of his pocket.
This time I managed to grin, and act surprised, like I hadn’t known it was there the whole time.
“Alright Doc, watch out for Rangers.” He winked and I sat obediently waiting for him to throw the ball.
I wasn’t supposed to be off a leash so watching for Rangers was a joke. We’d gotten in trouble a few times, but my impeccable manners had kept the Rangers from doing anything other than giving Kevin a stern warning.
H
e
launched the ball and I charged after it, delighting in the chase. I
could almost imagine the ball was a sheep and I was racing after it
with Nelli. I snatched the ball mid bounce and turned, racing back to
my human. This was the good life.
* * *
“That’ll do, Doc!”
I perked my ears, snatched the ball and raced back to Kevin, dropping the ball at his feet.
“You carry it back.”
I picked it back up and followed after him.
“We’ll get dinner, and then I’m going to take you hunting with me. It’ll be dangerous.”
I stared up at him while he talked. I understood that we were doing something together, and that was good enough for me. I thought he meant we were going after the dead-things. That was okay with me too; they smelled very wrong. I grinned around the ball and wagged my tail again, trotting along happily as we made our way home.
Dinner was out of a can for both of us, as usual. He wasn’t much of a cook. He had a mate once, my other human, who cooked and fed me leftovers – but not anymore.
“Okay, Doc. Let’s go. Now remember, stay with me and be quiet.”
I grinned to show I understood, staring up at him with my beautiful amber eyes. His mate had called them beautiful and amber and so I accepted it as truth. She’d sounded very positive when she’d said it, so it must be good.
I paused to sniff noses with the neighbor, a small poodle named Rose. She was very nice and we spent many afternoons together. I wanted to tell her we were off to hunt dead-things, but it sounded weird even to me, so I stayed silent. Kevin had told me to stay quiet. And to stay with him – I ran to catch up. Kevin arched an eyebrow at me and I looked down to tell him I was sorry. He ruffled my ears and I danced, excited that he was still happy with me.
We walked for a long time, rode on the train, and then walked some more. Finally we reached an old street with smells that were stale and dusty, as if they’d been there for a long time. I fought a sneeze, shaking my head and trying to stay quiet. Kevin knelt next to me.