The mayor learns the truth

After leaving a message for Trent, the mayor needed to make sense of what happened. She drove to a local diner. There was only one man working the cash register and the grill, but he was fine as the tables were mostly barren. This wasn't just a case of a cold going around. There were less people around that morning than there were yesterday. There were less people that afternoon then there were in the morning. People don't hide away in their homes the moment they feel a bit unwell. And what of Roger and his family? There was no question what they were doing those last moments she heard in the bedroom. Could this disease be leading to some form of madness?

Dana couldn't eat the food in front of her. It was all too strange and disturbing. She couldn't fathom that what was happening was both planned and sinister in nature, just unexplainable. She pushed the plate of chicken fingers to other side of the table and called her office. Her assistant answered with a bit of a strange giggle, "Mayor Wittier's office. How may I direct your call?" "It's me. I know it's almost time you and everybody else would be getting ready to head home, but I need to call an emergency meeting. See what staff can and are willing to stay and bring them to the conference room, I'll be there in about 20 minutes." "Sure, but what's this about?" "To be honest, I'm not sure. Let's start with medical protocols in case of an epidemic. See what steps we can take to impose curfews and quarantines. We can work from there." She hung up her phone, and she wondered how crazy she must have sounded. Dana knew she had to dismiss those concerns. One more call to Trent and one more voicemail, she then left for her office.

Meanwhile across town five vampires were starting to wake from slumber as the sun was nearly set. In a house four of the five shared, blankets had been hung over each of the windows to keep out the sunlight. In one bed were Missy and Emily locked in an embrace, bound forever after an earlier unholy marriage. In another room, two beds were pushed together to hold three more lady vamps. On the left was Sophia, the one who escaped her parents' restaurant only to be turned in the police station. She had returned home overjoyed that her three roommates had embraced this dark lifestyle as she had. In the center was Jana, one of those roommates whose lust at seeing Sophia return was only slightly marred by the fact that she didn't get the chance to turn her roommate. On the right was Becky, part of the original family who tasted the special wine and who introduced herself and the hunger to the other four.

Becky was the first to awaken. She quietly got up and walked naked down the hallway to the living room where the wine bottle still sat. Her mind raced a bit as it kept shifting from remembering all the wonderful events thus far while also imagining what was next for this group. As she pondered all this her fingers lingered over the soon to be healed love bites that the newborns had given her. She went to take a sip of the wine directly from the bottle, knowing that no matter how much was poured from it the bottle would always be full. But when she touched that bottle she froze in place. There would be time for carousing later, she knew. The invasion had reached the next stage. The moment Becky touched the wine bottle and had the vision thrust into her head, in the Shipbottom mansion Angelique Van Pollard stood straight up startled. She rushed to the strange candle that had been auctioned the night before. It was on the dresser where they had left it, and she quickly took hold of it. She too had the same vision that Becky had.

Later at the mayor's office, Mayor Dana Wittier found the first floor deserted. A phone at one of the desks was ringing unanswered. She made her way up the stairs and to the conference room. Only three others were there: Her assistant, the town clerk, and Dr. Fabersheen, who often consulted with the mayor on science and medical issues. "Boss, you made it!" the assistant said excitedly. Dana's alarm bells were going off again, despite nothing looking or sounding out of the ordinary at first glance. "Doctor, have you noticed a strange spike in people getting sick over the past few days?" The doctor got up from his chair and confidently noted, "I have, and it was only recently that I discovered... or to be more precise, it was shown to me why this was happening. What this town is experiencing may seem a bit unusual. I know it did to me. But once it's all explained it will be clear that this is the best thing possible for this town. For everyone." Dana's fight or flight response was reaching a boil. Flustered, but trying hard not to show it, she managed to speak a few words, "I see. Let me just get a drink of water so you can explain it all to me." She started turning toward a water cool on one side of the door, when the assistant and the clerk got up from their chairs and made their way to her offering to help. Dana couldn't help but stare when she saw what could only be cumstains on the clerk's khakis where his erection was trying to make its way out. She turned her head both out of decency and not wanting to arouse any further suspicion. There she saw her pretty, perky, charming nice girl of an assistant with her skirt hiked part way up and a drop of semen slowly going down one leg. Whatever was happening Dana figured based on this and seeing Roger earlier, this disease brought on madness and a craving for sex. There was no other explanation why her assistant would do anything with someone she loathed like the clerk. "No, " Dana advised trying not to pass out, "I need to get a pen and paper first. I'll be right back."

All pretense by the other three in that conference room was gone. The clerk grabbed Dana and threw her down onto the large conference room table. "You sure are a spoil-sport," the assistant said mockingly to her boss, "We wanted to play with our food a bit more. But still this is just as well. We want to get to the good part and you're one of the last pieces of fresh blood left in town." The doctor added, "Oh yes, once you become one of us you'll feel -- I guess you could say it's a connection -- with others who have the gift. I estimate by the time morning comes that all the little stragglers will have been found and be blessed with the eternal hunger." The assistant started to unbutton the first few buttons of Dana's blouse, clearly excited for when the town was theirs, she explained, "You're an important part of all this. You will be the public face, the one who will tell the news that everything is fine inviting in those we want and keeping out those we don't. It will make you so wet to lie to the cameras to serve our true purpose." "And what purpose is that?!" "Enough talking! You will not delay us any longer!" demanded and hissed the clerk as he exposed his fangs. The assistant moved her hands from the mayor's blouse to the clerk's zipper freeing his slick monster. She could barely contain the anticipation of him fucking her boss on the table. But as he was rearing his back to take the first bite, there was a loud bang and the clerk keeled over and onto the floor. At the doorway stood Dana's ex, reporter Trent Walls, with a gun in his hand.