Please understand that this story is the property of @marijkehefer01 and @johannahefer. A figment of OUR imaginations. No part of this story may be reproduced in any form whether by any electronic or mechanical means whithout our written concent.

This story is fiction. Any names characters, places and events are the product of OUR imagination. Any resemblance to any person, alive or dead, is coincidental.

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In 1849 Dingle suffered badly from a disease called cholera. Daily several citizens died causing the population of the little town to decrease. Only, the disease was a cover up so that the citizens would not find out that the cause of death was vampires. The Mayer thought it would be best to keep quiet about the vampires so that people would not leave his town. He protected the vampires because they had a very large financial influence on the town. The death of the citizens only escalated and people became suspicious.

Conal Ahearn the IV, the guardian of the town hated the vampires but did not have any proof against them. His ancestors have been Dingle's guardians for centuries. He did his training just as his predecessors. The training was intense and you would be isolated for months until you could master it.

He especially hated Lorcan, the leader of the Delaney family. He despised him. Lorcan had no limits, everywhere he went, he killed. It didn't matter who he killed and where he killed them. Their deaths were like faded flowers on the side of the road. Their last breath unnoticed. He controlled all the vampires, they were under his spell. They would clean up after he was done, and if they didn't do a good job he would burn them. He didn't have any remorse, not even for his own kind. The only vampires not under Lorcan's spell were his family: his wife Nessa, his brother Cathal and Cathal's wife Dedrei.

Conal knew that the killings would be worse on All Hallows Eve. He decided it was time to put a stop to Lorcan's killings. It was evident that the task would be dangerous. Lorcan was not to be played with, he had to keep it casual enough and handle his every move with care. Conal packed all weapons he needed to kill the bloodsuckers. He hung a crucifix around his neck to weaken Lorcan.
He hid two wooden stakes in his jacket and pushed a lot of wood and fire matches into his bag.

Conal knew his wife would worry about him, and to prevent that, he wrote her a message that said he had to take care of some business. He told her that it might take quite a while, and that she should not wait up for him. As Conal walked through the small town to Lorcan's house he kept memorizing the things he would say to Lorcan. He knew Lorcan was strong and not someone to play with. Would he be able to get to his bag fast enough? Would he be able to reach his wooden stake to stab him in the heart? The more he thought, the faster he walked and more nervous he became. What he was about to do was only for the safety of Dingle and the citizens. He would deal with the Mayor later.

As Conal neared Lorcan's house he heard a woman's horrifying screams coming from inside. He ran to the door and tried to push it open but it was locked. He kicked the door. With every kick he gave, it sounded like the screams from inside got worse. He gave one last kick and the door flung open and hit hard against the wall. He ran in the direction of the horrific screams. It lead him to Lorcan's study.

That's when he saw it... the thing he feared most in life! Lorcan had his wife in his hands and sucked on her neck. Conal saw the life drain out of his wife's eyes. He saw the agonizing pain in them as she gave him one last look. Tears fell down her beautiful pale face. He felt an electric pierce like the blade of a knife through his heart.

"So nice of you to join us Conal, I just finished my dinner, and I truly am pleased that my dessert decided to show up early." A huge greedy smiled played across his evil face.

Conal was overwhelmed, it felt unreal, like a dream. He dropped down beside his wife's lifeless body, feeling hopeless. He tried looking for any signs of life, but there was none... She was really gone! Anger build up in him faster than he could ever have imagined.

"Awwwwww isn't this a divine setting? So emotional and romantic. Oops did I say romantic? Where is my head? Excuse me, I meant to say tragic!" Lorcan said laughing.

"You will pay for this Lorcan! I had no proof to get rid of you and your army of bloodsuckers, but this is it! You just signed your own death sentence." Conal shouted with rage.
Conal ripped the crucifix from his neck and shoved it into Lorcan's face. Lorcan stood there pretending to weaken and then burst out laughing at Conal. "I seriously hope you just didn't try to kill me with that crucifix."

Lorcan gave Conal a cruel smile and then struck him so hard that he flew against the wall. "You know I like playing with my pray before I eat it. It's just so much more fun." Lorcan roared in laughter as he pushed him around. Conal seemed weakened with all the pain, he tried reaching for the wooden stake inside his jacket but couldn't find it.

"Looking for this?" He held it up for Conal to see. He snapped it in half and threw it into the fire.

"What to do now? Do you have a plan B?" He flew himself against Conal and pushed him up against the wall.

Conal slipped the other stake unseen out of his jacket sleeve, raised it stabbing him in the heart before Lorcan could react.

He looked him in his weakening eyes and said: "Yes, I had a plan B."

Nessa came in just as Conal dropped Cathal to the floor. It was too late for her to stop Conal. The stake was already trough his heart. She saw how Lorcan's body turned into stone.

He saw her standing in the doorway and turned to her. "Go tell the rest of your bloodsucking family that they will be next." He said with no emotion in his eyes and stepped away from the body. He collected his bag and left like nothing just happened.

Nessa ran into the dark to the only place she knew she would find her family. Old Kilmalkedar Church. She found them as suspected in the back of the church, both feeding on their own human.

"He killed Lorcan, and he said we're next." She shouted with fear and fell to the ground sobbing franticly.

They both stopped immediately and rushed to her. "What? Who killed Lorcan?" Cathal asked worriedly.

"That heartless guardian of this town! Conal." Cathal could see the hatred in her eyes as she said that.

"He killed Lorcan! But how?" He asked confused searching Nessa's eyes for an answer.

"He stabbed Lorcan with a wooden stake through his heart." He could barely hear what she said through her sobbing.

"I will find him and I will kill him." He shouted, the hurt evident in his voice. He flew off but ran into Dedrei.

"No Cathal, you heard Nessa, he said we were next. He wants revenge he won't stop until we're all dead. If you go after him now you'll just run into one of his traps. Look, we can bring Lorcan back."

"How can we bring Lorcan back? It's not possible." He said with anger burning in his eyes.

"I have read about a ritual in my mother's journal on how to bring back a dead vampire! We just have to go back home when we know it's safe, find my mother's journal and read what exactly we need to do." She searched his eyes for any response.

"Okay fine, we will go back, find the journal and bring Lorcan back. And this time we will kill anyone who gets in our way."

They moved very fast and careful to their home. Knowing that Conal could be anywhere just waiting for them. When they neared the house Deidre told Cathal to wait with Nessa. "I'll be quick."

Before she entered the house she searched for any sign of life, but there was none. It wasn't long before she was back with the journal.

"I found it. We must do the sacrifice on All Hallows eve when the souls of the dead return. Like tonight. But it also says we can only do this ritual hundred years after the death of the vampire."

"A hundred years? Cathal gasped in surprise. "We can't wait here for one hundred years. Without Lorcan, Conal will kill us." The fear in his voice was horrific.

"I know what we can do. We'll burry Lorcan under the church and we'll leave this town as soon as possible. We'll come back here in a hundred years when we need to do the ritual. By then Conal will be dead and we will have nothing to worry about." Cathal said with hope in his voice.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let us know what you thought.

My daughter @marijkehefer01 and I decided to write this short story together for a Halloween contest. We wrote two chapters each. She started off with this capter.

Please vote and comment if you enjoyed it.

Thank you so much.