Yeah… I don't know either guys.

…..

Once upon a time, in a faraway land…

That's how most romantic fairy tales begin, in a faraway land somewhere…. Well, this one starts in Ireland, 1916 during The Easter Rising.

And instead of a prince, it starts with a young peasant boy, who was caught up in all the fighting. The boy didn't have everything his heart desired, living in a shack with his parents and older brother, with barely a penny to his name.

But he was good.

Considered an annoyance by almost everyone who knew him, but good none-the-less.

One cool spring night, as he and his brother retreated away from the fighting, this young boy heard a woman crying out from the nearby swamp. She looked scared, fingers scrambling along the ground as she tried to pull herself out of the murky water.

She begged for the young man's help.

Enraptured by the beauty of the young woman, the boy rushed over, reaching out to grab her hands and pull her out…. Unfortunately, it didn't go quite as expected.

As he grabbed her hands, the young woman's beauty melted away, as her face twisted into a hideous snarl of glee, blood-lust in her eyes.

The young boy tried to escape, but it was too late.

She pulled him towards her, one hand tangling into his hair and pulling his head to one side, leaving his neck exposed as her teeth sank into the young flesh.

She intended to drain him as she pulled him into the swamp, leaving the husk of his body there so that no-one would ever find it.

It didn't quite work out like that.

Unknown to this monstrous woman, the young boy survived the attack, his body changing.

When he woke up, he knew something was wrong… he knew something had changed.

The way his skin burst into flames at the barest glimmer of sunlight.

The craving for blood that he couldn't explain.

How he didn't die after being shot by a local farmer during one of his attempts on the man's sheep.

It was easy to figure it out, thinking back to the old folk-lore stories his Mama would tell him.

Vampire.

Slightly ashamed of his new, monstrous identity, the young boy concealed himself inside a large castle, surrounded by dozens of his own kind.

There was no magic mirror to the outside world… no enchanted rose… no promise that true love's kiss would break the curse.

Just a boy and his new life.

The years passed, and the young man started to fall into despair, and lose all hope.

What was the point of an immortal life, when you were all alone.

…..

It was a little town… full of little people, with little problems.

Jesse hated it…. It reminded him too much of Annville.

Everyone knew each other, said hello in the mornings and didn't trust any strangers who happened to wander in.

Even the ones who were technically invited.

"Bread Preacher?"

Spinning around to face the baker, Jesse gave him his best 'I'm an innocent Preacher, please trust me' smile. "Sure… why not."

"You here to deal with the little… problem that we have?"

Ah yes… the little problem. Farm animals going missing… as well as a few people.

"Good thing too…" the man continued, not seeming to care that Jesse hadn't said anything, "… Poor John's wife went missing several weeks ago, and his meat hasn't been the same."

If Tulip were here, she wouldn't be able to resist making a dirty innuendo… as it were, Jesse coughed into his hand to hide his smile.

The smile soon disappeared when he spotted John walking back to his shop, a piece of roadkill in his hands…. Probably the meat the baker was referring to.

He needed to seriously think about becoming a vegetarian.

"Hope you catch them soon…" The baker continued, "… probably that biker gang from the next town over."

"… Probably."

Making his excuses, Jesse left as quickly as he could, narrowly dodging the children who were rushing to the local school, and the many woman who were complaining about the price of eggs… which had apparently gone up.

"Preacher!"

Spinning around, Jesse resisted the urge to groan when the local church busy-body (who wasn't nearly as hot as Emily) came rushing over to him.

"I was hoping you'd be willing to give this week's sermon!" she announced, "I think we all need a lecture on sin…" she glanced around at the villagers, a slight sneer on her face, "… you have met some of them, haven't you?"

Why him.

"My apologies…" he began, "… but me and my companion are only here to investigate these strange disappearances. Sermons are often a full week job, and I don't have time for that. Now go and be in peace."

She wasn't happy, but allowed Jesse to walk away, the wheels in his head already turning as he wondered about what was stealing livestock and kidnapping people. If it were just the animals, it could be chalked up to wild animals… it still could be really.

But something felt wrong about this.

As he walked past a stall that was covered head to toe in flowers, he suddenly got the sensation that someone was watching him. Glancing around slightly, he spotted a slim figure watching him from the shaded doorway of a nearby shop.

"Oh Preacher!"

After dealing with the woman who was having concerns with her daughter, Jesse turned back to the doorway, frowning when he realised that the figure was gone.

It was probably nothing.

…..

"And you're sure they're here to investigate the disappearances?" A patronising smile appeared on the man's face, "This town is in desperate need of a preacher after all."

The two men in front of him nodded eagerly, "We heard them talking about it with the villagers. Apparently, they've got a reputation for solving… unusual cases."

"Hmmmm… does he know?"

They both knew who 'he' referred to.

"Yeah… Deng reckons he saw him hiding in the bar, and everyone's talking about it."

Silence.

"Ummm… is it bad that he knows?"

The man in front of them sighed wearily, "… He's always had… a soft spot for humans. You know that has always been a concern for me." Another sigh, "Although… maybe… maybe we can use this to our advantage."

…

"You went out."

A roll of the eyes. "I got bored listenin' to all your followers kiss your ass… sue me."

"It's not safe for you out there during the day."

"T'is is my 'I care' face."

"… that's not very nice dear."

"Don' call me t'at… I ain't yer dear. And I never will be!"

"So, you keep saying…. I hope you'll join us for dinner tonight?"

"No."

"Other plans?"

"Nope… just t'ink yer a wanker."

…..

Jesse couldn't help but think about the skinny figure in the doorway as he headed back to the local motel, glancing around as he got closer to make sure no-one had followed him. As he opened the door to their room, he could hear Tulip humming something in the bathroom… it sounded… familiar.

"That Disney?" he called out, smirking as the singing suddenly cut off, only to be replaced by cursing as the bathroom door slammed open.

"I though' you'd be out for longer!" she growled, clearly trying to play off the entire incident, "Nobody care about the Good Lord 'round here?"

"Too many…" Jesse admitted, handing her the bread, "… I practically ran home."

"Poor baby…" As she took a big bite of the still-warm bread, she turned the conversation back to the matter at hand, "… you find out who's been nicking the animals?"

"Please don't speak wit' yer mouth full… and no, no signs whatsoever. Aside from the fact that it's probably nothing and this is a huge waste of time!"

Sensing that Jesse was about to go into another 'we have better things to be doing, like looking for God' speech, Tulip reached out and grabbed his hand, "You don' know that…. What if you really can help here? Help people like you used to do back in- "She paused…. The memories of their old town were still fresh in her mind, and they weren't exactly happy ones.

"Yeah… you really think this is something?"

"I wouldn't have drove us here if I didn't think so."

As Jesse nodded, a small smile on his face, Tulip got to her feet and grabbed some money off of the side table. "I'ma go get us some food, something better than that crap anyway, ask around about the disappearances and everything."

"Use your feminine charms?"

She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "You know me so well."

And with that, she was gone, leaving Jesse alone with his thoughts.