Vampire Bay Chapter 1, a mafia fanfic

Vampire Bay

Prologue

In the middle of the night, I had the sudden urge to leave my home and venture out into the city in search for someone. I don't exactly remember what drove this urge, but I could have sworn that there was a voice which spoke to me in the deepest depths of my slumber, telling me to walk down to the dockyard as soon as possible. I didn't understand it, but didn't bother to question it. I simply awoke, got dressed and ventured out. Why ? Well, I couldn't go back to sleep.

I drove to the dockyard at about five in the morning. Perfect timing. None of the workers were out at this time, hell, why would they be? Just as I arrived, the cops had just left. It was a mission accomplish, I do say so myself.

I parked my car by the building near where Derek's office used to be. Looking up at the balcony at the top of the staircase leading up the wall, I remembered the day I killed Derek and avenged my father. It was a gruesome task, and there was much toil involved, but at least I felt complete afterwards. The fat bastard was dead, and he was sure to never bother anyone ever again.

Cautiously, I left my car and walked towards the dock, which extended out onto the lake that separated Empire Bay from the rest of the world. I always wondered what it was like to venture out further past the shore. I had never been anywhere else, except for Sicily. Some days, I wished I could go back, not for war, but for break from all the hectic hustle and bustle of Empire Bay.

In the midst of my reminiscing, I walked along the dockyard, trying to remember which one of the docks I was supposed to approach. If I remembered correctly, it was the longest one, the one surrounded by cranes used to life up cars. That was the one I would definitely try looking for.

Once I made it to the dock, I felt my heart stop. Under the dying night sky, whose horizon was slowly being tainted by the rays of the crimson sun, which cast the reflection of its stars upon the frigid waters of the lake, I could make out the shape of the figure; a slender, tall man who appeared to be wearing a suit. He looked about the same as the man whom I continuously came across in my dreams, only this time, I was going to see him in full view.

I slowly made my way down the wooden path, in which my footsteps echoed across the bay. My pace was steady, as to not alert the man at the end. My heart raced hard enough to the point it felt like a sledgehammer was whacking me in the rib cage multiple times. Maybe, after tonight, the dreams would stop, and I'd gain some clarity.

Approaching him, I took a sharp, deep breath. Is this man the source of the dream that lead me here? Is he the one who ushered me to wake up in the middle of the night to wander out to the dockyard? Is he the one person I've been longing for this whole time, leading me to believe my own dreams? To follow them and find answers to a gaping void in my sanity?

There was only one way to find out.

The man had his back facing me, which prompted me to alert him. I was finally here, I finally followed the damn dream, now I wanted it all over with. And the time was now. I hesitantly raised my hand to his shoulder to grab his attention, but before my hand could even make contact with the mere fabric of his suit, their body slowly began to turn towards me.

Just when I managed to get even a decent look at the person's face, which was darkened by their own shadow, something seemed to prevent me from doing so. It was as if a movie had stopped just before the climax. Right when my eyes met the other man's, everything withered to complete darkness.

Chapter One

Let me tell you a story about something that happened in Empire Bay. You may think I'm fucking crazy, and you're probably right. But I know, deep down in the pit of my heart, that what I'm saying is the complete truth.

I fell in love with a vampire.

I know, I know, this sounds dumb already. Vampires can't fall in love, especially not with humans, right? Well, that's not the case. This one in particular was an odd egg, someone I knew before, but reunited with. It almost felt like I was living a recurring dream, or some kind of fantasy. Never, in my years of living did I ever imagine something like this would happen to me. But, neither did I ever believe that I would work for the mafia, but hey, I did. I lived possibilities that were never deemed possible.

I may have died, but I live to tell the tale. Did this story have a happy ending? Well, you'll see.

"Vito! Are you in there?"

I was suddenly shaken back into focus by the feeling of someone's finger tapping against my forehead. I blinked several times before shooing the mysterious hand away. The voice chiming into my inner thoughts belonged to none other than my best friend, Joe Barbaro.

"Where've you been? Did you get lost inside your own noggin?" he asked.

"Yeah, sorry," I replied. It wasn't rare nowadays that Joe caught me in a deep train of thought.

"You've been spacing out a lot lately," he added, "You haven't been smoking any dope, have you?" He said this with that same sly grin he always gave when making a cheesy remark.

Joe and I have been best friends for many years. In the mob business, I almost lost him several times. The last time I'll ever lose him was when Leo's goons drove him away in the deepest depths of Empire Bay. I don't want to go into details about what happened with that. Needless to say, I put in a good word with Leo to forgive Joe and I for the incidence that caused the war with Vinci, Falcone, Mr. Chu's guys and the Feds.

What needed to happen was that Joe and I had to help Leo start his own crime family. With a few phone calls, some "simple" tasks and some deals, Leo finally became a real don, and Joe, as well as myself, were made into the family, using the same ritual as before. It may have been a little bit different than before. We weren't immediately rich or swept away be fascination, and the family sure as hell wasn't big like the last one, but it was more intimate. I felt more loyalty, even though it was a huge adjustment.

I did, however, know one of the other guys in the mafia. Pepe. I was in the can with him, along with Leo. They both taught me how to fight and get around. Joe takes a liking to him. Sometimes, just for practice, they use Pepe's boxing gloves for random matches. I sometimes join in, too. But I have to say, Joe fights like a fucking gorilla.

It all seemed fine and dandy, especially with getting the family off the ground. Some of Falcone's guys were still out there. Clemente's? I'm not so sure. I'm positive that Joe and I wiped them all out in the Empire Arms Hotel with the explosive. As for Vinci? There may also be some other members out there somewhere. All I know is that we're not doing so good on competition with other crime families, especially since we just started and most of the people we know are either dead, in hiding, incarcerated or moved onto safer, comfier lives. However, that didn't stop us from making good money. I can't complain. We're in the drug cartel right now, and we haven't had to kill a single person. Well, we've had to use some scare tactics, but I haven't taken a life in what feels like forever.

Only, sometimes when I look at Leo, I don't see the same warm, paternal figure that I met in the can. Now, I see him as my boss, much like how I saw Carlo Falcone. Everything may have been all falling back into place, but there were still some pieces left open in my life that I couldn't fill. It seemed impossible to try to fill any of them, but it felt depriving to leave them open. Even though I had Joe back, and I was in a new crime family and really started to have things going for myself, there was one big gap that's been left empty for about a year now. Other than Leo and I growing apart somewhat, the others being gone, and not having a very luxurious lifestyle, I never forgot about someone.

Henry.

I remember like it as sharp as a fucking knife; the day that Henry was beaten to death for supposedly working for the Feds. We may have avenged him, but I got a major tongue-lashing from Leo out of it, and had to take on an entire crew of Carlo Falcone's goons in a planetarium. The tongue-lashing, and accusing Henry of being a Fed, this could all somehow tie in with me losing the fatherly respect for Leo. Even though he made a convincing case about the Feds, a part of me still refused to believe that Henry was a rat. And whenever he was referred to as a rat, I felt a tinge at my heartstrings. Especially since it comes out of Leo's mouth, whom was someone I trusted deeply.

Maybe, just maybe, the idea of Henry being a Fed was just Leo blowing off steam from the one time Henry tried to kill him. Luckily, I stopped that from ever happening. It was an embarrassing situation, since he caught us in the closet. Nevertheless, Henry had a good heart and let the poor man off. Leo skipped town so Henry could be made into the family, and it was settled immediately. Even though things were settled, I still couldn't shake the feeling that Henry's death was just a filthy act of revenge from Leo's part. It all made me sick to my stomach to know that two people I put my trust in, could have possibly both broken my trust, and I would soon have to pick a side.

It was as if December hit me like a ton of bricks. The downfall of each crime family happened just last fall, it seemed. Time went by so fast, with so little chance to actually notice how the weather and the people were changing. Before I knew it, another winter hit us. Only this winter was colder, and more depressing. I remember several years ago, I had come back from a war in Sicily, and the winter wasn't nearly as bad as the one this year. With a worse winter, there was more lethargy it seemed.

Due to my pensiveness, Joe blew a large gust of smoke in my face from his cigarette. I waved the smoke away, coughing. I didn't smoke that much anymore either, and when I did, I would nearly cough up a lung.

"Christ, you've become a fuckin' rookie!" Joe began. He opened up a cigarette case and held it out towards me. "Here, take one."

"No," I replied, raising my hand, "but thanks for the offer."

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, putting out his current cigarette to smoke another. I sighed, looking around the restaurant. Freddie's Bar was not much different, and it was great. It was another familiar thing to hold onto dearly.

On the other hand, Joe didn't seem too different, regardless of our experiences in the past. I suppose he was another gem I could hold onto.

"I'll definitely go for a drink, though," I added, reaching for the bottle of scotch on the table. I poured some into my glass until it was half full, which was my ideal amount. My smoking and drinking habits subsided after a year. A year ago, I could drink more than half a bottle of scotch. Now, whenever I drank one glass, I felt lethargic.

I took small sips while Joe knocked them back. The taste of scotch settled in the back of my throat with its bittersweet burning sensation. I watched as Joe tossed back his drinks without a care in the world, seeing as how content he looked when he did it.

I wanted to tell Joe about the recent dreams I've been having, the ones about meeting with the strange man at the end of the dock, and never getting a chance to see his face. However, I didn't know how he'd react. Perhaps he'd just pass it off as something more to laugh at, as usual. Still, I needed to get something off my chest.

"Hey, Joe," I began, "Have you ever had a dream that just repeated itself every night?"

Joe put down his glass and licked his lips. His brow furrowed, showing how hard he was trying to think in regards to my question. He gave a steady hum before opening his mouth.

"No, I don't think so," he answered. "But boy, what would I give to have a never-ending dream about being rich and going steady with loose women, you know what I'm saying?"

"You already have that," I answered.

"Point made!" Joe laughed. "So, why'd you ask me that?"

"It's just that," I began, "I've been having the same dream. It's been going on for about a year, now. I'm just wondering if I'm the only one."

"What?" Joe gasped. "A whole fuckin' year with the same dream? You've gotta be shittin' me!"

"I'm not shitting you," I answered. "It's the same goddamn dream, night after night. But here's the catch: there's no ending. It always stops the same place each time, making me even more curious. It pisses me off, and I've gotta get to the bottom of it."

"What's it like?"

"What?"

"The dream? What's happening in the dream? Is it a sex dream with no climax?"

"No, idiot," I replied, "It's… I always end up in the dockyard outside of where Derek's office used to be, and there's this guy who's sitting there, staring at the water. I always go up to him, and he turns around, but before I can get a good look at his face, boom, the dream ends there. And then I wake up, wondering what the fuck it all means."

"Shit," Joe responded. "That does sound a little fuckin' confusing."

"I just need to get to the bottom of it," I clarified, "I need to find out what the hell's causing this never-ending bullshit."

As I stared down at my glass, I couldn't help but hear the radio near the bar. I didn't care much for the news nowadays, but what I managed to hear gave me a sense of curiosity.

I heard people gather around the bar with the same curiosity. Only, I didn't turn around, but could make out the clutter of voices near the radio. Someone turned up the volume, and within the cracking feedback through its speakers, I could hear the news reporter babbling on and on about something strange, which caused silence and bewilderment to fall upon the people at the bar.

"This just in!" the reporter began. "Recent cases of murder, and possible cannibalism, have been spotted around Empire Bay. Random deaths have occurred, but not just any death. Not caused by the mafia, robberies or arson, but something that could be supernatural. According to the authorities, victims have been left in alleyways or in other dark places, and have been found with color drained from their flesh as well as two small puncture wounds in their necks. I don't know about you, but to me, this sounds like the work of a vampire!"

With the word "vampire", people all around the bar gasped with sheer terror and confusion. My own curiosity began to stir, but I tried not to react. This seemed too good to be true. However, I continued to listen.

"Authorities and church officials are warning people to take precautions. Hang garlic cloves around your doors and windows. Concoct holy water, and sprinkle it around your property while chanting excerpts from the Holy bible. Nail a cross to your front door. Gentlemen, in order to protect your families, keep guns with silver bullets around, and be sure to carve stakes out of wood. The streetlights will be kept on at all times, in order to avert the possibility of another vampire attack. Don't be out at night, and set a curfew for yourself and loved ones. Once the sun sets, return to the safety of your home immediately. Police will be patrolling the streets from this night on, and anyone seen wandering around at night will be arrested and taken in for interrogation. Any nighttime pedestrians will be assumed vampire-associates, and will be questioned on the whereabouts of any vampires or suspicious findings. There's a possibility these people may have also been bitten, so they will be detained in a twenty-four hour period. Don't end up like this, so follow the rules. The authorities will crack the whip hard on the local curfew from now on."

I shook my head as I heard more people get riled up about the whole vampire nonsense. I looked up and noticed that Joe's expression was painted with concern.

"You really believe this shit?" I asked.

"I dunno, Vito," Joe hesitantly explained, "The guy on the radio sounds kinda urgent, don't you think?"

"Oh, please," I retorted, "It's a load of bullshit. Vampires don't even exist, so how can this possibly be true? Someone's obviously pulling a prank. Either this is just a scare to push peoples' limits and see how idiotic the human race really is, or these are real murders disguised as supernatural incidents."

"Are you callin' me a dumbfuck?" Joe asked, giving me the most shocked expression.

"Well, I'm not callin' you a smartfuck, that's for sure."

Joe rolled his eyes, and continued to listen to the radio. I tuned out, not caring to hear anymore on the matter. Now, the news reporter was talking about some other bullshit that I had no interest in.

I continued to replay the dream in my head again, wondering who the hell stood on the dock those many times. What kind of subliminal message was I receiving from all of this? This was going to become more trouble than It was really worth.

After an hour more of spending quality time with Joe, we finally ventured out into the cold. He offered to drive me home, but due to how badly he was slurring, I offered to drive him home instead. Once he was at his own apartment, I drove to mine. The afternoon went by fast, along with the winds that whipped the snow about. I watched from my apartment window at the pedestrians passing by, the gusts knocking them about, nearly off their feet. I saw one or two people slipping around on the sidewalk, grabbing onto one another for support.

About a year ago, after joining up with Leo, I finally got a chance to leave behind Marty's old apartment and move into my own. It wasn't a villa, which I really wanted, but if it didn't belong to a dead teenager, I was content.

The wallpaper was intact, and there was carpeting. The last tenants forgot to take their pinup girl posters with them when they left, but they made for good decoration. I had furniture of my own, except for a couple of Joe's old couches. But there was not a single thing I took that originally belonged to Marty's apartment. That was a place I'd leave behind forever.

I cracked open a bottle of cola and kicked back in a comfy chair while listening to the radio. I tuned it just right to the station I wanted and listened to some good old Dean Martin's "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". But once the song finished, the same annoying news reporter's voice appeared on the radio once more.

"This just in!" he exclaimed. "A police officer has been found dead by former dockworker, Federico Pappalardo's dockyard. When asking the dockworkers about the death, none of them had answers as to how the police officer ended up dead."

Out of curiosity, I turned up the volume. Death of a cop, huh? I guess competition was coming back for the mobs in Empire Bay.

"The police officer was found with two tiny puncture wounds in the side of his neck near his jugular, and his skin was bereft of any color! You guessed it, folks! Another vampire attack!"

Out of an annoyed impulse, I changed the station, wanting more music, and no more of this vampire bullshit. If I heard another word about vampires, I would seriously lose my shit. I enjoyed Nosferatu when I was young, but did that mean I believed in vampires? It sure as hell didn't.

The current station played some calming music. I didn't mind it, so I kicked back and took a sip from my cola. The carbonated substance perked me right up. The day was slow and uninteresting, so it made me grow somewhat tired.

Of course, the cola didn't work wonders like I thought it would, since in the middle of reading a newspaper, I fell asleep in the couch, and it wasn't even nighttime!

Once more, the recurring dream took place. Midnight, dockyard, cold weather, oh, and that mysterious guy that never turned around. I thought at this point I'd have complete control over the dream since I knew exactly what happened. But it just replayed like an old record that was starting to become tasteless.

I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing. I sat up and stretched my arms above my head before rising to my feet. I made my way towards the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" I greeted, my voice taking on a gravelly tone.

"Hey, Vito!" It was Joe. "Say, wanna come down to the cathouse and join me 'n Eddie? It's not fun wit' jus' the two of us!"

He was clearly drunk, it sounded. And just earlier he was buzzed from our afternoon at Freddie's Bar. I didn't want to know what he looked like now.

"I think I'll pass," I declined. "I'm not up for it. Besides, it's still noon." Or was it?

"Vito, you shittin' me?" Joe laughed. "It's never too early for a good time at th' cathouse!"

"Like I said, I'm not in the mood." It'd take more than that to get him off my case.

"You sound like an old fuckin' man!"Joe laughed. Behind him, I could hear the sound of women giggling, and what sounded like Eddie laughing with them.

"Joe," I sighed. But I didn't get an answer from him. Instead, he decided to leave the phone sitting there while he began yelling to the others in the cathouse.

"Hey everyone!" I heard Joe holler. "Ol' grampa Vito ova' here doesn't wanna join Eddie an' I in a lil' fun wit' all you crazy whores t'night!"

I heard an uproar of laughter over the line as Joe called me out publicly. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed in an irritated fashion. Wow, he really outdid himself this time.

Soon, Joe picked up the phone again. He was out of breath from laughing so hard. "Oh, oh man... sorry, Vito. I had to tell everyone you weren't comin'."

"Oh, I fuckin' heard," I replied. "Well, ol' grampa Vito's got some work to do, so you children can go ahead and have your fun."

"Don't forget to have your warm milk, gramps!" I heard Eddie scream from the background.

With that, I hung up the phone. I wasn't going to go to the cathouse tonight and become a third wheel or some designated driver. However, a thought struck me. What if Eddie and Joe tried to drive themselves home tonight, especially in this kind of weather? They couldn't stay at the cathouse forever, and they'd surely get kicked out at some point. I sure as shit didn't want anything bad to happen to them, and I was a better driver than those two.

I swallowed my pride, put on a coat and stepped out the door. The wind was calming down, but there was still ice on the road. I drove steadily towards the cathouse, where I saw Eddie's car parked out front. I parked mine in front of his and stepped inside.

There, I saw Joe piss drunk and trying to dance on stage with the broads. Only this time, he had his pants around his ankles. Eddie was sitting in the booth, girls surrounding him. One of them was stroking his chest, and the other one sitting next to him was running her fingers through his hair.

I made my way towards Joe, but was interrupted by Eddie's voice calling for me over at the booth.

"Hey, gramps!" he shouted, the girls surrounding him turning their heads my way. "Get ova' here! I got a small job for ya!"

Rolling my eyes, I wandered over to Eddie, who was grinning his spiteful grin as usual. I knew he was up to no good, and I damned myself for ever getting myself caught up in this bullshit.

The broads slid away from Eddie to give him room to lean over and fold his hands over the table. "I need ya to do me a favor. You up for it?"

"No, not reall―"

"Good!" Eddie interrupted. "'Cause there's this lil' whore..." He paused to belch before continuing. "...she's sittin' ova there by th' bathroom... not doin' shit. Just sittin' there, bein' fuckin' lazy. I ordered a lap dance. But she ain't doin' nothin'... will ya go talk t' her?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Fine, I'll talk to her. But don't get your hopes up."

I obeyed Eddie and walked towards the restroom area. Over near the womens' restroom, there was an empty table, and in that table sat one of the hookers. She wore her hair down, unlike others at the bar. She looked rather disheveled, which brought concern. I slowly approached her and noticed, even through the dim lights, that she was trembling.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked, slowly raising my hand to her shoulder. But before my fingertips even made contact with her skin, she jerked away suddenly.

"Don't... t-touch me..." she quaked. "Ple-ase..."

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting in the chair next to her. I noticed that her skin was pale, and she was tugging at her choker. She began rocking back and forth, her breath shaken. I tried to look past her curtain of hair to get a better view of her eyes. I managed to see them enough to know she felt pain and terror.

"Did something happen? I asked once more. She seemed unresponsive at first, but her lips parted and she managed to utter just a couple words.

"I-I need... a hospital..." she stammered. "Now... it hurts... please..."

I didn't know the girl, but I looked around to see if Eddie and Joe were still there. Eddie was smoking at the booth, and Joe was waddling around on stage with his pants down. From the looks of it, one of the hookers got a hold of his belt and began smacking him with it. Two other hookers were standing around the stage, laughing and cheering on their friend, who was playfully whipping a very drunk, childish Joe who was trying to chase her.

I decided not to stick around, but to take the poor woman to the hospital. She willingly followed me, but before we stepped out the door, I put my coat around her shoulders and took her to my car. I kept my arm around her so she wouldn't slip and fall on the ice that caked the sidewalk. It must be hell walking in heels all the time, so walking on ice must have been far worse.

On our drive to the nearest hospital, I noticed she wrapped herself tightly in my coat. She was still trembling, even though the heater in my car was turned on. Without my coat, I was still roasting. I peaked over every now and then to take a look at her. Her skin seemed to be getting paler since the time we left the cathouse. It wasn't just her skin, but her lips too. This wasn't the kind of paleness that someone experienced when sick, but a different kind. Much like she was dead.

"We'll be there soon," I assured. "It's just down the road."

She nodded hesitantly, her breath becoming more shallow. Slowly, she began rocking back and forth in an uncomfortable manner. I didn't know what I was going to tell Eddie, but surely he'd be pissed.

Once we made it to the hospital, I helped the woman out of the car and walked her to the door. I walked inside, and immediately, a couple nurses made their way over to take a look at her.

"Where did you find her?" one of them asked.

"She's a worker at the cathouse," I answered. "I found her there. She's not feeling so good. It might be some flu."

"We'll take good care of her," another nurse replied. I let the woman keep my coat, since she needed it more than I did.

I walked back out to my car, the weather immediately nipping at my skin. I drove back to the cathouse as fast as the roads would allow, the heat finally kicking in. I hoped Eddie wouldn't be too disappointed. Well, he was plastered, so I doubted he would be able to feel anything but plastered.

I made it back just in time to see the owner of the cathouse frantically pushing Joe and Eddie out the doors of the building. I cursed under my breath and stopped the car right in front of the cathouse.

Joe had slipped on some ice and fallen flat on his face when pushed out of the door. He still had his pants around his ankles, so when he fell, his boxers were exposed, prompting Eddie to laugh maniacally at him. I stepped out of the car and walked towards the cathouse owner.

"Hey, he warned, "the cathouse is closed. Those two idiots trashed the bar and caused a commotion."

"I'm sorry," I began. "They're my friends. They can get kinda carried away with the sauce. I just got here a second ago."

"Well, those two idiots need to be driven home, or to rehab," the owner growled. "Thanks to them, I'm gonna have to clock in overtime to get the place straightened up. You're gonna have to take care of 'em for me. And I don't wanna fuckin' see them here again!"

I nodded before turning to Eddie and Joe. As I was talking to the owner, Eddie had been trying to help Joe pull his pants back up, but was failing miserably.

"My balls 're cold, Eddie..." Joe whined. "You gotta warm 'em up for me, buddy..."

"Jesus H. Christ," I groaned, "you two are a fuckin' mess. Let's get you home."

After a painful, annoying ride with the drunkards, I got them home and drove myself back to my apartment. As a matter of fact, I didn't drop Joe or Eddie off at one or the others' homes, but instead, I dropped both of them off at Joe's apartment where they'd be able to party and be their wild selves.

"Home sweet home," I exhaled as I shut the door and collapsed on my own couch. I hated being a chauffeur, especially for drunk assholes who spent evenings and afternoons drinking, trashing bars and scaring prostitutes.

Still, I couldn't keep my mind off of the one broad in particular at the cathouse. The way she trembled, stammered and swayed. The way her skin became pale and cold was concerning. I began to reflect on the many times I heard about vampires on the radio; pale, cold skin and puncture wounds on the neck. I noticed how the broad had been wearing a choker. Of course, it was common to wear such a thing with lingerie.

What was I thinking? It wasn't possible that she was a vampire. I mean, her skin was unnaturally pale, since it was the time of the year where everyone was sick. That, or she could have been having a reaction. There was no way in hell that she was a vampire.

That night, I lay in bed, my thoughts swirling around like a frantic whirlpool. So many things were stacking up; the recurring dream, Joe and Eddie's heavier drinking fiascoes, getting used to the new family, and on top of that, rumors of vampires circulating. Now that this whole new rumor was spreading, I probably wouldn't be getting much sleep due to the unnecessary police cars whirring around at night in search for possible suspects.

Well, there goes my nighttime walks.