Chapter 09: Hidden Cities 05

In this city, it is said that some folks believe that soon a swarm of vampires will emerge from beneath the beds of every child who sleeps. They say the vampires will fill the cribs with tears, and that we will need them to revive our mortal souls once they have devoured all our blood. My father believes this. I believe this. Only my mother believes in the ceiling fans, the neighborhood cats, and the snapping of bird bones.

Well, most of us do. But as we lie here this evening in bed, our hearts filled with false hope, I wonder. What if our hope is hollow? What if the truth is a much darker thing?

Wouldn't it make sense if vampires were everywhere? Surely, every closet, every room, and the entire boy's room of our neighbors are filled with the bite of something less than human.

In the dingy streets of the more respectable eastern suburbs, cats lived in relative comfort. Grass grew behind expensive houses in shabby gardens. A lot of the cats looked too thin. Their faces and tails were worn out by curiosity.