Caleb had arrived at the billboard with the fish on it. There was definitely no sign of April. Now what?
There was barely a cloud in the sky; the sun would be bright and deadly to fledgling vampires today. He walked to the verge where he assumed April had last been. The grass had been trodden and there were tyre marks on the road, heading east.
It was pointless, surely, to just walk and hope for the best.
But he was compelled to.
–
Lilith was at the bar. Joe looked up as she walked in.
“Doc! The usual?” He picked up a glass and reached for the absinthe.
“No, Joe,” Lilith said, looking around the empty bar. “You had many in today?”
“Nah, you’re the first. This 24/7 gig isn’t really going too well, truth be told. Well, except for Fred over there, obviously. He’s having a great time.”
“Hi Fred,” Lilith said.
“Lily,” he slurred in response. He didn’t really look like he was having a great time, but everyone had their own idea of fun, she supposed.
Well, she was here now looking at Joe’s expectant face. She might as well have a drink. At sunrise. On a Thursday.
“I’ll take the usual,” she said, hopping on to a bar stool.
Joe filled a glass and passed it over, watching Lilith as she downed it in one, as usual.
“No surgery today then, Doc?”
Lilith shook her head, held out her empty glass.
Joe turned towards the back bar. “I don’t know how you can drink this stuff. 90% proof and you waltz outta here like you’ve had one beer. That’s quite some liver you’re pickling there, Doc.”
Lilith turned her attention towards the television where the news was still rolling.
Joe was watching alongside. “A zombie?! Honestly, that’s not even news! Who’s running this show?”
Lilith shrugged “I guess the network will report any old toss to boost ratings.”
The jingle rang out to announce a new breaking story. The newsreader was rather more chipper than she should have been with such a heavy story. “The ex-wife of Broof Hogwash has told reporters that he was ‘sex-obsessed’ and ‘had a thing for blondes’, leading to speculation that he may have played a sordid part in the disappearance of April Moss.”
“Blimey,” Joe said, letting out the breath he was holding. “This story just gets worse. Poor lass! Did anyone look out for her? I should definitely tell the police she was in here; it might be crucial evidence.”
Lilith nodded, but she wasn’t listening, she was remembering what Caleb had said.
I’ll look after her. It’s about time someone did.
Lilith assumed that April was some rich brat; that she’d manipulated Caleb in pursuit of immortality. It certainly wouldn’t have been difficult for her to win him over. He’d been in such a dark place these last couple of decades; completely shut off from everyone. An attractive face offering to share the misery would have been impossible to resist.
But now she started to think she’d been wrong. She found herself wondering if April had genuinely been seeking to share misery of her own.
–
It was a nice car, but it smelled like wet dog, or maybe that was just him.
“What’s the deal? By the half hour? I shouldn’t need more than about ten minutes. Is there anything you won’t do?”
April was very confused. “What?”
“Are you cool with me putting it anywhere? Is that extra? I’m happy to pay literally anything, you are stunning.”
“Putting what anywhere?” April asked, looking around.
“Geesh… are you telling me you charge extra for roaming hands, too?”
April thought for a moment. Roaming hands. “Oh my gosh, you think I’m a prostitute.”
“Aren’t you? I mean, you were hanging out on Hook Corner and you said you wanted a ride but you didn’t say where to.”
April looked out of the window. She could see a layby just ahead. “Here.”
He pulled over and switched off the engine, unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards her.
“So, say I want straight sex. No kissing, nothing weird. What we talking?” He started unbuttoning his jeans.
April was horrified. “I don’t want to have sex with you!”
He groaned, “You don’t have to be so obvious about it. I know you don’t want to. No-one does, that’s why I’m here. Are you hitting me with the ugly tax? It’s totally fine, they usually do.”
“No! I just wanted to drink from you!”
He paused, giving her a strange look. “Drink from me?”
“Yes!” she shouted, exasperated.
“Oh,” he said, nodding. “OK, I think I know what you mean. How much will that cost me?”
“Nothing!”
“What, you don’t charge for that?”
“Of course not,” April laughed.
He shook his head, daring himself to smile. “You actually want to put your mouth on me? For free?”
April shrugged. “I wouldn’t say I want to, but I need to.”
He thumped the steering wheel in delight. “Oh, yeah! I am down with that!”
“Great!” April smiled, as she lulled him into a trance. See? I don’t need Faith. I don’t need anyone.
–
Melinda hadn’t intended to watch the news; in fact she didn’t want to be reminded at all of April, but she found herself captivated by it. Found herself drawn to the little image of April in the top right hand corner. Even after all this, even though it was painfully obvious that she was kidding herself, she still couldn’t shake off the what if?
“Oh my gosh, poor Broof. They are dragging you through the mud,” Melinda said to herself. She remembered all the times he’d treated April’s cuts and bruises, the time he’d managed to sneak April to hospital after Sandy broke her arm. He’d comforted her when she cried, he’d taken her to the arcade using his own money, helped her with her homework. He even let her drink his blood. All the things he would have done with his own daughter, had she still been alive.
If he had ulterior motives with April, Melinda was the Queen of Simland.
She heard the front door unlock and turned to see if April had returned. Faith walked in, looking dazed and confused and took a seat beside Melinda.
“It’s not your fault. They’ll find her,” Melinda said immediately, hoping that she sounded more sure than she felt.
“Will turned up. Just after April vanished,” Faith said, quietly.
Melinda stayed silent. She didn’t trust that smile. She didn’t like where this conversation was going.
Faith continued, “So, he’s harassing me again, making me feel like shit and then there’s a man. Behind me.”
“Oh my gosh. What man? Are you OK?”
“I’m fine. This other man, Seth. He got rid of Will and then he…” she shook her head trying to put it into words, “…invaded my brain.”
“Your brain? Like, he was reading your thoughts?”
“Yeah. How come this is so normal to you?”
“Lilith can do that, listen to thoughts. And project them, too.”
“She can? Oh that is so cool!”
“It’s a vampire thing, but you have to lose a lot of your humanity to do it, whatever that means. Was he a vampire?”
“I think so? He had no pulse, for sure. But there was something off about him and it wasn’t just the way he was dressed or that he was fucking gorgeous. Also, it wasn’t like he was listening to my thoughts, more like he was looking for something in them.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. But whatever it was, I don’t think he found it.”
–
Caleb spotted the car in the layby and ran up to it. There was a man in the driver’s seat slumped against the wheel, but there was no sign of April. He couldn’t help but notice that the guy’s jeans were unfastened; he could see the lipstick marks around the puncture wounds on his neck.
Caleb didn’t care to check if this lowlife was alive, or not. He followed the disturbed vegetation into the forest, calling her name.
“April!”
- The car used in the screenshots can be downloaded from here.
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Almost Eternal 
Ahahaha you made my day. Right, what actually happened in the chapter?
Looks like everything turned out fine for April, as clueless as she is! Her exchange with that dude was painful haha.
So Lilith’s way of looking is drinking at the bar? Not often when Caleb does something more constructive than her. But hey, I’m not complaining about the bar scene!
I do feel sorry for Broof too. So he had a daughter who died? Perhaps he won’t actually give away April’s scret after all.
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I aim to please.
Awesome. Painful was what I was going for. Yes, she landed on her feet again. For now.
Hey, she said she’d check the bar and see if anyone knows anything. She did do that. Not my fault that then she autonomously ordered a drink so I had to slightly change the scene. 😁
Perhaps he won’t.
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I see April is just as clueless as always. What did you think was going to happen, trying to get picked up on the side of the road, in the middle of the night, by sweet-talking people? Of course they’re going to think you’re in that line of work. At least the guy was very polite about it. I hope she didn’t actually kill him. He’s a lowlife yeah, but he doesn’t seem like a bad dude. Will, on the other hand…
And Faith seems to have all but forgotten about April, it seems. I mean, I can’t blame her – hot sexy vampire saving her from sleazebag man-bun and all – but still. I wonder what Seth was looking for, if Faith is right about him probing her mind for something specific.
And I wonder how well Mr. Bitey, Lilith and Caleb know each other. Is he older than them, or younger? Are vampiric powers dependent on who sires you? If so, does that mean that Lilith and Seth had the same sire? Or is it dependent on the person and have nothing to do with who bit you and turned you into a non-sparkly bloodsucker? Hmmm….
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Who knows what goes on in that pretty little head?
Faith goes to a strange place when she’s stressed. Her brain is an interesting place.
Ah, so it’s lore you’re looking for. I’m sure you’ll get all those answers and many more. Drip, drip, deluge.
Ha! Non-sparkly. Nah, only the fish sparkle in the sun in this story. The vamps sizzle…
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Why!?😕
When I had read the chapter I had only one question in my head. Why does April tell the driver that she only wants to drink from him?
I hope he has forgotten everything when he hopefully wakes up. They have enough enemies as things have evolved.
April has once again shown that she is not at all capable of doing anything on her own. She is once again heading towards total destruction.
Now she has left her friends, Caleb and Lilith, to rake the chestnuts out of the fire. Good luck with that project.
Faiht mentions Seth to Melinda. Melinda already knows about mind reading and thought transfer.
If it really is related to the loss of humanity then Lilith looks like the exception that confirms that rule.
Seth did not find what he was looking for in Faiht’s thoughts. What or who is he looking for?
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April, infuriatingly, doesn’t consider the consequences. Why would she? Silly girl always lands on her feet, one way or another. But maybe things are about to change… 😐
However, her previous dinner, Dale, said he didn’t remember what happened so it’s safe to assume that wet dog smelling man may not either and may be the least of her problems.
The vampire lore will be explored more as Seth comes out of hiding and all your questions will be answered. 😊
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Ugh.. I’m so glad April is a vampire. I can’t imagine the consequences if she isn’t. The guy was really nice considering the kind of ‘customers’ you get in that line of work.. And lol you made him gross XD
I’m feeling sorry for Broof there. What are these sources lol. Lets hope that zombie shot is from one of Sandy’s movies >_> Unless Sandy became a vampire too.. Hope she gets fried in the sun if that were the case. But if she did come back, I bet her out would be much more difficult this time.
April’s dark form is stunning .> That’s intriguing.
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If April wasn’t a vampire she wouldn’t have been hanging out on Hook Corner, she’d still be moping around in her mansion and this story would be very boring. Yeah, I couldn’t bring myself to make him a complete bastard, so I went with ‘pathetic, ugly loser who can’t get laid’ instead.
Who knows where they get their information? The media is a bitch.
Nope, Sandy is definitely dead, completely dead, not undead, not a vampire, not zombified or in any other form. Dead. Zombie Sandy was a present for Plumbob. 😁
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Figures, April would be fine, while everyone is worried and/or out looking for her. Well, except Lilith. I think Lilith has the right idea, let April fend for herself while Lilith enjoys a drink at the bar, lol.
April is so clueless. At least the guy wasn’t a complete sleaze, like Will. Gah, Will just needs to wander into the woods and get eaten by wolves, a bear, or a rabid vampire. Or better yet, zombie Sandy (I know that won’t happen, but a girl can dream).
Dare I say this, but I’m actually starting to like Caleb and feel bad that he entered into this weird relationship with April. That would be a living hell having to deal with April for eternity.
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Yep, show some willing/concern to new vamp friends, check one place, drink. If I had to sum Lilith up in one sentence, that’d be it, right there.
I’m sure Will will get the fate he deserves.
Yeah, poor guy really didn’t know what he was letting himself in for. But I know you’re only liking him because for all his lack of knowledge about female brains, he certainly knows how their bodies work, eh lonecat sim? 😉😂
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Haha, you got me there. That was quite the romp in the bushes. 😆
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No rest for poor Broof. The man needs his own story. Something like ‘My journey from hot tub to jail’.
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He’ll have his time to shine. 😁
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ahahaha April you’re such a tomato 😂😂
She really doesn’t get shit, but still manages to get her own way lol
let’s hope Caleb finds her until she turns from tomato to roasted chicken.
Is Caleb jealous? 😏
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Wellp, I´m not gonna take the chance to poke at Lilith here, she probably can´t take the sun half as well as Caleb can so no point in her frying herself. I´m with Joe on the pickling remark, though. I know being a vamp makes you tough but gee, why poison yourself with absinthe of all things?
Broof´s exwife, eh? Well, that was nasty of her. I guess their marriage didn´t survive the daughter´s death… what a shame. Also, it´s funny how Lilith started to put together the truth about April´s situation based on a blatant lie. XD
Now, Faith… seems a little overwhelmed. That´s perfectly understandable, she´s had quite the night. Still, the situation begs a question… is that all Faith, or had her thoughts been slightly scrambled? Is that a thing that happens? When a telepath rifles through someone´s mind, can that get them a bit confuzzled? Either way, Faith thinking that Seth didn´t find what he was looking for is pretty ominous. I can´t really imagine him giving up that easily…
And… heh. So, Caleb… remember what Lils was saying about the jealousy thing? You catching on yet? XD
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Ooh, I love absinthe. I would totally pickle my liver with it if I was an immortal creature of the night.
Faith really has had quite the night. But yeah. Probably won’t see Seth again. 😉
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But isn´t it like really, really bitter? O.O If I could get away with it, cherry liqueur would be my… whatever you call the thing you pickle stuff in. Or that stuff that´s made of whiskey and sweet cream. Any of those sweet glue-like things. ;DD
Riiiight. Never mind that he thinks there´s something interesting about her. Probably isn´t worth investigating… ;D
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You must have had some terrible absinthe. Although not sweet, a good absinthe is smooth and strong. It’ll gently caress your throat while it subtly addles your brain.
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Nah, I just have no idea what it´s like because I never had any. But given I don´t even like beer because it´s bitter for me… *shrug*
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Beer is much more bitter imo. And beer doesn’t quite fit the… aesthetic I need as Lilith’s drink of choice… 😉😉😉
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Hah, of course not. Lils needs something much less… working-man-like.
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My phone has been irritating the f outta me, so I haven’t been commenting much. (Makes me sign in Every Time even tho I am already)
Anyway, Sandy as a zombie. Lmfao!
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Mine does that! Makes me wanna throw it out the window.
Oh btw you can totally swear here if you want, ’tis fine.
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