Captain Craig Hughes planted his elbows on his wooden desk, his hands held the back of his head tightly. In truth he was on the verge of losing his damn mind. Things were only getting worse, there wasn’t a single thing going his way. Power was gone, primary and secondary generators were dead. A dozen of his shipboard security personnel were missing, and everyone under his command had been pushed to their limits. He didn’t even care about the Seraphine escaping, in fact it was the last thing on his mind.

      He was alone, all others were excused from his cabin moments ago. The data presented to him was even worse than the previous day. The air was stifling, and the cigar smoke was thick. He hadn’t shaved in over a day, he hadn’t showered either. It was hard to decide what the single worst piece of news was. His missing crew, a possible saboteur on board, or…the fact there was a building tropical storm on the horizon. All efforts had been made to take back control of propulsion, to steer the ship away from its current course. It was yet another reason he, the captain of the HMS Sanguine, felt like a failure. 

      Before him were lists of weather reports, failed course corrections, and radio broadcast frequencies. No rescue was forthcoming, despite all the pleas and desperate calls for help. He couldn’t help but wonder how much longer the batteries of their radios would last…or if it even mattered. 

…

      Rose just kept leaning back and forth in her chair brimming with anxiety, she had her knees tucked into her chest and her arms wrapped around them tightly. The chair itself was not meant to rock so violently and it was a miracle she hadn’t caused it to fall over. Rose just couldn’t keep still, the truth was horrifying! Maggie could tell there was something wrong, but Kyle just kept looking back and forth between her and Rebecca suspiciously.

      “You fucking told her didn’t you?” Maggie broke the silence, syrup dabbed the corner of her mouth. She was already starting on her second stack of pancakes. Her question was directed toward Rebecca who was drinking pink lemonade from a straw. 

      Rebecca’s eyes were closed as she enjoyed her beverage, she didn’t even flinch from the question. Her legs were crossed as she sat back in her chair. She had chosen to wear a pink blouse and white skirt, her sandals didn’t match her outfit but the vampire didn’t seem to care. Rebecca continued to sip on the straw with a small smile on her face. In between her sips she mumbled quietly to herself, a soft lullaby as if oblivious to her surroundings.

      Kyle seemed even more confused than everyone else. The ship’s power remained out, emergency lights were still glowing a bright blue but they were slowly fading away. It was now a somber afternoon in the middle of the ocean, and the seas seemed peaceful. The passangers were no longer sitting idly by in their rooms anymore, they packed the decks searching for answers or to grasp a breathe of fresh air. Inside the confines of the ship the temperature was stifling.

      Kyle was wearing a thin Hawaiin shirt and swimming shorts. The first several buttons were undone to show off his broad chest. He had a little chest hair, not too thick or bushy, but enough to make him appear more mature. Rose couldn’t help but notice that Maggie was wearing one of his sweaters along with a pair of sweat pants, evidently she hadn’t felt like returning to their room and changing into something more fresh.

      A few hours had passed since Rebecca had confessed her story to Rose. Immediately following that heart stopping tale, Rose had to follow the vampire down creepy hallways and humid corridors. The way back to their room seemed incredibly distant as they journeyed through the guts of the ship. On the way Rose couldn’t help but notice how Rebecca seemed on edge, she was fully alert with every footstep. Only once did she usher her to stop in their tracks to study a shadow behind them. Rose got the distinct impression someone was following them, they had to move swiftly through the ship to avoid detection. After getting changed they searched for the nearest food court. They were planning on brining Maggie some food, if it was safe, but were glad to discover that she and Kyle were already there. They were seated toward the edge of the open court. 

      Maggie had taken the time to clean herself up a little, but she still looked incredibly hung over. She wore thick black sunglasses and her hair was disheveled. The sweater somehow looked good on her. Maggie’s voluptuous mounds kept the dark fabric from making its way to her stomach, her abs were a little softer than Rebecca’s but still quite attractive. 

      Rose couldn’t help but feel out of place, she had on a designer-fit sleeveless tank top. The white shirt covered over a padded bra that made her seem a little more…endowed than before. She also chose to wear her denim shorts just in case she needed to run, or have someone carry her off the side of the ship again! 

      “So what’s this about?” Kyle asked with his southern accent, he seemed to be recovering faster than the others. Rose just kept jittering back and forth in her chair, she didn’t even look up at Kyle as he broke the silence. 

      Maggie groaned loudly and slammed her fists onto the table, “Damnit Reby, why?”

      “She asked?” Rebecca answered in between sips, the straw still remained in her mouth.

      Kyle had no idea what Rebecca and Maggie were referring to, and what was causing Rose to freak out. “but…what’s this about?”

      “Her food…was people…” Rose whispered, “her pets…were people.”

      “Say what now?” Kyle’s interest suddenly peeked. He looked over to Rebecca, she seemed to be enjoying her beverage. “Oh wait…Thats right I remember now, you’re from the Seraphine clans right?”

      “So many people…” Rose whispered to herself.

      “I’ve heard the ancient ones practiced pretty obscene arts, I’m surprised they even let you aboard actually.” Kyle shuffled in his seat a little so that he could comfortably lean back. His bare feet planted on the table, which under normal circumstances would’ve upset Rose to no end. But this time she barely noticed, she just kept rocking back and forth.

      Maggie rubbed her forehead in frustration, a server approached with a tray of shots to which Maggie grabbed as many as she could. She downed three immediately as if there were no tomorrow. 

      Rose paused her jittering for a split second each time Maggie leaned back to down one of the shots. She could see that Maggie wasn’t wearing a bra! The underside of her breasts peeked out from the sweater each time she leaned back. “It’s going to be like this all day with you isn’t it. God humans are strange,” Maggie complained only after finishing her drinks.

      “So you actually…killed people?” Kyle asked Rebecca quietly. 

      Rebecca chuckled humorously then spoke, “Of course not, I only got to drink from them. Back in Transilvania, the clan lives with other acolytes and their families. Its our custom to raise our children among other human acolytes. As we reach maturity we naturally drink from them, and they serve alongside us. Our venom enhances their own vitality, and their blood develops our nature as vampires.”

      “So you drank from humans…all the time?” Kyle seemed fascinated, “What does fresh blood even taste like?”

      “Like sweet nectar straight from mothers tit,” Rebecca laughed then returned to her drink.

      Kyle just whistled and looked back to Rose who didn’t seem to want to break out of whatever trance she kept herself in. He didn’t notice that Maggie had slid a shot toward him, the crystal glass was filled with dark liquor that smelled of rich bourbon. 

      “Can you stop freaking out!” Maggie got up and grabbed Rose’s shoulder, “Seriously you’ve got to snap out of it!” 

      “People…so many people,” Rose kept repeating the phrase over and over again. 

      “Damnit bitch get a hold of yourself!” Maggie slapped Rose on the cheek hard enough for her to stop shaking in her seat and refocus her attention. “Here just drink this.”

      Maggie offered Rose a tall shot glass full of whiskey. A small tear strolled down Rose’s cheek as she sniffled, “What is it?” 

      “Its happy juice, just drink it please. You’re making a scene!” Rose looked around and thats when she noticed all the passangers nearby were looking at their table. Some were getting anxious, others annoyed. Some of the sailors were clearly wondering about whether they should intervene somehow, but most just wanted their bickering to stop. 

      To her credit Maggie tried to show remorse for the slap and carefully pulled back Rose’s hair so that she could rub her cheek. That seemed to calm Rose down a little, just enough so that she could accept the shot glass. Rose drank it slowly, it was surprisingly smooth. 

      Kyle stifled a laugh as Maggie sat next to him with a grunt. Seeing that Rose was finally settling, Maggie looked over to him with a sly grin. She leaned over ever so slightly and with a delicate finger pulled back the sweater just enough to let him catch a glimpse of her nipple. Kyle dropped the shot in his hand in shock.

      A few minutes passed before everyone else around them started behaving normally again. One shot became two, then three, and before long Rose was feeling a little more relaxed. At least her migraine was lessened somewhat. “So,” She summoned the courage to address Rebecca, “What happened to Timmy?”

      The question made Maggie spit out her own drink, “You fucking told her about Timmy!” 

      Rebecca laughed hysterically before responding, “Of course! He was my first…oh I’ll never forget his sweet…burning…thick!”

      “We get it already!” Maggie leaned forward on the table.

      “Blood,” Rebecca finished with a smirk.

      Kyle kept looking at Rebecca, he didn’t want to miss what other little surprises she might reveal. “Sounds like you really enjoyed Timmy?” He asked inquisitively.

      “He was my best friend…until I had to leave home. I wonder how he’s doing?” Rebecca rested her head in the palm of her hand. Her drink was empty and she fiddled with her straw. She looked over to Kyle who seemed to remain fixated on her. “How much do you know about my clan?”

      Kyle straightened, “Only the scary stories invented to keep us up at night.”

      Rebecca chuckled, “You don’t have to worry, there not all true.”

      Not all true? Rose bit her lip.

      “So what’s the deal with Timmy?” Kyle asked.

      Rebecca paused a moment in silent reflection. When she spoke next it was evident in her tone that this next part was hard for her to say. “When we reach a certain age, we are asked to fully consume one of our human partners. Often the one we grow up with. I couldn’t do it, so I had to leave.” 

      The ship rolled slightly, just enough to make the empty glasses on the table slide to the left. It was enough to distract the four of them from the topic. 

      “Its starting to get hot,” Rose complained. She couldn’t wait for the air conditioning to be restored, more so than the lights. Already she was sweating. 

      “Thats not what I’m worried about,” Kyle chimed in.

      Rebecca smirked at him, “Oh and what are you worried about handsome?”

      Kyle blushed, “What happens when they run out of alcohol to serve us…or blood for that matter.”

      “You think it’ll get that bad?” That caught Rebecca’s attention.

      “If refrigeration’s down then were all going to be in trouble.” Silence descended on the table as he spoke about the one thing on everybody’s mind that no one wanted to discuss. Even the others around them seemed to hush after he mentioned the blood supply.

      “Someone will come help us, there not just going to leave an entire cruise ship out in the open sea stranded?” Maggie said calmly, her voice was starting to slur.

      “A cruise ship full of vampires you mean?” Kyle retorted.

      “And one human; one tasty, sexy human.” Rebecca added with a finger in the air.

      Rose sighed, “Can I get another shot please?” 

      Maggie planted her head in her arms on the table, “We need a whole fucking bottle.” 

      Suddenly the intercom throughout the ship buzzed and the captains voice filled the room. “Attention all passangers! Please do not be alarmed, we apologize for the inconvenience and wish to inform you that everything is being done to restore power to the ship. Your continued cooperation is appreciated, please comply with all sailors and company supervisors as we continue to ensure the safety of all crew aboard. Coast Guard is aware of our situation, and relief will be enroute shortly. Once again we apologize for—“ 

      The message cut off before it finished. The blue emergency lights followed suite, and now only the sunlight lit up the ships interior. 

      “Fuck…” Rose muttered, “Can I get that drink now please?” In the shadows all the vampires eyes seemed like cold Rubys to her, and all of them seemed hungry. One pair of eyes glowed brighter than the others, and it’s claws scratched the surface of its table anxiously.