Something clattered to the floor. It sounded like glass shattering.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw the back of Hans’s head, I still had my arms wrapped around his waist. My chest pressed against his back devoid of fat or muscles, I felt the contours of his spine and ribs.

He should really eat more.

Hans settled with being the small spoon when we went to sleep. He looked adorable when sleeping against me. His mouth hung slightly open, his hair fell to one side and would need combing when he woke up. I couldn’t help myself and planted a gentle kiss on the back of his head. He didn’t wake up, but it registered in his mind. Hans's mouth curled up in a smile.

Then I listened, I heard thumping on the floor above us.

I slowly slipped my arm from under his side and pushed myself from the couch. I stood up on the carpet and stared inside of the dark living room. The light of the moon and stars moving through the windows slightly illuminated the room. Fortunately the clock was visible; It was half past three. Not the best time to wake up.

I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Was the shattering glass just a dream? It couldn’t be. There was still someone walking above us.

I walked to the hallway on my tiptoes. I covered my breasts with my forearm. I shivered at the cold air hitting my skin. Then I saw the broken glass at the bottom of the staircase. Someone or something broke the window of the upper floor, but a few shards fell down to the ground floor. My heart dropped to my stomach and I squinted my eyes to the overpass. A door leading to my bedroom opened up.

Then a stomp.

And another one.

Finally a shadow appeared in the door opening. It had to duck to get under the door. When standing on the overpass I had a good look at him.

It was the same tall man I saw at the restaurant, guitar case and trench coat included.

Only now I noticed something new about him; his horrid stench. He smelled like sweat. That was logical. It was summer and that trench coat didn’t fare well for his body in the heat.

He saw me too and opened up his case. He pulled out a massive sword. It was longer than me by half a foot, but in the large man’s hands it looked like a regular sword. He raised the sword, grunted and jumped down the staircase, straight for me.

I jumped out of the way and the beefcake got his blade stuck in the floor. He wiggled it out and charged for me again. He didn’t say a word, just grunts as he ran for me.

This time I ducked and squeezed in between his legs. Benefits of being small. He crashed into the wall and landed on his ass. A picture of me and my parents hung up on the wall fell on top of his head. His dazed self slowly got back up.

“What the fuck?” I heard Hans call out. The knight’s loud crash woke him up.

“Hans, run!” I called out. I ran into the living room and saw him sitting on the sofa, pulling his pants up.

“Marlene, what is happening?” He asked, distressed.

“Someone broke in,” I informed him. “I’ll handle him. You take my dad’s car, keys are in the garage on the counter. I’m sure you’ll find them.”

He nodded. “You’re still naked.”

“I’ll be fine, just go!” I commanded.

The large grunt entered the room, his eyes focused on Hans. “Hans Julians, prepare for death.” He said with a loud booming voice rattling my bones.

“Oh fuck!” He cried out. “Nazril is the strong one, man. Why did they send a tank after me?”

“Because you were seen with her,” He pointed at me. “I am also faster than a tank, calling me one is an insult. I am going to rip you limb from limb as your naked lass watches-”

Before he could say more, I grabbed the broadsword from the wall and hit him in the side of the face. I used the weight of the sword to make it fall down and cut him as deeply as I could. I barely reached his face, only hitting his jaw.

He yelled out when the sword cut his skin. It deflected off his bone and clattered to the ground.

“Hans! Run for the car!” I yelled.

Like expected, the wound on the grunt’s face started healing already.

A vampire.

Just what I needed.

Hans hauled his ass to the garage door with just his pants on.

“No layers of armor on your fragile body at all. I’ll cut you in half.” He said, then turned 360 degrees and slashed his sword across my waist. I ducked underneath and rolled, I grabbed the sword I dropped in a roll. I had a fair amount of training with this thing. My parents are old fashioned.

I deflected all his strikes. His longer sword allowed him to keep a distance.

Clang.

Cling.

Clong.

Then the tip of the giant sword connected with my upper arm. I did not show how much it hurt. The small cut healed within seconds.

Then I parried his overhand strike and managed to sidestep him. I slashed across his back and cut through his trench coat. I heard another metallic clang as it hit the armor underneath.

This made him laugh.

He turned around and snarled, his face twisted in an expression of amusement. “You are good for a little girl,” He rolled his shoulders back multiple times. “Never thought I’d fight Richard’s daughter while she’s naked.”

“Heh, I’m at my best when naked.”

“Fool!” He yelled, then threw away his sword. It slammed against the floor.

He ran up to me, this time I didn’t expect it. He caught me and wrapped his arms around me like something resembling a bear hug, but with the power of a boa constrictor. He lifted my body in the air, squeezed my chest against his, and jumped up and turned my back to the floor. He smashed my back into the glass table with the empty bowl. I felt the glass pierce my back and blood spill out on the floor.

Then the grunt’s body crushed my entire rib cage. I could feel my ribs being destroyed at once. With every broken rib, a wet snap could be heard echoing through the room.

The grunt stood up, leaving me a broken mess. My entire body went white with hot pain. Tears welled up in my eyes and I could not feel my legs anymore. The tall man grabbed his large sword again.

“I always use that one with tricksters such as you. Small people are easily broken,” Then his eyes went wide. “That could be misheard as sexual.” He said, grinning.

He lifted his sword to decapitate me, but then lights lit up his face. He looked right into the light. I managed to agonizingly turn my head to the side too, and saw the headlights of my father’s large Range Rover. It quickly approached the wall.

The grunt noticed too late. The car ran straight through the wall. Bricks and glass flew everywhere. A bookcase fell over and it was crushed underneath the car. I was lucky I wasn’t hit by any of the debris. He turned around to jump away, but got hit by the black Range Rover. He didn’t stand a chance against the horsepower and front bumper of my father’s car. It struck the side of his body and launched him all across the room. He hit the wall and stayed down, a pool of blood filled underneath him. His body still twitched.

The door opened and Hans sat behind the wheel. He picked me up and threw me into the passenger seat. My ribs were almost healed, but I still groaned in pain when he hauled me inside of the car.

“Holy shit.” He said. He backed the car up through the hole. “That was the craziest thing I’ve ever done.” –He wiped sweat from his forehead– “Are you okay, Marlene?”

“I am,” I said, still a bit dazed from the body slam. I felt my ribs and sternum heal, they formed nicely. They had knitted back together. “Who is that guy?”

Hans drove back onto the road. He went slower than normal, he didn’t have a license. “You’re going to think I’m crazy when I explain all that.” Sweat stood on his face.

“Tell me anyway.” I demanded.

“I think I pissed off a vampire. I was attacked by a bloodsucking vampire and he killed Andy,” – My heart sank– “And I was saved by this other guy who could turn invisible. He killed the assailant but now I think these assassins are after us. I know it sounds like I’m seeing things but I swear it is true. I am taking you to a place he either already is, or will show up to.”

I needed to take a couple seconds to process the information.

Hans encountered vampires. His life was very much in danger.

Mine was too.

He did not even know I was one. I contemplated telling him, but decided now wasn’t the time to destroy his mind even more.

“Shit, we don’t even have clothing for you.” He said.

“Yes we do, if I’m right.”

I reached in the back and my father’s suitcase was there, inside was a business suit. I crawled to the backseat and put it on. I glimpsed at the road and saw the engine of the car was smoking. I didn’t mind it and put on my father’s suit. It was way too big, but better than walking around naked.

“Where are we going?” I asked. I covered myself in my black dress for warmth.

“Rudy’s Bar and Grill.” He said.

I never heard of the place. I hoped they had quality food.

“Let’s go, then.” I sighed.

***

Marlene tried to put on her dress again behind me. This time she wore nothing underneath– I should’ve grabbed her panties and bra too, but in the heat of the moment I didn’t think about that. You don’t get a man with a zweihander trying to kill you every day. I was still shirtless myself.

But man.

That was by far the most badass thing I had ever done.

I had expected the giant to get under the car and get trampled by the wheels, but instead he bounced around like a ball in a pinball machine.

I hoped he’d stay down for a while, but you never knew with these damned creatures.

“Hey, are you hurt?” I asked.

“No,” There was a strain in her voice. He had hurt her, but she didn’t appear seriously hurt. Her pale skin and slender body were still in peak condition. I didn’t see a single scratch or coloring. “So you know what Rudy’s is?” She continued.

“No, Nazril didn’t have time to tell me what it was. He told me where it is though.” I reassured her.

I drove at a slower pace. This was only my third time driving a car, especially a big one like this. Previously I took a few free lessons my father gave me, but I still didn’t have a license. If the city guard pulled us over we’d be toast, luckily it was the middle of the night and the streets weren’t busy.

I turned on the radio. There was a news broadcast.

“Heavy tension in the East China Sea as Chinese war vessels entered Japanese waters ten minutes ago. We are here with Hoshi Fukuhara, Grand Admiral in the Japanese Navy.”

An old and grizzled voice spoke with highly accented English.

“Japan has already warned the vessels once to leave our waters. Their reasons are unknown, we are prepared to strike when necessary. The glory of Japan will prevail.”

The Japanese, my father spoke little of them. He speaks little of his work as it is, but the Japanese made an unlikely ally, so unlikely in fact, that I asked him if they were truly on our side.

He said, “The Japanese are a highly patriotic people who value honor. They won’t stab us in the back.” Then he left for work.

He always left for work. He used to hire a nanny, but I got too old for one, so I was mostly left home alone. That was as lonely as it sounds. I wished for siblings, at least I’d have someone around me in that massive house.

When all this vampire bullshit was done, I would throw the biggest house party ever. I’d invite Marlene and the club, I’d invite the whole school with them.

If I lived through that, of course.

“Jesus, Marlene. You hear that?”

“What?” She already put on her dress.

“The Chinese are pressuring, they’re treading in Japanese waters.”

“Maybe for the better.”

“That is not good!” I snapped.

She looked through the back window. “Maybe you need to worry about yourself for now, fuck them..” She snarled.

“I don’t know if you know, but the Japanese are our allies.”

“I don’t know if you know, but I am not from a political family. We don’t conform to the fascist sympathies this government seems to have.”

A metaphorical bee stung my heart. “Do you really think of us as fascist sympathizers?”

“You’re the ones working with the tyrants. What your dad did in Amsterdam…” Marlene Marlene’s voice died away..

Painful silence.

“It was decades ago, more than seven to be exact.” I sighed half a second later.

“Japan didn’t admit to all the rape and murder yet. They didn’t apologize.”

“Forget about it for now. We’re almost there.” I muttered.

We arrived at Rudy’s. We parked the car in front of the building and I turned it off. I saw the engine was still smoking.

We were very lucky it did not blow up during the ride.

I shut off the engine and stepped out of the car. In front of me was a building saying Rudy’s Bar & Grill in rainbow colored letters. Purple light came through the window and doused the front of the bar in a purple aura. Muffled music came from inside. It sounded happy.

“A gay bar?” Marlene wondered.

“Seems like it, didn’t think a 103 year old would hang out here.” I said while looking at my watch. It’s a miracle the lights were still on at this hour. Maybe they had some special event tonight.

“I always wanted to visit these places but my parents never let me.”

“Well, here’s your chance.”