“I asked you on a date, why can’t I pick where we’re going.”

“Because you’re still a coward. If you're going to be following me around like a sick puppy, that needs to be fixed,” Destiny continues her relentless taunting.

“By watching a vampire movie? I’ve been hanging out with a vampire for two weeks now. My brother said that when you like a girl you go on a date where you can talk and do stuff together. If you just want to have sex, then you go to a movie. I like you, do you not like me,” I ask.

“You are...a very special kind of weird. It’s like you have no understanding of society at all,” Destiny responds before going completely silent.

“And you aren’t weird? Vampire lady who loves murder, shoes and pancakes?”

The side eye she’s giving me is a big hint that I screwed up. This is my first real date, at least one I wanted to go on. Usually Elias just brings me along with him on a double date and I meet the friend of the girl he really likes. I can’t say it ever worked out, and I didn’t learn a lot about dating. But, I did learn arguing isn’t a sign that the date is going well. I didn’t learn how to fix it either. I just stare out the window as she drives. Kind of wished we had taken separate cars now but I just had to give in when she said she had the perfect place to go. I was planning a nice dinner and walk in the park for us. But nope, I had to let her take control because I couldn’t speak up. I should tell her right now I made reservations for us and this movie thing won’t work.

“We’re here, get out and don’t embarrass me,” Destiny says pulling into a parking spot.

“Don’t get out yet, I’m supposed to open your door.”

“Dweeb.”

Destiny leads the way into what seems to be a worn-down warehouse on the east side of town near the docks. Inside is completely different, a small bar with alcohol and movie theater concessions. A neon red color filled the room and that same copper stench I had smelled back at the nightclub where this all started. After some research of my own, I figured out the smell was probably blood, and there had to be a lot of it for the smell to be so strong. I figured the club had housed a feeding spot underground. I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to ask Destiny if that was a thing or not. I’m mostly going of vampire movies. Across from the bar there’s an area that features several double doors each leading off to different rooms. Above each one held various movie titles on a digital screen above the door. Nosferatu, Dracula, Vampyre, The Lost Boys, The Little Vampire, all vampire movies.

“What will it be,” the man at the door asks us.

“Two for Vampire in Brooklyn,” Destiny responds.

“Any food or drinks,” he asks.

“I’ll have a salad with a blood vinaigrette to start, the stuffed porkchops with some blood wine. O-, if you have it. He’ll have a chef salad, no dressing, then he’ll have the stuffed porkchops as well, with regular whisky,” she takes a slip of paper from the man and guides me to a room.

Inside are several dining tables in a dimly lit room, most of the light coming from the large screen finishing up the credits of the previous film. A few people sit at the tables around the room. Some eating, others watching them eat. Only one couple seems to both be eating. The most disturbing is an older blonde man sucking on the arm of a young woman as she eats. Her face is wincing in pain but occasionally delight as well. We take our seats as people start to head out from the film that’s finishing. I avoid the gaze of the blonde man as he passes by me, did he see me watching? No, he was too busy draining that woman of blood, she’s stumbling as she leaves, probably light headed from the blood loss.

“Where are we,” I can’t help but ask as others start to come in.

“Movie theater. It’s nice because they serve you dinner with the movie.”

“I can see that, but you ordered blood at the door. So, I guess, what is this place? I’m a little freaked out right now.”

“Oh, it’s a movie theater,” she jokes.

“What kind? I’ve never been to a place like this.”

“Relax, nobody will hurt you. Neutral ground. Most days, it’s a normal theater. Nights are a little different. They have nights dedicated to Werewolves, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Goblins, humans and of course vampires. The food is a little different each night, except human night. Vampire night, they serve blood. But all vampires can’t eat human food so some bring thralls and familiars, then watch them eat it. I’m Adze, so I can eat and a little blood goes a long way for us. Each night they show movies based around whoever the star is that night, vampire movies tonight. Came to human night once, lot of movies about magic.”

“So, we’re just watching a movie?”

“Yeah, Vampire in Brooklyn, my favorite. White people didn’t like it but black people loved it. I remember seeing it on my 18th birthday,” she stops as the water drops off salads and drinks.

I take the moment to do some quick math in my head. Movie came out in 1995, it was her 18th birthday. The year is 2007. So, she’s 30, same as me. Now I have more questions.

“Hey, I thought vampires were immortal. You’re only 30.”

“Not all vampires are immortal, but I am” she pulls packet of ranch from her purse and passes it to me. “No regular salad dressing on Vampire Night, but I got you.”

“How does that work, and thank you.”

“Well, you have to be turned. Most still age, just really slowly and can die of natural causes, usually just being old. Some even go as far as replacing organs to live longer. Adze, there are still former slaves living and the process changed so I’m not sure. We’re birthed in blood and magic. Dhampir max out around 150-200 years old, Primeval probably live forever. Nach,” she struggles on the word.

“How many different types of vampires are there,” I take her pause to ask.

“Officially, there’s four that fought the wars 300 years ago. But six are commonly accepted by everyone but vampires. Unofficially, there’s a whole lot of one-off weird stuff. Vampires born of special circumstances, like a werewolf and vampire mix. Children that just come back as vampire. There was a human who turned himself into a vampire with magic. 96 percent of the vampires you meet will be one of the 5. 1 percent will be the sixth type. The last 3 percent makes up the thousands maybe millions of strange kinds.”

“Okay, tell me the six for now. What are the key differences,” I take out my phone to make notes. If I’m going to be around Destiny, I want to know my stuff.

“Okay,” she laughs at me pulling out my phone. “So, for starters there’s Adze, started somewhere in Ghana or Togo. Originally, we were immortal shapeshifters, usually fireflies, who fed on blood. But, could take the shape of humans, the downside is anything that would kill a human would kill us. Sometime during the era of slavery that changed. Blood magic was incorporated into the turning process. We gave up our shape shifting powers to appear human, and become immortal, near invincible. We could still be killed but it would take so much more than before. I can tell you more about Adze later, so much more. You may choose to be one of us some day.”

“Hey, I’m just hanging around for the moment.”

“Sure, I was too. The next is” she takes a deep breath and spaces it out the word “Na-ch-ze-her. Nachzeher. German origins. They keep to themselves as well. According to legend, they can’t turn people with a regular bite, each one of them is born of pain according to the rumors.”

“What does that mean,” I ask eagerly.

“Calm down whiz kid. Imagine you have a mass shooting, the first one to die might turn into a Nachzeher. A plague, the first person in each region will turn. Victims of serial killers. Suicides. They likely existed as long as Adze but during World War II is when more and more showed up. Every time the Germans would fill the gas chamber, another was born. Dozens were born during genocides. I can’t say how many there are for certain, but there’s new ones born every day. They’re immortal as far as I know, but they all suffer some kind of mental illness from the trauma of the rebirth. Usually, they’ve been buried for some time before they claw their way out of the ground. They’ve been said to devour entire bodies when they first rise, despite only needing blood. Some try to eat themselves but heal too fast. Most want to die, and view it as a curse. They’ve been searching for a cure, but many go insane and settle for death. Sunlight, a stake to the heart, decapitation, it’ll take them out.”

“That’s actually really sad. They never wanted to be turned, just were and it drove them insane.”

“But it gets worse, the ones who died first and recovered become Nachzeher. The ones who don’t die first but are strong enough and angry enough to come back become that sixth unofficial type. Strigoi. Twisted, deformed bodies, many of their organs give out and they’re left blind, finding their way through smell. Closer to zombies than vampires really. They hunt in packs, usually five to ten but as large as twenty or fifty isn’t unheard of. When you hear about chupacabras, they’re probably speaking about Strigoi, usually a child. The children always seem to come back as Strigoi. I suppose it’s because of the strong emotions behind a child’s death.”

“That can’t be true right? What would cause them to come back?”

“Some say Nachzeher and Strigoi are more like angry spirits and demons possessing the bodies, than actual vampires. Some also say Nachzeher are just Primeval vampires that were driven insane by the modern world who wove their own tale. Like I said, they keep to themselves so their origins are as well-hidden to me as Adze are to them.”

We sit and ponder on the Nachzeher and Strigoi for a moment as a few more people come in. All of which seem to be getting food. Different from those that were here at the end of the last film. I assume Adze aren’t the only ones that can eat food.

“Up next, officially the third type. Excuse me for being racist, the last of the three you can trust.”

“Didn’t you just say Nachzeher all suffered from bouts of mental illness?”

“Yes, but they’re still good people. The third type are the Dhampir. Like the Adze born from magic and blood, or the Nachzeher born from pain, the Dhampir are born from love, or lust. They are the half vampire children of a human and a vampire. Sometimes a vampire falls in love with a human and ends up carrying a baby, a miracle of sorts. Other times a woman ends up carrying a vampire and not knowing it. It’s more common than some would have you believe. They’ve got all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of Primeval vampires, except the blood for sustenance thing. They can’t shake that one. Unlike the other two we’ve talked about, they can turn someone with a bite, and the turned person will be a full vampire, they can also reproduce through sex.”

“So they’re like Blade the comic book, or the movies,” I interject.

“You’re saying nerd shit again.”

“You’re giving a whole dissertation on vampires; you can’t call me a nerd.”

“I studied the history of vampires because I am one. I’m giving you this information because you asked. Did you study comic books because you were one?”

“That doesn’t, even make any sense,” I look at her in confusion.

“I know it doesn’t. The next vampire is the OG if you believe them. They’re known as Gothic or Primeval. This is your standard Dracula type. Sunlight, holy water, garlic, a stake. It’ll put them down. They can reproduce by bite or sex. Some of them come with a special ability or mutation like shape shifting, limited mind control, or flying. Only reason their frail asses survived so long.”

“You don’t seem to like them.”

“When you meet some, you’ll understand. Just know, a lot of these fuckers got rich as colonizers, slavers, and stayed rich by exploiting impoverished nations. They’re still racist and despite putting on this façade of high society and snobbery, they’re still nothing more than bottom feeding assholes hanging onto the past.”

“Gotcha.”

“Did you write that last part down? Racist, bottom feeding, assholes, hanging on to the past, where they still, weren’t shit.”

“You’re adding stuff on now.”

“Had more come to mind,” she really does not like them.

“Anything else about them.”

“If you hear about vampire houses, purebloods, elders, nobles and all that, most of the time it’s these assholes and the perverts I’m about to mention care. There’re a few houses led by other types of vampire, but it’s mostly those assholes. Assholes. Ass-holes”

“I get it.”

“Assholes,” she points at my phone.

“I will make note of that,” and I do because she’s watching me take notes now.

“Lastly is the Talamaur. Not supper different from the Primeval. The big difference here is the person has to want to rise as a vampire. Can be up to 40 days before they come back, if they do come back. They don’t get any special tricks like the Primeval but they’re great fighters, and they can use magic. Twist being it’s all blood magic meaning they cut themselves open to use it, meaning they need more blood. Word is they used to be great, but constant infighting left them a mess as a whole. They’re really into polyamory and each one thrives to have a taruna with multiple wives or husbands, or both. Doesn’t matter, their whole culture thrives on sex, violence and blood rituals; Many of which do absolutely nothing. They’re just sexual deviants. Even the act of blood drinking with them is always nonconsensual and sexual. If you give in they just kill you. Do you get where I’m going with this? I’d prefer not going further.”

“Sex crazed, blood magic using, rapists. That about right?”

“Yeah. Please, no more questions. The movie is starting. Meaning our date is starting, no more history lessons.”

I’ve seen Vampire in Brooklyn a few times, enough to know what happens without following along. Destiny mouths some of the important lines throughout. I laugh at all the right moments; I know when they’re coming. Most of my mind just wanders during the film. Not how cute she is with her sneakers matching her purse or how she acts like an asshole but keeps ranch dressing in her bag for me because she knows I’m human and there won’t be any dressing without blood. Instead I just wonder on how deep this world of...supernatural...no that’s not the word. How deep this world really goes, how many things I don’t know. She spent twenty minutes telling me about vampires, and my mind is blown. I’m sitting in a movie theater that serves Goblins and Werewolves. My mind is just blown over and over again with her. I saw a succubus, and my mind is still blown with how much there is out there. There’s so much going on in this place, so many different creatures, and people. So many different cultures and she just finds it all so typical.