The Zompire

                          
The Zompire

                                    
By

                          
Wayne Brown

                                
Chapter 1

It was a cold morning in the camp. Another morning to which the engineers working on the canal project woke up, eager to push the project, even though inch
after inch, towards completion. However, yet another worker was missing. Marvin, one of the assistant surveyors who was saddled with the duty of interpretation of the design structure for the mega structure was nowhere to be found. His draftsman whom he shared the same tent with had woken up to find that he was alone in the tent and thinking his mate may have gone outside to take a leak had waited for his return to no avail. He had then gone outside and after checking around for him and asking in several tents, everyone began the process of looking for him.

Where the hell could he have gone out here in the middle of nowhere?” was the question that belted out of the mouth of one of his colleagues.

It was a scary thing as most that had gone missing from this camp hardly returned and worse still, not much was usually explained about their whereabouts later other than that they had been found. Hours later of searching without success, the lead engineer sent everyone to resume at their work posts in the hope that Marvin would return soon enough. He placed a call to the state security agency to notify them of the situation on the ground. The state had contributed and supported so much, everything that had to do with this project’s accomplishment and the project’s success thus far was owed to the states’ commitment which had kept the workers on site but this morning again, another key worker had gone missing; a big blow to the morale of the engineers and laborers.  It was one of those days which had the workers asking themselves the rhetorical question

“Why the fuck are we still on this site!”

The day’s disappearance had in it yet an iota of hope in that the missing person was ‘only’ missing as no torn body parts or drops of blood was found trailing away from the camp as most times it had been. Everyone went back to work, but they were in low spirits and at lunchtime, discussions were about nothing other than the news they had woken up to that morning. While some feared that it was probably lions or some wild animals that had come to the camp and had taken Marvin away, others disputed that as an invalid reason given that they did not find any lion footprints in the camp…..or any other wild animal prints for that matter. Moreover, should that have been the case, the victim would have been able to raise an alarm by shouting or whatever they argued. One relatively old man, a laborer popularly called by the name Mr. Smith, gave his opinion.

“It is the same thing that came to take two workers three weeks ago, same thing that came in my first month here on this project. I have been on one other project, not this one in which this happened and I have seen it take people and I know that they don’t give up, not like they can help it!” he concluded.

The laborers were lost at his words. They asked him to explain himself further, but he wouldn’t bulge at all. He simply declared that he had to get back to work, having now finished with his lunch. Smith was a jolly happy man, who though not having much of his youthful strength these days, was hired into the project when the company’s human resources had a look at his
CV
which showed he had worked on the
Eurasian Canal
; the closest there was in size to the new canal the construction the company was to undertake and were recruiting for. They also found that he had a good knowledge of the management of some technical processes involved, which other laborers would need to have been explained to them over and over again. Determining that this would be a major advantage, they hired him on spot so that he could also help in the responsibility as helping to direct the team at hand. He had taken the job with pleasure. Nearing fifty-five years of age, with a son and two daughters, he had to cater for his family in any way he could manage. He had lost his wife three years earlier and had to find an extra way to be able to manage both kids and finances. He had loved his wife very much and had not been able to remarry since. His kids were his pride and joy and he was willing to do anything for them. It was this driving force and urge that kept him in the Panama project those years, even when he knew very much what was responsible for people’s disappearance and deaths and what possible danger it presented to him on a daily basis.

On their third night on that project, two days after the first victim was attacked, he kept watch through a hole in the hut in which he stayed, on the lookout for any intruder. He had only been up a little beyond midnight and whilst he watched, from the shadows came a silhouette against the camp security flashlight. Certainly, the silhouette he saw on the ground was that of a human. At first, he thought it would be one of the workers just going to urinate in the bushes nearby but the body came into view and he then realized that though the creature had a human figure, it had a big hunch on its back and was bald all over. It had no patch of hair, not even eye brows. Though the size of a full grown man, it had no moustache, stubble or beard and under the bright flashlight he could clearly see his pale skin that looked almost transparent, so much so that he could see the veins beneath its skin. The creature walked stealthily seemingly sensing whatever it was seeking. Smith had been shocked to his very aging bones. His breath had come to a pause and he even feared that his pulse and heartbeat stopped. He began to shake when it bared its teeth to expose some horrible looking fangs and let out a hiss. At the very moment in time, he didn’t know what to do, whether to shout and alert the rest of the workers or just shut the hell up and hope to make it to the next morning. The human like figure made its way to the door of one of the other larger huts, and as it tried to push the door open, that was all he needed to make up his mind. He stealthily went across the room to pick up his gun which he had brought along expecting to be able to hunt some wildlife out there in the woods. When he returned to his post and once again looked through the hole from where he was spying from, he was surprised to see the creature quickly slipping away from the hut. In a moment of fear and indecision, he drew back and took a careless aim, firing several shots in the direction it was going towards. The shots echoed loudly into the still and dark night, awaking everybody else. People came out of their huts, guns in hand but they found or saw nothing. His roommates who were also suddenly awaken by the loud bangs saw a Smith who looked as white as one who had seen a ghost. They walked out of the room with him to meet the rest of the workers who were alerted and they were seeking answers as to what caused the gunfire frenzy. Mr. Smith had come out in the company of his mates and told them of what he had seen. He had to do a lot of explaining as most of the people he was talking to then did not have an idea of what he was saying. It was not until someone mentioned the word vampire that it became clearer to them what may have visited them that night. Some of them laughed and shrugged at the idea, not wanting to indulge or believe in such nonsensical explanations. When they were reminded of how some of their colleagues bodies were found, torn up and all, their smirks and wide faced grins turned to seriousness.

“We’re so seriously fucked!” said one of the workers to another standing beside him.

The next few days saw a lot of the workers leaving but Smith remained on site and told the foreman that he was not going anywhere. In fact, a good number of those who themselves decided to stay, only did so because Smith did not desert the work as the others did. Knowing that garlic scared vampires away, they decided to stock pile on large quantities of it. Smith had slept every night after that smelling of garlic as did most workers. Smith himself had come to the conclusion that indeed, it must’ve been some type of vampire creature. Over the next couple of days, he had done his own personal research and found out a lot more about vampires, their biological makeup, social behavior, genetic makeup and how best to fight them or rather evade them. It was then he found out that garlic, in fact did not specifically scare off vampires. They were at best rebuffed by some scents which they find repelling but that would not be enough to scare away a thirsty vampire that is keen on getting its next meal.

                                
Chapter 2

Days went by.

Soon enough, there was an
arrival of the investigative team from the Federal Bureau. They conducted their own little searches not a word of the outcome was made to the general public. It was of course a matter of State Security that should not be disclosed to everyone. Such information was only given out on a need to know basis. Engineer Roberts, lead engineer on the project planning and execution, met with the team who briefed him of details of the outcome of their search and investigation.

“Well Sir, we have found him ….your last missing colleague!”

A flash of hope was about to light Roberts face before the man speaking corrected himself ….

“ I meant we found his body. It was intact, relatively cold and had wounds on his neck, ankles and wrists. We suspect it’s the usual suspect or suspects again.”

“How is that even possible?” You said you had them exterminated the last time. What is it you are saying again? Roberts asked them.

“Well, yes we did think so and it would have been so, but what happened was that our team of vampire hunters blew up the cave which our security dogs traced their scent to. I am of the belief that instead of dying under the weight of the rocks, they survived and had gone into dormancy. A check at the rock stack there shows that your engineers have been blasting rocks from that site for the construction supply.”

Roberts sighed loudly.

“So they made their way out, he added. How could they have survived the weight of the cave collapsing in on them? Don’t you think there could be another clan of vampires out here?”

“Nope, we in fact believe that the four survived as it would take that number to almost empty a man of about six and a half liters blood fluid content. We are telling you these details because we will be staying. They will surely come back as always.”

“ So tell me, what about Surveyor Marvin ….where is he now?” Roberts interrupted him.

“He had been in the coma too long. There was not much the vaccine could do at the time we found him. I’m sorry but we had to euthanize him.”

Roberts was devastated. He was at a loss as to how to break the news of Marvin’s death to his wife, Rachel. The only explanation for his body would be to maybe tell her the whole truth. The Chief of the newly founded Vampire Control Agency,
VCA
, Dr Lenzo Briggs explained that they would be around to lie in wait for the vampires. They had set up base there, figuring they might return. It would be a few days at most and they will be back to this camp as there is hardly any other human habitation around for miles.

Later that evening at the close of work and collation of progress reports from all the units, Engineer Roberts boarded a
VCA
helicopter which took him to Allington. Arriving at Marvin’s house, Rachel welcomed him in, with an apprehension on her face. If Roberts was to pay her a visit, Marvin would’ve been sure to have mention it to her beforehand. Marvin could have easily called and sent any message over the phone as well. She stood wondering to what she owed the August visit to. She was so drawn into her thoughts that she forgot to offer Roberts a seat. When she came to, she hurriedly apologized and ushered him to a seat and asked him if he would like something to drink.

“Oh no, I’m okay; thanks for asking though.” he replied.

“It has been five whole months since we last saw each other and this is the first time you are visiting our house so why not have a drink?” she asked.