Chapter 12: Chapter 12 - Assessor and Vampire Lore

When John arrived at the Durham house the next Saturday for training, only Corinne and Sam were there to greet him. They both sat at the kitchen table, chatting.

“Uncle Sam,” Corinne said, “Why do we have to take orders from the Council? You said yourself that they were useless.”

Sam smiled. “Just don’t say that around them, okay? They might take it personally. As you probably know, the Council started at the same time the Constitution was ratified. They were supposed to be our representatives to the government. If we needed support, the Council would get it for us. They did a good job of it at first.”

John's ears perked up. He had been wondering about the Council. They sounded like a bunch of out-of-touch morons, according to Sam anyway. “So, what happened?” he asked.

Sam looked at John. “Hey, John, how’s it going? We’ll get started in a few minutes. Things started to change around the turn of the 1900s. A lot of monsters, vampires included, just began to disappear.”

“Isn’t that a good thing? That was the tipping point of the war, right?” Corinne said.

“Well…yes,” Sam said, “But then the government didn’t think it needed us anymore, at least, not in the old sense. They pushed for more oversight. The Council didn’t fight back. They formed the Assessors as a sort of liaison between the families, the Council, and the government.”

Corinne frowned. “Why didn’t they fight back?”

“You know how these things start,” Sam said, “Groups begin with good intentions. Then someone realizes there’s money and power to be had. The government offered that to the Council. The Council never thought that there are always strings attached to money.” Sam waved to the air, before adding, “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” He smiled and waited for them to realize that he’d used bad grammar on purpose.

When no one said anything, Sam cleared his throat and added, “At this point, few on the Council have even hunted. Same for the Assessors.”

“But how can you oversee hunting monsters if you haven’t done it?” Corinne asked.

Sam tapped his finger on the side of his nose. “Exactly.”

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John shrugged uncomfortably. He was never one for politics. “Where’s Donovan and Mr. Durham?” He asked.

“Mr. Durham wanted some one-on-one time with Donovan,” Sam said. “I’ll be training you both today. I hope that’s not a problem.

John shrugged again. “I’m good with whatever.”

“All right, then. Let’s head out back.”

The trio walked through the door-wall in the living room into the cold autumn air.

“Man, it got cold fast,” John said.

“That’s Michigan for you. It can never make up its mind,” Corinne said. She blew into her hands and rubbed them together.

Sam had gone into the yard to pick up some practice weapons from a shed in the back. John watched Sam’s red jacket bouncing in the wind. He glanced at Corinne standing beside him. He felt like a giant. In her parka, she looked even younger and smaller than she normally did.

“So, ah,” John began, silently praying that this wouldn’t be painful like some of his other conversations with girls, “How old are you, anyway?” He hoped that wasn’t a bad question to ask.

He breathed again when Corinne didn’t seem to be bothered by the question. “I turn thirteen this month.”

“Oh, that’s cool. I’m fifteen.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Yeah. Uncle Sam said that he got me something I’m really gonna like,” Corinne said, excitedly. “He’s a great teacher. You’re gonna like him.”

“I have him at school. Everyone seems to like him. Madelyn really likes him.”

Corinne eyed him mischievously. “Ooh, who’s Madelyn?”

“Uh, she’s a girl from school.”

“Well, I figured that. You sound like you like her.”

Even in the cold air, John’s cheeks got redder. He never liked talking about his love life, or lack thereof. “Yeah, but I can’t ever seem to say the right things to her. I’m terrible at talking to girls.”

Corinne smiled. “You’re talking to me.” “Yeah, but you’re not…” He stopped, unsure of what he was going to say.

“I’m not a what? A girl?” She teased. “Look, talking to a girl is just like talking to a real-live person. Maybe that’s your problem. I can help you, if you want.”

John shrugged and considered for a moment. It wouldn’t hurt to get some pointers, and Corinne was kind of cute, in a pixie-ish sort of way. “Yeah. Sure. I’d like that.” He smiled appreciatively. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Corinne smiled back. “All right. Are you whippersnappers ready?” Sam said as he walked up to them carrying an assortment of swords, sticks, knives, and even a crossbow.

“So, how come we can’t just shoot them with guns?” John asked.

“Ever try to shoot wooden bullets?” Sam swung the weapon around so John could see it. “Besides, crossbows are cooler.”

“Now,” continued Sam, “Here are the things you need to know about fighting vampires. There are really only two ways to kill a vampire. One, stab it in the heart with a piece of wood. Two, chop off its head. Garlic hurts them, which is why we coat all of our weapons in it. Crosses are good things to wear as well because they sometimes repel them.”

“What about sunlight or running water?” John asked.

Sam nodded. “Direct sunlight will kill them. I never really understood the whole thing in the lore about running water. I’ve never seen them be affected by it. Anyway, let’s get practicing. These arrows won’t shoot themselves.”