Emily: "Mary..?"

Her voice echoed dully off the dust-covered walls as she strained to hear any sign of Mary nearby. She'd only been gone for a few minutes, but it didn't take Emily long to freak herself out. Shadows from old tattered curtains became spirits reaching out from the walls while the whistling of wind through minute holes in the walls called out to her by name.

Emily: "Mary, are you ok?"

She took a few hesitant steps toward the staircase, preparing herself to run up them if Mary was in trouble. Normally the girls stuck together, but occasionally her friend's enthusiasm would get the better of her and she'd be gone before Emily had a chance to react.

Emily: "Mar-"
Mary: "I'm on the third floor, Em! It's really great- you should come up here! You can see the whole freaking town from the roof! I bet you could get some really great photos!"

Emily winced as Mary's voice rang through the long-abandoned house. Though they were a ways back from the main road, she didn't think it would take much shouting to draw attention to their presence.

Emily: "No thanks- you know heights make me sick."
Mary: "Too bad- it's totally amazing."

Her voice was slightly closer now, and Emily thought she could see the soft glow from her flashlight as she came down to the second floor landing.

Emily: "I'll take your word. I think I want to head out into the back garden off the kitchen. Use your whistle if you fall between the floorboards and can't get out."
Mary: "I will. Watch out for zombies!"
Emily: "Oh you know I do!"

Emily smiled up at her friend, though she knew it would be lost in the darkness. She made her way carefully through abandoned rooms, sporadically snapping pictures here and there in the hopes of catching an apparition on film that she couldn't quite see with her naked eyes.

The kitchen greeted her with scattered remnants of lives gone by: pots and pans had been left hanging and a chair stood against a corner, as if waiting for life to return to the large house. She couldn't help but wonder what would make someone abandon the place they lived, to have to uproot so quickly that things got left behind. The house still held dressers, chairs, even a full-sized bed in one of the lower bedrooms- all left behind to decay in solitude.

A deep feeling of melancholy settled over her, brought on by the damp cold and disarray of her surroundings. With a heavy sigh she made her way to the back door, gently pushing it open and stepping through into the misty January night.

The air was fresh, a welcome respite from the musty interior of the house. Large shapes loomed before her, nearly human-shaped silhouettes against the dark night sky. During their previous daytime visit, the sculptures had seemed humorous in their absurdity. Now, with the comfort and safety of the light of day long gone, they'd taken on an almost sinister appearance- large shadowy demons leaping up out of the ground to wreak havoc on the world.

Without any conscious thought, Emily aimed her camera forward and snapped the shutter. While she'd learned about F-stops and apertures in her photography classes at school, she rarely gave them thought out in the field. She found the perfection in her favorite pictures always came from their imperfections, the atmosphere of being in these abandoned places captured most flawlessly through slightly blurred lines and underexposure.

Emily made her way through overgrown hedges and suddenly found herself no longer alone. In front of her, only a few feet ahead, stood a man and a woman. Without hesitation she quickly hid from their sight, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She felt unable to leave, rooted to the spot where she stood while the man pulled the woman in for a lingering embrace. She quickly looked away, blushing deeply with embarrassment.

Only seconds later she heard a heavy thud and looked up just in time to see the man grinning manically, long canines exposed. A light trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, visible against the pale skin of his face. He was looking straight at her, his eyes piercing the darkness and sending a chill down her spine. Her eyes darted to the woman's lifeless body on the ground at his feet, the quickly back to the blood he was absently wiping away. When he winked at her, she turned and bolted back into the house, momentarily forgetting her fear of heights as she frantically searched for Mary in the darkness.

Emily: "Mary!! MARY!"
Mary: "Jesus Emily, you just gave me a heart attack! What's going on?"
Emily: "Mary… vampire… backyard…"

Mary: "For real?"
Emily: "For real… couple… I thought they were just making out, but holy shit, Mary… come on, I'll show you the body!"
Mary: "The body?!"

Emily: "There was a guy vampire, and a girl- he fed on the girl!"
Mary: "Oh my god!"

Mary's eyes grew as large as plates as Emily grabbed hold of her hand and nearly dragged her through the house, no longer as careful as she'd been earlier. As the girls made their way to the back of the garden, Emily was sure her heart was going to burst right out of her ribcage. She slowed as they approached the area where she'd seen the couple, puzzled by the empty space before her.

Mary: "Where is it?"
Emily: "It's not here anymore."
Mary: "Did it get up and walk away? Crap, Em, you scared me half to death!"
Emily: "I'm serious, there really was a vampire!"

Mary: "I can't believe I missed out on it. Did you take pictures?"
Emily: "I was too freaked out- I hardly remembered to breathe!"
Mary: "Man, it must have been scary!"

Emily: "I can't believe he didn't try to eat me."
Mary: "Well, I guess he was already full?"
Emily: "Yeah, I guess so. Still, I'm lucky he let me live! You know, murder witness and all that."
Mary: "Maybe vampires don't worry about things like the law. I know I wouldn't if I was immortal."

Emily: "I suppose not."
Mary: "Come on, let's go back inside- it's starting to rain. We can huddle together for warmth and safety."
Emily: "I don't think I'm going to do much sleeping tonight."
Mary: "Me neither! You seriously scared the bejesus outta me!"