If you were to ask what my favorite supernatural creature is, I’d have my answer in a heartbeat. In my opinion, vampires are part of some of the most captivating legends ever told. There’s just something about those cold, lifeless spirits of the night that I can’t pull myself away from. Oh yes, how I do love vampires.

Well, at least, I did. Until this summer.

It all started a couple of weeks ago when I received an advertisement in the mail for “Vampire Camp.”

“Are you looking for a spooky, spine-tickling, blood-curdling summer?” the ad read. “Then join us for Vampire Camp, July 19th  through July 26th at the Johnstown Community Center. Learn everything there is to know about these mysterious creatures, including how to ward them off. Meet new friends and other vampire enthusiasts. Tuition is only $100. Register soon, limited spots available.”

The ad piqued my curiosity, so I brought it to my mom’s attention at once. She was wary about the low tuition, plus my extreme infatuation with something that wasn’t even real, but she let me sign up anyway. I guess she was just relieved that I finally wanted to get out of the house for one summer.

That’s how one afternoon, I found myself standing face to face with the Johnstown Community Center, decked out in spooky Halloween decorations and a sign that said, “Greetings! You have permission to enter.” Upon arriving, I was greeted by the woman in charge, Mrs. Count (fittingly enough) and the rest of the campers, who appeared to be even bigger vampire weenies than I was. Some were even wearing fake fangs to accentuate the vampire look. I almost regretted not going further with my outfit, which consisted of jean shorts and a Nosferatu t-shirt.

I was the last person to check in, so our first activity, a haunted scavenger hunt, commenced almost immediately. When we all boarded the bus, I expected us to drive somewhere really spooky, like an abandoned cabin in the woods or a wilted cornfield, so you can understand my confusion when we pulled into the parking lot of Frankie’s Market and Deli. Mrs. Count explained that the scavenger hunt was originally supposed to happen outside, but the weather forecast called for rain, so she made some last minute changes and arranged for us to have the activity here. A grocery store seemed like an odd place to host a scavenger hunt, especially one that was so far out in the country, but no one else seemed to be complaining, so I just followed along. Once everyone had gathered inside the building, which was otherwise vacant, Mrs. Count explained the rules.

“First, I’ll need you to divide into teams of three,” she stated, pacing up and down the long line of campers. Once you have your team, I’ll give you a list of items you need to find around the store. When you’ve found your items, put them in one the store’s baskets.” She pointed to a stack of red plastic baskets near the entrance. “Whichever team finds all of the items first wins the game! Is everybody ready?”

The campers were too busy assembling their teams to answer Mrs. Count’s rhetorical question. I wasn’t sure who I wanted to team up with since I hadn’t really met anyone yet. I spotted a pair of guys who looked like they needed an extra member. As I approached them, a hand latched onto my shoulder. Startled, I whipped around to find a lanky girl, who’s long matted hair and pale face were veiled by the hood on her baggy sweatshirt. Another girl, who had similar traits, accompanied her. They both gazed at me, expressionless, as I stood perfectly still, unsure of how to react.

“Want to be on our team?” The girl’s monotone voice was void of any emotion. As I looked back at her, my shoulder still clutched in her hand, I calmly responded, “Umm...no thanks,” although, on the inside, I felt extremely uncomfortable. When I attempted to walk away, the grasp only tightened, sending a sharp pain through the right side of my body. I knew I had no other choice, so I stayed put and agreed to form a team with Thing 1 and Thing 2. I would have asked for their actual names, but the situation was already awkward enough. The first girl finally released her grip and whispered something in the other girl’s ear. Then, she moved her head closer to me until her nose was touching my neck. She got a nice, long whiff before backing away and softly muttering something to her friend. I didn’t catch the entirety of the sentence, but it sounded something like, “Yes…he’ll do.”

Did I really hear that right? I thought, trying to push the words out of my mind. No, it can’t be. I’m becoming paranoid. Just because this camp had a vampire theme doesn’t mean that it’s actually full of-

“And…begin!” Mrs. Count shouted, freeing me from my trance. The teams all flocked to her to get their lists of items, and I followed behind my team members. When we reached Mrs. Count, she handed us a sheet of ten different vampire-themed items, including blood oranges, red food dye, and Count Chocula cereal. Once we perused over the items, I commanded my team to grab a basket and head down the first aisle, where we would easily find item #1: black licorice. We made our way over to the candy aisle, but as we did, I noticed that all of the other teams were heading towards the freezer section. “Frozen haggis bites” was listed at #6 on our sheet, so I figured we would snatch that up later. Still, I found it somewhat odd that everyone else was starting at the same point. I tried not to think about it too much as I ran down the aisle and grabbed a value sized bag of Horton’s Favorite Licorice off of the second shelf.

“Item #1, check,” I said aloud, intending for my teammates to hear me, but when I turned around, they were out of sight. I assumed that they were off fetching the next item, which was a carton of bat-shaped cookies, according to the list. I scurried over to the bakery, but to my surprise, they weren’t there. In fact, no one was there. It felt as though the entire store was empty. I stopped to listen for signs of activity, but it was dead silent. I didn’t even notice a stray store worker lurking around.

“Hello?” I called out, but there was no response. I began to feel nervous, but I extinguished my fear by convincing myself that everyone just went outside for a moment. I took a few steps toward the front door, but a loud crash stopped me in my tracks. I looked toward the direction of the noise, and what I saw was ten times worse than just a toppled display case. There, standing on the top shelf of aisle thirteen, was the most hideous creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. All of my years of research and reading, countless hours of watching vampire television shows and movies, couldn’t have prepared me for what these monsters actually look like. My team member was no longer a somber-looking teenager; she was a member of the undead, with bloodshot eyes, pointy, dusty white ears, fingers with razors sharp nails and nasty fangs that could penetrate any mortal’s neck with ease. Her gray hoodie had covered up all of the features, but now that it was gone, I could see who she really was. Before I had the chance to make a move, two brawny arms grabbed me from behind and a puff of warm breath lingered into my ear. Right away, I knew the other girl had found me; they had formed their own team, one that didn’t include me on it. I struggled with all of my might, but she had a strong grip. As I felt the heat of her mouth get closer and closer to my neck, I knew that if I wanted to live, I had to make a run for it. With a burst of energy, I broke out of the vampire’s grasp and sprinted towards the door, only to find it was locked. I screamed hysterically as I pounded against the glass, praying that someone would hear me.

“Oh, you poor, mortal boy.”

Slowly, I turned around to find the sight I least wanted to see. The vampires were now standing a close five feet away, cornering me on each side.

“There’s no way for you to escape.”

Their true voices sounded ancient as if they were hundreds of years old. Each word was perfectly in sync and echoed against the walls of the store.

“You mustn’t fight fate; it’s what brought you here.”

They moved nearer and nearer, eyes locked on mine. I couldn’t bring myself to look away from their empty stares.

“So relax, and find solace in the thought of how many you’ll feed at tonight’s opening dinner.”

A sinister chuckle escaped their mouths before lunging at me. Luckily, I sensed the motion coming and was able to duck out of the way just in time. I began to run aimlessly towards the back of the store, trying to formulate some sort of plan. The camp advertisement promised that we would learn how to defeat a vampire this week, something I had already learned. The problem was, would the store have what I needed? There was no chance of there being any holy water, and a grocery store probably wouldn’t sell a religious cross. The closest thing to a wooden stake that I’d seen so far was a pack of barbeque skewers, but they would be way too flimsy to do any damage. As I thought of the many ways a vampire could die, a vital weapon came to mind, one of which I was positive would be here.

I turned left out of aisle eleven and ran into the produce section, nearly tripping from how fast I was going. I rapidly started sorting through the vegetables, throwing out the ones I wasn’t looking for.

“Come on, it has to be here!” I whispered desperately. Then, as if by magic, I found exactly what I desired. I grabbed as many as would fit in my hands and turned around, ready for battle. The vampires hovered about ten feet off the ground, their holey bat wings keeping them afloat. I knew they would attack at my slightest move, but I saw no better option. This was my only chance of survival.

I took one last, deep breath and chucked the garlic at the first vampire. Luckily, it was a direct hit to the face, and she fell to the ground, writhing in pain. The other one was unaffected, though, and flew towards me at what seemed like the speed of sound. Before I knew it, she was on top of me, and in the panicked moment, I had dropped all of the cloves, sending them bouncing across the floor. The monster hissed and bared her yellow fangs, which she drew closer to my neck by the second. As my chances of remaining human grew slimmer, I made one last effort to escape by reaching my right arm out, feeling for any of the lost garlic. My hand met a small clove, and without thinking twice, I shoved the garlic straight into the vampire’s mouth. She fell back and choked on the plant, struggling to free it from her system. I didn’t stick around to watch for very long, as I needed to find a way out. I headed toward the other side of the store, where there was an “Employee’s Only” swinging door. I ran through it, which led me to the store’s stock room and an emergency exit door at the back. I pushed it open and tasted the sweet, chilly night air. The door had activated the store’s alarm system, but I didn’t care. I just ran kept running, not looking back to see if the vampires were following me.

If the other campers were following me.

If Mrs. Count was following me.

If anyone was following me.

___

All of this happened about three months ago, and since returning home, I haven’t read a single vampire book, watched a single vampire movie, or even looked at a single picture of a vampire. In fact, I’ve burned just about every vampire-themed item that I once owned. After the incident at camp, I never want to be reminded of those monsters again, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still think of them. Those stories I used to read informed me that vampires have an extremely precise sense of smell. I never went back to the community center to retrieve my belongings, so any of those vampires could easily get a good whiff of my scent. As soon as they do, they’ll come for me, I know it. It’s only a matter of time until they arrive.