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Cold Hearted Dennis&nbsp;&nbsp;<img class="img-responsive" src="https://api.novelo.com/uploads/IMG_8035_c5295d056c.jpeg"> He was running for his life, desperately trying to get away from this group of killers. He was fast and athletic but there were many of them. He dived into an alleyway and sprinted, one wrong move, a trip or a slip on the dirty wet concrete and he would’ve been attacked and killed. The alleyway was narrow and dark, it was the back end of several businesses, so all sorts of items were discarded without a care.&nbsp;He was hopping and sprinting and avoiding every possible life ending obstacle he could.&nbsp;&nbsp;He got to a 10-foot metal mesh fence and was able to jump up and scramble over. His mortal enemies struggled which gave him time to slip away into the darkness and back to black. “That was far too close, I need to be more careful”, he said to himself.&nbsp;&nbsp;“He”, was Dennis. An unremarkable man to look at, six-foot-tall, boring haircut and plain clothes. The perfect look for a Prince to hide in plain sight. He never did anything remarkable; he didn’t want to stand out.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dennis lived in Brighton and was 280 years old. He didn’t look it though. He chose Brighton because he thought his peculiar behaviour wouldn’t be seen as too strange there. There was always something happening in the city and Dennis lived in Kemptown, above a historical small theatre.&nbsp;&nbsp;Life started a long time ago for Dennis, he was born in Copenhagen and was indoctrinated into his family’s way of life and culture. Throughout his long life, he had fed on thousands of victims and has made many enemies along the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;The first attempt on his life came when he was fourteen years old. Dennis was with his older brother feeding off a farm hand in the next town. Little did they know that the man had a scream like a banshee which alerted the farmer. Their lack of research also meant that they were unaware the farmer had a fowling piece. As Dennis and his brother were making off through the fields they were shot in the back. Whilst the farmer was reloading, they managed to escape, both with several shot wounds. The weapon used was a musket-type of gun usually used for hunting birds.&nbsp; <img class="img-responsive" src="https://api.novelo.com/uploads/IMG_0242_126f622faf.jpeg"> This event taught them a huge and important lesson. They had to make sure they did their homework thoroughly on their victims. Fortunately for the boys, their mother was able to pull the shot balls out of their backs. They could only be killed by certain means and having your head blown off by a musket would have done it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other ways of certain death would be the usual, stake through the heart, silver bullet and burned to ashes. Sunlight was not their friend but as long as they avoided bright sunny days, they were always fine. Death wasn’t on their mind, other than the death of their living targets.&nbsp;After the death toll was rising in and around Copenhagen, they moved to Stockholm in Sweden. There were many remote communities in Sweden and for years Dennis took what he wanted. Death became a weekly occurrence and covering his tracks was laborious and boring. He was taught by the elders not to be blasé with his actions but blasé is what he became. The secret to a successful family of vampires is to keep together, keep mixing with the mortals to a minimum and not bring any unnecessary and unwanted attention to their community.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yes, vampires have a community, they don’t display a flag but it’s there. Much in the same way as the Cosa Nostra, “it’s our thing”. Their secrets and stories are passed down the generations, along with methods, techniques and escape routes.&nbsp;Relationships were always encouraged through their own community rather than with an outsider. At least that way you’re singing off the same song sheet. However, Dennis did fall in love with a non blood sucker in his twenties.&nbsp;Every decision has a consequence, and having a relationship with a mortal woman can have incredible consequences. The obvious one is that if the female gets pregnant then the child could follow in the mother’s or father’s footsteps. Either way, it becomes dangerous and difficult.&nbsp;&nbsp;The woman Dennis fell in love with was ten years older. Her name was Mary and Dennis met her in a morally bankrupt way. Dennis was watching her husband, as he was going to kill him. During the surveillance process to discover the movements of the man, he couldn’t stop staring at Mary. She was beautiful with gorgeous long brown hair, she had a very sweet way about her.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dennis’ next move would define him as a person for the rest of his life. A kill is a kill, but he knew that would break Mary’s heart. To not kill, he would have to choose another victim, but to kill the man and start a relationship with his wife would be a sinister decision to make.&nbsp;Dennis made the decision that suited him, he chose to kill the king and take the queen in an Oedipus-style situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the day of the kill, he knew the victim’s routine, he watched Mary kiss him goodbye as he waited. When the man had started walking through a copse, Dennis took him and once he was fed he buried the body in a shallow grave. A heartless deed, by a cold-blooded killer.&nbsp;&nbsp;It took some time but Mary eventually gave in to his overwhelming attention and six months after her husband passed, she was now in a relationship with his murderer. Dennis gave everything he could to the relationship and treated her like a princess. Mary eventually fell in love, and they had some amazing times and adventures, but she could not forget her first love. The death of her husband deeply affected her and after ten years with a vampire she eventually made the heart breaking decision to kill herself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img class="img-responsive" src="https://api.novelo.com/uploads/IMG_7959_9b158d1c5f.jpeg"> Mary grew suspicious of Dennis’ behaviour and eventually confronted him. He was out late and was always cagey with the truth. Dennis denied any wrongdoing, but Mary knew something was wrong. Poor Mary had been battling with depression for years, she didn’t trust Dennis. It got to the point that she couldn’t take it anymore, so made the tough decision to end it, she hung herself.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dennis spent the next hundred years travelling through Europe, where he needed time and his own space. His killing spree continued in cities and towns from France to Russia. He checked in with his family, he even visited his Grandparents in Romania, Jake and Mina in their newly rebuilt castle. Often he would get annoyed when family members tried to get him to settle down with a distant relative, but he wasn’t interested. Dennis may not have been Mary’s true love, but she was his. Her death crushed him but he only had himself to blame, he was the cause of her suffering.&nbsp;Dennis had witnessed centuries of a violent and brutal history. He saw the Industrial Revolution, French Revolution, World Wars, and so many others. Dennis made his way to some of these events to feed at will, with little interference or suspicion from others who were too busy with their own battles in those chaotic times.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dennis didn’t have it all his own way. There were the hitmen that were sent to kill him. Unfortunately for Dennis, he was lazy, and he would often stay in an area longer than he should. People would eventually become suspicious of the unusual deaths in the area and look for a culprit. With his odd lifestyle and riches, the finger would eventually be pointed at him.&nbsp; He’s had archers, bounty hunters and snipers all having a go. They were guns for hire and their profession was to locate and kill. Dennis had been “hit” many times but not in the manner which a vampire should.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dennis had been shot and stabbed but always with steel and not the silver needed to kill a blood sucker. Most of his injuries would have been fatal for any human but not this blood-lusting killer. Dennis has always managed to slide away into the darkness.&nbsp;&nbsp;There were many interesting encounters. Mobs cornered him after Dennis had just made a kill. He was tired and lethargic and left himself wide open for an opportunity. The mob, dressed all in black, armed with swords, jumped him a mile away from his home. They were sent whilst he was in Southern Russia, and he’d killed several important people.&nbsp;&nbsp;The mob beat the living hell out of him, kicking, punching and throwing him in all sorts of directions. Once Dennis was helpless in the dirt they drew their swords, and all stabbed him through his torso and left him for dead. Little did they know that his heart was still pumping (just).&nbsp;&nbsp;It took him a while to gather himself and he eventually dragged his limp body back home. It took a while for his body to recover and heal and once he was able to get around, he packed up and headed to another country.&nbsp;Snipers are ruthless, sitting up in the darkness, silent and with the patience of a saint. Dennis would be in his home eating his breakfast and ‘boom’. He’s on the floor with a hole through his stomach wondering what had just happened.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ann Love eventually came back into his life. He met Ann through the ‘vampire community’ and fell in love for a second time. This was when he moved to Brighton.&nbsp;Ann was more subtle in her feeding habits than Dennis, she would pick on the lonely rather than just anyone. They moved to the Kemptown area, it was quirky, fun and most importantly Brighton has a high number of young-blooded homeless people.&nbsp;&nbsp;For years they enjoyed the south coast; theatre shows, long walks, sharing meals and they even bought a yacht which they kept at the marina. Life was good, they were in love. Ann was a good influence on Dennis, she made him more thoughtful and respectful of other people’s feelings. It took her a long time but little by little she improved him.&nbsp;One night Ann and Dennis were having a night out together in Brighton. They went to see a band who was becoming a big deal on the scene. They even managed to go to a party where the band went. It was a crazy night, drink and drugs and rock and roll. Ann followed a girl called Lily upstairs who was paralytic, an easy target. Ann made an incision and drank from the dripping wound. As she finished, she heard the sound of footsteps and hid. A member of the band came in and Ann crouched down behind an old chair, the man turned the girl over and all hell broke loose. Lily was dead and the young man screamed for help, it was chaos. Ann managed to escape whilst the young man buried his head on the bed.&nbsp;&nbsp;The whole event freaked Ann out and she wanted to get away with Dennis. The poor girl's death was in all of the papers, the family was well known in high society circles, and the singer of the band, Ed was arrested.&nbsp;Dennis and Ann packed their bags and headed out to sea on their locally moored yacht. This was a new adventure, but also dangerous as opportunities to feed would be limited. They didn’t have a set plan, but little did they know that this would be their last adventure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Favouring the colder weather, they headed into the North Sea, towards Scandinavia, but they never made it to land again. A lack of experience and preparation made the North Sea a challenging and dangerous place to tackle. It is a shallow rough sea which makes its currents extremely strong and often pulls in different directions. After all the hurt they had caused, the Universe has a way of evening things out. &nbsp;On their way up North to begin another new life, they were attacked. A sea monster of folklore nightmares had decided that it would take them down to the depths along with thousands of other maritime vessels. The slippery monstrous animal gripped hold of their yacht from every side, Dennis had little in the way of defence. A kitchen knife from the galley was not up to the task. The yacht was being tossed around, left to right, up and down, Ann and Dennis were now experiencing the fear which they usually saved for their innocent victims.&nbsp;&nbsp;The cold salty water was filling the boat and the monster’s tentacles were searching for its dinner. Ann and Dennis were petrified, they clung on to each other, knowing this was their final moments.&nbsp;The Giant Squid had pulled the yacht down for its final journey. Dennis and Ann had hid in the lower deck knowing that there was no escape. They hugged whilst being dragged down. The monster had done its job in the freezing cold water and had destroyed the lives of two bloodthirsty killers. In Scandinavia, they have many frightening stories about this deadly creature. The stories keep people safe through fear. Karma has a long memory. <img class="img-responsive" src="https://api.novelo.com/uploads/IMG_8050_26ef92d41d.png">

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The Book of Tragic Short Stories

Gargini10.

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Kevin GARGINI

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