“Ooookay Simon, i’m here! I brought the book like you asked!” Alvin announced as he climbed up the ladder to the attic. His little brother had become so much more reclusive than normal, and this is the first time he’s invited anybody up here! For weeks now, Simon would hurry his way home and hide away up here for hours. And whenever anyone asked, he just insisted he had a project or something.
“It’s imperative that nobody disturbs me while i’m working. In fact, treat this like my basement lab, but much more off limits!” He had said when Dave asked why he needed the attic space.
Why he wanted the old Madam Raya book, though… that was a mystery. They hadn’t needed it in a long while. While he pulled the ladder up, Alvin couldn’t help but look around. “Sheesh… I see why none of us come up here.” He mumbled.
As if all the cobwebs and boxes of junk didn’t make it creepy enough! The only light that came in was coming from the bay window, letting moonlight shine in and somewhat illuminate the attic. It looked like Simon had set up a second lab up here, what with all the little tables and science-y stuff he had on them. “The basement wasn’t enough, Si?” Alvin asked as he walked over to Simon’s desk. “And why are you hiding?” His attention went to the far corner, squinting as he just barely made out the shape of his little brother.
“I, er… well…” Simon’s voice came from the dark. “Thank you for the book but… Alvin, I need you to promise something.”
“Can it wait until after I turn on a light?” Alvin interrupted. “The moon’s only doing so much, you know.”
“Alvin… please.” Simon insisted, an unusual heaviness in his tone. “Promise me, right now, that you’re not going to freak out.”
Hearing that, Alvin blinked a few times, taking a step forward. “Uh, sure. Simon, what happened? What’s wrong? What do you need the monster book for? Is this some… Halloween-ish thing?”
“I wish.” Simon sighed as he glanced towards the window. “Alvin, do you remember when Theodore had his, uh… “incident” with Mr. Talbot?”
“Hehe, yeah, our little baby brother werewolf~” Alvin cooed, just to laugh a little. “Y’know, after all of that happened, it kinda ended up funny to think abou-“
“Focus, Alvin.” Simon spoke, walking out into the moonlight.
Alvin rolled his eyes. “Oh lighten up, will ya? We gotta laugh at these kinda things or else we- whoa… you’re… not looking so hot, Si.” It took a few seconds for it to hit, but Alvin couldn’t help notice a few things. Even in the low light, Simon’s eyes looked bloodshot behind his glasses, tired and red at the edges. And maybe it was the moon, but his fur looked pale. “What… have you been doing up here?”
Simon let out a heavy sigh, going to his desk and opening up the book, turning through the pages and glaring at the pictures intently. “Look. You know i’m the last person to even give this kind of thought any merit. Even after what happened with Theodore, I needed to believe it wasn’t all true just to make myself feel better. But in the end, we can't deny what happened. And now…” his voice trailed off as he stopped turning, reading over the page.
“And now…?” Alvin echoed. “C’mon Si, it was a one time thing! Theo’s cured, remember? The only thing he’s got left is eating meat… and probably dragging his butt on the floor.” He said, trying to add some levity. But when he focused on Simon again, he couldn’t help but see his brother was trembling. Only in his hands, but it was definitely going up the rest of his body. “Simon… what happened?” He asked again, firmer this time.
Yet, Simon didn’t say anything, staring down at the book. Alvin huffed, rushing over to Simon’s side. “Hey! You’re starting to freak me out, man! Whatever’s going on it can-“
“Something… bit me. A while ago, while I was out on my own. It was only for an instant, and I managed to get away, but… as much as I don’t want to believe it…” Simon’s voice cracked, his claws digging into the pages now. “I saw it fly away…”
Alvin looked down, gasping as he read the title. “Vampires: Unholy Beasts of the Night” it read. As soon as it registered, he gasped, looking at Simon's face again. “S-Simon! No way, noooo way! You think a vampire bit you?! That’s so-!” He stopped.
Tears were welling in Simon’s eyes, and the quiver of his lip gave the slightest peek, spotting a quick glint when Simon spoke. “Please don’t say this is cool! It isn’t!”
“Wha- I wasn’t gonna… Simon…” Alvin mumbled, cursing himself for the sudden outburst. ‘The hell is wrong with you?? How could you get excited when he looks like that?!’ He thought. “I’m sorry… it’s just, Theo was… you know! And I was just some out of control thing, i just thought…”
“Alvin… this isn’t fun for me. I’ve been up here, trying my best to find any and every way out of this. But everything i’ve found was useless.” Simon spoke, doing his best to keep it together. Even when the tears started to stream down his face. “I… i just… i was hoping that maybe if I were smart enough, I could fix this alone before it could get worse. That maybe, just maybe there’d be an actual cure before I-“
While he spoke, Alvin grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling his little brother into a tight hug. “Sh… shut the hell up. You shut up right now, you hear me? Don’t you EVER say you’re not smart enough again!”
“Alvin, don’t, I might bite you!” Simon growled out, trying to push Alvin away. But the older munk only tightened his hold, making Simon feel crushed in his grip. He growled again, but stopped when he felt a drop on his shoulder. Warm, wet, and constant. Alvin sniffled by his ear, but kept on squeezing him.
“I don’t care. I don’t care if you b-bite me and… and drain every last drop of blood I have in me! I’m not letting you go until you take it back!” Alvin cried, his tears flowing freely as he stubbornly held on to Simon. “You’re the smartest person in the world, say it!”
And in that embrace, Simon felt a heaviness in his chest. Try as he might… he couldn’t keep it in anymore. Simon broke, grasping at Alvin and burying his face into his brother’s shoulder as he cried, claws digging into Alvin’s shirt and tearing it from his hold.
Rarely would his emotions be out of control like this, and yet here he was. Shaking, weeping, slumped against Alvin, thankful his sweater was muffling his lamentations as they cried together. He just felt so empty and cold this whole time… letting it out now was all he could do.
The minutes dragged on, one melting into the other as they wept. As miserable as he felt, Simon was oddly finding… comfort. Clinging to Alvin, crying out, cursing himself for not being more cautious, it somehow felt like it was leaving him lighter.
Soon, Alvin was talking again, though he still didn’t release his brother. “We’re gonna fix this, Simon. It’s g-going to be okay.” Alvin mumbled in between his own sniffles. “We got Theo back to normal, didn’t we?! We’re gonna do the same for you!”
“Alvin…” Simon finally managed to pull free, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes. “It’s all the same, just like when we looked for a cure for Theodore… nobody wants to fix a vampire. The only way out is-“
“No. No it isn’t.” Alvin sniffed, standing back up properly and bringing Simon with him. “If Theo can work up the nerve to bite a werewolf and cure himself, then we’re gonna go through everything we can until it works! Even if we gotta hunt down the bastard that did this to you and clip his wings off!”
“I’m sure it won’t come to that…” Simon said. Though, hearing Alvin’s support brought a little smile to his face, giving him a warmth he hadn’t felt in a while. But with it, a different problem arose. He felt his stomach growl, letting out a groan as he doubled over to hold himself. “Agh, haah… that’s going to have to wait… I h-haven’t eaten in a week.”
“But… you were just stuffing your face at dinner… how could you be- oh. Oh, you mean blood-“ Alvin gagged, but looked around the attic anyway. “How have you, uh… gone this long?”
“M-My guess is that because the bite was so shallow and quick, i’m only partially dependent on it. But, still, it’s not fun when I have to feed, so I put it off as long as I can.” Simon answered, making himself go over to the window as he started to open it.
“Wait Si!” Alvin rushed over to one of Simon’s other tables, grabbing something from it. When Simon turned around to see, he gasped, eyes going wide. Alvin had found a scalpel, and he was bringing the blade towards his palm.
“ALVIN!!” Simon sprinted over with a shout, moving faster than he ever had before as he grabbed the knife and threw it aside. “Absolutely NOT!”
To that, Alvin huffed, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m not gonna sit by and let you starve yourself! If this is what it takes, then-“
“Ugh, Alviiiin, I… have a source, so to speak.” Simon muttered out. “I’m not going to lower myself to feasting on family or friends.”
“Well, what are you gonna do? Jump out the window and-“ Alvin suddenly gasped. “Oh. My goodness. Simon, can… Can you turn into a bat?! You can fly?? Wait wait, I remember a movie where the vampire tried to feed on farm animals and stuff, is that what you’ve been doing!?”
“Alvin! This isn’t something to be excited about, remember?” Simon reminded him as he opened the window. “Just… ugh, keep this between us, okay? I have to find something before I lose control.”
“Duh. And I hope you’re not planning on going alone, Batmunk, cuz iiii’m coming with!” Alvin insisted. “We’re dealing with this together, like it or not. And who else knows more monster stuff than me?” Alvin pushed his way through first, climbing out of the window onto the roof. “All the movies I’ve seen say all you have to do is THINK about being a bat, and you’ll change! No harm in trying things out until you’re all better, right?”
Simon sighed, shaking his head as he followed after Alvin. “If it weren’t for the emotional overflow not too long ago, i’d think you’re far too excited about this.” He said as he slowly closed the window behind himself. He looked up to the sky, letting out a soft sigh as the moonlight shone down on him. It was a little nice, not having to cake on layers of sunscreen just to come outside. “Then again… a bat needs far less than a chipmunk.”
Alvin beamed a smile. “Hehe, trust me Simon. Just think batty! If Theo was like movie werewolves, you should be like a movie vampire!” Alvin encouraged, flashing his brother a thumbs up. He watched as Simon closed his eyes in thought, his brow furrowed in concentration. Alvin found a spot to sit on, keeping all focus on his brother.
“C’mon Si, you got this! Batty… batty…. Little, fuzzy, squeaky, bloodsucking…” he rambled on. “You’re waaay up in the sky, flapping away and stalking your next meal! You’re blind, so you can only screech and find your way with your well tuned ears!”
“Actually, many species of bat happen to have good eyesi- AAAAH!!” Simon suddenly screamed out as he was engulfed in a plume of dark blue smoke.
Alvin yelped out loud at the sight, losing his balance and falling backwards, tumbling off of the roof. “SIMOOON!” He cried out, eyes wide as he stared at the ground, tensing up and covering his face as he braced for impact.
And yet… it never came. Alvin felt something grab at the back of his shirt and pull up. His eyes stayed shut, trembling all over as he waited to hit the ground.
“Hnnngh!! How can you weigh s-so much and look so thin?!”
“H-Huh??” Alvin’s eyes bolted open, shocked to see he had stopped inches above the ground. “Wha, how, when did, I-“ he turned his head, suddenly smiling wide. “Ohoho, noooo way! It actually worked, I thought it was a bunch of nonsense!” He exclaimed, suddenly laughing out loud.
Simon had changed, alright! Now he was about a quarter of his usual size, covered in brown and white fur, and visibly straining as he flapped his new wings like mad. “Stop moving so much, i’m losing my grip!” Simon squeaked out.
“You’re… you’re adora- Bleh!” Alvin grunted as he faceplanted against the grass, groaning a little as he flopped over on his back. “Ohhhh that’s gonna bruise…” he moaned, rubbing on his nose as he started to sit up. Simon then landed on his chest, panting away while he looked at himself.
“I… i can’t believe that worked…” Simon said, looking over his new body in awe. “But this better not be permanent! This is gonna be so hard to explain… ughhn…” he grit his teeth as his stomach growled again, sending pangs of hunger throughout his new form.
“Hehe, let’s worry about that some other time, squeaky! Right now, we gotta get you food, remember? Lead the way! I’ll be right behind-“ Alvin went quiet as he saw a light turn on from within their house, letting out a little squeak of his own as he grabbed Simon, tossing him up in the air. “Fly! I’ll catch up!” He called out, watching as Simon flailed around midair before catching himself, flying away from the house.
Minutes later, their front door opened and Dave bolted out, looking very displeased to have been woken up so late at night. “AL-VIN!! I hope you have a very good explanation for why you’re outside making all this noise!” His harsh tone did soften when he got a good look at Alvin’s face. “Oh my gosh, and what happened to you?” He asked, crouching in front of Alvin and softly cupping his cheek, looking over his face.
“Mff, Dave, i’m fine-“ Alvin insisted. From the corner of his eye, he managed to see Simon roosting in a tree. He signed softly, then looked to Dave once more. “Well, I guess I was just sleepwalking… Do you mind if I just finish it? You know, tire myself out so it won’t happen again! I promise to stay in the neighborhood~”
“Alvin… Okay, okay. I don’t know why, but i’m trusting you, you hear?” Dave sighed. “I don’t understand you boys sometimes, so just try to not get in trouble?”
‘That… went better than expected…’ Alvin thought as he watched Dave stand up and go back inside, closing the door behind himself. “What the… why would he…?” He asked.
“Gah… hah… I am NOT doing that again… and don’t you throw me again, either!” Simon panted as he glided down from his spot in the tree. “I panicked. I remembered some movies claim vampires could mind control with eye contact, I just didn’t think it’d work…” he said as he landed on Alvin’s shoulder. “Hoo… i’m not built for so much activity… come on, I'll give you directions. You can carry me until I can fly again.” He said, pointing a wing down the road.
“Wow, Si… just back to back with finding out new things, aren’t you? Heh. I can’t believe you mind controlled Dave! I wonder if you can-“
Simon let out a little hiss. “Save the wondering for later, Alvin. For now, i’m really hungry.” He reminded Alvin, who let out a sheepish laugh as he nodded, starting to walk down the street. “It’s taking every bit of willpower to not bite you right now.”
“Okay, okay… but you gotta admit, that was a little cool~” Alvin teased, giving Simon a few little scritches behind his ears. “We’ll start working on finding that other vampire tomorrow, squeaky.”
To that, Simon just sighed and rolled his eyes, slumping down in Alvin’s hold. This was going to be a long night…
