Silver Banned: Book 2 of the Saddleworth Vampire Series Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  1 – Ripe

  2 – May

  3 – Owl

  4 – June

  5 – Beehive

  6 – Blueish-Grey

  7 – July

  8 – Marbles

  9 – August

  10 – Camera

  11 – September

  12 – Metal Mickey

  14 – Hogwash

  15 – Kebab

  16 – Wrong ‘Un

  17 – Succulent

  18 – Shopping Bag

  19 – Dentist

  20 – Fang

  21 – Antibiotic

  22 – Snowmobile

  23 – Poison

  24 – Swede

  25 – Message

  26 – Trap

  27 – Flugelhorn

  28 – Parkin

  29 – Virgins

  30 – Meat

  31 – Chunk

  32 – Carol

  33 – The Return

  34 – Cowboy Boots

  35 – Masculine

  36 – Tracks

  SILVER BANNED

  BOOK TWO OF THE SADDLEWORTH

  VAMPIRE SERIES

  Silver Banned by Angela Blythe

  Book 2 of the Saddleworth Vampire Series.

  First Edition.

  © 2017 Angela Blythe. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.K. copyright law.

  Please contact me for details of future books at

  http://www.angelablythe.com

  Published by Willow Publishers.

  Cover Illustration and Design Copyright © 2017 by Dark Grail

  https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DarkGrail

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Other books in the Saddleworth Vampire Series

  Sticky Valves

  Contents

  Prologue

  1 – Ripe

  2 – May

  3 – Owl

  4 – June

  5 – Beehive

  6 – Blueish-Grey

  7 – July

  8 – Marbles

  9 – August

  10 – Camera

  11 – September

  12 – Metal Mickey

  14 – Hogwash

  15 – Kebab

  16 – Wrong ‘Un

  17 – Succulent

  18 – Shopping Bag

  19 – Dentist

  20 – Fang

  21 – Antibiotic

  22 – Snowmobile

  23 – Poison

  24 – Swede

  25 – Message

  26 – Trap

  27 – Flugelhorn

  28 – Parkin

  29 – Virgins

  30 – Meat

  31 – Chunk

  32 – Carol

  33 – The Return

  34 – Cowboy Boots

  35 – Masculine

  36 – Tracks

  Silver Banned

  Prologue

  Friday 18th November

  I have decided to throw another secret blood party. This time for the scourge that call themselves The Villagers. I have not had very much success in turning their Council Workers. But enough have come round to my way of thinking, to be useful. By hook or by crook, shall we say? Better luck with the villagers, I hope. If not, it is their loss and my delectable gain. I will destroy and then remake this village before I am finished, or my name isn’t Morgan! My invasion has not had enough impact for my liking. Where’s the chaos? The screaming? The rivers of blood? Heck, where’s the love? Off for my dinner of raw ribs and a bowl of steamy gore. Got to keep my strength up.

  Saturday 19th November

  I had the luscious party. It was a success. I had a good time myself (strange in the presence of so many that are not worthy!) and think I made some friends. I found a particularly good acolyte named Sarah, who I turned immediately after blood preparation. As I was lonely without my brothers and other little playmates. She will prove very useful to me. I toyed with keeping her a day-walker as she is influential in the community. But I have a few of those already don’t I? Haha! As her wound that I made was very deep, I ran her a lovely bath of blood, for rejuvenation. She is sleeping peacefully now. I am off to lick the bath of its remaining drops of blood. Yummy!

  Wednesday 23rd November.

  I instructed my children to block off the mountain roads with their trucks. The snow will do the rest. If they haven’t got out before now, they are mine. From previous experiences (bad ones), I have decided to ban all forms of silver metal in Melden. I have sent my children and a day-walker out to each and every shop to buy anything that could be used against us. Of course, there will be many pieces of jewellery in houses, but it is a start.

  If people don’t have it at the beginning, they won’t get it now! There are a few plants to be wary of, wolfsbane being the main one. Of course there are others, but I don’t expect anyone to be intelligent enough to work it out! If they can’t work out what I am, they will never find rare plants in the snow. I think I might be safe. A cheery happening today! I found a lovely skull inside one of my failed turnings. It always pays me to look inside afterwards and see what I can find. Tonight I will clean, bleach and mount it in my room. I like a craft project better than most people. This will look so pretty.

  1 – Ripe

  Freddie was shocked at what Brenda had just shouted from the kitchen. Surely Melden wasn't in the same state as Friarmere?

  ‘Brenda can you hurry up with that brew!’ Shouted Freddie.

  The rest of the party looked around at each other. They were worried, anxious and in disbelief. Brenda continued to clatter about in the kitchen but remained silent. As they were all intrigued by her comments and wanted to learn more, Laura and Sue took it upon themselves to help her. The other guests heard Brenda protest, but Sue explained to her that they needed to talk urgently, so they had to prepare the tea quickly.

  Wee Renee started to wander around Our Doris's living room. She rubbed the fabric of the heavy lined curtains between her finger and thumb.

  ‘These curtains are worth a few bob,’ she remarked.

  ‘She has some beautiful figurines as well,’ Pat added, and sniffed in appreciation.

  Our Doris's living room was a large rectangle shape with an enormous bay window at one end and double glass doors to the kitchen at the other. There was the entrance to the hall to one side. Above the fireplace, a picture of Our Doris and her husband obviously taken some time ago from the fashion of the clothes, dominated the room. She had two large comfortable four-seater and three-seater matching sofas and two upholstered pouffes to compliment the set.

  Freddie sat down at the end of one of the sofas, chuckled and said ‘Ere, watch this.’ He reclined his seat back, and the foot area of the sofa rose as well. Freddie raised his eyebrows, put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

  There was still plenty of noise coming from the kitchen. Brenda was getting all the cups out, and Our Doris’s dog seemed to have chosen that time to ask for his dinner. Pat said she would like to use the toilet and Freddie told her that there was one downstairs next to where you could hang your coat. Pat went out of the room and Wee Renee walked over to the hall door and watched Pat.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Gary.

&
nbsp; ‘Shhhh!’ she replied abruptly. She put a finger up into the air and they watched her with interest. ‘Bide a wee…….bide a wee. Okay.’

  Wee Renee watched her shut the toilet door. She turned to the group.

  ‘Oi, listen you lot.’ She was interrupted by Brenda, Laura and Sue returning with two trays containing teapots, various cups and saucers, and plates with sandwiches and cakes on them. They were all very happy to see the feast. Brenda announced, as she entered, that there was plenty more where that came from.

  ‘What were you going to say, Wee Renee? Shouldn't we wait for Pat?’ Asked Gary.

  ‘No,’ she said, ‘it is about her.’

  They were quite perplexed knowing that Wee Renee was Pats best friend.

  ‘Listen,’ she spoke quietly and glanced towards the door all the time as she addressed them. ‘When Pat takes off her boots, there will be an almighty smell. You wouldn’t give it credence. No one say anything. She doesn’t look like she gets offended, but she does. I know. I made the mistake of bringing it up one time. Just be prepared that that's what's going to happen.’

  Bob laughed and Tony grabbed a sandwich stuffing it into his mouth.

  ‘I’d better eat these up then before they start to curl,’ he said through a mouthful of mushed up bread and ham.

  ‘Right, and she wouldn't take kindly to jokes about it either. Let’s just say that.’ Wee Renee looked around for a moment in silence. Freddie was already wrinkling his nose as if he could smell her feet.

  ‘Be thankful it isn’t summer, when she is wearing no tights and plastic shoes.’ She shook her head at the thought of it.

  ‘I am going to sit down on the carpet over here with Bob then,’ Tony said, moving to the opposite side of the room. No one else said anything, but gazed at the tea and cakes, waiting for the horror that would soon envelop them.

  ‘I just wish she would hurry up. Smelly feet or not. I want to know what’s been going on here,’ muttered Freddie.

  ‘Come on. Have this tea, cakes and sandwiches everybody, whilst we are waiting,’ Brenda said, frowning at them.

  ‘I think I’ll hang my coat up, so I can enjoy it better,’ Sue said.

  ‘Oh yes,’ Liz agreed. Some of them took off their coats and went into the hall, just to come back with them in their hands.

  ‘Yes, yes. There won’t be enough pegs for everyone will there.’ Brenda commented, she looked to one side thinking. ‘I tell you what, put them in a pile in the corner with your boots and bags.

  Pat returned and sat down coughing and puffing. She flopped herself down on the sofa next to Wee Renee and then seemed to have a thought, as she watched the others discarding their outer garments in the corner. She bent over, grasping one of her boots by the foot and started to tug at it. She then dropped the foot and looked at the men.

  ‘Is no one going to give a lady a hand?’ she asked.

  All the men looked around at each other. No one seemed to want to move. Then, when it was just getting awkward, Gary threw his shoulders back as if to gain courage and nudged Danny. ‘Come on Danny, let's grab one each.’

  Approaching Pat slowly, they both grasped a boot, each pulling hard in the opposite direction and yanked as quickly as they could. Pat slipped halfway down the sofa, but didn’t say a word. The smell was indeed very ripe and instantly found all their noses. Pat adjusted herself on the sofa, smiled down at her feet and wriggled her toes.

  ‘That’s a blessed relief. Thanks chucks.’ Pat said. Danny and Gary took each boot and pushed it down at the back of the pile of outdoor clothes, underneath everything else.

  ‘Are you going to put some of those boots in the garage to keep the carpet clean?’ Brenda asked knowingly. Everyone agreed very enthusiastically and Wee Renee looked down into her tea for a long time, before taking a sip of it. Pat had no idea that they were on about her boots in particular.

  They drank tea, ate sandwiches and feasted upon cake hungrily, as their stories unfolded.

  ‘Well then, what has been going on Freddie?’ Brenda asked.

  ‘Sorry love, I was just having a minute to catch my breath and have a tiny bit of comfort,’ replied Freddie.

  ‘There have been physical violations in Friarmere. That is what's been happening!’ Exclaimed Wee Renee putting her hand on Brenda’s knee.

  ‘What! Sexual assault? Rape?’ Brenda was horrified.

  ‘No, not that kind of physical violation. A violation of their physicality, their blood. They have been violated by an evil host.’

  ‘I don't understand,’ said Brenda. ‘Whose body? What evil host?’

  ‘Bloody Nora.’ said Pat. ‘Rene, start from the beginning or she'll never get it. We have to tell how it started. That is just as important as how it ended.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Freddie, ‘it started with a party at The Grange on Bonfire Night and the band were booked to play.’

  ‘It sounds like a party Our Doris went to.’ Brenda muttered.

  ‘There was food and drink and fireworks and all that, but it seems from what we can gather, that the food and wine was infected somehow.’

  ‘There was this man named Norman.’ Liz continued. ‘I was infected. The entire band there was infected. After that party, he came to them one by one and made them into what we now know…… as vampires.’

  Brenda was going quite grey. She held her cup in front of her mid-way between the saucer and her mouth. Her eyes went from one to another as if to say it was a joke, waiting for the first person to break the tension by laughing.

  Liz’s voice broke with the promise of tears.

  ‘I was really sick and I didn't want to eat normal food. I also wanted to eat meat, which I don't do, as I’m a vegetarian. I am still. I made sure people were with me the whole time, so that he couldn't get to me. It was a few days until we realised what was going on.’ Liz lost her battle with her tears and they started to fall. Andy put his arm around her. Freddie passed over a box of tissues that had been on the table next to him.

  ‘A ten piece band originally went, with one committee member.’ Freddie met Brenda’s eyes. ‘I was lucky that wasn’t me. One by one they stopped coming to Band as they were turned into vampires.’ He gave a little chuckle. ‘Once they were undead, they seemed to feel healthier. For instance, Maurice is one.’

  ‘No!’ Brenda gasped.

  ‘Yes. He was one of the ten-piece. The following week he could not stand the smell of garlic in the band room.’

  ‘Is that all?’ laughed Brenda. ‘I think it takes a bit more than that to be considered a Vampire, Freddie.’

  ‘Oh, right, I’ll throw in that he doesn't need his glasses anymore and he doesn't need his bloody stick. He stopped coming to Band and he stopped coming to the pub. But as far as we know he isn't on the offensive, so it seems. One by one people disappeared or showed weird symptoms. All the people who had been there on Bonfire Night, ended up getting infected like this. After a few of them, we started working it out because obviously it is a little farfetched. It isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.’

  ‘No, it isn’t the obvious choice,’ Laura added.

  ‘Me and Bob knew it first,’ said Wee Renee. ‘We are both very open-minded. But it didn’t take long before we all started putting two and two together. They were dropping like flies at Band. But the day it really hit home was when we found Ian.’

  ‘Butcher Ian?’ asked Brenda.

  ‘Yes. Sadly he has expired, Brenda. We found him one Saturday afternoon in his own shop, hung up like a piece of meat on a hook. All his entrails were hanging out and someone had been biting them.’ Wee Renee replied.

  “Ewww…No!’ screeched Brenda.

  ‘Don't forget the pool of blood at the bottom.’ said Andy.

  ‘Oh, yes, a pool of blood had leaked out and you could see where someone had been lapping at it. Like a cat drinking cream.’ Freddie waited to see Brenda’s expression, before he gave the next titbit. He was rewarded with a combined look of terror and revulsion.


  ‘And blow me who was behind him dead as a dodo! Aidy!’

  Brenda gasped. Wee Renee took up the story as Freddie drank his tea.

  ‘Adrian who had obviously been turned into one previously, was green inside. Green!’

  ‘And when I poked him with a metal rod he felt weird,’ said Bob.

  ‘Yes the texture of them certainly changes, Brenda,’ Freddie explained. ‘They are quite soft. The thing is, we couldn't get help because the landlines and Mobile networks are down because of the snow. Incessant snow came, cutting us off. We were on our own Brenda. We had few choices. We decided that we would make a stand at the Christmas Concert, as we knew they were planning something. But their plans amounted to a bit more than we could cope with. We lost some people.’

  Several people were looking at the plates in their laps. This telling of the facts was very hard for them. Andy was chewing a cuticle. Laura stood up and wandered over to the window, clutching the hem of her sweater tightly. She opened one of the curtains, looked out, then turned her back to the window, crossed her arms tightly in defence across her body. Laura looked at the fire. In her mind she returned to the battle. All the heartache, the fear, the futility of that night, was with her in the room.

  ‘We haven't had to kill anyone that we loved,’ said Sue, ‘it would be terrible if you had to do that.’

  ‘You have to do what you have to do. We have had to work at the base level, a primordial state. You never know what you are capable of until you have to fight for your life and do things that no human being should have to do to another. But that is what we have done. It is the sole reason why we are still sitting here and I am not one of them.’ Said Wee Renee

  ‘I don’t know how any of us got out alive, Brenda. There were kids that were already vampires in the choir. Kids! When we actually saw them eating and killing right before us, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Their parents too. The infection was much more widespread that we had anticipated by then. He had obviously been branching out into the village. Ruining Friarmere Band wasn’t good enough. We had to kill some of our friends. Even the Coopers have been turned!’ Freddie stated.