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“Yes, you are completely safe here at Division Eight.”
There was a pinched tight terror in the boy’s eyes that only eased the tiniest bit with the promise of safety. Words alone would not be enough to take away the fear after what he’d been through.
“This might be hard on you, but if you could tell me more about the one who hurt you and your family, it will help us to stop it from happening to others.”
Long moments passed with no response. And then by increments, Joseph shifted to what seemed to be sitting upright, while still wrapped tight in his pile of blankets.
It might not be much of a difference, but any progress at all could be seen as a positive.
“I don’t remember.” The words were whispered.
Although it wasn’t uncommon for transition victims to block out memories of their attack, more often than not, it was the emotional trauma that kept them from speaking about what they’d been through. “Do you remember how the vampire got into your home? Was it someone your parents knew or trusted?”
“I don’t remember anything. I wasn’t there.” The blankets shook with his increased trembling.
He wished he could comfort the poor child in a better way, but the best he could do was offer consolation and sanctuary. “You went through something terrible, Joseph. I wish I could tell you that it will be okay, but it won’t be that easy. Your life will never be the same. Your loved ones will not ever come back to you. And for a while, maybe a long while, you will suffer through grief and anxiety.”
The trembling had eased somewhat.
“But you are not alone. You are here with us and safe. You can take as long as you need to mourn and adjust to all the changes.”
This time when the blankets shifted, they parted over the boy’s head, revealing a pale, thin face that was streaked by tears the color of watery rust. “I’m a vampire?”
“Yes.”
“My sister had all the Twilight books…” Another blood tear slipped from his right eye.
He resisted rolling his eyes. “You will not glitter. But the rest isn’t too far off.”
Joseph had wiped away the tear and was staring at the smudge of red on his fingers.
“Are you hungry?”
“It’s going to happen again, isn’t it?”
He smiled gently. “We’re going to stop the vampire that did this to you.” They didn’t have very many leads and seemed to just be chasing after the killer’s breadcrumbs. Theresa would identify a scene and they would head out to play cleanup crew in the hopes of finding clues that would allow them to get closer and eventually ahead of the attacks. It was slow going and not very promising. But so far there wasn’t much to go on.
The boy straightened slightly and met his gaze.
“Anything you might remember could help us to stop the attacks more quickly.” He didn’t want to apply too much pressure. Joseph was a victim and needed to be given time to recover. But stopping the vampire had to take a certain amount of priority. “Let me review what we think happened and if you think of anything you want to add, please do.”
The boy’s gaze darted away.
“Your family home is a little away from any neighbors. There were vehicle tracks beside the driveway. It would have happened after dusk. The perpetrator gained access to the house, probably very quickly subdued the rest of your family. Were you with them when it happened?”
A single head shake.
“Did you hear anything?”
Joseph whimpered and covered his ears.
It was cruel to make the boy go through the scene again, knowing how painful it would be to remember how his family had been killed. Even if he claimed to hear nothing, he would have heard his parents and siblings being murdered. He would have heard them scream, cry, beg. Even if he said he didn’t see anything, he would have been attacked directly by the vampire. The information they needed to stop the killer was all there inside Joseph, but even still… It might not be possible for him to say any of it aloud.
“No…” The blankets pulled back up over his head. “I was hiding. I don’t remember anything.”
“I’m sorry, Joseph.” He stood and moved over to sit on the side of the bed. “I’m sorry I have to ask this of you. I know it’s painful. Nothing will bring your family back or stop you from reliving that nightmare.” He settled his hand over the part of the blanket that should have encased the boy’s narrow shoulders. “But if we stop it from happening again, it will save someone else from going through what you’ve had to face. That won’t offer much comfort now, but someday in the future, you will be able to proudly say, you helped to stop the one that hurt your family.”
The silence stretched out.
