Like a jaguar with congestion, Chad the vampire lifted his gaze and put his teeth and bloodshot eyes on full display. There were veins across his face, wrinkles that captured his bestial age. His arms wobbled as he held himself up to move around the corner. His jaw dropped and he let out gurls and snarls that made the mom and kids scream and cry out hysterically. They hurried away from the section, pushing past me without a second thought or a comprehensible comment. I heard movement and outcries in alarm.


    “Cameras down!” Mom said in my ear.


    “Roger that,” I said.


    For the moment I was alone. The sounds would certainly cause a stir and the woman’s frantic outburst would give me a few seconds, to maybe a minute. The security guards would tend to the woman first, and they would probably shepherd the customers toward the outside doors. Then they’d come and investigate the problem. The sounds were animal in nature, so that would raise their heart rates and challenge their routine.


    I’ve got to stake him. I reasoned. Anything else would be too messy.


    Chad let out some sounds and put a hand up beside his head.


    His reaction time is slow. I hurried forward hoping the coast was clear. I saw the shapeshifter stir, and she still maintained the clerk’s physical appearance, which was off-putting since I knew they weren’t twins.


    Chad’s fingers curled and he leaned forward, almost to where I thought he was going to collapse. He stayed upright and glared at the electric lights overhead and I grimaced at the long string of saliva that fell from his lips and stained the front of his shirt.


    Whatever compound or substance the shapeshifter used that kept him out this long probably won’t hold him back much longer. Vampires have the typical senses: bursts of speed, strength, coordination, hearing, and night vision. Their hunger is a driving force that helps them keep their sanity. If you don’t physically apprehend them, the only thing to do is to incapacitate the hunger. Which, based on his reaction and current condition, was warping his mind and charbroiling his senses.


    I was the only thing standing between the store and a bloodbath.


    I reached the framing section, grabbed the mom’s discarded cart, and thrust it out forward like a battering ram. A vampire requires focus and mental stability. Otherwise, their enhanced senses become fuzzy, and it stresses them out. You can out last a vampire because they might decide to give up because you’re not worth their time.


    Chad had the same limitations, but he was different. His sole purpose would be to deal with the blood hunger and that would make him brash, hostile like a rabid animal. The shopping cart caught Chad in the side. He stumbled and slashed at the air with wild drunkenness. Chad caught his footing and rushed me, but I still had the cart within reach. I pushed it forward, and he toppled headfirst into the basket. I considered it a win, but the simultaneous movement coupled with unplanned weight displacement. There was a moment’s surprise that caused the cart to swerve. Chads twisted a second later, and it caught my wrist and brought the cart down on its side. I pulled away and tested my fingers. My wrist joint hurt and I got small bursts of pain up my arm, but I didn’t anticipate considerable damage. With the pressure mounting, I unclipped a tool from my belt. I twisted the grip and released a jaggy spearhead. I moved in a circle staying low to avoid being seen. The lights blinked, an action I assumed Mom was responsible for.


    I rushed the cart it came barreling toward me. I dove to avoid it, and my spearhead fell from my hand, shattering as it hit the floor. I cursed and scooped up the handle. If I had been able to spear his heart, he would have assumed a human-like appearance, and that would have at least saved the situation, and I could have dragged him outside. Without the spearhead, I only had one option.


    Chad rolled onto all fours; unsurprisingly, he twisted and failed his head like a rabid dog trying to free himself from a muzzle. He then stopped and got to his feet. His hunger had focused itself into some sort of composure, yet his instincts were untamed and there was no reasoning with him. I held the baton and hit a secondary feature which released the external shell that encased a narrow blade. I gripped my weapon with both hands as his attention fell on me. My blade was roughly 13 inches in length, and it didn''t look super intimidating, but the thing was Fruit Ninja Sharp. Chad would advance, he undoubtedly heard my heart beating and considered me a prime target to feast on.


    Chad dropped his jaw, flashing his long teeth and I heard joints crack as he swiped wildly in front of him. I danced backward two steps and kicked an art kit at his feet. It hit his shin, but the plastic case merely bounced off and slid into the middle of the aisle.


    He plowed forward, knocking down several items and he let a long, leathery tongue drop as he jabbed at my shoulder. I pulled away seconds before he would have made contact. I kicked a few more things in his path. Chad hissed in outrage and swiped several times at my arms and then at my head. I blocked a downward right swipe, my blade slicing partially through his arm. The cut sizzled, and Chad spat at his injury. He followed it up with an angled slash and I cut in the opposite direction, catching his arm and nearly severing it.


    You’re being cautious. I realized, but any further analysis evaporated as Chad rebounded and charged at me, hoping to bury his head right into my chest. He was fast but did not blink, and Superman was right behind you fast. I set myself up and landed a punch across his cheek. He stumbled and seemed disoriented. Yet as I pulled back to unleash a kill strike. His nostrils flared and I heard his jaw pop back into place.


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    Sorry man. I thought.


    I lifted my blade and shifted my grip, suitable for swinging motions and quick swipes. Chad feebly pushed away, and he shook his head once to focus and then he rushed me. I set myself on his path. This was my moment. If I didn’t make it count, he was either going to barrel away or land his own killing blow.


    Come on!


    He jumped and tucked into a roll. It wasn’t the move I would have expected from a huger-frenzied vampire. I kept a solid stance, and I put all my strength into my strike. Time seemed to slow around me and my blade sang through the air. I held my breath as his flesh sizzled upon contact right at the back of his neck. I forced it all the way through. When the resistance surrendered, I pulled back and heaved with all my might. The body’s arms flailed, and the palm caught my arm, but it didn’t break the skin; in fact, it just felt cold. The sensation startled me, but I was eager to pull away. I couldn’t risk getting any of his blood on me. Chad’s head fell to the ground, and I kicked it away. I held my blade away from my body and immediately stepped back and I was ready to duck for cover. The job was done, and I wasn’t eager to talk to anyone. I took a step, mentally charting my path, but stopped when I realized someone was sitting on the ground staring at me.


    The shapeshifter had been seem kill the vampire!


    My entire body went rigid and like anyone holding a murder weapon, I looked at the weapon and then looked at the shapeshifter. I quickly got upright, and I watched the surprise vanish as Chad’s features melted away, replaced by a dark-skinned woman with curly hair still wearing the store employee attire.


    She looked at me, smiled maliciously, and then assumed a look of abject horror. Her eyes trembled, and she pointed at me and screamed with blood, curdling terror.


    “Murderer!”


    “Emma, destroy the blade,” Pop ordered. Everyone on my line had undoubtedly heard the cry. I hurried away from the section. I wasn’t about to start another fight, especially not one I wasn’t sure if I could win or not. Pop had also said that I wouldn’t want a shapeshifter to touch me and the last thing I needed her to have was a mental impression of my face.


    “On it,” I huffed.


    “You can hit it against any solid surface. It will shatter, trust me,” Pop replied.


    I cleared a few aisles without anyone spotting me. I could hope Mom had caused some kind of distraction or added to the chaos and distress to buy me some time. I could hear concerned voices, and they were beginning to fan out. I ducked down an aisle and smashed the blade against the floor, and then I ditched the handle in a gap beneath some items hanging on pegs. I didn’t have the murder weapon. I was positive the vampire hadn’t gotten any blood on me, so I was close to home free, but the shapeshifter had seen me, so they would be on the lookout for someone sweaty and panicked. Plus, I had decapitated a store employee. That was brutal and that was messy. The two big pieces that kindle hysteria and make headlines.


    At least people are safe. I thought getting attacked by a vampire was a horrible way to go.


    The shapeshifter had put these people in danger. I had killed him, but it was her fault for creating the scenario. For now, though, she had the upper hand and would certainly try and use me as a distraction. I ducked into a corner and had a few people hurry to the frame section. And I grabbed a jacket from a discarded cart and put it on. It was a bit tight across the shoulders, but I didn’t feel awkward wearing it, and at first glance, I doubted it would seem misplaced. Quickly pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I grabbed some toys to appear as a presumed shopper concerned about the noise. Thirty seconds passed, and I spotted a man wearing a long-sleeved shirt holding the phone to his ear as he came from the back room in a full sprint.


    “What''s going on?” I called out to him. But he didn''t reply, so I spoke a little louder. “Did I hear someone screaming?”


    “It’s nothing to be concerned about,” the man declared a moment later. “If you go up front, my associate can help you get outside.”


    The associate came up beside me.


    “Are you sure?” I began. But I got cut off as an associate took my arm, and we proceeded towards the front.


    “You''re perfectly safe,” the associate said, but he sounded tactless, and his delivery seemed rigid. He was either new on the job, or secretly, he was a bit bitter for a reason assignment. “We''ll ensure that nothing is going on, and then you''ll be safe to continue shopping.”


    Shopping is the last thing on my mind. But I thought through some options in case I was asked why I was there. I faked a stumble as the associate guided me toward the registers and the front doors. I asked some questions, but I got simple answers. Thankfully, my questions gave Mom enough clues to know what was happening. I avoided glancing to my side or behind me, and I set my story as my family offered a plan. I got worried, though, as once I saw the front door, I couldn’t say anything about it.


    The shapeshifter had seen my face, but it had only been for a moment. Was that long enough to turn into me?


    “We can''t let the shifter get away.” Mom said in my earpiece. “Emma, you need to get clear of any store personnel.”


    “On it,” I hissed.


    “Excuse me?” The associate asked as I steered our advance down an empty aisle.


    “Hey, what''s going on?” The associate began as he reached for a walkie-talkie. His concern still was robotic. He probably assumed I was going to throw up out of fear. Realizing this and playing into it, I began to double over, but then I spun around, catching his neck point of my elbow, and carefully lowered them to the ground. It didn''t take long before they were unconscious.


    “We need to regroup and figure out what to do,” Pop said. “Emma, are you outside?”


    “No, I''m not. And I’ve got no time to get outside.” Snatching a pair of glasses from a rotating rack.


    “Emma, the shapeshifter saw you,” Dad interjected. “You need to get out of there.”


    “Mom, I need you to get to the power controls and shut the lights out.” I glanced around the end cap, and as far as I could tell, I was still alone, but I figured that wouldn’t last very long.


    “Pop, does the kit still have the sticker you made to find your glasses in the dark?”


    “Yes, I typically keep them in there,” Pop said. “Oh, that''s clever, Emma.”


    “I''m glad you think so,” I said quickly, fishing for the kit. “You said that shapeshifters can mimic by sunt. She saw my face, but it only took a few seconds. If I''m going to get close, we need to take out her ability to see. Mom, when you''re ready to turn out the lights, cover the back end. And Dad, if you can get to the front, we''ll flush the shifter out and turn the tables.”


    I also wanted to make sure that she paid for the fact that I had done her dirty work.


    It finally made sense what Dad meant when he pushed us so hard on a case.


    “Let’s finish the job,” Dad confirmed.