Reserved
It was just past sundown, not that the time of day mattered to the nice group of people who lived in the cushy two story at the end of the block. They were a nice group, three boys and two girls. They all had copper skin and had dark hair colors, with the exception of one redhead. Red was a sign of their god, and was good fortune on their home. These humans were known for coming back from the city on the weekends, lots of young people going in for parties. Mrs. Hernandez told Marge Henderson that she thought the place was a drug den, but Marge said that they were just kids and having fun. That was the thing about appearances; they were often deceiving by nature.
In reality, Mrs. Hernandez was right, but only a few days after her speculation she died. You see, she'd committed suicide via rat poison. It was really quite sad. The young people who lived at the end of the block went to the funeral, and the sly looking young man who led this little group paid respects to Mrs. Hernandez's son.
"I'm terribly sorry about your mother," Apep said, his voice sounding like liquid honey mixed with a soft tenor. "She and I would talk about our gardens almost everyday at the fence," he lied, never having spoken more than three words to the woman.
"She loved her garden," her son said, nodding at Apep and wiping away a tear. Apep didn't miss a beat, and pulled a perfectly folded handkerchief from the breast pocket of the blue-grey suit he'd worn to the service. His hair was slicked back, and the other vampires were all equally well dressed and polished. He handed it to the grieving man.
"Don't worry Mr. Henderson," Apep consoled, looking quite distraught as he provided sympathy. "She's in a better place."
The man cried out, tears staining his cheap third-rate suit. Apep considered the tears an improvement. He'd touched polyester! "I know mom is. Thank you sir. She was lucky to have you and your friends as neighbors."
"So lucky," he parroted, taking back his handkerchief. "But you have so many guests, and we were such recent friends. Let me get you back to them."
Apep then led the man back to hear more condolences from people who actually knew the dead woman. Apep turned to Sytheria, the eldest. "Stay till the service is done, and be seen crying at the coffin. I paid off the medical examiner. You owe him head."
"I do not," she spat back in their native tongue, the rest of the world hearing nothing but low hisses and the occasional hard consonant. She looked at her leader with nothing but scorn.
"Relax," he said, smiling wide and laughing. "I owe him head, and service rendered." He placed a finger into his check, and pulled it out quick, making an audible pop noise. He bowed to her.
"You're disgusting," she criticized, agreeing to keep the others here at the funeral. Apep said his goodbyes and headed out to where his car waited. He jumped inside and pulled out a ruby ring. He stared deeply into it, and the image of Mrs. Henderson appeared inside.
"Enjoy your funeral bitch," he asked her soul, beaming as her face stared back in horror. "Calling the cops was a mistake," he said, pocketing the ring and starting the engine. He drove a pickup truck, a red Ford F150. He plugged in his phone, and put on EDM music, his driving music, and began the short ride home. The comfy looking two story had aluminum side paneling, shuttered windows, and a neat little roof with a chimney. It was a perfectly ordinary, and frankly boring looking home. The grass was mowed and the fence was painted. The remaining cars, as they'd gone in only two, were neatly parked in the driveway. Apep turned off the engine and was greeted by a cobra slithering up to him.
"Hello Sutekh," he whispered to the snake. "Anything interesting to show me?" The snake nodded no. That meant nobody came to look at the house today. Good. The whole thing was coming off the way he wanted.
The snake demon entered his home, the inside matching the group's style more than the outside. He tossed his jacket, tie, and shirt on a black leather couch. He stripped down to nothing, his feet feeling soft on the white carpet. He wanted to transform; to be his real self and slither about the home. However, he knew he had a visitor coming, and needed to be ready. This was the kind of break Apep had been waiting for.
He went to his room in the basement, which was the largest bedroom in the house, and pulled out a fresh pair of basketball shorts, tank and a baseball cap. He wore the hat backward, and put on the other clothes, returning to the living room, and collapsing on the couch with a bowl of weed. While he waited for his guest to arrive, he smoked and relaxed. Sutekh would see his visitor coming and let him know. There was nothing the snake saw that Apep couldn't see too.
