Bohdan stood in the bright afternoon sun as the sheriff attached the chain to the train depot roof support. The other end of the chain was attached to an iron brace that was locked around Bohdan’s neck keeping him from running off. The judge had arrived and his train now sat on the tracks refueling and taking on more water for the steam engine. The whole trial would take place outside in the shade of the depot in three hours before the judge had to leave for his next case three hundred miles away in Garden City.The judge brought along security, a bailiff, a court reporter, a prosecutor and nothing else. Everything else for the trial had to be provided by the local jurisdiction, including a defense attorney, which Seneca didn’t have.The sheriff set up a makeshift courtroom with a raised platform and bench for the judge and two tables for the prosecution and defense. The rest of the area was patchy grass covered dirt and a group of spectators who came out for the show. With the depot

“I don’t have time for your theatrics madam,” the judge said. “I’ve ruled on the case.” “I’m a vampire too! You have to put me in the zoo with Bohdan!”“You’re a vampire?” the judge asked. “Is this some sort of joke? Prove to me you’re a vampire and I might listen to you.”Cara turned and looked into Bohdan’s eyes. She whispered, “Turn me now.” Bohdan looked back at her with a confused look. “What?” he asked.“Turn me now so I can go with you. I can’t be without you.”Bohdan shook his head and grabbed Cara’s wrist. He brought it up to his mouth and bit into the skin taking a sip of blood. Just enough to start the process. He had nothing to lose, he was going back to prison for the rest of his unnatural life.Cara turned back to the judge and held up her hand. “Look, there’s your proof! I am a vampire!”“Maybe so, but you weren’t when and if you killed the mother. If you were human at that point, you would be subject to a different set of laws. You’d be either hanged, or sent to Leaven

The judge didn’t get the information he was looking for and had no way to corroborate the two stories. His decision would have to be based on his gut feelings on who was telling the truth and who was lying to him. He didn’t have much to go on, but felt he was being lied to by both parties with different motives. “I’ve made my decision, I don’t believe either one of you. I find you not guilty of murdering Sara Rockwell and will have to dispatch from the train in St. Louis when we arrive.”“No! You can’t!” Cara cried out. “You have to find me guilty!”“I’m sorry, there is no evidence supporting your claim. Not even your boyfriend here would back you up. I have no choice.”Cara had to scramble for another plan. St. Louis was a few hours away and the thought of being separated from Bohdan was overwhelming. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down as an idea came to her. Taking a moment to regain her composure, she slipped off the right shoulder of her dress and pulled it down

Dorek and Valeska led Bohdan and Cara back to their building and let them inside. Neither Bohdan nor Cara knew if this was a setup to get them killed, but they knew eventually they’d be found by someone in the confined area of the pit. They had to have faith they’d survive another day.“This place is a disaster,” Cara said. “How can you live here? Don’t they fix this place up once and awhile?”“No, they don’t care about us, there have been no repairs since the building was built.” “They don’t treat animals in a zoo this badly.”“They think we should take care of the building ourselves, but they don’t give us any materials or tools.”“If this place falls apart, will the tourists still come?” Cara asked.“They come every day, look down on us, yell at us, throw things into the pit,” Dorek replied.“What kinds of things?”“Rocks mostly, they try to hit us when we’re out.” “And the guards put up with this?”“The guards bring rocks to sell to the tourists, they pick them up later and resell

Word of the vampire ripper spread like wildfire throughout the pit and to the prison administration outside. Bohdan was awaken from a deep sleep by two prison guards who bravely traversed their way into the miners building to find him. Leaving Cara behind in protest, Bohdan was led out of the building and up the tower to the administration office on the outside. Groggy, but awake, Bohdan was brought into the warden’s office and presented like a prize catch from a fishing pond. The warden, a tough asshole with no compassion for anyone looked upon Bohdan and scratched his face. “Who the fuck are you?” the warden asked, his name was Gary Oden.“My name is Bohdan Malko,” Bohdan replied. He was tired of explaining who he was to people.“Are you this vampire ripper I keep getting told about?” “I’m just a vampire,” Bohdan replied.“Then why do I keep hearing you’re something special? There must be a reason for all this nonsense.”“I don’t know, I can’t help you.”The warden shuffled some pap