The Tombstone Treasure Was a Vampire

The red border on the heavy envelope wasn't a subtle warning. It was a glaring, blood-colored promise of absolute ruin. Seventeen-year-old Xuri Larkin sat motionless at the warped mahogany dining table of her ancestral home. She stared down at the final foreclosure notice. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the number on the paper. It rang three times before a smooth, corporate voice answered. "Thorne Financial Group, Elias Thorne speaking." "Mr. Thorne. It's Xuri Larkin," she said, her voice tight. "Ah, Miss Larkin. I was wondering when you would call," Elias said. His tone was a sickening mix of fake sympathy and greed. He was a wealthy, corrupt real estate developer with sharp, calculating eyes who didn't just want a normal plot. He was desperate for this specific acreage. "I need an extension," Xuri said flatly. "Just thirty days. I'm picking up extra shifts at the diner." Elias chuckled. It was a cold, hollow sound. "Miss Larkin, you owe a small fortune in back taxes and mortgage fees. Extra shifts pouring coffee will not save you. You have exactly seven days before the bank seizes the estate." "This land belongs to my family," Xuri snapped. "You have no right to bulldoze it for some lifeless commercial plaza." "A young, orphaned girl has no business playing caretaker to a dead family's ruins," Elias replied smoothly. "Take the buyout offer I sent you. It will give you enough cash to rent a nice little apartment in town." "I'm not an orphan," Xuri gripped the phone so hard her knuckles turned white. "My parents are missing, not dead. And I am not selling." "You are out of time, Xuri. Seven days," Elias said, and the line went dead. "Perfect," Xuri muttered to the empty, drafty dining room. Her voice dripped with the dry, biting sarcasm she used as a shield. "I've always wanted to experience the true romance of homelessness. It really complements the whole starving-orphan aesthetic I've got going on right now." She tossed the phone onto the table. It had been exactly one year since her parents, Arthur and Elena, and her twin brother, Zion, had vanished without a single trace. The police found nothing but an overturned lamp and white ash on the living room floor. But Xuri felt a persistent, phantom ache in her chest. They were alive. They had to be. A sudden, loud knock at the front door made her jump. Xuri crossed the dark, dusty foyer and opened the heavy wooden door. Standing on the porch, drenched from the beginning of a downpour, was her neighbor, Quain Crest. Quain was in his early twenties, Xuri only knew him as the overly protective guy next door. He possessed a rugged, grounded presence and broad shoulders. His dark, piercing eyes and lethal grace came from a solitary, violent past. "Hey, Xuri," Quain said. His deep voice cut smoothly through the sound of the falling rain. "Quain. It's pouring. What are you doing out here?" Xuri asked, crossing her arms to hide a shiver. "I saw one of Thorne's black SUVs lingering at the edge of your property line earlier," Quain said, his dark eyes flicking over her pale face. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." "I'm fine," Xuri lied smoothly, forcing a quick smirk. "Just Thorne's lawyers playing intimidation games. Nothing a heavy deadbolt can't handle." Quain didn't smile. He stepped closer. Immense heat radiated from his large frame, chasing away the bitter chill of the porch. "You don't have to fight this alone, Xuri. Let me help you. Whatever Thorne is planning, I can handle him." "I've got it covered, Quain. Seriously." "You always say that," Quain argued softly. "You're seventeen. You shouldn't be dealing with predatory developers by yourself." "And you shouldn't be standing in the freezing rain acting like a brooding superhero," Xuri shot back playfully. "Go home before you catch a cold." Quain stared at her for a long, heavy moment. His gaze lingered deeply on her lips before he finally nodded. "Call me if you need anything. Day or night. I mean it, Xuri." "I will," Xuri promised softly. She locked the door behind him and leaned her forehead against the wood. Pride didn't pay the bills. Determined to find anything of value, Xuri marched down the hallway and into her father's study. The room smelled of old paper and stale dust. She pulled open heavy desk drawers, tossing old bills and empty folders onto the floor. "Come on," she whispered, pulling out the bottom drawer entirely. There was a soft click. A hidden compartment popped open beneath the drawer track. Inside lay a thick, leather-bound diary. Xuri pulled it out. It was her mother’s handwriting. She flipped through the pages frantically. Her eyes widened as she read a passage dated just two days before her family disappeared. If they come for us, the answer is in the cemetery. The unmarked stone holds the family treasure. It is buried deep. We must never open it unless all hope is lost. Xuri stared at the page. "A family treasure?" she breathed aloud. "Are you kidding me? We were eating discount ramen for years, and you guys buried gold in the backyard?" She looked out the study window. The storm was turning violent, rain lashing against the glass. The Larkin family cemetery sat at the edge of the woods, dark and forbidding. Xuri grabbed her yellow raincoat from the hook by the door. She snatched a heavy iron crowbar from the utility closet and a rusted shovel from the back porch. "I'm going to dig up a grave," Xuri told herself, stepping out into the freezing rain. She walked quickly across the overgrown lawn, the mud sucking at her boots. Just as she reached the rusted iron gates of the cemetery, a sharp noise echoed behind her. It sounded like a heavy footstep snapping a branch. Xuri froze. The rain poured down her face. She tightened her grip on the shovel, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs. She slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder. A tall, dark shadow was moving through the trees. Sweat started dripping on her forehead despite the freezing cold. Who was out here in the dark?