06 February 1970

Bowie County, Texas

"Well done on getting rid of the Boston Strangler, the Bra Murderer, Cincinnati Strangler, Columbus Murderer, Miami Strangler, and the Michigan Murderer," her voice seemed softer and sentimental. I strained my ears and heard two heartbeats.

"Congratulations on your pregnancy," I gushed.

"It seems the Lunar New Year is one of bountiful harvests this year," the tarot reader beamed. "I would like to know how you will catch the Zodiac Killer."

"People say that he will be the most difficult to catch because they were looking more closely at the birthdays and not his modus operandi," a shade covered my face. My partner and I are finding all known astrologers in the city and stalking them until they kill someone. Victoria thinks the killer is probably a female."

"You've never mentioned her before and I know that you want a guide on how to proceed," she didn't offer me a cup of tea as usual but instead proffered a bottle of rice wine, which I refused, looking instead to the cards.

"Nine of Cups: satisfaction, emotional stability, and luxury. Seven of Swords, reversed: coming clean, rethinking an approach, and deception. King of Pentacles: abundance, prosperity, and security. Three of Wands, reversed: obstacles, delay, and frustration. The Emperor: authority, control, structure, and the fatherhead."

"The last probably refers to Caishen," I deduced. "I have much to say to Him."

"I hope it works out," the fortune teller decided not to pry, and I appreciated that. I left, the shadows of the tent following me.

Truth be told, after the second time I was taken, in the basement, my partner and I slowly became more and more estranged. It was partly because of the love scenes and partly because of the growing number of serial killers over the past few years. She wasn't surprised that I gave up my principles of teamwork when faced with so many victims. I needed solitude.

When I stepped in front of the Laundromat, I detected two unknown presences, both without heartbeats. The vampire I worked with had her own signature, different from these two. Canines out, I stalked within and found her with two Caucasian males. They were casual but when they saw me, they adopted combat sessions.

"This is Jerry Moon, who I told you all about," Victoria shook her finger at them, and they assumed their former positions. "Ricky and Tony have lost their loved ones to those sponsored by the American deity of serial killers so they are joining us. I didn't consult with you but considering how many we had to put down last year, I hope you don't disagree with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that and I'm pleased to meet you," I shook hands with them.

"Bunny has announced a Lunar Year special so let's get to know each other at Augerino," she led us out and flipped the "Be back in an hour" sign on the door before locking up.

Over vegetable spring rolls with a sauce of blood flavoured with soy, I learned that Tony was the heir of a mafia clan before being killed in a shootout. The head of our coven, as I now realised her new position, happened upon him a few minutes before his pulse stopped and made him an offer that he chose to accept.

His fiancé, Lisa Davenport the beauty queen, was killed and Tony felt that returning to the mafia had no appeal anymore. Ricky looked at his Pad Thai with blood sausage and savoured a bite before telling us that his sister, Joan, was murdered by Collins, who had evaded my grasp only to land in the handcuffs of a cop. Not that I cared either way.

I told them my story over litchis with a slightly-chilled blood mousse. They were shocked when I told them royals would pay a premium over the fruit. Our leader said that our coven would exchange skills, when not hunting down psychopaths. She handed a piece of paper to each of us: the word "CRESCENT", the C's stylised as waning slivers of the moon.

"After the British Invasion," I knew she was referring to the popularity of The Beatles, "rock stars will enjoy the same benefits as that paedophile Elvis Presley does. Ricky and Tony will most likely get fangirls unknowingly revealing things about serial killers to us. Sexual relations are allowed but stay away from those under 21."

"I mean, I'm just as handsome as they are," I pouted as I sipped my red wine.

"True," she nodded, remembering my story about Jack the Ripper.

"I don't know how to sing," said Ricky. "I can't play an instrument," piped up Tony.

"This is where our sensitive ears help," Victoria smiled. "It will be easy for us to identify the correct pitch and we won't sing out of tune. As for learning instruments, I have money for lessons. Being in a band provides us with an alibi for being in many cities over the years, should anyone monitor us." I chose to study the guitar as it was similar to the guxin, associated with the great sage, Confucius.

It had one less string to pluck and in my regal days, I viewed it as an instrument with great subtlety and refinement. I wanted to be like the legendary Bo Ya, stirring the hearts of my listeners so much that they could see real mountains, as well as feel the rivers and oceans. When an encore reached the heavens, I could break the guitar like The Who's Peter Townshend in '64.

"Why not learn to play the piano?" Tony asked.

"I used to, once, but not after what happened with her," the ebony and ivory keys danced to a dirge whenever I thought about my previous lover. The sadness in my words wove with an unsung ode to my dearly departed. If I came across a laminated, high-quality spruce again, I was sure that my tears would fall on it, as his tears did when he lost Miss Davenport.

The mind of a vampire wasn't subjected to amnesia or Alzheimer's, denying us the bliss of moving on from a trauma. A ring from the telephone suddenly pulled me away from my meander down memory lane. I remembered my role as a member of this coven, Crescent. My domain was the Eastern Quadrant and I still had work to do.

We would meet once a month in Texas, our central hub of sorts, with our findings. If one of us was overwhelmed, there were three other minds and pairs of hands to help out. Restaurants like Augerino were located in cities with populations exceeding 100 000, ensuring we wouldn't prey on those we chose to protect.

"My sources of information are other non-human beings, which aren't as powerful as us but would like to help us," our leader introduced us to the topic, instead of the caller. "Once I've compiled all the information, I will assign cases to each of you and I think we should walk on a filing system. Ricky and Tony, find a music teacher. I'll cover the costs so spare no expense."

They sped away, quite noisily, as they hadn't learned stealth yet. "Stay," she murmured and I obeyed. "We haven't been alone in a while and I'm wondering why."

A canine bit at the inside of my mouth, healing instantaneously but not before I tasted the blood coagulate on my tongue. It was only when I sucked it up and left nary a trace that I spoke. "I'm far from a prude but I didn't wholly enjoy what happened in the basement, twice," I spat out the last word. "You had your way with me, leaving me no room to protest!"

"You've had imperial training, Prince, and could have pushed me off at any time," Victoria brushed it off. "As I recall, you enjoyed it immensely," her lips twitched at the memory.

"I trained my soldiers not to harm a woman during times of war so we never raped, murdered, or enslaved," I thought of my fallen comrades with a pang. "You could have initiated the act in a better way so as to get my consent. I don't expect an apology but I'm going to forgive you so that I can heal from the violation."

When I looked in her eyes, I saw that she had finally realised her sins. Pride gave way to regret and her knees met the floor in penitence, not lust. Her forehead touched the cold concrete as she spoke. "I would be as bad as the men who have and still try to sexually assault me so I will apologise, sincerely, and I promise to make reparation immediately."

"The concept of reparation is outdated, tragically," I lifted her up, wiping away her teardrops with the pads of my thumbs, knowing that the fingerprint would leave impressions deep in her conscience. I embraced the vampire, letting the wet cement of feelings we had yet to solidify, settle and take form.

Time would bridge this great divide and I felt my guardian deity nod before summoning me to speak at a later time when I was prepared. The tarot card was 100% accurate.

"If I had known, I would have done something," Caishen sighed morosely.

"You always leave when you sense that your servants are in an intimate setting so I don't blame you. I'd probably hate you if you were a voyeur," I valued my privacy.

"As it was my servant who harmed you, let me be the one to make reparation on her behalf," he wouldn't leave devastation alone.

"Once I've had my revenge, I would like to be human again and die as an old man," I wanted something simple in this compromise.

"However long it will take me and whatever I have to sacrifice, so I will grant your request."

In addition to hunting, the vampire was part of the administration of the feminist societies in universities. Her reason was due to the misogynistic court of Nixon refusing to appoint Californian judge Mildred Lillie to the Supreme Court, despite promises that he would appoint women to the bench.

I agreed with Victoria: women were working and voting so they deserved more representation. What men and women experienced on a daily basis were vastly different, and this was one way to narrate the difficulties the fairer sex underwent regularly. There was a clash between peace-advocating hippies in tie-dye and war-mongering conservatives in suits.

It was ironic that the latter didn't want to save lives in the Vietnamese War. The walloping the soldiers received at the hands of the farmers was so bad, the Americans resorted to chemical warfare. Dick Nixon lived up to his name, the judges he appointed letting him off the hook for attempting to falsely implicate his opponents in the Watergate scandal.

I laughed at the "They can't lick our Dick" badges that marked these maroons when Gerald Ford assumed the presidency. As disco played in the nightclubs, I hoped that the '80s would be better. My time on the Eastern Quadrant was certainly taxing, from finding the Alphabet Murderer who targeted girls to Charlie Chop-off who mutilated young boys.

There was the Doodler, who sketched gay men before killing them, and the Gypsy Hill Killer, who "helped" women along to their deaths, among others. I chose to work methodically instead of fixating on details that would haunt my waking dreams. The road to revenge was also one that led to insanity and one had to tread cautiously.

(A/N: I have been going through many problems lately. I'm considering a change in my career after going through so much BS at the office. This has led me to consider a post-grad programme. I completed a learnership while working in 2022 so I'm preparing for a return to my alma mater. Trying to escape an abusive family is tough but I march on, telling myself there's no time to be traumatised as I still have to find a new home. My mum is fixated on staying in our hometown, which has shacks priced in the millions. My brother and I are looking at mansions in the neighbouring town, which are in our budget. Getting a unanimous vote is impossible, which only gets me thinking about my sucky country, South Africa. The national elections in 2024 seem so far away when they are robbing us right before our very eyes without compunction. That being said, thank you to everyone who supported me in 2022 and here's to a better year, everyone.)