Free Reginald Baxter the Vigilante Vampire by J.E. Shook

items on a shelf. "Hmm, what is this?"
    Several boxes labeled Extreme were lined up with various types of food on the covers. Each had a simple theme to the food like spicy, fiber, or meat. Reginald picked one up and read the back. "Nice," he muttered, nodding approvingly. "It's about time they were able to target certain foods." He picked up the spicy themed box. "I think I heard Rachel say she likes Mexican food."
    Before Reginald could decide on which to buy, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. With a small jump, he turned around and stifled a groan as he saw who was there.
    "Hey, Reggie," a man said with a huge smile on his face. "I haven't seen you in fifty years, man. How've you been?"
    "Pretty well, Danny," Reginald said, glancing behind him to see if there was anyone between him and the register. "Umm, how about you?"
    "About the same, about the same," Danny said, he smile turning smug. "Had to give up the old company, but I've got plans for something huge. It'll be the future, I promise you."
    "Hmm, sounds interesting," Reginald muttered, trying hard not to look interested.
    "Yeah, Smithcom will be huge," Danny said, spreading his hands up and out dramatically.
    "Smithcom? You normally name things after your original name. CalvinCo, Calvin Inc or such."
    He shrugged. "The VAM suggested I stay away from the name for a few decades. I had to change identities just recently so I went with Smith. It doesn't get more generic than that, right?"
    Reginald sighed. "Don't tell me that you are still going through wives like you used to."
    "Well, they do keep waking up to find me sucking at their necks, so I had to keep my secret safe," Daniel said, laughing. "It's a major turnoff to most women from my experience. Well when blood is involved."
    Reginald felt an uneasy feeling pass over him. Daniel Calvin had been a vampire that had always disgusted Reginald. He did not try to control his vampiric urges, and constantly killed his wives within a year or two of marriage. He had a strange control over women that most vampires couldn't match. There were few who could control themselves whenever he exerted his presence, making it always easy to find a new wife to replace his dead ones. From his bragging, he had been involved with over two hundred women in his lifetime, with most of them sharing the same morbid fates. Reginald and Daniel had conversed once and from that he counted Reginald as a close friend. Reginald always desperately tried to avoid him like the plague.
    "You might just want to stay away from women for a while," Reginald suggested. "It would give you a break from constantly moving and changing, and you might accomplish something without interruptions."
    "Yes, I might just try that," Daniel said, looking thoughtful. "I might do just that. And I might quit drinking blood altogether and just drink water. Maybe I'll start eating vegetables while I'm at it." He laughed and slugged Reginald on the arm. "I see you still have that twisted sense of humor, Reggie. Quit trying to hog all the women to yourself. We're going to be neighbors now, so we've gotta share."
    "Oh, shit," Reginald said, realizing the meaning. Catching himself, he glanced down at his watch. "Shit, I'm late. I've got to be someplace soon, so I got to go." He started walking away as he saw Daniel's mouth open. "Nice talking, bye, have a nice day, man," he kept saying as he walked towards the counter. Luckily the customers had thinned and no one was in line. He turned around and thrust his basket at the woman behind the counter.
    "Hey, Dad," the woman said, smiling. "It's been a while, now hasn't it."
    Reginald forced himself to keep calm. "Yes, it has, Maya. Sorry."
    "It's alright," Maya said. She had long black hair that had white streaks that scattered throughout, causing her to look more mature than she had been when Reginald had turned her. Innocent blue eyes stared at him, making him feel guilty about every bad thing he had ever done. She was