Starved: The Tale of Eugene the Vampire

By Ryan Golden Larsen

Author Ryan Golden Larsen breaks new ground in the vampire genre with Starved, taking vampire fiction and folklore where it has never been before.
Starved revolves around the life of an ordinary seventeen year-old boy, Eugene. His life is changed forever when he becomes a vampire in a very unordinary way. He must learn to live as a vampire, graduate high school and keep his mother from finding out. He is clumsy and overweight and not what anyone would imagine a vampire to be. Throughout his trials of learning to adapt to his new lifestyle he makes some mistakes, some funny and some fatal.
Normally used to watching TV and playing video games his life is now more exciting and difficult than he could have ever dreamed. Sneaking around feeding on blood and lying to his mother was not the kind of excitement he had hoped for his life. Unwittingly he attracts the attention of other vampires and they are not happy with him. One day his worst fear was talking to girls and gym class and the next it is dying from sun exposure and blood starvation.
He is forced to live out his worst fear and best fantasy when he must spend time with a very attractive vampire named Margurite. Throughout his ordeal of becoming a vampire he actually makes some friends and learns something about his life, but not before making a lot of trouble for himself.

Starved is different and unique when compared to what other books are available in the vampire genre. Its content should be entertaining and suitable for most young adult readers, as well as a quick exciting read for adults.

A sequel is coming!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Golden Larsen
• Release date: Jun 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476080925

Ryan Golden Larsen

Education:Bachelor of Science in Journalism/Communication, Weber State University, 2009Associate of Science in General Studies, Weber State University, 2006After high school Larsen joined the U.S. Navy in order to gain a new perspective on life, travel and receive money for college. While serving he started writing mostly poems and songs during his down time. He served four years in U.S. Navy and was able to travel to places and see things that continue to inspire him. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy after fulfilling his service contract in 2002. He then returned to his home town of Ogden, Utah, obtained a full time job and enrolled at Weber State University. He received an Associate of Science degree in 2006 and then enrolled in WSU's journalism program. The journalism program allowed him to use his creativity and develop his writing. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication/Journalism in 2009. In 2010 he began work on his first novel, Starved: the Tale of Eugene the Vampire.

Book preview

Starved

The Tale of Eugene

The Vampire

By

Ryan Golden Larsen

Starved: The Tale of Eugene The Vampire 2016 Edition (Smashwords Edition)

Copyright registered with the United States Copyright Office as:

The Chubulecent Vampire

Ryan Golden Larsen

© 2012 Ryan Golden Larsen

Find me on Facebook

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look for the digital edition of

Starved: The Tale of Eugene the Vampire

for your reading device, smartphone, or tablet

Thanks to my family and friends

for their love and support.

Special thanks to Dana Peterson, Adrienne Mallet, Lisa Coop and

Margurite Robinson for their help and inspiration.

Book One

of

The

Starved

Vampire

Series

Starved

The Tale of Eugene

the Vampire

By

Ryan Golden Larsen

Chapter 1

It was late, almost midnight, studying for an algebra test had my brain fried. There was only so much math my seventeen year-old brain could handle at one time. I decided to take a break from studying and perform my nightly ritual of two handed self-satisfaction. There was nothing like mowing down bad guys with a machine gun in a video game.

I sat there mentally checked out playing the game and attempting to make the swelling go down in my brain. I was in a trance during a difficult point in the game, lost in a video game black out, unaware of what awaited me. My bedroom light was off; otherwise my mother would have nagged me about being up so late. The window was open with the cool night air seeping in. Let’s face it, I was chubby and sweated a lot and the cool air helped. The light from my TV and computer screen cast a soft blue glow through the room, and the light flickered like silent gunfire. With my window open, I thought a cool breeze would be the only thing I’d be letting in that night, but it was something much colder.

Out of the corner of my eye over my right shoulder, I saw a glimpse of fangs and a soft white face…but it was too late. Something grabbed hold of me from behind and I felt a sharp stinging pinch in my neck. At first my body tensed up in shock and then trembled with extreme terror. I was held down with such a force that I couldn’t move. Something soft and silky brushed over my neck; I glanced over and caught a glimpse of my attacker’s dark hair. I felt a tingling sensation ripple throughout my body. My vision blurred as my blood was drawn from the wound that was now cut into my neck. Just as the helpless character’s life in the video game was being drained by a hail of gunfire, my own life was being sucked out of me. Only my attacker was a vampire! I needed to do something or I was going to die.

I didn’t want to die, but I was being held down so tight. The pressure was immense, like a ton of bricks piled on top of me. This guy was strong, his hair felt like silk and he smelled like fruit. I was not going anywhere until he was done with me. My fingertips started to feel numb and chills spread through my body. I felt weak. I thought about my life and all the things I hadn’t done yet. I was still a virgin and had only kissed a girl once! I hadn’t even seen Avatar yet; it looked stupid. I could not let this person or thing take my future away from me, no matter how bleak it may be. It was my future and I was going to control it. James Cameron wanted me to live.

I had to think fast or I was going to die a virgin and the future I had dreamed of would never come! As he moved his foot back I heard him step onto a cereal bowl that I had left out on the floor. That was when I made my move. The only way I had a chance of getting out of this alive was to become a vampire. That moment was my only chance so I took it. Years of watching scary movies had taught me that to become a vampire a person had to drink a vampire’s blood. If I became a vampire then the vampire would stop feeding on me and I might have a chance.

He stumbled on the bowl and lost his footing. He pushed on me in an attempt to regain his balance, causing my office chair to spin around. My legs swung around and knocked his feet out from underneath him then he fell straight in my lap.

Because of my own laziness, in a split second my face was closer to two breasts than I had ever been in my life; my mother never breast fed me. They weren’t in a magazine or on a computer screen. They were real and right in front of me.

Oh my God, you’re a girl!

I looked at her, my eyes wide open with shock, and she looked back at me with the same. It was not a man, monster, or a freakish looking dark figure with glowing red eyes and a cape. It was a woman and she was hot. She had a low cut dark shirt on with dark pants and no shoes. The woman of my dreams had fallen into my lap and this was no dream. She had just bit me on the neck and was trying to kill me. I shook my head, no. This was not time to get her name and number to plan a date. This was a time for survival. It’s amazing how many thoughts can go through your head in a fraction of a second.

Fortunately for me her shoulder was bare. With all my might, I lunged forward and bit her. She made a guttural, sensual growl as I bit into her. Her skin was tight and firm, but it was no match for my mouth: I could eat anything. The metallic smell and taste of her blood was strange, but that didn’t matter because I had to survive this any way I could. I quickly chewed a hole into her until blood was pouring into my mouth. The blood tasted intensely of iron, like biting into a piece of tin foil. I swallowed as much as I could. How much did I need to drink? I didn’t know if I was going to live another ten seconds, let alone survive to be a vampire. She could have ripped my head off and I would have been done for. I wasn’t even sure my plan was going to work.

Biting her didn’t bother her at all until she noticed I had drawn blood. Then she flew from my lap to the window in a flash and was gone. Her swift exit caused the papers on my desk to fly into the air and sucked the curtains out the window. I swear I heard the words, ‘stupid boy’ just before she flew out my window. All I saw was her dark hair moving in a blur. I hurried over to the window, and closed and locked it. I examined the window, the frame, and the lock, unsure what good they would do to keep her out. She had the strength of a damn ape. If she wanted to get back in to finish me off, she could just pull my window off of the house.

I was delirious; my legs were shaking and the room began to spin. I stumbled towards my bed, feeling too weak to walk or stand, and fell face first onto the floor next to my bed. As I fell I reached my arm out to try and catch myself, but only ended up pulling my desk lamp onto the floor with me.

Chapter 2

I woke to my alarm, it sounded like a dentist drill in my brain. I was holding my desk lamp close to my body like a little girl snuggling a teddy bear. The noise was making me want to vomit. My head pounded with every pulse of the alarm siren going off in my room. I tried to get up to shut the alarm off, but the cord from my desk lamp was wrapped around my waist. I must have been tossing and turning. As I shut my alarm off I thought, ‘What a crazy dream.’ I stumbled to my feet wondering what I had done while sleeping. I turned on the overhead light and noticed my reflection in the mirror on the back of my door.

There was dried blood all over my bottom lip, my chin and on my shirt in the middle of my chest. I quickly slid my hand from my lip to my neck to feel for the sign of a vampire attack, bite marks. I felt nothing, but the right side of my neck was tender. I moved closer to the mirror in a panic. There were no holes on either side of my neck just a small bruise where I thought I’d been bit. I took my shirt off to inspect myself in the mirror. I couldn’t see anything besides the small bruise on my neck. I turned to my left and saw more small bruises just below my right shoulder on my arm. I counted them...five, a hand print. They must be from how tight she was holding me. I was in a state of shock and rationalization at the same time. Maybe I had finally done what my mother had nagged me about and tripped and almost killed myself on all the stuff that was littered all over the floor of my room. I could have tripped and fallen and bit my tongue as I hit the ground. This would explain the dried blood on my chin and shirt. I stepped closer to the mirror and opened my mouth and stuck out my tongue. Nothing, not a scratch! This couldn’t be happening; what was I going to do?

I heard my mom from downstairs, Eugene come on down for breakfast or you will be late for the bus.

With a little shake in my voice I said, Ok mom, I just got to shower first. I couldn’t let my mom see me with this blood on me. I threw the bloody shirt where my mom would never want to look for it, under my bed. Opening my bedroom door just a crack, I peered out to see if the coast was clear. I snuck out of my room to the bathroom. I started the shower and got in. As soon as the water hit me, the crispy dried blood became soupy and then thin as I rinsed it off. I watched the water turn shades of red as it swirled down the drain. When I reached for the soap I noticed my hands were shaking. I was terrified just thinking about what had happened to me…or I was just really hungry. I had to calm down, so I took a couple of deep breaths as warm water poured over me. Did I really just survive a vampire attack? I wasn’t sure if I was really lucky or extremely unlucky; of all the vampires that could have attacked me, I got the hottest one ever.

I couldn’t tell anyone about this. They would think I was a lunatic and I would get thrown in some mental hospital, forced to get shock treatment, and become a vegetable! Then someone would have to suffocate me with a pillow to put me out of my misery. My mind was racing. I suppose I had no choice but to go to school and see how this played out.

Back in my room I felt tired, like I had lost some blood. Which by now I was sure that I had. But then it dawned on me, I drank some of her blood too. What if I am a vampire? How could I know? If I was a vampire then I couldn’t stand the sun. How could I go to school if I was a vampire? I didn’t want to step outside into the daylight and die…not for school.

There was a beam of light cutting through my room coming from the split between my window curtains. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth and stuck my arm into the beam of light. No burning; no stinging; nothing. I decided to hold it there for a minute; maybe it took longer to start burning. Still no pain, so I opened the curtains to let all the light in. I guess biting that hot vampire didn’t work in making me one, but it worked at scaring her off. Did I need to drink blood from an artery? I wonder why she didn’t just kill me. Maybe she wasn’t a vampire at all. She could have been an escaped psychopath with a thirst for blood. Still, she was freakishly strong and fast. Plus, I had never seen a psychopath that was that hot; she took care of herself. Of course I have never really met a psychopath, but I have seen some crazy people waiting for the city bus, and they are never good looking.

While I was busy panicking and letting my mind wander, I forgot that I was standing in front of my window half naked. Outside of my window I saw some kids from my school bus, pointing and laughing. There I was standing in the window with nothing but a towel; white fat rolls bulging out and everything. I quickly closed the curtains. I put some clothes on and ran down to try and get some food before I missed the bus.

Yum, soggy cereal; my mom had a habit of pouring the milk in the cereal before I got there. I inhaled the food anyway, like it was my last meal on the planet.

Thanks for breakfast Mom, I have to run.

Eugene, your hair isn’t even dry, you’ll catch a cold.

It’s dry enough mom, I have to go anyway.

With your hair wet it makes your hair look dark like your father’s.

I know Mom, I got Dad’s green eyes and your sandy brown hair. There is no time for memory lane. I have to go.

All right, see you later, I love you.

Yeah Mom, see ya.

I grabbed my bag and headed for the bus. I was always a bit on edge when going to school, but being attacked by a vampire brought that to a new level. I kept my head down as I walked to avoid unwanted attention. For me, any attention was unwanted attention, unless it was the attention from a girl. In that case, I would just act like a fool and say something that made me look like an idiot.

Of course when I got to the bus stop, the kids that saw me through my window were still there. Ugh, Troy and Travis. Troy never passed up an opportunity to pick on someone, and his little lackey, Travis, was no better. Out of everybody at school, Troy was the one I hated most. They were nice enough to wait until we loaded onto the bus before they started their insults. I guess it was better for them to have an audience. Here the insults come, I thought…and they did.

Hey fat boy! Why don’t you go get a tan? You are whiter than snow, Travis started.

Everyone on the bus had to revel in my humiliation and at their triumph of being assholes. Everyone around me snickered a bit.

He couldn’t go get a tan. He wouldn’t fit in a tanning booth. And if he could fit he would probably sizzle like bacon, Troy said.

Yeah just look at how pathetic he looks too. Why do you wear the same clothes all the time like you are some retard? Blue shirt and khaki shorts, who dresses you the blind? Another A+ for effort for Travis on the insults.

Yeah I heard his mom has to special order his clothes from the circus elephant trainers, remarked Troy.

There came more snickering and giggling from everyone on the bus, including the bus driver. I had gotten used to it over the years, but it always hurt. I just didn’t pay attention to it and just tried to shake it off like it was nothing. Hell, they weren’t nothing anyway; they had to ride the bus too. Their parents couldn’t afford to buy them a car just like my mom couldn’t buy me one. Buses were always full of the poor, even the city buses.

School couldn’t get over quick enough; I had to get home to dig up all of my old comics and find some old movies and see what more I could learn about vampires. Of course, the math test I took in 2nd period could have been answered better by a three year-old with a crayon, but oh well. I had never liked math, it was always been hard for me. I would rather be sick with malaria than do math. I may not have gotten good grades, but I was smart enough to at least pass. I’d make up the points later.

During lunch period, I stopped by the school library to see if they had any good literature on vampires. The librarian said that she would love to have such classics as Bram Stokers’ Dracula, but the local government deemed the content too violent and mature. The best she had were books on Halloween. I would have to pick it up at a book store or the public library.

After lunch, class continued to drag on and I spent my remaining classes tapping my foot. I was so anxious to get home that I didn’t remember what was discussed in any of my classes.

The bell finally rang; school was over. On the bus ride home the taunting continued. I usually just ignored it and tried to keep my mouth shut so I didn’t say something stupid that may hurt me even more. Fortunately, bullies are not the most intelligent people and their attention span is short. They usually lost interest if I acted like I didn’t care. It’s like when a little kid pulls the legs off a grasshopper to watch it wiggle before they smash it. If the grasshopper didn’t wiggle then the kid wouldn’t care to watch and the grasshopper might live another day minus a leg. My bus stop came and I, once again, walked home with my head down. I was trying to walk a little faster; today I had to go home and start my research on vampires. I needed to know how to protect myself if that hot vampire came back to finish me off.

I dropped my bag at the door, but before I could even head to my room I heard, Garbage, dog and dishes. My mom was home early today; her job cuts her hours occasionally since the economy went in the crapper. My mom wanted me to do my chores before I could do anything. My hell! It’s not like it was a surprise. I did these chores every day; only today I actually had something important enough in my life to be impatient about and for once it wasn’t food. I grabbed the trash and took it out to the can and came back in to begin on the dishes. It wasn’t that bad; 15 minutes later they were done.

While I washed the dishes my dog, Chewy, sat patiently at my feet waiting for his walk. He was brown and fluffy and reminded me of Chewbacca from Star Wars, so he got stuck with that name. He was a mutt we rescued from the pound about eight years ago. I took him on a walk every now and then; it’s the least I could do for him. I took him around the block today and I was sure the neighbors would love the present he left on their lawn.

Once the dishwasher was going and Chewy was walked, I could get down to business, but I did not remember where I left my comic books. I hadn’t touched them in years.

Hey Mom, do you know what happened to my old comic books?

Yes, I do know where they are at, she said.

Where? I can’t find them.

The hospital. They are doing some good in the pediatric wing, she answered.

Really you gave them away?

Yes. They were taking up space and had dust all over them. I got rid of them when we got around to donating a lot of your dads old stuff, she said.

At least you didn’t throw them away I guess.

Honey you know I would never throw away books or art. There is always someone that will appreciate it. Why do you need them? She asked.

Um…

This would be the first of many lies I had to tell my mother because of my new condition. I also wish I would have told her that comic books are like baseball cards and original Star Wars action figures, they are to be kept forever.

…Well they have turned some into movies and will be turning others into movies and I wanted to see how faithful they stayed to the source material.

Sorry honey. I didn’t think they were important to you anymore. Can’t your just look all that stuff up online now anyway?

Yeah. I guess so mom. Those sick kids need them more than I do.

Once in my room I sat down at my computer, put my hands to my keyboard, and started with the free encyclopedia. The information the site provided wasn’t what I’d hoped for. There were only various different cultures’ histories of vampires; nothing was definite. The only things that were the same were that vampires drink blood and are not fond of the sun. How to actually deal with a vampire depended on that specific culture. Some cultures’ mythologies of vampires said the vampire has to be invited into their victim’s house before they fed on them. I already knew that myth was complete bull crap. Others said they couldn’t stand the site of the cross and didn’t have a reflection. I was pretty sure all vampires were the same and don’t change the way they could be killed depending on where they traveled. Also, I was sure the laws of physics are no different for vampires; at least I wouldn’t think so. I could’ve been wrong.

What I needed was actual present day information about vampires. I had seen Bram Stokers’ Dracula on cable a few years ago, but I had never read the book. I may need to rent some DVDs. I might go to the library, but reading is so labor intensive. I’d never liked reading because it usually puts me right to sleep, unless it was something I was very interested in. In my opinion, myths have to come from somewhere and movies usually cover some of the major concepts. There could been some small details that I had missed over the years.

I had been a lifelong horror movie fan. My dad was a fan; he started letting me watch them when I was about four years old and I was hooked. The more bloody and brutal the better the movie. My dad always told me that the best horror movies were made in the 70s and 80s. I’m sure there are plenty of good and bad vampire movies out there from every decade…I just had to find the good ones about vampires.

In the last few years, vampires had come back into style, but the current crop of vampires were different. Some were romantic sissies that fell in love with the person they should’ve been killing and others were like Rambo. Either they were sparkly, pretty boys or they carried guns and acted like action heroes. Vampire movies were supposed to be frightening and vampires were supposed to kill people with their bare