Unholy Trinity: Before and After the Cazas by Paul Burgess

Our church worships at the altar of the Unholy Trinity. Its gospels are delivered as a trio of dark drabbles, linked so that Three become One. All hail the power of the Three.
“Cazadores de Vampiros”
Crowds cheered when President Wolf announced that the last Cazas had been deported. “Cazas”, a Righteous Eagle News correspondent’s coinage, was short for “Cazadores de Vampiros”. Some sheeple insisted the name meant “vampire hunters”, but where there were vampires, there were Cazas. Case closed.
Weeks later, President Wolf tuned in to hear his favorite talking head, Righteous Eagle’s John O’Malley, report on a recent tenfold increase in vampire attacks: “See? Our President knew the storm was coming.” “I did, indeed,” Wolf said with a grin while thinking about how much easier his nightly feeding had gotten without pesky Cazas around.
“A Bloody Mis-stake: Perhaps We Needed the Cazas”
The frigid fingers seized Kevin’s throat before he’d had time to deliver the atrocious B-movie pun that would’ve almost justified his death. “I hope you like your ‘stake’ bloody”. He must’ve rehearsed it a hundred times, misspelling the word in his mind each time, on his way to the Count’s estate. Count Andrei, wincing as he used his free hand to pull the stake out of his right breast, suddenly chuckled as he thought of his own pre-kill quip. “Now, I’ll bet you wish you hadn’t slept through Anatomy 101,” the Count said before sinking his teeth into Kevin’s throat.
“A Reluctant Hunter”
“We’ve been through this so many times, Son. What are you going to do if something happens to me?” Count Andrei said before sinking his teeth into their prey’s throat. “Marius, drink before it gets cold, and next time, you’ll go hungry if you don’t get over this fear of the hunt.” “I’m not afraid, Dad, but it’s just…” “I know,” Andrei whispered gently, “but we didn’t choose to be what we are. Survival can be a brutal game, but we have no choice but to play it.” Marius nodded despite his doubts that the game was worth its cost.
Paul Burgess
Paul Burgess, an emerging poet, is the sole proprietor of a business in Lexington, Kentucky that offers ESL classes in addition to English, Japanese, and Spanish-language translation and interpretation services. He has contributed work to Blue Unicorn, The Orchards, Lighten Up Online, and several other publications and has recently begun writing short fiction.