Will and his friends are out in Houma complaining about how quiet it is. One of them, Tory, says that sometimes it feels like someone is watching them. They see a boy in black sitting up on the ledge of a roof, and one of the teenagers, Hank, says that it's Dorian, a local creep boy who thinks that he's a vampire. Hank taunts Dorian, daring him to bite him in the neck, and Dorian says that he's pathetic. Undeterred, Hank continues, daring Dorian to jump. Dorian puts on dark glasses, stands up, and raises his arms but just stands there.
Will goes up to the roof and asks what he's doing up there. Dorian says that it's a good view and he likes the quiet, and "his kind" doesn't like the water much. He tells Will that he wouldn't give Hank and the others the satisfaction of being able to prove who or what he is. Once they had proof, a mob would chase him through the streets with wooden stakes. Dorian cheerfully admits that he's a vampire.
\Hank and Tory watch from the street below, and Tory says that her friend saw Dorian floating outside of her window and the next morning, her dog was drained dead.
Dorian tells Will that he hasn't fed on humans--yet--and Will suggests that they go down before he hurts himself. Swamp Thing, watching, summons a storm, and Dorian agrees to go down. He tells Will that he's all right and assures him that he'll be the last human he kills.
Later, Will visits Swamp Thing and tells him about Dorian. He's sure that Dorian isn't a vampire, but Swamp Thing warns him that not all things are as they appear... or as they wish to appear.
Dorian returns to his bedroom just as his mother calls to him to come downstairs for supper. She complains about how pale he is, and he wonders where her boyfriend Nestor is. Evelyn tries to feed Dorian, who insists that he needs red meat. She says that she's tried ever since his father died, and Dorian is a trial. Evelyn tells Dorian that she prays for him every night, and Dorian says that he's way past that. Nestor comes in and says that someone at the garage got pushy about their payments. Once Dorian leaves, Nestor grabs Evelyn and pulls her to himself. In his room, Dorian hears Evelyn and Nestor yelling and covers his ears.
The next day, Evelyn knocks on Dorian's bedroom door. When she gets no answer, she goes in and realizes that her son is gone.
Will is at a café reading a magazine about vampires when Dorian appears before him and says that most of the Hollywood legends are just that. He explains that a girl, a vampire, appeared on the edge of the swamp. The girl bit him on the next and made him a vampire. They fell in love but one day the "village mortals" found out where she slept and staked her. Dorian says that if he's careful then he's immortal. They hear Nestor fighting a man in an alley and go over A crowd has gathered, and they pull the other man off of Nestor. Evelyn assumes that it's about money, but the man says that if Nestor touches his wife again then he's dead. Nestor claims that the wife came onto him. When Evelyn slaps him, Nestor slaps her. Dorian lunges at him and Nestor shoves him down as well, and tells Evelyn to stay out of his business.
Nestor stumbles away into a bar, unaware that Dorian is watching him from the rooftops. Later, the bartender tosses a drunken Nestor out. he walks down the street and something flies at him. He ducks into the shadows, and Dorian grabs him and throws him down to the sidewalk. The teenager asks if Nestor needs another drink, and Nestor realizes who it is. he grabs a pipe, but a hideously fanged Dorian emerges from the shadows, laughing.
Later, Dorian returns to his bedroom. Evelyn is talking to Sheriff Andrews, who is telling Evelyn that he has witnesses that say that Dorian threatened Nestor. Evelyn insists that Dorian didn't kill anyone, but Andrews says that the judge has told him to bring Dorian in for psychiatric evaluation. Dorian comes in as Evelyn agrees, and is shocked that they're letting him taking him away. Evelyn says that they'll get him the help that he needs and turns away, and Andrews takes Dorian away.
Will is at the house reading when someone knocks at the door. It's Dorian, who explains that he waited until darkness and escaped. Will heard that Dorian broke a window in juvenile hall, and plans to hide out there during the day. Will warns him that it makes Dorian look guilty, but he says that they already figure he is. He admits that he doesn't remember what happened, and insists that he is what he isn't. Will tells him that he can't believe that he's a killer, and Dorian needs to get his act together. He takes Dorian out into the swamp, and Swamp Thing confronts him. Swamp Thing says that he's a monster like Dorian claims that he is, grabs his hand, and shoves it into the swamp water. It's covered in blood, and Swamp Thing tells him to go if he can fly.
As Dorian runs through the Swamp, Swamp thing trips him with a vine. Dorian falls and cuts himself, and realizes that he's human. He realizes that the "vampire" he saw was his mother, always saying that she'd love him. Nestor stakes her, and Dorian vows revenge. The officer grabs Dorian and drags him to a mirror, while Evelyn tries to stop Nestor. She grabs the bottle that he's drinking from and cuts his throat, and tells Dorian that she'll always love him. Swamp Thing tells Dorian that he's just a lost little boy, and Dorian breaks into tears.
Swamp Thing tells Dorian that he's innocent and tells him to go back and lives his life. He says that all Dorian can do is live his life, and it's the best any of them can do. Will arrives and tells Dorian that he has a couple of good friends, and takes him back to town.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 18, 2017