Try to survive, and don't invite anyone in
It starts with small things. A few people go missing, always at night. Your new neighbour is never home during the day, never comes to the street barbecue, and somehow looks paler every time you see him. Then the moon turns blood red, the bats come out, and the news finally says it out loud: vampires are real. And they're thirsty. The good news? Vampires come with a surprisingly long list of rules. Learn them, and you might just see the sunrise.
Never, ever invite them in
According to just about every legend, a vampire can't enter your home unless you invite it. That makes your front door the most important line of defense you have, and "come in" the two most dangerous words you can say. They know that too, so expect tricks: a friendly voice claiming to be from the gas company, a lost child crying on your doorstep, or your cousin who "just needs a place to stay tonight". It doesn't matter who it is or how nicely they ask. After sunset, the answer is no. Talk through the door, and tell them to come back in daylight. A real cousin will understand.
💡Tip: hang a mirror next to your front door. Vampires don't have a reflection, so one quick look tells you who you're really talking to. Garlic above the door and windows doesn't hurt either, unless you're on a date.
The sun is your best friend
Vampires own the night, but the day is all yours. Plan your life around the sun: do your shopping, travel and everything else outside while it's light, and make sure you're home and locked in well before sunset. Set an alarm for an hour before the sun goes down, and never think "I'll just quickly go out, it's only a little dark". Winter is the dangerous season, with long nights and short days. Summer is your time to breathe. And if you're really serious about surviving, move north.
💡Tip: in the far north of Norway, the sun doesn't set at all for weeks in summer. No night means no vampires. Just don't stay for the winter, when it doesn't come up at all.
If one finds you anyway
First choice: don't fight. Vampires are faster and stronger than you, and they've had a few hundred years to practice. Run towards the light, a lit-up gas station, a busy square, anywhere bright and crowded, and wait there until sunrise. Some legends say vampires can't cross running water, so a river between you and them is a very good thing. If you really have no other choice, remember the classics: a wooden stake to the heart, a cross held up high, and holy water if you have it. Silver is for werewolves, by the way. Don't mix them up, that's the kind of mistake you only make once.
💡Tip: keep a strong flashlight with fresh batteries by your bed. It won't turn a vampire into dust, but a bright light in the face buys you a few seconds, and a few seconds is all you need to reach the door.
Did you know?
In the 1800s, New England had a real "vampire panic". When tuberculosis swept through families one by one, people believed a dead relative was rising from the grave to feed on the living. In 1892, in Exeter, Rhode Island, the body of 19-year-old Mercy Brown was dug up because her brother Edwin was getting sicker and sicker. Her heart was burned, and the ashes were mixed with water and given to Edwin to drink as a cure. It didn't work: he died two months later. Mercy is still known as America's last vampire.