by J. P. Rice
How could I get out of this? “That doesn’t make protecting you seem very attractive if he’s going to be sending a hit squad after you. Tell you what, I’ll drive you out to the airport right now and you can be out of the city. We split the money and you are safe.”
She huffed. “That’s the stupidest idea ever. Jonathan will have people at the airport for about a week. We leave in one week. By then, he’ll pull his watchers out. One week, sixty thousand dollars. What’s it going to be?”
I looked around my humble apartment and thought about my office. Then, my mind shifted to thoughts of a vampire sucking the blood from my neck. “We’re going to have to get you a disguise.” I needed the money and saving someone’s life was a noble cause I could get behind.
“I can shapeshift, but I can’t blend in very well as a raven or were-bitch. I can do this, though.”
She closed her eyes and her pale skin started to darken until it settled on a deep brown and her hair turned black. Her features looked the same, but it did present a different look.
“That will help a little. People that know you will still recognize you. So let’s hope we don’t run into any of them.” I hadn’t realized I had already accepted the offer without really thinking about it carefully.
She reverted to her original skin tone. “So what did Jonathan tell you about me?”
“Very little, if almost nothing. And now you’re telling me next to nothing.”
Her voice grew stronger, “I’m telling you the truth. Why would I kill an elder vamp? It’d be like driving a stake through my own heart. I’m a lot of things, and I won’t deny most of them, but I’m not stupid or the killer in this case.”
I would have felt more comfortable had she said that she had never murdered before. “You do realize that staying with me puts you in great danger with the vamps. There’s no way I can promise to keep you safe.”
She shrugged her narrow shoulders. “I know there isn’t a guarantee for anything in life. But what you don’t realize is that they aren’t going to be following you unless Jonathan thinks you are lying to him. He has hundreds of people looking for me, including you. Jonathan won’t have anyone following you because it would take away from the people looking for me, so it’s the perfect cover.”
Why did she have to make so much sense? “I assumed he would send someone to check up on me at some point. His office indicated that he had endless resources.”
She explained, “He has a lot of money, but there are only so many people you can pay to hunt down a vampire. Paranormal bounty hunters getting wind of this. That’s who we need to be careful of. The clan will leave you alone because they think you are helping them.”
“Do you just want to hide out in my house for about a week?”
“No. I need to remain close to you in case any physical altercations break out. I know you can handle your own in these situations.”
I still hadn’t officially accepted her request, had I? But the money sure would be nice. “I think we need to talk about the best ways to kill a vampire so I can defend you, if we decide to go that route.”
“I can tell you everything I know.”
I needed to forget about the money and worry about my own life. “I really hate to do this, but it would probably be best if I passed on this offer. This will just end up getting me killed.”
A thunderous crash from outside caused me to jump up from the couch. I ran over to the door.
“Not my car,” I yelled, as I ripped the door open and bolted out.
The streetlights illuminated what appeared to be a stone man. The concrete soldier mashed his hands together and clubbed the side of the hood, denting a crater.
I screamed, “Ho, what is going on here?”
The man appeared to be wearing a suit under the stone as he stared at me. He moved around my front bumper with heavy, lumbering steps, cracking the concrete below. The man approached me with his head lowered. I brought my magic out of the reservoir and readied for action, not sure what to throw at him.
I checked left and right. People were coming out on the sidewalk to see what was going on. I couldn’t get out of control and let loose with anything I wanted. I manipulated the air around him to put him in a lock bubble.
The stone man pushed against the invisible bubble, confused.
I smiled at my quick thinking, but before I could break my arm patting myself on the back, the stone man curled his fingers into a fist and smashed through my bubble. How did that just happen?
I hadn’t sensed any magic coming from the stone man, who surprised me with two quick steps and a thundering punch to the chest, knocking me back on my ass. Gasping for air, I scrambled to my knees.
I looked up for the stone man at the same time his foot connected with my ribcage, forcing all the air out of my lungs again. Falling flat on my face, he kicked me in the side again causing me to flip onto my back as I writhed around on the sidewalk right outside my house.
Breathing became labored as the stone man drove his knee into my chest. He had my left arm trapped under his knee and he held my other arm at bay as he prepared to smash my face into oblivion.
I couldn’t do anything but watch as his fist cocked back behind his ear and started to descend on my face. My life. Waiting for the crunching symphony of orbital bones, I could hear my dog barking from inside as he sensed that I was in danger.
Suddenly, a flash of purple fingernails that would rival Wolverine’s claws lit up in the strong moonlight and sliced through the stone man’s head. Four pieces of the man’s head fell, two landed on me and the other two on the sidewalk.
The man had about an inch of stone coating over his entire body. The inside looked like an undead zombie that had been rotting away for years. The dominant scent of putrefaction released into the cold winter night. This must be our graveyard riser. He should have been a skeleton, right?
I looked up at my savior, chest still rattling from the near-death experience. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, but this makes me rethink my choice for protection.” Carolyn looked around nervously and ran back into the house.
I checked around for witnesses. Most people had run back inside after the fight broke out so I drew in as much heat as I could. I let the fire build in my chest and started forming a vaporous cloud of heat. I released the invisible fire onto the stone man and it instantly dissolved the stone, the body inside and part of my sidewalk.
Police sirens blared from down the street. I hustled inside to grab my dog and tell Carolyn to hide. Colossus didn’t like fireworks or loud noises such as sirens, so I held the precious pup to keep him calm. The little, brown cocker spaniel was growing by the day.
The cops asked a bunch of questions, but I knew the routine by now. Start talking about demons or demonic spirits and the cops instantly lose interest and think you are crazy even though they know deep down in their hearts that it is true.
I wondered if ‘Stone Man Destruction’ was covered in my insurance policy as I stared at my heavily damaged, but still drivable car. If she started, that was. The police finished up and went on their way as I returned to my apartment. I walked in and did not expect to see Carolyn lounging on the couch with her feet up on my coffee table.
Chapter 6
I assumed she would be hiding in one of my closets. “Thanks again, but now that you see I’m not some mighty wizard, you may want to re-think your plan.”
“No, I think we might make a good team.”
So much for that. “I’m sorry, good team?”
“Temporary team, don’t worry. One week. Lots of cash.”
Knowing she could handle herself in a life-or-death situation made me think I may have been a little hasty in my decision making. “Yeah, I’d like to look over those bills if you don’t mind. Not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I don’t trust anyone. I’m starving too. You hungry?”
Carolyn kicked the bag of money toward me, and it appeared realer than real.
&
nbsp; She smirked, looking at Colossus. I pulled my dog closer. “I wasn’t thinking. Is it true that you get all your nutrition from human blood?”
“Human or animal works.”
I petted my dog’s head, letting him know I would protect him. “Speaking of works. Not to pry too much, but how does that work?”
“Normally, Jonathan buys it from the blood banks. The best is fresh from the source, so sometimes we use animals too.”
Interesting. “You sacrifice animals to get fresh blood?”
“Sometimes, but we use wild animals so we aren’t doing anything wrong.”
“And you just like, lust for that stuff, huh?”
She smirked at me. She was a cute girl with a dainty face, who had just shredded through a stone man like it was nothing. Quite the dichotomy. She explained, “It’s a trait that none of us can stop. Once you get that first drop, you’re hooked. It’s almost like a weakness that you can’t control. A drug of sorts.”
I knew where Colossus would be sleeping tonight. She continued, “It’s why I got in trouble. When I found the body, I couldn’t help myself.”
“You drank some of the blood?”
She nodded. “I had to. I won’t go out and kill someone for blood, but when you see an open neck and it’s just gushing out, it’s impossible not to take a little taste.”
I was intrigued to say the least. “Just for shits and gigs, how often do you need blood and when was your last feeding?”
She smiled, and her lip piercings seemed out of place on her. “I’m getting hungry already with all this talk. I could survive on a pint a day.”
“Does it give you some sort of powerful hold over the creature whose blood you’ve consumed?”
She waved me off. “It’s nothing like that, but I have read those stories too. It’s just to revitalize our bodies. I know it probably seems weird to most people.”
“I’ll help you out.”
She jumped up and hugged me. “Thank you. Thank you.”
I though more about her diet. I’ve dealt with a plethora of demonic issues and the tabooest subject is cannibalism. Drinking blood seemed like a short stepping stone from eating someone. I was relieved to learn that the consumption didn’t provide a hold on the donor.
I said, “I’m going to get my neighbor over here and we’ll get you something to eat.”
I opened my door and the man I was searching for was hanging out on his porch. “Reg, it’s freezing. What are you doing out here?”
Reg smiled at me. Steam came from his mouth as he talked, “You know me. I came out for the fight. Who’s the girl?”
“Why don’t I show you?”
I helped my best friend get his wheelchair around the impediment between our porches. Trying to avoid pressure on my ribs, I delicately pushed Reg up over my steps and through my front door. As we entered the living room, I said, “Reg, this is Carolyn.”
“Reginald Danforth, the pleasure is all mine,” he said, and extended his huge hand.
A vampire blushing is an awkward sight. Carolyn’s pale cheeks turned pink as she lowered her head and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
I informed Reg, “Our friend here is a vampire.”
“Okay. That’s cool.” Reg seemed to take it right in stride.
“I need you to take some blood out of me so we can feed her. But first...” I turned to Carolyn. “Do you like Jameson?”
She bobbed her head from side to side. “Not my favorite, but I could really use a drink right now.”
I poured three rocks glasses as Reg got out the medical kit. Carolyn relaxed on the couch, putting her feet up on the coffee table. Colossus brushed against my legs as I returned to the living room. The dog hadn’t left my side since the vampire showed up. Can’t say as I blame the little guy. I was keeping an eye on him.
“You know I’m an inquisitive guy, so I have to ask. What’s going on here?” Reg apprehensively moved closer to the coffee table.
I turned to Carolyn, and thumbed toward Reg. “Just so you know, you can trust this guy with anything. I trust him with my life and he’s never let me down.”
She giggled. “He’s pretty cute, too.”
Now it was Reg’s turn to blush and look at the ground. “You’re much too nice to an old man like me. I thank you though.”
I broke up the love connection. “Basically, to make a long story short, she’s been run out her clan.”
Reg shook his head. “I don’t know a lot, but I know that ain’t good.”
I confirmed it. “No. It’s not. It would be worse to let her die for a crime she didn’t commit though. Reg, you know I went to visit the elder at the Purple House tonight?”
He kept making eyes with Carolyn and turning away. “I remember you telling me about that, which is why I’m so confused right now.”
“You and me both, buddy. Jonathan Rickleshaw offered me a boatload of money to ‘return’ this girl to him. Then I got back home and found her here and heard the rest of the story. Carolyn knows that I wouldn’t turn my back on a person in need, and I think she used that against me.” I smirked at her.
Reg said, “That’s really nice to put your life in danger, just to help someone out like that.”
Carolyn scoffed. “Don’t think he’s that nice. I’m paying him a lot of money too.”
I smiled. “Oh, right. I forgot to mention that part, Reg.”
“Ha ha. Conveniently.”
Reg dug into the medical kit, grabbed the necessary supplies, swabbed my biceps and flicked my vein to bring it to the surface. Reg steadied the huge syringe and injected it into my pulsating vein. He pulled back on the plunger and sucked my crimson liquid out. A half-pint is a lot of blood.
Carolyn let out an audible, “Ummm.”
Reg filled the reservoir of the needle with as much blood as it could hold and pulled the needle out. I went into the kitchen to grab a glass and opened my cabinet. I thought about all the old vampire movies with the undead creatures spilling the blood out the sides of their mouths and wasting it. Coupled with the crazy look in Carolyn’s eyes while we had been extracting the fluid, and I worried it would all go to waste.
Then I spotted the unicorn sippy cup that Alayna had bought me as a gag gift. It was the fool proof way to make sure my vamp pal didn’t spill anything. I’d never entertained the thought of pouring my own blood into a sippy cup for a vampire before, yet here we were.
Reg injected the blood into the cup as Carolyn drooled and I held the top with a shaky hand. My best friend handed me the full cup and I screwed the lid with a mouthpiece on top. Carolyn greedily ripped the cup from my hands and put it in her mouth. She looked just like a little kid until I heard the crunching noise.
Carolyn had bitten the mouthpiece, shattering the hard plastic. She spat the broken fragments on the floor and went back to her meal. She ended up spilling some out the corners of her lips, rendering the unicorn sippy cup useless.
I commented, “You ever wonder why vampires have the stereotype of being insatiable, blood thirsty creatures?”
“Nope. Don’t care,” she replied, with a big smile on her face. She used her thumb to try to push the blood on the sides of her mouth onto her tongue. “Sorry about your cup. You can probably get a new one after I pay you. And if you need any for expenses to protect me, we can talk about that.”
“I can’t even get a ten percent advance?” I grinned, and noticed her gym bag was nowhere to be seen. “Did something happen to your bag?”
“Yeah, I hid it. Bet you can’t find it inside your own house. How much?” She knocked back another big gulp of her Jameson. “Not a bad chaser.”
What a day! Two vampires throwing money at me worried me. That meant grave danger had to be involved.
I was on my third glass of the good stuff before I realized how big of a bind I had just got myself into. Playing both sides of a vampire controversy didn’t seem wise. I just hoped I was playing the correct side.
The stone man
must have been the man who escaped the graveyard last night, right? Why would he come after me, or my car to be more precise?
I stared at Carolyn, the runaway vampire, trying to get a read on her. A young woman’s innocence disappeared once you’ve witnessed her drinking blood and slicing through a maniacal supernatural, but there was no denying that she had saved my life.
She wouldn’t have done it unless she needed me. Carolyn could have let the stone man smash my face if this was a set up. Or was this some elaborate plan from the vampires? I could just walk away from this thing now. It’s still not too late.
Thinking about my mother and the kind of man I wanted to be, I had to protect the young lady. I could only hope I wasn’t starting a vampire bloodbath in Pittsburgh. I would now have to lie to Jonathan, the elder vampire, which didn’t seem like a good idea.
I took another gulp of whiskey and that was one of the last things I remembered that night.
My phone buzzed on the coffee table and tried to run away like it was being carried by a pissed-off centipede. I sprang up from my couch, swiped the cellular off the table and checked out the number. Text from Gretchen.
Carolyn and Reg were gone. I might not be the world-class bodyguard Carolyn thought I was after all. Colossus ran alongside me as I ascended the steps and opened the door to my room.
My new vampire bestie looked quite cozy in my bed. I went over and shook her gently. She yawned, exposing her fangs and I stepped back. She blinked several times, her glossy eyes trying to process the new day.
I whispered, “I have to go with my friend on the Pittsburgh Police for a little while. You can stay here if you want.”
She sat up and stretched her arms out. “No. I go with you wherever you go.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. There’s been another case of people rising from the dead at a local cemetery. I’m going to inspect the scene that will be all cops and I have a feeling one of your friends from the vampire community will probably be there too.”