- Jane!
I sparkled with eyes as good as a vampire. I think I'm in the mood! Well, now hang in there, fascists!
- No furry creature would dare lift a tail on me! Give him a mouth and keep the knife at his throat! If he tries to flip over, cut!
- As you command, Danielle hastily glued a werewolf's mouth. - Jane, but you...
- Shut up! - I growled. - Turn it around so I can see my hands!
And I was surprised to see myself. And where did that come from? I mean, she was such a sweet girl!
- Yes, sir!
The vampire obediently turned Petya on his stomach and the werewolf hands were right in front of my eyes. Big, not too pretty, covered with red hairs on the bends. And now I must cut these fingers... Jane! Don't you dare fall apart! There are three friends behind you who have no one else to hope for! You're staying! And you can't let them down! You can't!
I separated the pinky from the brush, and I stabbed it. It wasn't the first time I cut it. My hands slipped in blood.
- Danielle, do you know if he has any gloves?
I spoke diligently on the most ordinary, unimportant topics to distract from my actions, not to think and not to feel. Any human emotion was contraindicated to me now. If I thought for one minute about what I was doing, hysteria would have happened to me. All I had to do was hide behind a cold, calm curiosity. Did the vampire understand that? I don't think so. His voice was calm and cold, with notes of disapproval.
- I don't know.
- I should have bought a couple of surgeries on the way. Oh, come on, we'll figure it out.
My fingers were all covered in blood, and cutting was awfully uncomfortable. But I stubbornly cut my finger along, reaching for the bone. The main thing was not to think it was a living person. Well, maybe a werewolf, but he's alive. And just as capable of feeling pain. Just like Boris, like Vadim, like Mecislav... Better to think it's a chicken. And I have a fillet to prepare. Like this, along the way, feeling the bone...
Cutting bone from a living person was only a little harder than cutting from a dead chicken. The vampire held the werewolf tight in the bathtub so he wouldn't twitch. And finally, the pinky bone was left sticking out in the middle of the flesh, naked and red from the blood. I thought, and I nodded to Daniel. I didn't want to look for the hammer.
- Turn it back.
The vampire obeyed. The werewolf's face was distorted by pain, and on his cheeks there were two paths to tears. I ripped the ribbon, pulling it off my lips with my skin. The shapeshifter woke up, but I paid no attention to his suffering.
- You gonna talk?! Or should I look for a hammer?! I'm gonna break that bone, and then I'm gonna take the rest of your fingers. I'm gonna cut the meat into pieces! And then I'm gonna cauterize it! I swear to God! You'll lay it all out for me, but you'll be in a condition that'll make it easier to kill you! And I really want to do it! So do you want to ask questions, or do you want me to tape your mouth?! I'll kill you slowly! I promise!
Something must have been in my eyes. Something true that made him believe me. I believed myself, too. I would have done anything I promised. That's what I am. The shape-shifter swallowed and nodded.
- Ask!
I smiled charmingly. Danielle looked at me with quiet terror.
- Jane, you...
- – Я. Wait, honey. Okay! What place do you take in the pack?
- I'm second only to the leader.
- WHAT?!
Now I'm worried.
- Second to the pack leader? Danielle, is he lying?!
- No, the vampire responded surly.
- Okay. Were you involved in the raid on Snegirev's house?
- Yes.
- That's where you took two coffins with two vampires. Is that right?!
- Yes.
- And where did you take them?
- I don't know!
- Liar.
- Danielle, glue his mouth!
- Don't! I'll tell you! We took the coffins to Baudelaire 18. It's a private house.
- Are they still there?
I surprised myself, but the interrogation was confident and calm.
- I don't know!
- Lying again!
- Danielle, glue his mouth!
- Don't!
- What do you mean, don't?! Man, you don't appreciate my kindness! I gave you my life for now!
- Bye? - The vampire specified.
I patted my eyelashes.
- I don't want to kill, but if he drives me away, my hand won't shake.
- Jane, you shouldn't...
- Absolutely.
- You're not going to forgive yourself later...
I interrupted explanations and other soulful nonsense. Not before. I have no soul, no heart, no brain. I don't feel anything and I don't think about anything. I'm a machine set up to win. No one told the Terminator there were any moral standards. He was just told to save, so he did. And I am saving. My own life. And the lives of four other vampires. Although I don't look like old Schwartz. I couldn't reach the muscle mass. Oh, shit!!! I can't afford to fall apart! Then, after the victory (definitely victory, I didn't allow myself to think about defeat!) I'll become normal again and I'll torture myself with remorse. Maybe, even from nightmares I will wake up. In the meantime, I don't care! I'm on the last frontier, and I'm behind me in my friends' lives. And my hand won't shake. I measured a vampire with an arrogant look.
- You glued his mouth?
- Yes, sir.
All I had to do was take a breath. In the shower. But on my face, I depicted a sadistically happy smile.
- Turn it around.
And she took the knife again. This time, I sliced half my ring finger on the same hand. And I ordered the scotch to be removed from the werewolf's mouth.
- You...!!
I could understand him. But I wasn't going to tolerate rudeness.
- – Я. Answer me, do you know where my vampires are now?
- Two of them.
- He's not lying.
I looked the shape-shifter in the eye, and I knew there would be no more lies. He will answer all my questions. He broke down. The mixture of hope, pain and fear did its job. All I had to do was ask questions and listen to the answers. And then what? Then I'll decide! The main thing is not to think about anything but the case. Just questions and answers. Just information.
- Okay, great. Where?
- On Flying One Hundred and Twenty-four. It's a private house.
- Any security?
- Yes.
- Humans, vampires, werewolves?
- Vampires and werewolves. There's only twelve of us and three vampires.
- Guns?
- Gunfire, cold... I don't know exactly.
- He's not lying," Danielle reported.
- What condition are my vampires in?
- In the bad. They've been tortured and tortured.
- Fuck... fish... zebra... mother!
- Does it upset you? - Danielle clarified.
- They're my friends.
- Do you want to free them?
- Do I look like the Terminator?
- No. You look more like Freddy Kruger now.
- Well, thank you, honey!
- You're welcome.
I turned to the werewolf again.
- Do you know where Mecislav can be kept?
- No.
- And you have no idea?
- No.
- Where's the fight going to take place?
- No.
- Lying again.
- Oh, come on! - I'm sorry. Doesn't that jerk understand what I'm going through?! I'm in pain, too! I don't want to get violent! I don't want to be cruel!!! But I don't have a choice! I turned my eyes to a vampire. - Put it in his mouth!
- Don't!!! - the fox is up.
Four letters were broken by four stones.
- We have to.
By the end of the interrogation, the werewolf had only three whole fingers left on his hands. The other se
ven were cut to the bone by me. Five bones were broken. Blood was all over the place. On my face, on my hands, on my clothes. It's a good thing I thought I'd put on my master's robe or I'd get the only sweater dirty. I was sweating, and the clothes were sticking to my body. The shape-shifter was lying in the bathroom, gleaming at us with angry eyes. I shook my head.
- One last question. Got any guns at home?
- What... did it give up on me?
- He's not lying," the vampire used to say. - What's next?
- Nothing, I was tired of saying. In my soul, this interrogation has exhausted me far more than our prisoner. - Do you want something to eat?
- Jane?!
- Why? Pretty decent werewolf. Or is their blood unsuitable? It's unsalted?
I was terrified of myself, but I didn't feel anything. I didn't feel anything.
Daniel doubted for a few seconds, and then leaned down, comfortably pulled up the werewolf - and got into the poor man's neck. A soft, squelchy sound was heard. The werewolf groaned tightly. I watched the whole mess with the indifference of a biologist watching snails in a jar. There wasn't a single thought in my head. But finally Danielle took off the werewolf's neck and looked at me.
- I'm fed up and happy. What now?
- And now we have to kill him," I just said. - Werewolves regenerate well?
- Yes.
- He'll have time for his master by tonight, and he'll prepare a new trap for us. We can't leave him alive. Can you do it, or do I have to?
Danielle leaned on the knife lying right next to him.
- I don't know.
- Then give it a try. If you can't, then I'll take over.
Danielle was staring at me with huge eyes. Almost square.
- Jane?!
- Cut his throat and saw his head off. Or should I do it myself?
A shape-shifter got clogged in the tub. I screamed it out. The bones clicked and squeaked nastily, changing shape. If Danielle wanted to argue with me, he had no choice now. His hands worked faster than his head. He abruptly stabbed the werewolf across the neck with a knife. Blood sprayed from the dissected artery with a fountain. Part of it hit me, too. Right on my face. I ran my hand over it and licked my fingers. The taste was what the blood was supposed to taste like. It was salty.
- What are you doing? - a vampire looked at me in amazement.
- I don't know.
It took me at least three minutes to regain consciousness. And the truth, what am I doing?! Instead of yelling and throwing up in the corner, I'm licking the blood of the man I killed. And I like that. I didn't curve my soul in front of me. That's what I wanted. Blood.
- I don't understand anything. Does that happen? Can the last name start drinking blood?
- I don't know anything about you anymore. It's never happened before.
- Higher Powers!
I was looking at a shapeshifter curled up in a tub. Danielle had already separated his head from his body, and now blood was spurting out of the slit veins. She was so soft, so warm, so... cozy... I reached out with my whole body to her. Oh, that salty taste of blood in her mouth, on her lips, an amazing sense of filling and serenity. If vampires are embraced by something like that after eating, I understand them. There's more blood...
I licked my fingers, drank blood from a handful of palms folded - and could not get enough of it. I wanted to do more and more... Someone touched my shoulder. I cried, turned around, and I saw Daniel. Grey eyes instantly washed away the bloody mist from my mind. I jumped up and grabbed my hand at the edge of the tub.
- What's wrong with me?!
- You drank his blood.
The vampire's answer was so calm and so right that I boiled with rage.
- I know that, damn it! You explain to me why I'm suddenly making this change of diet!
- And I don't even know this one!
- Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!
It took me a few seconds to assess the situation. Yeah, I drank blood. And I feel great after that. I'm not dizzy, I'm not dizzy, I'm not thinking about the frailty of things. It doesn't make me throw up, either. Here you go. And the cold, I think it's gone. It's like some warmth was pouring inside of me. Well, that's enough! It's more than enough! You can't demand everything from life at once! And about my abruptly changed habits, I'll talk to Mieczysław. And in the meantime...
- Danielle, I have to wash up. Help me take off this damn robe so I don't get all my clothes dirty.
The vampire obeyed without talking. And I was very pleased with it. I wasn't philosophizing right now. I washed the blood off my face and hands, looked at myself in the big mirror and nodded satisfactorily.
- She's even a nice girl. Beautiful!
Danielle was waiting for me in my room.
- It's your turn.
- Whatever you say, curly.
- I'll tell you. Do me a favor, don't call me that!
- I'm sorry. It just popped out.
The vampire got up and went to the bathroom. I walked up to a big mirror on the wall. There were mirrors in this apartment every step of the way. The landlord adored himself. Now he'll adore himself in the other world. And I don't regret it in the slightest. There was someone else's face looking at me from the mirror. In the bathroom, I was just looking for blood stains. Now I was evaluating my condition. And I saw it. Something had changed. Either the sky rose or the earth fell. But something wasn't the way it used to be. The face was the same. Smile, eyes, hair, lips. But now I'm much more like the woman in the portrait Danielle painted. Something new appeared either in the turn of my head, or in the expression of my face, eyes, smile, posture... I don't know how to explain it, but I started to change. Like a werewolf. Except that's what I'm going to turn into? Also, werewolves can always look the same after they've been transformed. Will I be able to do that? Will I be able to forget about this bathroom and live like I used to? Can I forget about how I drank the blood and what pleasure I had?! I had no answer to these questions. And neither did Daniel. Oh, okay, I'll think about it later!
Danielle came out of the bathroom while he was toweling.
- Are you okay?
- More or less. So, we clean up and go?
- Where to?
- What do you mean, where?! To Flight One Hundred and Twenty-four. I want to see the house where my friends are kept.
- Jane, it could be dangerous.
The vampire's eyes were serious and sad. I shrugged my shoulders.
- Danielle, I'd really like to change things. But we don't have a choice. And then, what do we do until tonight?
- Is it a day till night, if there's nothing to drink?
- In your case, no one, I couldn't stand it. There's only one vampire who has a conscience!
- And so, too. Jane, why don't we go home? To some dacha? The place where the fight will take place, we know. What else do you want? We'll buy some groceries you need and add some books on the way. You can sit in the car or the cabin, read...
- It's not funny. Let's go, Danielle! But first, cleaning up. What have we touched here?
- Sit down, I'll wipe it off.
- Grand Merci.
I sat in the chair while Danielle toweled through all the dirty surfaces. And what do I need from life? Seriously, what do I want from life? Is that what I'm doing to this house? And I'm pretty risky about it! What for? And that's why! Didn't I tell you yet that my inner voice needs to be obeyed? Well, that voice just blew a hole in my liver, demanding I go and "just look." So, we should go. I could explain it to a vampire, but I'm gonna get all mistrustful and say, "Jane, you're overworked! " or "It's the consequences of a trance. If you get some sleep, it'll pass," I didn't want to. We have to go. Danielle will resent me, but I can resent you too. And I have much more reasons! Let's go, girl, let's go! And there's no discussion of decisions!
- Look, I found this on the werewolf.
Car keys. Well, as winners, we are entitled to a trophy.
The trophy was a big - at least a
moose was transported - black Jeep Pajero. That's what Grandpa calls a wheeled house. It is clear: standing on heels, I still fifteen centimeters below the roof of the jeep. But Daniel and I settled down with all the amenities. I'm in the backseat with a book. Lisenok was into detectives, and I was happy to flip through Koretsky's new volume. A vampire already dressed as a dead fox is driving. Silently and sadly experiences my transformation? But what can I do to myself? I'm alive...
***
Danielle drove silently. He drove like a professional racing car driver. When this is all over, I'll pass on my license. I will.
We found the flight street pretty fast. We bought a map of the city at a gas station, and it turned out to be only ten minutes away. It's a little green house on a bend. Nothing special or supernatural. A small fence, thick walls, the house has half grown into the ground. You can scream like that from morning to night, and nobody will hear anything. And if they do, they won't do anything. I understood why Duška chose this house. Or did he not choose it? Oh, one dick! Don't yell here and nobody will scratch. It's a slum. You wouldn't believe there are streets like this in the middle of town. Little houses, no plumbing and no sewerage. Wooden booths in the corner of the courtyard and speakers all over the street. Although there are lights here. What did that fool say?! Twelve werewolves and three vampires? Yes, that's right. And guns. Yeah, well, I can't handle them anyway. Then why did I come here?! To rub my soul in it?! Because she didn't get enough! And Danielle sits like a turnip in a bed. It's no use in these situations! If Mieczysław had been here, he would have thought of something! Can't I talk to him this afternoon? Vampires sleep in the daytime, don't they? So who cares what dream to come to? I wouldn't lose anything if I tried to call Mieczysław, would I? It's not him, it's me?
I closed my eyes.
- Don't distract me, all right, Danielle?
- Whatever you say, curly.
I didn't give a damn about "curl" and tried to get rid of everything. Silence, peace, relaxation, tranquillity, darkness... Dark?! I suddenly realized that there was no darkness. I sit with my eyes closed, but I see everything as if it were real. I sleep and I see everything that's happening around me. So Danielle leans over me and looks me in the face. Then he leans back on the back of the seat and covers his eyes, too. Somehow I knew he wasn't using any magic. He wouldn't go into a trance and try to help me. I just decided to take a break. Vampire eyes are very tired of daylight. Even if he wears sunglasses. I thought about it, so I thought I'd go outside. Like I was, a ghost. Or was it something else? Okay, I'll consult on that later. I'm gonna get the vampires out of the walls, and I'm gonna consult. Something heavy. In the meantime, I'm gonna need to see what's here and how. I'm in the car now, so let's get in the house! And we'll find out who, what, and how. Only... Mechislav told me that in this condition you can see me. But he also said that for this I have to do something! And I will not do anything! I won't even say anything. And even moan like decent ghosts. I'm just gonna fly off and watch. And I won't do anything else! Honest pig!
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