Blood and Needles

by Billy Lyon

  “Dead? Oh no! He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead…” She kept repeating the four words over and over as if the reality of her husband’s death could be overturned as long as she continued to deny it.

  Eric covered her lips with his finger and then turned to Steven. “I can make her do anything I want.”

  “Janice,” Eric said, “I’m going to drink every last drop of your blood, but all you have is this one little cut on your arm. I’m going to need better access, so tell me, do you have anything long and sharp in the car, like a pair of scissors?”

  Steven could see where this was going, and he didn’t like it. Not out of any love for Janice, but because what Eric was getting ready to do was stupid and reckless. Before he could protest, however, Janice answered.

  “There’s a nail file in my purse.”

  “Perfect, Janice,” Eric replied. Janice’s purse had gotten thrown out of the car in the crash, but Eric found it quickly and rummaged through it, searching through it for the nail file. When he found it, he handed it to her.

  Steven had to wonder, Would she really do it?

  “Janice,” Eric said, “I want you to unbuckle your seat belt and remove your shirt and bra. Do it now.”

  As curious as he was, he couldn’t let Eric continue. “Time’s up, Eric.”

  “Five more minutes.”

  “I said, time’s up.”

  “And I said, five more minutes!”

  Steven grabbed Eric roughly by his collar and jerked him close. “Are you really this stupid? What part of draw no attention to yourselves did you not understand? Do you really care so little for what your queen tells you to do?”

  For a second, Eric said nothing, and Steven thought he might have been able to actually make him see reason, but no such luck. The shit-eating grin returned, and Eric said “the only queen I see around here is you, Mama’s Boy.”

  Steven had no idea what to do next. The only thing he did know is that if they didn’t get out of here quick, things could go bad for the entire clan, in a hurry. He was just about to try reasoning with Eric again when he heard sirens approaching from far away.

  Eric looked at Steven with unbridled contempt. “Saved by the bell. Grab my arm, Mama’s Boy.”

  Steven had no choice but to grab it. They took off into the night sky and headed home, but not before Eric ripped Janice’s throat apart. “No way that bitch lives,” he said.

  They didn’t speak a word until they landed safely, back at the mansion. “Listen to me, Steven,” Eric said menacingly, “if you even think about running to Anna Marie –”

  “I’m not a snitch, Eric.”

  “Well, alright, then. Later.” He turned to go, but Steven stopped him. “No. We’re going to hash this out before you go anywhere. You go against every rule Anna Marie gives us, and she didn’t give us a hell of a lot of them, Eric. When I try to keep us from being discovered, like we were told, you call me a pussy. Well, maybe so, Eric but I’d rather be a pussy than a retard.” He raised his fists. “So let’s settle it now, Eric, The Pussy versus The Retard, winner take all.

  Eric considered, and then, of course, gave his shit-eating grin. “I knew it from the moment you punched me in the mouth, Steven, you’re alright.” Then he actually turned serious, and resembled the vampire Steven had met earlier. “Look, Steven, I know how I can get. I’m reckless, and sometimes I act crazy and do stupid shit before I catch myself. You did right, tonight, Steven. No matter what I might have said, you did right.” He raised his fist in the air. “Friends?” Steven bumped it. “Friends.”

  “I’ll see you at the ceremony tomorrow night, Pussy.”

  “Okay, Retard.”

  Steven found an acolyte, got a fix, and went to bed, looking forward to his last night in the cheap coffin.

  What a crazy bastard, was his last conscious thought before going to sleep.

  9

  The following night Anna Marie woke Steven the second the sun was below the horizon. “It’s time for you to meet your brothers and sisters,” she said. “Are you excited?”

  “Nervous is more like it. The last brother I had died a long time ago.”

  “Well, you won’t have to worry about that any longer. Death is something we vampires don’t concern ourselves with all that much.”

  They exited the room and walked into the main foyer that led into the mansion’s ground floor. Steven was immediately struck by the contrast between where he had come from and where he now stood. Hanging on the opposite wall was a magnificently crafted painting that depicted a scene from the French Revolution. In it, a hooded executioner stood beside a guillotine, staring out towards an angry crowd who demanded the head of another unfortunate nobleman. The quality of the artwork was undeniable, and Steven thought that the painting could have easily hung in The Louvre. He shifted his gaze from the painting to the other pieces of furniture inside the room, each one more priceless than the last.

  They passed through the foyer and into another hallway. Anna Marie opened a door and led Steven into a bathroom. She pointed to the shelves that ran along the walls. “I hope this will be okay. I sent out for some toiletries.”

  “Looks fine to me.” Steven looked at the various bottles and tubes sitting on the shelves and whistled. From the brand names it was plain to see that Anna Marie had spent several hundred dollars just on product.

  “After you’ve finished bathing you can slip into this.” She opened the closet door and took out a black Armani suit along with a pair of matching leather loafers and a white silk shirt. The outfit she held in her hands probably cost more than he had spent in the past year, even on dope.

  Steven looked around. “How am I going to know what I look like? There’s no mirror in here.” Then he remembered that vampires don’t cast reflections and felt stupid.

  Anna Marie stepped close to him. “Don’t worry. You look good.” Desire poured off her body in waves. Steven grabbed her ass greedily and pointed to the tub. “Wanna join me?”

  “Easy, tiger. There will be plenty of time for that later.”

  “Oh, so it’s that kind of party, is it?”

  “It’s definitely that kind of party,” Anna Marie said with a wicked grin. “I’ll be waiting outside. Don’t be long.”

  Steven turned on the water and let it run until it was as hot as he could stand it before he plugged the drain. It was funny, but now that he was a vampire he felt cold all the time. Once the tub was halfway full he stepped in and slowly lay back into the steaming water. I could fall asleep in here, if I wasn’t so nervous about this initiation ceremony, he thought. I wonder what the others will be like.

  Instead of worrying, however, he decided to open one of the perfumed bars of soap and clean himself. His body was covered with dried blood from last night’s fiasco, so it took a considerable amount of time and effort to wash it all away. Without a mirror it was impossible for him to see his face so he simply covered the entire surface of his head with a thick layer of soap and scrubbed as hard as he could.

  Once finished, he stepped out of the tub and onto the marble floor. After drying himself he picked up his new suit and put it on, enjoying the feeling of the expensive cloth against his skin. When he had finished dressing he ran his hands through his hair and exited the bathroom.

  Anna Marie was nowhere in sight, so he walked back the way he had come until he saw her. She was standing in front of a bay window that looked out onto an expansive, perfectly-groomed lawn. Steven’s jaw dropped.

  It would have been impossible for him to think that Anna Marie could have looked any more beautiful than when he had last seen her, but she did. Her tall, thin body was draped by a dazzling white gown covered in sparkling sequins. Diamond bracelets covered both her wrists and a thin platinum chain adorned her neck. Her hair was put up high on her head in tight curls that supported a crown of white gold. The crown was encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. She was the picture of elegance.

&nb
sp; She stood smoking a long, thin cigarette as she gazed out the window. When she heard Steven approach she hurriedly tossed the cigarette and walked towards him. The closer she got, the more awe-struck Steven became. The only thing that seemed appropriate to do was kneel at her feet, so he did.

  Anna Marie stood wordlessly for several minutes before leaning slightly to touch the top of his head. “Please rise, Steven,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “Are you ready?”

  “I think so.”

  “Still nervous?”

  “Yeah. Quite a bit, actually.”

  “Well, don’t be. Hardly anyone gets killed anymore since we made some changes to the ritual.”

  Steven must have turned a whiter shade of pale than even an undead appearance warranted, because Anna Marie laughed and said “I’m kidding, Steven. Relax. There is very little ceremony involved here and no one is going to get hurt except maybe some humans, who don’t matter anyway. You’ve already made it through the hard part.”

  “Okay then, let’s do it,” Steven said, his anxiety abating just a little.

  “Let’s.” Anna Marie took his hand and they passed through the main foyer to a spiral staircase, which they climbed until they reached the second floor. Once there they walked to a large set of wooden double doors.

  “Enter the room and walk all the way forward. Then just follow my lead. I’ll be right behind you.” She gave his ass a little pat. “Good luck.”

  Steven gulped, took a deep breath, and opened the doors. An intense white light blinded him and he was forced to look at his feet in order to avoid the glare. He was standing on a large wooden stage identical to one that might be found in any high school auditorium across the country. The atmosphere in the room was thick, heavy, and seemed very unfriendly.

  The lights dimmed slightly and Steven felt unseen eyes everywhere. Only a couple of minutes could have elapsed while he stood facing the crowd, but it seemed more like hours. Where in the hell is Anna Marie? The silence continued, and as his discomfort grew, he felt sure that he had made a terrible mistake. Despite everything Anna Marie had promised, he felt certain there was no love for him here.

  The best thing I can do is get the hell out of here as quick as I can, Steven thought, and started to turn and run away, when the door opened a second time. Anna Marie walked forward and stood beside Steven, who knelt out of respect for her position and the solemnity of the situation.

  Anna Marie stood silently in front of the audience for some time before she spoke. “Brothers and Sisters, I greet you on this very special night in the name of our Blessed Sacrament, Morphia.”

  “Its name be praised,” the faceless crowd replied.

  “Tonight I submit for your consideration one Steven Michael Jameson, who desires entry into our family.”

  An angry male voice rang out. It sounded like Eric. “Who does he offer as his sacrifice?”

  “He offers the life of his human mother, Linda Marie Jameson,” Anna Marie replied. “Has he fed?” This time it was a female who asked the question, her voice just as hateful as Eric’s.

  “He made his first kill two nights ago, with honor, in my presence.”

  Two vampires, a male and a female this time, barked out a question in unison. “Does he reject his former humanity?”

  “Steven died a human death and was transported to the Heavenly Realm, where he was found wanting. He refused the condemnation he received at the hand of his onetime God and returned to Earth in triumph.”

  Another female, whose voice sounded younger than any Steven had heard up to that point, spoke next. “Will he freely partake of our Sacrament?”

  “He will. Our blessed Morphia has been present in his veins these past ten years.”

  At this point the clan spoke in unison.

  “Will he live with us?”

  “He will.”

  “Will he hunt with us?”

  “He will.”

  “Will he fight with us, kill with us, love with us?”

  Anna Marie looked down. “Steven?”

  Steven remained on his knees, but lifted his face towards the crowd and shouted “I will!” in a voice made massive by the emotion behind it.

  Following this exclamation another silence followed as the group deliberated. After several increasingly unbearable minutes had passed, Anna Marie addressed them once more. “What say you? Do you find Steven Jameson worthy?”

  No one said a thing.

  What did I do wrong? Steven asked himself. You fucked up, just like you always do, came his insecure reply. You didn’t actually think things would be any different this time just because you’re a vampire, did you?

  A cloud of gloom settled over Steven as he waited for what he felt sure would be a unanimous rejection. He started to rise and leave for parts unknown when a single male voice cut through the silence.

  “Yes!”

  He waited for another affirmation, but none came. Somewhere, far away, he heard a clock ticking. He counted the seconds along with it. One, two, three….

  “Yes!”

  Another voice! Maybe, just maybe…

  More dead air. He tried to continue counting with the clock, but he could no longer hear it over the clamor of his own frantic heartbeat. It doesn’t matter anyway. Two votes. Two fucking votes is all you could get. You should just –

  “Yes!”

  “Yes!”

  “YES!”

  The affirmations kept coming, faster and faster, louder and louder, until every vampire present had voiced their approval.

  Anna Marie bent slightly and offered Steven her hand.

  “Then rise, Steven,” she shouted, her voice overflowing with joy, “and take your place. You have been found worthy!”

  Spontaneous applause erupted, and Steven wept. The past decade had been so emotionally barren that he had stopped believing that such a thing as love even existed, but now there was no denying its existence, or its power. His past had been wiped clean once and for all and he rejoiced, having finally found a place where he truly belonged.

  The spotlights extinguished, allowing Steven to finally see those who had scared him so much. There looked to be at least a couple hundred vampires present, and to Steven they were easily the most beautiful faces he had ever seen.

  The auditorium seats emptied and Steven’s newfound brothers and sisters descended upon him in a rush of handshakes, kisses, and hugs.

  “Excellent work, Steven! Welcome to the family.”

  “Steven! So glad to have you here!”

  “Anna Marie has told us all about you. I know you’re going to fit right in!”

  Soon Steven felt a familiar presence approach from somewhere behind him. He turned and saw Anna Marie. It was kind of weird not being alone with her, but he didn’t mind. Not too much, anyway.

  “See, I told you everything would be okay,” Anna Marie said, and surprised him with a long, deep kiss. Everyone around them cheered wildly. Anna Marie pulled away from Steven and addressed the room. “Come on, you undead perverts. The feast awaits!”

  9

  Eric walked up beside Steven as the crowd ambled out of the auditorium. “Nice job, Pussy,” he whispered. Then, in his normal speaking voice he added, “So what do you think of our happy little family?”

  Steven offered his hand. “Hey, Eric,” he said, resisting the urge to call him Retard. “Great to see you again so soon! But to answer your question, I like it. I like it a hell of a lot. It’s nice to finally have people in my life that I really care about, and that care about me in return. The only thing I regret is making such a fool of myself back there, crying like a little baby in front of everyone.”

  “No worries, my friend.” Eric said. “I sincerely doubt if there’s a single one of us who didn’t do the same thing during their initiation.”

  “So what happens next?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing but fun and games from here on out.” Eric clapped Steven on the back. “I remember my induction feast like it
happened yesterday instead of 1872.”

  “That’s because you’re still just a baby.” Steven looked all around him, but couldn’t find the owner of this new voice.

  “Everyone does that. Down here, Handsome.”

  “This is Teresa,” Eric said, “but our nickname for her is Buffy.” Eric pointed to a very short vampire that appeared to have been brought over somewhere in her late teens or early twenties. “Would you believe she just celebrated her 1900th birthday?”

  “No, I wouldn’t. She’s much too pretty to be anywhere near that old.” Steven bent slightly, took her hand in his, and gave it a peck. Teresa’s appearance was outside the mainstream, yet attractive. Her dark brown eyes were friendly and rested just above full, plump lips of the Angelina Jolie variety. Amber highlights ran through short black hair that was spiked on top and shaved closely on one side. She had three piercings in each ear, as well as one in her left nostril. Faded blue jeans, a Black Sabbath t-shirt, and combat boots rounded out her ensemble.

  “Eric is just mad because he knows he’ll never look this good at my age, immortal or not,” Teresa said. “I’m glad you’re here, Steven. I hope that we can be the best of friends.”

  “I’m sure we will be. So why do they call you Buffy?”

  Teresa gave him a rueful smile. “Well, as you might imagine, most of the clan likes to spend their free time outside the mansion partying, hunting humans, or generally getting up to no good. Not me. My version of having fun is to sit at home in front of the TV with a big bag of dope and watch reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

  “I can think of worse ways to pass the time.”

  Teresa took his hand and they made their way into a large banquet hall that was illuminated by dozens of crystal chandeliers. Teresa noticed him gaping and said “Aren’t they marvelous? We got them from one of the Russian Imperial palaces. When it became apparent that the Bolsheviks were serious about a revolution, we liberated them before they could be destroyed.”