Blood and Needles

by Billy Lyon

  “Wow.” Steven said, genuinely impressed. “Did the clan used to live in Russia?”

  Teresa shrugged. “We’ve lived all over the world at one time or another. Our modus operandi isn’t all that complicated. We stay in one place until we get tired of it and then move on. It often happens, and don’t ask me why because I couldn’t tell you, that many of the places where we’ve put down stakes in the past turn out to be locations that become significant in human history. We try to stay out of human affairs as much as possible; interactions with them usually bring nothing but trouble. I lost Elaine, the love of my life, partly due to the fact that she became too involved with humanity.”

  “I’m so sorry, Teresa.”

  “Thanks. It happened so long ago. It doesn’t hurt as much as it used to, but I doubt the pain will ever fully go away.” She wiped a tear from her eyes, and then smiled. “But hey, tonight is a happy occasion, right? Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

  “Enjoying myself would be an understatement. I’m having the time of my life. Everyone is so nice, especially Anna Marie. Our Queen is spectacular creature, to say the least.”

  “Uh-oh,” Eric said, jumping back into the conversation, “I think someone has a crush on Anna Marie. Don’t worry, Steven, it happens to all of us in the beginning. You’ll get over it in a century or two.”

  “I doubt it,” Steven said, and Eric gave him a curious look.

  Inside the massive room twenty or so long tables had been set up. Lying on top of each one was an extremely attractive and naked female human.

  “Where’s the O-negative table?” Teresa joked. “They’re the universal donor, you know.”

  Eric pointed toward the far end of the room, where a smaller table sat on top of a raised platform. “Steven, you’ll be sitting here at the head table with us and a few others since you’re the guest of honor.” Sitting at the main table were two vampires Steven didn’t recognize. He pointed to them as unobtrusively as possible. “Who are they?” he whispered to Teresa.

  “That’s Joseph and Samantha,” Teresa replied. “The four of us make up the clan’s ruling council. We assist our glorious Anna Marie in the day to day operations of the clan.”

  “Not that she needs any of our assistance,” Eric added quickly. A little too quickly, Steven thought.

  Ten years on the streets had given Steven a well-honed ability to size up those he had just met. It was a necessary skill for any junkie who hoped to survive. He trusted this sixth sense implicitly, and right now it was telling him that Eric was not all he seemed to be. It was weird, however, because the night before Eric had seemed like a perfectly stand up vampire. Still, his intuition about others was hardly ever wrong. Time will tell, I guess, he told himself.

  “Anna Marie is capable in all things,” Eric continued, “but we’re happy to be able to give her some small assistance from time to time.”

  “Well, I’m certainly honored to be sitting at the head table with you,” Steven said, with no trace of his suspicions.

  “The honor is ours,” said the vampire Teresa had referred to as Joseph. He looked like he had become a vampire in his late sixties and was completely bald except for bushy gray sideburns and a thick salt and pepper beard. He wore a thin yellow cardigan over a white button-up oxford, brown corduroy slacks, and black leather slippers. He reminded Steven of a college professor. “Hello Steven. We’re very happy you decided to become one of us.”

  “Hi, Joseph. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Joseph turned to the female vampire that stood at his left. “It must be two hundred years now since Anna Marie discovered someone new to join us, hasn’t it?”

  Without waiting for an answer Joseph said, “Steven, this is Samantha.” In human years Samantha appeared to be in her early forties. She wore her long black hair in a ponytail that hung to the middle of her shoulders. She had a mysterious elegance about her that Steven found very attractive.

  “Delighted, Steven.” Samantha turned to Joseph. “To answer your question, it has been two hundred and twenty-five years since we had an addition to the family.” She looked again at Steven. “It happens so rarely because Anna Marie only chooses the bravest and purest souls to join us.”

  “It’s funny,” Steven said. “Before today I would have never thought to use either of those words to describe any junkie, especially myself.”

  “We all felt that way when we first arrived,” Teresa said, “but Anna Marie has a way of seeing qualities inside us that we never knew were there. Trust me, Steven. You’re definitely special or you wouldn’t be here.”

  “Why, thank you, Teresa.” Anna Marie had silently crept up beside Steven. She took his arm and guided him into one of the chairs. “I see that you’ve met everyone, so we can get started. Eric, would you be kind enough to find an acolyte to ring the dinner bell?”

  Eric bowed graciously, but before he could leave the room Steven caught a flash of resentment in his eyes that ended just as quickly as it had appeared. Around the room several small groups of vampires were engaged in small talk.

  Missed you.

  It was Anna Marie’s voice, but when Steven looked at her to respond he was surprised to see that she was talking to Teresa. He wondered if he was hearing things.

  Forgot about the telepathy, I see. Anna Marie’s voice laughed lightly inside his head. I thought it would be nice for us to talk like this for a while.

  “I missed you too.”

  “You handled yourself very well during the initiation ceremony.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So what do you think about Eric?”

  “He seems very nice.”

  “Is that all?” Steven could tell from her voice that a diplomatic answer was the last thing she was looking for.

  “Well, I’ve only known him for a couple of nights, of course, but…”

  “Go on.”

  “Well, last night I thought he was the greatest. But tonight he seems different somehow, a suck-up. I’ve also noticed a couple of times tonight when he seemed resentful towards you.

  “Anything else?”

  “Well, yes. When you sent him out just now to find an acolyte he looked pissed off, just for a second mind you, as if such a thing was beneath him.”

  Steven noticed, again how strange it was that no one else could tell he and Anna Marie were holding a completely silent conversation inside their heads. They weren’t even looking at each other. He started to mention this to Anna Marie but then noticed that she had suddenly gone quiet.

  “Hey, Anna Marie. Where’d you go?”

  “You’d damn well better call me Your Majesty! How dare you cast aspersions on a member of my Council! I thought I could trust you, but I guess I was wrong.”

  Steven gulped. How could I have been so stupid, he thought. Just when I’ve found a place I really liked, a place where I could finally be myself, I had to go and screw it up with my paranoid suspicions.

  “Well? I’m waiting. Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you out of here on your ass to fend for yourself?”

  “Your Majesty, I’m sorry,” Steven pleaded. “I should have never spoken that way about a fellow clan member. If you can forgive me I promise it will never happen again.”

  Several more uncomfortable seconds passed. Steven squirmed in his seat like a kid sitting outside the principal’s office, anticipating months of detention.

  Gotcha. Long laughter bounced off the walls inside of Steven’s head. “Oh, if you could only see your face. Sorry about that, but it’s about time you found out about my very warped sense of humor.” She laughed again, and kept laughing until her amusement was spent. “Seriously, though, I knew I chose you for a reason. You’re definitely smarter than the average vampire, and you’re right about Eric. He’s sneaky, and I find myself being forced to spend way too much of my energy keeping track of him. For quite some time now his primary goal in life has been to take the throne away from me.”

  “So wh
y don’t you just get rid of him?”

  “Because he’s very good at covering his tracks and I haven’t been able to get any evidence up to this point. The other reason is that there was a time when Eric and I were genuinely close friends, so I keep hoping that he will change. A hundred years ago he wasn’t like this at all. For now, I just keep him close enough to me so that I can keep an eye on everything he does. When I feel naughty I like to send him on meaningless errands like the one I just gave him. He hates that. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to help me watch him and get rid of him if and when the time comes.”

  “I’d be glad to. I may be new to the vampire game, but I take any threat to you as a threat to myself.”

  “Thank you, Steven. That means a lot.” Just then the sound of a bell broke through the surrounding din. “Looks like our Eric has found his acolyte, so I guess it’s time for us to get the party started. Enjoy the feast…”

  Anna Marie stood and waited for the activity in the room to die down. Steven sat to her right, and beside him was Teresa. On Anna Marie’s left were Samantha and Joseph, and beside Joseph was an empty seat that Steven supposed was reserved for Eric, who just then rushed in breathlessly. Where the hell has he been? Steven wondered. It couldn’t have taken him this long just to find an acolyte and tell her to ring the bell. Eric was up to something, and Steven promised himself that he would do everything in his power to find out what it was.

  At the moment, however, Steven was much more interested in his immediate surroundings than Eric, and turned his attention to the naked woman that lay on top of their table. She was a petit strawberry blonde, just over five feet tall, who weighed around a hundred pounds. Freckles dotted her cheeks and spread downward, blanketing her arms and upper torso. For someone so petit, her breasts were surprisingly large, at least a full C cup. A tuft of hair rested at the top of her crotch, which was bordered on each side by long, muscular legs. Her breath came rapidly, and Steven’s new and improved sense of smell detected equal parts sexual arousal and fear.

  Steven turned to Teresa. “Are these women acolytes?”

  “Oh, no,” Teresa replied. “Acolytes are much too valuable to be wasted in such a way. We spend a lot of time and effort training our acolytes and since they provide a genuine service we usually reward them by letting them live out their normal lifespans. We give them running around money, a place to live, and free dope if they use. A lot of them do. The acolytes are only humans, but we try and keep them happy during the time that they’re with us.” She gestured to the woman lying in front of them. “These women are high-class prostitutes who have been flown in from all over the world. We spare no expense for our initiation feasts, seeing as how they occur so infrequently. They arrived a month or so ago and since then we’ve been feeding them a steady diet of Dilaudid, Fentanyl, and heroin. It gives their blood one hell of a kick.”

  Steven whistled. “I’ll bet. But tell me, Teresa, how did Anna Marie even know there would be an initiation a month ago? I only met her yesterday.”

  Teresa shrugged. “Our fearless leader just has this way of knowing things the rest of us don’t. Besides being the Queen, she’s also very adept at divination and different forms of magick. Anna Marie is very impressive, in almost every way.”

  “That she is,” Steven said, more to himself than to Teresa.

  “You love her, don’t you?” Before Steven could either confirm or deny she added, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. I think it’s great.”

  “Is it that obvious?” Steven asked with no small amount of chagrin.

  “Well, maybe not to everyone, but I notice things others don’t. I think it’s because I look so young that people just naturally let their guard down around me. It’s not like I’m psychic or anything. I do get the sense that she feels the same way about you though, and I think it’s wonderful. I’m a good judge of vampires, Steven, and I like you. It would be good for Anna Marie to find someone decent to stand by her side, especially after the tragedy she had to endure in Egypt so long ago.” Under her breath she added, “It would be good for all of us. Maybe then we wouldn’t have to hear about it 24/7.”

  “What was it that happened to her, Teresa?”

  Teresa opened her mouth to reply, but then changed her mind. “I think it would be best for Anna Marie to tell you herself, which I’m sure she’ll do when the time is right. I hope you don’t mind my remaining silent on the subject.”

  “Not at all,” Steven replied. “Thanks for telling me everything you have.”

  “Thank you for not treating me like a stupid teenager. So many other vampires do.”

  Steven looked at her with mocked surprise. “Teenager?? You’re much nicer looking than any teenager I ever saw.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, Steven,” Teresa said, with a twinkle in her voice that matched the one in her eyes. “Anna Marie had better be good to you, or I’ll take you away from her in second.”

  “It’s a deal,” Steven said. They clasped hands. “Can I ask you one more question?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why don’t the humans try to get away? Surely they must know that some really bad shit is getting ready to come down the pike.”

  “It’s more of Anna Marie’s magick. Her spells hold them in place, so they can’t run away, even though I’m sure they want to really badly.”

  “That’s convenient.”

  “Anna Marie’s magick has gotten us out of more than one jam over the years.” Before Steven could say anything else, Teresa glanced over at the Queen. “It looks like things are finally about to get started. We’ll talk more later.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise,” Teresa said and gave Steven’s hand one last squeeze before letting it go. She’s like the sister I always wanted, he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so happy.

  10

  Anna Marie waited until the chatter died down before she began to speak.

  “My friends, soon the feast and celebration in honor of our new brother Steven will begin. While our trusted acolytes make their preparations I would like to ask you to look inside the boxes in front of you.”

  In front of each vampire was a small box carved out of cherry wood. Each one was adorned with the strange hieroglyphics that Steven remembered from the syringe Anna Marie had used to bring him over. In the center of each lid was a large golden M.

  Excited murmurs echoed through the crowd as each vampire present wondered what was inside. “Would Hasi and Teresa please rise?” Anna Marie continued. As Teresa stood, Steven looked toward the back of the room and saw an enormous vampire also rise to his feet. The contrast between the two was comical. One looked like the prototypical Goth-girl, while the other was built like an NFL linebacker.

  “As you know,” Anna Marie continued, “Teresa and Hasi are two of our most accomplished soldiers, so a couple of weeks ago I asked them to fly to the mountains of Afghanistan and procure something very special for our celebration tonight. If you open the boxes in front of you, you will see the purest and most potent heroin found anywhere in the world.” Each vampire growled in delight. “Hasi, how many humans died so that we might have our treat tonight?”

  “Not so many this time, Your Majesty,” Hasi replied. “Only fifty.” The crowd burst into laughter and applauded wildly.

  Once the handclapping died down Anna Marie continued. “Teresa and Hasi’s bravery only serves to remind me that I love you all so very much. Each and every one of you is more than special to me, and I consider you not only my subjects, but my friends.” She paused briefly and smiled at the clan. “Now I know we’re all dying for a taste of this very good dope but I would like to do one more thing before we indulge ourselves. Since this is an induction feast after all, I think it would only be fitting to ask our guest of honor to say a few words.”

  With growing terror Steven realized that Anna Marie was talking about him. He hadn’t spoken in front of any sort of crowd since a public spea
king assignment in the ninth grade, and the thought of having to do so now scared the hell out of him. Still, he knew he couldn’t let Anna Marie down, so he very reluctantly rose to his feet.

  “Wow,” Steven began nervously. “What a crazy couple of days this has been. I guess I’m supposed to say, Hi, I’m Steven, and I’m an addict.” The audience laughed, and Steven’s anxiety abated. “I don’t really know how to make a speech, so this won’t take long. All I can tell you is that two days ago I was out on the streets as usual, miserable, strung out, and alone. Any so-called friends in my life were only tools that I used as ways of scoring my next fix. I was a terrible person who had done more than my share of terrible things. All that changed when Anna Marie found me and brought me to this wonderful place, where I find myself being truly happy for the first time in my life. I want you to know that I meant every word I said earlier. I would die for each one of you and hope to join you in serving our Queen for thousands of years to come.”

  Thundering applause greeted his remarks and for the second time that night Steven noticed his eyes filling with tears of happiness. He sat down hurriedly before anyone could notice.

  Anna Marie stood. “Can I pick ‘em, or what? Okay, no more speeches. I promise. Open your boxes and let’s party!”

  She didn’t need to tell them twice. Steven eagerly opened his box and saw what had to be at least ten ounces of heroin, every grain as pure as the windblown snow. He glanced around. The vampires that surrounded him were just as enchanted. Some were preparing injections, others were smoking the stuff, and a few just stared at the white powder as if they couldn’t believe their good fortune. Oh yeah, Steven thought, we’re still junkies alright, vampires or not.

  Steven turned to Teresa. “So how do you want to do this?”

  “I was just going to ask you the same thing,” Teresa said with an excited giggle.

  “Well, my motto has always been that anything that doesn’t go into a vein is wasted.”