Vampire World

by Douglas, Rich

  “You’ll get used to it,” he told me. “I traveled that way for many years before I could afford a car.”

  While Ernie slopped up the leftovers beneath the table - his horn banging loudly against the floor - Mr. FreeCut raised the dark shades covering the windows.

  “It’s night time now,” he said.

  I looked out and saw something fantastic. Set against the night sky, the leaves on the dead looking tree were now glowing brightly, emitting tiny balls of vivid light much like fairy dust.

  “Wow,” I said. “It’s so pretty. I thought light was harmful to vampires.”

  “Only light from the three suns, or light reflected off of them,” he said. “The type of pill I gave to you is usually taken by vampires at birth. This helps them adjust to this light and makes it safe for them to go out in the day. However, because the accident took away your vampire characteristics, you will need to carry on taking the pill for at least a week.”

  He pointed down the hallway. “Let me show you your room.”

  I followed him down the hallway into an even darker corner room. He flipped a switch on the wall, allowing a faded crimson light to illuminate my room. Wallpaper blacker than my worst nightmare covered it, though there was thankfully a small window just above my study desk. But what grabbed my attention most of all was the thing that occupied a good half of the room.

  A mammoth slate coffin.

  “I hope you like it, Janice.”

  I neither frowned nor smiled. All I knew for certain was that it was ugly. Very ugly.

  “Is this what I’m supposed to sleep in?”

  Mr. FreeCut laughed. “Yes. I know you may have lost some of your vampire qualities, but there is no faster way to regain them than to sleep in a coffin. It feels so good and so natural. I don’t know how you survived the orphanage.”

  He said goodnight just as I was trying to lift up the top of the casket. It weighed a freakin ton. “Do I have to sleep with this shut?” I asked quickly, before he had a chance to leave.

  “Most vampires love to sleep with it shut. But if you want to keep it cracked a little, go right ahead. Well goodnight again, Janice. You’re a blessing in this house. Don’t forget that.”

  I smiled, but this rapidly turned into a frown when I peered inside. No pillow. No soft bed. Just a hard ass bottom.

  Feeling tired anyway, I climbed inside and lay down. Once the top was closed, suffocating darkness engulfed me. And to make matters worse, the vampire smell was ten times worse shut inside this little space. How could I have gotten used to this before the accident? How could anyone? This was torture!

  I eased the top open and kept it that way. I felt more relaxed knowing that I could breathe, yet still couldn’t manage to fall asleep on its cold floor.

  Still, complaining was frivolous. I had a lot to be thankful for. At least I was not at the orphanage any longer.

  I stepped out of the casket and turned the light on. On impulse, I then decided to look out of the window. There were at least three of those beautiful trees with the twinkling leaves in the back yard. And Garlic Moon looked even more impressive at night.

  Suddenly, something blocked my pretty view. A figure wearing a black mask peered right in at me. I jumped back and turned away.

  “There's someone in the backyard!” I screamed out. “Come quick!”

  JOB HUNT

  I expected to see Mr. FreeCut come bursting through the door. But no one came. As I ran through into the shadowy living room, Ernie dashed out of what appeared to be a miniature coffin to greet me, letting out a whiny scream. I hesitated, afraid that he was going to poke me with his horn. Instead, I felt his icy tongue against my leg.

  “Mr. FreeCut! Where are you?”

  I heard footsteps, and moments later he appeared.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Sorry I didn’t hear you right away. My coffin lid blocks out most noises.”

  I explained to him what I had seen. He told me to stay where I was while he went outside to investigate. He returned quite soon.

  “I didn’t see anyone,” he said. “It’s okay though. Ernie would have gone crazy if someone had come onto the property.”

  Maybe he was right? But I knew I'd seen someone…somebody checking me out….

  I decided to forget about my stalker and go try again to sleep inside my coffin.

  I must have been successful because I woke up with my head pounding in agony from the lack of a pillow. The scarlet glow from the three suns was filtering in through the window.

  “Breakfast is ready,” Mr. FreeCut called out.

  Captivated by the smell of blood, I trotted into the kitchen still wearing my nightgown and with my hair a rumpled mess. My eyes widened when I saw what was on the table. Blood eggs! But these were much bigger than the ones served up at the orphanage, and a lot cleaner too.

  “Janice, please stay inside today and tomorrow,” Mr. FreeCut advised. “It’s not safe to go outside without someone to show you around. I really tried to get off work today, but my stupid boss wouldn’t let me. Sorry.”

  I reluctantly agreed, then asked him what kind of job he had. He said he was a badly paid slave at some kind of plant. I felt sorry for him.

  “I’ll give you a coupon so you can order a blood pizza delivery for lunch,” he said before leaving the house. “If you get extra thirsty, grab some blood from the fridge.”

  From the front window, I watched him drive off in his hideous car. After that I sat down on the hard slab and cranked on the TV. Flipping the channels, it was one violent vampire movie after another, with occasional commercial breaks advertising blood mugs, some uncanny clothing, or dark shades.

  Quickly bored with this, I turned off the TV and watched from the front window as an endless stream of black cars passed by. Then I investigated the backyard. Beautiful Garlic Moon rose above the fence.

  I glanced back at my bedroom window, through which I was still sure I'd seen a masked figure. With a small jolt of surprise I spotted something resting on the window sill. It was a note, held in place by a small stone. I picked it up and read it.

  'Janice, I’ve been secretly watching you. I want you to know the truth. And if you cooperate with me, you will soon discover it. Keep this letter a secret. Keep everything a secret.'

  With a rush of anger, I ripped up the piece of paper. I knew it! Someone really was there last night. Had Mr. FreeCut not seen the note on the sill? Or maybe the person had still been hiding in the yard and snuck it up there after he'd gone back inside?

  I returned to the house and slumped down on the uncomfortable couch. My surge of anger soon faded to bored and lonely. I was so restless, I could pull out my pretty black hair. I was not meant to live like this. I had just left a prison, and now it seemed like I was in another.

  Turning the TV back on, I caught an ad for the RazorCut Mall. Great shopping. Food. Fun. Sounded like a top destination.

  I ran to my room and grabbed the credit card that Mr. FreeCut had left me. I didn’t know how much money was on it; probably not a great deal, but I didn’t care. I had to leave. I was too young to be cooped up like this, even if it was dangerous outside.

  I checked my drawer for clothes. An ugly, black wrinkled shirt and a pair of torn brown shorts that dropped below my knees were all I could find. I was forced to put on shoes that looked like something a granny would wear. But I didn’t complain, even though I would have rather have gone in the nude then wear this trash. But that would have been way too daring, not to mention very stupid.

  Clutching the keys, I locked the front door and headed off in the direction of the train station, trying my best to forget about the pressure from the light. I found the street level entrance easily enough.

  After descending the stairs, I inserted my card into the machine and told it where I wanted to go. It replied in an automated voice that this journey would cost me five Carns, which I guessed was what passed for money around here. I also found out that I had one hundred and fif
teen Carns remaining on the card. If I took the train every day, that would add up pretty darn quickly. It was clear I needed to find a job.

  On the train I was forced to sit by a bunch of obnoxious peeping vamps. One was an old man with a thick grayish beard, another a young boy with a fang-shaped goatee and an attractive face. But the freaky way he peeped at me made him appear repulsive, and this was made worse still when I noticed his even freakier necklace with a skull dangling from it. I turned my head quickly away after we went eye-to-eye.

  It was almost like the entire train was stalking me. Everyone seemed hungry for me.

  The train finally halted and I climbed the stairs back to ground level. Here, I found myself standing in a hefty parking lot. Cars were everywhere, all of them black, although some were much more souped up than others. A group of vampires who'd got off the train with me began heading for a big ruby building in the distance. This must be the mall, I told myself.

  While moving closer to it in the faint light, I sensed someone was stalking me. I looked back and saw a figure duck behind a car. I could have sworn it was one of the freaks on the train, but I kept going anyway.

  On reaching the front of RazorCut mall I quickly noticed that there was no door to enter by. Instead, I was faced by a giant mechanical vampire head with reeking fangs hanging out of its mouth. I pressed a button and the mouth opened. After passing inside, the teeth clasped shut behind me until someone else was ready to walk in.

  The interior was dark and shadowy, but I could see clearly enough. Again, all eyes were on me as I passed by some very odd stores. One of them, a place called the Vampire Room, was selling some pretty iconic stuff for the bedroom. Amongst its many offerings were giant lava lamps filled with blood and rotating skulls; whips and chains of all sizes; and a variety of posters featuring bleeding hearts, bloody animals and bones.

  To my left was the Coffin Plaza, lined with perhaps a hundred coffins that stretched way back. Some were very roomy and pretty nice to look at as well. One next to the front window was massive and had rubies embedded all over it. Then I saw the price tag - ten thousand Carns. I had less than a hundred. Gosh, I felt broke.

  I paid attention to the other vampires. Everyone seemed better dressed than I was. The girls were wearing tight and sexy clothing, unusual but pretty makeup, and very Gothic necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Their hair was twisted and braided into strange, cool patterns. Mine just fell off my head and hung straight down behind my back. I really stood out.

  “Looks like she forgot to get dressed,” I heard one of the girls say.

  Another girl called me a vamp tramp as I passed by. I wanted to scream vamp bitch back at her, but I was interrupted by a group of guys all dressed in dark colors gazing pretty hard at me. With matching spiky red and black hair and some unflappable tattoos and piercings, they were actually pretty hot in an unexpected way.

  “I bet I could nail her in a coffin real quick,” one of them chuckled to his friends.

  Feeling hurt and so alone, I turned and walked angrily away. Everyone acted like major assholes in this world. Well, everyone except Mr. FreeCut. I hated this place. I didn’t belong here and I wanted to go…..home…

  What the hell was I complaining about? This was home!

  After moving swiftly though the crowd, I glanced back to make sure I was far enough away from those goons. I didn’t see them. Instead, I spotted the young vampire who'd been giving me the creeps on the train. He was right behind me. I gazed into his incriminating eyes for a second, then ran as fast as I could, attracting even more attention as I zoomed through the raucous crowd.

  After a time I slowed down and gathered some courage, mostly because I couldn't see my stalker any more. I wasn't going to let this wannabe rapist nut scare me, I told myself.

  I was now standing by what appeared to be a food court. Red tables and black chairs were scattered everywhere. An impressive indoor fountain spewed a sparkling emerald-colored substance into the air. I read the sign alongside.

  'Welcome to DeathCourt. Serving the best hot blood and bloody bagels in Vampire World'.

  Below this, another much smaller notice read: 'Now Hiring'.

  I needed a job, so I asked the pale-faced waiter for an application form. He gazed at me like I was some sort of alien before eventually returning with one. I filled it out the best I could, lying about my past work experience as a waitress because frankly, I couldn’t remember experiencing any kind of work in the past. I couldn’t even remember my street address, so I just made up a name: 4687 BloodCourt.

  My address….my address…how the hell was I going to get home?

  Shaking, I handed the waiter my application.

  “Hold on, I’ll go get the manager,” he said.

  Five minutes later a tall middle-aged vampire with dark prickly hair introduced himself. “I’m Fred Slicer, general manager of DeathCourt.”

  His eyes locked on to me like I was Barbie or a monster. This constant attention was getting ridiculous. He checked out my application.

  “Well Ms. Janice…”

  He gave me a dirty look. “You forgot to put your last name.”

  OMG…OMG…my last name…what the hell was it? Oh yes…..

  “FreeCut,” I said out of the blue, then quickly apologized for being so stupid.

  He scanned over the rest of my application. “So you’ve had some experience of working in the blood industry?”

  I nervously nodded my head, all the time paying attention to his monstrous fangs and expecting him to ask me questions that would kill my chances of getting the job.

  “Well, we’re desperate for people, so I’ll give you a chance. You can start tomorrow at twenty-five degrees sharp.”

  I wondered what twenty-five degrees meant. I would have to ask Mr. FreeCut.

  He noticed my clothes. “Uniforms will be provided for you. And I can promise it will look a lot nicer than what you’re wearing now.”

  I should have been offended, but I wasn’t. I had a job - a chance to actually make money. Should I tell Mr. FreeCut? No, I decided. I would keep this a secret as well, just like the mysterious note left on the window sill.

  It was nearly time to head home, but I decided to make one more stop at a chic looking store called Vampire Chick before heading back to the train station.

  Inside was a selection of awesome makeup; the kind I'd seen many of the other young girls wearing. One type caused the eyes and face to sparkle like fairy dust, while another made the skin glow an attractive scarlet color wherever it was dabbed on. Both started at fifty Carns, which was a whopping half of the money in my account.

  I marveled over the purses too. All of them were black, grey or red and made out of real tough looking fabric. Some had imprints of skulls on them, while others had fangs, severed bleeding arms, or just plain peculiar Gothic artwork. I checked out one decorated with a bloody heart. The heart dripped with fake blood that collected in a pool at the bottom. It looked so real. There was something about a heart that attracted me. I wanted this purse. I read the price: it was eighty Carns. Gosh, why was everything was so expensive?

  Nevertheless, I grabbed the purse and got into line. I loved it.

  Just as I pulled out my card to pay, from the corner of my eye I spotted a figure gazing at me. I felt a jolt of fear. It was my stalker. He was right here in the store!

  The clerk swiped my card and gave it back to me with a receipt. As soon as she did, clutching my new purse tightly, I ran hell for leather out of the place.

  Speeding through the mall, in my panic to get away, I crashed into a group of vampires. All of them immediately started yelling and cursing at me. One of them even took a swing, but I managed to dodge that and kept on running until I came to the teeth that marked the exit. To my horror, I then realized that there was no button on the inside to open it. I had to wait for someone to enter.

  A shadow approached.

  “Hello sweetie,” my stalker said. “I'd love to get to know you bett
er.”

  STALKER

  Thankfully, only moments after the weirdo had spoken, a middle-aged couple came into the mall. I grabbed the opportunity with both feet and raced out into the parking lot, flashing past countless cars on my way. It was remarkable how fast my body could take me when I was scared. But even that was not fast enough. A quick glance back told me my stalker was gaining.

  I made a sharp turn in between a line of delivery trucks. Then, while out of his sight briefly, I scampered beneath the largest truck of all with a giant skull attached to its hood.

  With heart pounding, I peered from under the truck and tried not to breathe. I saw two heavy boots walking about on the other side. It must be my stalker. What a horny bastard.

  After an agonizing few minutes, the boots wandered off. Even so, I waited a while longer before coming out of my hiding place. Still clutching my sexy new purse, I cautiously made my way to the train station.

  Relieved that no one was following me, I paid my Carns to ride. But I'd forgotten what the address was to get back home. Somehow I now remembered the street being called Deadwood, but the number just would not come to mind. So I entered 1000 Deadwood, hoping that would take me close enough to recognize the house.

  The train was about to start when I boarded and sat next to another ancient vampire whose skin was green and peeling. But that was the least of my worries.

  Something told me to look over my shoulder.

  There he was again - my stalker. He was sitting just three seats behind me.

  Unable to move, it felt like the pervert was breathing right down my back as the train twisted and jerked its way onward.

  Wasting no time when it was my turn to exit, I dashed out of the train and rapidly climbed above ground. I was on Deadwood Street okay, but the small ruddy homes with their deathly trees and neatly manicured lawns of straw-like grass all looked so similar.

  Even though I was hurrying the best I could, my stalker was gaining on me again. I ran up to a house that looked like it might be mine and shoved my key into the front door lock. A groan of despair slipped out when I realized it didn’t fit.