Vampire World

by Douglas, Rich

  Moments later the door opened anyway, revealing a stocky stranger who smelled of something disgusting. He scowled at me, his gaping fangs showing clearly.

  “Get the hell off my property,” he snarled, pushing me so hard in the stomach that I literally flew back, landing on my back in the prickly grass.

  With my stomach hurting like hell, I scampered back into the street. Then I smashed right into him.

  “Gosh, you’re so beautiful,” my stalker said. “Let me introduce myself. I’m…”

  I didn’t hang around to find out what his name was. I simply turned and ran the other way. On and on I ran, unaware of how far he was behind me. Homes I raced past became a blur. But I sensed he was still following me. I had to keep going.

  Eventually I came to another house with a tree in the middle of the lawn that looked rather like Mr. FreeCut’s. Hope surged, and though I couldn't be sure this was the right one, I made a run for it anyway and rammed my key into the lock. This time the door opened.

  Gasping with relief, I dashed inside and rapidly locked the door. My nerves were all over the place. After dropping my purse in exhaustion, I felt something touch my leg and instantly screamed. But it was only the horn of Ernie.

  I sucked in a deep breath. Never have I felt so relieved to see a dog that looked like a miniature Cyclops licking me with a jade tongue.

  Warily, I glanced out the window and immediately spotted my stalker; he was just standing there quite openly scoping out the house. Then he walked away. Oh my gosh, he knew I was here. He'd seen me go inside.

  I was scared to death thinking about it, even though I knew I needed to grow up and face my fears. For a while I just sat on the sofa, petting Ernie on the head and touching his horn. Then, because my nerves were so badly shaken, I got up and explored the eerie house, just to make certain that my stalker or the masked intruder from last night was not in there with me.

  After confirming that Ernie and I were indeed alone in the house, I took another look at my awesome purse. With its bloody heart and dark, rough material, sure it was Gothic. But there was also something really cool about it. Maybe it was the vampire in me.

  There was a sudden loud knock at the door. My heart, if I even had one, raced madly. Could this be my stalker? Shaking, I looked through the peep hole. It was Mr. FreeCut.

  Seizing my purse, I ran to my room and threw it into the coffin. I didn’t want him finding out that I'd run off and spent nearly all the money he'd given me.

  Walking back into the living room, I ran right into him.

  “So how are things going?” he asked. “I thought I'd stop by for lunch.”

  “Good. I’m a little bored though.”

  “I know,” he replied. “I want to thank you for listening to me and staying put. It’s a dangerous world out there. Only one more day and I’ll be able to show you around. Then you can go looking for a job.”

  I grinned. I wanted to tell him I already had one. But I couldn’t.

  He handed me a sandwich soaked in blood. The black and blue bread, along with the blood-moistened bologna-like meat, tasted delicious.

  It wasn't long before he headed off back to work. This time, wary of any peeping toms or unwanted figures checking me out, I remained in the house until he returned.

  That evening Mr. FreeCut cooked me a meal of blood-soaked fish. With meat and bones exposed, fangs at the mouth, and fins that looked like butcher knives, I shied away from the disgusting mess and settled for downing my refreshing cup of blood.

  “Please try the Seadeaths,” he said. “This is what I do at work all day long. I package these babies. You have to like them.”

  It took me a while before I could even attempt to cut a piece. But eventually my thirst for blood pushed me to try. Surprisingly, the blood-soaked crunchy meat tasted pretty good.

  That night, I avoided looking out my back window. But I did take another peek at my purse, glad that I'd spent nearly all of my money on it, even though I’d probably regret doing so later.

  I stepped into my coffin and rested my head on the hard bottom, excited about my first day at work tomorrow. I tried not to think about my stalker and soon drifted off to sleep with the lid closed. In contrast to the previous night, I now welcomed the darkness.

  I woke up the next day feeling nervous, but at the same time motivated. After breakfast, I watched from the window as Mr. FreeCut left for work. As soon as his car was out of sight I put on another set of drab dark clothes, fixed my hair the best I could, and headed for the door.

  I warily made my way to the train station. But it was okay, no one followed me. What worried me the most after paying for my journey was the fact that I had only twenty-five Carns left on my card. Of course I received my usual stares during the ride to the mall, but they didn’t bother me as much as the time before.

  While crossing through the huge parking lot, I checked again for any creepers. Nothing.

  A feeling of freedom came over me when entering the mall, even though some vampires continued to gawk. I heard a girl making fun of me for the way I walked. Hmmmmm….

  On arriving at the food court, someone handed me a scarlet uniform, which I quickly changed into. It was hard to tell if I looked better in this. It was certainly tighter than my other clothes, and maybe a little sexier, but of course my current outfits were totally lacking in any kind of fashionable design.

  Passing the fountain of luminous green liquid, I met the manager, Mr. Slicer.

  “Today you’ll be doing training,” he said. “But this will only last for 60 degrees. For the first thirty you’ll work with Hannah Bruise, and for the second thirty you’ll be teaming up with Kate Garlic. Good luck.”

  I was introduced to Hannah. Like so many others she had black eyes, a very pale though pretty face, and a hairstyle that twisted itself into numerous distinct patterns.

  “Just follow me and do what I tell you to do,” she said, maintaining a persistent frown. Wow. How rude. What the hell did I ever do to her?

  I remembered what I'd been told in the orphanage about how I was the prettiest vampire they’d ever seen. Could she be jealous of me just because I was pretty? Or was it because I looked like crap and was badly in need of a makeover that I couldn’t afford?

  Hannah picked up four cups of hot blood from a marble counter, stacking them on top of each other and holding them all in one hand. Somehow the cups remained perfectly balanced, even when she lifted them high over her head. It was almost as if they were glued together.

  “Well come on,” she snapped. “Don’t just stand there and stare. Grab those two cups and follow me.”

  I picked up two large cups of steaming blood that were bubbling at the brim, not daring to stack them for fear I would drop the scalding contents on someone’s head.

  I followed Hannah to a crowded table of eight thirsty vampires. She set her six cups of blood down on the table without spilling any and I did the same with mine.

  “You’re supposed to stack them together,” she complained after we left the table. “You’re not listening to me.”

  Now I was really beginning to get ticked off by her rudeness.

  We returned to the counter filled with cups of blood. Hannah grabbed seven of them this time, expertly stacking them as before.

  “Grab those three,” she ordered. “Now!”

  I touched the hot cups and hesitated.

  “Get moving!”

  “I'm afraid I might drop them.”

  “Well,” Hannah smirked. “This is so not the job for you.”

  “Why are you so rude to me?” I asked.

  Her scowl deepened. She opened her mouth and showed her fangs. “I can’t take you any more,” she said. “I’m telling the manager.”

  She ran away to find Mr. Slicer. He approached moments later with a look of concern and asked why I wasn’t listening. I defended myself by saying that Hannah didn’t teach me crap.

  “Well let me set you up with Kate then,” he said.


  Though not as pretty as Hannah, Kate certainly seemed calmer and more laid back. She wore glasses over her midnight black eyes, and her hair, which was also fixed in a strange interlacing style, was not as well done as Hannah’s.

  “Did the blood bitch give you a hard time?” she whispered.

  I laughed. “Yes, she did.”

  “Don’t let her get under your skin. She doesn’t want to be here. She’s only doing it because her rich daddy wants her to get some work experience.”

  “Yeah, she didn’t teach me anything.”

  “This job is easy,” Kate said. “There's not much to teach.”

  “I know this sounds strange,” I said, “but I’ve been in a bad accident. “I don’t think I can catch on like normal vampires do.”

  Kate waved a hand. “Not to worry. This is still a piece of cake.”

  She grabbed three cups of bubbling blood and stacked them. She then motioned for me to gather the remaining ones.

  “Don’t worry about dropping them,” she told me.

  I grabbed the heavy cups, trying my best to concentrate and not show any fear, even though they weighed a ton and felt like they were about to tip over at any moment.

  “Awesome. Now just follow me.”

  Kate moved quickly; too quick for me. About halfway to the table all hell broke loose as my top cup tumbled to the floor. Some of the hot blood spilled onto my arm, burning me a bit and forcing me to drop the next cup.

  Kate turned around. I expected her to call me the biggest klutz ever. Instead, she ran up to me with concern on her face.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “No. Look at the mess I've made.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll tell the boss I did it.”

  “No, you don’t….”

  “Yes, I will,” she said confidently. I shut up.

  “Balance two cups instead of three. Remember to concentrate, girl. You’ll get it.”

  She was so nice. Almost too nice.

  I concentrated the best I could and managed to balance the two cups in one hand without spilling them. Then I followed Kate to another crowded table.

  A group of sexy guys there gazed at me like I was a supermodel. I noticed one of them in particular. He had fiery red hair, large ruby eyes, and a handsome face. He was wearing hot topaz earrings and a black shirt with a hip design of a golden snake. He smiled at me when I handed him his cup.

  I followed Kate back behind the counter.

  “The guy with the red hair is hot,” I said.

  “Yeah, he is. I’ve been working here for a year and never seen him before. Anyway, you’re doing awesome. Keep it coming.”

  I continued to balance just two cups and gradually became more confident, especially after the pain on my arm from the sizzling blood eased off.

  After leaving another table, I glanced across to where the group of sexy guys were sitting and caught them peeping at me again. But I wasn’t offended. In fact, I quite liked it. Especially when I looked into the steamy eyes of the one who'd smiled at me. Whew...he was hot!

  Finally, at twenty five degrees past sunrises, I met with Kate and the manager.

  “Well, Kate says you did alright,” Mr. Slicer said. “I’ll see you on Monday at five degrees sharp. Be prepared to work by yourself.”

  I smiled at manager Slicer, no matter how ugly he was.

  “I’ll be working nights this weekend,” Kate told me. “But you seem really nice. I need to give you my number so we can hang out some time.”

  I said that would be cool. Then I remembered something important. A phone. I really needed to buy one.

  I admitted to Kate that I didn’t have a phone at present. Surprised, she wrote down her number on a piece of paper. I stuffed this in my pocket and told her goodbye.

  Feeling the best I had ever felt since waking up in Vampire World, I walked out of the store still wearing my uniform.

  A voice stopped me. “Hey, what’s your name?”

  I stared up at the beefy hunk with the red hot hair. “Janice,” I told him.

  “Well, I think you’re very pretty. I was wondering if I could get your number?”

  Oh my gosh! I was so unprepared it wasn’t funny. I didn’t have a phone.

  Dammit, I didn’t have a phone.

  DOWNTOWN

  “Sorry, I don’t have a phone.”

  Why did I say it like that? I just blew it.

  “Oh,” he said, surprised. “Well, guess I’ll just cut to the teeth then. Want to meet up? Just you and me, I mean.”

  I was speechless. Then I finally got up enough nerve to reply. I tried hard to sound casual.

  “Sure, why not?”

  “Can you meet me at the DeathNail Club and Spirits at fifty degrees darkness?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Great. I’ll be waiting for you. We’re gonna have a real fun time, Janice. My name is Rob.”

  I left the food court blushing, feeling absolutely wonderful. Not only had I made a friend with Kate, I also had a sizzling date with an eye candy vampire.

  I couldn’t help but grin all the way home on the train.

  With no one chasing me, I made my way back to the house just before lunch in case Mr. FreeCut stopped by like he did yesterday. With Ernie licking my leg, I went into my room and peeked inside the coffin. My purse was still safely there, but something else had been placed right alongside it - a letter.

  It was similar to the one I'd found on the window sill. It read: 'Time is wasting away. The truth is precious. Go to Skull Library and search for the book in the XX#ZET section. There you will find your first clue.'

  A brief set of instructions on how to find Skull Library followed.

  Fear gripped me. The stranger I'd seen in the window had somehow gotten into the house! He might even still be here right now.

  I immediately checked all the rooms, with Ernie following close by the whole time. But there was no sign of anyone and I soon calmed down. At least the note was not threatening. If anything, it sounded like it wanted to help me. I put it back in the coffin with my purse and tried to relax. I had a lot to look forward to.

  That evening, Mr. FreeCut and I enjoyed a scrumptious blood soaked meal and good conversation. He talked about his crappy job and how it didn’t pay jack. Then we discussed what we would be doing tomorrow.

  “Want to go to RazorCut Mall?” I said.

  He looked at me closely. “RazorCut Mall? How did you know about that?”

  “I saw a commercial for it on TV.”

  “Oh,” he said. “Well I know a better place downtown. The shopping is excellent and even more affordable than RazorCut. You’re gonna love it.”

  The more we talked, the more I liked him. And I certainly could tell that he liked me. I was feeling the part of his beloved daughter already.

  I asked him where the DeathNail Club and Spirits was. He told me it was also downtown, but I needed to know more than that. I had to find out exactly where it was and be there tomorrow night at fifty degrees darkness sharp.

  That night I found it difficult to sleep while working out how I would get downtown for my date. I was gonna have to leave the house when Mr. FreeCut was at home. Maybe I should tell him the truth and stop making up lies. Then again, maybe not. They'd worked so far.

  The next day I rode with Mr. FreeCut in his ancient car. The seats were filled with straw and there was a small skull sat on the dashboard. It smelled like something had died in the back seat.

  “I know it's not the best of rides,” he said. “But it gets me from point A to point B.”

  The blood red sky was beautiful as we passed more small but picturesque homes. Then we crossed a river of some strange iridescent liquid.

  “Wow, very pretty,” I said, admiring the multitude of colors.

  “Yeah. But this neighborhood we're coming into now isn’t so nice,” he warned. “This is the DeathHouse area. Be sure to keep your door locked.”

  Many of the tiny homes were abandoned, and sever
al looked as if they were about to fall apart. Even the trees looked bad. I could see vampires lying on the street in piles of trash. Although I was creeped out, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

  We crossed another bridge, this time passing over an impressive and very deep canyon.

  “This is Slice Canyon,” Mr. FreeCut told me. “It separates downtown from the rest of the city.”

  And then I saw downtown for the first time. Towering scarlet buildings shaped like jagged spikes and narrow pyramids rose far up into the sky. I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Even Mr. FreeCut, who probably had seen downtown a thousand times, appeared wowed.

  Driving past the tall buildings, we pulled into a parking garage.

  “Welcome to Stake Avenue,” he said. “Here you’ll find some great shops, food halls and markets. I’m sure you’ll find some good places to apply for a job as well.”

  I cracked a smile, knowing that I was already employed.

  We took an elevator down to the street level.

  Now walking on a crowded, burgundy-colored street that seemed to glow, I could see the market. Several vendors were selling what looked to be vampire fangs starting at ten Carns a set. I thought I’d pass on these, along with the skulls that started at twenty-five Carns.

  There were also plenty of shops. Mr. FreeCut and I spent a minute or two looking into the window of John’s Bloody Candies, eyeing the delicious candy canes and chocolate bars all immersed in blood. Then I spotted Jane’s Fine Fashions; the trendy clothes they had on display really caught my attention.

  “This is a very expensive store,” Mr. FreeCut said, noticing my interest. “Shirts here start at two hundred Carns. But there's a big store down the street that is much more affordable.”

  If he only knew how much I'd spent on my purse. Damn.

  We passed a small stage with an enthusiastic crowd of vamps swarming around it. A loud band was jamming away, one of its members strumming a distorted guitar that sounded like someone scratching a chalk board. Another one pounded his head into a microphone, growling and roaring vocals I couldn’t understand a word of.