“Yes,” I assured her.
“Good. I knew you’d be up for the challenge. You’ll start at the beginning of the next sun cycle. Your pay then will be doubled. In the meantime, I suggest taking one of the inventory books home with you to study. It may seem daunting, but I know you can do it. I have faith in you, Janice.”
I left her office with spirits soaring. Now I had something to be happy about once again. I thought back to the pitiful job I'd had at the mall. I’d grown so much out of that nightmare. And now I was on my way to running the best damn clothing store in all of Vampire World. Hell yeah!
My phone buzzed. Bloodflies danced chaotically around in my stomach as I parted the teeth and read the message from Brett: 'Janice, I’m sorry. I want to make up. Please.'
Damn. I'd gone from feeling inconsolably sad to top of the world in almost no time at all. Would life ever be easy and predictable?
That evening, Brett and I lay down together in my coffin with Garlic Moon filtering its beautiful rays in through the window. It felt so good to be close to him again. I don’t think I’d ever felt this close before. I'd almost lost him. But now we were back together.
I held him tightly. We kissed, and it was incredible. Just when I thought kisses couldn’t get any better, they did. I was so grateful he was still mine. All mine.
“I’ve made up my mind,” I said. “I’ll stop following the secret messenger.”
“Great,” Brett responded. “I want you to be safe, baby. That’s because I love you.”
“I love you too,” I said, feeling so high.
I told him how I couldn’t stand being away from him, and how Vampire World wasn’t the same magical place without him in my life. His response was pretty similar.
“Look, I apologize for not taking you to the grave yet,” he said. “It’s a big commitment, and I want it to be at the best time. Can I make a deal with you?”
“Sure.”
“Tomorrow after work, I promise I will take you there. I would take you tonight, but I have to get to the hotel. Father needs his medicine.”
I grew excited. “That’s great, baby. I can’t wait.”
After another steamy kiss we said goodnight. He snuck quietly out of the house so Mr. FreeCut wouldn't see him. I felt reborn, knowing that I'd reunited with my better half. And I was not going to lose him again. Ever!
But there was also something else on my mind. I'd discovered that life in Vampire World wasn’t some straight and narrow bloody brick road that was easy to follow. There were lots of unexpected twist and turns. I couldn’t allow even the best relationships to get in the way of self discovery and knowledge. I was going to call Rob and find out from him what my secret guide wanted me to know. And no one was gonna stop me because Brett would never get to hear about it.
I peered out my room window and spotted another black box sitting in the middle of the lawn. I crept outside and carried it to my room. As expected, it was from my messenger.
With much anticipation, I opened the box. Inside was a black orb small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. There was also the usual note.
'Janice, because I have the ability to track your location at all times, if I sense you are lost or in danger, I can talk to you through this device. However, you will not be able to speak back to me. Keep it on you at all times. When I want to make contact it will vibrate and a light will blink. Now, contact Rob immediately. You need to go with him tonight to a special event.'
Though I had no clue of where I was going or how I was going to get there, I didn’t waste time. But halfway through dialing Rob’s number I hesitated. Great care was going to be needed. I was about to call one of the rudest and most hateful vampires in the world. He'd even tried to violate me. Was I making the right decision? If Brett found out, he’d kill me.
After a moment or two of further thought, I dialed the number anyway.
Rob answered.
TRIFANG
“Well, it's no big a surprise,” Rob said. “I knew you liked me all along. I guess I just have a way with beautiful vampires like yourself.”
I found it difficult to lie to such a total ass. But I had to. “It’s been a rough few days,” I told him. “Brett and I broke up recently. And you know, I just need someone to talk to.”
He laughed like a devil. “I knew that pussy wasn’t good for you. You need a strong vampire; one who won’t dry up like a douche.”
“Actually, it’s funny,” I said, inwardly fuming at the bloodsucker’s insults. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot, even before I broke up with Brett.”
There was a short pause. He was thinking; something I didn’t realize he knew how to do.
“Well, I know I’m hot,” he eventually said. “Anyway, since you want to see me so badly, there’s something special I'd like to take you to tonight.”
At first I showed hesitation, and it drove him crazy. I had to play a little hard to get.
“Gee, I don’t know…”
“Oh come on, Janice! You know you want me. You know I’m irresistible.”
Now I was speechless.
“You've already turned me down once,” he pressed on. “Don’t do it again! Come on. Let me pick you up in thirty degrees. I want to take you to the coolest party you’ve ever experienced. Dress sexy and hot. Wear tight clothes. Show off your gifts.”
I gave in to his fantasy. I had to. He was taking me to a TriFang party. I was going right into the bull’s eye.
Remembering to protect myself, I put on the belt of stakes and concealed them well under my jeans. Each stake however, dug uncomfortably against my skin.
I put on my tight crimson shirt that showed off my figure to its best advantage. Hopefully this would help to entice Rob into giving me the information I needed about the special blood they drank. Of course, there was a risk that it could also draw him to me in a very dangerous way. That’s why I had the stakes. I wouldn’t hesitate to stab several in his heart if he dared to mess with me again.
I glanced in the mirror while combing my hair of tubes. Seeing my reflection brought to mind how I'd not been able to see myself in the small mirror my stranger had given to me. But there was no time to worry about that now. I snuck quietly outside, careful not to wake a snoozing Mr. FreeCut. Rob’s hot sports car with flames bleeding over the glossy paint was parked in front of the house.
“Get in,” he said, not bothering to step out of the car. For a second I considered calling things off and running back into the house. But it was too late. I got in and the automatic door shut.
“Good to see you, baby,” he said.
His fiery red hair and TriFang tattoo on his forehead caught my eye. So too did his demonic leather jacket carrying disturbing designs of rotting vampire heads. I tried to hide the fact that I was freaked.
“What’s the matter?” he asked. “You should be glad to see me.”
“I am,” I said, lying through my fangs.
“I’m glad to see you as well,” he said. “And I’m really happy you finally got enough sense to leave your bloody hobo lover behind.”
I knew he liked me. At least sexually. And that was what scared me.
He sped his car through the downtown streets, driving with one hand and caring little for the safety of other drivers.
“So where are you taking me?” I asked.
“A really great party. It’s a secret one that only I can get you into.” He sniggered. “I bet your ex took you to the lamest fucking parties ever.”
“A secret?” I said, ignoring his diss on Brett. “Really? Tell me about it.”
“I can’t right now. But don’t worry. Just keep your pretty little mouth zipped for a while and you'll be surprised.”
I puckered my lips and put my hand next to his free one, deliberately trying to arouse him.
I was doing something very, very dangerous.
“What would you do for me if I told you some secrets?” he asked.
I giggled. “Anything you want.”
He continued to speed like a maniac past downtown buildings, while intermittently staring at my boobs.
“That shirt looks hot on you,” he said. “But you know, you could do better. Remember how I said I wanted to take you shopping? Well, you really need somebody like me to show you the ropes. I could pick out clothes that will take you from hot to bloody steamy.”
This outraged me. And it only got worse.
“And you work at the Vampire Supermarket?” he added. “God, you must be blind. Or maybe a little slow. I don’t know which.”
I wanted to pop him in the face, but held myself in check. Retaining my composure was the key to winning this game.
He drove into what looked like a large shed that was almost pitch black inside. I was actually a little scared that he might try to touch me, so I gripped one of the stakes. But instead, he pressed a lever attached to a wall.
With a faint humming sound, the ground we were parked on moved and the car began a slow descent into full darkness. I asked Rob where this was taking us.
“The organization that just inducted me has many secret places I’m allowed to visit,” he told me. “Just you wait. You’ll be impressed.”
After descending for what felt like a long time, we hit the bottom and found ourselves in a large parking lot full of flashy cars.
Rob's voice took on a serious note. “This is very important, Janice. Anything you see down here, stays down here. If you tell anyone on the surface about the organization, you will be killed. So don’t be dumb, like sometimes you are.”
After getting out of the car, he grabbed my hand. His touch revolted me, but somehow I managed to hide the way I felt.
We walked a bit and came to a door where a collection of good looking vampires were lined up ready to get in. Some were in flamboyant attire, while others were dressed more casually like Rob and me. Even so, with the amount of tattoos, piercings and clothing special effects on display, I felt almost naked.
We moved on into a large dining room with Gothic pillars and a freaky chandelier hanging from the high ceiling that gave everything a ruddy glow. A number of long tables were crowded with vampire couples gawking in almost hypnotized fashion at the maroon goblets sitting in front of them. It was like they were addicted to whatever was inside and were desperate to start drinking it. They seemed to care about nothing else – not even each other. Some couples were actually caressing their goblets rather than their partner. Sickening.
I wished I was with Brett, who would have been able to protect me in this petrifying dungeon. I didn’t know how far below the ground I was, but I guessed it was a pretty damn long way. I wanted to get out of here as fast as I could.
The emblem of TriFang was everywhere. On the tables - the pillars - the walls - and of course, on each member’s forehead.
He couldn’t stop staring at me as we sat down. “I bet your ex couldn’t afford to bring you to a place like this,” he snickered.
My anger with Rob built, but he said no more. Very soon he was like almost everyone else there, concerned only with the goblet sitting in front of him.
A voice spoke from above. “TriFang members, thank you for attending this most extravagant social event. You may now grab your individual goblets and drank the special blood of true vampires. Since non-member guests are present, rules and regulations apply to them. Anyone caught breaking these rules will face the penalty of torture and death. Now, members, take your goblets and feast on the finest blood in the universe.”
Yes, the blood…I needed to find out information about the blood…
With a big display of confidence, I reached for the nearest goblet. Rob grabbed my hand and yanked it back. “Didn’t you hear what he just said? You’re not a member, so you can’t drink 'our' blood. Anyhow, that’s my goblet.”
He took a large gulp from it before adding: “I’ll go get you some animal blood instead.”
Here was my chance. I didn’t hesitate. “So why is your blood different? I thought all blood was the same.”
He smirked. “Um…I can’t talk about that. Are you trying to get me killed or something? God you’re good-looking, but damn…you’re missing something up there…”
He moved off to get me my drink.
By now, the drinking frenzy was in full swing. Many vampires screamed with joy as they gulped down the curious blood. Others glowed. Some laughed insanely loudly, making it clear that this different kind of blood, whatever the hell it was, had very special qualities. I knew all vampires liked blood, but as I checked out the blissful, dazed expressions on the drinkers' faces, it was like they'd been drugged.
Rob came back, also looking stoned. “So good…” he murmured, handing me a small paper cup. “Here you go. Enjoy some non-member blood.”
He smiled and took deep breaths while guzzling more of his own blood. Bizarrely, he looked different now, actually appearing younger. His skin glowed brightly as he laughed. But that couldn’t be. My eyes must be playing tricks on me.
Slowly but surely I devised a plan. I was going to get a taste of his blood before I left this place. That was, if I ever made it out alive.
A short while later we were sitting on a silky, blood-red couch in a relatively quiet and dark corner of the room with our arms around each other. As before, I couldn’t stand his touch, or his dirty smell. I tried to imagine it was Brett in my arms, but that didn’t work.
“You know, you really have beautiful eyes,” I lied, drawing closer to him.
He grinned. “Well, I know I’m quite a catch. I could get any vampire in here if I wanted to.”
“But you want me,” I said.
He ignored my remark at first and continued to drink from his goblet, breathing hard with each sip. Now I knew he loved his blood more than me. But that was okay because I didn’t care a thing about him.
“I think you’re hot,” he said, licking the dripping blood from his lips. “Why else would I want to be with you?”
“Look, I promise to give you a night of pleasure, baby,” I said. “But please, I just want one sip of your blood. Just one. Please.”
He gazed hard at me. “I swear, if you tell anybody…I’ll rip your pretty little head clean off.”
“I promise. I swear not to tell anyone.”
“Okay,” he said. “But you gotta kiss me first.”
I did it. Even though I felt sick, somehow I was able to blot out my revulsion sufficiently to actually kiss him. It was horrible as our tongues locked and intertwined. It was like kissing a snake - a snake from hell.
“Wow!” he said, coming over all starry-eyed. “You kiss good.”
“Well, I think you’re amazing,” I responded, heaping on the praise.
He lapped it up. “Yea, I am,” he laughed.
I could have wrung his neck as he stared at me like I was some kind of animal. Give me the damn goblet, I wanted to shout. Give me the bleepin' goblet!
Finally, he handed it over. “Only take a small swig,” he told me. “And I mean small….unless you want to get your face knocked in.”
Cautiously, I took a tiny sip.
It was astonishing! Within seconds I felt incredible, almost like I could fly, swim and run a thousand miles all at the same time and not know how I did it. Everything had a magical feel about it as I tried to stand up, but the cruel hands of the devil I was trying to falsely woo pulled me back down.
“Don’t cause a scene, stupid!” I heard him say. The room was spinning and I was in a land of fairies and heroes of my dreams. I even liked Rob now, and for a brief moment I actually wanted to kiss him again.
Fortunately, because I'd only taken a very small sip, the drug-induced feeling left me before that happened. Very soon, I hated Rob again. Which was good.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone.” he said. “See how dumb you look, trippin' on your first taste of human blood.”
“Human blood?” I asked. “Is that where it comes from?”
His face clouded over. “Damn, I
wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Oh well, too late now…”
“What is a human?” I demanded.
“I don’t know. I only just joined the organization, so I don’t know much. God, you better really rock my world tonight….”
“I promise,” I said, touching his pale cheek.
“Anyway, it comes from humans, whatever they are, and that’s why it tastes so good. It’s so much better than the vampire and animal blood that everyone else drinks to live. And the good thing is, only TriFang have access to a supply of human blood, so only their members get to drink it.”
“How do they get access to it?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
I could see from his expression that he was now becoming frustrated, and maybe even suspicious. But that was okay. I'd found out all I needed to know, at least for the time being. Now I had to get the hell out of here…alive.
“Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” I asked.
Sitting high on his feeble throne, he sipped his blessed blood and released a drunken burp. “Go all the way to the left wall and take a right.”
I moved quickly. Halfway across the room I glanced back and saw with a sense of relief that he was not following me. The moment I stepped inside the bathroom, the orb my secret guide had given to me began vibrating.
I pulled it from my pocket and placed it to my ear.
ESCAPE
My guide's voice sounded clearly.
“Janice, if you have learned all you need to know, you need to escape right away. Carefully sneak out of the main room and make your way back toward the parking lot. When you reach the final row of cars you’ll come to a locked door. Type in the combination 56928753 and get inside. Then listen to the orb for more instructions. I’ll be tracking your every move. Good luck!”
For a split degree I peered into the foggy mirror and looked at my cool tubes of hair. Then I took a deep breath and prepared to make my getaway.
Once back in the dining room, I stealthily made my way over to the exit, crawling behind couches and even under tables filled with goblets of the freak blood. All the time I was fearful that Rob would discover what I was doing and suddenly yank me by the neck. Thankfully, he now appeared too drunk on human blood.
Vampire World Page 17