The Blood The Bonds

by Christopher Buecheler

  “You can’t have love without need. You can have need without love. This is going nowhere, Darren. You’re done.” Two glanced down at Tori, who was looking up at her in anticipation. Tori could feel the tension growing. Two held out a hand, hidden from Darren’s view behind the desk, telling Tori to wait.

  “Suppose I said I don’t want to leave?” Darren would have seemed calm to a normal person. To Two he was a bundle of nervous tics. Tiny involuntary muscle movements around his eyes, in the muscles of his right arm.

  “I’d tell you that you don’t have much choice.”

  “Baby, I have all the choice in the world.” Darren snarled and made his move, bringing his arm up, pointing the gun at Two. As he began his move, Two closed her hand into a fist. Tori leapt into motion.

  Darren was quick, but Tori was supernatural, a creature beyond the bounds of human limitation. If the vampire girl had moved fast before, she was lightning now, covering the distance between her and Darren so quickly that her passage made an audible rushing noise. The gun was knocked away, Tori’s teeth found his throat, her head made a ripping, rending motion, and Two’s former pimp ended his life with a gurgle that was supposed to be a scream.

  * * *

  “I thought you said you didn’t do this often.” Sam was standing at the doorway to the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, staring at the slumped form that had once been Darren. Two was pulling it toward the closet, where she had already deposited the corpse of the girl in the bed. Two glanced over at Sam, shrugged. She finished her task, closed the closet doors, walked over to the desk, and lit a cigarette. The first drag made her cough. Made her head spin. The second went down more smoothly.

  “And I thought you didn’t want any of those.” Sam said.

  “If I can’t have anything to love, I’ll take something to need.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind. Here, Darren brought us some clothes.”

  “Okay. Two?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What now?”

  “Let me think about that. You don’t owe me anything, Sam. There’s money in the safe. Take it and run. Or stick around. I’d be happy to have someone to talk to, at least for tonight. I have to wait here for a while.”

  “I’ll stay. Go take a shower. Am I safe with... her?” Tori was again curled up at the base of the desk, seeming to doze.

  Two nodded, got up, and headed for the bathroom.

  The shower was heaven. Good, hot water and lots of it. After two days on the road, and skipping a shower at the motel, she‘d felt terrible. Being clean helped. Being rid of Darren helped more. She didn’t regret it, not at all. One oppressor down. The other was not yet something she wished to dwell on.

  Two showered, dried off, brushed her hair back into a ponytail and tied it wet. The girl in the mirror looked pale and tired, but more alive than the heroin addict who had stared back at her not two months ago. Theroen had done that for her. Now he was dead.

  She put it out of her mind, and left the girl in the mirror behind.

  “You going to try to get her in there?” Sam indicated toward Tori, who was now sprawled out on the bed, snoring in a way most unladylike, oblivious to the blood on the covers.

  “Going to try. She stinks.”

  Sam nodded again. She was counting money, pulled from the safe and spread across the desk. Two pulled off her towel. Sam held up a hand and looked away. “Whoah, hey, let’s keep the full frontal nudity to a minimum. Tori’s enough.”

  Two laughed. “Sorry. I used to shower with other girls in this building all the time. You stop thinking about it.” She put on some clothes. Darren had managed a good guess at both her size, and Sam’s. Two had never been a heavy girl to begin with, but now vampirism had shaped her form to its absolute peak. Clothes that would have fit the Two that Darren had known were now a little loose.

  “Tori. Hey, Tori. Wake up, lazy. You want to take a bath? Or a shower?”

  Tori rubbed sleep out of her eyes and looked up at Two, puzzled. Two indicated toward the bathroom with her hand, and Tori glanced toward it, not comprehending.

  “Ah, fuck, you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. This should be interesting. Come over here, Tori.”

  Tori followed Two into the bathroom. After a moment, Samantha entered as well. “Gotta see you try this.”

  Two grinned. She turned on the water and motioned toward the bathtub. Tori looked nervous.

  “Look, silly, it’s like rain except it’s warm, and there’s no mud. You’ll be fine.”

  Tori was alternating between looking at the shower, and looking at Two. Her expression was skeptical. Two laughed.

  “You’ll be fine Tori. Look, Samantha and I both took showers, and we’re exactly the same.”

  “Well, technically our hair is now ‘full of body and life,’ I think. According to the shampoo bottle, anyway.”

  Two rolled her eyes. She moved toward the shower, ducked her head under the water for a moment, then returned to where Tori sat. “See? It’s fine, Tori.”

  “Bathroom’s getting soaked, Two.” Samantha tossed a towel on the ground.

  “The superintendent’s dead. I don’t think he’s going to bill us. Come on, Tori. We haven’t got all night.”

  Tori’s expression was uncertain, but she allowed herself to be lead toward the shower. After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped in and, feeling the warm water, gave them a brilliant smile. Two laughed.

  Samantha held up her hands. “Okay, I’m out of here. As much as Darren might’ve appreciated it, I’m not into watching you teach Tori the miracle of soap. I’ll be waiting.” She departed, returning to her counting. Two turned back to Tori and began attempting to instruct her.

  * * *

  Two left the bathroom laughing. Tori trailed behind her, appearing bewildered by the towel wrapped around her upper torso. Her hair was dry and brushed, and she looked like a completely different person.

  “Wow, holy shit... she’s gorgeous with all of that dirt off,” was Sam’s appraisal.

  “Yeah. You should’ve seen her preening with her hair in the mirror. You’d think she was getting ready for a date.”

  “Well, good to get in the habit. I don’t think running around dirty and naked is going to work for very long in the city.”

  “No, probably not. That reminds me... time for Tori to learn about clothing, I think.”

  “Don’t you suppose they tried that already?” Sam asked.

  Two pondered this, then shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not sure they ever gave her a fair chance. I think they saw her regress, or change, or whatever, into an animal... and they just let it happen. I think there’s more human left than they imagined. Or maybe she’s starting to change back. I have no real idea how this shit works.”

  “I’d comment that we’re all human and I still think you’re crazy, but it gets harder to keep that up every time I think about the last twenty-four hours.”

  Two nodded. “I think any ‘there’s no such thing as vampires’ argument sort of goes out the window after you meet Abraham. Hey, Tori, you want to put on some clothes?”

  Tori looked at her, not understanding. She tugged at the towel, and it fell away. Tori reared back on her haunches and stretched, showing off well more than was proper.

  “I could’ve done without that,” Sam commented.

  “She doesn’t know any better. Come here, Tori. This is a shirt. See? Like the one I’m wearing. Put it on. No... no, the other way sweetheart. That’s backwards. That’s... Tori, here, let me help.”

  Samantha laughed. Two glanced sideways at her, questioning.

  “You sound like my sister. She’s got two kids. Also, you’re never going to get her to understand the concept of a bra.”

  Two smiled and rolled her eyes. “No, I didn’t even bother.”

  * * *

  “It’s been over an hour since all that shooting, Two, and no one’s even bothered to investigate?” Samantha had finished counting
the money, and was reclining in Darren’s chair, feet on the desk, smoking another cigarette. Two was sitting on a maroon couch across the room, also smoking, taking a break from teaching Tori how to walk on two feet. The room was near-dark, illuminated only by the diffuse glow creeping in from the city outside.

  “Most of the girls are out right now. The rest are probably hoping he’s dead.”

  “Nice guy, huh?”

  “Oh, yes. A warm and friendly person. Darren was loved by all.” Two’s voice was dry.

  Sam laughed. “Right. Okay, so... what’s next? There’s four grand and two bags of what I assume is either heroin or coke in the safe. I don’t know anything about that shit and don’t even want to touch it. Do I get a share of the money?”

  “Yeah. Take half. I’d give you all of it, but I need some immediate funds.”

  “Whatever. Two thousand bucks will make up for one lousy night. That’s not enough for you to flee to Mexico with, though. Are you staying here? I think New York might be hazardous to your health, Two.”

  There was a thud. Tori had been attempting to cross the room on only her feet, and had lost her balance. She made a sound of frustration. Two smiled at her, said something encouraging, and turned back to Samantha.

  “New York is dangerous to everyone’s health. I don’t give a shit. And I don’t really know what’s next yet, Sam. Sorry. Right now I’m waiting for Molly to come in. I need to see her. If she’s still alive.”

  “Molly?”

  “She’s a friend. One of the few I have. After I talk with her, Christ... I should run. You should go home, and I should run. I should take off and go to California. Or Europe. Or fucking Japan. Anywhere where Abraham’s not, but...”

  Sam arched an eyebrow, spread her hands, waiting for Two to elaborate.

  “But I don’t want to do any of that.” Two sighed, ran a hand through her hair, shook her head. Her jaw clenched. “I’m so fucking tired of living my life afraid, Sam. He took everything I had. When Theroen... when it happened, when I felt him go, I almost gave up right there. How am I going to survive? How do I live knowing that Abraham’s out there somewhere? That he might show up any time? That the horrible, twisted, evil thing that murdered Theroen is still wandering free?”

  “I don’t know, Two.”

  “Me neither. And that’s not all. What have I got left here? I have no job. I have three friends, one of whom also now has no job and is still hooked on smack. The other two don’t really understand me and don’t know how to help me. In another week or two, tops, I’m not even going to be a vampire anymore.”

  Two rolled her eyes and bit her lower lip, fighting back tears. Sam seemed to be trying to find the right words, but coming up empty. Two waved her hand, dismissive. “Don’t worry about it, Sam. I’ll be okay.”

  “Look, Two, I’m just a poor Dominican girl from the Bronx, so maybe it’s not my place to say, but maybe you need to look on the bright side? You’re not on heroin. You’ve got friends. This might be a chance to start a new life.

  Two said nothing, just stared, sullen, at the floor.

  Sam toyed with another cigarette for a moment, then lit it. She looked concerned.

  “What, Sam?”

  “You want me to be honest?”

  “Yes. I can handle that.”

  Sam shrugged, trying for nonchalance. “I don’t know you very well, Two. We only met a day ago. But I like you, and I’m worried that you’re going to go and do something stupid, like kill yourself or something. That’s why I’ve been sticking around. I’m afraid to leave you alone.”

  Two shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. At least, it hadn’t occurred to me yet. Not since right after Theroen died anyway. I wouldn’t do that to you or Tori.”

  “Good. She needs you to take care of her. And I think you can count her as another friend, and me, so now you’re up to five. You could maybe forget Abraham, if you tried, and go back to a normal life. Would that be so bad?”

  Two pondered this, trying to put her feelings into words. “No,” she said after some time. “No, it wouldn’t be so bad. Being human is a wonderful thing, in a lot of ways, and I guess I could probably get used to it again. It’s being without him that I can’t get used to. I’ll never forget, Sam. I... there was love, a lot of it, even though we didn’t know each other for that long. But that’s not all of it. When Theroen turned me into a vampire, it connected us in a way that human beings just can’t understand.

  “The way his mind worked, it was always there. I didn’t even really notice it, not until he was gone. I feel empty, Sam. Like a part of me died with him. That feeling’s not going to go away. I can tell you that right now. At best, it’s just going to fade a little.”

  “So what are your options then, Two? Find another vampire? Make the change again? Maybe you could get Tori to do it.”

  “Tori’s not strong enough. I’ve been thinking about it since we left the mansion, Sam. I’ve been trying not to, but I can’t help it, and I guess really I know what the next move is. That’s why I told you that you could go. You don’t need to be a part of this. I don’t want you to.”

  Samantha closed her eyes, rested her forehead in her palm, and sighed. When she spoke, she did not look at Two. “You’re going back, aren’t you?”

  Two nodded, looking out the window. Across the street was red neon, the rain on the window pane smearing it, making it look like blood. After a moment, she answered Sam’s question.

  “Yes. I’m going back. I’m going to kill that fucker.”

  Sam was quiet a moment, smoking her cigarette and staring up at the ceiling. The ghosts of car headlights from the street below made the room pulse as if breathing.

  Finally, Sam spoke. “That’s crazy, Two. You said so yourself. You said he was a god.”

  “The Romans killed God two thousand years ago. Or his son, anyway. Maybe I can do the same.”

  Samantha blew air through her pursed lips, unimpressed with this line of reasoning. “What are you going to do, Two? Shoot him?”

  “No. Yes. I don’t know. I’ll bring a gun. And a knife. A big one.”

  “Oh, good. A big knife.” Sam rolled her eyes. “What about garlic? A wooden stake? Maybe some holy water or a cross?”

  “That’s all bullshit. Abraham’s just like anything else... if you destroy his brain, or his heart, it’ll kill him. The problem is that you need something like a nuclear bomb to do it.”

  “Or a big knife.” The sarcasm in Sam’s voice was caustic.

  “What do you want from me, Sam? I have to try. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t try.”

  “Theroen would never forgive you for going back,” Sam said. Two drew in a shocked breath, and Sam looked up at her, saw the expression on Two’s face, and immediately put her hand to her forehead in regret. “I’m sorry, Two. Really. That was unfair.”

  After a moment, Two shook her head. “No. It would only be unfair if it wasn’t true. But I have to, Sam. I have to. Go home. Get away from this. Forget you ever met me, or Abraham, or any of us, and go back to your life.”

  Sam considered this, and nodded. “Okay, Two. I’m sorry you have to do this, but I know damn well I can’t stop you, and I don’t know enough about this to try and talk you out of it. I’ll stop making you feel bad about it.”

  “Are you leaving?”

  “I have nowhere to be... might as well hang here. I’ll leave when you do. Or when we run out of cigarettes. Whichever comes first.”

  Two nodded, and lit another.

  * * *

  Time passed, and girls began to show up. Two greeted each with a sardonic grin. They knew her. Darren’s top girls had been known by all, and Two was one of them. They asked where he was.

  Darren was out, she told them. Would he be back soon? No... no, she didn’t think so. One by one, each girl got the point. Most left smiling. None had called the cops. Two might not have brought salvation -- many girls would simply move on to new pimps and pushers -- but at l
east she had brought them temporary freedom.

  Molly was one of the last, and she came in bruised and bleeding, black eyes like raccoon markings, rail thin. The heroin was finally getting the better of her. Two could see it in her posture, in her eyes, and in the way it had eaten away at her body. Molly took one look at Two, and her shoulders slumped. She looked down at the ground and began to weep.