by H. T. Night
“Can I put the bag in your closet?”
“Sure,” Donna said. “You don’t have to tell me what is in your bag. Just let me know if I’m dealing with something that’s dead.”
“Not dead,” I said.
“Okay.” Donna opened up her front closet and I placed my bag of blood in there. I couldn’t stop Donna from peeking in my bag. I just didn’t want to talk about its contents at the very moment. “Is that it?” Donna asked.
I looked at Donna and I couldn’t remember the last time I was this attracted to another person. I had a lot of reasons for my heart to feel heavy. But what she was sensing was my affection. I was scared to let her know. “This might sound crazy,” I said.
“Try me,” Donna said. “I’m all about crazy these days.”
I grinned. I was sitting to Donna’s left on her couch. I scooted closer to her and lowered my voice. And I said very slow and very precisely so she heard each word individually. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Donna paused, and I could see a number of emotions on her face. Then she smiled at me, and it was beautiful. “I’m okay with that,” she said.
“You are?”
“I’m perfectly fine with it.”
“My feelings have crossed the line, and it would be unprofessional for me to be your only source for help with your addiction. I will recommend you a woman I know. She’s real good.”
“A woman?”
“Why not a woman?” I asked.
“Sometimes two women can be catty.”
“And also two women can have one of those epic friendships like you see on the movies Beaches and Fried Green Tomatoes.”
“Have you seen both those movies?” Donna laughed.
“Hey, I like a well-made movie. Coal Miner’s Daughter is another one of my favorites,” I said, laughing.
“You’re changing the subject,” Donna said.
“Am I?” I said.
“Yes, you are.”
“Why would I do that?” I asked.
“Because you’re scared.”
“I’m scared? I don’t get scared,” I said, lying through my teeth.
“Yes, you do. You forget who you’re talking to. Your tough guy, James Dean phrases aren’t going to work on me, my sweetness.”
Before I knew what was happening, Donna had scooted over and her lips were on mine. Her lips tasted surprisingly like strawberries. As we kissed very passionately, it felt right. It felt like I had finally come home with a woman. My hands cupped her beautiful face.
She began undoing my pants and I felt my erection grow and throb. I needed to be with her. I loved her. I hadn’t been aware that my body could feel this satisfied. I felt more alive than I ever had. It was like all my senses had been heightened to the point where sex could be godlike. Our kisses grew more passionate as I wriggled out of my pants and I started unbuttoning her shirt. She pulled me along into her bedroom and laid herself on the bed. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. And that was before she took her clothes off.
I finished undressing and moved on top of her, finding her lips again. She moaned beneath me when I entered her, and I moved with a stamina I had never felt before. I knew I needed to be careful, as I felt far more powerful doing this act than I ever had before. She cried out beneath me as she had a fierce orgasm and I thought I had never heard a more exciting sound, and then it was my turn.
We laid together in exhaustion and I had a hunger for human blood like no other. I didn’t want to ask Donna for another vein just yet. Hell, that was why I had the bag of blood in the front closet. It was getting warm, and I figured screw it, and I was going to put it in the freezer. But while I’m up, why not indulge? I drank my blood and I finished another bag. I was going through the blood bags too fast.
I stayed late and grabbed another cab home. I had put the bag in Donna’s closet and she never asked about it. I wondered if blood went bad the way food did. Why else do they refrigerate it? Certainly, it wasn’t for vampires. They refrigerate the blood because something happens to it when it is left out warm. I just knew I needed to get the bag back to my house and put it inside my refrigerator. So once Donna fell asleep, I left by cab. When I got home, it was still dark. I put the bags of blood in my freezer, and when I would be ready to drink the bag I would move it over to the regular refrigerator area.
Chapter Twenty-five
6:00 p.m. Tuesday Evening
I went to sleep and slept all during the day. That was my life now. All I needed was a coffin to sleep in and I was everything I would imagine a vampire to be.
I decided to hit up the pizza parlor again once the sun went down. Felix was working and I wanted to do a little more hanging out. I ordered a beer and some cheesy bread. I didn’t see the cheesy bread being eaten, but it felt like the right thing to order.
Felix came by my table and let me know that he just planned on chilling at his place for the night, throwing back some beers and getting caught up on his DVR. He invited me to join him, and I thought this would be the best way to truly get to know the guy. Or maybe he was the psychopathic killer he was portrayed as in my dreams, and he was taking a more Jeffrey Dahmer approach and was planning on killing and eating me.
Either way, I was fascinated, and I looked at Felix. I could take him easily. I watched Felix work and wondered what went on in a serial killer’s head while he worked his daily job. Finally, Felix’s shift was over.
Felix grabbed a whole pizza and we hit the road. I drank blood tonight, so that I would have no hunger issues while in his presence. I wasn’t looking forward to having to choke more pizza down, but the idea of beers definitely sounded good.
We went into his apartment. I was taken aback, and everything seemed all too familiar. His apartment was exactly the way I saw it in my dreams.
In my dreams, he had killed a man where I was presently standing. I had to keep my cool and make sure I didn’t hint that I knew more than I did. What did I really know? I mean, I got the name right, landmarks right, and now his apartment was exactly the way it looked in my dreams. What the hell was I supposed to think? Was Felix a killer?
When we got inside, I sat on his recliner. It had the best overall view of the room, and I needed to make sure I wasn’t going to be this guy’s next victim if my nightmares were true.
Felix cracked a couple of beers and handed me one. Considering who he was, he had a pretty nice setup. I had expected a slumlord house, but his apartment was simple, clean, and cool. But it was the apartment in my dreams. That sent a chill down my back.
We sat on his couch, and Felix flicked on the TV and put on ESPN. I couldn’t have been more shocked that this string bean with greasy hair was into sports. But here he was, putting on football and checking the score. It made me think of Steve and I wondered if he was at the bar, watching the game. He would be pretty pissed if he knew that I was hanging out with Felix again. I couldn’t help it, though. I needed to get close to Felix so I could end my nightmares about the guy. I needed to know exactly what he was about in my non-dream world. Because in my dream world, he was Charles Manson.
Knowing what I had seen, I felt an obligation to put a stop to Felix’s killing, if that was indeed what he was doing. How I was going to do that was an entirely different matter.
“So, man, you do any shit?” Felix asked me.
“You mean drugs?” I asked.
Felix laughed to himself and said, “It’s cool if you don’t.”
“Whiskey is my drug.” I tried sounding hardcore in the hopes that I wouldn’t be pressured into doing drugs. Wouldn’t that be something, a drug counselor doing drugs? After losing my parents, there was no way in hell I was doing drugs for anything.
“You don’t like to get high?” Felix was looking at me with a piercing gaze.
“I have nothing against getting high. I’ve just always been a booze man. I guess you’re big into them,” I said to Felix, “since you’re asking.”
“J
ust thought you might want to try some good shit.”
I laughed. “No man, not my thing. Sorry, but by all means, go ahead.”
Felix was watching me carefully and I wondered if I was being tested, or if he was just suspicious of pulling out God knows what in front of a stranger.
Felix got up and went into another room. I hoped he wasn’t going for any kind of weapon. Though I felt I might be able to take him easily, being a vampire and all, I didn’t want to push my luck, however, as I hadn’t quite determined if I had any weaknesses. Could I be killed?
Felix came back into the room with blue pills in his hands.
“You sure you don’t want to try one?”
“Just the beer for me, buddy, thanks. Maybe I’ll branch out another night.”
Felix popped the pills and downed half his beer. A great idea occurred to me: maybe I could get some information out of Felix once he got a little high.
It didn’t take long before Felix started laughing at the football game during times that weren’t really funny.
“So where do you get your shit from? A local guy?”
Felix turned to look at me, not in the piercing way he was before, but with a certain glint in his eyes. “I’m the local guy. I’m the guy.”
I laughed nervously, “Oh really? You’re a real, uh..?”
“As real as it fucking gets.”
I was shocked, and wondered if he was about to reveal something profound to me. I downed my beer, scared to death of what could happen if he did tell me he’d killed someone.
I decided to leave it at that.
“So, what do you do for work?” Felix said. “You need a job? I could get you one at the pizza place. I think they’re hiring these days. Or maybe you could be a runner for me.”
Yeah, the idea of heading out in the sunlight to work at a pizza parlor thrilled me. You know what thrilled me more? The idea of being a drug runner for this punk. “No man, I’m good. I don’t need money, and I just work nights anyways.”
“That’s weird.”
“What can I say? I like sleeping in.” I smiled at Felix.
“It’s cool to hang out, man. I never have people over here.”
“You never hang out?” I asked
Felix stared at me again, and his eyes were a little disconcerting.
“No. No one ever gets close to me.” Felix got introspective and said, “Too risky.”
I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “But you’re cool, man. Right. You don’t have, like, hits out on you?”
Felix looked at me and said, “What guy in my shoes doesn’t? It’s all a matter of who has the balls to come up on you. Maybe that’s why there is a big turnover rate for this area for my runners.”
I’d never had this casual of a conversation with a professed drug dealer. I mean, that was what he was. I should be looking at this guy as the enemy in more ways than one. But I didn’t. He had a dominant but kind nature. I felt like I had seen a glimpse into Felix’s life, and he seemed to be beginning to trust me. This might be the beginning of my way in.
Felix didn’t feel the need to do any of his more serious drugs, and he just smoked some pot and drank beers with me. Pot was legal here in California. I would imagine a guy like Felix has a nice doctor’s note for back problems or whatever he said to the guy to get his prescription.
I was really digging Felix’s eclectic music taste. He kept playing music that was on his iPod over his stereo and it was some cool stuff, lots of original jams.
Felix offered me pot about fifty times before that night’s end, and I said ‘no’ each and every time. But I drank a dozen beers, easy. I was sloshed. I crashed on Felix’s couch. Felix went to his room.
He was a good enough guy not to bring it around me once he knew I wasn’t at all into the drug scene.
Chapter Twenty-six
5:30 a.m. Wednesday Morning
I slept off my buzz, got up before the sun came up, and took off to my condo. I normally wouldn’t need to do that at someone else’s pad, but I’d had quite a few beers last night and I had been taking far too many cabs lately for a guy burning through his trust fund because he couldn’t work normal hours.
I felt bad that I was letting a lot of people down by not being there for them during the day. However, I needed to do what I needed to do. I was dying for a bag of blood. Yes, I was drinking by the bag. I drank it fast and thoroughly. It was fucking delicious.
I checked my phone and noticed that I had a few messages from Donna as well as Steve.
I sent Donna some sexy messages in the hopes that it would put her in the mood for a visit tonight. Then I messaged Steve to ask what the hell he wanted so early in the morning. It didn’t matter that it was the afternoon; it still felt like morning to me.
Steve called me right back, avoiding sending another message. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all morning.”
“Yeah, I was out all night drinking.”
“Who were you out drinking with? You’re an old man. Apparently, I am not your only friend. You better not tell me you were out with the killer in your nightmares?”
“Yes, Dad, actually I was. So what?”
“Are you crazy? You’re getting way too close to this guy. The next thing you know, you’re going to start sympathizing with him.”
“No shot of that,” I said. “I’ve seen what he’s capable of.”
“Just stop, Hunter, seriously. You have no idea what you’re messing with.”
“Was there a reason you called, Steve? Because I’m trying to enjoy my morning cup of blood.”
There was an awkward pause as Steve considered this.
“Munson wants to meet up with you and talk. I told him about your dreams, and he has heard of something like that before. He wants to discuss what’s been going on. He has some helpful hints for your new...lifestyle, too.”
“Oh, goodie. So what time are we meeting?” I said, mocking Steve.
“Just come to the station when you can. I will meet you there. Call me when you go.”
“Okay, see you then.”
I clicked off the phone.
Chapter Twenty-seven
11:00 p.m. Wednesday Night
I walked into the station, headed to an interrogation room, and made sure there was no one around to hear them.
Munson looked at me from across the table in an interesting way. “Glad to hear you’re robbing the blood bank instead of feeding off of residents.”
I looked at Steve and said, “What the fuck? Do you tell this guy everything I tell you?”
“Munson is a good dude. Hear him out,” Steve said sharply back at me.
“Look, Hunter,” Munson said. “Steve is worried about you, and I live by a different set of rules when it’s vampire related. No one is busting you for stealing some blood bags. Just continue to be discreet and stay off the radar, and you should be fine.”
I laughed, feeling pretty weird about the conversation.
“How’s your physical strength?” Munson asked me.
“I haven’t noticed anything new.”
“You will. It comes later, for some reason.”
I certainly liked the sound of that. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to worry about Felix killing me in my sleep.
“So, Steve tells me you’ve been having weird dreams.”
“They aren’t dreams.”
“What are they?” Munson asked.
“I have epileptic seizures in my sleep, and somehow these visions are only coming to me when I’m having a sleep paralysis seizure.”
“I’m not going to even to pretend to understand what is happening when you’re having a seizure, but I can speak to you about visions, and vision come to some vampires a lot more than others. What do you see in these visions, Hunter?”
“I can see this guy killing people.”
“I looked up this fella, Felix,” Munson said. “He does have a record for dealing, but nothing recent. We don’t have anything we could
pull him in for. We would have to catch him doing something new. Unfortunately, the dreams you’re having aren’t current.”
“What do you know about my dreams?” I asked Munson.
“I know some vampire have prophetic visions and they come in all shapes and sizes. You’re an epileptic, so it comes to you when you’re having a seizure.”
“Prophetic?” I asked. “You mean my visions will happen in the future?”
“That’s my experience with these paranormal dreams. We believe that your seizures are visions of things to come. They aren’t live visions. You’re seeing what is going to happen. That’s why we haven’t found any bodies. It’s because the others haven’t died yet. Look, this talent you have has been documented with another guy in New York. He has the same ability.”
“Is he epileptic?” I asked.
“No, he has autism. He sees into the future when he dreams. He sees some awful shit. I heard he tried to help a few of them and eventually something happened to him. I’m not sure what.”
That information rocked me to the core. I see the future? They aren’t dead, which means that they could still be saved. “You’re kidding me?”
“No,” Steve said. “There is still a chance we can prevent those murders, and maybe even catch him in the act.”
“I’m a little stunned here. How do you know all this?”
“Experience,” Munson said, and Steve nodded. Munson looked at me and I knew the guy was legit. I wasn’t sure if it was my vampire sixth sense telling me so, but I felt like I could trust Munson.
I pulled out my notebook out of my backpack.
“What’s that?” Munson asked.
“It’s a vivid detail log of all three murders. They took place over four dreams.” I handed the notebook to Munson. Munson studied every word I wrote.
Munson got up and said, “Do you mind if I make a copy of these? They will be for my personal use. I will never show them to anyone.”