by Yirak, Laura
“Come this way Ro.” Alesta put out her hand and he took it.
The vampire wrapped her long skinny fingers around his and led him to the black bed. She ordered him to undress and he did. He was very muscular and she admired him there in the candle lit room. Alesta reached behind her and undid her corset; she pulled the red silk cord out and tossed it on the floor. She dropped the corset dress to the floor to reveal her soft white breasts and silk white under skirt; she undid her dark hair which then rested upon her sleek shoulders. Ro didn’t move, didn’t think.
Alesta pushed him slowly onto the bed and climbed on top of his naked, nubile body. Their lips met and they embraced in a light sensual kiss, which turned to a firmer quicker lock. Blood pumped through him; the smell of it lingered just at the surface as Alesta licked his salty neck. Alesta extended her sharp white fangs as she caressed his firm abdomen. She pierced his neck and he clenched his hands as she drank. Ro had never experienced pain as pleasure. It was intense; he felt his mind move back into a dark lull. There was nothing but her there, calling his name, echoing in his being. Everything that he had ever known and ever dreamed vanished. It no longer meant anything to him. Everything became Alesta, she was his new world.
The two lay tangled on the bed, Ro felt very weak, he gave her a dying smile. Alesta ran her hands through his soft locks of blonde hair.
“I have been waiting for you all these months. Now we join.” She whispered in his ear.
Alesta extended one finger nail to a sharp point and pierced her white wrist. She held her wrist above Ro’s cool pale lips and watched the dark red blood drip into his mouth. A few drops were all that was needed. Alesta jumped off the bed as Ro gasped with everything that he had left. His body seized and the canopied bed shook violently. Alesta watched intently as his body became calm. He lay there staring at her, at those deep blue eyes. Ro took his last mortal breath and died.
Carefully, Alesta moved Ro’s limp white body into a coffin that she had already had made for him. It was pure white; she thought it would suit him well as hers was black. She placed him into his new bed and pressed his eye lids closed and placed his arms crossed above his chest. He looked so peaceful lying there. She closed the smooth white lid above him and stepped out to the balcony once again. The wind had come to an eerie still and the moon had decided to show itself finally. The next night she would meet her new vampire. Alesta smiled to herself.
The IV pump beeped and Alesta snapped back to the present. She hung the new fluids, continued her assessment and finished up charting. The door to the room opened up and Mary stood there pen in hand, ready to write.
“Alesta, what’s the plan for the shift?” Mary asked.
Alesta turned to face her, “She’s too fragile to do much, she needs an MRI, but her ICP’s increase so quickly that she’ll probably herniate if we move her too much. Basically I’m just watching them closely. I’m also waiting on cultures to come back. The rest of her vitals are stable though.”
“Looks like you’ll be stuck in this room most of the night then,” Mary said. “I was going to have you help around the unit but I think it’s too risky. She’s full code?”
“Yes, full code.”
“Right then, I’ll send you on break now if that’s fine?” Mary stood in the doorway.
“Okay.” Alesta was surprised; Mary didn’t usually offer her a break. “I’m caught up with everything, so just keep an eye out.”
“Oh and before I forget, security is going to be around so make sure you are wearing your badge. If you’re not they will write you up.” Mary pointed.
“Sure, of course.” Alesta had forgotten to put it on. “I’ll go get it.”
Alesta went down the hall first to check on the red head. Monica sat busily typing at the computer.
“Hey!” Alesta said.
“God, I’m behind. The last nurse left a bunch of work for me to do,” Monica huffed.
“Same here,” Alesta said. “You followed a new nurse too?”
“No, an old battle axe, you know some nurses are too old for critical care, bloody hell,” Monica said.
“Yes, I know what you mean, and some are too new,” Alesta chimed in.
“Anyways, I’m on a quick break. What happened with Thomas?” Alesta couldn’t wait any longer.
“Nothing. He drove me home and dropped me off.” Monica was distracted.
“Not even a kiss good night?” Alesta asked.
“Nope. Nothing. He’s a bloody good gentleman. Just what I need!” There was a hint of sarcasm in Monica’s voice. “But we are going out again this weekend, he said he’d ring.”
“Oooo it’s a date! Do you like him?” Alesta asked trying not to sound too nosey.
“You know….. Aye. I do. I just don’t want to get my hopes up. You know….. I don’t want to get hurt.” Monica stared through the glass at her patient.
“But you haven’t had a serious relationship in a while.” Alesta pretended not to know about Patrick.
“Well…..” Monica decided not to confide. “Yes, you’re right. Anyways, I’ve got to get back in there. I’ve got so much to do.”
“Right. I’ll see you later then.”
“Aye.” Monica hurried off.
The blood bank was low in supply. There was only one bag left in the disposable area of the fridge. Alesta wasn’t sure what to do. The lab techs would notice one missing. She decided to forgo it and her stomach rumbled, mad at the decision. She wasn’t too busy; she could wait till her shift was over, she thought or she could sample Steve and Jeff, but the idea was fleeting. Alesta wound her way back up the stairs to her favorite spot on the roof. She opened the door to see a dark figure already there. It moved quickly and vanished from sight.
“Who’s there?” Alesta called.
It moved too quickly to be human. Alesta searched, but there was nothing, she even looked over the edge. Alesta was nervous now; she wanted to get back to the ward. There was something there, but what or who?
Ro had quickly escaped. What the hell was Alesta doing at a hospital? He couldn’t figure it out.
“Has she been following me?” he mumbled. “No. I’m sure I lost her that night.”
The plan had suddenly become more complicated. He sent out a text message from his phone. “Must abort.” His phone beeped back, “No. Carry out as planned.”
“Damn!” Ro’s eye’s brightened with anticipation.
The wind whipped hard and Ro almost lost his balance on the hospital window ledge. He climbed back up to the roof. Alesta was gone, but he already knew that. It had been a close one. She was too good, he thought. He opened the door to the stairwell and crept down quietly to the sixth floor. The shadows were Ro’s means. All he had to do was blend in with them.
A guard sat outside of the maternity ward. The old white haired man looked tired, but none the less had a sense of experience about him. Maybe he was a veteran, or retired police. Ro didn’t care, he just wanted through those doors. The nursery was the hardest target to hit because it was watched too well, by too many staff. His orders were simple, but hard to achieve.
A sharp knock sounded and the guard stood up looking out into the dimly lit hall. He blinked for he thought he saw a shadow move and blinked again. Nothing was there that he could see, except the glow of the green exit sign, so he sat back down again, but the noise came again and another shadow darted before him. The grey hairs raised on the guards arms. He had a bad feeling but didn’t know exactly why. He stood up quietly and pulled out the black solid baton that he had at his side, it had been useful on many occasions. As he slowly peeped around the corner, he saw that there was nothing there, but still he got the chills again. The adrenaline pumped hard through his body and he felt his old heart kick up. The silence was deafening and he wiped the sweat away from his forehead.
The last thing the guard saw was the hard and cold disinfected hospital floor and the feeling like the life was being sucked away from him, for it was.
> Ro picked up the heavy lifeless body and jumped back up through the dark hole in the ceiling from which he came. He stuffed the dead guard above and hopped back down. Ro felt completely re-energized and ready.
“There!” he said rubbing his hands together.
He pushed the door to the ward open slowly, the lights were dimmed for the sleeping mum’s to be, and there was the occasional cry coming from the mothers in labor. He followed one of the piercing cries, still hiding in shadow. He stood at the door to the room and could sense the pain, anguish, and the new life that would soon explode into the world. The female’s breathing was pursed and heavy.
The nurse’s voice carried through it, “Push! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Breath and push, one, two, three…..You are almost there, we can see the head!”
The mother cried out in pain.
Ro pushed the door open just enough to squeeze through and looked through the split in the privacy curtain. A young doctor sat at the foot of the hospital bed in bright blue sterile garbs, cap and gloves. The nurse held up one of the young girl’s skinny legs and the girl’s face was pink and shiny with sweat. There was an older blonde woman grasping her hand and wincing as the girl squeezed it.
“There, there dear, you’re almost done, you’re almost done!” The woman rooted and brushed the yellow blonde hair off the young girl’s face.
The girl was fleetingly soothed by her voice and the nurse counted again as the next contraction came. The baby’s heart beat echoed through the room from the monitor as they all watched, helped and worked. Ro was beginning to feel the rush. The rush of what was about to happen. He scanned the room with impatience to make sure there was no one else around. He noticed that there was another large nurse against the wall waiting to take care of the newborn with the incubator ready. She just watched and they both waited impatiently.
The girl screamed, “I canny, I canny.”
“Yes you can. You’re almost there…..push…..push,” the doctor said. He joined in on the count with the nurse. “Push her legs back more, it’s about to crown.”
The young woman cried out at the immense pain and gasped. A tiny cry sounded. Ro couldn’t see the baby right away, but knew it was out. The new mother cried as she saw her newborn and the doctor held on tight to the slippery baby. It cried and cried and the older woman joined in.
“It’s a boy!” the nurse said cheerfully, “Congratulations!”
The smell of blood was ripe. Ro crashed through the curtains and pulled the slippery baby from the doctor’s hands. The nurses in surprise ran to try and get the baby and the new mother screeched. The umbilical cord had not been cut yet and Ro sunk his sharp fangs into the opalescent cord and bit through. Spots of blood covered his face and as he chewed he held the screaming infant firm and threw the staff against the wall like they weighed nothing. The older woman silenced by terror pressed herself back against the wall, eyes wide open with her hand over her mouth. Ro paused for one brief second and looked at the young girl whaling in the bloody bed. It was a face he would never forget, so he grinned at her in contempt, bloody fangs and all, and exited as quickly as he had come in.
It was quiet in the hospital room. Alesta’s face was illuminated by the blue computer screen. She was feeling a little weak from lack of blood and her stomach rumbled away. Everything was done, it was looking like a slow shift, but that was great with her considering state of being. Alesta’s mind wandered again, back to Ro, she picked up on an old familiar feeling. It was him, Ro. She knew then that it was Ro that was on the roof. An alarm sounded overhead.
“Code Pink. Sixth floor. Code Pink. Sixth floor. All available staff!”
“Damn you Ro.” Alesta ran out into the hallway as did all the other available staff, which turned out to be just her.
“Code Pink. Sixth floor. Code Pink. Sixth floor. All available staff.”
Mary came charging up the hallway, “Alesta the unit is really busy right now, and everyone is stretched to the brink. I need you to go down to that exit door and I’ll be on the other side of the unit.” Mary pointed down towards Monica’s end of things and quickly turned back from where she came.
“Right,” Alesta said, but would have done so anyways even if Mary hadn’t suggested it.
The exit door was stiff, it was rarely used. Alesta pushed it open only to hear an infant’s cry echoing from above.
“Ro, I know you’re there,” Alesta cried out, but there was no response from him. “You can’t escape me.”
It was too late, however, as a loud crashing sound like breaking glass resonated. Alesta ran up the concrete stairs as swiftly as she could. Two flights and the cold blew in from the broken window. Alesta looked out to see a shadow scurrying across the parking lot. She jumped out and as she did cut her arm on a shard of glass that was sticking out.
“Ah!” Alesta hit the ground feet first and the chase began.
The shadow disappeared into a small bunch of trees and bushes. The infant’s cry carried still. Alesta pushed her way through the brush, the cry got louder and louder as she neared. Alesta slowed a little to find the baby lying on the muddy wet ground, wrapped in a thin sheet. Alesta paused for a second.
“Ro I can feel you. I know you are there. I am your maker, you must obey me. Come out now!”
A chilling obstinate laugh carried all around her.
“Ro, enough of this.” Alesta picked up the baby quickly.
The baby was damp and cold, she pressed its small delicate body into hers. Alesta sensed the presence behind her. She turned quickly to feel a sharp pain across her neck.
Alesta fell to the ground hands grasping as dark blood poured from the large slit at her throat. She was rendered speechless. Ro picked up the baby and leaned over Alesta’s face, his evil blue eyes looking into hers.
“You look so good in hospital scrubs. You know better than that Alesta, but I can tell you are weak.” Ro laughed heartily, “Enjoy the rest of your night!”
Ro took off with the crying innocent newborn and Alesta lay there helpless. All she could do was put pressure on her own neck to stop the bleeding and wait for the wound to close up. The moon sprinkled light through the branches. At least the night was still young. There was enough time she hoped and closed her eyes.
The castle was quiet as the sun was about to retire. The two coffins lay side by side. Alesta opened her eyes and the heavy lid slid open like it already knew. Eagerness set in as she was ready to train. She sat up and stretched. A slight odor of blood wafted into the room.
“That’s odd,” Alesta said.
She looked to her right to see that Ro’s coffin was already opened, white lid broken to bits upon the floor.
Alesta gasped. “Oh God! I thought I fed him enough.”
The smell, she sensed, was coming from her bedroom. She pressed a stone button on the wall and a large stone flap opened up. The stale rotten odor hit her like a wall. A torn fleshy arm lay upon her bed with thick blood scattered like it had been thrown across the room. Her eyes followed its trail. A body lay slumped in a pool of blood. Alesta hurried over to it and rolled it over.
“Oh God! Maggie, oh Maggie. What have I done? Oh Maggie,” Alesta cried.
All she could do was weep. She held Maggie’s head there on her lap and stroked her blood-caked hair. Alesta rocked back and forth; she had known Maggie a long, long time. Maggie also knew her secret. It was hard to come by good, loyal people. Maybe Maggie had gotten too close? Alesta wondered, but it was too late for that. William was gone, now her loyal servant.
“Never again, never again,” Alesta whispered in Maggie’s ear. “Never again.”
After a while Alesta came to, wiping her aching eyes and realized that the cause of all this bloodshed was still out there.
Alesta threw her arms into the air, “Ro!” She called to him. “Ro!”
There was no sense that he was near, which meant he had escaped the castle. Alesta reluctantly did a search of the pre
mises, finding a few more dead and many worried servants. Only one had witnessed anything and all she saw was his sharp blue eyes and that platinum hair.
“It was like he was an animal,” the cook said, “and there was blood everywhere, so much blood.”
A hunt had been called to find the murderer, but what they all didn’t know was that he had become the undead. Alesta carried on like she didn’t know otherwise and ordered the search to begin. She knew that they would never find him and anyone who did would ultimately die.
Weeks passed, with random news of these mysterious deaths from neighboring towns, but all became quiet and soon forgot. It just became this story that was told at night around warm fire hearths and in amongst old women’s gossip. But Alesta did not forget. How could she?
Mary dialed Alesta’s portable work phone, but it just rang and rang. She had found the broken window in the stair well. The police swarmed around the ward and the stairwell, taking pictures, sealing off areas with their yellow tape. It was Mary’s nightmare from hell.
“So tell me what happened?” the Constable asked.
Mary looked down her tartan frames at the short man, “I already told you. Look, I assigned her to watch that exit door that was it. It’s our protocol. We are all specifically instructed not to risk self harm. Something bad has happened to her. I know it. Please, now I need to get back to work. I’m already down a nurse and I have to take over Alesta’s patient. Just call me if you find her, please.” Mary pointed to the front board with the entire phone numbers listed as well as patients.
“Christ’s sake.” Mary turned away.
“What’s that?” the Constable asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Mary said scuffling into the room.
The Constable went back to his interviews and giving out orders and Mary got to work in Alesta’s room.
“Mary! Where’s Alesta?” Monica asked standing at the doorway fretfully rubbing her chin.
“We don’t know. She’s missing.”