She didn’t respond.
“You’ll spend the night in the basement with my daughter while I consider this case. I allowed her to eat since last night so she won’t attack you again,” she said.
“Francesco! Ralph!” the queen suddenly shouted.
The door opened and the two men who had captured me came in the room.
“We’re putting him in the basement,” the queen said as she walked out into a hallway.
“Follow me,” she ordered. I knew I had no choice but to obey, and as I did so the two men walked close behind me. She walked along the hallway, stopped at a doorway and opened a heavy wooden door.
“Go inside,” she said, holding the door open for me.
I looked down the dark stairway, and hesitated.
In a blink of an eye the queen transformed. Her hair was now black and her skin white as before.
“Go!” she howled.
Terrified, I stepped past her onto the stairs and started running down. There was a thud as the door slammed shut behind me. It became completely dark and I stopped on the stairway with my arms stretched out to feel the walls on both sides of me. I knew going back was pointless, so I felt my way down the stairs in the darkness, and after a few steps I found myself standing on a floor.
“I'm so, so sorry,” I heard a voice say.
“Who’s there?” I asked.
“I'm Sarah. I’m the woman who attacked you,” she said.
Remembering the night before I wasn’t very comforted hearing hear her voice.
“I can't see you,” I said.
I felt a hand take mine, and I instinctively pulled it back
“Don’t touch me! “I said, alarmed
“Please, don’t be afraid. I’m really sorry about what happened last night,” the voice said. I had to admit it didn’t sound menacing in any way.
“Sit down,” she said. “There’s a bed behind you.”
I carefully sat down on a soft mattress.
“Try to focus,” she said. “Your night vision should be developing.”
I tried to see but couldn’t.
“It's not working,” I said.
“Keep trying,” she responded.
Gradually, the room became illuminated. I could see sitting next to me a woman with rather messy red hair. She had a pleasant but concerned expression, not at all like the crazed animal who who’d attacked me the night before.
“I can see you now,” I said.
“Good,” she said.
“I met your mother,” I said. “You look like her.”
The woman began to cry.
“I’m sorry, that wasn’t meant as an insult. Your mother is a fine looking woman,” I said.
“It’s not that,” she said. “I'm crying because of what I did to you.”
“Your mother said she was starving you,” I said.
“Well, I could have waited until I found a store or something,” she said. “But I saw you and just couldn’t help myself.”
“It's okay,” I said.
“No it's not,” she said. “You’re a vampire now and my mother is going to kill you.”
“Do you really think she’s going to kill me?”
“Yes,” she said. “My mom’s a crazy, arrogant witch.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She’s locked me in here just because I dared to leave town without her permission,” she said.
“Why did you want to leave?” I asked.
Sarah paused. She looked at me with great earnestness.
“My mom killed my human boyfriend,” she said, in a trembling voice, emphasizing every word.
“Oh . . . I'm so sorry,” I said.
I believed her completely, and realized that there was a very good chance that I could be her mother’s next victim. I looked around the room. The basement was filled with boxes and furniture. The air was damp and the room smelled musty.
“We have to find a way out of here,” I said.
“They secured the window I used to escape last night,” she said.
“Maybe both of us could break through it.” I said.
“You’re not strong enough and I'm still weak,” she said.
“I'm feeling pretty strong,” I said. “Your mother just let me gorge on a protein drink.”
“You have barely had time to start changing, and I barely bit you last night,” she said. “I doubt much of my poison even made its way into your system.”
“Why do you call it poison?” I asked.
“Because in large doses it kills,” she said. “Did you feel a numbing sensation last night, after I bit you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a sign of the poison,” she said.
“And the poison is what contains the virus that causes us to become vampires?”
“Well, I was born a vampire, but It’s what causes you to become one,” she said.
“Then bite me again,” I said.
“What?”
“Bite me again. It will help me transform faster,” I said.
“No. We find it repugnant to feed on humans,” I said. “The last thing I want to do is bite another person again.”
“I'm not asking you to feed on me. I'm asking you to inject me with more of the poison so that I can try to bust us out of here,” I said.
“I don't want to,” she said. “I might start to attack you. I’m still very hungry. It’s taking all my strength just to maintain my human form.”
“The queen said that she fed you,” I said.
“She gave me just one small steak. It wasn’t enough,” she said.
“I'm sorry,” I told her. “But I need you to bite me.”
Was I crazy? Asking a vampire to bite me was insane, but it was the only way I might be able to escape.
“Even if I bite you, the poison won’t work fast enough. It takes weeks for a human to fully transform,” she said.
“We have to do something,” I said.
Sarah was quiet for a while.
“Okay, but if I try to feed you’ll have to stop me. Do whatever you have to do to stop me, even if you have to stab me in the eye again,” she said.
I looked at the eye that I’d stabbed. It was fully healed, but I still hoped that I wouldn’t have to hurt her again.
“Give me your wrist,” she said. “I’ll inject you a little at a time. If too much poison gets into your system at once you could die.”
I gave her my wrist, and instantaneously she transformed the creature that had attacked me in the street. I shuddered, remembering that awful experience. Before I could recoil, Sarah bit into my wrist.
I felt a little pain at first, but then my wrist went numb.
She soon stopped biting and lifted her head. There was blood on her chin.
“I'm sorry,” she said.
“It's okay,” I responded.
“How does it feel?” she asked.
“It doesn't hurt,” I said. “It just feels numb.”
“Let’s wait a little while and I’ll bite you again,” she said.
She took my hand and held it.
We sat on the bed for several minutes in silence.
“I’m feeling stronger now, but even more hungry. I’m sorry, but you might be in danger from me. I told you I didn’t want to do this,” she said.
“Just don't think about it,” I told her. “When we get out of here I’ll buy you an entire rack of ribs.”
“I think it’s time that I bite you again,” she said. “If I lose control, please do what you have to.”
She bit me in the same place and lifted her head again.
“How does it feel?” she asked.
“Now my whole arm is going numb,” I said.
“I'm afraid to bite you again,” she said.
“Let me try something,” I told her.
I walked over to a large, old fashioned wooden chair. I lifted it with no problem
“That doesn't mean anything,” she said. “That chair p
robably doesn’t even weigh a hundred pounds.”
I looked around and saw a length of pipe.
“I'm going to try and bend this,” I said.
“You won't be able to,” she said.
I took the metal pipe in both hands and tried with all my might to bend it. My left arm was numb and I lost my grip and the pipe fell to the floor.
“Just rest a little while,” she said.
I walked back to the bed and sat down. She hadn’t yet transformed back to her human form.
“I'm sorry I can't transform back,” she said. “I know I look hideous.”
“It's alright,” I said. “You can’t help it.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she said. “I almost killed you yesterday.”
“Well, it's not your fault,” I said.
I scanned the room and looked at the window that led outside. It looked like a metal plate had been welded over it.
“Let me see if I can pry it off,” I said.
“If you start making a lot of noise they’ll hear you,” she said.
“If you do manage to get stronger, we’ll have a short time frame to bust through the window and get out of here,” she added.
“I think you need to bite me again,” I said. “I'm feeling stronger.”
“It must be just your imagination,” she said.
“Please,” I said. “I don't want to die here.”
“I'm not sure where to bite you,” she said. “Is your arm still numb?”
“It’s actually feeling better,” I said. “Why don't you bite me on the neck this time?”
“I might rip your throat out,” she said.
“I’d rather you rip my throat out than your mother kill me,” I said.
“Isn't biting someone on the neck the fastest way to get the poison into their system?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then bite me!”
She reached over, and bit into my neck. I could feel intense pain at first, but it then my neck went numb.
“Let go,” I said after about thirty seconds.
She continued to bite me.
“Let go!” I shouted, pushing against her face, finally able to get it away from me.
“I'm so, so sorry,” she said. “I couldn't stop.”
I started to feel a little dizzy.
“Oh, no!” she said. “I think I've put too much poison into your blood.”
I passed out on the bed.
Chapter 5
When I woke up, all I could see was darkness but I could feel a hand on my face.
“You’re going to be alright,” Sarah said. “I was scared I’d killed you.”
I sat up and suddenly my night vision kicked in.
Sarah had transformed back into her human form.
“I'm sorry for not stopping,” she said. “Normally, that much poison would kill a human.”
I realized that I didn’t feel bad. I actually felt great.
“What time is it?” I asked.
I reached for my cell phone which the queen hadn’t taken.
“Why would she not take my cell phone?” I asked Sarah.
“They scramble all cell phone communications,” she said. “The queen doesn't want any information or pictures coming out of the house.”
I looked at the clock on my phone and saw it was four o’clock in the morning.
“I want to try something,” I said.
I walked over to a large wooden box and easily lifted it. Then I went over to a chair and lifted it without any effort as well.
“I think I’ll try to get the window open,” I said.
“Let me go over there and help you,” she said. “We need to get it open as fast as possible.”
We both walked over to the window and looked at the piece of sheet metal that was welded onto the frame. I grabbed a corner of it and started to pull.
Suddenly, I heard an explosion.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I don't know,” she said.
Turning around I saw light coming from the stairwell and heard feet on the stairs.
“Come on,” I heard a woman’s voice say. “We’re getting you out of here!”
We ran up the stairs and I saw a woman standing in the open doorway. I was struck by her beauty. She was a little taller than Sarah, but not as tall as the queen. Her dark hair hung down to the middle of her back. If she was a vampire I certainly couldn’t tell it.
“Cathy!” exclaimed Sarah. “How did you know . . . ?
“Come on, Sarah, let’s just get you out of here.” she said. “Hurry!”
Sarah and I followed her down a hallway. Smoke was everywhere, and it was clear that part of the house had been destroyed. We exited the house through a side door and ran as fast as we could to a red sports car. Looking back, I could see part of the house was now gone. Rubble filled the yard.
“Get in!” the woman yelled.
Sarah and I got into the back seat and our rescuer jumped into the passenger seat. Another woman was already in the drivers’ seat. As soon as we in the car she took off at high speed.
As we raced through the downtown streets, I saw the lights of a police car flashing behind us.
“There’s a cop behind us,” I said.
“Don't worry,” our driver said.
A moment later we were accelerating. The cop was gone in a matter of minutes. I looked over the front seat and saw that the speedometer showed we were going sixty miles an hour.
“We’re going to get both of you to a safe place,” the driver said.
The driver of the vehicle looked as young as the woman who had gotten us out of the basement but was a little more sturdily built.
“Thanks for helping us,” I said.
“You’re welcome,” the driver said.
“My name is Eli,” I told her.
“I'm Ruby and she’s Cathy,” she said.
“Are you two vampires?” I asked.
“Yes,” Cathy said.
“You’re one too,” Cathy added. “You were bitten.”
“I bit him three times tonight,” Sarah said.
“And he’s still alive?” the driver, Ruby, asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“I don't know how you survived,” Cathy said.
“I feel great,” I told her.
Several minutes later we pulled up to a small house in a subdivision.
“You three stay here,” Ruby said. “I'm going back home and try to figure out our next move.”
“Okay, Mom,” Cathy said.
We got out of the car and walked inside the house.
“Whose house is this?” I asked.
“It's my sister's,” Cathy said.
I saw Sarah run into the kitchen, open the fridge, pull out a box of fried chicken, and start to eat.
“Are you hungry, Eli,” Cathy asked.
“Yes, I am.”
“Do you like steak?” she asked.
“Sure I do,” I said.
Cathy told me to sit down, and I watched as she pulled a pack of rib eye steaks out of the fridge and started to pan fry them.
“So how do you like being a vampire, so far?” she asked.
“I don't know,” I said.
“Let’s get some food in you,” she said.
She then put two juicy steaks on my plate. The smell of the meat made me ravenous. I lifted the steaks with my hands and bit into them. They were delicious. Looking across at Sarah, I saw that she was eating a container of raw ground beef.
Cathy continued to feed me. After I’d eaten the steak she proceeded to prepare pork chops, tuna, chicken hearts, chicken liver, and beef liver.
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