by Alves, Carl
Vladimir started typing on his laptop and brought up a company website. “You see this company. They sell picture frames, knick-knacks, shit like that.”
Fat Paulie shrugged. “Why the fuck do I care about that?”
The Goat said, “Pay attention. This guy’s onto something.”
Vladimir waved his hands. “Not very exciting company. I know. But people buy their shit. Their Internet security is not so good. So I break into website, change code to divert payment for products from their accounts into dummy accounts I create. Sound good, yah?”
“Slow down, Ruskie,” Fat Paulie said. “I don’t understand all this Internet shit.”
Vladimir instructed The Goat to create an account and buy products off the website to demonstrate how it worked.
“That’s fucking brilliant,” Fat Paulie said. “Then you can loot their dough. I like it.”
“So you see I give you money you need. I need five thousand dollars start-up cash.”
The Goat looked at this rat’s nest. Vladie didn’t need start-up cash. He recognized a user when he saw one. As long as Vladie made money, he didn’t give a shit.
“Well, that deal’s off the table,” Fat Paulie said. “I have a better one. I’ll forgive what you owe and I’ll give you the five G’s, but instead of interest, we’ll take a cut. Thirty percent.”
Vladimir scowled. “Nyet. That is not what we talk about.”
“That deal’s off the table. You’ll take our new deal.”
“I don’t think it’s in your best interest to reject this offer, Vladie,” The Goat said. “Be glad we’re not taking a bigger cut.”
Fat Paulie took out his bundle of cash. He counted out $5000 and gave it to the lanky Ukrainian. Vladimir glared at him before taking the money.
After shaking hands with their new business associate, Fat Paulie and The Goat left the apartment building and got in the BMW.
Fat Paulie grinned. “We took that Ruskie by surprise. Wait ‘til Enzo hears about this. He’s gonna be impressed by my attraprenuerialism.”
The Goat nodded, glad to be out of the apartment. Something about it was eerily similar to the feeling the vampire gave him that night he attacked him.
Chapter Six
Nikki Staretz sat on the sofa in her Front Street apartment drinking a Margarita. She glanced out the window yearning to get a glimpse of the man she met last night. She never wore dresses, but she had one on tonight, hoping he would like it. This was reckless. Before leaving, he told her he would come to her apartment tonight. Her senses told her to say no, to tell the man she wasn’t available, but she had no resistance around him.
Nikki met the dashing stranger the previous evening at the Rock Lobster on Delaware Avenue where she had been out with two friends from work. It was odd for her to even go out. She was normally a homebody. A small town girl, in college she would stay at the computer lab late at night while her friends went out to party it up.
The last thing she had wanted last night was to meet a man. After all, she was engaged. After leaving her friends to get drinks at the bar, she spotted him. She gazed at his cold, blue eyes from across the room as if in a trance, forgetting about the drinks and her friends. The only thing that mattered was her mystery man. His stare pulled her toward him as if he was so full of magnetism.
She headed toward him. An inner voice told her this was a bad idea. Nothing good could come of it, but she quieted these voices.
When she reached the man, it seemed as if everyone else at the club disappeared. She introduced herself. Despite the loud music in the background, she heard everything he said with clarity. It was like his voice echoed inside her head.
His name was Alexei. By his looks and accent, Nikki concluded he was Eastern European. His complexion was fair─no, pale was more like it. His face was enchanting. He was an older guy, probably in his late thirties. Neither age or anything else mattered. When she held his hands, she felt amazing strength. When they touched, her entire body tingled.
They spoke for a half hour. She was completely at ease with him, telling him intimate details of her life. She confided in him about her childhood, her hopes and fears, things she wouldn’t even tell a close friend.
When she spotted her friends, Alexei suggested they meet again tomorrow at ten. She agreed and gave him her address. When speaking with her friends later, she made up a story about how Alexei was an old friend from school. She wasn’t sure why she had done that. Maybe she had been embarrassed since they all knew she was engaged to Rico.
Back in her apartment, she closed her eyes, still not believing this was real. Nikki had never approached a guy and invited him to her apartment, even before she was engaged. She was getting married in seven months. If Rico found out, not only would he call off the wedding, he would want to hurt Alexei. Rico had a fiery temper. He was a foreman at a construction company. Most of her friends thought they made an odd couple because of the disparity in their education level and family backgrounds, but Nikki loved him. Yet her desire for Alexei overshadowed her feelings toward Rico at the moment.
She watched the clock tick. It was almost ten. She breathed hard. What if he didn’t show? If she didn’t see him, she would rip apart at the seams.
She walked toward the window, looking out at the street. There was no sign of Alexei. It was stupid to think such a beautiful man would keep his commitment. She turned around. Alexei stood ten feet away. Her heart fluttered. She didn’t put more than a second of thought to how he entered her locked apartment so silently.
“We meet again,” Alexei said.
“I was… I was afraid you wouldn’t show.”
Alexei seemed to float toward her. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” He inhaled deeply. “Your scent is intoxicating.”
He put his hand on the small of her back, and she felt the same electricity she had experienced last night. Alexei was so different than anybody she ever met. He made Rico seem insignificant. She closed her eyes and leaned toward him. His embrace left her dizzy.
He brushed his lips against her neck. She swayed to the music in her mind. If she died now, she would be happy.
“Take me, Alexei,” she whispered, and kissed him. Excitement coursed through her body. “Please.”
“You’re so inviting, so filled with vitality.” Alexei took her off her feet and held her as if she were a small child. “Will you give yourself to me?”
“Oh, God yes.”
He carried her to her bed and lay her down gently. “I can give you a gift. It will be the greatest thing you’ll ever experience. I give this freely and ask for nothing in return. Is this what you want? Think, my child.”
“I don’t want to think. I just want you.” She drew Alexei toward her quivering body.
“Then I will give you what you want.”
He lowered himself and opened his mouth, exposing sharp fangs. Nikki did not feel any fear, nor did she make a move to escape. She savored the moment with Alexei.
“Uhh. Ohhh,” she whimpered as he sunk his teeth into her neck.
Her warm blood spilled into his mouth. Savoring the taste, he drank her blood. He had opened a small gash to prolong the experience.
“Don’t stop.” She grabbed his head and pushed it in toward her neck.
Alexei obliged and continued to feed. As the intensity of the experience increased, he bit deeper into her neck. He could feel her life slip away and her heartbeat slow. It would not be long before it stopped beating, and that was what he relished most. He thought about stopping before her life expired, but could not. The feeling was too overpowering. Why should he deprive himself of this? After all, she was perfectly willing to give her life to him.
Nikki moaned as she clung to him. The beating of her heart echoed inside his head. It got fainter as each moment passed. Her voice choked as the end came near.
He was on such a high he could not stop. With razor sharp nails, he tore into her abdomen, slicing cleanly from below her breastbone to her mid-sect
ion. He lowered his face into her exposed abdominal cavity and feasted on her organs.
This was not something his kind did. It was almost unheard of. Alexei’s “family” knew nothing about his fascination with consuming organs. But now that he had started, he could not stop.
When he finished, he was covered in blood. He went to the bathroom and cleaned himself up, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention as he walked the streets of Philadelphia.
He looked in the mirror. He was a ghastly sight. He stared at his ageless face. It had to be depressing for mortals to deal with the aging process. Some of his kind spoke of their desire to become one with humans and walk in the bright sunlight once more, but he had no such desire. He enjoyed them, especially the exquisite ones like Nikki Staretz, but their lives were tedious and boring. It had been so long since he was one of them he scarcely remembered what it was like.
Unlike Magnus, who preferred to stay home and be with his own kind, Alexei always left the house after dusk to be among the mortals. He went to bars, nightclubs, and movie theaters. For the special ones like Nikki, he gave them his intimate gift.
After exiting the bathroom he stared at the huddled figure lying on the bed. She was at peace. He felt no remorse or guilt. This was what she wanted. Even when they didn’t ask for it, like the couple he visited earlier that week, he was still willing to give his gift.
The phone rang. It would be prudent to leave. Still, he lingered. He wanted to be near Nikki so soon after her death. He did not want her to be alone. After an hour, he opened the window of her apartment and scanned the surrounding area. It was empty of prying eyes, so he made his exit.
Magnus’ rage built inside of him like a pit of lava ready to burst as he read the lead story on the front cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer. When he finished, he slammed the newspaper on the solid oak table. He gritted his teeth.
Unfortunately in the summer it became dark too late in the evening. By the time he woke from his sleep, the newspaper was old and the local television stations showed meaningless sitcoms and nauseating reality television shows. He had to wait a couple hours to watch the ten o' clock news.
With the advent of modern technology and the information age, he’d become dependent on media outlets. He craved information about the world around him. He even learned how to use a computer. Surfing the Internet was a modern marvel. Now he had to find out what they were saying about this string of brutal “murders” plaguing the city.
When he read the article, especially the part about how the corpse had been torn apart and was missing organs, he knew the culprit. Alexei might not realize that Magnus was on to him, but Magnus was fully aware of his vile habit. His patience with Alexei was gone. Magnus warned him numerous times to use discretion, but his words fell on deaf ears. He had to do something drastic to capture Alexei’s attention.
He and Alexei were the oldest vampires in the brood. Alexei was rebelling because the others saw Magnus as their leader. Traditionally, the oldest and most powerful vampire was the leader. The brood sought Magnus for advice and guidance. He made the important decisions. This clearly bothered Alexei.
Having recently arrived in the United States, in the city of Philadelphia, Magnus did not want to leave so soon, but with the media and the local law enforcement investigating these crimes, it would be difficult to stay.
Magnus spun around when he heard faint breathing that would be undetectable to human ears. Standing silently in the corner was his precious Gabriella.
They had been together for over three hundred years. From the moment he first saw her on a beach near Cadiz in Spain, he knew he had to have her. She was one of the few of their kind that he was responsible for making.
Gabriella had captivated his heart. He still remembered those days with her as if they happened a year ago. After courting her for a few months, he had revealed his true identity.
On a beach in Cadiz over three hundred years ago, he said to Gabriella, “Please join me. Make no mistake, I won’t force this upon you. You must make your own decision. If you say no, I will leave heartbroken, but I won’t bother you again. I will give you a week to make your decision.”
Gabriella gazed into his eyes. “I don’t need a week. I will let you know tonight.” She had come from a large, prominent family from the southern coast of Spain and wanted to say goodbye to them forever.
Magnus waited for Gabriella.
She had tears in her eyes when she returned. “It hurts so much to know that I won’t see my family again, but they would never accept me like this. And I have to be with you. Every moment that I am gone from you I ache so much with longing.”
Magnus held her close to him. “I understand your pain. This is a difficult decision, but my kind are the only family you will ever need.”
At night on the empty beach, she willingly submitted to him and he turned her into a creature of the night. For most of that century Magnus and Gabriella traveled together throughout the world. He showed her spectacular sights of natural beauty. They took in concerts and plays and lived a life of splendor. Gabriella was the only companion he needed.
In time she became lonely and felt isolated, wanting to be with others of their kind. Because of this, he started his brood, collecting creatures of the night along the way. Their numbers had fluctuated over the years. Currently there were twenty-two living in the mansion he had purchased in Gladwyne, an affluent Philadelphia suburb. He wanted a large group so Gabriella would never again experience loneliness.
“I sense some unpleasantness.” Gabriella moved with such stealth that most people could not detect her. Sometimes she even surprised Magnus, despite his keen senses.
He handed her the newspaper, and she scanned the article.
“Who do you suspect?” Gabriella asked.
“Please don’t feign ignorance, my sweet. We both know this could only be Alexei.”
Gabriella shrugged. “Our friend has extravagant tastes, always experimenting.”
Magnus rubbed his temples. His life would be so much easier if it were still only he and Gabriella. “Alexei’s a fool. He knows the rules of the house, yet openly violates them. He had to realize we would discover this.”
“At times he gets carried away,” Gabriella said.
“Why do you persist in defending him? He’s been nothing but trouble over the past couple decades. If he’s going to feed openly, he’ll have to do it on his own. I’m tired of dealing with him. I’m going to give him an ultimatum. He follows the rules, or he leaves.”
Gabriella slithered toward Magnus. She rested her head against his chest and looked into his strong, blue eyes. “Let me speak to him. Don’t worry yourself over this. The others need your leadership, especially the young ones. Internal strife isn’t good for them. We have an entire world of humans who would kill us if they knew about our existence. We have to be united.”
“That’s precisely what’s wrong with the way Alexei feeds. He has no regard for our need for secrecy. He’s reckless. And that’s why…”
Gabriella put her index finger to his lips. “I’ll talk to Alexei. Stop worrying about this. When was the last time you were out? Can you even remember?”
Magnus shook his head.
“It’s not about sustenance. It’s about your spirit. Have you fed even once since our arrival in the City of Brotherly Love?”
Magnus grinned. “I’m so old that I no longer have to feed.”
“Then take the young ones and show them how to do it right.”
Magnus shrugged.
“Do it for me. It will be good for your soul.”
Magnus gave her his most charming smile. “If it will make you happy, then I’ll do it.” As he left the room, he thought of the taste of fresh blood. Maybe it was what he needed.
Chapter Seven
Magnus breathed in the warm summer air, staring at the full moon as it lit up the night sky. Gabriella was right. He had been living in Philadelphia for six months and barely knew the
city. Mostly he stayed in the mansion in Gladwynne and read books, played an instrument, or worked on the computer. At times he felt like he had seen and experienced everything. Even for someone who had lived for half a millennium, that was a foolish notion.
Tonight he brought two younger members of his brood, Kristoff and Ursula, with him.
Kristoff had been part of his brood for twenty years. Alexei had turned him while the brood had been in Dusseldorf where Kristoff was a track athlete trying out for the German Olympic team. His specialty was the javelin. Alexei, a regular at a bar near a training facility, befriended many of the athletes, but was especially fond of Kristoff, who was twenty-two at the time and an orphan since birth.
Even though the fair-haired young man never had a real home or family, Kristoff possessed inner strength and compassion, which undoubtedly had attracted Alexei. He was selfless and did whatever he could for others. One night, without consulting anyone, Alexei brought him home to the brood after turning him.
Although furious that Alexei did this without consulting him, the young German charmed him immediately. Kristoff never asked anything from other members of the brood, even though he did not know how to feed on his own. Not surprisingly, Alexei lost interest in Kristoff after a few weeks. He always wanted new blood and new adventures.
Magnus took him under his wing and taught him how to survive. Kristoff followed him around, trying to learn as much as he could about their kind. Magnus in turn told him story after story about his own history.
After spending an hour scouting potential victims at a bar on Chestnut Street, they moved on, finding nobody suitable. As they walked toward South Street, Magnus took in the current fashion crazes. He blended in on South Street where freaks with big hair, tattoos and piercings were the norm. People did not even give him a second look.
They started off at Downey’s. Magnus inhaled the scent of fresh lobster. A breeze from the Delaware River cooled him. They weaved through the normal foot traffic past the shops and restaurants. He smiled at the sight of a young couple in their early teens. The girl had blue and purple hair that was long in the back and shaved on the sides. She wore a black lace dress and combat boots, and had a chain that extended from her nose ring to her exposed navel. The boy wore military fatigues and had his green hair in pointy spikes. Oh how things had changed since the Middle Ages.