The heartbeat was gone. The warmth that had been beside me when I had fallen asleep was gone along with it. Slowly, I sat up and I looked at where Vernon had lain. The blankets were disheveled there and there was an imprint from his body. Looking at my men's watch, I saw that it was just after sunset. My body seemed to know when dusk was. I slid my legs to the side of the Futon and sat for several moments, getting my bearings. Before I had become what I was now, the room would be pitch black. Now, I could see quite well in the room. Looking around, I saw that there was a folded piece of paper on a box next to the bed.
I reached for the paper, worried suddenly that he had changed his mind about me staying and at the same time almost hoping that he wanted me out of here. Gently, I unfolded the paper. It was still a bit dark to read but I could just make out what he wrote.
Sorry but I had to go into the station today. Had an emergency and was called in. I tried to wake you to let you know I was leaving but you did not move. I will try and be back as soon as I can and we can talk more. If you could, please stay home until I get back. Also, if you need anything, call me on my cell phone.
Love Vernon
Standing up, I found my panties and the black tee-shirt which I had worn last night. They laid discarded on the floor from our exertions this morning. Even when I am by myself, I cannot stand being naked. Maybe a leftover from my Mormon upbringing. I slid the panties and tee-shirt on. The jeans could wait until later. Finding the light switch, I turned it on and was immediately blinded. When driving, I had found that I needed to wear sunglasses to protect me from the headlights of oncoming cars. Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the lights. Maybe I could get Vernon to get a dimmer for the light. It might be a good idea to reinforce the windows with plywood as well. That way if some weird accident happened and one of the window got broken in, I would not be fried by the sun.
Worrying about domestic concerns actually felt good and I began working on finishing cleaning up the basement. While I was nervous for Vernon's sake, there was hope that this would become a place of refuge instead of trying to hide in hotel rooms every night. All it would take is a maid to open up the door one day and I would be in serious trouble. The boxes were stacked in a corner now but I could see than many were filled with junk and could be thrown away. The others might be able to be put in the attic.
While working, I pondered about other vampires. Where did they hide out when the sun rose. With me and my fear of enclosed spaces, coffins, just like closest, were definitely not an option. My thoughts also went to what would happen if I met another vampire. Obviously, if I met the vampire who made me, I would try and kill him. The question was what to do if I met others. Should I kill them on sight as well? Thoughts went round and round as I continued to work on the basement.
It must have been two hours later when I heard something. A metallic clicking sound. Someone had just unlocked the front door. There were enough cars on the street in front of the house that I could not be sure if someone had pulled up. The door opened and I could hear footsteps above me. The door slammed shut a few moments later and the footsteps continued towards the basement door.
"Emily, are you here," I heard from upstairs as the door squeaked open. It was Vernon's voice although it sounded like he was upset.
"I am still downstairs," I responded back up the stairs.
His footsteps clapped down the basement stairs. As he reached the bottom step, I could see that he had a file folder in his hands. He tossed in on the Futon, which I had folded into a couch when I had begun cleaning. "We had another one. Jennifer Stokes, prostitute, age seventeen. Runaway as well. From California. She was apparently kidnaped from the truck stop which one of the previous victims had been grabbed from. Her body was found in a school grounds this morning."
I took a deep breath and just stood there silently for a moment. He continues, "I pulled all the files on the cases, hoping that you might see something I missed looking through it. Of course none of the other officers would believe me if I told them that we were looking for a vampire."
There was nothing I could say so I sat down on the Futon and began looking through the files. There were two data CDs packaged with the paperwork but my attention was on the pictures. On top were several pictures of Jennifer along with the runaway report on the girl. Like his other victims, there was a peaceful expression on the face of her body. Both of her wrists had been slashed just like mine had been. I could not help but look at my wrists for just a moment with absolutely no scars. The report stated that while there was signs of sexual entry but no semen had been recovered.
I felt Vernon's presence as he sat down beside me. Knowing how much comfort he would need, I wrapped my free arm around his waist. A few moments later, his arm wrapped around me. He stated, "You will be happy to know that the ones you killed last night have been attributed to a gangland fight." I just nodded, not needing to answer him words.
He seemed to slowly relax next to me. I put my head on his shoulder. After a time, I told him in a calm voice, "You know that I am probably the only one who can probably get him. He grabbed me from right under the noses of the officers who were suppose to be protecting me."
"Yes," he responded in what sounded like a defeated tone.
"Still, I think I am going to need your help to find him," I told Vernon. "I also need some help with some other problems."
"Alright," came his response.
"The problem with being dead is that you cannot legally do anything. I need some kind of forged or stolen driver's licence. I also need you to get me some additional ammo for my pistol. The rest of the officers likely think it likely that it was stolen by some gang members and cannot be traced back to you or me. Finally, I am going to need to get some more clothes and will need to barrow your car and later will need a vehicle of my own."
I could see that he nodded once more. He asked, "I am curious about something?" His voice sounded quite tired.
"Yes?" I responded with a questioning tone.
"I am wondering if you can feed without killing someone?" he asked
That was one of the question I had been asking myself ever since I realized what I was. I hoped so but still did not really know. Putting that into works, I stated, "I really do not know. I wish I did. I think so, but..." allowing my voice to trail off.
Vernon did not reply except to take a deep breath. Slowly, I could hear him falling asleep. He had not fallen asleep until around four thirty in the morning so he might have only gotten three or four hours of sleep.
Before he was completely out of it, I asked, "I need to get a few things, can I barrow your car for a while?"
He did not answer. I could tell that he had fallen asleep beside me and I could only hope that he had heard me. I slowly got up and laid him down on the futon, still in couch position. I put a pillow under his head and laid the blanket over him. He appeared to smile slightly. Grabbing his keys, they rang in my hands. I headed upstairs to head out.
It had only been around seven when I left Vernon's house and it was almost ten now. Finished shopping, I had spend a good chunk of the money which I had stolen from the drug dealers on a variety of items. Without being limited to a single backpack, I had purchased several additional camisoles to replace the one which had been destroyed last night along with additional underwear. I had also acquired two additional pair of leather pants as well. These were sitting in the back seat. On the seat beside me was sitting a new laptop computer which had set me back more than anything else.
Extremely early for me now, I figured that Vernon would likely only take a short nap and be awake when I got back. I did not want him to be concerned when he saw me gone especially if he had not heard me before he nodded off. As a result, I was hurrying as much I could to get back to his home.
If I still had my cell phone, he could contact me or I could call him to let him know where I was. I was just a few blocks from his house but I saw a convenience store and had an idea. I had been there a half a dozen times in the past. Most convenience stores sold cell phones and I thought I remembered that this one sold them as well. At the convenience store, I could get one which I could use cash and top-up cards so it could not be traced back to me. It would be worth a few minutes to stop here and I pulled Vernon's car into the parking lot.
Shutting off the engine, I stepped out of the car and made sure I locked the doors. I did not want to have my brand new laptop stolen even before I had a chance to use it. I headed for the store. Just then, a customer left with a bottle of beer in his hand. The door to the store closed behind him and it appeared empty inside. I got as far as the doors and stopped, stunned by what I felt. Standing there, I locked eyes on the clerk and the clerk did the same thing. He was smaller that I was, just a bit above five feet. No one else was inside the store.
As I tuned into my strange feelings, i could feel something radiating from him. He was the same as I was, a vampire. For just a moment or two, I thought he might have been the vampire who had turned me but it was a fleeting thought. This man did not look at all like the memories I had of the being who had turned me. He had been taller than me and seemed to have a powerful presence which the person in front of me lacked. Still, I tensed, ready to attack or defend myself.
It is difficult to say just how long we stared at each other. He spoke up first, "What are you doing here?" He looked downright scared. Look at him, he had long hair, a light brown which hung to his shoulders. He was extremely pale, even paler than I was. I wondered if I would become as pale as he was in time. He was dressed in the red shirt with the convenience store's logo on it.
Truth is what came first and I stated, "I just stepped in to buy a new phone."
"I have never met you before, you must be new around here,"he stated, still appearing to be incredibly nervous.
"You might say that," I responded back. I didn't think it was wise at this point to tell him that I had only been a vampire for a few days. "How many others are there around here?" I asked.
Shaking his head, he stated, "I don't know you."
Deciding to take a different approach, I stated, "I am sorry. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot here. You don't know me and I don't know you. Being honest, I have only been a vampire for a few days and you are the first other vampire which I have met." I allowed the doors to close and walked up to the counter that he was standing behind with the lottery tickets under the counter visible through the clear glass.
His eyes showed sudden recognition, "You, you are that cop who got kidnaped by the Stalker and found later dead? Then your body disappeared from the morgue. I was wondering if you might have become a vampire."
Nodding my head, I stated, "Yes, I am that cop. I am looking for the vampire who made me so I can kill him so he does not kill any more women." It had to be considered that maybe this vampire in front of me was guilty of murdering huge numbers of victims as well.
His next words made me pause in that assumption. "You will not find him an easy target. He is far more powerful than I am. I, with the others around her, are concerned that he will expose us all. We don't need to kill to feed and all the bodies make everyone suspicious."
"How long have you been a vampire," I asked.
It was a natural enough question and he seemed to agree. "About five years," he answered me.
I paused for a few moments before asking, "How did you become one?"
"I met a girl down in California and we stayed together for a while. Never saw her except at night. She loved biting me in the neck but the sex was like I had never had before. One day, she drained me almost completely and gave just a bit of her own blood back. Even today, I don't know why she did it. I woke up three days later as a vampire. I never saw her again. You can see where I ended up, working the night shift at a convenience store for the rest of eternity."
"I am completely new to all of this and there is much that I do not know. How do you feed?" I asked him.
"How have you been feeding until now?" he asked back.
Hesitating for a moment or two, I finally stated, "Drug dealers, thugs. People who kill and destroy."
He nodded his head, "I have heard tales of other vampires who hunt the monsters of society like that. Still, you don't have to kill those who you feed from. I have a couple of friends who will help me. As well, there are a couple of Goth clubs which are vampire friendly and there are a few whores who I sometimes visit. Like the others around here, I don't kill anyone I feed from although I have never had the courage to go after drug dealers. I generally have to feed every couple of days although I have been told that if you completely drain a person, you can last longer."
That was obviously what the vampire who had made me was doing. Nodding my head, I asked, "What about blood banks or bottled blood?"
He shook his head, "There is something, some connection between the person and their blood. We seem to feed off the life energies of the person at the same time as the blood. As long as we don't drain them, they are fine although they will feel a bit weak. When I first became a vampire, I tried both bottled blood and animal blood. Neither did anything."
"The vampire who I am after, do you know where he is?" I asked
"I don't know," He answered. "All vampires, when they look at each other can tell another vampire. I have been told that a vampire and his sire have a much stronger connection. If you are close, within a couple of miles, and concentrate, you should be able to feel them. Of course, they can do the same as well from what I have been told." This might allow me to track him down and take him down. The vampire in front of me paused for a few moments before adding, "You need to be careful, when a vampire makes another, they can control that vampire unless they are extremely strong willed. I have also heard that if separated, the bond is weaker but don't know because I have never seen the one who made me since she changed me."
Just then, the bell on the door rang as a pair of customers came into the store and headed for the beer cooler. "I have to get back," I told him and backed up from the counter, preparing to leave. Looking at the watch which had been Stanley's, I could see that it was now after ten.
He took a deep breath and told me, "I will talk to some of the others. If they say it is alright, I will introduce you to some. Maybe some of them can help you with the rogue."
"How will I contact you?" I asked
"Come back the day after tomorrow," he told me, "I will let you know then."
Without purchasing the cell phone, I headed out the door to see if Vernon had woken up. There was much which I had to think about. There was still a certain amount of shock with meeting a vampire who worked at a convenience store. With that, I got back into Vernon's car.
When I got back to Vernon's house, I could see that the lights on the first floor was on and I had left it off when I had left. Didn't need them with my enhanced night vision. He must have woken up while I had gone. Maybe I should have grabbed him a bite to eat while I had been.
Parking the car, I grabbed up my things and prepared to head for the house. I was extremely careful with my new laptop as I slung it over my shoulder. I would need to get an internet access for it as well. I had heard that there were internet accounts which you could buy cards for just like cell phones. Of course I could also use the broadband internet from the library as well. I grabbed the other bags and headed for the door.
Just as I got there, Vernon opened it up. He was bare chested and was still tired but he looked a bit better. I could smell something cooking, the odor of beef cooking and there was a sizzling sound coming from the stove. It smelled good, it was a shame that I could not eat anything anymore. I slid through the door, handing him his keys as I slid by him.
Looking around the kitchen, I saw that on the counter next to the stove were a pair of burgers with a mound of chips next to it. I always loved a good burger before becoming a vampire. He closed the door and pointed at the food, "Take one."
I could only shake my head and responded, "Sorry, I found out the hard way that I could not eat anything anymore."
He grabbed the plate and sat down at the table in the middle of the kitchen. After a few moments, I laid down the bags of clothing for later. Going into the refrigerator and grabbing a coke, I walked over to the table and sat down beside him. Folding my hands in front of me, I waited silently while he ate the sandwiches.
"Did you get what you needed?" He asked.
"Yes, I did," I stated
"I was thinking about what you asked me for. There is a person I know who works at a DOL. I got her son out of some trouble a couple of years ago. If I slid her the information, I could get you put into the system and your licence wouldn't be as easy to identify as a fake," he suggested.
Nodding, I replied, "That sounds like a better way of doing it." Pausing for a few minutes I added, "I don't want to tell you where I got it from for the moment but I was told that when a vampire and her creator get within a few miles of each other and she concentrates, she can sense her creator. If it is true, I should be able to use it to find the vampire who made me."
He chewed on that for several moments. It seemed best if I did not tell him that I had been told that the vampire who made me might be able to control me. A few forty-five rounds ruining his day should prevent that. Vernon asked, "When do you want to go on the hunt for him?"
"I was thinking tomorrow," I told him. "You need rest. You look absolutely exhausted. He never hunts again the day after he takes a victim. We should have a few days. "Maybe you can just tell your captain that you plan to interview some of the prostitutes and you can explain me with you as having a friend who knows many of the girls who walk the streets, perhaps one who works for a volunteer organization," I suggested.
"Yeah, your are right, I am still tired. I just was worried about you when I saw that you were not there when I woke up. I thought I remembered you asking about borrowing my car but was not coherent." He paused for a few moments before asks, "Will you lay with me? Just be with me?"
With what I had become, I now slept, if that was the right term, during the day and stayed awake all night. There was no way I could sleep. Still, it would do no harm to simply sit in bed with him and work on searching through the disks which Vernon had brought from the station. Nodding my head, I responds, "Alright."
It was an extremely cold night just like the one which I had been killed by the vampire who stalked prostitutes along this strip. Unlike that night, hard to believe that it had only been a little over a week, it was raining. Not a hard rain but a slow but steady drizzle which felt like it froze everything. The heat warmed the car but outside the window looked incredibly forlorn.
Vernon was driving slowly along the strip while I tried to concentrate on sensing the vampire. I was not sure exactly what I was doing, just trying to see if I got any strange feeling like I had when I met the vampire in the convenience store. I had sensed nothing as of yet. The vampire who made me had struck on days just like this. It was hard to believe that as cold and wet as it was that girls still walked the streets. I saw two girls standing at a corner, propositioning cars as they went by.
This was the third day which we had been searching for him and it seemed like I had absolutely no luck. We had went back and forth between the strip where he had pulled most of his victims from and the truck stop which two girls had been kidnaped from. There had been no more attacks but it was only a matter of time before he struck again.
Last night I had returned to the convenience store and talked to that vampire. I was supposed to meet him and a few of his friends this weekend at a Goth club called the "Blood Red Rose." I could not help but wonder about that. I still knew very little about being a vampire. Obviously, not all vampires were like the one who had made me. It seemed likely that he was a sociopath and I had to wonder if he might not have been one even before he became a vampire.
Vernon had managed to come through with the fake identification and I was entered into the Washington Department of Licencing as Amanda Murphy. While my new identity would fall apart with an in-depth investigation, it should pass any normal check. As well, Vernon had managed to get me a vest which the force had been planning to discard. Under a jacket, it was not easily noticed.
We were about to call it a night and head back for home when I felt something. It was after four in the morning. My eyes turned towards an area of dark shadows. There was a figure hidden in the shadows and I could feel a presence, similar yet different than the vampire at the convenience store. There was a powerful attraction as if we were linked on some level.
I yelled, "Vernon, stop!" Without waiting for him to stop, I pushed open the door and jumped out. I could hear the squealing of breaks. I managed to roll and get back to my feet. The Ruger was in my hands, ready to fire. Within just a few moments, I was after the figure in the shadows. The figure turned towards me for a moment and from the brief glance I saw, it appeared to be the vampire who had made me. His face was seared into my memory from when he had raped and murdered me.
Behind me, I could hear the other car door and a few moments later the footsteps of someone running behind me. I assumed that Vernon was trying to back me up although I knew that there was no way that he could keep up. Even before becoming a vampire, I could outrun him but now it was almost as if he was moving in slow motion.
The vampire turned and ran back into the alley. I wondered why he was running away but maybe I startled him. I thought about firing on him but he was moving too fast for me to get a good shot off. I would also lose ground drawing my pistol. All I could do was keep running after him. It seemed like I was slowly gaining on him, maybe I was a faster runner than he was.
He made a turn and found himself in a dead end. The vampire suddenly turned around and I could see that his canines were extended. The rest of his face showed hatred and anger. His hands looked like claws and it was obvious that he was ready for battle from the way he was standing.
Without thinking, I brought the pistol up and squeezed the trigger. Before he could move, the round hit him in the center of his chest. Pulling the trigger three more times, I hit him each time. I expected him to go down but instead he charged towards me. I fired until the magazine was empty, hitting him three more times before the slide locked back. Each time I fired, blood sprayed from the impact of the bullet.
Suddenly he was standing right in front of me and grabbed my arms, knocking the Ruger from my hands. The pistol clattered against a brick wall. I had gotten used to fighting people less strong than I was and he was incredibly strong. Even so, I could have thrown him if I had expected it. No one kept moving after being hit by seven rounds of Forty Five hollow points. Instead, he threw me into a pile of scrap equipment.
The bullet proof vest protected my back but rusted metal dug deep into where I was not protected. I struggled to stand up and I could feel a huge hunk of metal stuck in the back of my calf. It was bleeding badly and the ground was slick under my feet from my own blood. None of my other injuries were as deep. Even as badly hurt as I was, I still thought I could take him. From the way he moved, I could tell that he was no martial artist.
Instead, the vampire turned and climbed up the wall, digging his claws deep into the brick. There was no way that I could chase him with my leg the way it was. I went after where the Ruger had been knocked against the wall. It took me a few moments to find the weapon and by the time I found the pistol, he was over the wall.
Taking a deep breath, I ejected the empty magazine and loaded a fresh magazine into the pistol. Kneeling down, I wrapped my hand around the metal chunk in my leg and pulled. I tried not to scream out but I was unable to completely keep silent. The metal had been a good two inches in and with the metal pulled out, I bled even faster. Putting my hand on the wound, I blocked as much of the bleeding as much as possible.
When Vernon caught up with me, I was still kneeling with my hand stopping the bleeding. It was down to a trickle by now. Vernon was breathing hard and was looking around. "He is gone?" was all Vernon asked.
I nodded my head, "He climbed right over that wall after I fired seven rounds into him." After a pause of a few moments, I added, "I think we should get out of here before the uniforms arrive."
I could understand what drove the vampire to hunt and feed. After several days of not feeding and especially after the loss of blood, I could feel the hunger. The heartbeat in Vernon's chest was extremely loud to my ears. Oh yes, I could understand him. That did not make it right.
As Vernon's key turned in the lock, I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Vernon, I am sorry but I have to feed. If I don't go and find someone, I may lose control." I could only hope I could find someone before dawn to feed from and get to shelter.
Slowly, he turned towards me and his hand crept towards mine, "Emily, you said that you think you could feed from someone without killing them?" I nodded my head expecting what would happen next. "If you want, I am willing to help, to give you the blood you need."
I thought about it for a moment and I considered the fact that if anything, he would be the safest person for me to feed from. If I was to survive and not become just like the vampire I was hunting, I would need to learn to feed without killing. If I could not do this, I planned to face the sun. "Vernon, I think we might be best to do this downstairs, if you are willing?" There was doubt in my voice but he still grabbed my hand.
Taking the stairs slowly, I led him down to what had become my lair. In the last several days, I had cleaned it up and it was quite comfortable. The shower had been cleaned up and most of the junk had been put on the curb. My laptop sat on a folding desk beside the futon. Vernon had spent a lot of time here as well, preferring to be with me instead of by himself. In many ways, I wish I was in love with him the way he seemed to still be in love with me.
Tossing my jacket to the side, I began unstrapping the body armor I had been give by Vernon. Once loose, I pulled it off and tossed it on top of the jeans. I kicked the leather boots off and put them to the side as well. Continuing to undress, I unbuttoned the top button and began pulling off my jeans. The jeans, I allowed to fall to the carpet. This was followed by the thongs I had been wearing and I pulled off the red camisole I had been wearing. The cloths could be picked up later.
There was a bit of fear on Vernon's face for what we were about to do but I could see lust as well as he looked at me naked in front of him. A certain amount of lust could be felt by me as well. One things was for sure, my own libido had gone way up since becoming a vampire. He unbuttoned his own jeans and I could see that his body was quite aroused. He quickly finished undressing and his clothes ended up in a pile right next to mine.
I allowed his arms to wrap around me and wrapped my own arms around him. Wanting to wait until the right time to make my bite, I brought my lips up to his and allowed a kiss to linger for a long time. Gently, I pulled him towards the futon and pushed him down onto the sheets. While usually I allowed him to set the pace, tonight I wanted to control the situation. I wanted to make sure that I never lost control.
I climbed on him and looked him in the eyes and I lowered myself slowly on him. Vernon strained for breath as his body arched. It almost felt like waves of pleasure was against me from his body. Slowly, I began bringing him to his limits. Taking my time allowed me to increase my own arousal as well and I could feel both my pulse and breathing quicken. Like had become the norm since become what I was now, I could feel that my canines had extended.
After the love making of the last several day, I knew when his body was about to reach a climax. Just as he did, I brought my mouth up to his neck and bit down. They penetrated as if as sharp as razors and I could taste the blood that welled up. My lips went to tiny holes and I drunk, careful not to drink too quickly. I was still in control although I could see that Vernon was no longer in control of himself. He exploded inside me and I drank from the pleasure he was feeling. It was only then that I lost control, my own body mimicking his as I allowed myself to feel that pleasure.
Before I drunk too much blood and endangered his life, I pulled my mouth from my lover's neck. His eyes were closed as pleasure still racked through his body. As his arousal subsided, I slipped from him. He was fighting exhaustion. The night had been long and I knew that the new energy pulsing through my body had to come from somewhere. "Go ahead and sleep, Vernon," I told him.
By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).
Copyright © 2007, Kitsune. All rights reserved.