by Thomas, Ally
I sent a thought to Grace, so we would not alarm Lynn. “When did a coffee shop start serving alcohol? I know that was wine I saw in their glasses.”
“It’s an afterhour’s thing,” she replied telepathically. “Some stores serve wine and beer after 8 pm. Chill. It’s probably not the same wine Steve had.”
“But if it is,” I mentally lashed back. “And these people are stammering zombies when we walk out of the bathroom, I’ll have my proof, right?”
“Agreed,” Grace whispered as she shoved me into the bathroom with Lynn.
After we had changed into our black t-shirts, matching jeans and boots, Lynn talked Grace into wearing makeup for the occasion. What occasion that was, I didn’t ask. I was laughing at both of them. The heavy application made Grace’s eyes looked like she had a raccoon mask on. “Don’t you think that’s too much?” I asked as I finished lacing up my boots and looking around for my gas mask and sword. “Do we really need these tonight?” I held up my gas mask and my twenty-inch samurai sword. Pulling out the blade to examine the sharpness, I realized it was fake. “This isn’t even real?”
“Of course it’s not, silly,” Lynn laughed. She motioned to Grace to look at her artistry in the mirror. Grace gave Lynn a fist bump, meaning she had done an excellent job. Both turned to me as if I was the next one to be painted on.
“Did you expect us to be able to buy real ones?” Grace asked, smirking at me.
“I guess I did,” I mumbled. “At least the gas masks are real.” I forced a smile on my face.
My phone rang and I dropped the sword. It hit the ground and the clatter of the plastic made me flinch. The blood thirst was sneaking its way into my brain again. I gritted my teeth as I answered the phone.
“Rayea?” Blick’s deep voice reached out to me. Instantly my body relaxed.
“Hey, how are you? You guys back already?”
“That is why I am calling. I have been detained. I am not coming back.”
The serious tone in his voice sounded odd. All our calls while he was away had been far more compassionate and caring. We joked. We laughed. We would talk for hours sometimes. Even the early hour in the evening seemed unusual. Why was he calling me this early?
“What do you mean?” I asked. “You aren’t coming back? Not right away, right? You don’t mean ‘never coming back,’ do you?”
My head swirled with uncertainty and confusion as the blood thirst forced its way into the front of my thoughts. My fangs flashed out and I wanted to scream into the phone.
Both Lynn and Grace drew near me and motioned for me to sit down on the closed seat of the bathroom toilet. I waved my hand at them, suddenly very annoyed at everything around me.
“Blick, are you there?” I hoped my voice sounded strong, yet polite. “What are you talking about?”
And that’s when he laid it on me. His words reached out across the phone lines and cratered me in the face.
“I think we need to cancel the wedding. It is not going to work, you know? We are just too different. I hope you understand. I want to move on and focus on my work. I know you will understand. Be happy and prosper.”
The line went dead.
As I sank to the ground, Lynn and Grace rushed in to comfort me. I could not speak. I had no idea what had just occurred. I was in shock. Tears streamed down my face and their images blurred before me. I felt Grace’s fingers touch my temple. She read my thoughts and I didn’t resist. I didn’t want to repeat the totally foreign words Blick had used to break up with me. Who does that? I thought. Be happy and prosper? What the fuck?
“Help me get her up,” Grace said to Lynn. “We need to get out of here.”
I stared at them blindly, not worried that my mouth hung open and my fangs were gleaming for the world to see. I wanted to die.
“I need a drink.” I sprang back to life and jumped up on my feet. Looking in the bathroom mirror, I smiled at myself. “Tequila anyone?”
Quickly Grace blocked my exit from the bathroom. Blockading the door she said, “Rayea, let’s be smart here. I suggest we go home, okay? You can’t go out in public looking like this.”
“Like what?” I yelled back at her. I knew what she meant. I shouldn’t walk out of the coffee shop and stroll along the night streets, showing off my vampire teeth with the world.
“We’ll call Blick again, okay? When we get home. We’ll call him. I’m sure he didn’t mean any of that.”
I heard Lynn scream as I lifted Grace up by the throat and pounded her head and shoulders a few times against the metal door. “Say his name again and I’ll end you.”
I didn’t look at Grace as I let her go. She dropped to the floor and moved away from the door. I whirled around and motioned to Lynn to pick up her belongings so we could leave the small bathroom. The door easily broke free from its hinges as I ripped it from blocking our path. Crunching the center of it into a mangled accordion shape, I leaned it against the nearest corner. That poor door didn’t see that coming, I thought to myself and stared at it for a few moments, hoping I could cure my wrath of anger with a pint of liquor. I had to take my anger out on something other than my friends. They had never seen me like this. I had never been like this. Being hungry for blood certainly did not help my state of being. I had no idea what I could do next and going home to the place where Blick and I lived was not an option. My plan was to find the nearest bar and drink myself into oblivion. It was that or massacre everyone sitting in the coffee shop.
“I know where Max’s new bar is. It’s close by. We’ll go there,” Grace offered.
I nodded to her and telepathically sent her a slew of apologies for my actions.
She leaned in close to me while Lynn finished frantically packing her makeup kit, finally standing erect and ready to leave.
“We’ll get through this,” Grace said.
Lynn added, “We’ve got your back, right?”
I smiled at both of them. The anguish I felt had tore open my soul. I had no idea why Blick wanted to end our engagement. It had to be a mistake, as Grace had said. It had to be. I decided to let it be for now, try not to kill anyone tonight, and figure out a plan in the morning.
Chapter 7
A Good Time (Satan)
***
“Satan wants us to constantly focus on everything that is wrong with us and look at how far we still have to go.” ~ Joyce Meyer
***
I ended the call and smiled to myself. That was easy. Oh yes, my oldest daughter had no idea what I was prepared to do to stop her wedding. I had only begun.
Walking along the sidewalks of downtown San Francisco, amid the people, I felt embraced in their love and warmth. Their hustle. Their bustle. Their adorable mundane lives. Work. Work. Work. My children had things on their minds. These people would serve me and become my slaves. Why had not I thought of it before? Growing my army here on Earth with these stupid sheep-minded creatures. A real grassroots political movement like no other. I simply needed to give them a reason to follow me, a very good reason. The rest would take care of itself.
I noticed a small group of people, standing near one corner of Union Square. As I crossed the street, a flapping noise above me caught my attention. That could not be what I thought I saw. I decided to investigate more. As I climbed the steps to the popular gathering area, I could not believe what I was looking at. I moved to the center of the area to get the full view, turning around in a circle several times. On each corner of the park were these massive posters depicting my oldest daughter’s face. The posters hung on steel poles that were probably twelve feet high.
As I maneuvered through the crowd and got close enough to see everything on the poster, I read the slogan covering the bottom of the image. ‘She may be a daughter of Satan, and a vampire. But she’s on our side. Join the fight today.’ Rayea’s expression was pleasing and confident, a small smile appeared to cling to the corner of her mouth, her eyes were caring, passionate, yet strong. Her vampire fangs were not visible at
all. In the corner of the poster was a book, tilted slightly to the right and hanging near her head, but off to the side. The title of the book was clearly visible. It said, ‘The Vampire from Hell Returns.’ Underneath the book image were the words, ‘Now Available.’
The fucking cunt. She wrote another book. How? How was that possible? And she’s broadcasting it with these massive posters? Who markets like this?
“Amazing, don’t you think?” A lovely young teenage girl spoke to me. Shiny black shoes, white socks, innocent ivory legs, red shorts, and a red shirt beneath a black and white checkered Hello Kitty hoodie. The cat creature held a strawberry and sarcastically stared back at me. The girl’s long blonde hair and light green eyes gleamed under the immense park and streetlights. The posters continued to flutter in the evening wind. Just as she was about to turn away, I grabbed the teenager’s hand and pulled her into my arms. Bending down and holding her close, I whispered to her. “Why do you want to be evil? Everyone knows vampires are evil.”
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Mister. She’s on our side. She’s one of the good guys. You ask anybody.”
“Go find your mother before I eat you,” I replied, hissing at her.
Horrified, she ran off into the crowd. “Mommy, mommy. Monster. Monster!”
I’m sure it’s a fad, I thought as I watched her flee. Who reads nowadays anyways?
***
When I strolled in the Red Skull Bar & Restaurant on Grant Street, my mood had slightly improved. From the back of the place, Nathan waved to me.
Before I could get to the guys’ table, Max stopped me. “I don’t want you in here. None of you. Get out.”
“Hi Max. Good to see you too. I am meeting some friends. We won’t cause any trouble. We’re only some guys out for a good time. You understand.”
Max growled at me under his breath. His eyes flashed gold. “Shapeshifting dog shit. Get out of my way.”
I didn’t pay attention to G’s friend, Max as he scurried away. I knew where he was going and who he was about to call. G. It would not be long before he sent his compatriots over to speak with me. I’d have to be ready.
“Luc, sit down,” Nathan called out.
Grabbing a chair and plopping down with the crew, I looked around at the few rounds of beer bottles already consumed, the cigarettes snuffed out, and a few joints crushed into the ashtrays.
I picked up the crinkled paper of the burnt out joint. “When did this become legal?”
“It’s not,” T cackled behind me as he returned to the table with more beer. Nathan, T, and the remainder of the group seemed to be wasted. It could work to my advantage. For the moment, I decided to play along. It would not do for me to peak too early along with my friends.
Suddenly Nathan piped up, holding his beer as if it was a teacher’s yardstick. “I believe it is legal, you moron. Medical marijuana has been legal in California since the mid ‘90s.”
The others nodded as T lowered his head, a rosy red flush covering his cheeks.
“Keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nathan added T’s way.
Someone has to be Nathan’s bitch, I thought to myself. Finally, I interrupted their discussion. “I saw some new advertisements on the way in. Have anyone of you read this Vampire from Hell book?”
T announced that they did, every night. An absurd confession, I surmised. It seemed they loved the comical story of a vampire girl fighting against her father, Satan.
“Clearly it’s not real,” Nathan announced as he extinguished his cigarette. “We aren’t idiots, Luc.”
I saw the red flush of his cheeks and realized Nathan was embarrassed at T’s comments. How cute, I thought.
“Sure,” I said. “I would not think that. But I thought I would ask. When I walked by Union Square, I saw some new posters about it. Looks like there is another book coming out.”
“Oh! That’s right,” T squealed. “I’ve been meaning to buy that. I have to wait until this Friday though. I hate being poor.”
“If you had a job, T, you wouldn’t be poor,” Nathan scolded the younger boy. Both of them had to be 25 or 30 at most. Wasting their lives away smoking dope and playing video games. I laughed at Nathan’s insult. “How about I buy us all copies? I read the first one too. I’d like to see what happens in this second one.”
Nathan winked at me. His blood-shot eyes forever cloudy. “So you like the book too, Luc? I would not have thought that at all.”
“Really?” I asked. “Why’s that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You look like you’d read westerns or mysteries or something.”
I laughed again. “I’ve been known to surprise people more than once. I am into a lot more stuff than I admit. What is the saying? Don’t judge a book by its cover?” I chuckled again, wondering if I had won over my potential minions yet. “Let’s have a few rounds before we eat, shall we?” I asked. “I have a surprise to show you.”
Emphatically Nathan and his friends agreed with my suggestion. It was like herding sheep. These boys were obedient and loyal as long as I offered them liquor or food. Who would have imagined raising an army would be so simple?
“Who would like to try a blood shot,” I asked.
“What the fuck is that,” T lunged at me and knocked over my beer. He was clearly a possible menu selection for the night if I got bored. “I’ll show you. Hold on. I’ll get us a few shots of vodka, the good stuff. Who’s in?”
My sheep clapped enthusiastically. Standing up and smiling down at my children, I adjusted my hard-on as I left the table and went to the bar to place my order. I had plans for my boys.
Chapter 8
Union Square (Rayea)
***
“For me, relationships are the real action movies. Bombs are exploding every day and the kitchen is Ground Zero.” ~Michelle Williams
***
As we made our way over to the Red Skull, I noticed a big crowd in Union Square. “What do you think that is about?” I asked Grace and Lynn.
Grace pointed at the posters. “That may explain it.”
“Did you guys do that?” Posters of my face as large as the width of a door waved in the breeze. I counted four, on each corner of the park, but there could have been more.
Lynn answered my question. “It was Ashton’s idea. He has a friend in that big Public Relations firm on Beach Street. He happens to be a fan and agreed to promote your next book for free.”
“I have a new book coming out?” I asked forgetting that Lynn still had old notes of mine from earlier journal entries.
Grace and Lynn both grinned back at me. “You do,” they said at the same time. I let my broken heart feel the warmth that was radiating in my friends’ faces. No one had ever been so nice to me, except Blick. My heart splintered all over again. Fuck it, I thought. I raced up the steps. “Let’s go check it out.”
The girls followed me up the steps to the park. We wandered over to the center where a large statue stood. Lynn read off the scripture on the marble stone. “She’s the Goddess of Victory. That’s pretty cool, huh?”
“Oh, I see it now. The lady on top of the monument. That’s really tall,” Grace commented. She moved closer to me. “I think we are being watched.”
“What?” I glanced over at Lynn, who was also backing up to stand near the statue with us. “What’s going on?”
“I pulled my fangs in when we left the coffee shop.” Hopefully, my comment was truthful. I had been so angry I had no idea how long I had walked along the streets, headed towards the park, showing my fangs. Did it really matter?
A group of people had gathered around us, waiting for something to happen. Finally, a young girl stepped forward. “Are you the Vampire from Hell?”
I knelt down to her level. “How old are you?”
“Eight.”
I gulped in a breath. Her mother appeared behind the girl. “It’s alright,” her mother said. “She isn’t old enough to read your books, but
she wants to be you.”
The crowd laughed.
Lynn handed me one of my books with the new cover on it. “Sign it,” she whispered.
“Sign it?”
“Yeah.” Lynn motioned to the little girl, and then made a writing gesture. “Sign it.”
“Do you have a pen, Rayea?” Grace asked, leaning forward slightly.
“I may have something better,” I said, smiling at the little girl. “Do you mind if I sign it in fire?”
“Cool,” she exclaimed.
Taking the book in my left hand, I flipped open the back cover and pointed the long nail of my index finger over the paper. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
“Stephanie, but I’m nice. Not like your sister. Why did you name her Stephanie?”
“Should I rename that character?” I asked the little girl as I scratched her name and a short good wishes salutation on the paper. Then I pressed the palm of my hand against the paper. Feeling the heat from my body rush out of my hand, the paper glowed and glittered, but it did not ignite. I sighed with relief. Finally, a few ashes settled and disappeared as the autograph came forth on the paper. It looked like it had been embossed.
Immediately, Grace and Lynn bounced over to a bookstore called Borders, across from Union Square. They bought a stack of my books and I signed them, handing them out as I spoke and tried to remain an obedient vampire. The thirst was fighting its way back into my brain.
“Can I get a picture with you?”
An unfamiliar voice surfaced behind me. Grace growled under her breath. “Nathan,” she hissed.
“How nice to see you, Grace? You are looking well.”
I glanced over at Lynn who was busy collecting money for the remaining books I had finished signing.
“Oh wait, I have a picture. You can sign it instead.” He thrust a crumpled up 5 x 7 glossy photo at me.
“Rayea, don’t.” Grace’s voice had every sense of warning etched in it.
In response to her concern, my fangs tried to force their way forward.
