by Amy Cross
"So you're probably pretty pleased with yourself," he called out eventually.
Madeleine looked up from her book.
"You were right all along," he continued.
"I was?"
"She's not here, is she?"
"Maybe she was delayed," Madeleine suggested. "There are lots of reasons why she might have missed the bus. Have you tried calling her?"
"No answer."
"Have you tried -"
"She's not coming," Adam said firmly. "You were right. No-one gets second chances. I guess she doesn't think I've really changed. When it came down to it, she figured I'd do the same thing again."
"But you know you wouldn't," Madeleine said. "Don't you?"
Adam nodded wearily.
"So isn't that what matters?"
"I thought she believed in me," he replied. "I thought she trusted me."
"Maybe she's scared."
"Maybe she just can't take that leap of faith," Adam suggested. "Maybe she can't look past the fact that I..." He paused. "I'll tell you one thing," he continued after a moment. "She loves me. I know that. There's no way you'll ever persuade me that our love isn't strong. It's just, I guess it's not enough to overcome everything else. She probably figured that every time she looked at me, she'd be reminded of what I did."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Closing in half an hour," the barman said suddenly.
"You want another drink?" Adam called across the room to Madeleine.
She paused, as if she wasn't sure whether to accept his offer. "Another red wine, thanks," she said eventually. "Just a small one."
Hauling himself from his chair, Adam wandered over to the counter and waited while the skeptical-looking barman poured a glass of wine followed by another beer. Once he'd paid, Adam carried the drinks over to Madeleine's table and set them down.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Knock yourself out," she replied with a faint, cautious smile.
"I guess you think I'm a total idiot," Adam said as he sat down. "All that crap about love. I must've sounded like some kind of fucking schoolboy."
"You've changed your mind pretty fast," Madeleine pointed out. "A few minutes ago, you were convinced that love was going to save the day. Now you've gone in the other direction. Are your beliefs always so fragile?"
"I can't deny the evidence before my eyes, can I?"
"But you still don't know why she didn't turn up."
"She saw through me," he said, taking a big gulp from his glass of beer. "She knew I couldn't change. She knew I'd do the same thing again. Love was never going to be enough." He paused. "I guess I'll never know if she was right."
"Whether you've changed?" Madeleine asked. She waited for an answer, but it was clear that Adam was now lost in thought. "Maybe you want to put yourself to the test?" she added eventually.
"How?" Adam asked, turning to her.
"There's a way," she replied, unable to stifle a grin. "If you're brave enough, and stupid enough."
Chapter Three
It was quick and easy.
After leading Adam out of the cafe, Madeleine led him on a meandering walk through the late-night streets of Sofia's outskirts. She knew where they were going, but she figured she might as well get to know him a little better first, so she took a route that was far from direct. Constantly teasing him, she was careful to keep him from getting too despondent, and she steered the conversation well away from the subject of Lucy's failure to appear.
Once they reached the cemetery out by the old church, she made her move. It was desperately, pathetically easy. All she had to do was take the teasing up a notch and show a little flesh, and soon Adam was all over her. Having not made love to a human for a couple of years, Madeleine allowed herself to enjoy the experience, at least for a while. Sure, Adam's fumbling moves were kind of deflating, and he was by no means an expert lover, especially from the point of view of a woman who had slept with some of the greatest men of the past few centuries. Still, it was a decent way to pass the time, and she realized eventually that she'd missed the feel of a man pressed against her naked body.
When they were finished, Adam stood back, catching his breath as he cleaned himself up. Madeleine, however, was in no hurry. She remained naked, enjoying the way that Adam kept glancing at her. It had been so long since she'd been admired for her beauty, and she could no longer remember why she'd withdrawn from such encounters in recent years. Human men were always so shallow, so easy to please. They really weren't much of a challenge, but sometimes easy love could be a lot of fun.
"I was right," she said eventually, keeping her eyes fixed on Adam as he stood naked nearby. "You do remind me of him."
"Who?" he asked.
"Never mind," she continued, looking up at the brooding sky. The rain had finally eased, but it was clear that a much bigger storm was on the way, coming from the west. "How do you feel?" she asked eventually, turning back to Adam.
He smiled. "This isn't quite how I expected the evening to go..."
"One must always be open to unexpected developments," Madeleine replied. "A closed mind is a dead mind. But tell me, do you think I was right after all?"
"About what?"
"You haven't changed at all, have you?" She smiled as she waited for a reply. "All it took was for your lucky lady to do a no-show, and an hour later you were doing very naughty things to me. In a cemetery, no less."
"This is different," Adam replied. "Lucy stood me up. It's over with her."
"But how could you sleep with me," Madeleine continued, stepping closer to him and looking down to admire his manhood, "if you love her?"
"Easily," he said, staring into her eyes.
"Come here," she said, leaning toward his neck. "There's one last thing I forgot to do."
"What?" he asked, stepping back.
"It's a surprise," she continued. "Come on, you trust me, don't you?"
"I don't want a love bite," he said. "I'm not into that shit."
"Just hold still," she replied, sniffing his neck for a moment. "You smell good. Do you know that? I swear to God, I can smell your blood from here, even through your skin. It's strong and potent. You're a healthy man, Adam. I can hear your heart-beat."
"Huh," he replied, a little surprised by her sudden intensity.
"My God," she continued, taking a deep breath. "Everyone's blood smells different. Did you know that? Every human has their own particular scent. It takes a fine, trained nose to distinguish between them, of course. One must study and take notice of the world. But you, you have very strong blood. Is there royalty in your family?"
"Royalty?" He laughed nervously. "I don't think so." Feeling his manhood start to stir again, he reached up and placed his hands on Madeleine's full, round breasts.
"You think you can go again?" she whispered, her breath hot on his skin.
"Maybe something a little different this time," he replied, pressing his crotch against her as he reached around and placed his hands on her buttocks. "You want to mix things up a bit? Maybe try something a little dirtier?"
"Maybe," she whispered, opening her mouth as she leaned even closer to his neck. "Tell me something," she continued, with tears in her eyes. "Do you believe that a creature of pure evil can mend its ways? If she, or he, felt compelled to commit acts of unspeakable cruelty, would that compulsion be absolute? Or might the creature, through sheer force of will, be able to fight back and... maybe... do something good once in a while?"
"I believe we all have free will," he replied. "Does that answer your question?"
"I don't know," she said quietly, opening her mouth a little wider, her fangs just a few millimeters from Adam's neck. "I hope so, but I can't be certain. It's so hard to know, isn't it?"
"I guess."
"Especially if that creature was drawn to pain and suffering," she continued, with tears in her eyes. "If it was like a drug. If it was the only thing that made her feel alive, and the temptation was
too strong for her to resist. Who could blame her for doing bad things?"
"Why are you asking?" he whispered.
She paused, unable to give him an honest answer.
"Madeleine?"
No reply.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said, stepping back. "I just have to go, that's all. I shouldn't be out here, not now, not with you." Grabbing her clothes, she began to get dressed.
"Are you sure you don't want to come back to my place?" Adam asked. "I feel like this is kind of an abrupt way to leave things."
"I have to go home," Madeleine muttered, not looking at him. "It'll take a while, so I need to get going. Besides, I have a friend coming to visit soon. I need to get ready to go and meet him."
"Yeah, but -"
"Forget about it," she said, turning to him now that she was fully dressed. "Forget you ever met me. Forget about this whole night. Give your Lucy a call, find out why she didn't come back to you -"
"But -"
"Just do it!" There was a hint of desperation in Madeleine's eyes now, as if she was forcing herself to hold back from something. "If you're smart, you'll wipe every part of this night from your memory. Can you do that? Can you forget it ever happened? Or are you secretly proud of all your mistakes?"
Adam sighed.
"Don't follow me," Madeleine said, pushing past him. "You won't see me again. Just promise you'll call her. Prove to me that people can change." She waited for him to answer. "Do you promise?"
"Sure," he replied, a little disturbed by the sudden change in her character.
Still naked, Adam stood and watched as Madeleine hurried away, and soon she'd disappeared into the darkness. Stunned by the abruptness of her departure, he wasn't quite sure how to interpret her remarks. He was certain that he'd done nothing wrong, but there'd been a kind of skittishness about Madeleine, a kind of restless energy that made him think that she perhaps had some kind of emotional problem. Figuring there was no point going after her, he gathered his clothes and started getting dressed.
"Crazy bitch," he muttered. "Good fuck, but crazy bitch."
Chapter Four
Hurrying through the darkness, Madeleine eventually heard a banging sound in the distance. As she got closer to the cafe, which was now shut for the night, she saw a female figure knocking insistently on the door, with a suitcase on the ground nearby.
Above, a window slid open and the barman leaned out.
"We're closed!" he shouted gruffly, before closing the window again.
"I'm just looking for someone!" the girl called up to him, but it was too late.
Stopping dead in her tracks, Madeleine stared at the girl and wondered whether, by some curious design of fate, she might have stumbled upon the one person she hadn't expected to see tonight.
"Fuck!" the girl exclaimed, giving the door of the cafe a frustrated kick. Turning and grabbing her suitcase, she finally noticed Madeleine standing on the other side of the square. "Hey!" she called out. "Do you know, like, a hostel or something nearby? I need a place to stay."
Hesitantly, Madeleine crossed the street and approached the girl. Petite and pretty, with big blue eyes and a bob of short blonde hair, she was quite a sight.
"Lucy?" she asked.
The girl frowned. "How'd you know my name?"
Madeleine couldn't help but smile. "Adam... told me about you."
"You know Adam?" Lucy replied, looking relieved "Where is he? I need to find him!"
"He was here," Madeleine continued. "He was waiting for you until the cafe closed."
"I missed the bus," Lucy explained breathlessly, "and then I got another one, but it dropped me off over by the bridge, so I had to walk the last three miles, and I didn't have a map so I wasn't sure which way to go and I couldn't find a taxi, and my phone battery's dead, so I need to find a place to recharge it, and I've got Adam's address and stuff saved on the phone and... I mean, my fucking luck tonight has been insane. It's hard to believe all the stuff that's gone wrong."
Madeleine stared at her for a moment. "Yeah," she said finally. "It is hard to believe."
"So do you know a hostel or something? Or do you know where Adam lives?" She paused for a moment. "How do you know Adam, anyway?"
"I don't," Madeleine said quickly. "Not really. I just got talking to him tonight. He was very excited to see you, though, and very disappointed when you didn't show up."
"It's okay," Lucy replied. "I'll explain everything when I see him. I just need to find a place to sleep for the night, and a socket so I can charge my phone."
"Of course," Madeleine replied, feeling almost dazed by the coincidence. "Come with me. I know a place."
Leading Lucy away from the cafe, Madeleine couldn't help but glance over her shoulder to make sure that Adam wasn't catching up to them. This sudden encounter with Lucy seemed like an unbelievable coincidence, and Madeleine felt that such coincidences had to happen for a good reason. She didn't believe in God, but she was tempted to wonder whether some kind of external force was guiding events. Then again, she knew that coincidences did happen occasionally, and that such rare occasions should never be wasted.
"Do you think he's changed?" Madeleine asked as they walked along the dark street.
"Who?" Lucy asked. "Adam?"
"I know what happened between you," Madeleine continued. "He explained everything. When you didn't show up, he thought it was because you didn't believe he could change."
"Huh," Lucy replied noncommittally, looking down at the sidewalk.
"So do you think people can change?" Madeleine asked. "I don't just mean Adam. I mean everyone. If someone has a compulsion, something that they struggle to resist, do you think they can ever overcome it for long?"
"Like sleeping with another woman?"
"Like anything." Madeleine paused for a moment. "Imagine if someone has this urge. Something that they feel compelled to do, even if they'd do anything to resist. Almost like an addiction. Maybe they can hold back once or twice, here and there, but in general, can they overcome their need? For example, if they felt an urge to destroy something beautiful. Do you think that kind of person could change?"
"I don't know," Lucy replied. "No. I guess not. I mean, not if they've got an addiction."
"That's what I thought," Madeleine said, leading Lucy down a narrow, dark alley. There were tears in her eyes, but she was determined not to show any emotion. She'd killed so many times in her life, and she didn't see why this stringy little woman should be any different to all the rest.
"So where are we going again?" Lucy asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"I know a place you can stay," Madeleine said, before stopping and turning to her. "But first, you need to know something. Adam was very upset when you didn't show up. Distraught, even. He was convinced that you'd give him a second chance, but by the end of the night he'd come to accept that you didn't believe in him. It was a very sad thing to see, but I think there's still hope for the pair of you. If you truly believe in him -"
"I do," Lucy said eagerly. "Can you just take me to him? Please?"
Madeleine paused for a moment. "No," she said finally, stepping closer. "But I promise I'll tell him where to find you." With that, she grabbed Lucy, pulled her closer and bit the side of her neck, sliding her two sharp fangs deep into the girl's flesh.
The Vampire's Grave part 1
Chapter One
They were already running late by the time they reached the guest-house. Bad weather had followed them from the airport, making the roads treacherous as early evening gave way to an unlit night, and they had to rely on an old paper map since the hired jeep lacked any kind of GPS system. Once they were a couple of miles away from Sofia's airport, they felt as if they were out in the middle of nowhere, on dark roads that seemed to have been undisturbed for many years. They saw no other traffic out here, and several times they thought they must be lost until, finally, the guest-house came into view up ahead.
"Are you sure we
didn't accidentally travel back in time?" asked Dr. Mike Walton as he parked the jeep and switched off the engine. "I can't shake the feeling that we've left the twenty-first century a long way behind."
"I wouldn't say that to the locals," replied Dr. Kate Langley, trying and failing to fold the map properly. "They might take offense."
Pushing the door open, Mike stared out at the pouring rain. The front door of the guest-house was only a few meters away, but it was clear that even this short run would be something of an endurance test.
"I'm not really a field guy," Mike said after a moment, turning back to Kate. "You might have noticed that about me. I tend to like sitting behind a desk, studying things that other people bring to the museum. I don't travel well."
"Which is why I'm extra grateful to you for deigning to come all the way out to Bulgaria with me," Kate replied with a smile, before pushing her door open and hurrying out into the rain. "I've been out here for a couple of weeks, but I needed someone for the last leg."
Mike sat and watched as Kate hurried to the front door of the guest-house. The entire building seemed to be shrouded in darkness, and Mike couldn't shake the fear that maybe they'd come all this way only to discover that the place was empty. This far out in the Bulgarian countryside, he felt there was a real danger that they could fall victim to a clan of angry yokels. Although he was in his early thirties, Mike had never left England before, so he had no direct experience with other cultures. Kate, on the other hand, was a seasoned traveler who'd come out to Bulgaria a couple of weeks in advance, to scout around and do some groundwork ahead of their big project. Mike was trying to hide his inexperience from Kate, but just getting off the plane at Sofia's main airport had been a pretty big culture shock. Now that they were out here -
