Blood and Needles
Page 5
“Where do you get the dirt?”
Anna Marie reached inside the coffin and picked up a handful. She crumbled the dirt between her fingers and tossed it back inside. “The only requirement is that is has to be graveyard dirt, so we break into a nearby cemetery and steal some as we need it. It’s another one of those weird rules you’re so fond of. Later on, you’ll have Vampire 101 and someone will go over lots of other important information with you, but it has been a busy day and I’m sure all you want to do right now is get to bed.” As if on cue, the door opened. “Ah, here’s Deborah,” Anna Marie said. “And she’s just in time.”
A petit blonde that looked a lot like Naomi Watts entered the room and stood beside Anna Marie. Is there such a thing as an ugly acolyte? Steven wondered.
“Deborah, this is Steven. He is the newest member of our family and as such, is very special to me. Should anything happen to him while he sleeps the consequences will be severe.”
Deborah bowed slightly. “Welcome, Steven. I’ll do everything in my power to make you comfortable.”
“Thank you, Deborah.”
“Sleep well,” Anna Marie said and gave him a kiss. “Deborah will take good care of you. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I can’t wait.”
Anna Marie gave Steven one last smile and left the room. A feeling of sadness overtook him as he watched her walk away. Reluctantly, he turned his attention to Deborah. In her hands she held a gold tray containing a hypodermic needle attached to a 50 cc syringe. Beside it lay a rubber tourniquet and a large glass vial of morphine. He began to salivate.
Deborah took the vial into her hand, turned it upside down and inserted the needle. “How much would you like?” she asked, while efficiently drawing the drug up through the syringe.
That’s a stupid question.
“All of it,” Steven said, relishing the idea of no longer being susceptible to overdose. His heartbeat began to quicken in anticipation of such a large shot.
“Of course,” Deborah said, apparently no stranger to administering massive amounts of opiates to vampires. “If you would like to slip into your coffin I’ll be glad to give you the injection.”
Steven settled down into the wooden box and realized that instead of being uncomfortable and confining, the coffin actually felt snug and cozy. He extended his arm. “Ready when you are.”
“I’ll be here until Anna Marie comes to collect you shortly after sundown. Should you wake up during the day and need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” With these words she tied off his left arm and inserted the needle.
8
Steven began to dream almost instantly. It was the most lucid dream he’d ever had, and he became an invisible observer, silently watching while the action unfolded.
He was completely naked, and floated languidly along a river of blood. It was reminiscent of the time he had spent at Wet n’ Wild as a child. Every summer before Allen’s death Steven’s dad would buy the family season passes to the water park. Almost every day the twins would take the Lynx bus to the park and spend their time either trying to drown each other in the wave pool or racing each other on the water slides.
On weekends when they weren’t too busy, their parents would accompany them. On these days the family spent most of their time in the lazy river, a long, winding waterway that encircled the park. The four of them would grab inner tubes and float along the lazy river for hours at a time. Steven’s mom and dad would hold hands and talk while he and Allen squirted them with overpriced souvenir water pistols. Their parents would either beg for mercy or knock the boys off their tubes, and the twins would respond by splashing them until all traffic behind them ground to a halt. The Lazy River wasn’t so lazy when the Jameson family was around.
That’s what the beginning of the dream was like: a lazy river of blood. Steven floated along the bloody waterway, dipping his head to the side every now and then for a drink as the current carried him along. As the dream progressed, however, he began to notice both a change in the viscosity of the blood as well as the pleasurable atmosphere.
Only slightly at first, the blood began to thicken, and its sweet odor became foul and putrid. Steven’s satisfaction transformed into a mild discomfort that quickly changed to horror. He glanced down and saw that his body had become stuck in thick, sticky blood clots that resembled icebergs. The clots continued to thicken until they became a thick wall of congealed blood that paralyzed him. He thrashed wildly, all around him, in a desperate attempt to break free. This move worked at first, but eventually the liquid solidified so quickly and powerfully that his arms couldn’t keep pace and he became cemented inside the frozen waterway of blood. It seemed that in dreams at least, his vampire powers meant nothing.
The odor of the blood was mixed with the smell of dead, rotting flesh. The resulting stench became so powerful that Steven began to gag. At the same time, he heard loud, crashing sounds erupt around him, and he watched in growing horror as ghoulish bodies broke through the surface. Soon Steven was surrounded by the naked, bloated corpses of those family members he had left behind in Heaven. Lifeless fingers from every direction pointed at him and made their accusations:
“Steven, you murdered me. I loved you so much.” Mom.
“Steven, you stole pain medication from me. My cancer hurt so bad.” Grandma.
“Steven, you chose life as a vampire over me. I thought that we would spend eternity together.” Allen.
Unable to bear it any longer, Steven screamed, and felt his vocal cords rupture under the force of his cries. With no hesitation, the zombies from his human past attacked without mercy, their numbers multiplying until there were several hundred or more. Somehow Steven knew that each one was a person he had hurt in some way during his life as an addict.
Thousands of teeth tore the flesh off Steven’s body, fueled by a hunger to avenge the pain he had once inflicted upon them. He watched in horror as his mother chewed the meat off his fingers and gulped it down with an unholy zeal. He turned from this terrible sight only to see his twin brother rip his left arm completely off his torso. Before he bit into it, however, Allen broke off a finger and threw it high into the air. Buster, the undead border collie, jumped up through a break in the clotted blood and caught the finger in his mouth, swallowing it whole, as if it were the best doggie treat he’d ever tasted. “Good boy,” Allen told Buster while winking at Steven with a devilish smile.
At this point Steven’s sanity failed him, and he began to scream. “Help me!!! Somebody please help me! Anna Marie! Help me, Anna Marie!”
The coffin lid snapped open, and Anna Marie lifted Steven to his feet and took him into her arms. The acolyte Deborah sat frozen in her chair, gasping helplessly as Anna Marie jerked her up by the head of her hair into a standing position, breaking her neck in the process. She ripped open the woman’s neck and directed Steven’s mouth toward it.
“Drink,” Anna Marie commanded. As Steven obeyed, a semblance of peace gradually returned, and the images of his nightmare began to recede. The emotional satiety the blood provided multiplied with each swallow, and soon he felt a prick in his arm. He fell further back into Anna Marie’s arms, relaxing as the drugs took hold.
Once Deborah’s blood was spent, Steven dropped her lifeless body to the floor. Anna Marie held him tightly, kissing his forehead over and over again, as if her lips could somehow ease his pain. They did, and after a few more minutes, Steven felt like himself again.
“I’m sorry, Steven,” Anna Marie said. “I thought that 50ccs of morphine would be enough to put you into a deep enough sleep to avoid nightmares, but I guess I was wrong. We’ll simply have to increase your dose from now on.”
“Or you could stay here with me and help keep the boogeyman away,” Steven whispered. He brushed the side of her cheek with the back of his hand. “Thank you.”
They remained that way for a few minutes more before Steven broke the silence.
“So what are we going to do tonight?”<
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“We’re not going to do anything. I’ve got some clan business that can’t wait, so I’ve asked someone to let you tag along with them. I hate to leave you so soon after your transformation, but duty calls. We’ll have lots of time together after tonight, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Steven said, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
A few minutes later someone knocked on the door. “Come on in,” Anna Marie called out.
A very fit-looking male vampire entered. Exceedingly large, he wore a pair of dark grey slacks and a tight, black short-sleeved shirt he had probably chosen, Steven thought, for the sole purpose of showing off his muscles. His light brown hair was extremely close-cropped in a style sported mainly by those who had spent time in the military.
Anna Marie smiled at the new arrival. “Thank you so much, Eric, for helping me tonight.”
“It’s truly my pleasure,” he said, and bowed slightly. Then he turned towards Steven. “Pleased to meet you, Steven. I’m Eric.”
Steven shook hands warmly. “Good to know you, Eric.”
Anna Marie walked with them to the front entrance. “Steven, Eric is one of our finest leaders, and has agreed to let you tag along with him tonight, since I’m unable to break my plans. But trust me, you’ll be in very good hands.”
Steven smiled. “A Guys’ Night Out already. I love it.”
Anna Marie smiled. “Great! So tonight is just a ride-along. There’s no danger involved with what Eric has planned, so just stick with him, watch, and learn. And don’t forget the most important thing in the vampire game is to remain as unobtrusive as possible and not let anyone see you doing any supernatural-type stuff.”
“I’ll be a veritable fly on the wall,” Steven said, smiling.
“That’s what Mama likes to hear. Eric, try your best to have Steven back here at least an hour before dawn. That will give me plenty of time to get him settled into his temporary coffin.”
“Will do. Don’t worry about us.”
Anna Marie turned and disappeared somewhere inside.
Eric held out his hand. “Grab hold, and we’ll be on our way.”
“You mean we’re flying?” Steven asked, trying hard to not sound like a newbie.
“Sure, unless you know a better way to get to Kissimmee and back before dawn. You’re not afraid of heights, are you?”
“No, it’s not that,” Steven replied. “I just didn’t think I’d be taking to the Friendly Skies so soon. And don’t we turn into bats, or something?”
“Turning into bats is graduate level stuff.” Eric stuck out his arm again. “So are we going or not?”
“We are,” Steven said and grabbed hold of Eric’s arm.
“Then away we go,” Eric said, and lifted them both into the air.
“Holy shit, Eric,” Steven screamed once they’d reached their cruising altitude, about 1,500 feet. “This is fucking awesome!!”
“Glad you like it!”
“But why is it that no humans can see us? We’re not that high up, and there’s lots of people out tonight.”
Eric pulled up sharply, so they wouldn’t have a head-on with a seagull. When they were straight and level again he said “the reason we can’t be seen is because I have a little charm inside my pocket that makes us invisible. Anna Marie conjured it for us. She makes great charms, spells, all that shit. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Very cool. So what’s the plan for tonight?”
“Nothing much,” Eric said. “We’re just going to check out some new mid-level dealers. See if their stuff is worth a damn.”
“I would have thought the clan would have higher connections than that,” Steven said.
“We do, but I like to check out the new players every now and then. It never hurts to make new friends, or to spot potential enemies before they can do any damage. But don’t worry, there’s no danger tonight. Well less than 1%, give or take. But, if we should happen to get into any shit, just get behind me. I’ll get us back home quick. Is it a deal?”
“Deal!”
Eric was true to his word. There was no danger to be found, just some wannabe bikers that didn’t know their ass from a hole in the ground. The two vampires stayed with them for about ten minutes and started their flight back home.
“This is a different route from the one we took coming, isn’t it?” Steven asked, shouting to be heard over the wind.
“Yes!” Eric shouted back. “Good eye! I like taking these deserted country routes when I’m bored. You never know what you might come across. Take that, for instance.”
Below them, a single pair of headlights broke through the darkness. It was a green Miata. Eric reduced altitude and changed course until they were flying about three feet above the car’s rear bumper. There were two passengers inside the car, a middle-aged male, and his female passenger. They were in the middle of a heated discussion.
Steven looked at Eric and pointed to his ears. Eric caught on immediately. “No, they can’t see or hear us unless we want them to.” He flashed a wicked grin. “Wanna have some fun with these two?”
Steven hesitated. “Well, sure, but what about Anna Marie’s rule. We’re supposed to fly under the radar aren’t we?”
“Damn, Steven, I think that has to be a clan-wide record for the shortest time it took Anna Marie to pussy whip a new recruit.”
Steven bristled. “I wouldn’t call obeying a direct order anything near the same thing as being pussy whipped. You look like you were in the service at one time, Eric. Tell me, how long was it before your first court-martial?”
“Okay, okay. Chill the fuck out, dude. I’m not talking about causing an international incident. Let’s just listen in for a bit. We won’t get tried for treason just for listening in, will we, Captain America?”
“I guess not,” Steven said, unable to hold back a grin. It was hard not to like Eric. If nothing else, he knew how to have a good time.
“Good man. Now shut the hell up so we can hear them.”
Steven shut the hell up, and listened.
“Well, you know he’s going to get caught,” the woman said. “Either by his wife or her husband. It almost always happens, and what disturbs me the most about the situation is that you defend him, the cheating bastard. Even if Tom and his wife haven’t been happy in years like you say, that still doesn’t make it right.”
The woman’s voice was high-pitched, shrill, and unbearably annoying.
“I’m not defending him, Janice. I know it’s wrong for him to cheat on his wife but what in the hell do you want me to do about it?” The man said. “I’m his best friend, not his father. I can’t help it if he wants to fuck other women.”
“Such nice language you use when talking to your wife. All I’m saying is that you should do something,” Janice said. “Talk to him, for God’s sake. Try and make him see what the consequences will be if his wife finds out and he winds up in divorce court.”
“That’s easier said than done,” he said, and reached for the volume knob on the stereo, probably trying to and turn the sound up as high as it would go in a vain attempt to drown out his wife. She immediately brushed his hand aside and turned the sound back down. The man sighed in frustration. “You know how hard-headed Tom is,” he said “He does what he wants and to hell with the consequences. He’s been that way since the third grade. “
Janice ignored him. “Well,” she said in a voice filled with righteous indignation, “all I know is that they have two beautiful children who are going to be really hurt if his affair comes to light.” She reached for the glove box. “Slow down!” she commanded. “I want to light a cigarette.”
Eric looked at Steven. “I can’t take any more of this annoying bitch. Hold on, Steven. Don’t let go of my arm!” As soon as he felt Steven tighten his grip, Eric grabbed the Miata’s rear bumper with his free hand and slung it into a pine tree. The crash shattered the peaceful silence of the lonely country road and the surrounding woods.
Janice, however, had come through the accident pretty much unscathed. “Help! Help! Will somebody please help me?” she screamed. “Peter, where are you?” Steven assumed Peter was the poor son of a bitch who had been driving.
Eric punched Steven in the shoulder and grinned. “Well, wherever he is, it’s probably a safe bet that he’s happier than he’s been in a long time, right Steven?”
Steven returned the smile. “You’re right, Eric, but we’ve got to get the hell out of here before someone sees us. What if the police show up?”
“Fuck, the police,” Eric said, still wearing his stupid, shit-eating grin. “Let’s mess with her for a little bit.”
“Eric,” Steven began, “this is going against what-”
“What Anna Marie said. Jesus, Steven were you this much of a pussy when you were human?”
Steven punched him hard in the mouth. Eric rubbed his jaw, and grinned. “That’s more like it. Listen, Steven, I’m not trying to give you a hard time, but admit it dude, you hate this bitch as much as I do, or am I lying.”
“No, Eric you’re not lying, but I’m not trying to get kicked out of the clan on charges of insubordination less than twenty-four hours after I was brought over.”
“And you won’t,” Eric said and gave the three finger salute. “Scouts honor. Give me five minutes to screw with her head and then we’re out.”
“Five minutes. That’s all?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“The time starts now,” Steven said.
“Good man,” Eric said. “Now watch how much fun it is to fuck with humans.”
Janice finally noticed them. “Mister, my husband and I need help.” Eric reached out and brushed her hair away from her face and dabbed his finger into the deep cut in her arm. He lifted it to his mouth and licked it clean of Janice’s blood. “Shhh.” he whispered. “Your husband is dead.”