No one spoke. Thomas studied his friends’ facial expressions as he got his stomach under control. His friends’ faces flickered with disbelief, confusion, and disgust. Penny held his hand last, careful not to touch the burn marks. She rubbed the skin along the burn edge, her eyebrows almost knit together.
“So, there are vampires in the city.” Nelson broke the silence as he picked compulsively at a seam on his jacket. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
Thomas nodded. “If you count me, Lawrence, and the one who bit me, that’s three. Lawrence says the Red Lightning Pub is for people like us, so I would assume there is enough in the city to supply enough customers for the pub to survive as a business. I haven’t met any others though.”
Tapping a spoon against his teacup, a habit that annoyed his sister to no end, Sean cleared his throat. “And you really drank blood? Like, you know it was blood for sure?”
Thomas pulled a brown bag from his scrubs pocket. It crinkled as he opened it and pulled out a blood bag. The clear plastic revealed the thick, deep red blood. Thomas’ stomach growled as he placed the bag on the table, the contents sloshing.
Everyone at the table besides Nelson, who saw blood donor bags like this every day, scooted back a bit.
“Well, you’ve really drained this situation of any fun. Right?” Sean’s laugh sounded like a whimper, and he tried to pass it off as a cough when he saw the glares the others gave him. “But will that be enough? I mean . . . if . . . you know . . .”
Thomas shrugged. “Watch my hand.”
Reaching into the brown bag with his uninjured hand, he pulled out a small, plastic straw. He jabbed the straw into the plastic and brought it to his lips. He held his burn out to his friends and started sucking on the straw.
The blood was room temperature and thick as it splashed on his tongue. He swallowed and sucked harder. Drinking blood was almost natural to him now, which was almost unsettling. It was almost nothing more than getting a glass of water to sate his thirst. He hated the word almost, how he was becoming desensitized to what he was doing. A part of his mind was okay this wasn’t human. The human side of his mind retreated as his instincts for blood took over, and he quit thinking about the blood and almost.
Everyone else flinched, but their eyes remained on the opaque straw and the red blood being sucked through it. Thomas kept drinking, waving his burned hand at them.
“Your hand,” Penny gasped.
All eyes moved to Thomas’ wounded hand. His scorched skin—blackened and cracked—pealed and revealed a new pinkish layer. Thomas sucked faster, emptying the blood bag and dropping it on the table. The new skin on his hand lightened to match the rest of his paler complexion, leaving his hand unblemished.
Nelson picked up the discarded blood bag. “Do you only drink from these?”
“Or do you drink from people?”
Sean’s question silenced everyone. Thomas met Sean’s eyes and watched his best friend. Everyone’s heart rates increased, the pounding echoing in Thomas’ head. He twitched, his hunger replaced by the strength that follows blood.
“No.”
Thomas couldn’t manage anything else for a response. He didn’t want to drink from humans. He didn’t want to drink from his friends. But he was too scared of himself to be able to promise. Perhaps his friends shouldn’t trust him, even if he wanted them to.
“So,” Sean couldn’t articulate his thoughts and threw his hands in the air. “You know what, I don’t know anymore. It’s someone else’s turn to think about this. Too much, I give up.”
“How do you think I feel?” Thomas asked, exasperated and satisfied at the same time. “My life’s been turned on its head—I’m not even human anymore.”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Thomas,” Penny sighed and rolled her eyes.
Artemis pursed her lips and glared at Penny.
“A little sympathy would be nice, Penny. Thomas has enough to deal with being—” Artemis stopped short, turning to look at Thomas. “Wait, are you, like, part-human? Um, are you dead? Or undead? Alive?”
“I’m not sure. I was hoping you would know, if you’d read something like this from your Wiccan books—ouch!”
Someone jabbed their fingers into Thomas’ neck, and he jumped up, almost hissing. The creature inside of him was stronger from the blood right now, guiding his subconscious reactions.
Nelson pulled his hand back and waited. Thomas breathed deeply, refocusing himself and regaining control, then sat back down.
“Sorry, I don’t startle well now.”
Sean snickered, “You never did.”
Nelson groaned and reached over again, jabbing his fingers right into the soft spot on Thomas’ neck, right below where his jaw and neckline met.
Nelson reached over again and jabbed his fingers right into the soft spot on Thomas’ neck, right below where his jaw and neckline met.
The fight response coursed through Thomas again, but he held his breath and listened to his own heartbeat.
“He has a pulse,” Nelson declared, dropping his hand after what seemed like several long moments to Thomas. “But you are cold. Like, really cold.”
Nelson wiped his hand on his jacket, as if afraid of catching vampire germs. Thomas winced at the movement.
Furrowing her brow, Penny reached into her purse and fished around for a moment. She pulled out a pocket mirror and held it up.
Everyone leaned in and was relieved to see his reflection.
“Yeah, I have a reflection,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable under such scrutiny.
Sean leaned over to Artemis and said in a stage whisper, “Hey, sis, do you have any garlic?”
Thomas groaned.
The group shifted their shock and horror into testing the classic vampire traits on Thomas, although the tense atmosphere remained like a thick blanket draping over them despite everyone’s laughter. Mildly annoying, the experiments were infinitely better than his friends treating him as if he was going to attack at any second. He double sneezed at the garlic powder Sean shoved under his nose, but it seemed to bother him in the same way a strong onion might, burning his eyes due to his new heightened sense of smell. Nelson encouraged Thomas to try and turn into a bat, but Thomas had no idea how it was supposed to work. Penny asked him to try and hypnotize her, but since she snickered every so often, especially when staring into his eyes, the idea failed.
After mentioning his trouble with the door, everyone hurried over to it. Stepping outside and closing the door, Thomas turned the knob and pushed against it.
Once again, the door was like a solid brick wall.
Sean opened the door without saying a word, and Thomas tried to step inside the apartment but the bizarre force repelled him. Cautiously, he reached up and pressed his hand against the air, right where the door should have been.
The sensation was uncanny to say the least. Perhaps more accurately, the lack of sensation was uncanny. For all his senses told him, there was nothing impeding his way, and Thomas knew on an intellectual level he should have been able to step through the empty space, but no matter how hard he tried, something stopped him.
“Dude, you could be like, the world’s best mime,” Sean said, staring at his friend in awe.
Thomas shoved both hands futilely against empty air, his biceps bulging with effort but unable to make any progress.
“That’s why it took you so long after I said ‘come in,’” Artemis said, her eyes wide with realization.
The moment she verbally extended the invitation, Thomas fell face forward onto the floor, whatever force keeping him at bay vanishing. He swore, rolling onto his back and rubbing his forehead. Penny stifled a laugh with her hand.
“Lawrence said something about thresholds. This must have been what he was talking about.”
“What about holy water and stakes and—” Nelson began.
“No.” Thomas cut him off, scrambling to his feet. “I mean, no, I don’t want to try anything that will repeat
whatever happened at the church. And did you not see what the cross did to my hand?”
“Yeah, Nelson, cut it out.” Artemis frowned.
“I was just wondering.” Nelson shrugged. “But, I mean, why do all these things happen to you? Why can’t you enter doors without verbal permission? Seems like it’d be a potential setback for a predator of the night.”
“Why do you have to be so scientific, Nelson?” Artemis said in exasperation, “There are things in the world we just don’t understand. Vampire weaknesses are one of those things.”
“Lawrence did mention something about a curse though,” Thomas said, studying Artemis. Her defense of him seemed strained, her face somewhat gaunt. She hadn’t looked this way when he came over. Guilt clenched Thomas’ insides—he’d caused her physical changes.
Artemis paused. “A curse? What’s that mean?”
Thomas retold a shortened version of the story about the first vampire and werewolf.
“I’m not sure I believe it all,” he said. “But that’s the story generally accepted amongst vampires according to Lawrence. The witch was pissed about the break in and now we’re cursed to suffer for it for all eternity.”
Everyone made their way back to the table, each person expressing their own theories about whether they believed in curses. Artemis was more than willing to accept the nature of magic. Nelson and Sean seemed to think there must be some logical explanation to all of this they weren’t seeing, like a virus or mental condition. Sean suggested mass hysteria.
Penny, keeping strictly neutral, played devil’s advocate. If things like vampires existed, they existed, no matter what caused them.
“No matter what is going on, I think you should still go get a physical,” Nelson said. “Who knows? There are plenty of medical mysteries out there. Like the Dancing Plague of the 1500s.”
“Maybe that was a magical curse.” Artemis grinned, warming up to the idea of magic. Nelson rolled his eyes.
“You could get a few tests run while you’re at work.”
The fragile good mood Thomas had been nurturing through the tension evaporated in an instant.
“Yeah, that’ll be difficult,” he said. “I don’t work at Stoker anymore.”
“What?” Penny asked.
Thomas grimaced and filled them in on the rest of his story. For the most part, they were quiet. When he got to the part where he’d shoved Dr. West into the wall, they groaned in unison.
“Is he gonna press charges? Has the hospital contacted you?” Penny asked.
“No idea,” Thomas said, leaning his head back against his beanbag. “I don’t have a cell phone, remember?”
“We’ll need to fix that,” Penny said, taking out her own phone to look up Thomas’ provider. “We should probably get you some better gear to wear in the sun, too. Thomas, we’re going shopping tomorrow. Wanna come, Artemis?”
“I can ask a few friends at Stoker Memorial to see what the damage is,” Nelson offered. “I know a couple of the newer residents there. I could feel it out.”
“That’d be nice, Nelson. I appreciate it,” said Thomas. “For now, I’ll work at the pub, getting my feet back on solid ground. I don’t know if there’s anything else you guys can do.”
“I can make fun of you for being stronger than you look and clumsier than ever, but that’s about it,” Sean grinned.
Artemis replied coldly, “We won’t be needing any of that, thank you.”
“Other than that, I think you’re right, Thomas. There isn’t much we can do,” Penny said, and everyone turned to look at Thomas.
Seeing the worry written on all of their faces—even Sean’s—Thomas felt a surge of affection for his friends. This whole conversation could have been much worse—none of them were running away screaming. Instead they were offering to help.
“Whatever happens, you won’t be alone in this, Tom,” Artemis said, squeezing his arm. Her hand felt warm, inviting. The pulse in her wrist was a slight vibration on her skin. She was staying by him, supporting him. The tension and gaunt expression were gone from her face, replaced by hope and a soft smile.
Despite what had happened to him, despite the chaos of the last couple of days, the corners of Thomas’ mouth turned upward and he returned Artemis’ smile. He didn’t know if the level of comfort he felt was really warranted, but he couldn’t help it. Maybe, just maybe, he would be okay.
5 Ernest
The sweet scent of the oncoming storm permeated Colesbrooke as breezes swept ozone through the buildings. Heavy, dark clouds dominated the horizon, threatening an evening thunderstorm. The pungent smell alarmed Thomas as he stared at the sky. He couldn’t remember noticing the pre-rain smell so strongly before, although he was grateful for the warning. He wanted to avoid the future downpour. It was just warm enough it wouldn’t turn to snow, but it would still be frigid.
Groups of women, couples, and teenagers glared at Thomas as they passed him and entered the mall. He still wore the same hot pink sunglasses, hat, and scarf Lawrence had lent him. When combined with the chemical smell of the extra strength sunscreen, he was surprised he wasn’t driving everyone away.
He stood outside the main entrance to Penny’s favorite mall, deciding what to do next. He was supposed to meet Penny to go shopping, but she’d had to cancel, making him promise he’d wait for her. He didn’t mind waiting another day—he wasn’t a fan of shopping or window browsing by himself, nor did he keep up-to-date on the latest cell phones. Unfortunately, he’d arrived early and found himself alone at the mall several hours before his shift.
Deciding how to spend the next few hours seemed more complicated than Thomas thought it should have been. He didn’t want to return to his apartment and resume his self-pity and frustrated train of thoughts. Nor did he want to bother Artemis again so soon. She needed time to process the news, at least 24 hours. If he stayed outside, he risked getting soaked from the impending rain. Unable to decide, he started walking to subway station and hoped he would figure his plans out by the time he arrived.
Thomas’ first shift at the Red Lightning Pub started at eight, after sunset but before the main crowd arrived. Provided he arrived on time, Lawrence would have plenty of time for training so he could make a good first impression on the regulars.
Regulars, of course, meant fellow vampires.
Thomas’ brow furrowed at the thought of showing up to his first day of work, disheveled and wet from the rain because he hadn’t wanted to go home, then snorted. Here he was, a vampire, a creature of legend, and he was concerned about arriving to work without getting soaked by the rain. He was far more invested in the idea of looking presentable while meeting with his new boss’ associates than he was about stalking the streets like a monster of unspeakable horror from the movies.
The trivial routine of day-to-day life was returning to his new existence as a vampire, and Thomas felt that was some sort of victory. It was confirmation that despite all of the recent changes, Thomas was still himself at the core of his being. The normalcy of his thoughts made him doubt the past few days all over again—he still half-expected himself to wake up from this impossible nightmare.
As Thomas rode the escalator down to the subway station, a thought struck him. At the bottom, he located a map of Colesbrooke’s underground and found a train that would take him toward the edge of the city. Once he boarded the train, he tried to ignore the strange looks the other passengers sent him as they tried not to stand too close.
Had he ever unknowingly been in the presence of a vampire? Thomas tried to remember if he’d ever seen a questionable looking person on the train before. A man across from him wore a trash bag and picked gummy worms out of his hair. On second thought, when had Thomas ever not seen someone questionable on the train?
The subway took Thomas all the way to the edge of the city, and he jogged the last mile and a half to a park in the suburbs. The thick, dark clouds covered the sun, darkening the park around him. He shouldn’t have to worry about bein
g seen as long as he stuck to the trees.
The park was different from the downtown Colesbrooke parks. Between the open grounds and well-kept pavilions was a tiny stream that weaved through the park and surrounding neighborhood. Thick pine trees lined the stream and gave Thomas the coverage he needed for experimentation. The park empty, he sprinted toward a steep hill right before the closest tree line.
Primal joy pulsed through him as he pushed his body’s new abilities to the limit, outmatching any lingering disappointment that this hellish life was his own now. As when he had run to Artemis’ apartment, Thomas raced along at full speed without a drop of sweat.
The speed, the stamina—it was exhilarating. Not to mention the strength he could feel propelling him forward.
It was different from the strength he felt when he was hungry. That strength felt unnatural. This was as easy as breathing. Despite the many setbacks of his condition, Thomas couldn’t deny it had some perks.
“Amazing.”
At the top of the hill, Thomas removed his hat and sunglasses. The metropolitan skyline shown through the heavy gloom from the rain clouds. It was as if a curtain of darkness had peeled away, revealing an overly edited image at an art gallery. He strained his vision, focusing on tidy roof gardens and apartment windows with leftover stands of Christmas lights. The small colored bulbs flickered, their light piercing the haze. The only reminder of the impending storm was the faintest roll of thunder.
Turning away, Thomas retreated into the grove of trees. Now that he’d opened the door to his vampiric abilities, he was curious to see how far he could go. Besides, the more he exercised them, the more he’d be able to control them, and controlling the beast was a top priority. With enough practice, he’d be able to get his life back on track—well, as much on track as a blood-sucking monster could be. Not to mention, Thomas didn’t want to appear any more awkward than he needed to be when meeting another group of vampires.
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