Blood Donor
Chapter 2
A few days later I awake again to the smell of blood. Only, something is wrong. The scent is stagnant, not fresh. There is no warmth to it. No heartbeat. And it smells the same as that boy. I fix my gaze in the direction it’s coming from. The source appears to be a small travel mug. But why? Why is it there? I want to get a closer look. I even start to edge forward, but something stops me.
My ears pick up a heartbeat, maybe two yards away. I look in that direction and take a deep breath through my nose. My suspicions are then confirmed. It’s him. The boy has come back, offering his blood, and waiting for me to take it. What could his motive possibly be? Perhaps he wants to ambush me, kill me. That must be it. His mind has changed, and he wants me dead.
I won’t fall for it. I’ll stay hidden as long as I need to for him to go away. After all, it is not in a beast’s nature to stay in one place. It is not in a human’s nature either. Staying still makes them vulnerable, easily captured and killed. And…Oh no.
I smell it. The rotted smell of my kind. Three of them, not far away. And they’re approaching fast. That kid is dead meat if he doesn’t move, but he doesn’t know that. I don’t want to reveal myself to him, but what else is there to do? They’ll be at the alley in seconds, and then he’s just a few steps away. I don’t have all day to decide.
With a huff of air I dash out, grabbing him around the waist and dragging him in the alley with me. He looks startled by my sudden appearance. I clamp a hand over his mouth and pray that the others will pass quickly. No such luck, their stench stops right in the entrance to the alley. One of them snarls, “We know you’re here, human. Make this easy on yourself and come out.”
I shove him behind me and step into the moonlight, “Back off. He’s spoken for.” My voice is raspy from misuse.
The guy in front chuckles, “Nah. I recognize you. You’re that failure everyone talks about. All you do is hide in this alleyway because of a pledge you made to some human a long time ago. You don’t even kill. Pathetic. How can you call yourself a vampire?”
Vampire. I hate that word. It so downplays what we are. What our kind stands for. I want to rip this guy’s head off, but that would leave the boy unguarded. The others would get him. I think I have a plan, but it’s not a very good one. After all, the boy lost blood already. But if this saves his life in the end, can he blame me?
I try for a menacing grin, “Who doesn’t kill?”
I reach behind me and pull the boy forward. I quickly dive into his neck and drink. Just a little, not much. But this has to be believable. The creeps in front of me hiss, and I look up at them, “You still here? I told you, he’s mine.” They begin to back away as I attach my lips to the supple neck once more. The boy whimpers, and I feel terrible. But this is for his own good.
I wait until the steps have retreated to a safe distance and detach myself. The boy is still conscious this time, so that’s a good thing. But he’s still bleeding pretty badly. I wonder if that weird healing thing will work again. There’s only one way to find out. I gently drag my tongue along the puncture marks and sure enough, they close up.
I drop the boy after that and back up a bit. He’s becoming a danger to my health. To my surprise, he walks to the mouth of the alley. I think he’s about to leave when he bends down and picks something up. Right. The travel mug. He turns around and walks back, holding it out to me.
“You probably don’t want it now, but…I brought this as a thank you…I can tell you’re different, so,” he shrugs, “I want to help you.”
I take it, surprised. This boy is offering his blood to me…In gratitude? That’s ridiculous. I can’t let him do that. I force a growl deep in my throat, “If you know what’s good for you, kid, you’ll leave this place and you won’t come back. I don’t need your charity, got it?” I gnash my teeth at him and he gets a frightened look. Before I know it, he’s run out of the alley and down the street. Hopefully back home. Hopefully he’ll stay there.
I look down at the mug in my hand and think of the blood sloshing around inside. Might as well drink it. After all, it was a gift, and letting it go to waste would be sad. I open it up and take a tentative sip. Luke warm and stale, but still, it’s something. I quickly down the whole thing and toss the mug behind me. I think I’ll venture out tonight.
I mean, it’s only logical, right? I’ve been holed up in that stinking alley for an unknown amount of time. And yet people still knew I was there. So why stay? Nighttime is when the beasts roam, and I am one of them. Besides, I really need a shower. And I know someone who might provide me with one.
I step out of my home slowly, which earns me awkward stares from the people surrounding it. It looks about the same as it did when I first dove into that place. It seems so long ago that that happened. Back when the change was first taking place. I was trying to outrun the venom, the pain. But it caught up and knocked me out. I woke up later with no way of knowing how much time had passed. And it’s stayed that way ever since.
I turn right and start walking. The first place I pass happens to be a bar. Well, more accurately a strip club. I wonder how many monsters are in there, waiting for the girls to finish their jobs so the feast can begin. After all, I’ve heard that a beautiful human is much tastier. And a soiled human can get you drunk just as easily as hard liquor does a human. I would never try it, but I sometimes miss intoxication.
I was quite the drinker before I changed. Parties every Friday, several beers through the week. Now the stuff doesn’t even affect me. I did try it once, when I discovered a half full bottle of whiskey in the dumpster. All it did was make my bladder spiral out of control. No thank you to that. I prefer to feel nothing to that.
I keep walking and somehow navigate myself to the correct house. The house that belongs to someone who may be able to help me. Alicia. Mikey’s girlfriend from before he died. I have no idea what to expect from her, but I don’t know anyone else. I reach up a hand and rap on the door. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Who is it?” a voice comes from the other side. She always was one for caution.
“It’s Gerard,” I call out in my weak voice. It’s a bit stronger after drinking blood, but my vocal cords are still complaining.
The door flings open and Alicia stands there. She’s still perfectly human. Mikey would like that. The relief on her face turns to anger and she slams the door. I hear a deadbolt on the other side.
“Why did you come here?” she hisses through the wood, “If it’s for food, I’m not letting that happen.”
I sigh. Should have expected her to be way more cautious than necessary, “I just need a shower…And a pair of scissors if you don’t mind me using them on my hair.”
The door opens a crack, and she peers out, “You don’t fool me. You may look and sound like my friend, but you are nothing but a walking corpse. You don’t have emotions and I won’t believe your lies!”
I shake my head and push the door open. She’s clearly going to be difficult, so I have to show her I won’t hurt her. She sensibly backs out of my way as I head for the bathroom. A second later I her a gun click behind my head.
“Silver bullets, motherfucker. Now turn around and leave my house.”
Okay. So she is not messing around. I put my hands up and turn to face her, “I’m not going to hurt you, Alicia. I just need a shower. I’ve been hiding away from society so long…I have to smell terrible.”
She scowls, “And why should I believe you? I bet you’ve actually just lost yourself in the bloodshed, beast.”
“Thanks for not calling me a vampire,” I say. Maybe I can throw her off guard?
“I asked you a question,” she totally ignores me, “How do I know you haven’t become a murderer?”
I hang my head, “Because I promised Mikey.”
Her grip on the weapon wavers just for an instant. Just long enough for me to rip it from her hands. “We can talk like adults now, yes?” I ask.
She looks too scared to do anything. Then she whispers, “What do you mean, you promised Mikey?”
“I promised him that if they got me I wouldn’t kill. I wouldn’t become a monster.”
“And you kept it?” she sounds desperate now.
“Yeah. I almost lost it a few days ago, but I let the guy go. He’s fine now.”
She shakes her head, “Shower. Shave. Do whatever you need, but I want you gone by morning and I don’t want to see you again.” Then she turns and walks into her bedroom.
I first go into the guest room and grab an outfit of Mikey’s that I knew would be there. He always left stuff around. Then I go and climb in the shower. The hot water feels so good after all this time.
My ears pick up a heartbeat, maybe two yards away. I look in that direction and take a deep breath through my nose. My suspicions are then confirmed. It’s him. The boy has come back, offering his blood, and waiting for me to take it. What could his motive possibly be? Perhaps he wants to ambush me, kill me. That must be it. His mind has changed, and he wants me dead.
I won’t fall for it. I’ll stay hidden as long as I need to for him to go away. After all, it is not in a beast’s nature to stay in one place. It is not in a human’s nature either. Staying still makes them vulnerable, easily captured and killed. And…Oh no.
I smell it. The rotted smell of my kind. Three of them, not far away. And they’re approaching fast. That kid is dead meat if he doesn’t move, but he doesn’t know that. I don’t want to reveal myself to him, but what else is there to do? They’ll be at the alley in seconds, and then he’s just a few steps away. I don’t have all day to decide.
With a huff of air I dash out, grabbing him around the waist and dragging him in the alley with me. He looks startled by my sudden appearance. I clamp a hand over his mouth and pray that the others will pass quickly. No such luck, their stench stops right in the entrance to the alley. One of them snarls, “We know you’re here, human. Make this easy on yourself and come out.”
I shove him behind me and step into the moonlight, “Back off. He’s spoken for.” My voice is raspy from misuse.
The guy in front chuckles, “Nah. I recognize you. You’re that failure everyone talks about. All you do is hide in this alleyway because of a pledge you made to some human a long time ago. You don’t even kill. Pathetic. How can you call yourself a vampire?”
Vampire. I hate that word. It so downplays what we are. What our kind stands for. I want to rip this guy’s head off, but that would leave the boy unguarded. The others would get him. I think I have a plan, but it’s not a very good one. After all, the boy lost blood already. But if this saves his life in the end, can he blame me?
I try for a menacing grin, “Who doesn’t kill?”
I reach behind me and pull the boy forward. I quickly dive into his neck and drink. Just a little, not much. But this has to be believable. The creeps in front of me hiss, and I look up at them, “You still here? I told you, he’s mine.” They begin to back away as I attach my lips to the supple neck once more. The boy whimpers, and I feel terrible. But this is for his own good.
I wait until the steps have retreated to a safe distance and detach myself. The boy is still conscious this time, so that’s a good thing. But he’s still bleeding pretty badly. I wonder if that weird healing thing will work again. There’s only one way to find out. I gently drag my tongue along the puncture marks and sure enough, they close up.
I drop the boy after that and back up a bit. He’s becoming a danger to my health. To my surprise, he walks to the mouth of the alley. I think he’s about to leave when he bends down and picks something up. Right. The travel mug. He turns around and walks back, holding it out to me.
“You probably don’t want it now, but…I brought this as a thank you…I can tell you’re different, so,” he shrugs, “I want to help you.”
I take it, surprised. This boy is offering his blood to me…In gratitude? That’s ridiculous. I can’t let him do that. I force a growl deep in my throat, “If you know what’s good for you, kid, you’ll leave this place and you won’t come back. I don’t need your charity, got it?” I gnash my teeth at him and he gets a frightened look. Before I know it, he’s run out of the alley and down the street. Hopefully back home. Hopefully he’ll stay there.
I look down at the mug in my hand and think of the blood sloshing around inside. Might as well drink it. After all, it was a gift, and letting it go to waste would be sad. I open it up and take a tentative sip. Luke warm and stale, but still, it’s something. I quickly down the whole thing and toss the mug behind me. I think I’ll venture out tonight.
I mean, it’s only logical, right? I’ve been holed up in that stinking alley for an unknown amount of time. And yet people still knew I was there. So why stay? Nighttime is when the beasts roam, and I am one of them. Besides, I really need a shower. And I know someone who might provide me with one.
I step out of my home slowly, which earns me awkward stares from the people surrounding it. It looks about the same as it did when I first dove into that place. It seems so long ago that that happened. Back when the change was first taking place. I was trying to outrun the venom, the pain. But it caught up and knocked me out. I woke up later with no way of knowing how much time had passed. And it’s stayed that way ever since.
I turn right and start walking. The first place I pass happens to be a bar. Well, more accurately a strip club. I wonder how many monsters are in there, waiting for the girls to finish their jobs so the feast can begin. After all, I’ve heard that a beautiful human is much tastier. And a soiled human can get you drunk just as easily as hard liquor does a human. I would never try it, but I sometimes miss intoxication.
I was quite the drinker before I changed. Parties every Friday, several beers through the week. Now the stuff doesn’t even affect me. I did try it once, when I discovered a half full bottle of whiskey in the dumpster. All it did was make my bladder spiral out of control. No thank you to that. I prefer to feel nothing to that.
I keep walking and somehow navigate myself to the correct house. The house that belongs to someone who may be able to help me. Alicia. Mikey’s girlfriend from before he died. I have no idea what to expect from her, but I don’t know anyone else. I reach up a hand and rap on the door. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Who is it?” a voice comes from the other side. She always was one for caution.
“It’s Gerard,” I call out in my weak voice. It’s a bit stronger after drinking blood, but my vocal cords are still complaining.
The door flings open and Alicia stands there. She’s still perfectly human. Mikey would like that. The relief on her face turns to anger and she slams the door. I hear a deadbolt on the other side.
“Why did you come here?” she hisses through the wood, “If it’s for food, I’m not letting that happen.”
I sigh. Should have expected her to be way more cautious than necessary, “I just need a shower…And a pair of scissors if you don’t mind me using them on my hair.”
The door opens a crack, and she peers out, “You don’t fool me. You may look and sound like my friend, but you are nothing but a walking corpse. You don’t have emotions and I won’t believe your lies!”
I shake my head and push the door open. She’s clearly going to be difficult, so I have to show her I won’t hurt her. She sensibly backs out of my way as I head for the bathroom. A second later I her a gun click behind my head.
“Silver bullets, motherfucker. Now turn around and leave my house.”
Okay. So she is not messing around. I put my hands up and turn to face her, “I’m not going to hurt you, Alicia. I just need a shower. I’ve been hiding away from society so long…I have to smell terrible.”
She scowls, “And why should I believe you? I bet you’ve actually just lost yourself in the bloodshed, beast.”
“Thanks for not calling me a vampire,” I say. Maybe I can throw her off guard?
“I asked you a question,” she totally ignores me, “How do I know you haven’t become a murderer?”
I hang my head, “Because I promised Mikey.”
Her grip on the weapon wavers just for an instant. Just long enough for me to rip it from her hands. “We can talk like adults now, yes?” I ask.
She looks too scared to do anything. Then she whispers, “What do you mean, you promised Mikey?”
“I promised him that if they got me I wouldn’t kill. I wouldn’t become a monster.”
“And you kept it?” she sounds desperate now.
“Yeah. I almost lost it a few days ago, but I let the guy go. He’s fine now.”
She shakes her head, “Shower. Shave. Do whatever you need, but I want you gone by morning and I don’t want to see you again.” Then she turns and walks into her bedroom.
I first go into the guest room and grab an outfit of Mikey’s that I knew would be there. He always left stuff around. Then I go and climb in the shower. The hot water feels so good after all this time.
@MayMayChan
Oh its fine! Sorry it took 6 months for me to reply, this website is messing up for me so much.
4/1/17