Vampire's Vengeance, Part Five

I managed to sit up in the morning—with my legs shackled—and drink some water. It was lukewarm, but my throat was dry. Rachel had left out another bowl of ramen. It actually smelled good, and I slurped it down without feeling nauseous.

            Rachel had tried to close the blinds tight, but a little bit of sunlight still filtered in through the slats. I shifted around, trying to stay away from the sunshine.

            My shoulders shook, but I felt warmer, and I wasn’t sweating as much. I turned the TV on and watched 20 minutes of “Good Morning America” before Rachel came out of the bedroom.

            “And how are we feeling this morning?” She wore blue sweats and patted a pocket, making sure I saw the lump where her stun gun was.

            “Better. Thanks.” I held the water bottle up. “A little more?”

            She brought two more bottles from the kitchen. I was already calling Sharpe. “Detective? Arrikin was here last night. He called me.”

            I didn’t have a return number for the vampire, but I hoped the police could somehow trace the call back. Sharpe was pessimistic, but she promised to call me if she got anything.

            “So.” Rachel sat on the floor, crossing her legs. “Now what?”

            I shivered. I was feeling better. Maybe in another day or so—"We have to deal with Arrikin.”

            She nodded. “Yeah.”

            I bent down, suddenly exhausted. “I have to sleep.”

            “And I have to work.” Rachel stood up and stretched her legs. Then she pulled the blankets over my shoulders. “Can I trust you not to bite me?”

            We kissed. Her lips were warm. I could feel the blood pulsing in her body.

            I pushed her away. “Yeah. Thanks.”

            Rachel covered my face. “Sweet dreams.”

I dreamed about blood. The way an alcoholic dreams about booze.

            I was in a bar, 10 shot glasses lined up in front of me. All filled with blood. I stared at the first one. I looked at the last one. Angelica was the bartender. Drink up, she whispered.

            Then I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean. A shark rose out of the water, blood dripping from its wide jaws. I wanted to jump into the water, but a hand caught my shoulder and kept me on board . . .

            It was Rachel. Naked again. On a beach. “Come on, Tom.” She stroked my chest. “You need it. I want it. Don’t you?”

            “No,” I muttered. “No!”

            I threw the blankets off my face. I was starving. But not for blood.

            I hobbled into the kitchen. Rachel’s a vegetarian, so the refrigerator was filled with apples, celery, more apples, tomatoes, oranges, an avocado, and beer.

            I hadn’t had a beer in months. I pulled a bottle of Heineken out, then grabbed a tomato. Like the juice, it reminded me of blood. I took a bite, letting its juice and seeds spill down my shirt. I realized I hadn’t taken a shower in days.

            I slouched in a kitchen chair, struggling with the beer cap. When I finally popped it off, I drank half of it down, then set the bottle on the table, next to my half-eaten tomato.

            I took a deep breath and looked up.

            Sunlight streamed through the window blinds. But it didn’t hurt me.

            I chomped on the tomato. I was hungry. And thirsty. I gulped some more beer.

            “Well, good morning!” Rachel leaned in the doorway. “Beer for breakfast, huh? You must be feeling better.”

            “Hungry.” And thirsty. I finished the beer in two more gulps.

            “No blood?” She cocked her head.

            How long had it been? I tried to count the days. “I could do with a good rare steak. Or even a hamburger.”

            “Ugh.” Rachel grimaced. “Just don’t eat it in front of me.”

            I stood up and stepped to the window. My hands shook as I pulled on the string, lifting the blinds.

            Rachel stood behind me. I could feel her breath on my neck. “Are you okay?’

            I lifted the blinds. Sunlight struck me full in the face with a mild sting. I shaded my eyes, gazing down at the street below.

A woman pushed a baby in stroller, her other child dancing alongside. A panhandler sat at the corner, smiling as passersby dropped coins into his cardboard box. A man in a business suit barked into his phone as he dodged between cars.

            I stepped back, but kept the blinds up. “It feels . . . better.”

            Rachel ran a hand across my forehead. “You’re a little sunburned.”

            I’d only been a vampire for a few days. Sunlight wouldn’t make me burst into flames right away. That could take years . . . or centuries.

            For right now I was fine.

            Rachel pressed a hand to my chest. “Your heart’s beating faster. And you’re—almost not a vamp anymore.”

            “Almost?” I leaned forward.

She let me kiss her lips.

After a few moments she pushed me away. “You need to take a shower.”

“Yeah.” Even I could smell the stink all over my body. “Let me do that. Do you have work to do?”

            “It can—it can wait.” She kissed me again. “But not too long.”

            I laughed. “Fast as I can.”