Bloody Memories

I looked up at the ruined attic staircase in dismay. It was pretty wrecked. Chunks of wood had been ripped right out of it. The rest had collapsed on the floor in a heap. I could just imagine the look on Ricky face if he saw it.

I grabbed the chair I had used earlier and stood up on it. With my good arm I hauled myself up into the attic. My poor, abused muscles ached in protest. I was certainly going to be sore the next day.

I scanned the attic floor, looking for my keys. There were two places that they could be. The attic or on the vampire (I was calling him that till someone proved to me that he was otherwise). I didn't want to go back into the basement unless I had to, so I chanced checking the attic first.

I was in luck. My keys were lying on the floor next to the Vault. I scooped them up and pocketed them. Then I lowered myself back down the hole to the second floor.

I went into my room and changed out of my nightgown. I pulled on a pair of jeans one handed and a sweater with great difficulty. I wasn't even going to attempt to put on a bra and hoped that the sweater was thick enough that no one would notice anyway. I also tucked the silver gun in my jeans and pulled the sweater over it. The thickness would help hide that as well.

I decided against taking the silver glove with me. It was much too noticeable.

I went to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Then I sat down at the table and waited for the lawyer to arrive.

I had only ever met Great Aunt Katrina's lawyer once, but I really didn't like him. To me, he embodied every horrible trait I had ever seen from corrupt lawyers on TV. He was a well-greased talker and oozed false sincerity out of every pore. His hair was slicked back and as dark as his oil-black eyes. He wasn't a tall man, but he held himself in a way that made people misremember him as taller.

He had no qualms at showing up at the house at four in the morning, I had to give him that. He was still on retainer for Great Aunt Katrina, so it probably wasn't out of any genuine concern.

When he arrived, I glanced furtively at the broom closet, with it's destroyed no-longer-hidden door. There was no sound or movement from the basement. I unlocked the door quickly and opened it. The lawyer, Mr. Lucien, stood there. But he wasn't alone. A tall, dark man wearing glasses stood next to him.

I hurried them both inside and shut the door quickly, while also trying not to make noise that would alert the vampire below. “Who are you?” I asked the stranger immediately. I was about at the end of my rope, and politeness was out the window.

“I'm Dr. Andrews.” He answered slowly. “You know my son, Rick?”

This was Ricky's dad? “Oh no, he's not here, is he?” I looked out the window. I couldn't have Ricky in danger. I looked over at his dad. I certainly couldn't have his dad in danger, either.

“Rick is home, sleeping.” His father was saying as I put my good hand up and tried to lead him to the door. “Mr. Lucien called me, saying you might be injured.” He was giving me an odd look. Probably because I looked very odd, with my unbrushed hair and wild eyes.

“You really shouldn't be here right now.” I said quickly. “It's not safe.”

“But, you are injured.” He said with frustrating practicality. “I certainly can't leave you here.”

I paused, listening intently. I was positive that the vampire had heard the extra voices by now, but he still did not come up. Hopefully it would be a long while before he recovered. If he did crawl up here, I could threaten him with the gun again. I might be able to buy some time so the doctor and the lawyer could escape.

I was surprised by how calm I was. I mean, I was pretty panicked and jittery, but I hadn't run out of the house, screaming into the night. Yet. Maybe I was in shock. Maybe the screaming would start when it wore off. I had always considered myself good in a crisis, but a vampire attack was a little above and beyond something like a fire, or a flash flood.

While I was musing, Mr. Lucien spoke. “Dr. Andrews will take care of your injuries, then we can discuss your business with me.”

I gave him a suspicious look. “You knew I was hurt.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “You sounded quite strained on the phone, and you called at such a late hour. I was merely taking precautions.”

I let Dr. Andrews lead me into the kitchen. I sat down at the table and he immediately began inspecting my shoulder. “Does this hurt?” He asked, squeezing gently. I shook my head.

“It's not broken, but it is dislocated.” He mused. I had pretty much figured that out on my own. I bit my lip. I knew what was coming next. “This will hurt.” He told me grimly. I had said that same thing to the vampire downstairs before digging a silver bullet out of his chest with a knife. I shut my eyes quickly.

I gripped the table with my good hand and gritted my teeth so I wouldn't bite my tongue as Dr. Andrews reset my arm into my shoulder socket. When it was done, I lay my head on the table and whimpered for a bit until my brain released enough endorphins to dull the pain to a deep throbbing.

I looked up, my eyes watering. The lawyer was showing Dr. Andrews out. Dr. Andrews still looked concerned, but the lawyer said some reassuring words before closing the door on him.

Mr. Lucien dropped my keyring on the table in front of me, then prepared two cups of coffee. He set one mug in front of me. Then he took a seat across from me, setting his own mug down.

I glared at him over my mug. “You knew.” I whispered accusingly.

He looked unperturbed. “I don't understand what you mean.” He said lightly. Yeah, he knew the whole time.

“Was that part of the Caretaker job, too?” I asked icily. “Caring for a vampire?”

He arched a brow. “Vampire?” He said the word like he was trying it out for the first time.

I stood up quickly. “Cut the act!” I yelled, slamming both of my palms on the table. I immediately regretted that as a spasm of pain throbbed in my shoulder. I bowed my head for a moment. I could move my arm now, but it was going to be sore for a while.

“I take it that you have discovered something unpleasant here?” Mr. Lucien asked.

Unpleasant was the understatement of the decade. I tried calming myself so I could talk to him on his own terms. I sat down. “After spending some time here, I feel that I am unsuited for the Caretaker position. I would like to hand it over to a more qualified individual. Immediately.”

“You can't.” He said it so simply, it made my temper flare up again.

“Why not?” I demanded. “The contract I signed said I could leave the position if I chose.”

“And you can.” He assured me. “But not immediately. You can leave after ninety days.”

“Ninety... days?” I echoed. I shook myself mentally. “What happens if I just leave right now?”

“You mean if you abandon the property?” He queried. I nodded, that was a good way to put it. “If you do that, then I am authorized to seize your assets and funds to replace what you used during your stay.” He paused. “It would be quite an amount. Any future wages of yours would be garnished as well.”

“I've only been here a week!” I exclaimed, I was on my feet again.. How much money could I have possibly spent in that time? I thought of the damage to the kitchen and attic and winced mentally. Surely I wasn't responsible for those, right?

“Then you only have 83 more days until you can leave.”

“So, let me get this straight. I'm facing financial failure...” I began, gesturing with one hand dramatically. “As opposed to staying here with that monster in the basement?” My voice rose up a little high at the end of that last sentence.

“Has anyone ever told you that your voice carries?” An irritated voice said behind me.

I turned quickly, pulling the gun out of my jeans and pointing it at the vampire. He stood in the broom closet, squinting in the light of the kitchen. He looked much less threatening now. His shoulders were hunched and he was holding his forearm pressed against his chest. He looked tired. More tired than even I felt.

I didn't waver, however, and kept my expression firm. The weight of the silver gun was really wearing on my right arm, but I was not showing this monster a hint of weakness.

He didn't seem concerned, or he was beyond caring, because he walked right past me. His eyes focused on the lawyer. “Lucien, is that you?” He asked.

I glanced at the lawyer, he wore an annoyed expression. He kept his gaze on me, ignoring the vampire. “A monster here? Hardly.” He was answering my question, pretending no time had passed.

The vampire walked right up to him. I followed his movement with the gun. He was staring at the lawyer's face as if he couldn't believe his eyes. “What have you done to yourself?” To my amazement, he reached out and took the lawyer's jaw between his fingers. He turned his face to him and lifted up a corner of his mouth, exposing perfectly ordinary canines.

Mr. Lucien wasn't taking that sitting down. He smacked the vampire's hands away and stood up very quickly. The vampire's chalky white face was frozen in an expression of deep disapproval. “What happened to your fangs?” He asked quietly.

Finally Mr. Lucien met the vampire's eyes. He wore a determined look as well as his annoyed one. “I had them removed.” He said stiffly.

The vampire's eyes narrowed to slits. Now he looked dangerous. I kept my gun trained on him, but now I was becoming very confused. I started to open my mouth to say something, to remind the two men, vampires, that I was still there, and then decided against it. I would wait and see if these two gave up any more information.

They continued to ignore me. “Why would you have your fangs removed?” The vampire asked, looking as if it took a great amount of will to speak in a normal tone of voice.

“Because I don't need them.” Mr. Lucien said defiantly. “In fact, they got in the way.”

The vampire looked like Mr. Lucien was speaking a foreign language to him. “What are you talking about? We need our fangs.” Then he was suspicious again. “You're trying to fit in.” He accused. “With them?” He pointed at me, the disgust in his voice made me feel like a piece of trash.

The lawyer held himself straight. “I'm not trying, I do fit in. The world is a much smaller place than it used to be. Humans are much stronger now. It's not just me, all of us are fitting in now. Getting rid of our fangs, finding night jobs. Participating in a strong society rather than riskily picking off it's members. Very few still cling to your ancient, barbarian ways.”

The vampire snorted. “Next you will tell me that you eat lettuce and walk around in the daytime.”

“I drink blood, but not from humans. I swore off of them forever.”

Now the vampire looked absolutely disgusted, and furious. “You drink animal blood?! Don't you know how weak that makes you?”

“Still stronger than a human.” Mr. Lucien said firmly. “I prefer not being too strong. I don't catch any undo attention that way.”

I was sure now that Mr. Lucien was a vampire as well, but I still kept my gun on the vampire. Mr. Lucien hadn't attacked me. Things were getting weirder by the minute though, and I wasn't sure how long I could stand there in silence. It seemed like the whole world had suddenly gone crazy and I was the only sane one left.

The vampire crossed his arms over his chest. “So, what do you do?” He asked. “What is your job that lets you 'fit in' the human world?”

“I'm a lawyer. I go by the name David Lucien.”

A strange expression crossed the vampire's face. I was shocked to see that it was amusement. He was desperately trying to squash it, though rather unsuccessfully. “A lawyer?” He asked, trying to keep his face straight. Mr. Lucien nodded, he definitely didn't look amused. A small laugh escaped the vampire lips. He clamped them down tight. “I see...” He said with difficulty.

Mr. Lucien was not the kind of man to take being laughed at. He moved to the door swiftly. He turned back to the vampire while he walked. “You're not allowed to leave this house.” He warned. “Do not harm this young woman, either.” He pointed at me. “She is here to protect you.”

The vampire couldn't hold in his mirth any longer. “Protect me?” He laughed. “From what?”

David Lucien's expression was deadly serious. “From Nora. She's still alive.”

“Nora? She's no threat.” The vampire said dismissively.

“She is much stronger now than she once was. Stay here, do not let her discover you.” Mr. Lucien looked over at me. “Can you let me out?” He asked.

I picked up the keys off the table with my free hand. The vampire's eyes darted to the keys, watching closely. I vowed then that I wasn't putting the keys down anywhere ever again.

“You can put the gun down.” The lawyer told me. I hesitated, not willing to let go of the somewhat imagined protection of the silver gun. It had no bullets, but I bet it would hurt if I hit either vampire with it. “He won't harm you.”

The vampire snorted. “Yes I will.”

David Lucien turned back to the vampire. “No, you won't.” He said firmly. “If you know what's good for you.”

I decided to take a chance. The vampire was slow, due to his injury. I put the gun back in my jeans and walked over to let the lawyer out. I wasn't very happy, but what could I do? If Mr. Lucien really was a vampire as well, he could certainly force me to stay here. He knew nearly everything about me, plus he knew where my Mom lived.

I looked at him sourly. I really didn't like him. I wonder if I didn't because I somehow knew that he was unusual right when I met him. Did I not like him because he was a vampire, or because he was a lawyer.

Still, Great Aunt Katrina had trusted him with her entire estate, and she had to have known him for what he was, right? Looks like I would have to trust him too. Whether I liked it or not.

I unlocked the door and let him out. I closed the heavy door tightly and relocked it. I turned and nearly shrieked. The vampire was right behind me. His face was inches from mine.

My heart jack-hammered in my chest. I reached behind me for the gun, but my back was pressed against the door. He was so close that I would touch him if I moved even a little bit. And I really didn't want to touch him.

His expression was scrutinizing, rather than hostile. “How are you supposed to protect me?” He asked. He reached his hand up and placed the tip of his forefinger to my forehead. “Are you special in some way?”

“Not really.” I answered honestly, hoping he would back off.

“Can you fight? Are you telekinetic? Are you an athlete?” He asked.

I shook my head. “I'm normal.”

He squinted a little, as if he didn't believe me and if he looked hard enough, I would sprout a tail, or horns or something. Finally he backed off. “How's normalcy supposed to protect me?” He asked himself more than me.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air. I had taken small, shallow breaths when he was so close, in case I touched him. I put some thought into his question. “Perhaps I am so normal, this Nora won't think to look for you here.” I answered.

He looked mildly surprised. “That's an interesting notion. You seem to have some small amount of intellect.” He had an air about him, as if he had complimented me greatly.

Well, I wasn't going to fall over myself to be grateful. In fact I was becoming downright annoyed.

The vampire looked around at his surroundings. “I suppose I could stay here for a few days.” He said, talking to himself again. “Until I learn more of what has transpired while I was imprisoned.” He looked back over at me. “I will need you to accumulate research materials for me during the day.”

I snorted. I might have to make sure he didn't get into trouble, but I was not going to be his servant. “Look things up yourself.” I walked over to the desk in the living room and picked up the laptop that was sitting on it. I walked back over to the vampire and thrust it into his hands.

I headed for the stairs. I was going to barricade myself in Great Aunt Katrina's room and try to get a few hours of sleep. Before the sun rose. The vampire could take care of his own sleeping arrangement.

The vampire looked at the laptop in his hands. “What the hell am I supposed to do with this thing?” He asked, irritated.

“Figure it out yourself.” I said shortly, and headed up the stairs. I didn't look back to see the expression on his face, but I hoped it was dumbfounded.