As The Blood Is Drained, It's Bad For Business
You Gotta Follow The Rules.
I kick up my skateboard and walk into the book store. The tarnished bell hanging on the door clangs. Mr. Boo is in one of the isles dusting the shelves.
“Hi Mr. Boo!” I yell, setting my skateboard behind the register. He mumbles something and I begin sorting through the pile of books on top of the register. As I’m putting an orderly stack of books onto the floor, the bell rings again, alerting me that we have a customer. I hear the scuffling of feet until I see a boy peek his head around the corner. It’s odd that I don’t know him; Astoria is a small place.
“Hi,” I say kindly, “can I help you with anything?” The boy is my age, tall and lanky. He’s wearing tight clothes and a small backpack is slung over his shoulder. He has black hair swept across his face and blue eyes. He’s cute. He shakes his head and quietly walks off to an isle of books. I continue stacking books until he returns to the register with a book of his own.
“Since when have you worked here?” he asks quietly. His voice is slightly raspy; he probably smokes.
“Just a week,” I reply, bagging his book.
“Well then...I’ll see you later.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a regular here. See you.” I nod. He walks towards the door.
“Have a good day, William!” Mr. Boo yells. I stand stationary until I hear the bell. William...I think to myself.
I shifted my weight on the couch and eyed Cayden carefully.
“What are the-”
“Vampire rules?” he finished for me. I nodded. I couldn’t believe I was actually asking questions, actively participating in this-game-he had going on. Honestly, though, I wanted to know what he had to say. Part of it was me hoping that he would unknowingly let me in on some vampire trade secrets, giving me easier ways to kill them, but it was also more than that. This vampire had this aura that drew me towards him, wanting to know more. I didn’t know what it was; I couldn’t explain it.
“Why do you-” he started, but shut his mouth, fast. I looked at him, bored, and waited for him to tell me the ‘rules’. Clearing my throat, I pushed him to move on.
“Rules,” I stated. He nodded his head.
“Rules,” he repeated. “First thing’s first-you need to know that I shouldn’t be telling you this. But I am, because you, in particular, need to know. This is a privilege, understand?” In my head, I imagined myself rolling my eyes. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to piss him off, so I nodded my head.
“Good,” he continued, “good. Okay. The rules...well for one, we don’t kill at random. We’re not creatures of murder, we’re just-evening out the scoreboard. Vampires-we can smell death. The minute you’re conceived, fate sets a time of death on you. Like an expiration date. Somehow, that date gets imprinted in your blood stream, and the vampires can smell that. Humans are like time bombs.
Anyway, fate set vampires on this Earth because humans are tricky beings. Fate may have given them death dates, but often they evade their death. That’s where we come in. Vampires are here to put to rest the bodies that should have already been long gone. We’re basically like-population control. We do not kill mercilessly. It’s just our job.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. How did I know that what he was saying was the truth? He could be lying through his teeth just to save his own skin. His dead, rock-like, cold skin...I imagined pressing my hand to his face, instantly freezing the warmth of my touch. I had never been this close to a vampire without intending to kill it. I wondered if-
“Scarlett?” Cayden’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. I blushed, partially embarrassed and partially pissed at what I had been thinking. Cayden clutched the leather couch. I can only assume it was because of the blood rushing to my face.
“What?”
“Do you...have any questions?” He almost smiled.
“No, because I don’t believe you,” I said plainly. His stare became blank.
“You don’t...believe-why?”
“Because you’re full of crap. And it’s not like you can prove it to me.”
“I can,” he argued, “I can tell you when you’re going to die.” I looked at him skeptically.
“Fine. Tell me.” He blanched.
“I shouldn’t. You won’t like it.”
“I’m not afraid of death,” I challenged him.
“Forget it,” he said, “I knew you wouldn’t believe me anyway. It was worth a shot.” I slumped in my seat. “Just...could you tell me...why do you hate us so much?”
“You kill my kind,” I stated.
“For the overall good.”
“Bullshit!”
“We never did anything to you!”
“That-” I huffed, “is where you are completely wrong.” With that, I stormed out of Cayden’s room.
“Hi Mr. Boo!” I yell, setting my skateboard behind the register. He mumbles something and I begin sorting through the pile of books on top of the register. As I’m putting an orderly stack of books onto the floor, the bell rings again, alerting me that we have a customer. I hear the scuffling of feet until I see a boy peek his head around the corner. It’s odd that I don’t know him; Astoria is a small place.
“Hi,” I say kindly, “can I help you with anything?” The boy is my age, tall and lanky. He’s wearing tight clothes and a small backpack is slung over his shoulder. He has black hair swept across his face and blue eyes. He’s cute. He shakes his head and quietly walks off to an isle of books. I continue stacking books until he returns to the register with a book of his own.
“Since when have you worked here?” he asks quietly. His voice is slightly raspy; he probably smokes.
“Just a week,” I reply, bagging his book.
“Well then...I’ll see you later.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a regular here. See you.” I nod. He walks towards the door.
“Have a good day, William!” Mr. Boo yells. I stand stationary until I hear the bell. William...I think to myself.
I shifted my weight on the couch and eyed Cayden carefully.
“What are the-”
“Vampire rules?” he finished for me. I nodded. I couldn’t believe I was actually asking questions, actively participating in this-game-he had going on. Honestly, though, I wanted to know what he had to say. Part of it was me hoping that he would unknowingly let me in on some vampire trade secrets, giving me easier ways to kill them, but it was also more than that. This vampire had this aura that drew me towards him, wanting to know more. I didn’t know what it was; I couldn’t explain it.
“Why do you-” he started, but shut his mouth, fast. I looked at him, bored, and waited for him to tell me the ‘rules’. Clearing my throat, I pushed him to move on.
“Rules,” I stated. He nodded his head.
“Rules,” he repeated. “First thing’s first-you need to know that I shouldn’t be telling you this. But I am, because you, in particular, need to know. This is a privilege, understand?” In my head, I imagined myself rolling my eyes. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to piss him off, so I nodded my head.
“Good,” he continued, “good. Okay. The rules...well for one, we don’t kill at random. We’re not creatures of murder, we’re just-evening out the scoreboard. Vampires-we can smell death. The minute you’re conceived, fate sets a time of death on you. Like an expiration date. Somehow, that date gets imprinted in your blood stream, and the vampires can smell that. Humans are like time bombs.
Anyway, fate set vampires on this Earth because humans are tricky beings. Fate may have given them death dates, but often they evade their death. That’s where we come in. Vampires are here to put to rest the bodies that should have already been long gone. We’re basically like-population control. We do not kill mercilessly. It’s just our job.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. How did I know that what he was saying was the truth? He could be lying through his teeth just to save his own skin. His dead, rock-like, cold skin...I imagined pressing my hand to his face, instantly freezing the warmth of my touch. I had never been this close to a vampire without intending to kill it. I wondered if-
“Scarlett?” Cayden’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. I blushed, partially embarrassed and partially pissed at what I had been thinking. Cayden clutched the leather couch. I can only assume it was because of the blood rushing to my face.
“What?”
“Do you...have any questions?” He almost smiled.
“No, because I don’t believe you,” I said plainly. His stare became blank.
“You don’t...believe-why?”
“Because you’re full of crap. And it’s not like you can prove it to me.”
“I can,” he argued, “I can tell you when you’re going to die.” I looked at him skeptically.
“Fine. Tell me.” He blanched.
“I shouldn’t. You won’t like it.”
“I’m not afraid of death,” I challenged him.
“Forget it,” he said, “I knew you wouldn’t believe me anyway. It was worth a shot.” I slumped in my seat. “Just...could you tell me...why do you hate us so much?”
“You kill my kind,” I stated.
“For the overall good.”
“Bullshit!”
“We never did anything to you!”
“That-” I huffed, “is where you are completely wrong.” With that, I stormed out of Cayden’s room.