Call out to the Dead

I didn’t know where to cast my eyes. Should I watch Michael’s friends to make sure they’re not trying to take a bite out of mine? Should my vision stay glued to Michael and Erika?

After bouncing erratically for a moment my eyes finally settled on Michael as his hand fell on her shoulder. He was dragging her outside. She struggled so they didn’t just vanish from sight they sort of shimmered through the crowd.

I looked over to Jo and the man beside her. There was a distance between us, the rosary kept him from being able to stand more than a comfortable casual distance from me.

He decided to introduce himself. “I’m DJ. I’d shake your hand but...” Then he gestured to say I knew why.

“Where is Michael taking her?” I had to ask. A loud crash was my answer and the whole building seemed to shake.

“Earthquake!” Male voices -the vampires- shouted in such certain tones that I almost believed them.

Instead of reacting as I should have I did the exact opposite of the wise thing. I ran for the back exit as if I could ‘help’ in some way. DJ called after me but it wasn’t like he -or any of the others- could physically stop me.

The back door led to what most do, a dingy alley. The biggest difference was this one had two very pissed off, bloody vampires fighting in it.

He roared, blood drops flying with the words, “I am your elder!”

“You are a failure! Letting your obsession stop you!” She spoke in much the same way.

They didn’t even notice me there as they continued throwing their blows.

“Get away from him!” When I heard that I was shocked it was my voice.

They both looked at me. Her eyes filled with malice, his large and frustrated, almost worried.

“I know you can’t touch me so don’t look at me crazy.” I could have fuckin’ kicked myself for that after it escaped. I was just glad I didn’t throw a ‘bitch’ out with it.

“Eliza! Go back inside!” Michael shouted, not the same intensity as when he spoke to Erika, obviously wishing I knew how to shut up.

“No, Michael, don’t worry about little Miss Blonde-Small-Town-Nobody. I’m leaving.” She spit straightening her black military style coat.

She cast me one last hard look. “There’s no escape.” She hissed slowly with blood mixed with saliva dripping off her fangs, strings of it forming between her lip and fang.

Next thing she was gone.

Michael just looked furious.

I was too curious about the blood surrounding -and in- their mouths. Was it their own or each others? I could see lots of small bloody patches on him but no wounds.

“Why the hell would anyone come out here like that? Are you insane? I always thought you had the appropriate reaction to us until now! Don’t let that rosary make you cocky! Taunt her and she will find a way!” He fumed with fangs still extended eyes glowing -as they always seemed to be- with intensity.

His words were as close to him shaking me at the shoulders as he could get. They knocked me back into my senses and I managed to fall back into my right mind. I was alone with a vampire again. I tried not to think back to just a few moments before when I was alone with two vampires. I’d remembered vampires could kill me far too easily to play the games I was.

“I was going to talk to her. Convince her that you protecting your neck is significant.” He groaned. “I doubt that’s going to help now.”

“Well, it didn’t seem to be going to well before I got here.” I retorted stiffly.

“Bloodshed is necessary for vampires to really stop and reason. We tend to work from our animal instincts more than you.” Sometimes it seemed like he didn’t mean to keep talking. His thoughts were just flowing quite unfiltered. “We should get everyone home.” He added before gesturing for me to lead the way. Not like he could hold the door for me.

I walked back to Jo and the other girls had rejoined her as well.

People were clearing out pretty quick. Chaos made people scatter pretty well.

“Fuck Eli, where did you go?” Val asked letting out a sigh of relief seeing me.

“I don’t know I just panicked. Let’s get out of here.” I figured the faster we separated the less likely it would be for Erika -or any other vamps that might be lurking about- to see Val and Kelsey with me. Putting them at risk was the last thing I even wanted to think about doing.

“Maybe we should all stay together tonight.” Kelsey offered.

“No!” I blurted, then I tried to pull back a bit. “Well, we’d all feel safer in our own beds right?

They didn’t look like they really believed me but as good friends they accepted my words.

I looked over noticing DJ still at Jo’s side the rest of them talking to him and Michael rejoining them.

Joanne cast a casual goodbye to DJ and his boyish face surrounded by it’s frame of thick black hair snapped back to her looking so friendly I momentarily forgot he was a vampire. It was almost like I was watching it in a movie. I was the person standing outside watching through the window in the snow as the warm moment happened in something a bit faster than slow motion. It was weird watching her toss a jokingly flirtatious air kiss as she walked toward the door and he caught it and winked.

Jo was the only person who’d ever outright flirt with a vampire.

With that we all got back into my car and all went to our respective homes. Except Jo of course, she was with me.

“Wanna know what Kev had such a stick up his ass about?” She opened up once we were alone in the car. This is why I never had to ask anything. “Because I’ve been ‘neglecting’ him. What the hell? Is he a child? A puppy? Some men are more insecure than women!”

“What’d ya say to that?” I asked with lazy words.

“Well...” Now her voice got a little awkward. “That if he couldn’t understand that my best friend sometimes needed me that I was moving out.”

“You’re moving in for real?” I didn’t care she practically lived with me anyways.

“Well just until I-” She floundered about.

“Jo, chill. Sometimes it’s nice to know more than just me live in that house.” I spoke cutting off her random flow of words. “Is this why you were flirting with DJ?”

She chuckled. “Oh, so you can dream about fiercely Frenching with a vampire but I can’t flirt it up with one?”

I laughed outright. “You definitely can Jo. Only you.”

She tore her eyes from the road to look at me. “You know they’re probably following us home right?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way right now.” I spoke with a sigh.

“So you’ve decided to trust Michael?”

“He’s still in the limbo of qualified mistrust and actual faith that I could really trust him.” I spoke lightly. It was hard to say I near trusting a man who was going to kill me only a few nights before.

I felt drained so early in the night I was ready to curl up in my bed but with some real night owls following us I doubted that would happen anytime soon.

Jo and I walked inside figuring the guys would join us as they arrived.

I lead the way into the formal living room, the largest room in the house. It was the only room with enough real space for all of us to be in comfortably even with my rosary on. At least I hoped it was.

I sat in the large -most of the furniture was modernly oversized- armchair in the far corner so Michael and whomever else may come with him would have more freedom of movement.

As Jo settled into the couch DJ walked in closely followed by Michael.

“Hello ladies,” Michael said with a smile as he walked in. “Never a dull moment is there?”

“Hot chicks always come with baggage.” Jo said with a smirk. I’m not sure if she was taunting me, Michael, or DJ.

DJ smirked back. “Honey, many things have changed over the centuries, women are not one of them."

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Let me guess you boys aren’t into telling your age?” Jo’s curiosity made it’s debut.

DJ’s smirk didn’t fade. “Age is for humans Sweetcheeks.” Just so she’d be left in wonder. Something in his dark eyes smoldered like he knew keeping her in suspense would only make her mind spin madly on thus stringing her interest along.

I tried to get back to business. “So are there any real tips you guys could give us to keep safe? I’m not used to being scared to leave Jo alone at night or be seen with Val and Kelsey.”

Michael’s eyes and mouth fell back into a serious set. “Anything that would keep Erika away would do the same for us Eliza.”

DJ added. “None of them are as easy as horror movies would have you think either. The rice thing you guys tried works in theory though. We just count too fast for it to matter really. We are compulsive motherfuckers.”

I didn’t know how we were supposed to stay safe. Were we intended to expect that Michael would keep an eye on us? We had to feel free to act like people. I didn’t want to be terrified all the time, and I wanted Jo’s life disturbed far less.

“Michael, how can I keep my friends safe?” I asked boldly connecting my eyes to his. “I don’t even feel safe in my own home anymore. What’s your plan for this?”

As a human, a creature so much less complex than he and of so few years in comparison, I read him way too well. His eyebrows knit together, he looked worried. It was amazing to think that he could have been making that expression for centuries and be left without a single line to show for it. A face without the character of age that would remain that way. “Eliza, don’t worry.” Those words sounded like a promise.