Learning to Fall

We entered the hospital through the lobby to find the detective I had spoken to on the phone. His name was Detective Reese. Reese was also the same one I talked to last night at the police station. He asked me who Paul was as if he was a suspect and I explained that Paul was a friend who was here to give me moral support. Haven’t they ever had someone come identify a body before who didn’t want to be alone?

Detective Reese and some of his officers led us down to the basement of the hospital and down a long hallway that had many rooms. On the door of one said morgue and was where we stopped at. He pressed a button at the side of the door and it opened, allowing us access.

I walked in, noticing many rooms with a few workers. There was a desk with a secretary who made the detective sign us in when we first stepped into a huge, long hallway. Then she led us to a room where the bodies are stored. There were a few tables lined up in the room as we walked in. I noticed large silver doors in double rows of the room we were standing in where they kept the bodies when they are done examining them on one side of a wall. In the other rooms outside of this one were rooms where the bodies are actually examined and forensic evidence is kept.

“Ms. Lyvers, this is Dr. Adams, the coroner.” Detective Reese said as we walked over to the table that had a body covered up.

“I’m sorry you have to be here to identify the body, miss.” Dr. Adams replied.

“We found the victim in an alley. There was a call made by a woman who refused to identify herself. The woman said she heard a scuffle and screaming going on. We tried to trace the call but it was from a pay phone down the street. I have to admit he is very badly bruised and beat up. There was blunt force trauma to his skull and I think an animal may have attacked him later.” The detective replied as I looked over at Paul.

“I just want to get this over with.” I replied feeling sick to my stomach.

“Before we do that, we found this on your boyfriend. I assume it was meant for you.”

Detective Reese said handing me a plastic bag that contained a ring box. I took it from his hands and opened the bag to pull out the box. Tears started to form. I was right. He was going to be late because he was going to ask me to marry him. He had to pick the ring up after he got off from work the night this whole mess I was in started.

I opened the box to see that it revealed a very beautiful engagement ring. It was beautiful, yet also something simple as Jeff knew I liked. I quickly closed the box and nodded my head at the doctor.

“Very well, then.” The doctor replied pulling the sheet down where I could see half of the body and its face.

“It’s Jeff.” I said turning to Paul’s shoulder to cry on.

Paul held me and whispered that we needed to be alone with the body. “Are you sure this is your boyfriend, miss?” The detective replied.

I turned around and nodded yes as I wiped away my tears. “Can I be alone for a minute or two?” I asked really not wanting to be here right now.

“That’s understandable.” The doctor replied nodding for everyone to leave.

“Paul, can you leave too?” I said turning back around to him.

“I need to check his neck first.” Paul said trying to walk past me.

“Later, please? I just need a minute.” I said pleading to him as I grabbed his arm.

“Ok, but I will be right outside this door. It will be dark here soon and I can’t take the chance of him waking up if he was turned.” Paul replied.

“Thanks.” I said hugging Paul. I didn’t really know Paul but he was being very understanding and patient with me. Maybe he was doing it out of respect to Martin who asked him to come here for me.

I watched Paul leave and then turned and walked closer to the table that Jeff was laying on. I hated seeing dead bodies. It was enough to see my own parents at their funeral. How was I going to explain to Jeff’s parents that their son was dead?

I shivered as I now stood next to Jeff’s head. They always keep hospitals so cold. I guess to prevent infections for patients and to keep the dead in the morgue preserved. It was either that or my nerves that made me have goose bumps.

I opened the box back up and took out the ring. I placed it on my finger and looked at Jeff. I ran my hand through his hair, like an instinct as I used to do and touched his cold face.

“I’m sorry. This is my fault.” I said feeling guilty. If we hadn’t decided to celebrate that night, then maybe Jeff wouldn’t have chosen that night to get a ring and want to propose. Then he would still be here alive and in my arms. The word vampire would not be in my vocabulary and I would be oblivious to everything that went bump in the night. I would rather not know and go on with my life as it was before this whole mess started.

I leaned down to Jeff’s left ear and whispered, “I love you.” Jeff was in a better place now I hoped. I hoped that this was just a mugging or whatever. I didn’t want to know that a vampire did this as I looked at Jeff’s bruised and banged up body. His head had some trauma as the coroner suggested. Who would do such a terrible thing? Did I really want to find bite marks?

I made myself want to know to give myself a piece of mind and to hopefully prove to Paul that Jeff was not going to be a threat to anyone. I gently took his head and rolled it over facing me as I looked away. It was weird to touch a dead person. I looked back and ran my fingers down the right side of his neck. Sure enough I felt with my fingers and saw with my own eyes, two bite marks.

“No!” I screamed which sent Paul into the room.

“What? Are you ok?” Paul asked concerned.

“There!” I yelled as he looked at Jeff’s neck. “You were right.” I sighed Paul hugged me and apologized.

“Look out!” I screamed as I tried to back away. It happened so fast. Jeff woke up from the dead and grabbed Paul from behind sending him flying into the wall where they keep the bodies. Jeff flung him so hard that I saw him hit his head on one of the silver doors and fall unconscious.

“Paul!” I screamed trying to get to him to grab him and get away from Jeff.

“Where are you going princess? I came back for you. I love you. We belong together.” Jeff said with a wicked smile as he crept closer to me.

“You aren’t my Jeff. You’re just some monster!” I said as Jeff whipped out his fangs. I frantically searched Paul’s jacket pockets for a stake.

“What are you going to do with that, stake me?” He laughed as I got up and held it out in front of me.

“If I have to.” I replied.

“You wouldn’t. You just told me in my ear that you loved me.” He grinned.

“Don’t come any closer.” I said but he lunged at me and knocked me on the floor.

I tried to fight off Jeff but couldn’t. He was too powerful. “If I can’t have you, no one can.” Jeff said as he grabbed my neck and started choking me as all I could do was hit him with one hand and try to pry his hands off my neck with the other. It looked like this was the end for me until Paul came to and staked Jeff but missed his heart. It did enough to distract Jeff and I managed to get up and run over to Paul.

“Come on!” Paul yelled as we ran out of the room and down the hall.

Detective Reese came out of a room and tried to stop us until he saw Jeff running after us. Then he shot at Jeff with his gun. We turned around long enough to see the fear on Reese’s face as his bullets didn’t stop Jeff.

“This isn’t over!” Jeff yelled finding another way to escape the morgue only this time without me.