“Who the hell are you? And what do you want from me?” I hiss.
“All will be answered in due time, though I will require your mercy and restraint. Do you believe that is amenable?”
Amenable. This guy is using pretty high diction and coupled with his eye color, I have every reason to assume he is a threat to me and everything I’ve built over these three years. Yet, something about this man evokes a sympathetic reaction deep within my silent heart. Unfortunately, I don’t have any weapons on me, so fighting him is out of the question. Yet, I can’t smell any malice coming off of him either…
“I suppose I can grant you clemency for now, though I’ll need your name to protect you from the curses and enchantments in my house.”
The snow crunches beneath my boots as I stride through the shopping square, walking through the crosswalk to where I found that sketchy creature before. The other vampire remains steadfast, following me at the exact same pacing and frequency of my steps, making my skin crawl.
“Pardon me, Fraulein, but did you just say house?” the vampire chuckles.
“Yes, I said house. What better way to stay inconspicuous amongst mortals than staying within a house. Living in a spacious manor in the distant horizon would be suicide and buying up all the land in the surrounding area to construct a castle within a few miles from the seashore would bring its own problems,” I sigh. “Tell me, do you know how often mudslides occur in this area?”
“No, Fraulein. I do not. I merely read what I could about Ferran City on my flight here. Thankfully, my master granted me first-class seating on the plane, so I had insufficient time to research the region. Now, I believe you requested my name. Very well, I am Friedrich Trauermarsch, and I’m a servant to one of the four Great Noble Houses, the Cremoux house to be precise.”
Well, this tells me a few things. First, this confirms that he’s likely of German ancestry due to his name. Second, I now know more about vampires outside of my own solitary existence. Wait, why the hell is someone so important here looking for me? My brow furrows, and I suppose Friedrich here noticed.
“You seem confused, Fraulein. I dare not think that you consider yourself someone of no importance, do you?” Friedrich muses.
“Look, we can talk more when we get back to my house. Right now, I just want to sit on my couch or my bed, or anything else besides outside in the frigid cold.”
“Yes, I must admit, I had no idea snow this thick would be present here of all places. America sure is a wonderful place.”
“Friedrich, it does not normally snow here at all. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” I say.
“Ah, I see. Still, to see palm trees covered in snow, fascinating…”
Friedrich spouts out all kinds of things along the way back to my house, jeering at the creepy old man, throwing a snowball at one of the kid’s faces so hard the kid flips backward in the air, and taking notes about the architecture of the neighborhood. As we approach my unique house, Friedrich marvels at the building for a brief moment before droning on about ex-black ops missions and his vast expertise in technology. I stuff the key in the lock, twisting the knob and pushing the door open.
“Please get in and find something to do besides talking my ear off,” I snap.
“Alright Fraulein, is there anything that needs to be repaired in your house?”
“No. This is the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Down the hall on your left, you’ll find the bathroom and laundry on the right side and my bedroom on the left side. At the end of the hall is your room, if you choose to sleep there. You can also sleep in the living room if you’d like.”
Friedrich stands in place for a moment, taking in the environment I suppose. I throw my coat onto the coat rack and untie my boots, tossing them on the floor under the rack. I stumble into the kitchen, starting up a pot of coffee whilst Friedrich continues his little tour of my house. The coffee pot hums its song, hissing in an almost rhythmic fashion. I still don’t know what to think of Friedrich though. I can tell he’s been alive for quite some time because he dresses like he lived through the 1800s. However, nothing about him screams dangerous to me. In fact, his aura gives off protective energy. Kind of like a puppy…
The coffee maker shrieks as the pot reaches its full potential. The glassy pot consumed by the scorching lake of espresso, its scent drifting through the kitchen. I pour myself a smidge in a bright blue mug, filling the ceramic tool three-quarters of the way. I fill the rest with the last vestiges of my hazelnut creamer, emptying the bottle much like a spider might an insect, down to the very last drop. As I stir my coffee cup, clutching the hot mug in my now warm hands, a loud thud echoes from down the hallway. I sit my mug down on the marble countertop and dash down the hallway, stepping into the guest room only to find Friedrich halfway through rearranging the entire room.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
Friedrich whips around, his red eyes widening more than a 90s cartoon character. The man has damn near shifted the furniture ninety degrees, though I don’t a point to any of this…
“Well, you told me I could sleep in one of the rooms. Isn’t it an American custom to make yourself at home?” Friedrich chuckles.
“Um, not everyone likes to have their possessions moved as soon as someone enters the house. I had the room meticulously organized before you jumbled everything up,” I hiss.
“Apologies, Fraulein. I’ll return the room to its previous condition at once.”
“Please don’t worry about it, I would rather just relax for a moment.”
My head whirls as inky blackness creeps into the edges of my vision. A deep, all-consuming fire flows through my heart and my stomach leaps and twists despite not making a single sound. I shudder as my skin runs cold, goosebumps rising up on my skin for the first time in a long while. Apparently, all of this is written on my face because Friedrich is staring at me.
“Are you alright, dear? You look paler than normal for a vampire, and that is saying something. Have you seen a ghost or something? Don’t tell me your house is haunted!”
“Shut up, please. I just need to sit down and relax.”
I take my leave from the guest room, walking around the corner into my bedroom. The stark contrast between the pale, bone white walls and my onyx furniture flow into one another seamlessly. I drudge my feet across my purple carpet, its soft fur-like texture easing the tension from my body. Collapsing onto my king size bed, I find myself staring at the blank canvas I call a ceiling. I could take the time to paint something up there, but how often do I get a chance to relax? The bookshelf beside my bedroom wall is filled with plenty of novels that I read as a mortal and a good number that I’ve found since I died. A dull ache settles in a ring around my head settling just above my eyebrows like a headband tied too tight. It’s way too early for me to be this tired. I mean, the sun hasn’t even gone down yet. I toss my blanket over myself, the dark violet fabric sinking like a nice foam pillow onto my skin. The room is lit by a dim lantern that is plugged into the wall. One of the “perks” of the vampiric transformation is heightened senses, though I’m not sure if I’d say that fluorescent lights becoming almost five times more blinding is a benefit. Before long, I’m almost fast asleep until another loud sound echoes through the wall.
“Damn it. I swear, if he ruins my walls, I’m going to kick him out of my house.”
I climb out of my bed, wrapping my blanket around my body as if it were the train of a dress. I slip out of my room and round the corner, peering into the room. Friedrich, sitting in a chair in one of the back corners, hits me with a cheeky little grin before planting his eyes back on a book he has in his hands. Ugh, at least there isn’t a dent or hole in the wall. As I waddle my way back into the hallway, the lingering scent of my coffee hits my nostrils. The scent draws me back to the kitchen like a lure, pulling my legs to work their way towards the source. Without thinking, I snatch my coffee cup from the counter and slurp down its contents. In an instant, a knot forms in my stomach as the coffee seeps down through my system, but nothing happens. For a moment, I’m left dumbfounded, standing with the empty mug in my hands, laughing my ass off. You know Sabrina, you sure can be quite stupid at times.
Yet, the caffeine flowing through my veins extinguishes any fatigue I may have felt in my bed. In its place lies a restlessness, one that leaves me yearning to act upon it. I slide out a phone from out of my pants’ pocket, clicking the power button. The OLED screen sparks to life, sending a slight pain through my eyes despite being on the ultra-dim setting. Several missed phone calls and text messages from unknown numbers cover most of my lock screen, though none of them seem important. No recognizable numbers and no news stories of importance. Looks like tonight is going to be a long one…
I tuck my phone back into my pocket, letting out a sigh drawn all the way up from my toes. I guess it would be hard for the police to investigate any threats while the roads are frozen over, but I still have a list of contacts to reach out to tomorrow. Unfortunately for my contacts, it wouldn’t be fatal for me to hunt in the ice, and I ensure that I left no trace behind. Yet tonight will be a silent night, I could use a break. I shuffle my way to the living room, taking a seat on the couch. The dim remnants of the smoldering embers glowing in the fireplace, a faint spark fighting back the inky darkness. I should probably put more logs onto the embers since my house doesn’t have the best circulation, but the couch is a little too comfortable at the moment. It doesn’t take long for my eyelids to grow heavy, and I fall over onto the couch, my world consumed by a darkness I can’t peer through.
~
I wake up with a start the next morning, or what I assume is the next morning because I’m sprawled out all over the couch. I prop myself up on my arms before peeling off the couch completely. In the distance, I can tell Friedrich is sitting at my dining room table with what sounds like a newspaper. My eyes linger on the light creeping through the gaps in my pitch-black curtains. A thin streak of soft blue light creeps into the house, illuminating the lower regions of the living room. So, I was right, it’s morning. I must’ve slept much longer than I expected. I stumble my way to the dining room, making my way to the refrigerator. Friedrich looks up for a brief moment, but he looks away just fast as he laid eyes on me.
“Forgive me for my brutal honesty darling, but you look like you’ve been hit by a semi-truck and climbed back off the pavement,” Friedrich chuckles.
I open up my phone camera and sure enough, I do look like a train wreck. My white hair is all tangled up, some strands pointing straight out as if I got struck by lightning. My eyes are sunken, their luminous bright blue remaining the only sign of life in them. My complexion looks quite good, but that’s just a part vampire regeneration, I guess. I glare at Friedrich, but I choose to ignore the indecency of his comment. Instead, I head over to my refrigerator that is right where the kitchen meets the hallway. I pull open the bottom door, sifting through the empty shelves before I lay eyes on what I’m looking for. A medium-sized bag of blood that is curated to my liking. The flavor is quite metallic, the right balance between sweet and sour, and the pH is almost perfect. I rip the plastic open with my teeth, the delicious aroma flooding the room and my nostrils. That same fire ignites within my stomach, my mouth salivating at the sheer scent as my headache pounds even harder than before. My vision runs red as only the blood within the bag stands out. I scarf down the blood bag, drinking every last drop until nothing but air goes down my throat. After a few moments, Friedrich stands up from the table, offering an outstretched hand. That’s when I realize that I’m on the kitchen floor. If I weren’t already dead, my face would be bright red.
“Come now, dear. There’s no need to be embarrassed. I didn’t relish killing mortals during my first few decades after my transformation. We also didn’t have as nearly much blood to partake in back then either,” Friedrich says.
“Of course,” I say as I take his hand, “Though if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been a vampire?”
“Well, I believe the number is four hundred years now. I stopped keeping count after around the year two hundred, but my mistress keeps a tally on everyone’s birthdays. Lady Cremoux is a rather sentimental sort at times.”
“Well, I suppose you’ve gotten used to tearing someone’s throat open and the whole hunting your prey thing?” I sigh.
“As a member the Cremoux house, it is my pleasure to feast upon only the humans within our employ. They are handsomely rewarded, though the reward does vary depending on the person…”
The vampire smiles in such a way that makes my stomach queasy. I wrap my arms around myself, something that Friedrich notices without moving a muscle.
“I notice my comments are leaving you rather uneasy. Despite my seemingly strange appearance, I respect all the boundaries of the people I meet. It is a servant’s duty to ensure that his master is well taken care of.”
His words seem to be earnest, or at least his words don’t trigger any alarm bells in my head. Fortunately, I don’t think he’s charming me either. I throw the blood bag into the trash, washing the crimson streaks from my hands. Friedrich remains where he stood earlier, newspaper in hand. I look back at the man, but he smiles and places the newspaper on the table.
“What orders am I to be given today, Fraulein?” he says.
“Um, I do have a list of groceries that I am supposed to be grabbing at some point today. Do you have access to GPS?”
“Of course! Hell, I could make one myself if I had the components.”
Good to know. Friedrich is very tech savvy. Who would’ve thought? I snatch the grocery list off the fridge and place it into the man’s hands. The man’s face almost shimmers as he beholds the list in his hands. The vampire walks towards the front door, grabs his coat, and leaves without saying a word. I stare at the front door dumbfounded, my mouth hanging open as I process what just happened.
“I have never seen a man so eager to serve…”
I turn towards the front door myself, walking to the coat rack. I throw my coat on and tie my boots tight. I reach into one of my pockets, pulling out an earbud from my case and slipping it into my right ear. I pull out my phone, flipping through my songs and tapping one at random. A shrill scream flows into my ear as I open the door. A strong gust blows through as I shut the door, sending snow all over the place. A small portion of the snowpack has melted already as the temperatures have risen a few degrees above freezing, but there is still a tremendous amount of snow on the ground. I step onto the sidewalks and to my surprise, there’s no ice to trip over. I suppose the construction crew actually did their jobs for once. I take a right from my house, heading to the industrial sector of the city. Plumes of smoke billow through the air, casting a faint shadow over the houses beside me. Before long, the industrial plants themselves come into view, several towering structures that breath through the backbreaking labor of the middle-class citizens of the area. The factory workers always have the nastiest blood in bars. Something about the chemical exposures and potential work hazards that turns me off to them. I look up at the raspy breaths taken by the industrial plants, each one exhaling toxicity just as mortals do. At least mortal exhalation has a role to play in the natural cycle of life.
Despite my misgivings about factories, I do profit greatly from the work that occurs around them. A decent portion of the workers enjoy letting off steam in various ways deemed “unsavory” by the public. As the residential buildings fade behind me, the commercial buildings emerge from their hiding places. I spot a casino on my right where a group of thugs are holding a man upside down, shaking him and sending coins and other possessions clattering to the ground. On my left, a tobacco shop sits, its signs flashing like air traffic cones. Why do they have their lights on in the middle of the day? The debilitating reflections of the snow drive my eyes toward the ground. At this time of day, sunglasses provide significant relief, but I can’t allow myself to seem weak in front of my clientele. Instead, I dart around the corner and into the next alley. Within the shadows, everything becomes crystal clear. Several men line the walls, baseball bats and metal clubs in hand. Most of the men are either bald or they have a buzz cut that makes them look bald. Yet, they aren’t the most muscular people in the world.
“So, nice of you to join us there, Alirelli. I was wondering if you were going to come after all,” a voice echoes in the back of the alley.
This man’s voice creeps out from behind his entourage, though it lacks a certain edge to it. Unlike most of my clients, this one seems to be wary of me. This person is different than everyone else, and he’s a new client. My reputation is known across the city, but someone has scared this person. In fact, each person’s heartbeat is running faster than a jackhammer inside their chest, yet one heart beats much faster than the rest. I take a few measured steps forward until I reach the center of the circle. At this point, I start to make out some details of the leader’s silhouette and clothes. His long-sleeved shirt is decorated with gold trims, and his pants are solid white, creating a premium contrast. He has designer sunglasses on but underneath those glasses I smell a hint of sweet, delightful scent. One I’ve smelled several times in my conquest through this city’s underworld. A scent only driven by the fastest of heartbeats, the strongest of primal emotions. Terror.
“Well, the weather these days has been quite unprecedented for our area. I decided that I needed to take extra precautions while walking on the sidewalk. You wouldn’t blame a lady for trying to keep herself safe, would you?”
The man pauses for a moment, stroking the bottom of his chin. His wiry forearm sticking out of his baggy sleeve. I take a moment to listen to his heartbeat, the rhythm slowing down just a little, shifting to the cadence of classic rock rather than thrash metal. Good, I need him at ease with me.
“No, I suppose not. I’m grateful that you made it here safely. I imagine that you already know why I am here, then?”
“You could say that. I mean, this is a business meeting, after all. What proposal do you have in mind, and why do you have so many men for just one young woman?” I say.
“Rumors say that you conquered most of the criminal world within a three-year span alone. I think that me having guards is a commonsense decision, girl.”
I clench my fists, my cold-blood roiling in my veins. My fingernails dig into the palms of my hands, but I keep my face rather calm and composed. I smile at the man, staring him dead in the eyes. His heartrate accelerates even faster than before, but that doesn’t faze me right now. I have enough investors and businesses in my pockets. I don’t need him.
“I would recommend you refrain from speaking to me however you please. Remember you came to me for a deal. If I were you, I would not be dismissing the person you need a favor from like a common passerby on the street.”
I turn on a dime, walking towards the alley entrance. However, the man’s guards form a wall, blocking the exit. So, it looks like we’re doing this the hard way. Damn, I was looking to avoid a fight today. Each of them stares me dead in the eyes, but I don’t sense any hostility. They don’t even have the vibrant spicy aura that floods the air when hatred flows through a mortal’s veins. Instead, I smell a dull, indistinct scent that makes me want to gag. They are doing this out of duty, so they smell like pure stoic macho men. Blegh! The circle closes in around me, but none of them make a move.
“Alright, there are at least twenty of you and one of me. How confident do you feel about these odds?” I hiss.
“I think twenty of us can handle one little girl. Attack,” the leader shouts.
The first wave of men charges at me, but I grab the first one, snapping his forearm and throwing him into another of his colleagues. Another leaps into the air, forcing me to sidestep, deflecting the attack into the brick wall beside us. I elbow one of the few good-looking men so hard that his nose shatters, blood gushing down his face like a fountain. By the time I realize what I’ve done it’s too late. Animal instinct takes over, my fingernails sharpening into blade-like talons. I lunge at closest of the men to me, carving large slashes into his face before smashing him into the ground. Despite my transformation, my wits remain somewhat in my hands. I stare at the man for a moment, looking for breathing and listening for a pulse. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. As I look up from the poor man beneath me, the other fifteen or so have begun to back away from me. A sickly-sweet aroma floods the alley as the fragile will of my adversary crumbles to dust. The leader stares at me, shock dancing across his face before he falls to the ground. The troop gathers their wounded as I turn back towards the entrance of the alley. Damn it, this meeting wasn’t supposed to go this way. My nose scrunches at the hypnotic song scattering through the air, and my mouth waters like when I used to see dessert as a kid. Yet, I start walking back home, the blood song fading as the alley gets farther and farther away.
