400 Words A Day

Sorry

2011-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

My apologizes to everyone that was reading this story. Unfortunately I am on a deadline for my novel, so all of my focus needs to be there right now. Hopefully I will be able to get back to this blog in the next week or two.

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the delay.

Post #123 Vampire

2011-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Neither of them had to say a word, I already knew the answer. The lady I saw was no half-breed. Chris and David’s body language told me everything I needed to know. They were in full shock and awe. I could also see the sadness in Chris’s posture; the poor guy really wished that he saw her. Maybe we would get lucky and spot her again. Heck, between the gargoyle talking and spotting a true elf, I was getting pretty good at these rare supernatural events. They always said I was born lucky. But maybe that wasn’t it. There was something about the way that she looked at me. It was almost like she had been searching for me. But why would an elf be looking for a vampire? It didn’t make sense. At that moment Chris and David decided to answer my question.

“Sure sounds like one,” David replied.

“Amazing,” Chris said.

“Okay, so maybe I saw a pure elf. Add that to our list of cool things happening. Now as much as I would love to discuss this further, I believe you were about to tell me something?” I said to David.

He gave me a look that told me he had no idea what I was talking about.

“You said we were in trouble,” I reminded him.

“Oh, yes, yes, the sorcerer,” He started, “If the circle I found belongs to the one you wanted me to look for, he is not your average dabbler. This circle, these symbols, and the residual power left behind. This man is a master of the dark arts,” David said.

“Is this the same guy from the park, that Bokor?” I asked.

“Well I wasn’t at the park, but this is clearly voodoo energy. This type of circle was most likely used to hurt someone. These symbols are about joining the spirit to an object. I would guess that it was used to create a link,” David said.

I looked over at Chris.

“It fits with what we were looking for,” Chris confirmed.

“So I was right, Veronica Mason was killed by the dark sorcerer. Which also means…” I let the thought trail off.

“…That she was the skin walker,” Chris finished.

Well the good news was that I solved Veronica Mason’s murder, just as Grayson wanted. Unfortunately I didn’t think that Reggie would accept ‘the bokor did it’ as an answer. So I still needed to find this guy. Especially now that he had those kids. On the plus side, I was going to get to kill two birds with one stone. When I solved Mason’s murder, I also solved Chu’s park case. See Logan, you can look on the bright side. I smiled at Chris and was about to comment on how nice it was when things tied together, when I froze. Something was watching us.

Post #122 Vampire

2011-06-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

There was something different about her. Something strange. When Chris and I saw those young elf kids in the woods earlier, they had a different quality. Heck, that young girl in the park had used a glamour to hide her features. Why didn’t this elf? I scanned the street, looking over every inch of the sidewalk, but she was nowhere to be seen. Not even a hint of that blue dress to be found. I turned towards David, a large smile on my face.

“Silly question for you, would an Elf have heard that?” I asked.

“So few of those half-breeds have the gift anymore, it is unlikely. Why, did you see one?” David asked.

“Yeah, and she was looking right at me. But,” I turned towards Chris, “She was different from those kids we saw earlier. I can’t explain it, but she was…captivating,” I tried.

“Can you describe her?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, she was…wait a minute,” I stopped and turned towards David, “ What do you mean those half-breeds?”

“Half-breeds,” David stated as if that was enough to explain it.

Chris nodded in agreement with David and I responded with a very dirty look. I managed to convey my anger and the fact that I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about immediately. It was a very informative look. Chris nodded in apology before speaking.

“Sorry, I should explain. The elves are one of the closest Fae to the humans. They, more than any other creature, have intermingled among humans for centuries. Working, playing, and even cross breeding. It has been going on so long that almost no pure blooded elves remain. All we see now-a-days are the half bloods. Legends say that the last civilization of full-blooded elves resides in a secret underground city, keeping their species and culture pure. Their beauty is supposed to surpass words,” Chris smiled.

“And if one of those full-blooded elves happened to be in the area, do you think they would have heard what you did?” I asked David.

“It is very likely. Pure elves are truly beings of magic. They say that they all possess the gift. But surely you cannot think that you saw a pure elf?” David asked.

“I don’t know, how about you two tell me,” I said before explaining what I had seen.

As I described her features, her skin, her hair, even the length of her ears, I could see their expressions change.

Post #121 Vampire

2011-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

“Mine aren’t too happy either,” Chris smiled.

I was a little upset, but even that brought a slight smile to my face. I walked over to the edge of the roof, peering down to check on the cops. It was exactly as David had said in that no one seemed the wiser. The cops sat in their car, waiting for me to pass by. People walked up and down the streets, heading to their various destinations, no one appearing to care about the happenings on the roof. I was just about to turn back to David, to find out about the big problem he said that I have, when I saw her.

She had long black hair, almost down to her waist. Her skin was smooth and beautiful, as if it had been carved out of a piece of peach marble. Her face was narrow and very angular, two tiny pink lips above a pointed chin. Like her face, her body was very slim and fit, her strapless blue dress revealing the arms of an athlete. There were no bulky muscles, but rather definition, her arms sculpted and toned. From the little bit of leg showing in-between her short dress and her knee high black leather boots, I could tell that her body maintained its tone all the way down. I looked back up at her face, her deep dark eyes seeing right into me. It felt like she knew exactly what I was.

When I looked her over I didn’t see any glamour or anything else out of ordinary, but I could just feel that something was off about her. If I were to describe her in one word, it would be otherworldly. I heard Chris calling my name, asking me what was wrong. But I was captivated, lost in her gaze. It wasn’t love or infatuation, but rather complete and utter fascination. There was something magical about her and I didn’t want to look away. I needed to understand more. At the same moment that the wind caught her hair, showing off the side of her face, Chris pinched my leg to get my attention. I looked down at him for the briefest of moments, instantly turning my attention back to the girl, and when I looked down towards the street, she was gone. For a moment I wasn’t exactly sure what I had seen, but my mind did its flashback trick and then I knew. Her ears were pointed.

Post #120 Vampire

2011-06-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

I watched David standing there, the blue glow of his eyes increasing in intensity. He held out his arms, as if he was reaching for a large beach ball. I was just about to ask Chris what was going on, when some type of shape started to become visible on the roof. It looked like a blue chalk drawing of a large circle, archaic symbols etched all around and inside of it. It started off very soft, but its intensity increased until it matched the shade and brightness of David’s eyes.

I was far from an expert, but it looked to me like some sort of magical casting circle. As David breathed in and out, the glow increased and decreased accordingly. It was like the light was directly attached to his lungs, filling up with power through each inhale and releasing that energy with each exhale. This went on for several minutes, the light breathtakingly beautiful. Finally, after three very slow deep breaths, David clapped his hands together causing a sound like a thunder to assault my ears. Perfectly synced to the sound, a bright flash erupted from the diagram, after which the entire pattern had vanished. The roof appeared to be back to normal.

I put my fingers into my ears and tried flexing my jaw in order to stop the ringing I was hearing. Chris was using similar techniques, but David appeared to be unaffected. Then his eyes started to flutter, almost as if he was having a seizure, and then his body went deathly still. He started to fall backwards and I was just fast enough to get my hand behind his head before it struck the ground. I held him there until his eyes opened; no trace of the blue light remained. He smiled wide and I helped him stand up. He took a few deep breaths and then looked me straight in the eyes.

“You got a big problem,” he said.

“Okay. Why don’t you tell me all about that and the light show and the thunderclap and everything else that just happened? But you should probably talk quick, that noise was loud enough to get the cops attention. I figure we got a good thirty seconds before they arrive,” I frowned.

“You need not fear the authorities. The sounds and sights that you just witnessed were magical in nature. Only those whose senses are attuned to such things would have any inkling as to what I just did,” he smiled.

“Well at least it’s only my ears that hurt,” I snapped.

Post #119 Vampire

2011-06-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

It felt like I was flying, the wind in my face, my feet kicking back and forth, striking nothing but air. I had never felt so alive. But as I approached my target, Veronica’s building, I realized that my leap was going to be very close. My feet seemed to be falling in slow motion, the edge of the roof a million miles away as I descended. From the look of things, there was no way that I was going to make the distance. I focused on the edge of the roof, almost willing my body forward, reaching out with my feet, and just barely catching the edge of the roof.

I had enough forward momentum that even though my toes barely touched the edge, my body continued forward onto the roof. I planted my feet firmly, hoping to catch my balance, which caused me to stop abruptly. The sudden stop sent Chris flying off of my shoulder. I reached out with my vampire fast reflexes, and caught him just before he flew out of my reach. I took several deep breaths, mostly to calm my nerves. Chris too was joining me in almost hyperventilating land. Once we were settled, and I calmed down, I walked back to the edge of the roof and looked at the distance.

It was so far that I could hardly believe we made it. As I was coming down, I had been sure that I was going to be short. Whether I got hit by a lucky gust of wind or just misjudged the distance, I didn’t know. But whatever the cause, I was happy to have been wrong about falling short. I watched the cops down below, looking for any sign that they noticed our overhead passing. Neither they nor anyone else on the street seemed to know or care that we were on the roof.

The building had a fire escape, but it was on the front and well lit from the streetlamps. I didn’t want to chance climbing down in view of the cops. There was a roof access door, no doubt locked, in the far corner. I laid David down on the roof and Chris beside him as I wandered around and looked at the other three sides of the building. Since Mason’s apartment had been on the top floor, I was hoping that there might be an easy way for me to access the place through a window without having to go into the building proper. I had only looked over one additional side when I noticed David out of the corner of my eye. He was standing perfectly still, staring at the roof, his eyes starting to glow blue.

Post #118 Vampire

2011-06-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

The distance between the building that I was standing on and the building across the alley looked to be about thirty feet. But after jumping up to the fire escape with such ease, I didn’t think that it was going to be a problem to make the alley jump. I took a few steps back, burst forth with my vampire speed, and leapt across the alley, landing on the other roof with a thud. I couldn’t help but laugh at my accomplishment. Just like every other little boy in the world, I had dreamed of being a superhero. And now jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I felt a little bit like one.

I leapt the next alley without even checking the distance first. I was moving even faster that time and cleared the gap with plenty of room to spare. I landed a silently as I could, unable to roll because of David and Chris, I simply kept running forward as I landed, hoping to disperse the sound of my impact. The next alley in my path was the same one that our Minotaur friend was sleeping in. I walked over to the edge and glanced down, checking to see if he had stirred since I left a few minutes ago. He hadn’t appeared to move an inch and after a few moments of focus, my vampire hearing caught the sound of his breathing, letting me know that he was still alive. Satisfied that things were as good as could be expected, I backed up a few steps and made the next leap.

The alley I cross over next was so skinny that it hardly seems worth mentioning. But once I had crossed it, I stood on the building directly across from Veronica Mason’s apartment complex. Now came the fun part. The road below me was a single lane in each direction, with space for a car to park on both sides, and a wide sidewalk. All in all, I guessed the distance to be about seventy feet. At least twice as far as any of the jumps I had tried so far. I wasn’t sure if I could make the distance, but since I had come this far, it seemed silly not to try. I walked all the way back to the furthest edge of the roof, hoping to give myself as much of a running start as possible. Then, moving forward with every bit of vampire speed that I possessed, I bolted for the edge. The world blurred around me as I moved, my feet propelling me forward at unnatural speeds. I hit the edge, timed it perfect, and leapt with every bit of strength in my body.

Post #117 Vampire

2011-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was feeling pretty hyped up on the Minotaur’s blood. Whether that was because I was so full of fresh blood or because the Minotaur himself carried a more potent plasma, I couldn’t say. But even with the feeling of power, I didn’t feel like the fifty-foot jump to the roof was quite within my reach. My mind did its rapid-fire image trick and I remembered something helpful that I had seen earlier. I went back onto the street, and headed back the way that I had come, away from Veronica’s apartment. I went back two more buildings and turned into that alley. Just as I remembered, an image that I caught out of the corner of my eye, a, a fire escape.

The ladder on the bottom was about twelve feet up, and the kind that releases once there is weight on it. But as I said, the blood coursing through my body was making me feel pretty good. I made sure that Chris was secure, readjusted my grip on David and bent down low, ready to really put my legs into it. I pushed as hard as I could, bounding straight up and over shooting my target by quite a bit.

I was aiming for the first landing, hoping to avoid all of the noise that bringing the ladder down would cause. Instead I jumped straight past that and found myself next to the second landing, thirty feet from the ground. I reached out and grabbed the metal railing, holding strong as gravity recaptured my body and Chris struggled to hang on to my shoulder. I hung there for a minute, looking around and trying to figure out the best way to remedy the situation. I lifted David up in my other hand and he came to life and crawled through the railing and onto the third story landing. Chris ran up my arm to join him. Without the two of them to worry about, I yanked on the rail and easily pulled myself up and over, the benefits of vampire strength.

I picked David back up, helped Chris up onto my shoulder, and quickly acceded the steps up to the roof, hoping that no one was looking this way. Once I got to the top of the building, I stood on the edge, letting the wind blow through my hair and looked down at the people on the street. No one was looking this way or paying any attention to the roof, which made me think that we had ascended the building unnoticed.

Post #116 Vampire

2011-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Once we were convinced that the Minotaur was as safe and secure as we could make him, we made our way back to the entrance to the alley. I stayed against the wall, just inside of the alley. Veronica Mason’s apartment was on the top floor of the little four-story apartment complex, two buildings down and across the street. Whether I saw the Minotaur or not originally, this was about where I wanted to stop and have a look around. As I mentioned earlier, I had a feeling that Chu was going to be here watching or put a surveillance unit on the place.

As a detective I had sat on a few stakeouts. So I had a pretty good idea what to look for. There are a handful of things that cops care about when doing surveillance. First, finding a place that is out of the way, but still has good sight lines on the target. On a large busy street like this, with plenty of alleys and side streets, that left many possibilities. They also needed the ability to move quickly if they were chasing someone. So the vehicle couldn’t be blocked in or parked in awkward to get out of places. It also had to be close enough that a foot chase wasn’t starting too far away. But while those were two of the most important factors when determining a location, there were always two other things that seemed to take precedent, food and facilities.

When you are stuck in a car for a long time, there is very little to do other than eat and drink. Which inevitably leads to having to use the restroom. The officers needed a spot where they could get in and out of the car and hit the facilities, without being too far away from the car. This street had several restaurants and bars, places with bathrooms, all of which would have sufficed for the cops. But when combined with all of the other factors involved, including clear sightlines to the front door, quick escape and such, there was only one place that they could be sitting. I looked over the four cars parked in front of Joe’s Pizza Plaza, and sure enough, the two gentleman in the maroon Crown Victoria seemed overly concerned with the entrance to Veronica’s apartment complex.

I stepped back into the alley, fully removing myself from view so I could think. I was again holding David, in ‘solid’ Gnome form. Chris relaxed on my shoulder in monkey guise and I was wearing a pretty boring tee shirt and jeans. While I wanted to pretend that I could blend, I realized that it was highly unlikely. I looked up, starting at the tops of the two four-story buildings that made up the alley and I had an idea.

Post #115 Vampire

2011-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

“More good news. Have you been saving all of this up?” I asked sarcastically.

“I’m sorry. Until it became an issue, I didn’t want it weighing on your mind,” he replied.

“Well thanks for that,” I snapped.

I still wasn’t sure how much of this anger was real or just left over rage from my episode. But I was starting to feel bad about being mean to Chris. I glanced over at David, who had walked over to check on the Minotaur. He appeared to be looking for a pulse, so I decided to finish up with Chris before I went over there.

“I’m sorry. It’s just frustrating. But let me ask you, how did you know that I wouldn’t kill you?”

Chris gave a sly smile as he answered, “Because like you said, I taste horrible.”

“No offense, but your blood is revolting. I just assumed it was my mind playing tricks on me, because I was hurting a friend. Is that really how it tastes?” I asked.

“Yes, Gremlin blood is very unappealing to a vampire. That is why it is so easy for us to befriend your kind. I knew that once you tasted my blood you would snap out of your rage. As I said, that is why I am always with you,” He finished.

“So all I have to do is bite you every time I am starting to feel angry huh?” I smiled.

“Maybe not every time,” Chris stated.

I smiled a little wider, most of my anger finally fading. We would talk about this more later, but for now, I had other things to do. There were kids lives on the line and a demon to stop. It was time to get going. I walked over to the Minotaur, squatting down next to him. I placed two fingers on his neck, feeling for his pulse, which was actually in about the same spot as a human. It was still weak but steady. I looked over at David.

“Is he going to live?” I asked.

“I believe so,” David’s deep voice rumbled, “But he will probably not regain consciousness for hours. I do not think we are going to be able to question him anytime soon,” he said.

“Of course. Why would any of this be easy,” I spat out.

I grabbed the Minotaur, and pulled him into the corner, hidden behind one of the dumpsters. We did our best to make him a comfy bed out of the cardboard boxes lying about. Then I covered him up with newspaper, and let him rest. His glamour was still intact, so no one would look at him funny. But I didn’t want anyone deciding to mess with a homeless guy and feeling the horns. The glamour was great for the visual appearance, but putting your hands on his head would reveal the truth.

Post #114 Vampire

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

“Great. So how often can I expect this to be a problem?” I asked.

Chris shook his head before answering, “There is no way to know for sure. To be clear, this is a rare thing among vampires. As I said, it normally affects Elder vampires after a long sleep. Obviously their bodies are starved and need to feed. In your case, I think it is being caused by growing pains,” he said.

“While I do have a great Kirk Cameron joke for that statement, I think I’m still a little too angry for comedy. So how about you just explain what you mean.”

“As we have said before, it is very rare for a vampire to live as long as Grayson did. For those that survive the centuries, the siring of offspring is forbidden. There is one eternal constant for the vampire, the older they get, the more powerful they become. This power is passed on to their ‘children’. You are also Grayson’s first ‘child’, meaning that you are the most powerful he would have ever made. So when these two things are combined…” Christ let the words trail off.

“So you are saying that I am going to be super powerful or some crap. How does being super powerful equal losing control?”

“Because of the power level. Your human body is being turned into the equivalent of a centuries old vampire. As you might imagine, this process normally takes place over centuries. In your case, it is happening over a matter of days. So your body, no matter how well fed, is essentially starving. That must be what caused you to attack the Minotaur in the way you did,” Chris said.

“But once my body has fully aged to wherever it’s going, then this won’t be a problem?”

“Hopefully,” Chris frowned.

“What do you mean hopefully?” I asked.

“The Blood Rage is a rare curse among the undead. But some vampires, no matter how much they feed, never gain the ability to stop their impulses. Albeit slim, there is a chance that you keep the rage with you for the rest of your existence. A vampire with the rage is very dangerous to the vampire community. There is always the fear that they will feed at inopportune times, possibly bringing the reality of vampires out into the open. Secrecy is the number one rule of Vampires. So because of this, those with the Rage are often hunted down and destroyed,” Chris frowned.

Post #113 Vampire

2011-06-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

“What the hell is a blood rage?” I asked, unintentionally raising my voice.

“Calm down,” Chris started, using his hands to emphasize the point, “We knew there was a possibility of this, which is a big part of why I have been traveling with you,” he said.

“Oh great. You knew this could happen and you didn’t mention it to me?”

I knew that he could hear the anger in my voice. I wasn’t expecting to react quite this strongly. Maybe it was the after affects of the rage or perhaps the fear of losing myself in the thirst was enough to piss me off. Plus, when I think about what I could have done here, or even worse, what if it happened earlier.

“You weren’t around when I met up with Chu,” I barked.

Chris hung his head as he responded, “You’re are right, and for that I apologize. You had been doing so well these last two days, you seemed so in control, that we thought you would be able to contain it. And there was a chance you never got the rage. Grayson told us that it was a possibility, but he didn’t know for sure how you would react.”

“So in the meantime you and Reggie have just been waiting for me to go nuts and kill someone?”

“We have been watching you closely and making sure that you were always well fed. Honestly I thought hunger was the mostly like cause of a rage. The fact that yours happened after you had been recently fed is something to be concerned about,” Chris said.

“Oh good. We definitely needed more to be concerned about. You know I was basically blacked out, completely on autopilot. I don’t remember parts of it and I really had no control over my actions,” I said.

“Yes, that is how the rage works. Your body starts to run on a survival instinct, with the need to feed being the driving force. This happens most often in elderly vampires, if they put themselves into torpor, which is the long sleep. When they awaken the hunger can overpower them. Especially if they rest for longer periods, decades or more,” he said.

“So it happens in older vampires? I am two days old, why the hell is it affecting me,” I said, my anger calming but still there.

“There in lies the problem. For all intent and purposes, you are an elder vampire,” Chris said.

Post #112 Vampire

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

It was less than a second between the time I released the Minotaur and the moment I stood there, Chris squirming in my grasp, both of my hands clamped around his neck. I was slowly bringing him closer to my mouth, ready to retaliate for the bite that he had given me. But even in that short amount of time, something was happening. I opened my mouth, started biting down with my fangs, and the moment I pierced his skin, I stopped.

I had been a marionette and someone finally cut the strings. For the first time since I started fighting the Minotaur, I felt like I was myself again. Whatever had taken me over was fading away and something of my self-control was returning. I pulled Chris away from my mouth, allowing myself to look him in the eyes. The world that had been a hazy dream state was now coming back into sharp focus. Chris had a huge smile on his face, the look of success and conceit. I spit several times, trying to remove the taste from my mouth. It took a great deal of control to prevent myself from vomiting.

“You taste horrific,” I said.

Chris couldn’t help but laugh and I heard David join in behind me. I was about to make a snide comment, but again, the sound of David’s laugh sucked me in. I too started chuckling like an idiot. I laid Chris back on the ground, plopping down on my butt next to him. I was actually feeling a little bit dizzy. I shook my head a few times trying to clear out the cobwebs. A few deep breaths and I almost felt normal. Of course when I say normal, I mean that I felt like a very bloated vampire. After the laughter subsided, I looked Chris over, making sure that he wasn’t hurt. A quick glance at the Minotaur showed that he was not moving. I strained my vampire hearing, focusing on his chest, and I could hear his heart beating, weakly. I listened for long enough to make sure that it wasn’t declining, and when I was convinced that he would live, I turned my attention back to Chris.

“Okay, what the hell just happened?” I asked.

Any of the remaining laughter in Chris’s expression faded away as he stared very seriously into my eyes.

“This is why Reginald was feeding you so often. We were hoping that it would help you avoid this. What you just experienced is called a blood rage,” he started.

Post #111 Vampire

2011-06-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Just saying her name shook me. I suddenly realized that I was in a haze, unable to think straight. The blood tasted so good that it completely consumed my thoughts. The real me was in here somewhere, fighting to get out, to stop me from killing this creature. So why couldn’t I stop drinking?

Chris was still screaming and waving his arms at me. I tried to focus on him, to remember why we were here. Veronica Mason’s apartment was just around the corner. All I had to do was release the Minotaur and we could begin our investigation. I was hoping that thinking of the case would help me regain control. But somewhere deep down, the primal instincts of the vampire argued with me. The apartment would still be there ten minutes later, I thought. I had plenty of time to finish my meal. What is a slight delay compared to the bliss that I was feeling?

I couldn’t see Chris anymore, his image blurring out of sight as I sank my fangs deeper, drinking more. I was losing myself in the blood. Every second I drank stretched into an eternity. Could I remain this way forever? Could I become a creature of pure bliss? That was when I felt the pain in my leg.

Pain is a funny thing. It is almost like the ultimate reset switch. No matter what you are thinking or what you were doing, a sharp pain seems to bring everything back into focus. I pulled my fangs out of the Minotaur’s neck in order to look down and see what had happened. Chris stood next to me, his tiny gremlin teeth covered in red from where he had bitten my calf. I could see the semicircle of red dots forming on my pant leg. The Minotaur, whose unconscious body was only still upright because I was holding it that way, suddenly became a lesser concern. I tossed him to the side so that I could get at the little Gremlin who had attacked me.

Chris started rapidly backing up, attempting to put as much distance between him and me as he could. I took a quick look over at David, to see if he too was part of Chris’s attack plan. But the Gnome just stood there, watching the chaos unfold, an unusually calm expression on his face. Chris had put maybe ten feet between us and I knew I could close that distance in a heartbeat. I lunged forward, my arms outstretched, reaching for his skinny little neck.

Post #110 Vampire

2011-06-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I blinked my eyes several times, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Chris and David were standing in front of us, waving their arms, calling my name, and trying anything to get my attention. But no matter how much I wanted to answer them, I couldn’t stop drinking. The blood tasted so good, too good. There was never a time in my life where I felt happier. For the first time ever, I think I truly understood what the word bliss meant.

I could feel the Minotaur’s heart slowing, each beat further from the last. I knew that if I kept drinking, it would kill him. I tried to care about his life, to stop before it was too late, but I didn’t think I should have too. I was a vampire now and drinking the sweet nectar that is blood was part of the deal. It was the rule of the jungle, survival of the fittest. I was not some aimless killer, but rather a creature that won the day and was now enjoying his reward, like an animal eating for survival. Besides, this would not be the first time that I took a life, I have killed before.

My second year on the force, I was chasing a mugger down an alley. He was just a kid, barely seventeen years old. I had my sidearm out, and I screamed at him to freeze and drop his weapon. But he had several outstanding warrants and he knew that he was going to prison. So he did what many scared people do in those situations, he reacted without thinking it through. When he raised his gun up to shoot me, I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what he was forcing me to do. But then somewhere, deep down, my training kicked in, my survival instinct kicked in, and I fired. I shot him three times in the chest, and he was dead before he hit the ground. The department probe cleared me of any wrong doing, but that never removes the blood you feel on your hands.

As I was about to end the Minotaur’s life, I knew that this was different. Unlike with the kid in the alley, I had a choice here. The Minotaur was under my control, and I could stop drinking at any point with no danger to the safety of others or myself. But the urge to take his life was so strong. I often wondered if the same desire to end a life would overcome me the day I found Kat’s killer?

Post #109 Vampire

2011-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

There wasn’t a whole lot of force behind the horn, but there was enough to cut my cheek and knock me back into the nearest dumpster. The Minotaur got to his feet and charged back at me. I stepped to the side just before he struck, letting him drive his horns through the dumpster. Then I chopped my hand down on his neck, with as much force as I could muster. The blow stunned him, and gave me an opportunity to take control of the situation.

I grabbed his right arm, the one next to me, and used it to spin him around, yanking his horns out of the dumpster. The alley was dark, hardly any of the ambient light from the street making it down here. But the last thing I wanted was for passersby to start watching the fight. The further down into the alley we went, the harder it would be for people to see us. So I planted my feet and used my entire body weight to hurl him down the alley. To my surprise, the Minotaur actually got airborne, flying back through the air, landing on the ground twenty feet away. That was when I decided to really pour it on.

I moved with frightening speed, charging straight at him and driving my palm into his chest. The force of the attack sent him stumbling another ten feet, before he fell onto his back, further down the alley. As he struggled to stand, I charged again, another chest strike, another knock back. It was almost as if my body was acting of it’s own accord. I felt this unexplainable drive to keep attacking. After three more strikes I managed to drive him to the end of the alley, bricks cracking as I sent his body into the wall.

There was blood trickling down from his mouth and ears. That was when I blacked out. I can’t tell you what happened in-between, but the next thing I knew, he was on his knees and I was standing behind him, my arm locked around his head. I had his head twisted to one side, exposing his neck, my fangs sunk deep into his muscle. I recall the sensation of blood running down my throat, a shot of energy running through my body, making me feel truly alive. While the packets of blood could easily sustain me, they in no way compared to the rush I was feeling from feeding off of the living. It was intoxicating. I then realized that I was hearing my name being called out over and over again. I opened my eyes, seeing Chris and David standing in the alley in front of me, Chris pleading for my attention.

Post #108 Vampire

2011-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don’t consider myself a bull expert by any means. But one image that every cartoon has shown me is the bull scrapping his hooves before a charge. The only thing missing from this scene was cartoon smoke shooting out of his ears. As it was, every breath he took blew condensation into the cold night air. It was a truly imposing sight. Then, his muscles tensed, his eyes narrowed, and he burst forward in a flash of speed.

As a police officer, we are taught several hand-to-hand defense techniques in the academy. Most cops, like myself, continue training in our free time. Especially those officers that patrol the streets and are often called into the direct line of fire, or line of punches. As a detective, I wasn’t thrown into those situations nearly as often as I was when I wore a uniform and drove a black and white. But Chu had spent her entire life studying martial arts. She loved it and considered it a huge part of her life. Often she enjoyed reminding me that she could kick my butt. So in order to appease her, and help our partner bond, I agreed to attend classes with her.

Most of the classes we attended emphasized locks and hold and escapes. When you subdue a suspect, it is important to incapacitate them without doing too much harm. Also, you always want to leave yourself in a position where you can escape in case they try to grapple with you. I bring this up because those skills of mine were about to be put to the test. I had about a second before the Minotaur put his horns through my chest.

I raised my hands in front of me, in a stance ready to defend myself. This would be the first true test of my vampire speed and strength. I reached forward, grabbing the horns as they approached, and stepped to the side, twisting with all of my strength. It turned out that my speed and strength served me well, for the Minotaur’s feet came out from under him and I spun him in the air, forcing him to the ground. He landed hard on his side and immediately tried to get back to his feet. I reached forward, grabbing his closest arm, and attempted to lock his wrist. Unfortunately, I was so focused on his wrist that I didn’t realize he was turning his head, which allowed him to smack me in the temple with his horn.

Post #107 Vampire

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Minotaur shifted uncomfortably when I stated that I knew what he was. He looked me up and down several times after I claimed we were kindred spirits. It was obvious that I had spooked him. I stopped moving forward and gave him a moment to relax. I was about twenty feet from him at this point, and I still didn’t feel comfortable yelling ‘I’m a vampire and this is my gremlin friend’ across that distance.

He took a couple of steps away from the wall, taking a slightly more aggressive pose as he faced me. I knew that if I didn’t put him at ease soon, I was going to be testing my bull fighting skills. That was something that I really wanted to avoid. I laid David off to the side, and pulled Chris off of my shoulder to sit beside him.

“Keep an eye on David. I don’t want you two in the possible line of fire,” I whispered to Chris.

He nodded and pulled our frozen little gnome friend closer to the wall, taking a vantage point that let him see the area, but be out of the path of destruction. I started walking towards the Minotaur again, this time my hands even higher in the air, looking as non-threatening as I could. I looked him in the eyes, hoping he would see the truth in my eyes.

“I just want to ask you a few questions. If you happened to be in this area two weeks ago, you might have seen something that can aid me in my investigation. A woman was murdered and I need to find the person responsible. If I do not, many more people might die. Just a couple of question and then I swear to you that I will leave in peace and no harm will come to you. I’m one of the good guys,” I smiled.

The Minotaur watched me intently. He was trying to decide what his next move should be. When I mentioned investigation, he tensed up. I knew that it was a gamble to say it. I figured the idea that I might be a cop would either set him at ease or cause him to panic. Unfortunately, I got the opposite reaction of what I was hoping for. He glanced quickly to his right and left, checking his other exit options. While there were many doors on each side of the alley, I knew as well as he did, that his huge bulk would have trouble fitting through them. That was when he turned towards me, dipped his head, pointed his horns, and scratched his right hoof on the ground as if in preparation of a charge.

Post #106 Vampire

2011-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I could see that his glamour stopped almost two feet below his actual height. I guess an eight-foot tall homeless man would counteract any camouflage the glamour was doing. As I looked him in his real eyes, two things occurred to me. First, if he were paying attention, he would notice that I was seeing through his disguise. The second was that I had just discovered a supernatural creature that seemed to reside in the area of Veronica Mason’s apartment. My gut was telling me that he could possess helpful information. And since the cops would have no idea to his supernatural origins, they would have never thought to question him. I turned my head slightly in Chris’s direction, while still keeping my eyes on the Minotaur.

“In case you were wondering, I am staring at a Minotaur. I was thinking of asking him if he saw anything weird in the area,” I whispered to Chris.

“Minotaur are not known for their cheery disposition,” Chris whispered back.

“Let’s just hope that he isn’t willing to make a scene in public if I happen to piss him off,” I said as I started down the alley.

It was a fairly wide alley, enough room for two cars to drive through, the asphalt floor dipping down in the middle, a concrete channel draining the water into a grate at the end. Dumpsters lay scattered against both sides, positioned in between a series of back doors. One of those doors was open, releasing the occasional smell of Italian food into the alley. I wondered if most of these dumpsters were from restaurants and perhaps the Minotaur was here searching for a meal. Let’s hope he doesn’t eat vampire.

The alley itself was about two hundred feet deep, stopping against the back of a large brick building. It occurred to me that by walking towards the Minotaur, I was essentially trapping him in, possibly triggering a caged animal reflex. I didn’t like the idea of a scared Minotaur trying to get through me towards an exit. I put my hands up in a non-threatening manner, a friendly smile on my face. He stood perfectly still, watching me intently as I approached.

“I mean you no harm. I was hoping that I might ask you a few questions,” I smiled.

He let out another smoky grunt, looking over at Chris on my shoulder, then to David in my arms, before meeting my gaze again.

“It’s alright, I know what you really are. We are kindred spirits, if you will,” I said as friendly as possible.

Post #105 Vampire

2011-06-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was moving fast enough to get there quickly, but not so fast that I would draw attention. I was still extremely cautious of my vampire speed. Again, I was using the movies as reference, but if what they showed was true, I could really move. Whether I could run so fast that I became a blur of speed, I couldn’t be sure. But until I felt more comfortable with the new me, I wasn’t pushing anything too far.

I kept my senses alert and open to my surroundings. I had been slacking as of late, and it was a habit I needed to break. If Chu had decided to hang out and see who I was bringing with me, I wanted to know about it, or any other police detail that might be watching the scene. The last thing I needed was to explain a monkey and a gnome to Chu right now. I was just down the street from the apartment, slowing my pace to look around, when I caught it out of the corner of my eye.

Just like the ogre, this ‘person’ had a human glamour on. And just like the ogre, the glamour was of a homeless man. But if the ogre was big, this guy was huge. His head must have stood over seven feet high and when you count the horns, wow. Needless to say, the Minotaur was immense.

Part of me worried that I had stumbled into the Labyrinth. Just as the legend tells, he had the head of a bull and the torso of a man. Although pants covered up his legs, I could see his hoofed feet, and brown fur sticking out from the bottom of his pant legs. His shirt was in taters allowing me to easily make out his dark brown skin and huge muscles. Even with my vampire strength, I was hoping that I would never have to arm wrestle with him. In that moment he looked up from his dumpster, and stared me right in the eyes.

His horns, which curved upwards, were a rich brown at the base, turning to a shiny black as you approached the tips. He had shaggy hair on the very top of his head, between his horns, and a large tuff of a chin beard. His hair was a light brown, almost blond in parts. There was a large golden ring through his nose, which shifted slightly as he grunted out a breath; it’s smoky haze visible in the cool night air.

Post #104 Vampire

2011-06-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chris starred at me for a while, as if he was unsure how to reply. A small part of me wondered if anyone had ever thanked him for anything before. There was some confusion in his expression. He searched my face, as if he was looking for the ulterior motive behind my statement. I was starting to think that Chris was just as paranoid as Chu. It made me like him even more. Since just enough time had passed to make the pause awkward, I decided to speak up and break the silence.

“You don’t need to say anything back. I just wanted to make sure you knew. Just in case something happens before I get another chance to say it,” I smiled.

Chris still looked like he wasn’t sure how to react. So I figured I needed to bring a smile to his face and change the mood. Us dudes don’t deal well with prolonged serious moments.

“After all, our first trip outside, I almost got us killed by Fairies,” I grinned.

Chris started to smile, and was about to speak up when someone beat him to the punch.

“Ah crap, I hate Fairies,” David said before instantly freezing again.

Chris and I made eye contact for a moment before we both busted out laughing. I don’t know why it was so funny, but something about the tone of David’s voice, the timing of his reply, and just the reminder that he was listening to our entire conversation, was enough to bend me over laughing. I leaned my free arm on the wall of the elevator to keep myself upright. Chris almost slid off of my shoulder because he was laughing so hard. This is what happens when an uncomfortable moment is broken; the next reaction is amplified ten fold. In this particular instance, we were close to hysterics.

I just managed to stop chuckling as the elevator doors opened. I reached up and wiped the tears from my eyes before making my way into the lobby. As we started onto the street, I couldn’t help but let out the occasional snicker and Chris struggled to keep his composure. This would in turn cause him to slip out a giggle and I had to fight for control. I knew that if Chris, looking like a monkey, starting laughing hysterically people would notice him, glamour or no glamour. So I took several deep breaths and Chris did the same. After walking the first block, we seemed to have the worst of the laugh-fest under control.

Post #103 Vampire

2011-06-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

I opened the door, and put a hand out towards Chris. He took it and I pulled him onto my shoulder. I looked down at David, who had stopped moving completely. He had his hands crossed in front of him, a huge smile across his face. I reached down, picked him up, and was shocked at how solid he felt. If I hadn’t been talking to him a moment before, I really would have assumed that I was holding a normal plaster garden gnome. I couldn’t help but smile at the genius of this particular piece of camouflage. I gave a goodbye nod to Reggie as he closed the door behind us. Then I jumped into the elevator and started our decent towards the lobby. Before we got out of the elevator however, I wanted to say something to Chris. I figured it was best to discuss things with my monkey while in the privacy of our empty elevator car.

“In case I haven’t said it yet, I really appreciate all of your help Chris,” I said.

I looked him in the eyes when I spoke. I wanted to make sure that he could see my sincerity. He hadn’t known me for more than a couple of days, but without so much as a complaint, he sat on my shoulder, ready to stand with me as I confronted a Bokor. He had forgiven some amount of money owed him in order to get David to help us and I had no idea if the constant phone calls for information were requiring payment from him or not. It was possible that he had promised favors to half the supernatural community in order to get the information I requested. Whatever the reason, he was putting in overtime to help me with this case.

I caught myself right there. As much as I wanted to take Chris at his word and trust him, I knew it was too soon. Chu had been right; I needed to keep looking at all the angles. For all I knew he was only helping me in order to work off some debt to Reggie or the late Dorian Grayson. Or perhaps he expected some unnamed favor from me in the future. I didn’t yet understand his motives. So far, he seemed like a good guy, and deep down I really hoped he was genuine. My optimistic half was rooting for everything to be on the up and up so that one day, we could be true friends. But for now, I remain optimistically cautious.

Post #102 Vampire

2011-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

The three of us stood up and started for the door. Again I noticed the hazy monkey image surrounding Chris. Obviously he had reactivated or recast his glamour. David on the other hand didn’t seem to change. Just before we opened the door, I figured I should ask about that. Me walking down the street with a monkey on my shoulder was bad enough, but when you add a gnome to the mix, I was sure we would draw attention.

“So David, do you need a glamour like Chris?” I asked.

David looked up at me, a perplexed expression on his face, “I assumed you would be carrying me?”

“Carrying you? You mean so people think you’re a kid or something?”

“Gnomes are renowned for their ability to remain motionless for long periods of time. By now you must realize that not every garden gnome you see is a fake,” he smiled.

Over the last few days I had learned of an entire world of supernatural creatures living among us and still I was shocked by David’s statement. The idea that a species remained hidden among us by standing in plain site was fascinating. I wondered how many times I had walked by a garden and there had been real gnomes watching me pass. I found myself curious as to whether or not they could observe the world around them while in this solid state.

“Can you see and hear everything around you when you are like that?”

“Of course. How else would we know when it’s safe to continue on our way,” David said.

“Good point. Are you all related to gargoyles in some way?” I asked.

David furrowed his brow as he looked at me. It was a look of intrigue. As if I had just said something he didn’t expect and he was searching my face for clues as to whether I knew something in particular or if I was just a really good guesser. I just smiled and waiting for his response.

“I’m afraid that there are some things gnomes are not allowed to discuss with outsiders,” he said firmly.

I noticed an interested look shoot across Chris’s face. Apparently he too wanted to know if in fact our little friend and the Flying Lion were distant cousins. Maybe the Lion would tell us. Here’s hoping that I live long enough to talk to him again. If I failed to stop this sorcerer from raising the demon, I didn’t like my chances against the sixteen-dagger tentacles of evil.

Post #101 Vampire

2011-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

“Well, we think that he has kidnapped fourteen kids so far, which means he still needs two more. So hopefully that will help us track him down. He’s been using some kind of voodoo roofie on the parents, so they have no memory of the abduction. Any idea why he is letting the parents live?” I asked Chris.

He looked a little disturbed at my question, but he understood what was at stake.

“Perhaps maintaining a tie to the mortal world helps strengthen his ritual. That is only a guess, but I can’t think of another reason,” he said.

“Fair enough. Chu also asked me if there were any rare or specific components to this ritual or the previous? Anything that he might have had a hard time tracking down, or perhaps a local shop that deals in rare voodoo items that we can check with, see if they know who this person is,” I asked.

Chris scratched his chin, an involuntary response when he was thinking. He looked up at me and shook his head lightly.

“I don’t think there is any chance he bought his ingredients from a common magic store. While there are shops that provide the items you are discussing, I can’t see a serious practitioner, especially one working on this level, buying his components. When you work with magic there is always a danger of a spell going awry. If one of the ingredients wasn’t pure or maybe it was plucked from the wrong location, it could throw off the magical forces, mess with the spell. When dealing on this grand a scale, the result could be the practitioner’s death. For that reason most serious sorcerers grow or retrieve their own ingredients. When we get back from Ms Mason’s apartment I shall figure out what he needs for the spell and make some calls. But don’t build up too much hope, I do not believe this will help us locate him,” Chris said.

“Okay, but it’s worth a phone call anyway. Unless there is anything else we need, I suggest we get David over to her apartment and check for residual magic. We need to confirm the connection before we move forward,” I looked over at David, “Is there anything you need before we go?”

He adjusted his hat and patted a little pouch that he had tucked into his belt before looking back up at me.

“I am ready to go,” he smiled.

David seemed so friendly and happy to help that it made me wonder just how big a debt Chris had to forgive to garner his help.

Post #100 Vampire

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

“So the drive to find her killer wasn’t enough to keep him going huh?” I asked.

“Mr. Grayson often expressed regret at the amount of bloodshed on his hands. Perhaps the thought of even one more victim was too much for him to bear. It is hard to guess at the last thoughts of a suicidal man,” Reggie said.

“And that’s why he found me? Because he knew that the crusader detective wouldn’t give up?” I asked rhetorically.

Reggie just nodded. There wasn’t anything to say to that. I had a price and they had the means to meet it. I would solve this case and then Dorian could rest in peace or whatever it was that Vampires do.

“Okay, enough about him and more about her. You said that she became obsessed with a local Native American tribe, do you know which one?”

“She was working with the Meskwaki Tribe, or the Fox Tribe as they are often called. It is my understanding that they were indigenous to this area prior to European occupation,” Reggie said.

“Good. We should find the local chapter or group or whatever it’s called and have a little chat with them. There is a chance that they might know a little more about her activities leading up to her death.”

I stopped and flipped through the file on Veronica’s death. I found known acquaintances and sure enough, it listed a Martha Lee, elder of the Meskwaki Tribe. I guess that narrowed down who to talk too. While I was sure that the detectives working the case had already questioned her, they wouldn’t be taking the supernatural angle. Hopefully, with my link to that world, Ms. Lee would be much more helpful to me. It was a little late tonight and we still had to check out Veronica’s pad, so I figured we should call her first thing in the morning. I looked over at Chris.

“Hey, quick question for you. Unfortunately, I am guessing I already know the answer to this, but just to do my due diligence, does the ritual to bring forth the demon of daggers require sacrifices?”

“Yes, a sacrifice for each dagger, why do you ask?” Chris answered sadly.

“There have been a string of missing kids lately. Chu thought it might be connected,” I frowned.

Chris sighed in acknowledgement. Just as I feared, there were going to be sixteen kids lives on the line in addition to whatever destruction the ritual itself did to the city. No pressure.