Eternity Factor (3 page)

He stared at her for a long moment. “Your fangs. They’re real?”

A horrible scream filled the night, a vamp getting burned by the UV wand. Azza hoped it wasn’t Reeni getting fried. “They’re real. Now tell me it’s more than sex.”

“What does Reeni look like?”

“Can you afford the fine?”

“You saw my place. But it’s far worse if you get caught. Tell me what she looks like.”

Azza gave him a description of Reeni’s outfit. “She’s got big boobs. She’s hard to miss.”

Jak dug into his pants pocket and pulled out a ring with two keys. “Go back to my apartment and stay inside. If I’m not back in an hour, take my car. It’s in the underground garage, the four-door rusted green sedan. It’s old and ugly, but it runs.”

She took the keys. “I can’t believe you’d do this for me.”

Jak cupped her face and kissed her full on the mouth. “I really like you, Azza, and not every human is an asshole. Go.”

The scene at the warehouse was chaotic. The cops had corralled the partygoers on the sidewalk. After being subjected to a UV blast the costumed humans were being released in small groups. A DSA cop ordered the next group to step up. Two couples stepped forward and were bathed in black light.

“Move on.” The cop pointed to another group. “Next.”

Jak spotted a female with light brown hair, hanging back. Her skin was pale and her full breasts were spilling out of a black lace-up vest. He stepped forward and saw she was wearing black boots. The woman fit Azza’s description of Reeni.

A UV wand tapped him in the chest. “Party’s over.”

Jak looked the grim-faced cop in the eye. “I’m looking for my girlfriend. Someone told me the bitch was stepping out on me with some guy wearing a fucking cape. I’d dump her, but she’s got nice big tits. Can I go inside?”

“The building’s off limits until the sweep is completed.” The cop pointed the wand at Jak, hitting him with the bluish flash of ultraviolet light. “You’ll have to wait across the street.”

“Catch any vampires?”

“Only one. His flesh is still smoking.”

A guy dressed in a cape pushed through the crowd and started running. The cop took off after the caped figure. Jak saw his chance. He plunged into the crowd and headed for the buxom female.

“Are you Reeni?”

The woman stepped back.

“I’m a friend of Azza’s. My name is Jak.”

“Where is she?”

“Safe at my apartment. I live on Fourth Street. Azza sent me to help you.”

“How? The cops have UV wands.”

“I’ll create a diversion.” Jak gave her the street and apartment number. “How fast can you run?”

“Not as fast as the speed of light.”

“You got a better idea?”

“What’s the plan?”

“I’m going to find a way to knock the cop down. If I can block the light and keep him occupied are you willing to make a run for it?”

“Sure.”

Reeni stepped behind Jak. “Let’s hope this works.”

Jak pushed through the crowd and stepped behind the next group waiting for a UV scan. Jumping a cop and knocking him down was a damned good way to end up behind bars. How would he make bail? If he missed the placement appointment on Monday morning he wouldn’t have a chance of getting hired.

What would happen to Azza? He needed a job, but she’d be put behind bars without bail. The courts weren’t kind to vampires.

Jak had to figure out a way to take down the cop, but make it look like an accident. He didn’t have to ponder long. One second he was on his feet and the next someone grabbed his shoulder and thigh, lifted him off the ground and sent him flying. He slammed into the man and woman next in line, his momentum pushing the couple forward. They barreled into the cop and all three went down. Jak landed on the top of the heap. He rolled off and grabbed the UV wand out of the cop’s extended hand. Jak pulled the wand against his chest and hit the pavement.

His elbow and knees smacked into the asphalt.
Fuck
!

Screams and yells filled the air. Something hard and heavy crashed into him. A kick to the back followed. The whole crowd had panicked. People were running over him, stumbling over him. If he stayed on the pavement, he’d be trampled to death.

He pushed himself up, lunged into the fleeing partygoers and started running. He tried to look for Reeni, but if he stopped he’d be knocked down again. Heart banging against his chest wall, he didn’t quit running until he reached his apartment. By the time he climbed the three flights of stairs to his apartment, Jak was sucking in deep gulps of air.

He tapped on his apartment door. “It’s me, Jak.”

Azza opened the door. She fisted his T-shirt, pulled him inside and kissed him. Then she pushed him away. “What the fuck?”

Jak realized he’d hung onto the cop’s UV wand. “Sorry.” He dropped the wand by the door, leaned over and gripped his knees, still gasping for breath. His heart was hammering, his lungs burning and his muscles were shaking from exertion. Finally he recovered enough to look around the room. The shades were drawn and the lamp was turned off. “Did Reeni make it?”

“She’s here,” Azza said. “Maybe you should sit down.” Azza took him by the arm and guided him to the sofa.

Feeling nauseated, Jak put his head between his knees. Once his stomach settled down, he leaned back.

“Are you okay?”

He stretched out his legs and took another deep breath. He was coming down from a major adrenaline rush. “I’m good.”

Azza kissed him on the cheek. Her lips were cool against his hot skin. “Thanks for saving Reeni.”

Reeni stepped out of the shadows. “Thanks, Jak. Sorry about throwing you, but I didn’t see another way out. I figured if the crowd panicked I could make a run for it.”

He reached over and turned on the lamp. He stood a good six inches taller and had to outweigh her by fifty pounds. “You picked me up and threw me?”

“I, we, are exceptionally strong.” Reeni walked over to the window and peeked out. “You don’t know much about vampires, do you?”

The Midwestern town he hailed from wasn’t popular with vampires. Most of what he knew had come from the news. “Not much. The two of you are nothing like the monsters the DSA is always warning us about.”

Reeni jumped back from the window as an eerie purplish-blue light flashed at the edges of the shade. “The cops are scanning the streets.”

“We’ll have to wait,” Jak said. “When the sweeps are over, I’ll drive you home.”

“Why are you helping us?” Reeni asked. “It doesn’t look like you can afford a fine.”

“Reeni.”

Jak placed his hand on Azza’s knee. “It’s okay. Reeni’s right. I can’t afford the fine, but they won’t put me in jail.” He looked Reeni in the eye. “I like Azza and I want to see her again.”

“You want to date a vampire,” Reeni said. “You’re joking, right?”

Jak looked at Azza. “I’m very serious.”

“Jak, it isn’t safe for either of us.”

“We can stay inside. I’ll fix the windows to keep out the sunlight. We can make it work. Would you ladies like a beer?”

Reeni grinned. “This is going to be a learning curve.”

“We drink blood,” Azza said. “We order drinks to blend in, and we pretend to take small sips to appear human. We don’t eat. Blood is our source of nourishment.”

“Okay. Sunlight burns your skin. Blood is your nourishment. You’re really strong. Anything else I need to know?”

“Sex with humans is a real rush. Extended contact with humans is dangerous,” Azza said.

“Sex with vampires is damned exciting. What’s the problem with extended contact?”

“Sex is a rush because of the blood.” Azza touched her fingertips to his neck. “You can’t imagine what it’s like to feel your hot blood coursing right beneath the skin.”

“It’s like we’re junkies and
you
are the drug of choice,” Reeni said, slowly licking her upper lip. “Ever considered a threesome?”

Thankfully, Azza spoke up and saved Jak from having to answer. “No threesome.”

Reeni grinned. “If we attacked you, you’d be helpless.”

“Stop it, Reeni.” Azza took Jak’s hand. “I’m sorry, Jak. A relationship with a vampire isn’t a smart choice.”

“How do you get blood?”

“The government provides animal blood,” Azza said. “I work in the nourishment bank. I’m a quality control tech. Sometimes the blood is infected.”

“It’s not like the good old days when vampires were free to hunt humans and suck them dry,” Reeni said, showing her fangs. “Animal blood isn’t as tasty as human blood.”

A shiver of fear slid down Jak’s spine. Did Reeni mean him harm?

Reeni grinned. “Don’t worry, Jak, we ate before we left the Cemetery.”

Azza squeezed his hand, reassuring him.

“How long have you been a vampire, Reeni?” Jak asked.

“About five years, and not by choice.”

“What happened?”

“I met a man at a party, a handsome devil with a velvet tongue and a big cock. He fucked me, bit me, drained me and I awoke in the Cemetery. Now I can’t leave.”

Jak heard the bitterness in Reeni’s voice. “I’m sorry.” He turned to Azza. “How did you become a vampire?”

“It happened during the collapse.”

Before Jak was born the world economies had tanked. Linked together, they’d fallen like dominos. Then wars broke out. There were riots and food shortages. Chaos reigned and nearly brought down the government.

“My family was hungry and I started selling my blood to vampires,” Azza said.

The humans blamed the vampires who had taken advantage of the situation. They paid humans for blood. Hungry young people willingly sold themselves and the number of vampires increased.

“One night a vampire took all of it,” Azza said. “I was turned.”

“What happened to your family?”

“They survived, but they wanted nothing to do with me. The humans feel threatened by us, but most of us wish for our old life. We don’t want to live forever.”

Fear had brought the humans together. The government regained control, the vampires were restricted and the riots ceased. Things had gotten a little better, but the economy still struggled. Jobs were scarce and food was expensive.

“What is it like in the Cemetery?”

“Boring,” Reeni said. “The government gives us blood, but we can’t leave without permission. We can’t have sex with humans. If we take human blood, they decapitate us.”

“But surely you understand why the law was passed? Both of you were victims, turned against your will by vampires. Would either of you do that to another human?”

“Never,” Azza said. “We don’t need to add to our numbers. The Cemetery is cramped for space.”

“Good thing we don’t have babies,” Reeni said.

“But you get to live forever,” Jak said.

“We don’t age,” Reeni said. “We don’t change. We can’t lie in the sun or go shopping. We get to pick from the clothes the government ships to us. You can’t get in a car and drive to the shore or get high on booze or drugs. You have to party with the same damn people forever. Suck your food through a fucking straw. I miss pizza and cold beer. I miss chocolate. The eternity factor sucks.”

“I didn’t realize vampires were so unhappy. I thought we humans were the unlucky ones.”

“Not all vampires are unhappy,” Azza said. “Many are in loving relationships.”

“I’m not spending forever with the same guy,” Reeni said.

“Are the streets clear?” Azza asked. “We should be getting back.”

Reeni peeked out the window. “I don’t see any cops.”

Jak stood. “I’ll go outside and walk around. If no one’s around, I’ll get my car out of the garage and pull up in front of the building.”

Azza walked him to the door. “Thanks for taking care of us.”

He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “My pleasure.”

Jak’s gaze was drawn to her lace-up top and exposed pale cleavage. Their milky-white skin would attract attention. “In the bedroom I have long-sleeve shirts. Cover up and be ready to go.”

After walking the block twice, Jak entered the garage beneath the building and climbed into his battered four-door sedan. He pulled up in front and waited.

Wearing dark long-sleeved shirts, the two vampires hustled out of the building and climbed into his car. Azza laid the cop’s UV wand between the front seats.

“Why did you bring the wand?”

“You’re dropping us off in a part of town where vampires lurk. You might need a weapon.”

Jak pulled away from the curb.

“Nice car,” Reeni said.

Azza glared at her friend, but Jak just grinned. “She’s not pretty, but she runs.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Azza said. “We both appreciate it.”

“At least you have a car,” Reeni said. “We’re not allowed to own vehicles.”

“We don’t need them,” Azza said. “We can move fast under our own power.”

The drive to the Cemetery was short. The vampire zone was surrounded by a thirty-foot high wall bathed in purplish-blue lights. Inside the wall stood windowless, concrete high rises constructed in a large rectangle. The place looked like what it was, a prison. “Was it a real cemetery?”

“Still is,” Azza said. “The authorities erected the wall, then constructed the buildings right onto top of the graveyard. The dead don’t bother us.”

Since moving to the city, Jak had been curious about the Cemetery. “What’s in the center?”

“A large courtyard with fountains covered by a huge glass roof that filters the UV rays, but allows a small amount of light through. It’s like being outside at the first crack of dawn.”

“It’s fucking gray and gloomy,” Reeni said.

“We have several swimming pools and a park with fake grass,” Azza said. “There are a few youngsters among us.”

“Children?”

“Not all vampires are nice,” Reeni said.

“There are more good than bad. The good ones take care of the young. Turn right here,” Azza said.

Jak turned onto a street of boarded up buildings and broken streetlights. No human wanted to live next to the Cemetery. Azza instructed him to pull over, but to keep the engine running.

Azza and Reeni stripped off his shirts.

“How do you get through the UV lights? Is it safe?”

“Don’t worry about us.”

Reeni climbed out of the car. Before Azza opened the door, Jak cupped her chin and kissed her. “I’ll be here tomorrow night at midnight. Spend the day with me. I’ll cover the windows and bring you back the following night. Please, Azza. Give me another night.”