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Authors: Richard Murray

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BOOK: Reborn by Blood
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“Right I’m off to see if I can get a game of pool” Beth said and left me standing beside the bar as she walked across to the pool table and the cluster of men gathered around it. I shook my head. She was a great pool player and a terrible hustler. I just hoped that she would have the sense to not try and hustle them.

I watched her play for a while as I finished my beer and then a second. By the end of the third pint Beth was back with a handful of notes.

“You win then?” I asked.

“Yep, those suckers didn’t know what hit em.” She said with a smirk.

“Yeah well maybe we shouldn’t hang around” I said with a nod towards the group of men who were looking more than a little angry.

Beth glanced over her shoulder at them and then back to me. “We should go out the back door” She said as she noted that the men were between us and the front entrance.

I followed her through the pub and out of the back door into the alleyway that ran behind the pub. A cracked wooden bench was set beside the large metal bins. It had long since lost any varnish and now it’s only decoration was left by birds. A couple of buckets of sand sat next to the bench, full of cigarette ends.

A high fence blocked one end of the alleyway with a sturdy padlock and a thick chain securing it, while a steel door set into the wall at the other end led into a hairdressers that was currently closed.

The sun was setting and the light had dimmed enough that I could take off the shades and still be able to see. I tugged on the padlock and tried to decide whether I could climb the fence or not.

“Now would be a good time for some Vampire super strength” Beth said quietly behind me.

“I don’t have any...” I began as I turned to her and saw the three burly men step out of the pubs door.

“We want our money back.” The leader said. He was a little over six feet tall with short cropped blond hair and arms the size of my thighs. If anything he was the smallest of the three men.

“I won it fair and square” Beth said.

“Just give him the money back” I told her and she shook her head.

“No, I won it. It’s mine.”

“Tell your girlfriend to give us the money back or we’ll kick the shit out of you until she does.” The leader said to me, his tone menacing.

“Seriously Beth, give him the money.” I said with a higher pitch to my voice than I was comfortable with.

“No they can piss off. It’s mine.”

“Look maybe we can work...” I began as I turned back to the leader and then everything went black.

 

 

Chapter 4

Before I even opened my eyes I knew that it would hurt. My entire body hurt. I was distantly aware of the sounds of struggle but I found it hard to focus on anything besides the waves of pain that were washing over me.

My ribs ached every time I inhaled and I suspected that I may have a broken rib. I gasped in pain as I moved and amended that to several broken ribs.

“You alive?” Beth asked from somewhere above me and I opened my eyes carefully.

“I think so. What happened?” I asked.

She looked suspiciously unhurt and I was more than a little annoyed about that.

“Well they knocked you out, with one punch by the way, and then they kicked you for a little while.” Beth said.

“No one thought to hit you?”

“Nah, they might have done but they suddenly got busy.” She said with a snigger as she glanced over her shoulder.

I followed her gaze to see a tall man in a dark suit holding the leader of my assailants by the throat and almost a foot off of the ground. My attacker had his hands on the arm of Sebastian as his face slowly turned purple.

The other two attackers lay on the ground, unmoving and I hoped alive. I had no intention of getting rid of more bodies.

“If you wish to be of use to me you have not made a good impression” Sebastian said in his too smooth voice.

“I had no idea I was supposed to be making an impression of any kind.” I said as I tentatively sat up with one hand pressed against my side. It seemed to help with my breathing if I pressed against the sore spot, though it hurt like hell.

“You the Vampire from last night then?” Beth asked Sebastian who turned his gaze upon her for just a moment before speaking.

“Be silent and do not move until I leave.” He said, his smooth voice turning colder than ice in the middle of winter. I held back a shiver as Beth stood perfectly still and made no sound.

“What did you just do?” I asked.

“Compulsion. A simple trick that works on the weak minds of humans.” Sebastian answered me as he looked Beth up and down. “Is this your human?”

“She’s my friend yes.”

“Then you had better mark her or some Vampire may take her for a snack.” He said as he turned his gaze on me.

“I suppose I should say thanks for the help.”

“You could, though I do not care for your gratitude. You have disappointed me.”

“I have?” I asked with more than a little fear. I had the very real impression that this creature before me could crush me without even thinking.

“You have yes. Fighting with scum such as these and losing for a start, not to mention the evidence you left back at your residence.”

“What evidence?” I asked.

“You think that a quick wipe with a rag will clean away the blood from the boy you killed?” he asked with a faint smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“How the hell should I know what would work? It’s the first time I’ve done that.” I said or perhaps whined. I was in a lot of pain and feeling more than a little badly done to.

“No matter. I have cleaned up that mess for you. No evidence remains. I trust you have disposed of the body adequately at least?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah, it’s gone. No one will find it.” I assured him and fervently hoped that I wasn’t lying.

“Good. You have done one thing right at least.” He said thoughtfully. “I will expect you to call me on Monday. I will have a task for you.”

“A task?”

“Yes. You are of my line and so you belong to me. I shall have a number of tasks for you in the coming weeks.” Sebastian said with that trace of a smile that seemed to bother me.

“What if I don’t want to?” I asked.

“Then I shall take away from you the gift that I gave and you shall be no more than a rotting piece of meat.” Sebastian said coolly.

“Fine.” I said.

“Very well. Call me on Monday and do not expect me to help you out of any more of these little mistakes you make.” Sebastian said as he handed me another of his business cards before he turned to go.

“Wait.” I said. “I need to know some more about being... well a Vampire.”

“Ah, of course. How very remiss of me.” Sebastian said as he reached into his suit and pulled out a small book about the size of my hand. “This will give you the basics and we will speak more, later.”

He tossed the book to me and I let out a groan as I moved to catch it without thinking about the pain coursing through my body. By the time I had recovered he had gone.

“I like him.” Beth said with a wide smile.

“You heard all that?”

“Yeah, it was weird I couldn’t move or speak but I could see and hear. You need to learn that trick.” She said as she helped pull me to my feet.

“I guess so. I think you need to drive me home.” I told her.

“Sure, one minute” Beth said as she quickly walked across to the still forms of the three unconscious men and quickly went through their pockets. She grinned happily as she pulled the notes out and dropped the wallets beside them.

“Seriously?”

“Hey, you don’t have a job, you need the money. We’ll split it.” She said.

“Fair enough.” I said as we walked back into the pub.

No one gave a second glance to the bruised and beaten man who was helped through the pub by a young woman. I had no doubt that they had seen worse. The bouncer nodded to Beth as we walked out of the front entrance and across to the car.

She helped me into the passenger seat before climbing into the driver’s seat herself.

“Well that was fun.” She said as she started the engine. I refrained from commenting and she laughed as she set off.

The roads were still busy and it took nearly twenty minutes of sitting in an uncomfortable position and trying to breathe with the seatbelt digging into my broken ribs before we arrived back at my flat. Beth pulled up and parked on the double yellow lines a little way up the street and we both looked out of the windows at the flat.

“So your Vampire dad said he’d cleaned up your mess didn’t he?” Beth asked.

“Yes he did.”

“Well I suppose he did that.” She agreed as she watched the firemen struggle to put out the roaring flames that filled the shell of what had once been my flat.

“It seems a bit extreme” I muttered as I thought about all my worldly possessions that had been in the flat. “Ah hell, my phone was still in there.” I said.

“At least the police won’t find any incriminating evidence.” She pointed out.

“I suppose so.” I agreed. “I don’t suppose I could crash at your place for a few days can I?”

“Sure.” She answered with a grin as she restarted the engine and drove down the road, past the fire engine and the irate owner of the Chinese takeaway who was also my landlord.

 

 

Chapter 5

I awoke from my slumber slowly, cautiously. The events of the previous day were all I could seem to focus on, well that and the dull ache in my side. I opened my eyes slowly and blinked a few times to clear the sleep from them.

The couch I was lying on was old and battered, its upholstery frayed and torn in places. It also smelt kind of funky but had been a better option than the floor. I pulled myself up to a sitting position and looked around Beth’s flat.

She had left the curtains closed which was a bonus since the window was right in front of my resting place and being awoken by the sun burning my skin was not something I wanted to try. Heck, I had no real idea how badly burnt I could be by the sun but it was still not something to experiment with.

My side was sore and when I lifted my shirt, it was one giant bruise but after a few tentative touches, I was reasonably sure that my ribs were no longer broken. Score one for enhanced healing.

Beth’s flat, much like my own – before it was burnt down – had a combination living room/kitchen, though she did have a separate bedroom and bathroom. The few pieces of furniture had all been bought at second hand stores and were in need of replacing. The dark carpet beneath my bare feet was scratchy and unpleasant.
      

Though I had been to her flat many times over the years, I had yet to see her add anything personal to the place. There were no ornaments or pictures of family and friends, no special effort to make the place her own. I had never asked her why, though I had long suspected the reasoning behind it.

“Morning” Beth called as she walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing a fluffy blue robe and rubbing her hair with a towel. “Wow, you look like shit.”

“Thanks. Love you too.” I said around the scratchiness in the back of my throat.

“Fancy a cuppa?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m actually quite thirsty.”

“Cool, you can make me one too.” She said with a smile as she disappeared into her bedroom.

Typical, I thought as I pushed myself awkwardly to my feet. I made my way slowly to the kitchen area and turned the kettle on before rooting through the cupboards for the tea bags. When the kettle had boiled, I finished making the tea before carrying my drink back to the couch and sitting down.

“I was reading your book last night” Beth said as she came out of her room, dressed in black jeans and a vest top.

“Anything interesting in it?”

“Yeah, if I ever need to kill you I know how now.” She laughed.

“Really? How?”

“You’ll have to read it to find out.” She said and laughed again, “It did say you should start getting your Vampy super strength over time. The more time you spend as a Vamp, the stronger you get. Just about the only special power you have now is your fast healing.”

“Well if yesterday is any indication of what life as a Vampire will be like, I am going to need it.” I said as I took a sip of the tea. It tasted off and I made a face.

“Yeah there’s a load of crap about Vampires being super special and the rightful rulers of the world and so on. I got bored and skipped most of it.”

“Sounds like I’ll need to read it.”

“Probably a good idea. Oh, one thing I will say is avoid silver.” She said.

“Why?”

“Apparently you guys are allergic to it or something, so it will burn you.”

“Just great, the sun burns me, silver burns me... I’m seeing a definite theme and it isn’t pleasant.”

“One of the many bonuses to being undead.” She said with a smirk.

“Is that what I am? Undead?”

“According to the book, yeah. You died and the blood keeps you moving but you are still kind of dead.” She said with a widening grin. “You know what that means don’t you?”

“What?” I asked with more than a little dread.

“You aren’t going to have much luck with the ladies.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well think about it.” She said, “If you’re dead, your heart isn’t beating.”

“I suppose so.”

“What does the heart do? It pumps blood around the body right?”

“Yeah.”

“What part of your body needs the blood to be pumped into it when you get all excited?” she asked innocently with a snigger that became a full laugh at my look of horror as realisation dawned.

“You mean I can’t...”

“Stands to reason doesn’t it?” she asked, “Not even Viagra will help you.”

“Oh good lord... what is the point of being young and undying if I can’t do anything.” I said miserably.

“Buck up mate. Could be worse.”

“How the hell could it be worse?”

“Yeah you have a point.” She sniggered again as she drank her tea.

I sat in silence and brooded. Well, I called it brooding but it was closer to sulking. My side ached, my throat was sore and the tea was doing nothing to assuage my thirst. On top of that, I had just had the worst kind of news a man could possibly get.

BOOK: Reborn by Blood
11.98Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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