Vampire World (6 page)

Speeding
through the mall, in my panic to get away, I crashed into a group of vampires.
All of them immediately started yelling and cursing at me. One of them even
took a swing, but I managed to dodge that and kept on running until I came to
the teeth that marked the exit. To my horror, I then realized that there was no
button on the inside to open it. I had to wait for someone to enter.

A
shadow approached.

“Hello
sweetie,” my stalker said. “I'd love to get to know you better.”

STALKER

Thankfully,
only moments after the weirdo had spoken, a middle-aged couple came into the
mall. I grabbed the opportunity with both feet and raced out into the parking
lot, flashing past countless cars on my way. It was remarkable how fast my body
could take me when I was scared. But even that was not fast enough. A quick
glance back told me my stalker was gaining.

I
made a sharp turn in between a line of delivery trucks. Then, while out of his
sight briefly, I scampered beneath the largest truck of all with a giant skull
attached to its hood.

With
heart pounding, I peered from under the truck and tried not to breathe. I saw
two heavy boots walking about on the other side. It must be my stalker. What a
horny bastard.

After
an agonizing few minutes, the boots wandered off. Even so, I waited a while
longer before coming out of my hiding place. Still clutching my sexy new purse,
I cautiously made my way to the train station.

Relieved
that no one was following me, I paid my Carns to ride. But I'd forgotten what
the address was to get back home. Somehow I now remembered the street being
called Deadwood, but the number just would not come to mind. So I entered 1000
Deadwood, hoping that would take me close enough to recognize the house.

The
train was about to start when I boarded and sat next to another ancient vampire
whose skin was green and peeling. But that was the least of my worries.

Something
told me to look over my shoulder.

There
he was again - my stalker. He was sitting just three seats behind me.

Unable
to move, it felt like the pervert was breathing right down my back as the train
twisted and jerked its way onward.

Wasting
no time when it was my turn to exit, I dashed out of the train and rapidly
climbed above ground. I was on Deadwood Street okay, but the small ruddy homes
with their deathly trees and neatly manicured lawns of straw-like grass all
looked so similar.
 

Even
though I was hurrying the best I could, my stalker was gaining on me again. I
ran up to a house that looked like it might be mine and shoved my key into the
front door lock. A groan of despair slipped out when I realized it didn’t fit.

Moments
later the door opened anyway, revealing a stocky stranger who smelled of
something disgusting. He scowled at me, his gaping fangs showing clearly.

“Get
the hell off my property,” he snarled, pushing me so hard in the stomach that I
literally flew back, landing on my back in the prickly grass.

With
my stomach hurting like hell, I scampered back into the street. Then I smashed
right into him.

“Gosh,
you’re so beautiful,” my stalker said. “Let me introduce myself. I’m…”

I
didn’t hang around to find out what his name was. I simply turned and ran the
other way. On and on I ran, unaware of how far he was behind me. Homes I raced
past became a blur. But I sensed he was still following me.
I had to keep going.

Eventually
I came to another house with a tree in the middle of the lawn that looked
rather like Mr. FreeCut’s. Hope surged, and though I couldn't be sure this was
the right one, I made a run for it anyway and rammed my key into the lock. This
time the door opened.

Gasping
with relief, I dashed inside and rapidly locked the door. My nerves were all
over the place. After dropping my purse in exhaustion, I felt something touch
my leg and instantly screamed. But it was only the horn of Ernie.

I
sucked in a deep breath. Never have I felt so relieved to see a dog that looked
like a miniature Cyclops licking me with a jade tongue.

Warily,
I glanced out the window and immediately spotted my stalker; he was just
standing there quite openly scoping out the house. Then he walked away.
Oh my gosh
, he knew I was here. He'd
seen me go inside.

I
was scared to death thinking about it, even though I knew I needed to grow up
and face my fears. For a while I just sat on the sofa, petting Ernie on the
head and touching his horn. Then, because my nerves were so badly shaken, I got
up and explored the eerie house, just to make certain that my stalker or the
masked intruder from last night was not in there with me.

After
confirming that Ernie and I were indeed alone in the house, I took another look
at my awesome purse. With its bloody heart and dark, rough material, sure it
was Gothic. But there was also something really cool about it. Maybe it was the
vampire in me.

There
was a sudden loud knock at the door. My heart, if I even had one, raced madly.
Could this be my stalker? Shaking, I looked through the peep hole. It was Mr.
FreeCut.

Seizing
my purse, I ran to my room and threw it into the coffin. I didn’t want him
finding out that I'd run off and spent nearly all the money he'd given me.

Walking
back into the living room, I ran right into him.

“So
how are things going?” he asked. “I thought I'd stop by for lunch.”

“Good.
I’m a little bored though.”

“I
know,” he replied. “I want to thank you for listening to me and staying put.
It’s a dangerous world out there. Only one more day and I’ll be able to show
you around. Then you can go looking for a job.”

I
grinned. I wanted to tell him I already had one. But I couldn’t.

He
handed me a sandwich soaked in blood. The black and blue bread, along with the
blood-moistened bologna-like meat, tasted delicious.

It
wasn't long before he headed off back to work. This time, wary of any peeping
toms or unwanted figures checking me out, I remained in the house until he
returned.

That
evening Mr. FreeCut cooked me a meal of blood-soaked fish. With meat and bones
exposed, fangs at the mouth, and fins that looked like butcher knives, I shied
away from the disgusting mess and settled for downing my refreshing cup of
blood.

“Please
try the Seadeaths,” he said. “This is what I do at work all day long. I package
these babies. You have to like them.”

It
took me a while before I could even attempt to cut a piece. But eventually my
thirst for blood pushed me to try. Surprisingly, the blood-soaked crunchy meat
tasted pretty good.

That
night, I avoided looking out my back window. But I did take another peek at my
purse, glad that I'd spent nearly all of my money on it, even though I’d
probably regret doing so later.

I
stepped into my coffin and rested my head on the hard bottom, excited about my
first day at work tomorrow. I tried not to think about my stalker and soon
drifted off to sleep with the lid closed. In contrast to the previous night, I
now welcomed the darkness.

I
woke up the next day feeling nervous, but at the same time motivated. After
breakfast, I watched from the window as Mr. FreeCut left for work. As soon as
his car was out of sight I put on another set of drab dark clothes, fixed my
hair the best I could, and headed for the door.

I
warily made my way to the train station. But it was okay, no one followed me.
What worried me the most after paying for my journey was the fact that I had
only twenty-five Carns left on my card. Of course I received my usual stares
during the ride to the mall, but they didn’t bother me as much as the time
before.

While
crossing through the huge parking lot, I checked again for any creepers.
Nothing.

A
feeling of freedom came over me when entering the mall, even though some
vampires continued to gawk. I heard a girl making fun of me for the way I
walked. Hmmmmm….

On
arriving at the food court, someone handed me a scarlet uniform, which I
quickly changed into. It was hard to tell if I looked better in this. It was
certainly tighter than my other clothes, and maybe a little sexier, but of
course my current outfits were totally lacking in any kind of fashionable
design.

Passing
the fountain of luminous green liquid, I met the manager, Mr. Slicer.

“Today
you’ll be doing training,” he said. “But this will only last for 60 degrees.
For the first thirty you’ll work with Hannah Bruise, and for the second thirty
you’ll be teaming up with Kate Garlic. Good luck.”

I
was introduced to Hannah. Like so many others she had black eyes, a very pale
though pretty face, and a hairstyle that twisted itself into numerous distinct
patterns.

“Just
follow me and do what I tell you to do,” she said, maintaining a persistent
frown. Wow. How rude. What the hell did I ever do to her?

I
remembered what I'd been told in the orphanage about how I was the prettiest
vampire they’d ever seen. Could she be jealous of me just because I was pretty?
Or was it because I looked like crap and was badly in need of a makeover that I
couldn’t afford?

Hannah
picked up four cups of hot blood from a marble counter, stacking them on top of
each other and holding them all in one hand. Somehow the cups remained
perfectly balanced, even when she lifted them high over her head. It was almost
as if they were glued together.

“Well
come on,” she snapped. “Don’t just stand there and stare. Grab those two cups
and follow me.”

I
picked up two large cups of steaming blood that were bubbling at the brim, not
daring to stack them for fear I would drop the scalding contents on someone’s
head.

I
followed Hannah to a crowded table of eight thirsty vampires. She set her six
cups of blood down on the table without spilling any and I did the same with
mine.

“You’re
supposed to stack them together,” she complained after we left the table. “You’re
not listening to me.”

Now
I was really beginning to get ticked off by her rudeness.

We
returned to the counter filled with cups of blood. Hannah grabbed seven of them
this time, expertly stacking them as before.

“Grab
those three,” she ordered. “Now!”

I
touched the hot cups and hesitated.

“Get
moving!”

“I'm
afraid I might drop them.”

“Well,”
Hannah smirked. “This is
so
not the job for you.”

“Why
are you so rude to me?” I asked.

Her
scowl deepened. She opened her mouth and showed her fangs. “I can’t take you
any more,” she said. “I’m telling the manager.”

She
ran away to find Mr. Slicer. He approached moments later with a look of concern
and asked why I wasn’t listening. I defended myself by saying that Hannah
didn’t teach me crap.

“Well
let me set you up with Kate then,” he said.

Though
not as pretty as Hannah, Kate certainly seemed calmer and more laid back. She
wore glasses over her midnight black eyes, and her hair, which was also fixed
in a strange interlacing style, was not as well done as Hannah’s.

“Did
the blood bitch give you a hard time?” she whispered.

I
laughed. “Yes, she did.”

“Don’t
let her get under your skin. She doesn’t want to be here. She’s only doing it
because her rich daddy wants her to get some work experience.”

“Yeah,
she didn’t teach me anything.”

“This
job is easy,” Kate said. “There's not much to teach.”

“I
know this sounds strange,” I said, “but I’ve been in a bad accident. “I don’t
think I can catch on like normal vampires do.”

Kate
waved a hand. “Not to worry. This is still a piece of cake.”

She
grabbed three cups of bubbling blood and stacked them. She then motioned for me
to gather the remaining ones.

“Don’t
worry about dropping them,” she told me.

I
grabbed the heavy cups, trying my best to concentrate and not show any fear,
even though they weighed a ton and felt like they were about to tip over at any
moment.

“Awesome.
Now just follow me.”

Kate
moved quickly; too quick for me. About halfway to the table all hell broke
loose as my top cup tumbled to the floor. Some of the hot blood spilled onto my
arm, burning me a bit and forcing me to drop the next cup.

Kate
turned around. I expected her to call me the biggest klutz ever. Instead, she
ran up to me with concern on her face.

“You
okay?” she asked.

“No.
 
Look at the mess I've made.”

“Don’t
worry. I’ll tell the boss I did it.”

“No,
you don’t….”

“Yes,
I will,” she said confidently. I shut up.

“Balance
two cups instead of three. Remember to concentrate, girl. You’ll get it.”

She
was so nice. Almost too nice.

I
concentrated the best I could and managed to balance the two cups in one hand
without spilling them. Then I followed Kate to another crowded table.

A
group of sexy guys there gazed at me like I was a supermodel. I noticed one of
them in particular. He had fiery red hair, large ruby eyes, and a handsome
face. He was wearing hot topaz earrings and a black shirt with a hip design of
a golden snake. He smiled at me when I handed him his cup.