The Bloody Bakery

Minerva “Minnie” Tuller always prided herself on taking good care of her customers. At least she would, if her assistant showed up. Dominic, her assistant, was prone to flights of fancy and getting easily distracted. No matter. She single handedly ran the Bloody Bakery for years before she hired Dominic. She could run this business in her sleep.

Tying up her salt and pepper hair, Minnie ran through the familiar motions of preparing the Bloody Bakery for the night crowd. Place the wards that kept out humans. Switch out the sweets made with eggs with the sweets made with blood. Take inventory. Notice that the supply of cow’s blood is running low-

The jingling of the front door’s bell drew her attention.

“Special delivery!” A booming voice called out. Dmitri, the butcher from down the street, cut an imposing figure with his wide shoulders and beefy arms. He balanced a paper wrapped box on his shoulder and carried two metal jugs in his other hand.

“Dmitri,” Minnie’s face broke out into a smile. “Right on time! Would you please be a dear and take the jugs into the kitchen?”

Dmitri nodded and carefully placed the box on the counter. Her fingers peeled away the brown butcher’s paper. Unsheathing her claw, Minnie sliced open the tape. She folded back the flaps to reveal stacks upon stacks of chocolate bars with Russian red letters and bright yellow wrappers. She had finished storing them behind the counter when Dimitry returned from the kitchen.

“Thank you again for taking those to the kitchen.” Minnie said as she handed over Dmitri’s payment: several crisp bills and two fresh chocolate chip cookies.

“Of course. Always a pleasure to help out, but I could have sworn you had an assistant?”

“I do but-“

The jingling bell interrupted her. Pushing open the kitchen door, her eyes fell on a familiar figure. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

“Dominic! You’re late!” Minnie called out to the lanky man who entered through the door. He flashed her an apologetic grin while he ran a hand through his auburn hair. Dimitri tsked from his new spot at one of the tables.

“Sorry Minnie! I got sidetracked on my way to work.” He said. Minnie rolled her eyes fondly. Surprise. Surprise. Dominic stepped aside to reveal a skittish young man. His eyes bounced around the entire bakery, and he seemed eager to leave. The stranger tried to hide himself in his black knit scarf.

Wait, isn’t that Dominic’s scarf? Minnie thought. Her eyes narrowed. Yep, that was definitely the scarf she gifted him for his birthday twelve years ago.

“Go ahead and take a seat wherever you like, yeah?” Dominic said to the stranger. The stranger hesitantly took a seat next to the window. Once Dominic stepped behind the counter, Minnie pulled him aside.

“Mind filling me in?” She asked while Dominic tied on his apron. He cast a glance back at the stranger. Said stranger fidgeted with the complementary sugar packets, deliberately avoiding eye contact with the other patrons. Dominic gave him a reassuring smile when the stranger looked up at him. He turned back to Minnie with worry in his eyes.

“I found him in the alleyway behind the Houndstooth. I suspect he was attacked by a Diner and Dasher.” Dominic said in a low voice. Minnie cursed softly. Diner and Dasher attacks had drastically decreased since Minnie first came to the States, but the aftermath was never pleasant.

“And you know, after everything you’ve done for me, I figured it would be nice to pay back the favor.” Dominic said. Minnie thought back to the dreary streets of London where she first met Dominic, all wild eyes and thrashing claws. Whereas Dominic was aggressive, the stranger appeared ready to bolt at any second. A gentle approach would be needed, she decided. Speaking of necessary gentleness, she drifted back to the present where Dominic stared at her with an imploring face.

“You want me to do the talking, don’t you?” Minnie said as she turned to look back at Dominic.

“You were always the better one for comforting people.” He said with his hands pressed in prayer formation with pleading eyes.

“Alright.”

“Yes!” Dominic pumped his fist in victory.

“Since we don’t have any pressing customers at the moment, go get a welcome basket set up.” Minnie instructed. Dominic nodded before retreating into the office. Minnie fixed a smile onto her face before she approached the nervous man.

“Hi sweetheart, you look like you could use something sweet.” She said as she placed a slice of their signature chocolate cake in front of him. Thanks to years of experience, she spotted how his pupils dilated as soon as he smelled the cake. A clear battle of politeness vs hunger played out over his features. Politeness won. Minnie silently commended his self-control.

“Oh no thank you-” He began.

“It’s alright. I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” She leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. “All first-time visitors get a complimentary dessert.” He blinked in confusion.

“That doesn’t sound like a good business model.” He said. A surprise laugh bubbled out of Minnie. Dominic really found quite the character.

“No. I suppose it’s not, but The Bloody Bakery isn’t about business.” She said. The man frowned but eventually dug in after an encouraging nod from Minnie. She watched as his fork speared the dessert. His eyes widened as soon as the chocolate delicacy hit his tongue. Hunger took over then. His fork flew as he shoveled the rest of the cake into his mouth. Clarity returned to his eyes soon after he consumed the last bite of cake. His next moves took on a sheepish nature.

“Uh… sorry about that. The cake was delicious,” His head tilted to the side. “Though there was a slight metallic taste to it. Don’t get me wrong! It worked.”

“Ah yes. That would be the secret ingredient.” Minnie said.

“What’s the secret ingredient?”

“Well it’s not a secret if I tell you, silly! Although… if my hunch is correct, I think you already know.” Minnie said. Her voice drifted into a more serious tone. Now came the hard part. The stranger’s face contorted. His gaze fell to the hands in his lap.

“Blood” It was a statement, not a question.

“Cow’s blood from the butcher to be specific, but yes.” Minnie said.

The man choked out a wet laugh. The laughs soon turned to sobs. The other patrons turned away to give him privacy. They had all been in his position once, after all. The man’s sobs eventually simmered down. He wiped his eyes and looked at Minnie.

“You know, I used to be a vegetarian before this.” He said. Minnie winced.

“I’m sorry. Coconut water can be used as a blood substitute, but it’s not sustainable for long time use, especially for newly turned vampires.”

Vampires.

The word hung in the air.

Up until now, Minnie intentionally avoided saying it, unsure of how the man would react. But he had eaten the cake, and she cleaned his bite. Denial would be detrimental at this point.

The man let out a bone deep sigh. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“So I guess it was all real then? The alleyway, I mean. I tried to convince myself it was some sort of freaky but,” He unwound the scarf from his neck. “It’s all real, isn’t it?” With the bite now exposed to the world, Minnie could get a proper look.

She pursed her lips. Dry blood crusted around the twin punctures. It appeared that the man tried to push off his assailant based on the more elliptical formation of the bite. The skin around it looked angry and raw. A far cry from the neat and clean bites that marked the willingly turned. Minnie stepped back behind the counter and grabbed the first aid kit.

“May I?” She asked. The man craned his neck as his answer. Minnie opened the kit and retrieved an alcohol swab. Cupping the other side of his face, she wiped away the blood. The man hissed in pain.

“Sorry” Minnie said.

“No, it’s… alright,” He gritted out, “You’re only trying to help. Besides, you’re not the one who did this.” He said as he gestured to the bite. Minnie made quick work of the bandage application. She patted his thigh.

“All done.”

“Thanks.” The man said, his gaze directed somewhere she couldn’t see.

“Do you want to talk about it? No pressure of course.” Minnie said. Another clear battle played out on his face. Just when Minnie thought she’d be on the receiving end of the silent treatment, he spoke up again.

“They cornered me on my way home from work. I thought it was a mugging, so I tried to hand over my wallet. I didn’t want any trouble, but my assailant said ‘it wasn’t that kind of situation’ and pinned me against the alley wall. Then my neck exploded in pain. I think I actually passed out from the pain because the next thing I remember is being jostled awake by your coworker. He said he knew a place where I could get help, and that’s how I ended up here.” He said.

A Diner and Dasher, just as Dominic had predicted.

Speaking of Dominic, he returned from the office with a basket in hand. He dropped it on the table with an unceremonious plop. The man jerked back from the impact. Minnie shot Dominic a glare. They would have to work on his tact. Later though, since the man in front of them required their full attention.

"What's all this?" He asked as he peered into the basket.

"A little welcoming gift to ease you into your new life," Dominic said. "Sunscreen with SPF 1000, a customer loyalty card, our phone numbers if you need help with anything, and uh… I’m forgetting something.”

“The Hematogen bars full of cow’s blood to make you big and strong!” Dmitri said behind Dominic, causing him to jump.

“Jesus Dmitri! Don’t creep up on me like that!” Dominic exclaimed.

“I wouldn’t need to ‘creep up’ on you if you arrived to your job on time and knew that I had come to restock the bars.” Dmitri huffed. Dominic gasped indignantly. As the two older vampires bickered back and forth, Minnie turned back to the newest member of their community. He watched the ongoing argument with amusement, tension finally leaking from his shoulders. She smiled.

Minerva “Minnie” Tuller always prided herself on taking good care of her customers.