A Vampire Story

We Have Gone Too Far

By John W. Gilmore

He spoke into his throw away Tract phone. "I can't wait until I'm in the right mindset to start writing this book, Brenda. That's never going to happen again! The vampires have shaken my world to pieces the same way they have yours. When that happens, there is no peace of mind."

He laughed nervously, trying not to think about what he and Brenda had gotten themselves into. They had been living a life of intrigue and danger, traveling around the world seeing sights that most people only dreamed of, meeting with beings almost as old as written history, and exploring the secrets of the universe while getting paid.

This wasn't something he wanted to give up. He knew that Brenda didn't either, but things were getting too dangerous for them. They just couldn't figure how to keep the lifestyle and intrigue without the ever increasing danger, but there had to be a way.

He became silent for a moment--more grave. He spoke into the long, silent pause, somberly, noting that Brenda was silent, which was very uncharacteristic.

"Peace of mind is no longer an option for you or me, Brenda. I don't even know if we can keep doing this and survive. We both know that." The phone was dead. "We've gone too far to just stop...I don't know what to do."

"Well there has to be a way out. I can't live this way anymore, between life and death. I have to choose one or the other," she answered back. "I won't give up the life I've created. Maybe I have to become one of them. Others have. Maybe I need to become a vampire for both our sakes. Not only a vampire, The Vampire. I can beat them at their own game from the inside."

"The Vampire? You would have to become the head of a family of vamps. That's way too ambitious. Don't you think? Do you believe that can really work, Brenda? Just think how long that would take and how many people you would have to victimize."

"You're always the optimist, Ben. But I think I could do this. I think we have forged the right connections with some very powerful vampires."

"Yeah, but it's just too dangerous. You know how unpredictable they can be. You could just be enslaved."

"Maybe. But with all that has happened to us, and will happen, what do I have left to lose?"

"Your life."

"Oh that." She seemed amused. "I think that I lost that a long time ago, after our first best seller. I'd rather be dead than to go back to being a nobody. A frightened, little, nobody." The phone went dead. Ben hit the instant recall button and just got a recorded message. He didn't even bother to leave his own. Next time he saw her she would probably be a vamp. What would he do? She knew about the new book, and all his secret hiding places and friends. She might come after him. They were a strange lot, they loved to victimize their friends and family. The very thought made him shudder. He had to pack up and get out fast! Luckily, it was dawn. He had a little bit of time.

Of course the day walkers were always a danger, but there were very few of them, and they would hardly waste their time on a small Frye like him. They spent most of their time defending The Family, as they called it, against dangerous human beings like the vampire, killer squads.

There were all kinds of them. Some were religious zealots; some were out to avenge loved ones who had been targeted by some of the more corrupt vampires; and some were just hunters who thought vampires were a dangerous species that could not coexist with human beings. Ben was just one of the curious human beings that were often either flattering or annoying. He didn't want to kill anyone. The day walkers didn't mind them, but the night walkers, who depended on secrecy to stay safe, wanted nothing to do with them. Every so often, if he or Brenda got too close, they'd get an unmistakable warning. The warnings had become more frequent and had gotten more forceful with each successful book, to the point of being terrifying. The grisly murder of Brenda's dog was the worst--torn to pieces without a drop of blood in sight. He understood why Brenda was so afraid, and desperate.

If it got too bad the only way out would be getting turned into a vampire or killed. He knew that Brenda could get turned if she wanted. After all, that was the big threat. Just saying, "If you are so curious, maybe you need me to help you know everything about us, little Frye," usually worked to turn around an overly aggressive investigator. And Ben knew those weren't just idle threats. Some of the vamps had been investigators before, who happened to have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had no idea how many. He also knew that some of the night walkers were extremely flattered by their fans, as they called them, and very suspicious of them. What better way of insuring complete loyalty than to turn a fan into an eternal pet? He got up and began to rummage through his drawers, taking only what he needed. He would pick up new clothing on the road.

The small apartment was sparsely furnished. It was only an efficiency with a small bed that served as a sofa, an eat-in kitchen with a very small table, and a ridiculously small bathroom.

It was small, but all that he needed sat in the corner: A small desk and chair with an IPad and a keyboard for his writing sitting on top. He began to pack up. He had few things. The only important things he would take were: the IPad; an Iphone; a digital camera with a telescopic lens; credit cards; a passport; and a few deadly weapons for vampires, not people. He quickly threw them into a large backpack with rollers on the bottom, took a look at his small New York apartment one more time, and ducked out. It was still early. The air was chilled. People were just making their way home after the night shift, or heading to work for the day shift. The streets were crowded as usual, in The Big Apple. It was Broadway, a street lined with rows of restaurants, stores, coffee shops, and pawn shops on both sides. There was always a lot of activity going on there. He would really miss New York.

He pulled his jacket collar up against the cold breeze, and moved down the subway stairs quickly, watching to make sure he wasn't being followed, but moving no faster than the large, rush-hour crowd. After waiting only moments, which seemed like hours to him, he crammed himself into the first train heading to Penn Central Transit. From there he would proceed to Newark Airport.

...

Ben upgraded his ticket to first class with his frequent flier miles at the airport, and took the first overseas flight he could find. It was to Denmark. He boarded ahead of everyone, as he had planned, and sat in an isle seat trying to be invisible, looking out the window as the second and third class passengers boarded, wondering how many times he would have to do this. At first all of the travel and writing had been intriguing. Now he was just tired: tired of no roots and tired of his own fans who often read his books thinking they were just fiction. They had no idea that what he wrote about was real, or how dangerous it was to do the interviewing and the research for his books. On top of that, now his co-author, Brenda, was incognito and about to do something really stupid.

He thought about it for a moment and then realized that the fact that his readers thought his books were fantasy was probably the only thing that had kept the vamps from killing him or Brenda for so long. The vamps, like the rest of his readers, loved to read his stories about vampires in London, Paris, Vegas, all the cities he had to flee to and write from. They knew it was real. They would spend most of their time trying to defictionalize the stories and figure out who they were talking about. That helped too. But the running and the increasing threats still got tiring, and he was getting old.

Here he was, a forty five year old black man headed to Denmark. What would they think about him? How would they treat him? He never really knew what to expect, moving from one city, or country, too the next. At least his average height and build helped him blend in. He was very dark though, with smooth skin like an African. That had helped him blend in sometimes, unless he was in one of the countries that hated Africans or Muslims. He really didn't mind that so much though. Once he cursed them out in English, they would know he was American.

He looked down at his watch and wondered why they were being delayed, since everyone had been seated. They were late. He was wrong. One more passenger came in.

...

She walked in, stepped across him, and sat in the window seat right next to him without even saying excuse me. He couldn't believe it. She looked like Aphrodite herself, tall, thin, with long flowing, honey blond hair. She was dressed modestly, wearing beige, or mauve, or whatever the hell women call it. Her pleated skirt hung loosely, stopping just above the knee, with a matching clingy, knit sweater with short sleeves...so opposite from the school-girl skirt.

Her face was so beautiful that she would have looked wonderful wearing a sack. She was a bit too perfect. She was also a bit too pale. She took the window seat next to him, reached into the seat pocket in front of her and removed a magazine--Popular Science. That was interesting. He found that he just couldn't stop staring, as she leafed through the pages. There was something too good looking about her. The corners of her mouth raised slightly and then she looked at him with flashing green eyes. More intense than flashing.

"Jesus...are you always so... invasive? Do you want a picture of me or something?"

He was grateful for his dark complexion, as he felt the flush of nervousness that was usually followed by a red coloring of the face.

"I don't know what came over me. You are just so...attractive."

"I bet you say that to all the girls." He couldn't tell if she was angry or amused. He was speechless, but only for a moment.

"I assure you. I am very sincere." He smiled to himself. "In fact, I don't know that I would have the nerve to speak to someone like you, if we weren't sitting next to each other."

"Lucky me." She began to look at her magazine again.

"That was pretty cold," he said.

"With my looks and resources I can afford to be." There was a long pause. They just sat looking into each other's eyes.

"Well, I apologize," Ben said. "I won't stare at you anymore, even though it will be harder now, since I'm not supposed to." She put her magazine back, leaned back in her seat, and sighed, audibly.

"The burdens of being a goddess," Ben said reaching for his IPad.

"Not quite, but almost. I have power, resources, and beauty. In this world of little men that almost makes me a goddess, doesn't it? I could treat you like shit today and then speak with you tomorrow like nothing ever happened, and you would pretend that it didn't just to be in my presence for a few more moments so your friends would think the better of you."

"Yes. And your modesty is overwhelming too."

"When you are me modesty is just...ridiculous." She laughed to herself. It was a delightful laugh, but he could sense a little cruelty behind it. "I'm sure you know exactly what I mean." He shook his head, but couldn't help but smile along with her.

"So...who are you?" He finally asked. "An actress, a model, royalty or something?"

"Yes. I am royalty or something." She smiled. "It's funny."

"What's funny?"

"I know so much about you and you don't know a thing about me. I know about your books."

"That's surprising, they're under my pen name. And I haven't told you my name."

"Well I'm a fan, and sort of a sponsor." He looked perplexed. "I can see that you don't understand what I'm talking about. When people like you go around the world writing about things that certain people shouldn't know about, it gets very dangerous. Sometimes the person is entertaining to the high ups, so they are allowed to go on their merry way, but they are watched...constantly. Some of the very powerful vampires even consider them pets, and provide for them."

Your vampire stories are very entertaining to The Family and your owner. That's the only reason you're still alive. When you go too far, or cease too be entertaining." She shrugged.

"You're joking."

She burst out laughing. He was relieved.

"You had me for a moment."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm laughing because you think that I'm joking. You'd better be careful."

"So you are a day walker?" He lowered his voice. "I didn't think I was important enough too warrant the visit of one of you. I haven't done anything wrong. I got permission from all the vampires in my stories and even spun them as fantasies. I'm not a danger."

"Some would say different. Maybe you know too much. Maybe you're an undercover vampire chaser, or maybe, someday, you'll give them information that can really hurt us."

"I wouldn't do that. Talk with the vampires that I've spent time with."

"I already have. That's why you're still alive. I'm your owner, silly. Don't you get it? Why do you think your bank account is never empty? You make a good living from royalties, but do you really think you can afford to travel all around the world and live the high lifestyle you're living without help?" He stopped and thought about it for a moment. He had never questioned it. He thought it was the royalties.

"I've been stalking you on and off for the last three years, that's why Brenda was so afraid. I've been watching you and protecting you from those who are not as liberal as I. I've been playing mind games with Brenda." She grinned for a moment and then became more serious. With a far away look in her eyes, "I've done terrible things to her with the hope of getting her to turn. Then she can write all she wants." She smiled again and made eye contact with Ben. "She's ambitious. She'll make a good member of The Family. But I would never do that to you. You're a free spirit. Something like that would ruin you."

"I'm speechless. I guess all I can say is, thank you."

"You're my pet. What else would I do? But if that is insulting, and you don't want to be my pet anymore, just let me know. That can be arranged. Otherwise," she leaned close and put her mouth to his ear, "have fun in Denmark and keep me entertained." She leaned back. "It's winter there. The nights are really long up north so be careful of the night walkers. They can get pretty testy." He looked at her. "Remember, I will always be watching you."

"Then I know I will be safe," He smiled.

She laughed out loud again. The plane still hadn't moved. She stood and stepped pass him, without even saying excuse me, walked down the aisle and off the plane laughing to herself. She really didn't need assertiveness training, but she did need to learn some humility through the school of hard knocks. After she left they quickly closed the doors as if they were making up for lost time, and began to taxi down the runway.

He sat back and sighed. He had forgotten that part of Denmark was far enough north to have several months of night and several months of day. He wondered if he could go unnoticed among the night walkers up there, long enough to get this last book finished, or maybe at least stay in the southern part where there would be more light. And how about her? Christ! What the heck was she? Could she be The Vampire. He hoped to never see her again, whoever she was. Her pet! What an insult. Another archetype of a beautiful woman monster. That was getting old.