I returned to my room and the folder of crazy, aka 'the nurse file'. Alexandre's sources must have been varied. There were some of the articles I had read, some scrawled information, some typed up, a couple of police reports with crime scene photographs included... I found myself halfway across the room when the photo of the first cute little chubby girl flipped over, slumped in a pool of her own blood. My heart pounded erratically and I had to remind myself that it wasn't me. That that was all over. I raced to the desk and flipped the photo over quickly, so I didn't have to look at it anymore, but the gift of vampirism just kept on giving. The image was already burned into my skull. The girl's dark, shoulder length hair, with brow-length bangs, all parted down the middle, so glossy and bright even in the black and white photograph. The white shorts, stained with blood where the liquid had slowly crept up the sides of the material via a wicking effect. Her right leg extended, left leg slightly bent, arms relaxed at her sides, head drooping as if somebody had placed a rag doll. And the IV tubing, wrapped sensuously around her left arm, trailing out into the puddle of blood. I clutched at my own arm unconsciously, my breathing was harsh and raspy. The file accompanying the photograph said she was found at an abandoned hospital that had been shut down due to asbestos being discovered in the walls. I laughed wryly. Yeah, that'd do it. The girl was from some place I'd never heard of in Georgia, though that's not where she ended up.
I avoided the next set of photographs, skipping straight to the case file. Similar report: girl found drained in abandoned medical clinic, a former teaching facility apparently, also not where she was from, it was some place I'd never heard of in Tennessee. Hmm, well I wasn't too shocked, when you'd lived as long as I had in one place, you weren't too familiar with a lot of places. The next victim was a male. I blinked, not expecting that one. No photographs, information stated he was young, teenagerish in age, found in a small closed pharmacy, from Florida, again some place I'd never heard of. Ok, maybe this was starting to be a little weird after all. I turned the computer back on and pulled up the browser, searching for Bruceton, Tennessee. Population approximately 1,400 people. Small town, just like where I was from. Probably had a low crime rate, lack of patrols, limited security cameras, little public fear or caution. I tapped my fingers on the desk and checked the next town in Georgia, then Florida, and the the next and the next. All of us were from small places with less than 5,000 people.
"F*ck me!" I exclaimed, standing up abruptly "We were all easy targets."
There were 15 of us in total, if you included me, which Alexandre hadn't. I didn't know whether to smile or shake my head about that. Other than the fact that we all came from tiny, out of the way, nowhere towns with little in the way of security, we had little in common with each other. Different races and ages. Eight reported female, six reported male, nine female if you included me. There were no details of her latest victim yet either, number sixteen. I paced my room, trying to figure out what I was missing. Did she just strike at random? How did she hunt? What was her motive? Her drive? Her purpose? I groaned in frustration and threw my hands in the air.
I grabbed the file off the desk and stalked out of the room. Might as well return it to Alexandre if it wasn't going to do me any good. He was in his study, on the phone. He smiled at me and motioned me in, holding out a hand for me when I entered. I kissed him on the head instead, laying the file on the desk and began pacing his office. He watched me warily while he answered the other party on the phone, rotating his chair with amusement to keep me in sight. When he got off the phone, he rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and put his fingers together in front of his face thoughtfully. I slammed my butt onto his couch so he'd stop watching me pace and crossed my legs, chewing a nail.
"What?" I grumbled.
"What indeed?" He chuckled, the sound deep and low.
"I just don't get it!" I exploded, jumping from the couch. "Why is she doing it? What does she have against us? What's the big deal?" I slammed my foot against the couch, sending it against the wall with a deafening crunch, then looked at Alexandre sheepishly. "Sorry." I mumbled. He sighed and extended his hand again. I took it begrudgingly and he pulled me into his lap, tugging my head to his shoulder as he slowly ran his hand through my hair.
"Carys, maybe there is no rhyme or reason to it at all. Maybe sh'es just a predator. At the expense of making you angrier-do you pick your..ahem, victims, based on any particular characteristics other than they're not likely to be turned by your bite?" I tensed, but shook my head against his shoulder at the question. "Maybe it's the same for her-more a matter of convenience or availability." He swallowed. "Like it was for my sire" I winced, knowing that was a sore spot for him.
"Well, I did notice one thing we have in common, we're all nobodies from little podunk towns." I repeated my earlier words to him and his eyebrows went up slightly.
"First, I want to point out to you that you are far from a nobody." He said, holding a finger under my chin so I was forced to look at him, his eyes burning intently, daring me to argue or look away. He kissed me gently, then he spun us around in the chair to flip quickly through the files.
"I think you missed one other detail as well. You're all from along the east coast." Alexandre said softly.
"Does that help?" I asked with excitement.
"I don't know." Alexandre responded with a sigh, but kissed me gently under my jaw. "I don't know."
"What time is it?" I yawned sometime later as Alexandre pulled up yet another document on his computer.
"Mmm, sometime after 3..." He answered absently, then caught my yawn out of the corner of his eye. "Oh no you don't." He exclaimed, running his fingers along my rib cage under my shirt, tickling me. My muscles spasmed and I laughed helplessly, grabbing his hand.
"You promised." He chided petulantly, kissing my neck at the pulse, which made my heart jump erratically. I stood up.
"Well, all I can tell you is: you better hurry up then, because I'm headed to bed, and you're the one likes to say I sleep like the dead. Can't be helped if I'm asleep when you show up." I tossed over my shoulder and shrugged as I sauntered out of the room. Alexandre half stood, then looked at the computer screen forlornly before looking back at me. I could swear I hear him whine. I giggled and headed to his room, yawning uncontrollably.
"Aw heck." I grumbled as I realized I had forgotten pajamas. Too tired to care, I stripped off my pants and unhooked my bra, shimmying it out from under my shirt and calling it a night. Alexandre and seen the full package more than once anyway, so I doubted he'd complain about my lack of clothing too much. I collapsed on his bed and thought about retrieving another scientific or medical journal, but was asleep almost before I could convince myself to lift a limb.
Alexandre's warm chest against my back woke me and he kissed my neck softly, draping a sheet over me as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"You didn't wait for me." He grumbled in my ear softly.
"Mmhmm." I responded.
"I'll expect a rain-check when you're better rested tomorrow." He informed me and I hummed an agreement, to which he chuckled low in his chest, laying his head on my neck briefly. I was asleep again before anything else could be said.
The girl from the photograph was in my dream. Slumped like a rag doll in her own pool of blood The dream was a strange black and white thing, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Except the blood, which had darkened into a dark rusty brown. I edged closer to the girl as I saw her chest rise. Maybe there was still time to save her. But wait-I was a vampire now, why couldn't I hear her heartbeat? Her head fell to the side and that decided me. I raced across the room to her, brushing back her hair to search for a pulse, only to recoil in horror. The IV tubing was snaking its way around the girl's body as if dissatisfied with the fact that its host was now dead. Like it sensed my presence, it jerked in my direction. I jumped backwards, slipping in the slick pool of blood and falling to the ground. The tubing slithered after me faster, pulling free from the girl's arm, morphing into a terrifying looking snake, scales forming, while bright eyes shone and sharp metal teeth extended dripping blood. It lunged and I jerked backwards, but not before it sank its fangs into my arm and I knew it was too late...
I jolted awake, trying to flee backwards, scrabbling at my arm as I did so. I heard Alexandre grunt when I smashed him in the face with full force as he tried ineptly to keep me from tumbling off the bed.
"Ungh." I groaned from the floor in complaint. Alexandre was there in an instant.
"Carys, are you ok?" His voice sounded strange and I looked up to see I had bloodied his nose, and by the looks of it, probably broken it.
"Oh God Alexandre, I'm sorry. I'll be alright, I just bruised my dignity. And probably my tailbone." I gasped as I tried to stand up, clutching my lower back in pain.
"What happened? One minute everything was fine, the next you were thrashing about like I was trying to kill you." Alexandre helped me onto the bed gently and retrieved a handkerchief from a dresser drawer to dab at his nose. Of course he had handkerchiefs. I rolled my eyes and watched him pinch his nose back into place before it could heal. I winced.
"Ugghhh, I'm really, really sorry." I whined, rubbing my butt, as I felt the tissues begin to reabsorb the blood pooled there.
"Don't worry about it, it's actually not the first time my nose has been broken and...ah there...right as rain, see?" Alexandre smiled, which was sort of a gruesome sight through the blood. I nearly gagged.
"You have a lil' somethin'..." I said, motioning to his face. Why was the blood bothering me? Was it the dream? I was a vampire for f*ck's sake, but the dream hit me again and I doubled over, clutching my arm.