Vasili tore the cover off his cup of ramen noodles, steam billowed out. He blew on it while the weather anchor spoke, "Tomorrow, we're looking at another beautiful day in New York City. We're expecting a high of 86 and a low of 73 degrees, so there's no excuse to stay inside. Get out there and start movin'!" The anchor laughed and ribbed his cohost about finally losing the lockdown weight.
Vasili tuned out their rambling. He was dreading his morning shift because the pipe they had recently finished installing had bad welding. He sighed, thinking, 'Hell, at least we'll have some overtime pay.'
There was always some bullshit in construction, it was the only thing you COULD count on.
The steam from his cup kept rising into the air, wafting the smell of dinner in his face. He frowned and kept blowing on the ramen because it was still too hot, and he was starving.
Then he heard a pounding at the door.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
He wondered who it could be.
Instead of opening it like a moron, he checked his Ring app for a visual of the person.
It took a moment to load, but then he saw who was pounding on his front door. A young man, about 18 years old, looked desperate as he glanced back and forth behind himself. Vasili could see it, there was a lot of blood running down his neck and a wicked gash on his chest.
He thought for a moment, wondering if it was gang-related violence. Vasili wasn't interested in interrupting something he had zero business getting involved with.
He kept watching the camera, his heart pounding with anxiety.
Vasili noticed something as the boy looked back and forth in fright. His face was a bone white, as if he hadn't a drop of blood in his entire body. There wasn't much time left, he had to act if this boy was going to make it.
Vasili was cautious as he approached the entrance of his apartment, unlocking the door with trepidation. Before he was prepared, the boy, clearly driven by the need to survive, forced it open and jumped inside, catching Vasili off guard.
The boy lay on the floor, tucking his feet in and urgently hissing, "Shut the door! Shut the door!"
Vasili followed the command, quietly shutting his door, securing it by turning the deadbolt and sliding his chain into place.
He turned and placed his back on the cold metal door, exhaustion taking over as the adrenaline high crashed.
Then he pushed through it and asked, "Dude, are you okay? I think I have some bandages, I will be right back." Mentally noting to grab a towel so the boy doesn't bleed out on his floor.
As he was stepping around the boy, he felt a hand around his ankle that immobilized him, "No. I just need-I just need blood." The boy was struggling to speak, clearly high or something.
Vasili understood the kid's sentiment, he did need blood, but his apartment wasn't equipped for level 1 trauma. The boy needed a hospital, so he dialed 9-1-1 on his phone while he tried to get the boy's hand off of his ankle.
He pulled and pulled until the operator answered, "911, what's your emergency?" Vasili began to speak when he felt a sharp pain on his ankle, "This is Vasili Onassis, I need medical at-OUCH-what the hell man?"
The operator pressed for more information, "I have your address at 24 Thayer Street, is that correct?" He tried to answer, but the teeth were keeping him preoccupied. Then he heard, "Hang up the phone, you idiot!" coming from below him, sounding as if their mouth was full.
He felt mentally absent for a moment, thinking that hanging up would solve the problem, then he snapped back, "What the hell?!"
Vasili looked down and saw frightened blood-red eyes staring back at him. The boy nervously laughed from the floor, "Hehe, I am sorry for trying to compel you. I just really need you to hang up the phone."
Vasili felt conflicted with what he did next, "Listen, I need you to go ahead and cancel the squad, I think he is stable enough to transport on my own."
The dispatcher spoke up, "Sir, SIR, THAT IS A BAD IDEA. PLEASE DON'T-" The call cut as he hung up.
He felt a slight sucking on his ankle when he lifted his other foot and almost squashed the boy as he stomped in rage, "STOP DRINKING MY BLOOD, KID!"
The unnaturalness of the situation was evident, yet Vasili wasn't afraid. He felt assured in himself because something deep within him was awake.
Vasili glared at the boy as he rose to his feet, his eyes returning to their regular baby-blue color. Then the kid spoke, "My bad, man. Your blood is seriously so delicious." He laughed, then added, "Like, I was joking, but is it for sale?"
Vasili squinted at the kid and took a step backward. He was readying himself for a fight with a monster when the kid tried to defuse the situation, "Woah, big guy, relax. We don't steal from other Creatures." He laughed, "Vamps aren't like that anymore. Hell, we haven't taken blood in decades."
Vasili was speechless. He processed the words and sentences that came out of the boy's mouth, but his mind wasn't piecing it together.
Because Vampires weren't real.
Finally, he said as much, "Vampires aren't real, you damned tweaker."
Vasili sighed as he thought about the bloodshot eyes, and then he realized that it could have been micro-bleeding from capillaries. His adoptive father had Hypertension before he died, so it wasn't unreasonable that someone on meth could have it.
The boy was frowning at him as he asked, "You, uh, you don't "believe" in Vampires?" This situation was odd, but the kid realized, "OH! You don't BELIEVE in Vampires!"
The kid smiled and continued, "I wondered why you smelt so strong. You are going through Metamorphosis, aren't you?"
Vasili didn't answer, but the look on his face gave it away. "Oh, yeah, you have no idea, do you? Like, none." the boy remarked.
Then the kid in front of him opened his mouth, and the saliva mixed with his blood as it ran down the boy's chin. Vasili watched in awe as the wound on the boy's neck healed right before his eyes, and then the kid's teeth began to change-he was growing fangs.