Safety
Once a month, when the world is at its sharpest, George pauses in the hallway and closes his eyes.
The scent of a vampire, ancient and earthy and overlaid by the metallic tang of blood-
A dozen unwashed mugs, rubber gloves and the faint, fading hint of parsley sauce-
Discoloured wallpaper and faux leather sofa, last night's pizza and tomorrow's laundry, Mitchell's cigarettes and Annie's tea and the beige coverlet that he can't, for all its dreariness, bring himself to throw away-
Once a month, before the wolf arrives, George pauses in the hallway and knows what safety smells like.