Club Vampire

Chapter 10

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'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.

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Her shower was lengthy, movements turning lethargic in the growing steam of the small bathroom. Absently, she stroked her fingers through her hair, conditioner rubbing through the locks and smoothing out tangles caused by the attack the night before. It had taken her far longer than she wished to acknowledge to rinse the caked blood out of her brown hair, and it was far more disconcerting to realize that all of it was hers. She hadn't noticed the small knot on the side of her head bleeding the night before, but then again, she hadn't been in the best of minds. She had thought to prolong the shower in order to think up a game-plan for the next visit to Club vamp, but instead her mind kept circling around her fear from the night before, Michel's sudden reappearance back into her life, and their reactions to each other. She was so very aware how much she still trusted him, and felt that familiar ache when he wasn't by her side. It had taken her more than a year to condition herself out of wishing for his presence at every waken moment the last time he had left. How long would it take her this time?

She did manage to put her thoughts back on track every time she was motivated enough to reach for another bottle of soap. When her body was in motion, she was reminded that she had other things to do other than dream about blue eyes and fangs flashing in an amused grin. She wished she knew what else they could possibly ask her. These visits to the back of the club, and the surrounding underground network, were getting to be a daily occurrence. The vampires now had their main answer retriever ready to whip it out of her, or whatever he was going to do, and she was still no closer to being able to give them the answers they wanted.

Kerry was hardly foolish enough to fall for the same thing twice. She knew this meeting was going to be more about her interaction with the murdering female vampire in terms of the damnable hiss, rather than anything she had unwittingly said or done to disclose the presence of a vampire in her life. Sure, she hadn't taken out her cross and threatened Nelle's attacker with it, and yes, she had managed to negotiate Nelle's change after her best friend had been deemed dead, but Kerry knew that the vampires weren't really concerned with that. She wondered how she ever could have believed that the problem had been there.

They were bothered by the fact Kerry had made a woman probably triple her strength cringe away in fear with only a simple hiss. If she could do that, then what else could she do that was a possible threat? Kerry didn't have the answers, but this time she wasn't planning on lying when she said that. She could only hope that her hypothesis that she was actually going to meet Michel, who was this assassin boss guy, rather than some nameless, threatening vampire with no interest in maintaining her life other than to extract information.

Yay! Michel was back. She still couldn't help but let a foolish little grin break out, changing her countenance from worry and anxiety to a pleased, knowing smile.

"Kerry! Geez!" She was interrupted from her musings by Nathaniel pounding on the door. For a second, the sharp sound shocked her into thinking she was back in her own bathroom, being attacked. She quickly compressed the urge to cringe away and hide, as she hadn't even been chicken enough to do that in the real situation.

"What?" She shouted back.

"I need to pee and you've been in there forever!" Nathaniel's male voice whined through the wood door, and it wasn't the first time, or likely even the last, that Kerry sighed in exasperation at her friend who was sometimes more like an elder brother. An annoying, overbearing, and a bunch of other similar adjectives, older brother.

"Fine. Gimme a minute," Kerry called back out to him as she turned off the hot water and stepped out of the tub. She forgot that she wasn't in her own apartment for a moment, as the bathrooms were almost mirror images of each other, and almost lost her balance as her foot connected with damp tiled floor instead of the regular bathmat.

"I'll just go over and pee in your toilet," Nathaniel muttered through the door. Kerry assumed he did just that, but she wouldn't put it passed him to stay outside the door and try to hear her dry off.

Ok, she really didn't think he would do that, but the notion both amused and reminded her that he was still an unknown, no matter how friendly they were to each other. She quickly ran her towel over her body and hair, taking care not to agitate the wound on her scalp. She was more and more impressed with the way Michel had treated her the night before. She had been bleeding nutritious food, maybe all over him, and had practically shoved it in his face. So what if he hadn't really held her? He hadn't started to lick her like a human lollipop either.

Kerry was about to use her towel to wipe the mirror off like usual, when she remembered once again that it wasn't her mirror. Who knew what kind of Nathaniel cooties could be adhering to every surface of the room. Visibly, she could see remnants of almost every color he had ever dyed his hair splashed against the shower curtain, so who knew what she couldn't see. She was not going to contaminate her towel any more than necessary and the idea of yanking his from the rack in order to use almost made her shiver with revulsion. Was staying out of her own bathroom worth all this pain? Probably not. She used toilet paper instead.

Kerry's eyes were still slightly red and bloodshot from two nights of heavy crying. She leaned closer into the mirror, pulling at the skin under her eye in order to get a better look. They were no longer puffy, though she was sure they had been before her restorative shower. Other than that, there were no signs of stress on her face. It was a miracle, and she knew it was all due to Michel's help in putting her to sleep. He was better than a sleeping pill. If she only he was in her bed every night, she might not get much sleep, but she was sure that after he wore her out she wouldn't mind, and really, that thought had nothing to do with his powers and everything to do with his prowess.

She really did hope to see him again tonight.

Grabbing her clothing out of a bag hanging on the back of the door, she slipped on her underwear and then pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater over them. She had considered wearing something slinkier so she could look better for a certain vampire, but then she liked living a bit too much and knew that walking into a vampire lair with her neck showing was probably asking for trouble.

"Wow. He's going to melt when he sees you," Nathaniel told her, sparing her a glance from the corner of his eye from where he was reading a naughty magazine. Sometimes, she thought he was her sarcastic conscious.

"Shut up," Kerry muttered under her breathe, loitering around his hallway with her hands tucked into her front pockets. She rocked back on her heel, biting her bottom lip and wondering if she wanted to interrupt him mid-Maxim. "Is your dad going to drive me again today?"

"Dunno," he replied, not sparing her another glance.

"You're sucha guy sometimes." Kerry told him. The insult was in what she hadn't said. Sometimes, he was also such a girl.

"You too," Nathaniel told her, still not bothering to look up from his smut.

"Her boobs are fake," Kerry informed him, not bothering to even look at the picture.

"I wasn't looking at her boobs."

That wasn't exactly information Kerry needed to know. She slouched back into the well-worn seats of the brown couch and idly wondered if it had always been brown or if that was just a byproduct of belonging to a slob like Nathaniel. She didn't think she really wanted to know, just like she had no inclination to know what the yellow smear she was sitting on was from. "You know, you could use a new couch," she told Nathaniel, just attempting to make conversation to stop herself from thinking about all her problems, and all the problems her friends had. Nathaniel was right. She was a worrier.

"Yeah, and maybe you could buy me a new TV while you are at it."

Kerry snorted at him. She was interrupted from saying something scathing in response by a knock on the door. "I'll get it," she said, jumping up and heading for the door before Nathaniel could look up from his naughty magazine. She glanced briefly through the peephole, automatically opening the door the moment she say Tim standing impatiently on the other side.

"Are you nuts!" He said to her as a greeting. "Someone tried to kill you last night and you're opening the door. No safety latch either."

Kerry shrugged, not willing to argue with the man who both reminded her of her own dad and was a vampire. It was like he was guaranteed to be doubly right. She didn't think that was the case, but she knew better than to say something when he would only shoot her down. "Are you going to drive me again, or…" Kerry trailed off, hoping he could take up the prompt and fill her in.

"Right," Tim said as if he were just remembering that she needed to get to Club Vamp at some point that night. "The boss wants to see you. I think I'm supposed to drive you."

"Ok," Kerry said, glad that was cleared up. Tim continued walking passed her, into the living room. "Come on, Boyo." He told his son, slapping the magazine out of Nathaniel's hand. "Stop mentally wanking off so we can leave."

Nathaniel grumbled.

Tim, who was in a surprisingly good mood for a vampire about to watch his son stuff enough food down his throat to feed a small third-world country, grinned cheerfully. Kerry didn't think it was one of the false emotions she had noticed Ethan adopting. He was genuinely pleased to be spending time with Nathaniel. It was rather sweet. "I just have to drop Kerry off, then you can dribble your balls with all the sour sauce you want."

Kerry turned away, both wincing and hiding an amused grin at the same time. Well, it was rather obvious where Nathaniel got his perchance for dirty jokes.

"That wasn't funny," Nathaniel griped, standing up giving his father a mock glare. Tim gestured towards the door with his head, ordering his son to hurry up. Kerry was pleased to see such family dynamics between the two of them. She opened the door, holding it open for the two relatives to slip through as they continued to bicker with each other good naturedly. The elevator ride down was punctuated with Nathaniel pressing the buttons to the floor they were on as soon as they passed it. Once, he accidentally hit the button too soon and the doors dinged open. Kerry reached over and pressed her finger against the close-door button, frowning at Nathaniel for his immature antics.

"Shot gun!!" Nathaniel called out the moment they were in the lobby.

Kerry let him have the front seat again. Small things amuse small minds, after all. This time, as Tim drove, she was able to pay enough attention to get the gist of all the twists and turns she would have to make if she ever ended up driving it herself. After she had figured out that the mysterious hallways and clean parking garage were behind the club she, Nathaniel, and Nelle had visited just two nights ago, it was far easier for her to follow the route Tim used. She had always been rather keen with directions.

It seemed to take Tim less time than usual to arrive at the destination. She found herself cringing at the abnormally white garage, and knew that it would be one of those things she would start to hate with no reason other than bad mental associations. Her stomach was starting to churn from nerves and dread again, and she hoped she didn't have to rush for the plant-holders again. Tim pulled to a stop in front of the entrance, and Kerry just stared at the door in trepidation.

"You'll be ok," Tim told her reassuringly. Since it was the first time he had ever said anything comforting to her, she figured he knew something she didn't, and immediately relaxed. Maybe, the thought she had been entertaining of Michel being the boss was actually true. A short man in a business-suit met her at the door, and politely requested that she follow him. He took her to an office further underground, and Kerry wondered if it had anything to do with prestige. To humans, the highest offices were always the penthouse, where the richest and elite companies were. Did the lower into the ground that vampire offices go signify the same? If so, this guy was top-notch compared to the woman she had seen the night before. The man escorting her knocked on the door, then opened it for her, letting her walk in on her own.

Kerry took a deep breath to fortify herself, knowing even that was a weakness she shouldn't allow herself in a vampire business lair. She took a step through the opening, almost expecting the room to be dark and menacing both because of its position beneath ground and the fact the person who worked there was rumored to be an efficient killer. It was actually pleasantly light, electricity mimicking the effect of the sun, even though it was after sunset on the surface. Kerry had to blink, disarmed for a second. It put her at a disadvantage, and she knew that was the point. In the time it took for her eyes to adjust and yearn for a pair of sunglasses, she could have been killed a hundred times over.

"'Ave a seat," a slightly accented male voice said from within the room. He was sitting in one of those high-back swivel chairs, facing away from her. The scene was right out of a mafia movie or something. The door closed behind her, and Kerry glanced around the room looking for another way out or a weapon just lying around which she could use. She wondered if this assassin guy could see, or sense, her hesitation. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he could hear her heart-beat pick up with trepidation.

He spun around slowly in his chair, looking so incredibly menacing as he stared hollowly at her, that Kerry knew the action had been a real method of intimidation and not a weak play off a movie. She stared at this vampire who was said to be a killer of his own kind and believed it whole-heartedly. He looked to be one of those hardened soldiers who had never experienced any happiness in his life. His face was scarred with signs of battle which looked to be created by a more primitive weapon than was used today.

She hadn't realized how great her assumption that she would be greeted by Michel was until she was face to face with this man. Kerry was immediately nervous, fidgeting with her fingers as she wearily wondered if she should sit or bolt.

"I 'ave that effect on many people," he told her with a grimace which probably passed as a friendly smile in his eyes. Kerry noticed that he softened his H's in a barely discernable accent, and she wondered for an insane moment whether he was French too. Her mind comparing him to Michel managed to calm her enough for a moment so that she smiled back, probably looking as friendly as he had, and took a seat in a high-back chair which was torture enough. Maybe he wouldn't even have to touch her- sitting here with his hardened eyes on her was torture enough.

Kerry was perched on the edge of the seat, her back straight and not touching the chair-back. Her posture was reminiscent of all those etiquette lessons her mother had given her once upon a time, but it's true purpose was so it would be easier for her to flee if she needed to. Not that she would ever be able to out-run this guy, or escape from an underground vampire lair for that matter, but just utilizing her fight-or-flight instinct, even to the littlest degree, put her at ease a bit.

Her heart-beat didn't slow down, however, and she could feel her imminent death beating through her ears.

"I am ordered to leave you alive for the time being," the assassin told her, probably thinking he was reassuring her. "We just want some information."

Alive, Kerry realized, was the main focal point of that sentence. Alive didn't mean he couldn't torture her by pulling her fingernails off, or whipping her, or whatever the popular method of torture between vampires and humans was this week. The vampire sitting across from her narrowed his eyes as her heart sped up and a sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead, probably wondering why the first time he acted nice in the past century made his victim even more nervous. "Are you also ordered not to harm me in any way?"

He smiled, more broadly and menacing this time. His smile said 'I'm going to cut you into tiny pieces and take pleasure from it' and it wasn't faked like he last one he had given her. A scar running down his cheek stretched one of his eyes sardonically. "Ah, so you did catch that."

Kerry wondered if she had done wrong by saying anything. She didn't want anyone to think she was smart enough to successfully keep secrets, or whatever it was they were thinking now. She always seemed to be digging herself in deeper without even realizing it. Where was Michel? She had been wishing he would just show up and save her again. A terrible thought flittered through her mind. What if he wasn't on her side? Sure, he had saved her the night before, but that meant far less than she was attributing to it.

"Tell me about the 'iss." The vampire urged, wearing his sympathetic face. Kerry had to smother the urge to giggle hysterically at his pronunciation of 'hiss'. She didn't think he would take too kindly to it, and when it came to be time for him to kill her, if she angered him now it would just make the process more drawn-out.

"I don't know what happened there. I kind of felt the reaction bubble up from my stomach when she touched me," Kerry told him, being far more honest under the threat of torture than she had been with death. She was realistic enough to know that a popular interrogation method was going after family members. There was something about how this guy looked like he had seen and did things worse than this back when he was human that made her realize just how precarious her situation was. "Kind of like something inside of me was trying to protect me."

"Do you feel it now?" The vampire asked, showing no reaction to whether what she had told him meant anything.

"No."

"But you feel threatened by me, do you not?"

"Oh yes," Kerry breathed, drawing another menacing smile from him. She knew he was dangerous, as his profession gave her the answer to that question, but she wondered how much of her reaction to him was because he looked dangerous. He might actually be a nice guy. She mentally snorted. Yeah, she didn't honestly believe that. He had to have gotten those scars at some point before being turned.

"'Ave you experienced this before?"

"No, not really. I had this strange feeling of fear when I brushed by a girl about half an hour earlier, but that was it. She was probably a vampire." Kerry could feel the sweat prickling at the back of her neck. This guy was effortlessly getting answers out of her that she had promised to never give.

"Have you ever had contact with a vampire before that?"

"No."

"You're lying to me." He slammed his palm down on the table, making a loud cracking noise as the flesh connected with wood. Kerry jumped.

"I was threatened once, but that was years ago, and the vampire was reluctant to harm a kid." Kerry congratulated herself for not giving away her age at the time, or Michel's gender. Her heart was beating, and her words had been too quick.

"He told you this? That sounds like a close relationship to me." His gaze was hardened, looking at her as if he could see the truth within her soul. Kerry bit her tongue to keep from rushing into an answer, and hoped she could keep the urge to squirm to a minimum.

"He didn't so much tell me as make some comment like 'you're lucky you're so young,' or something like that," Kerry explained, not realizing until she was through the sentence that he had subtly manipulated her into telling Michel's gender.

"How did you know he was a vampire?"

This question was far trickier, and Kerry really floundered for a second on what to respond with. "You've probably dug into my past, right?" Kerry asked, hedging for some time. Once the vampire nodded, she continued on. "A simple google search will tell you that I was once abducted by a man who thought himself to be a vampire hunter. Well, he had killed this vampire's 'special friend' right before abducting me. So the vampire comes charging in, intent on getting vengeance or whatever, and I get caught in the middle of it. In the end, we broke a deal that if I lied to the police and said I accidentally killed Marsala, he would let me live. And that's the whole story," Kerry finished off, hoping it wasn't as telling as Michel's 'truthfully's or 'honestly's to the fact she was lying. As far as off-the-cuff tales went, she thought this one was something to be proud of. Kerry hated that she was pleased with herself for lying.

"Why were you abducted?"

"I don't know," Kerry answered. "Maybe I was unknowingly talking to a vampire, or something. I've been wondering the same thing for years. The best I could come up with was that some lady stopped me after work one night just before all this happened and asked me directions to a local Laundromat. We talked for about five minutes before my dad picked me up. If she was the vampire who was killed, then maybe…." Kerry trailed off, letting her true meaning be inferred. She really, really hated lying. She could only hope she wouldn't mess herself up at some point with inconsistencies.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

©RelenaFanel.october13.2006

Tada! How many of you really thought she was going to be meeting with Michel? I know… I'm tricky. Anyway, I have a few things to talk to you about:

1. I'm joining NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, mostly because this is the first year I've ever heard of it. Those of you who are also in it can friend me – relenafanel – and leave your name in a review if you want a friend back.

2. For all you LJ users, I made a new Vivian Vande Velde LJ community. Links for that can either be found on my profile or by searching Murking Fantasy.

3. Favourite this story please. You know I feed off your reviews and love like a vampire needs blood.

Happy Friday the 13th, may your day be horrific and filled with hot dead men (or women) jumping out from behind dumpsters to suck your blood. As far as I'm concerned the unlucky thing would be to miss out on that.