Apology 3
by Colleen Hillerup
It had been months. He walked towards the crypt, ever mindful of the possible presence of other vampires, but none materialized. Suddenly, it was just him and the crypt door. It seemed smaller, somehow. He pushed it open cautiously, wondering if anything evil had taken up residence during his absence.
Miraculously, his things were still intact. His chair was in place, his refrigerator humming, and his television on the stand where he'd left it. He had fully expected the need to replace his belongings. He could hear footfalls on the ladder, coming up from the lower level. Obviously, this had been to good to be true. He picked up a small marble statue and waited by the hole in the floor. A head emerged, and he wound back to strike.
And stopped. "Clem?"
"Spike?" The wrinkly demon thrust himself up through the hole. "Spike. You're back!" Clem caught the vampire in a happy bear hug and squeezed.
"Yeah, I'm back. Lucky I still don't need air." He pushed away from his friend. "Watch the chest, though. Still a tad tender."
"Where have you been?"
"Africa. Long story." He looked around the upper chamber. "You been here all summer?"
"Yep." He walked over to the fridge and pulled a blood pack out of the freezer. "You want a drink? I keep some here, just in case."
"Love some." He flopped into his comfortable chair, while Clem popped the bag in the microwave and hit defrost. "You're a right wonder. Lookin' after my stuff."
He poured the blood into a mug and placed it back in the oven to heat it. "Didn't want anything to happen to it. You're my friend. Besides..." He took the warmed liquid from the microwave and passed it to Spike. "You get better TV reception than I did."
"Thank you." Spike took a sip. "Not just for this. I mean thank you. Thanks for lookin' after the crypt, thanks for the shoulder, thanks for putting up with all my bloody whining. Means a lot." He drank a big swig of the blood.
"Oh, I didn't think." Clem picked a bottle from the counter. "Do you want a little something extra in that?"
"No thanks. Trying to cut down." He put down the mug, stood up and looked at his friend. "I took advantage. Poured out all my troubles to you, and never even bothered to ask if you had any of your own. Wasn't the best of mates."
"What are you talking about? You're a great friend. I missed you."
"Yeah, well, sorry about that too. Just took off with hardly a word. Wasn't fair to you. Instead a getting ticked off, you decide to watch my stuff. You're one of the good ones." He looked a little closer at the room. Scattered among his possessions were touches that weren't his. A picture on the wall of cats playing poker. Framed photo of some dark haired girl. She looked familiar. "I want you to have this place. Keep it."
"But what about you? This is your home."
"Feels like your home now. Just do me a favour. Let me stay with you 'til I find something else."
"You want us to be roommates?" Clem scratched his bald head. "Cool!"
"You're one in a million, mate." He finished the last drops of his blood. "There's some people I need to see. Things I need to say. I'll be back later."
"Sure. No problem." Clem put his hand on Spike's shoulder. "Just glad to have you back."
"Thanks."
"And Spike?"
"Um?"
"Nice soul."
by Colleen Hillerup
It had been months. He walked towards the crypt, ever mindful of the possible presence of other vampires, but none materialized. Suddenly, it was just him and the crypt door. It seemed smaller, somehow. He pushed it open cautiously, wondering if anything evil had taken up residence during his absence.
Miraculously, his things were still intact. His chair was in place, his refrigerator humming, and his television on the stand where he'd left it. He had fully expected the need to replace his belongings. He could hear footfalls on the ladder, coming up from the lower level. Obviously, this had been to good to be true. He picked up a small marble statue and waited by the hole in the floor. A head emerged, and he wound back to strike.
And stopped. "Clem?"
"Spike?" The wrinkly demon thrust himself up through the hole. "Spike. You're back!" Clem caught the vampire in a happy bear hug and squeezed.
"Yeah, I'm back. Lucky I still don't need air." He pushed away from his friend. "Watch the chest, though. Still a tad tender."
"Where have you been?"
"Africa. Long story." He looked around the upper chamber. "You been here all summer?"
"Yep." He walked over to the fridge and pulled a blood pack out of the freezer. "You want a drink? I keep some here, just in case."
"Love some." He flopped into his comfortable chair, while Clem popped the bag in the microwave and hit defrost. "You're a right wonder. Lookin' after my stuff."
He poured the blood into a mug and placed it back in the oven to heat it. "Didn't want anything to happen to it. You're my friend. Besides..." He took the warmed liquid from the microwave and passed it to Spike. "You get better TV reception than I did."
"Thank you." Spike took a sip. "Not just for this. I mean thank you. Thanks for lookin' after the crypt, thanks for the shoulder, thanks for putting up with all my bloody whining. Means a lot." He drank a big swig of the blood.
"Oh, I didn't think." Clem picked a bottle from the counter. "Do you want a little something extra in that?"
"No thanks. Trying to cut down." He put down the mug, stood up and looked at his friend. "I took advantage. Poured out all my troubles to you, and never even bothered to ask if you had any of your own. Wasn't the best of mates."
"What are you talking about? You're a great friend. I missed you."
"Yeah, well, sorry about that too. Just took off with hardly a word. Wasn't fair to you. Instead a getting ticked off, you decide to watch my stuff. You're one of the good ones." He looked a little closer at the room. Scattered among his possessions were touches that weren't his. A picture on the wall of cats playing poker. Framed photo of some dark haired girl. She looked familiar. "I want you to have this place. Keep it."
"But what about you? This is your home."
"Feels like your home now. Just do me a favour. Let me stay with you 'til I find something else."
"You want us to be roommates?" Clem scratched his bald head. "Cool!"
"You're one in a million, mate." He finished the last drops of his blood. "There's some people I need to see. Things I need to say. I'll be back later."
"Sure. No problem." Clem put his hand on Spike's shoulder. "Just glad to have you back."
"Thanks."
"And Spike?"
"Um?"
"Nice soul."