Dhampire No More

Chapter 2: Adjusting

By Chad 'Graeystone' Harger

xxxxx

For safety sakes, this chapter is M rated. I might be a little paranoid about it but there's nothing wrong with hedging my bets.

xxxxx

The next morning as Johan made his rounds in the hospital he was called to D's room. The nurse on duty reported that the former dhampire was screaming. Johan entered D's room. D screamed and thrashed around in his bed. Johan saw that D's eyes were closed.

Johan grabbed D by the shoulders. "D, D! Wake up man! You're having a nightmare!" said Johan.

D opened his eyes. They were filled with terror. "My god the visions!" he yelled. "I thought I was going to die!"

Johan sat down in a chair. "You did not have a vision. What you experienced was a dream," said Johan.

D calmed down. "That was a dream?" he asked. "It seemed so real."

"You never dreamed?" asked Johan with astonishment.

"Dhampires and vampires don't dream," said D. He felt ridiculous for overreacting like that. "When we, I mean, they sleep their brains completely shut down."

"Explains some of the undead part," said Johan. He checked D's vitals. "Heart rate and pulse is good. Other than your nightmare you are in good shape."

"There is one thing. I feel some kind of pressure around my groin," said D.

"Does it hurt?" asked Johan. He hoped D did not have an injury that he had missed.

"I feel like something wants to be released," said D.

"You have to use the bathroom," said Johan. He helped D walk to the small bathroom. "Pull your pants down, sit down, and aim down in the bowl and let it happen naturally. Don't forget to flush."

When D came back out he looked at Johan with disgust. The vampire metabolism converted everything into energy for the body. There was no waste that had to be expelled. D knew how the human body worked but to actually experience it was something else. "How do you humans do it?" he asked with same tone as his expression.

Johan quickly looked into the bathroom thinking D made a giant mess. He appeared to do everything right. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Attempt to have children knowing you urinate from the same body part that you have sex with," said D.

Johan had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. "If you're fortunate enough, one day you'll find out its all worth it in more ways than one," he said.

"And I thought vampires had bad habits," grumbled D.

"I've noticed something about you. I saw you when you first entered town and how you interacted with people. You weren't emotional but now you are. You are also more talkative," said Johan.

D realized he was. He always kept himself under tight control out of concern of lashing out with his vampire side and harming a human. "Is that a problem?" asked D.

"I don't think so. Just learn not to overdo it," said Johan. Johan walked to the door. "You're not going to like this but later I have to give you vaccination shots and administer allergy tests. It won't do you any good to end up sick or eat something that you're allergic to that can kill you."

D almost said he does not get sick. Then he remembered he is no longer a dhampire. Without his vampire side he is now susceptible to illnesses. "Very well," he said.

"After you recover from that I want you to go outside and get some fresh air. It will also be good exercise. I'll arrange for a nurse to help you around town," said Johan. "You'll probably want breakfast. Is there anything you prefer?"

"Fruit and honey," said D.

Johan expected D to instinctively say meat. Fruit and honey was the farthest thing from Johan's mind. D gave up meat a long time ago to keep the blood lust subdued. On a personal level D always ate fruit with honey whenever he could. It was one of the few reminders of better times growing up as the prince of vampires.

xxxxx

D did not think the experience of going to the bathroom could not get anymore distasteful. He was wrong. During the first time he saw the roll of toilet paper and knew what it was for. He was glad he did not have to use it. The second time however he had no choice. Then there was the matter of the sweat and smell coming from his body. He had seen humans sweat and knew the human scent well. The sweat felt like slime and the stink was nauseating. It was unclean to him and he told Johan as much. D also raised objections that he did not appreciate a nurse watching him like a hawk while he ate.

"You can shower after I get the results of the allergy test," said Johan. D objected. "Until I know what you are allergic to I can't take any risks. For all I know just touching soap can cause anaphylactic shock."

"You are over exaggerating," said D.

"I've heard the rumors you are quite old. During your long life have you ever heard of a dhampire who lost their vampire side like you did?" asked Johan.

"No."

"Neither have I. You will have to excuse me for being overprotective because I don't like losing patients for stupid reasons or through sloppiness," said Johan. "Just wait a few hours and I promise you will be able to take a shower. Until then you need to get used to the idea of crapping, pissing, stinking, and sweating."

Johan left the room. D looked at him with a raised eyebrow. The doctor was normally calm but his lasts words were anger. D knew what he did wrong. He acted like the one kind of vampire he never wanted to be, a Noble. "Great," said D. Of all the connections to his vampire side that still lingered it would be the pompous self-righteous attitude of the Nobility. A small part of him did miss the parasite. D was sure the mouth that never stopped would eat this whole mess up and bug him for the rest of his life over the way he was behaving.

D spent the rest of the day pacing in his room trying to get adjusted to his human legs. Johan returned and told D the good news. "You can take a shower. You don't have any known allergies. I ran another blood test and discovered you don't need vaccine shots either. For now you still retain some of your dhampire immune system. That could change at any moment. If you ever get sick see a doctor right away."

"Why not give me the shots now?" asked D.

"Your immune system would reject the vaccines," said Johan. He put a toiletry kit on the table. "You do know how to use this?"

D knew it was not an insult directed toward his former self. The bathroom experience raised the question if D could take care of himself on a personal level or not. "I am a vampire hunter," said D. "It is not the cleanest profession in the world. Vampires and humans do have one thing in common and that is halitosis."

"Pont taken," said Johan. "D, I have to be honest. You will be completely healed in a couple of days. After that I will have to discharge you from the hospital." Johan hesitated before speaking again. Besides the rumors concerning D's age there is also the rumors that say he is completely alone in the world. "Is there anyone that can help you adjust?"

A day's ride from this town lived someone D had not seen in forty years. The last time he visited it did not go well. Right now he had nothing to gain other than more guilt. "There is a family by the name of Lang who lives in a town north of here."

"Didn't Count Lee control that area? I remember now. One of your biggest hits from the stories I heard as a child," said Johan. D frowned at Johan. D still kept the past behind him and thought about it as little as possible. "I'll have a messenger head out first thing in the morning," said Johan.

"Thank you," said D hoping he hid his nervousness well. Johan was right. He had to get a grip on his emotions.

xxxxx

The next day D and a pretty blond nurse named Betty took a walk through the town. D walked funny. He used a cane to keep balance. People looked at the former dhampire with curiosity. In the past D's hearing would picked up the whispers. Without that advantage D could only guess what was being said. Now as then he did not care what they thought about him. D stopped and looked at the sun. For once he let the warmth of the vampire's bane cover him. His vampire side made him so cautious of the sun that he always kept himself nearly covered.

"What a fool I was," said D bitterly.

"Do you remember what happened to you?" asked Betty with concern. She was told if D started to remember what happened to him it could be traumatic.

"Not that," said D. "As a dhampire I could walk in the sun without spontaneously combusting. My only concern was heat syndrome."

"You feel you wasted the opportunity to enjoy what is deadly to vampires," said Betty.

"There were a lot of things that I could have done. I always let the fear of my vampire side going out of control get the better of me," admitted D.

Betty smiled at him and it was not the reassuring kind. Her smile and green eyes expressed the wanting of sex D had seen countless times before. Humans still did not understand the dangers in having a relationship with a vampire. Even those who thought it was fine to have a relationship with a dhampire played with fire. D plenty of disasters like Charlotte Elbourne and Meier Link. D came close in creating one of his own when Doris Lang tempted him with both her blood and body. D shivered thinking about his own parents and the consequences of what happened.

D looked at Betty knowing he is no longer constrained by the dangers. His body started to react. She wanted this and D had to be honest. He wanted this so much it hurt. Betty is young and supple. D still retained much of his good looks and beauty. Two centuries ago Left Hand crudely called him a chick magnet. Even with a fling D could finally satisfy a lifetime of pent up desire.

"My apartment is over there," said Betty who pointed at a large brown house.

"Won't you get into trouble for this?" asked D.

Betty put a finger on D's lip. The touch was enough to make D euphoric. "Not if you tell anyone," she whispered seductively.

D wanted to ask why she was doing this. He found it hard to think. All he could think of was what he heard from others. The subtle and not so subtle acts of sex and the incredible climax. "Sure," stammered D.

They went inside Betty's apartment. A small kitchen and living room with a single bedroom and bathroom, which is basic for most people.

"I have to use the bathroom first," said Betty.

"Damn," said D under his breath after she closed the bathroom door. The desire and lust went away just like that. She had to mention having to go to the bathroom. D put the mental image of a woman urinating then having sex out his mind. At this rate D figured he would never get laid. It was a probably a good thing he stopped anyway. Throughout the millennia of life D always heard that sex should be special and never squandered. From his mother before disaster struck to what a lot of people said. In his heart D knew if he ever got the chance he wanted it to be special and not something transient.

D smiled thinking about that word while he looked around the apartment and thinking of a way to tell Betty he was no longer interested. He saw a photo of Betty and some of her fellow nurses. The image of Betty caught D's eye. He picked up the photo and examined it closer. He frowned and set it down. While his vampire side is gone his hunter instincts remained.

D quietly walked into the kitchen. He picked up a small cutting knife and carefully slid it into his pocket. D heard the toilet flush and walked back to the living room. He smiled at Betty as she came out. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"A little nervous," said D.

Betty laughed and said, "Don't worry I will take away your fear."

D was nervous. He was not wrong about Betty or whoever this woman is. D's concern was for himself. The kind of injuries he used to get is now fatal to him. Betty did make a mistake. She hugged D thinking she was still fooling him. D slid the knife out of pocket and lightly jabbed Betty in the stomach. "Who hired you?" he asked.

"You know I won't answer," said Betty. All the seduction was gone from her voice. She looked at D like a predator. Her body tensed while planning a way out of this. "What gave me away?"

"The eyes," said D. "Betty's eyes have small brown speckles. Yours don't."

"Contacts and a lot of make up," admitted Betty. "It won't do you any good."

D heard of a female assassin who used disguises to get close to her victim. "You must be Yonda the Hidden," said D. D felt her body move. He pushed blade enough to draw a little bit of blood. "Don't move," warned D. "I still have my hunter's instinct. Where is the real Betty?"

"Betty is asleep underneath her bed. I never harm the people whom I mimic," said Yonda.

"You just let them take the blame," said D. "Who hired you?"

"You'll have to kill me," said Yonda. "It's the only way and I know you won't do that. The great D doesn't kill humans unless they've been bitten and have been turned."

"I never killed a human because of my vampire side," said D. "I'm no longer bound by it." He pushed the knife enough to get the point across.

Like all assassins Yonda was a coward when it came to her own life. "How about an arrangement," said Yonda. "I'll tell you who hired me and you can let me go. None of this ever happened."

D thought about who would hate him enough and also have the money to hire an assassin of Yonda's caliber. Vampires were out of the question. Human assassins never worked for vampires. Vampires hired the Barbaroi for things like this. That left humans and in D's experience most people who hated him drove him out of town. D never returned to such towns unless there was an emergency or the generation that drove him out died. The key is the money and D knew one person who has enough hatred and money to hire Yonda.

"Alan Elbourne," said D.

"Good guess," said Yonda. "Even if I fail there will be others. Plenty of others want you dead including humans who hate you because of what you are." D tried to hide his surprise. Yonda laughed and said, "They know you're human and they don't want you to return to what you once were. They think a dead human is better than a living dhampire. Alan just happened to be the first in line."

"I already know what his motive is," said D.

He and Leila did not bring back Charlotte alive. As Charlotte's father feared, she fell prey to the vampires. Alan lost it and swore revenge against them. Alan believed they did nothing to save his dear sister's life. D restrained Leila from beating the hell out of Alan. As he and Leila left the Elbourne estate D looked back at Alan and gave him a rarely used expression of anger. The message was clear. He goes after either of them D would strike back in kind.

Yonda subtly moved. She had a dagger of her own hidden up her sleeve. D drove the knife deeper into Yonda. "I warned you," he said without emotion. "Did you go after Leila?"

"She was supposed to be next," said Yonda. "I thought you would be the easier one. My mistake."

Yonda did not bother to be subtle. She purposely attempted an open attack. D had no choice to but to kill Yonda. He drove the knife as far as he could into her. Yonda stiffened once. Her last words were, "Killed by the legendary D. At least I will be remembered for this." D pushed the body away from him. Many assassins have booby traps in the form of explosives that go off if they killed.

D walked into the bedroom. He looked under the bed and as Yonda said the real Betty was tied and gagged. D pulled her out and freed her. "How are you?" asked D.

"S-scared," admitted Betty. She started to cry.

"Betty, I need you to do something for me," said D. "I want you to get the sheriff and Doctor Johan. Can you do that? Something is wrong with me and I don't think I would make it that far."

Betty nodded and left the apartment. D heard the apartment door close. He tensed letting his body finally react to shock.

xxxxx

The Sheriff Bourne and Johan were contacted. They rushed to Betty's apartment where they found Yonda dead on the floor and D in Betty's bed shaking like a leaf. Johan gave D some medication to calm his body down.

"What happened?" asked Johan after D recovered.

"A woman disguised as Betty tried to kill me," said D. He rubbed his forehead wishing the pain would go away. "How is Betty?"

"Doing better. You both suffered from shock. What I don't understand is how it happened to you," said Johan.

D's face turned red. "Yonda tried to seduce me. She almost did. I discovered who she was and I killed her."

"How did you handle sexual tension as a dhampire?" asked Johan.

"Long cold showers," D said with sarcasm.

"You let the coldness of your vampire side take care of it," reasoned Johan.

D became angry. "How did you know?"

"I've treated dhampires before," said Johan. "Some were like you. They did not want to harm humans even if it meant an existence of celibacy."

"I never knew that," said D.

"Do you know anything about your own kind?" asked Johan.

"What is my own kind?" snapped D.

"Dhampires," said Johan.

D laughed bitterly. "I told the woman I thought was Betty that there was a lot that I never considered enjoying like sunlight. On the off chance I change back to my former self I'll try to enjoy the warmth of the sun." D leaned close to Johan. "As far as sex goes the risk is the same when it concerns dhampires and humans. How many dhampire couples do you know of that have children? There is only one way my kind is born and you damn well know what it is. I know everything there is to know about my kind and a lot of it makes us evade one another so we are not constantly reminded of the price of our existence."

D walked out of the apartment. Johan walked behind him. "You need to go back to the hospital," said Johan. D headed that way. He wanted to sleep. He was exhausted and in a bad mood. "D, I'm sorry," said Johan. "I never thought it was that difficult for you."

"Don't bring it up again and it won't be," said D.

They returned to the hospital. In the lobby D stopped when he recognized someone he had not seen in a long time. His eyes widened with surprise. Doris Lang waved at him and ran up to him. She hugged him hard. "The usual silent treatment," she said.

It was not D's old habit of being a man of few words. Forty years passed since he saw Doris. This woman who claimed to be Doris looked like her as she was the first time D saw her when she was bitten by Count Lee over fifty years ago.

To be continued . . .

xxxxx

Geh! I think a lot of writer will agree with me on this point: "There is always one chapter in a story that does nothing but give the writer grief." I must've rewritten parts this chapter three times. The biggest problem was the attempted assassination of D. First I wanted it in then I changed my mind and decided to save it for the next chapter not wanting to dump too much on D. Then I changed my mind a third time and decided to put in this chapter. Ok, I'm done ranting so close your browser or whatever then patiently wait for chapter 3.