Chapter 3- Reunions and Apologies from a Grave
A/N: Sorry for the delay! Schoolwork's been kicking my butt lately and now that summer's here I've been swamped with actual work… Anyway, please review if you enjoyed the story! Thanks!
It had been two weeks since the 'incident.' Lenore hadn't seen Ragamuffin or Mr. Gosh since that day (with the latter being reported as missing). Twirling her fingers absentmindedly, the girl let out a sigh. No work meant she had nothing to distract her from the painful truth: that she had (tentatively) befriended a monster.
He had killed Mr. Gosh (who wasn't that—ok, he was really bad) almost as a twisted peace offering. Instead of a friend who brings flowers when they try to cheer someone up, the man had brought a corpse.
"No use dwelling on the past…" She muttered, picking up her belongings and leaving the room.
The coffee shop had been surprisingly empty. Only one man, head buried in a newspaper, and a staff member had been mulling about the interior. Warm red lights bathed the room in a soft glow as the girl walked towards the wooden counter. Her shoes clacked noisily against the tile as she waited for the man to notice her. He smiled, pulling the red apron back on.
"Welcome to Malachi's Coffee. What would you like?"
"One java chip, please." Lenore responded, fishing into her bag to pull out her skull shaped wallet.
"Here you go, have a nice night." The man, a tall youth with dark eyes and messy brown hair handed her the drink.
"Thank you." She replied, relishing in the warmth radiating from the Styrofoam cup.
The little bell on the shop door chimed quietly, signaling the arrival of a certain familiar face.
"Uh… hi, Lenore. For the record, I totally did not follow you here or anything!" He greeted sheepishly, hands in his pockets. Nope. He definitely didn't follow her appetizing scent or anything…
The girl nearly dropped her coffee in surprise, taking in the man's appearance.
Dark circles hung below his eyes, his hair was messy and disheveled, even his once garnet eyes were a faded mahogany. In other words, he looked, well, dead.
"Ragamuffin, what happened?" She pushed back thoughts of their previous meeting, guiding the feeble-looking man into one of the large, plush chairs.
The vampire winced as he settled into the seat, fingers curling around the armrest. Her scent was so tempting and he was so hungry… a single bite wouldn't hurt, would it?
"Lenore." He stared deep into her eyes, causing the blonde to be transfixed by his crimson gaze. He parted his lips, breathing in her sweet scent. It reminded him of sunflowers and the ocean and it was positively intoxicating.
"Here," The employee handed Ragamuffin a Styrofoam cup, breaking the hypnotic trance Lenore was in. The raven-haired man could immediately tell the contents of the cup and gave the man a quizzical look.
"What? Why would you—"
"I go by Taxidermy. I was a hunter a long time ago… now, I run this store. I have seen many things even you could not comprehend." The cryptic remark left the room empty of sound, save for the buzz of the small electric fan.
"So, what happened Ragamuffin?" The girl questioned, sipping her own coffee thoughtfully.
"I-I…" He started, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, avoiding her gaze.
"I've become only attracted to your blood, okay? I haven't been able to eat anything in weeks! No bones, guts, blood… nothing! I've never felt such a craving before so why?"
"You've stopped feeding? Will you die?"
"Eventually, I would. I could sleep for a few hundred years… but that's not really my style."
"I see."
He held the cup tightly, tensing at the thought of ripping off the lid and drinking the warm liquid. It was a mix of hunger and repulsion that terrified him.
"You're not a witch, are you? One nearly turned me into a doll ten years ago… how else would I suddenly acquire these strange emotions? Ah, to hell with it! To be completely honest, I've been torn between ripping your throat out and… wanting to protect you. You're like a duck, a cute, albeit mentally handicapped duck that I want to hold but at the same time eat! Gah! This is ridiculous! He ran his alabaster fingers through his dark hair, eyes cast to the floor.
Lenore subconsciously brought her hand to her throat but kept her eyes on the monster in front of her. "Well, I like occult-ish things, but I don't know any spells or incantations. I'm sorry that you're so conflicted. And I don't know whether to be slightly pleased to think that I remind you of a duck or if I should be offended that you called me mentally handicapped."
He let out an exasperated sigh, ignoring her previous statement, "I never thought I would ever be missing my human years!"
"You were human once?"
"Of course!" He scoffed, folding his arms indignantly.
"No one's born a vampire. I was turned over three hundred years ago."
"Was it forced?"
"What?"
"I mean, did you want to become a vampire?"
The man chuckled. "I thought it was what I wanted. I was tired of the monotony. One day, the chance to do something interesting appeared and I took it without a second glance. I'm pretty sure my master's dead by now. He tended to stay too close to humans. When vampires get tangled up in human affairs, the odds of them dying skyrocket. I remember when my face was plastered all over Nevermore on posters. It seems that everyone has either forgotten or died."
He took a tentative sip from the cup, almost gagging. Despite the warmth that flooded through his veins, the liquid felt heavy against his throat. Begrudgingly, he swigged the whole cup down, willing himself not to throw up. Luckily, he did not and the blood did its intended affect.
The circles under his eyes began to fade and he gained some color back from his pasty skin. Even a hint of crimson had returned to his eyes.
Suddenly, the man reading the newspaper stood up. What the group once thought was blonde hair was actually a sack, button eyes stitched onto the burlap bag. He moved in an almost comical fashion, one foot dragging behind the other like a typical zombie. Dropping the newspaper, he revealed his blood-stained attire, pieces of dirt and dust sticking to his suit (along with beetles and other unsightly insects).
"L-Lenore, my darling, I've come back for you…" He moaned, approaching the blonde.
"Shit! I didn't mean to make him a ghoul!" Ragamuffin cursed, looking towards the coroner. She had rooted herself to the spot, eyes flickering with a foreign emotion.
"Uh, Lenore, are you okay—"
"Wow! I've never seen a body moving in this stage of rigor mortis! I must take a few samples!" The vampire stared incredulously as the cobalt-eyed girl pulled out a scalpel and a pair of scissors from her purse, stalking over to the man.
Even as a zombie, Mr. Gosh realized the danger he was in and immediately backed away from the approaching woman. He fell to the tiled floor, scrambling as fast as he could towards the front door.
"Now, you have to stay still! If you don't this may hurt… a lot." She grinned widely, nearly skipping over to the walking corpse.
"Ah, Lenore, don't you think it's weird that he came back as a zombie? Shouldn't we fix that instead of dissecting him?"
"No! Science obviously comes first! Don't worry; I can examine your body too if you want."
"…I'll pass. Just don't get blood on the floor. It would be rude to Taxidermy."
"Actually, I'm quite alright with this. I haven't seen a fair amount of bloodshed for a long time. I can lend you my scythe, if it would help. It could open up his gut and expose his intestines in moments."
"Really? Ragamuffin, could you hold him down while Taxidermy gets his scythe? This is so exciting! A walking corpse; I wonder if he'll still be moving after I rip out his heart?" It was the happiest Ragamuffin had ever seen the girl and if he was honest with himself, it was slightly unnerving. To think there was someone who could rival his own bloodlust and she wasn't even a vampire!
"Alright, but ya owe me one!" He replied, tackling the zombie just as his fingers had curled around the metal doorknob. He straddles his waist, letting out a cocky grin. "Now, you just stay right here. I'm sure whatever Lenore will do is going to hurt much, much worse than what I did."
Muffled screams emerged from the sack over his head as the blonde approached, wielding what appeared to be a huge scythe.
"Don't worry, Mr. Gosh! If it's any consolation, I find you much more attractive now."
The sack-man let out choked sobs as the scalpel slid against his chest.
The blonde coroner ran her hands under the kitchen sink, washing them with cold water. After the 'dissection' Taxidermy was kind enough to dispose of the body, leaving the girl more than satisfied.
"I totally thought he'd stop moving after I ripped his heart out, Ragamuffin! I can't believe it took thirty-seven knives for him to die again!"
The raven-haired man eyed the petite blonde wearily. "I didn't realize how proficient you are with a knife. Remind me to never piss you off. Anyway, why were you ok with killing him now when you seemed so upset when I killed him the first time?"
"Well… he was already dead, wasn't he? I was just examining a corpse—a talking, obsessive corpse—but a dead man nonetheless."
"What about me? I'm technically undead."
She laughed, turning towards the vampire. "Yah, but you're more alive than you are dead. You have needs and wants that exceed the superficial. Mr. Gosh only had one thing on his mind and frankly, he smelled just like the rotting corpses I examine every day. You don't. I mean, you still smell like death, but not in a bad, sardine-smelling kind of way."
The man resisted the urge to facepalm. "…Right. Well, that 'dissection' took longer than I thought it would. It's almost morning. I'm feeling kind of tired so I'm gonna leave. Tell Taxidermy I said bye." With that, the vampire was gone, a blur of black as he raced out of the shop door.
Lenore smiled, humming as she washed off her tools. It seemed their tentative friendship hadn't ended after all. And she had Mr. Gosh of all people to thank. Who knew killing could bring people together?
Placing her briefcase on the table, Lenore picked up the metal clipboard. She flipped through the pages, looking at the case files of those she had slated for autopsy that day. Just as she placed the clipboard on the table the metal door screeched open, signaling the arrival of a certain raven-haired vampire.
"Ragamuffin! You came just in time! I have a proposition for you!"
"Hmm? What do ya want, kid?" He drawled, languidly walking towards her desk.
"Well, I've thought of a solution to your little 'problem' that could benefit both of us!" She said, unclasping the buckles on her briefcase.
She tossed him a blood packet, giving a lopsided smile.
"Is this—"
"Yep! I have a friend who's a nurse. Luckily, she didn't ask too many questions. I've told her I'll need her 'services' every two weeks. That's enough for you, right?"
The vampire had long since tuned out her words, eyes trained to the blood packet. With little warning, he dug his fangs into the packet, nearly moaning as the blood filled his mouth. He gulped it down quickly, not even caring that it was only lukewarm. Ragamuffin reluctantly retracted his fangs from the blood packet when it was empty, the burning in his throat quenched for the time.
"Alright. What do you want in return?" He turned back to the coroner who had been watching him the whole time as if she was studying him like one of her corpses.
"Well, I've been promoted—sort of. I'm going to start working out on the field and I need someone. A partner. You're good at pointing out blood and other things and you can also help me catch suspects, considering the way you subdued Mr. Gosh. You can hypnotize people also, can't you? I'm sure you could 'convince' everyone on the Unit to think you've been a part of the team for years."
"That sounds like a lot of work. And I'm not exactly a mornin' person." He started, only to see the puppy dog eyes she was giving him. Her bottom lip quivered and it looked like she would break out into tears at any moment.
The vampire turned away, muttering, "Fine. J-just don't cry, okay? I'll be your stupid partner or whatever. It's not like I have anything better to do—but realize I'm doing this only for your blood!"
The girl immediately brightened, giggling at his childish behavior.
"Thanks, Ragamuffin! Oh, and… I'm sorry 'bout slapping you that time."
He sighed, walking over to the girl. Hesitantly, he placed one hand over her head, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry 'bout it, kid. Just keep acting like a clumsy duck and I'll probably be more inclined to keep you safe than eat your flesh."
"H-hey, what happened? You started calling me Lenore at the coffee shop!" She glowered, sticking out her tongue.
"Did I? Kid just rolls off the tongue more, ya know? Now, come on, we've got a police department to hypnotize."
Lenore followed behind the vampire, gazing at his back as they walked down the empty corridor. He turned slightly to look back at her, a crimson eye looking at her perplexedly.
"I-It's nothing! I'm just glad I got to meet you, Ragamuffin!"
He sighed, returning his gaze forward. "You say the weirdest of things sometimes… but, that doesn't mean I hate it."
No, he thought, shoving his hands in his pocket, he was glad he wasn't alone anymore.
A/N: Hope this makes up for the delay! Thanks again for the reviews so far! I've finally decided how I want this story to go, so look forward to more regular updates. I promise to won't be three months till the next update, lol :P
-Isis