Chapter 12

The next morning Mark woke to the sound of pounding on his front door. It had been years since he had slept this late, it must have been almost noon. Suddenly everything came rushing back to him. Jen was dead, Katie was with Sarah, and he was now a vampire or about to become one. This Asuune030 had said he wasn't a vampire, then what was he? At least sleeping in meant he didn't have to wait as long to meet this mysterious person.

The pounding on the door grew louder and more impatient. Mark jumped up from the couch and spilled the half-empty glass of wine which he had left at his feet. Quickly Mark rushed to the front door, whoever was at the door sounded like they were going to knock it in soon. When he opened the door, the man on the other side was not quite what he expected. He had pictured a drug-dealer type with a small cooler filled with blood, but this man looked like another lawyer.

"Your delivery, Mr. Albet," the man said as he handed him a plainly wrapped box.

"Do I need to sign something?" Mark asked, more out of habit than anything.

"No, Mr. Albet, Mr. Gregor has taken care of everything. Mind if I come in?" the man asked without missing a beat.

"Umm, sure?" Mark replied, but it sounded more like a question than a response.

The man stepped inside and removed his sunglasses. He had on a plain black suit with a white shirt and black tie. His hair was cut short, and to Mark, he seemed more like some sort of government agent than a lawyer now.

This man also smelled horrible, just like Alex. Maybe it was a vampire thing? Maybe all vampires smelled like decaying flesh?

"I am to oversee your first dose, just to make sure there are no-complications," the man stated then he proceeded to stare at Mark.

Mark nervously unwrapped the box and inside was another box, this one made of plastic. This box had a lid, so Mark carefully removed the lid and set it on the table beside him. Inside the plastic box, surrounded by ice, was what Mark assumed was a bag of blood.

"So-how do I do this?" Mark asked.

"The first time is always daunting. Just grab yourself a glass and pour some. Savor it, like a good wine," the man replied with a smile.

Mark walked over to the kitchen table and sat the box down. He grabbed a glass and then sat it beside the box. Mark was stalling, he was told not to drink the blood, but this man was watching his every move. What would he do if Mark didn't drink the blood?

Mark remembered his conversation with Asuune030 as he poured the blood into the glass. He just had to pretend to be sick from the smell of it. This might not be so hard, the man beside him stunk like rotten food, he could use that.

Mark held the glass up and put it under his nose. The smell was wonderful. It smelled like a combination of candy, steak, and something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on. And it was amazing!

He quickly set the glass down and made a sickened face. When the glass hit the table, it sloshed around, and a drop spilled over the side and trickled down. Mark was startled as the man watching him went from utterly motionless to looking like a drug addict needing a fix. The man couldn't quit staring at the glass, and he was shaking.

"You mustn't spill a drop! This stuff is more precious than gold!" the man said as he reached forward with both hands. Mark wasn't sure if the man was going to take the glass or if he was just making sure it wasn't tipping over.

"I can't drink it, it smells horrible. I think I'm going to be sick," Mark said as he put his hand over his mouth and moved over to the sink. This was easier than he thought it would be since the man was now closer to him. All Mark could smell was the stench coming off him. "You can have it."

"No, I shouldn't," the man said as he picked up the glass.

"Please, take it. Just tell them I drank it. I'm really going to throw up," Mark said as he leaned in and made gagging noises in the sink. He wasn't sure if this was what Asuune030 had meant, but the vampire seemed to be buying it. In fact, the vampire seemed more concerned with the blood than with Mark.

"No, you will tell Mr. Gregor," the vampire said as he set the glass down carefully.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, and it will end up down the kitchen drain if you make me drink it. I'm seriously gonna throw up if I don't get rid of that horrid smell." Mark held his nose to emphasize the point, and the vampire continued to stare at the glass with lust in his eyes.

"Alright, if you insist," the vampire said and quickly drank every drop. For a second Mark thought the vampire might lick the glass clean, but he forced himself to put it down.

"You might as well drink the rest of the bag, it will just go to waste," Mark said, trying to hide his growing smile. It had worked, the vampire was far more concerned with the blood than him.

The vampire didn't even ask this time, he snatched up the bag and drained it all in seconds.

"I will give Mr. Gregor your regards and tell him you are well." Strangely the quivering addict returned to a calm servant. "I'll be by tomorrow, and we can try again. Eleven forty-five sharp," the vampire said as he picked up the box, shoved the bag in it, then walked over to the table by the front door and grabbed the lid Mark had set down. He slammed the lid on it before reaching for the door handle.

"I'll see you then," Mark said, glad that it was finally over.

The vampire opened the door then shut it quickly. He set the box down on the table at the entryway and ran at Mark. Before Mark knew what was happening the vampire had Mark by the throat.

"If anyone finds out, I'll rip your head off. I don't care what kind of VIP you are," the vampire snarled. "I'm not gonna die for some newbie vampire that can't handle his blood ration. I'll tell them you attacked first and I was just defending myself."

Mark was surprised, but this vampire seemed weaker than Alex Gregor. Maybe he had just gotten stronger? Whatever the reason, Mark wasn't intimidated. He grabbed the vampire's wrist and pulled it from his throat. The vampire's anger turned to fear, then as Mark snapped the vampire's wrist, it turned to sheer terror.

The vampire hit the floor with both knees and began bowing while holding his broken wrist.

"Please, Mr. Albet, I...I-it's the blood, I can't control myself. Please forgive me," the vampire groveled.

"It's forgotten," Mark replied using the vampire's speech patterns. He wasn't sure why but he often found himself speaking like the person he was talking to. At times he thought it was annoying, but he really couldn't help it.

The vampire got to his feet slowly while keeping his head bowed and walked quickly back to the box. "Eleven forty-five, sorry again, Mr. Albet. I'll be more careful in the future-Sir." With that, he slipped out the door, careful to shut the door quietly.

Mark could barely believe what had just happened. He stared at the hand that had broken the vampire's wrist with amazement. Had he really just fought off a vampire? What was he turning into? Mark looked up at the clock, twelve o' one, only twelve hours and fourteen minutes until he could find out. What the hell was he going to do with himself until then?