A Vampire's Rotten Heart

God Be With You

    I walked out with Spud in my arms. I hoped to never see that traitor again.

"Ooh! A kitty!"

X ran over to me, eyes wide, mouth contorted into an even wider grin than usual.

He backed away, put his hands behind his back, and took a slight bow.

"Where are my manners? Apologies, my lord. I was in that museum for so long... My brain must be rattled!"

I took a few steps away from him. "That's— okay."

Holy shit. I wanted him to cut the "my lord" thing so bad. Especially in my filthy, ripped-up work shirt. It felt like he was faking it. Teasing me.

    I eyed Dave to make sure I wasn't alone in this, and he gave me a look out of solidarity.

    "...May I pet your cat, my lord?"

    "I– uh... Sure."

    X floated his disembodied arms over, and he started patting the top of Spud's head.

    Spud, being the strapping young cat that he was, mistook them for toys.

    X laughed as Spud bat and bit his arms, all until Spud managed to draw a little bit of blood with his deceptively small teeth.

    "Oh goodness!"

    "Sorry! I didn't think he'd do that!"

    "Oh, no. It didn't hurt. I suppose cats aren't susceptible to vampirism— Not that I've heard, at least!"

    "But Spud bit you, not the other way around!"

    "Goodness, my lord! If that's how it worked, we'd have no humans left!"

    My mind felt scrambled. That's what I was always taught— And my illness only started after I was bitten!

    X continued, pulling his arms away from Spud and towards his torso. His mouth opened slightly, perplexed at my apparent lapse in knowledge.

    "My, you really were a mistake weren't you!"

    He covered his mouth and started bowing profusely.

    "I meant accident! Er—"

    Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

    "Unplanned! I meant unplanned!"

    He scrunched his eyes closed and clasped his hands together.

    "Please don't hurt me, my lord!"

    Now this was just sad.

    Dave crept up behind X and slid that silver charm over his neck. Within moments, he fell to the ground. The pieces of his body scattered.

I took a few more steps back.

"Dave! What was that?"

Dave started picking up the pieces and stuffing them in the duffel bag.

"We won't get anywhere if he's gonna act like that."

He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"And he wasn't supposed to be awake in the first place."

"I didn't do it!"

He took his kit out and pushed it open.

"Come on. Let's go. We're going to my place."

He grabbed a chain lasso.

——————————————————

Dave's house was much larger than I expected— It wouldn't be off to call it a mansion.

    Dave took his keys, unlocked the front door, and tossed the duffel bag on the floor. He dragged me in.

Everything on the inside was slightly disheveled. The whole place smelled like rancid blood.

Dave unchained me and took a seat in one of his velvet armchairs, which sat right next to an ivory spittoon in the shape of a pig.

"Have a seat."

All my insides pulled towards my back. I sat down in the chair next to him.

I was much too tall for it. My knees almost touched my chin.

There was a moment of silence. I worked up the nerve to ask a burning question.

"What did you do with Pete and Maywell?"

    "I buried them."

    "You're lying."

    "How would you know?"

    "You took me to Marvin's but decided to bury Pete and Maywell? Doesn't sound right."

    "You overhead me, didn't you? Knew you looked familiar back there."

    "How will they be displayed?"

    "I don't know. That's for Marvin to decide. Might not do it at all. He's got plenty vampires of the common type. Could've sent them to a research center."

    "How much did he pay for them?"

    "Three hundred each."

    "How many vampires do you kill in a month?"

    "Four to seven. Not counting worms, of course."

    "Do all the vampires you kill go to Marvin?"

    "Only when he asks for them." He took out a tin of weed and popped the lid off.

    "And how often is that?"

    "He usually wants a couple new ones a month. But if I find anything unusual, he's always willing to take it off my hands." He put some of the snuff in his mouth.

    "You're a wealthy man, aren't you, Dave?"

    "It's a job hardly anyone wants to do. I think I deserve it."

    "Are you going to keep selling bodies?"

    "After that? No. Not to Marvin, at least." He spat the leaves out in the spittoon.

    "Are you the one that took X in?"

    Dave paused and looked away. He grabbed another pinch of snuff.

    "Don't go with him, Garrett. Only evil awaits you in the underground."

    His eyes pierced right through me.

    "I want you to die a dignified man."

    He dropped his kit before me and clicked it open.

    "So. How would you like to go?"

    "Tonight?"

    "Do you want to die as monster, or do you want to die as a man, Garrett?"

    "I—" I stared at the kit, taking in every stake, tincture, and crucifix in there.

    "I want to die as a man."

    "There are only two good ways out for you."

    He hovered his hands over the kit and took out the charm he'd used to subdue me so many times, as well as a stake.

    "The stake will hurt like hell, but it'll be over quickly. The charm is completely painless, but you'll have plenty of time to think about what's happening."

    I looked at each of his hands with my mouth open. I wasn't ready to see the face of God just yet.

    "I'll— I'll take the charm."