So I Got Mixed Up With Vampires - Eric Northman Story (EDITING)

5) Sarcasm, Awkward, and Panic

It was the afternoon when I got out of bed. I wiped the drool off the side of my face and patted all the sweat from my forehead.  It was one of those unbearably hot days here in Bon Temps, I could already feel myself getting irritated. I hated the heat and since this raggedy, old apartment complex doesn’t have air conditioning, I’d just have to boil to death!

After washing my face, I reached for my phone, which was ringing with a voicemail notification. It was Ginger.“Hey, listen. You get your butt down to Fangtasia tonight. You have a shift! Eric decided to open the bar again, how great is that? Don’t be late! Ciao!” I guess heat wasn’t the only annoying thing I’d have to deal with today. I always disliked Ginger, and her high-pitched voice.

 I couldn’t even imagine why Eric opened the bar again. He had told me that he was going to close the bar in order to ensure my safety, so that if the vampires came back I wouldn’t be there and he could catch them. So it didn’t make sense. Yesterday I was in danger and needed daytime protection, and today he was re-opening the bar then calling me into work.

Thoughts still racing in my brain, I walked outside to survey the parking lot. There was nobody in sight. There had been nobody outside my door like Eric had promised. And this morning nobody had knocked. I wasn’t 100% sure how this day-time man protection worked exactly, but I think I knew enough about it to know there someone was supposed to be watching me.

So Eric opened the bar. I had a shift. No daytime man arrived. Everything seemed normal today compared to yesterday. Was it possible that sometime from the time that Eric left my apartment till now my attackers had been caught and everything was back to normal again. Was I safe again?

Who knew what was going on? After work I could talk to Eric and see what hadactuallyhappened. I sighed as I got into uniform. Time to go to work, Yay!

P.S. That was sarcasm

It was weird to be dancing again. Moving around the pole was like reuniting with an old friend, it felt awkward. Since we had been closed for weeks, the bar was packed, which did not help my nerves. I felt rusty and self-conscious, which are big no-no’s when it comes to my job.

I looked over at Gertrude, my vampire bitch enemy. She was sneering at me, as usual, and laughing at me smugly. That’s when Eric stepped out. The room stirred excitedly as he sat on his throne. Gertrude stopped staring at me to flash Eric her best smile and show him how much I was sucking today, which wasn’t going to be hard considering now that he was finally out here I was more nervous and my legs were shaking.

I tried not looking at him. It was weird that my boss came to my house and nobody knew. It was weird that I was actually starting to get to know him and I couldn’t stop thinking about him no matter how much I tried to fight it. I looked at Eric. He was staring at me. I wanted to look away but I kept thinking about him coming over yesterday. Every time I thought about opening myself up to him I got more and more embarrassed.

Before I got any more uncomfortable, Eric flashed me a grin and prompted me to keep dancing. I fought the feeling of butterflies in my stomach. Eric was an ass, he did not make my stomach feel fuzzy. Gertrude saw and she looked mad. Nobody got a smile from Eric, especially me. She looked revolted and confused but she didn’t give me any more looks. Though I hated to admit it, I calmed down after seeing Eric. I loosened up while I danced and hyped people up, and suddenly everything was fine.

                                                                                                                ~

It seemed like forever till we started locking up.

“Eric, I need to talk to you.”

“Yes?”

“So what happened? What’s the deal with those vampires?”

“Those stupid vampires that sat on my throne tonight?” He laughed and winked at Pam.  “They’re well taken care of. Don’t worry about them.”

“No not those vampires,” I groaned. “The vampires that attacked me.”

“Oh I don’t know. You knew this was going to take time. But there’s been no recent activity.”

“What do you mean there’s been no recent activity? You haven’t caught them? I’m still potentially in danger? Then why did you open the bar?” I could fill my voice beginning to shake. There was a tightening in my chest.

“I didn’t think that I should further hurt my business. I have customers to appease, and there’s been no signs of the vampires. As long as you’re here at the bar where I can see you or with my daytime man, you’re safe.”

“What daytime man?” I said taken aback.

“I told you last night that I would send you protection?”

“Eric,” I said taking a breath. My lungs began to burn. I could barely breathe. “He never showed up.”

“But I talked to him he---. He told me that he was on his way. That means he’s either disappeared or -.”

I raised my hand for him to stop. If Eric’s daytime man disappeared it could entail that he had run away. This was the only option my mind could fathom. Maybe he really hated Eric, and he couldn’t take working for him anymore so he left. I guess there was always that possibility, except the fact that it was total bullshit.

I knew that it was false hope, but I still wanted it to be true. Let’s face it, Eric’s day-time man wasn’t okay. He didn’t get to run away from Eric. Someone had gotten to him. No matter how badly I wanted another outcome, this was the most probable reason for his disappearance.

Of course there was the other possibility. The one that was worse than being taken.

Death.

I swallowed hard. Eric’s day-time man couldn’t be dead. Especially not because of me. I sat down abruptly. There’s only one thing that explains what happened next. Panic Attack.