The Vampire from Hell Returns - The Vampire from Hell (Part 4) (Sample)

Chapter 5 - Bodyguards

Chapter 5 - Bodyguards

"Every action is seen to fall into one of three main categories, guarding, hitting, or moving. Here, then, are the elements of combat, whether in war or pugilism." ~ B. H. Liddell Hart

I had been back on Earth for a few weeks when I finally met up with Lynn for lunch. Ashton had moved out because he said he wanted to focus on his new role in a movie. I hadn't objected because I knew he was too nervous to be around me, now that he knew I was a vampire. 

I had made up with Grace. Death and I were on civil terms at least. His concern for my and Grace's safety touched me deeply. I had instantly forgiven him for our argument, but I hadn't told him that. Instead, I shared that with Grace. She said she'd try to get him to come around. 

They had returned to his secret lair to 'continue her training' which I knew was a load of crap. She was my fledgling, not his. But I didn't give him a hard time about it. Since he was traveling a lot, he wanted to have some alone time with her, and probably stay as far away from me as possible. 

I had agreed to visit them as soon as I could get my head on straight. Grace wanted to go hunting with me. I suppose that would be the equivalent of girlfriends going shopping. Vampires hunt, they don't really shop, if you know what I mean. Later Death had sent me a text message, so I knew Grace had talked with him. He told me it would be good for her to have someone to pal around with. "But you guys stay out of trouble, okay Ray?" 

Grudgingly, I had agreed as I realized my life had been reduced to babysitting my vampire prodigy. Thank goodness Michael hadn't needed babysitting after he was turned - a fact I did not discover until after the fact. Perhaps, you'll recall he's the archangel who drank my blood, without my consent, and is now a vampire too. That babysitting scheme would have gone wrong fast. We would have spent most of our time in the bedroom, not hunting, but I digress. 

I wasn't excited about being alone in my large Victorian house, or rather I didn't want to be alone, so one Saturday, after I had bought a new iPhone, I went to the local animal shelter in Oakland, across the bridge from San Francisco, and adopted a puppy. He was around three-months-old with fluffy white fur. The guy told me he was a Siberian Husky mix. He certainly was mixed with something. When I had seen him, he had reminded me of the white hellhound in Hell. I felt guilty because I hadn't thought far enough in advance to save them so this was my next best option. The puppy, who I had yet to name, had grayish black markings on his ears and tail with bright blue eyes and a black button nose. He was totally adorable. I had fallen in love with him the moment I had walked him out of the animal shelter. I had to admit that I was looking forward to showing him off to Lynn and Grace. 

Having Typhean or Blick's words in my head often made me feel strangely isolated when they were absent. I had not reached out to Blick so he probably was waiting for me to contact him and I hadn't. Why? I didn't know. Truth be told, I didn't want to talk to Blick. I was ashamed of actions. I still felt guilty about sucking Typhean dry. My tattoo had rapidly faded after I killed him, but anytime I grew angry I'd bust out in a rash the size of Texas. I couldn't let Blick see me like that. I felt bad about the whole situation. I had probably overreacted and should have killed Stephanie, not Typhean. Death was right. Once J found out, I was screwed. 

I had relived those moments many times in my nightmares. No one explains to you that vampire or not, god or not, you'll feel like shit taking another life, even if it is the right choice at the time. I struggled with my guilt and my newfound thirst for several weeks. I tried to shut myself off from everyone, including my mother and stepfather. Finally, I had agreed to meet them for breakfast at their home in Sausalito. "I'll give you a call soon, okay?" I had told my mother.