AN UNHOLY AFFAIR

TWO

He places a tray on the table before sitting down. He looks up and offers a warm smile.

"You should eat, gain some energy"

The widow shakes her head in refusal. Joseph sighs. It's the following day and police had taken their statements except for the widow's, each time she's asked a question she'd cry her eyes out.

"Do you mind tell me your name?"

She sighs.

"Claire, my name is Claire"

Joseph nods.

"I was not sent by the police but I have to know what you saw, maybe it was a demon and we could banish it" he whispers.
Claire rubs her forehead, voice shaky as she spoke up.

"Ted, my husband went to pee at a nearby bush. He took about....I don't know 10 minutes? Maybe more, so I got concerned and I went to look for him. I called out for him but got no response. Mind you it was a snowing so I couldn't track his footsteps....I kept calling out to him but...."

She shakes her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. Joseph pours her a cup of tea and slides it towards her.

"Have a sip, it'll calm you down"

Claire's shaky hands grab the cup and Joseph notices two red spots on her wrist, he tenses up but Claire was oblivious to this.

"Please continue" he whispers.

"I kept looking around and I stopped by a neary bush, there was a heavy smell of metal, like copper. I called out to him again and I heard whimpers behind the bush, I followed the sound and to my horror....Ted was lying there lifeless while this....this creature devoured him"

Joseph nods. Claire is obviously traumatised.

"I'm so sorry for making you relive that but I have one last question"

She sniffles.

"Sure"

"How did you get those marks?" He asks pointing at her wrist. Claire looks at them and her eyes bulge so wide Joseph was worried they'd fall off.

"He bit me didn't he....that thing marked me! Will I be his next victim?" She asks, hysteria evident in her voice.

Just then Father David and Deacon Matthew walk in and Joseph stands up.

"Joseph what are you doing?" Father David asks.

"I discovered something Father David, Claire here has been bitten by the vampire"

The two men were once again stumped. They look at her and she shows them her wrist.

"The police are still here, maybe they'd get a sample from that"

Father David leads Claire out leaving Matthew and Joseph alone.

"What?" Joseph asks, noticing how Matthew how was looking at him.

"I don't know how you did that but....good job"

Joseph smiled. they walk out of the church and Joseph feels his body tense up. He looks around frantically.

"What's wrong?" Asked Matthew, clearly concerned for his friend.

"I feel like I'm being watched" he responded. Matthew frowns.

"You must be stressed out by this whole thing. This is why I didn't want you involved"

"You worry too much about me Matthew"

The man shrugged.

"What can I say, I care about you"

Joseph looked elsewhere, clearly Matthew had no idea of the type of person Joseph is.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll see you later for morning mass"

━━━ • ✙ • ━━━

He steps into the shower and turns the faucet on, steam immediately fogging up the room. Joseph stands under the shower head and sighs feeling the hot droplets cascade down his body.

Joseph was indeed Mascular, he worked out in his room in the morning to maintain his shape.

"You look ravishing"

He turns around, wiping his soapy face to see who was there but he saw nothing but steam.

"Hello? Matthew?"

There was a chuckle. Joseph quickly turns the water off and waits in the steam filled bathroom, heart racing in anticipation.

"Show yourself demon"

This time it was a laugh.

"Demon? Wow, that's a new one"

From the corner of the bathroom a figure appeared, a man dressed in black, pale skin and dark red eyes. Joseph couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

"Who-....who are you?"

The man smirks, revealing on sharp fang making Joseph to gasp in horror.

"It's you...." he whispers

"Ah yes, it is I, the vampire of Cambridgeshire here to drink your blood bleh bleh"

Joseph frowns. Was this man making fun of him?

"What's the matter with you? If you're here to kill me, do it already"

The vampire chuckles and clicks his tongue as he shook his head.

"Tsk tsk, I have plans for you. Plans that are....wonderful"

In a blink of an eye, Joseph was held against the wall making him hiss in pain. Then he feels a cold hand go up his thigh.

"Your beauty has saved you from my sharp fangs mon ange" said the vampire, whispering into Joseph's ear.

Joseph shudders when he feels this man's teeth lightly scrape the skin on his neck.

"Are you going to torture me?" He whispers in fear. The man smirks.

"In another way yes"

Knock.knock

"Joseph? Did you lock yourself in?" It was Matthew.

Joseph grimaced.

"No! I'm just changing clothes that's all"

"Alright"

When Joseph looks back, the vampire was gone. He frowns.

"He was odd....could it be that he is...."

He shakes his head, Vampires are known to seduce their victims at first, maybe that was part of the torture.

There was a loud gong from the bell making Joseph gasp.

"Morning mass!"

━━━ • ✙ • ━━━

"That was a motivational sermon Father"

"Thank you sister Bridget"

Joseph watches Father David and the sister talk as they walked out. He received a nudge on his left.

"You seem distracted"

"I do?"

Matthew nods and holds Joseph by the shoulder.

"If it's about Claire, you can be at ease, she has been sent to the Vatican for monitoring"

He frowns.

"Are they afraid she'd turn?"

Matthew shrugs.

"We don't really know. Go get some rest, I'll come wake you up around noon"

He watched Joseph walk away and he sighed.

"Is he okay?"

Matthew looks up and sees Father David approaching. He smiles

"He's fine just shaken up I assume"

"Alright, why don't you step into my office. There's something I need to show you"