A Phillip Canton Mystery - Blood Drive (Hiatus)

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"Life is such a beautiful thing. There's nothing better than the smell and sounds of someone spending their life trying hard not to waste it." I pick myself up out of bed and head to my bathroom. I take a good look in the mirror to assess whether I need to shave; a bit scraggly this morning, but I let it slide. "I am going to enjoy myself today." I lick my lips ever so slightly, making sure to enjoy the morning's kiss.

My work uniform is just a few feet away, lying on a chair from the night prior. Socks, pants, then shirt. I make sure I look as nice as I can be for my big day. I slip on my shoes, and with haste, make my way to my tiny kitchen. A cup of caffeine to perk me up is normally the only way to start my day. A voice in my head is telling me, "Not today," and I know the exact reason why. Today I get my first taste. Today I get my first thrill.

I skip the coffee and instead grab some toast smothered in some homemade apple butter. I grab my coat badge. And my special box, and head out the door.

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The drive to work was a good way to pump me up. "This is my chance," I tell myself as I stop at a red light. I can get this done. I can fill my desire. It is my extreme perversion.

I get to work, and my heart is racing beyond a proper description. I get out of my car and put on my professional face. I grab my box and head up the sidewalk ahead of me. It was a straight shot to the first set of sliding double doors. I walk through them and the second set. I head straight again and head through the door at the end of this hall. From here, I made my way to the break room where we would clock in. I do so and then check the schedule on the large dry-erase board. I was unsure whether to be I was to be on duty at the mall. I was hoping to be on duty here, but beggars can't be choosers.

I sign the board signifying that I have received my order. I work my way back out to my car and drive over to the specified location. My mind was starting to turn on me. It thinks I will get caught. It wants me to give up on my mission. No. I have put too much work into this. Today is the day. I will accomplish what I have set out to do, and I will feel that rush. My mind will not stop me.

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Luckily the parking lot is nearly empty. Then again, who comes to the mall at Eight in the morning for this kind of event. Unless there was a sale, I doubt anyone would be out here this early at all. I knock on the glass door and show the person on the other side my badge. He lets me in and locks the door before showing me to the booths. He points me towards one somewhere in the middle. Table number 15. I look around the table. It has everything I need. Needles I.V tubes, bags, bandage tape, cotton swabs, and stickers showing off that you donated. It also had a list of appointments. Underneath the table sat a cooler for the labeled bags. I look through the documents to search for who I want.

One was a male, age 24 and blood type O-negative. Another was another male, age 46, blood type A-positive. This menu isn't what I had hoped. I then do a double take when I see the next. It is a young female, age 23. The woman's blood type is O-negative. It's not the rarest type, but it will do. I skip looking at the other files and pull out my little surprise. I look at the times of their appointments. I see that the woman is marked down for Ten o'clock.That's the exact time the mall opens. All the much sweeter. I spent the next hour or so helping the other's set up. The doors open and I take my seat. My right leg bounces in both nervousness and anticipation. I watch as a crowd enters the building. Families are the bulk. Some people break off and head towards us. "This is it." My mind is now back to agreeing with me. It was then that I see a woman walking towards my booth.

"Good morning." She greets me with a handshake.

I grab the file and look at the name. "Jackie Baker?" I smile. What looked to be a kind gesture to her was in reality a sign of my thoughts turning to what I was about to do. "Please have a seat." I offer her my own, and she quickly obliged.

I have her lay her arm out on the table. I then search for a vein before pulling out the needle, I.V tube and bag and preparing them both. I then prepare the spot on her arm with an alcohol wipe. I finally take the needle and press it into the skin ever so slowly. I notice as she closes her eyes when it finally enters. No squeal or scream. Hardly any reaction. As soon as I saw red, I knew I hit the vein. My eyes light up like it's Christmas.

We only have a short conversation before the bag is full enough. I pull out one of my special cotton balls and take some bandage tape. I carefully remove the needle and replace it with the cotton. I take enough tape and tape the cotton ball to her arm. After she signs a paper, I hand her a sticker. I smiled more as I watched her walk away. "My goal is nearly completed." I say this in my head as I look around me. I make sure no one was looking before labeling the bag with the blood type and making for the cooler. Before doing so, I also grab my box. I quickly open the cooler and act as if I am placing the blood in there when in fact I am also opening my box to put the blood in that. Aside from holding the cotton balls, my little box has an ice pack inside to last the whole day. I pull out my box with the blood and then close the freezer. I spend the rest of the day acting normal. I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of my labor later down the line. For now, I will enjoy my harvest. I just hope that the media doesn't take too long to grab the story.