One Foot in the Grave: An Almost Zombie story

Chapter Thirty-Four: Rut-Roh

Seeing him is like pouring salt on an open wound. I lose my ever-lovin' mind and try to claw my way past Maxx, but the stupid hell hound refuses to budge and pushing on him is like trying to move a mountain. "Maxx, move your carcass!"

"I cannot do that," Maxx replies. "That would not be a wise course of action for either of us."

"I'm not going to kill him," I growl. I attempt to get around Maxx, but he stands his ground. Who decided hell hounds need to be the size of ginormous cows, anyway?

"Your actions tell me otherwise." The hell hound refuses to move.

The vampire peers around the angel's head. "You said you'd talk to me."

"Look, I don't even know why you're here. Say what you have to say. Oh, and Andrew? Keep it short."

"I needed somewhere to go," my ex admits. "I'm not old enough for anyone to take me seriously and too old to be someone's protégé."

I know I shouldn't feel sorry for him, I know I shouldn't, but I do. I guess I'm not all that hard-hearted, after all. And he looks like crap. Those gorgeous black ringlets I love so much are dull and lifeless and his teeth are no longer white, but starting to yellow. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm being hunted, like I said. I haven't been able to eat properly."

I blink. "You mean you have to drink blood to look good?"

"And from what I've heard, you have to eat raw brains," he snaps. "What's your point, Isis?"

"You changed me." I finally say it out loud, and the unspoken accusation that's been lodged in my chest just dissolves like magic.

"You're right. I changed you. But the monsters changed me, too; they changed both of us."

My anger at him kind of goes away at that point. I mean, how can I stay mad at a guy who's just as messed up as I am? We are what we are. I guess it shows on my face because he comes out from behind the angel and sits, cross-legged, in front of Maxx. The hell hound sinks to the ground and closes his eyes. I guess as far as he's concerned, the danger's over.

"Oh, Andrew," I say. "Now we're technically the monsters."

Andrew nods. "I know. This hasn't been easy for me, Isis. And now it's even less easy. What'm I going to do? If I can't eat, I'll die. I'm not like you. I will starve to death. Eventually."
I bite my lip. "I know someone who might be able to help you."

"You do? Awesome!" He grins at me and I remember how he used to look when I first met him. Maybe his drinking blood to regain some of those good looks isn't such a horrible idea, after all.

"Have you ever been to a club called The Blood Bank?"

"Sure," he says. "Plenty of times, why?"

"Let me check something out first. I'll get back to you in a couple of days, okay?" Speaking of days, I glance up at the sky. "Andrew, look."

"Yeah?" He follows my line of sight. "Oh, don't worry; I can feel it right before the sun rises. I've got a few minutes still."

"The sky is turning blue," I point out.

Maxx sneezes and Father Moss snickers, proving that he's been listening to our entire conversation.

"The sky is always blue," Maxx points out. Trust him to point out the obvious.

"That's not what I meant," I say. "I just...I don't want him to burst into flames."

Andrew smiles at me and my heart remembers, again, how cute he is. "I'm touched. But you're right; it's time to go. Can I still stay here? Or would you rather I leave?" He pushes himself off the ground and waits for my answer.