The Muse And The Vampire

3

Friday nights were busy. Revellers wanted to live dangerously, if only for a night. He could smell their bodies altered with the sudden flux of alcohol, unappealing to him though some of the younger of his kind were less fussy. Thankfully there were no other hints of illegal substances. Good. He liked an easy night's work, no fights, no breaking of the rules, no problems.

He was bored.

True, being bored was a common occurrence when you were well into your fourth century. It was the main reason blood clubs sprung up when the humans knew. A mutual agreement between human and vampires. Humans got drunk and flirted with danger and vampires enjoyed the thrill of a hunt and a meal.

That was the idea in theory.

He was forbidden to feed on duty. The humans knew this rule, but this did not stop some from trying. A red haired woman wearing little, enough to not get arrested but enough to stir the imagination, was beckoning him with sultry eyes. She walked up to him, her hips swaying supposedly seductively. Unfortunately she reminded him of a newborn foal just starting to walk.

"Want a taste? I've just got my green!" She spoke in a smoky voice, waving her green wristband to let all know she was finally on the menu. The wristband system made it easy to spot who wanted to donate and those who just wanted to dance and drink.

"No thank you," he declined, "I am on duty, besides I have already fed this evening." Although it was bagged, cold and possibly porcine in origin judging by the taste. Flint called it abattoir juice but it was all that was on offer. How long had it been since he tasted human blood?

Too long.

It was for The best. Kept him off The radar. He would need a donor before his mind started clouding over. He would contact one of the donor agencies next week. Meanwhile, he had to remove the tempting offer currently on the menu in front of him. He shook his head with a wry smile and moved his hand in a 'move along' gesture.

The woman dropped her wrist, "shame, I would've liked my first to be old, no offence but most of the vamps here aren't even in three figures tonight." She spoke fast without breaths," I'm looking for my sister, can't find her and I'm getting worried, it's her first time here and I don't want her going upstairs with the vamps it's-"

He sighed, not again. Wasting time on finding a friend or in this case, a relative was not his idea of entertainment. It would either result in finding the lost person in an embrace of another or more likely in the ladies toilet purging the result of excess alcohol.

Tempted to leave her to it but he was a gentleman and a drunk customer was also a vulnerable one. Vampire attacks were on the increase, despite the nationwide wristband system solving this problem. Besides the safety of the guests in all states intoxication was part of the contract.

"What does she look like and what is her name?" He said, resigned to a fruitless chase.

"She's a bit shorter and older than me, but with more clothes" she laughed, "she didn't want to come, Mum thought it was my first time so I had to bring her or she wouldn't let me go. Her name's Edith, she's got shoulder length brown hair, green eyes, we call her Edie because she hates being -"

Edith? Edie? He felt on edge, he has no idea why but it felt like it was essential that she was safe. He was not classified as a psychic but most old vampires developed a mild sixth sense with age. Particularly with someone close, which alarmed him, he had never even met the woman.

Pictures of a green eyed woman pinned to a wall, too scared to scream. A hungry one getting ready to bite... Breath rotting, screaming. It took a second to realise that the screams were not even in his head.

He left the woman and hurried to where the young women's poor unfortunate sister was. Hopefully he could avoid a bloodbath.