Blame the Blood

Chapter 8

Alexa 

'Vroom!' 

'Oh' that's probably not a good thing.

I found my way to the abandoned barn we used for a garage, but it wasn't D's car that was missing it was my moped! The cheek! I didn't have a chance of learning how to drive a car in the next five minutes. I'm fast so maybe if I couldn't drive I could pushbike it. There was that rusty one on the corner from the previous occupant.

I'd known Paul would eventually go find someone to kill, to drink, he was a bloodsucker after all. But where would he go? They were on the outskirts of a little village but it was not like there were many people around, and he was new to the area, where to find other young people? Pub it is then.

It was a good guess when I got to the pub Paul was trying to talk his way in, and of course, he still looks like a teenager, not a hundred-year od. Over the year that they lived in the area, D and I had remembered to put a few gifts in the water supply, which included a preventing vampiric compulsion garlic derivative. My father was just that amazing sometimes, to make people drink garlic without them ever tasting it. I dismounted the pushbike with one soundless step onto the cobbled pavement. Vampiric senses noticed my arrival and caught my eye, in a breath of wind he disappeared. I heard another vroom. Picked up my feet and peddled at maximum speed towards the sound, if I used my supernatural speed and senses he could not get away from me. I loved the wind whipping at my face as I tricked over the hills I came across. It was rare for a vampire to give me such a runaround, but this was a breath of fresh air, a good reminder of how sometimes I loved the chase.

This time I found my moped, parked... more like left on its side in a patch of grass. Paul was nowhere to be seen. The grass was perfectly manicured and had a neat tarmac path leading up to a formidable structure. I hadn't visited it before but the building looked as if must be the local church, with its mighty cross and gargoyles. Although at closer inspection, the gargoyle-like faces that continued to be set in stone around the structure, were more gentle and natural, faces adorned with leaves. The hunter crept silently after my prey tracking his incredibly light impressions in the grass, beyond the welcoming stone structure I discovered a vast forest littered with ornate tombstones. I took a deep breath, considering how most vampiric rules don't seem to apply to him he was amazing at following stereotypes. The last time I had to stalk a graveyard for the undead, I'd broken 12 tombstones, and needed new boots, bad times. I could hear two or three teenagers giggling and sloshing, great targets for a vampire, but I could see no vampire.

Of course, if most of the usual constraints don't affect this vampire why not double back and go into the church? I sped back and leapt up the exterior of the building. Sliding gracefully into a top-floor window, followed the scent of...sweat and virginity.

The 'young people's group' were cautious about the newcomer. 'e introduced 'imself as a foster kid from the old farm 'ouse, but 'e seemed too cool, too smarty dressed. Could be one of them hipster types. 'e looked more like 'e was turning up to audition for a Beatles tribute band than some good old-fashioned board games and possibly meeting your future spouse. And 'e left as fast as 'e came. The grockle came in after, with 'er lycra and perfect body. I'd not be ready to recant 'er sins, and frankly not the sort we'd like in our genie pool. Which I seemed to agree with by following that second hipstery grockle out.

I had been so close, but he'd scraped by and was off on my moped again, if it wasn't hers I would have punched its fuel tank earlier, or if D was around to repair it. But at least he was in my sights, driving towards the lake! "Paul where are you going with my bike?" I yelled at him, and he could hear over the wind and distance. "Ain't a bike! Nice bike by the way!" Paul called back to me, flooring the accelerator. He had miscalculated something, I knew what it was and its limitations. I forced my quads further, I could top its 30 miles per hour maximum. "Did you really think I was going to let you leave to hurt someone?" Paul looked back, mouth a gape, fangs out for the world to see. "You hadn't left the house in days so it was a fair bet. Where can a guy get a real bite around here anyway? There's no young people here." I rolled my eyes, he wasn't even going to hide that he was on a snack run, I had to catch him before it was too late. I needed to slow him down somehow, but I barely knew anything about him, and vampires had thick skins.

"Go try the city. Nobody stays in the country, didn't your mother teach you that?" I threw a classic mother probe his way, and it almost worked he faltered, but then stopped at the edge of the lake. The lake of Avonpond was beautiful, sparkling in the moonlight, full of life, but as it was also in Devon so it was surrounded by hills. Once upon a time, a far too rich lord had decided to excavate one of the hills and reshape the lake to the point he make an almost cliff-like edge. And that's where Paul had parked on the edge, smirking back at me. I pulled my pushbike to a sudden stop, shaking my head at him. "Don't you dare." He drove the moped off the cliff cackling with glee. I heard another electronic motor behind me but didn't have time to pay it any mind, my instincts took over, and throwing off my bomber jacket I dove after the idiot.

Under the water I saw my beautiful little bike falling down into the abyss, then the stupid vampire floating around just under the surface, I reached out and dragged him by the collar up to the surface with me. "I am going to kill you!" I screamed at his face as I trod the water expertly. The other electrical motor had gotten closer. As we looked up they saw an electrical wheelchair, following us over the edge. Our eyes caught each other's and I immediately released the vampire darting underwater for the drowning woman.

Paul clawed at my leg, making his way to my ankle, he tugged with all his might. As I pirouetted backwards I hooked my leg around his neck taking him with me in a strangling knee hold. I didn't know how bad the woman's disability was, I sure wasn't attempting to swim so I twisted around to use Paul's chest as a 'solid' surface to kick off from and swam for all my might. I manage to get the young woman to the shore, lake flora covered but alive. The blond vampire emerged after, pouting to himself. "No fair, she just tried to kill herself, suicides must be fair game?" He simpered.

I scowled back at him "Look at her, how young she is."

"She looks about 30 to me."

"Look at her physique, her legs have defined muscles, like a dancer."

"She couldn't dance from that chair."

I thought for a moment "Paul, I'll forgive you for my bike, and we'll go get you some blood after this if you do me one favour."

"You'll help me get blood?"

"Yes."

"Is this a trick?"

"Just give her your blood!" I shouted at him, they might not have time for this.

"I have always wondered if vampiric blood had healing properties. So give her some or I shoot you in the head."

"I... you know I haven't tried it. What the hades." He used his razor fangs to bite himself on the wrist and held it to the woman's mouth. Nothing happened. I pinched the woman's nose, forcing her to take a big gulp. Her breathing became less laborious. "Okay, I'm hoping that will be enough. To get anywhere we're going to need that bike."

"Hate to break it to you Lex but it's at the bottom of the lake." I looked at him for a long minute, with one eyebrow raised... He eventually worked it out and fetched the pushbike from the top of the 'cliff'. I cradled the woman and placed her in Paul's hands. "If you touch one hair." I threatened as I hoisted herself onto the bike. "Get on the back," I commanded, Paul clambered onto the seat behind me, the woman outstretched in his arms like a fallen warrior.

"We look mad." He had to tell it like it is.

"I don't care what we look like." And they rode off towards the closest hospital, 20 miles away.