A Poisonous Soul. (editing)

Chapter 4 (complete)

Copyright c 2011.

Chapter Four

It feels like it is about five in the afternoon. I just got a call from Steve asking me to meet him at a coffee shop next to the hospital. He said he was just discharged but he wanted to have this conversation first, before he went home. As I walk into the little café I see Steve sitting at a table with a steaming mug in front of him. I sit down but he doesn't say anything. He just sits there sipping his hot coffee. Well, it smells like coffee. With all the additives they have these days it can be pink tea or something crazy and I won't know the difference. "Anytime you are ready," Steve says out of nowhere. I’m confused. He called me, not the other way around. Then he says, "Look James, I've been having these weird dreams lately. At first I thought they were from posttraumatic stress but this doesn't make sense. I've been dreaming about this vampire. I can't seem to remember his face but he is the one that attacked me. And I know he is a vampire because he grabbed me by my arm," he holds out the arm that got attacked a few days ago, "and I watched his fangs pop out." He puts his arm back on the table and I can only focus on the bandage that still covers his bite mark. I also don't move as I process what just happened. I am hoping that I will find some way to turn this around, maybe come up with a good explanation for what he is remembering. I guess my memory wiping skills are lacking. I’ll just add that to my list of everything going wrong right now.

Steve speaks up again. He was probably waiting for a reaction from me. All I can do is furrow my brow and frown along with the story. "Then he sank his fangs into my arm. I wanted to scream. I wanted to grab someone's attention but it felt like I wasn't in control of myself. I was thinking my own thoughts but my brain wasn't following through. I wanted to fight back but I just stood there meekly, letting him drain my blood from my body." I freeze. Vampires can compel but I have never heard of straight up mind control. This is no ordinary rogue I am dealing with here.

He looks at me with a horrible expression on his face. "Then I saw this blur come from my right. My attacker’s fangs ripped through my skin as he was being pulled off of me. The vampire went flying through the air as I fell to the ground and you know who I saw next?" he asks. I squeeze my eyes shut. This can't be happening. "I saw you James. Your fangs were sticking out and you were looking at me. I could tell in your eyes that the blood all over me was appealing to you. But I was not afraid of you. You even took a couple steps in my direction before that other thing took off and you took off after him."

I open my eyes to see him sipping his drink, calmly waiting for my reaction. "Do I need to take you back to the hospital, man?" I ask. "Because that sounds a little mental to me." Steve laughs a little, "Look, I know what I saw. I don't know why it took me so long to remember or why that's all I can remember, but I didn't fake this.” He holds his arm out once more for me to see. “No blood at the scene and my body is almost empty?” He shakes his head and stares at me, “That story you told about our ancestors triggered these memories. Why can’t I remember, James? What are you? I don't want some bullshit answer or another evasive comment on me being crazy. I won't tell anybody. You saved my life. I owe you everything. Just tell me why you saved me from him."

All this conversation is being whispered so I don't worry about other people hearing it. I want to tell him so badly but it's forbidden. I have to keep the secret. Since he knows anyway I can just clarify some minor details. This will also give me more time to wipe his memory a second time. Hopefully better than when I first did it. He has a surprisingly detailed memory.

    "Look Steve, I...." but when I look at him all I see is Shane, my best friend, and how he died for me. I can't let him down a second time. I think that this is the biggest mistake of my long-ass life but here goes. "That was a rogue vampire and I am a rogue vampire hunter. I have been tracking that one for about two days trying to figure out why he was in town. I needed to get him before he hurt somebody. I wasn't fast enough and you were too tempting of a target walking along the deserted beach at night." Steve sits back and smiles at me. "What?" I ask. "Shouldn't you be freaking out or something. I just admitted I’m a vampire." He starts laughing, "Wow, you actually admitted to it? I thought I was going to have to yank it out of you. Or you were going to walk out or, I don't know, anything but a confession!"