H Is For Human (Garlic Is For Vampires, Book 3)

Chapter 10: Vampire Solution 101

School passed by slowly and as I took the subway to the warehouse I was beginning to remember why I hated school. But college was different, 10 times better. But today I hated it, and I suddenly started to hate school all over again. My brain was fried and my textbooks were a pain to carry; even the ones in my backpack made the journey hard. I started to remember the other part of my life and decided to stop complaining. Best count my blessings while they were still being given to me.

I sat in the college library for the remainder of the evening, doing classwork and preparing myself for long hours of no sleep. That was already a daily chore, but I was making it more official. At least studying would fill the hours of the night. Maybe the vampires would leave me alone and give some sympathy, because I was going to be burning a hole in the electricity bill with the lamps used during all-night studies.

I sighed when I arrived home and found the air mattress neatly folded into the corner of the living room, but there was a small luggage bag sitting on top. I assumed Matt was staying for a few days. I sat down at the counter and took out my books, already sitting down to plan my project due in two weeks. I surfed the Internet for a study guide but I saw no study guide. Note to self: switch to a teacher with good memory in order to remember putting the work up online.

I continued working for another hour before there was a buzz coming from my phone. I glanced down at the text from Matt: Finished making serum 1.

Me: Heading over. Hungry?

Matt: Famished.

I chuckled and grabbed my bag and ordered Chinese on the way over to the warehouse. There was a train that ran straight towards the bridge leading to the warehouse. I hopped onto the bridge and clutched a pole while I stared out the window. We were closer to the warehouse now-I could see it through the fog rising from the lake. Whatever Matt had, that would decide what to do with vampires. If we could do anything with his serum. But I hoped.

I made the long walk over the bridge and crossed the rocky path to the warehouse doors. I slid them open and stepped inside, closing the doors behind me. I heard the sound of chains clinking together and I followed the noise, towards the center of the arena where Skylark and I used to fight. I saw someone dangling upside down, chains wrapped tightly around her torso. Mud and water dripping from her air, and the chains burning her skin and leaving marks. Simple to say-Matt was torturing her.

But I noticed that she was in the shade to avoid the light from outside and her fangs were protruding from her cut lips. So a tortured vampire. Not the first, apparently, because I saw another body lying in the corner of the arena.

"I'm preparing the solution," Matt called down to me from above the arena. I saw the back of his head bent over his desk, his hands weaving over the chemicals set across his desk. At the moment, he seemed like a mad scientist. I suddenly wondered if I should really be worried when he's in the zone of all this science-y stuff. But he captured a vampire and he had the solution ready.

"Should I bring her down?" I asked, referring to the snarling vampire above my head. She looked at me and gnashed her teeth, spit flying. Matt said yes so I set my things down and searched for the chains holding her up. I saw them across from me so I walked over to them and began to lower her to the ground. Once her feet touched the ground she rushed towards me and I smacked her across the face with the back of my hand. She fell to the ground.

"Don't leave the chains too loose," Matt called as he came down the stairs with the serum in his hand. "Leave her upside down. It'll be easier."

I rearranged the chains and then Matt approached the growling vampire. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down at her face as she tried to bite my ankles. Luckily, I knew how to pack a punch if I was able to get her down.