How to Start a Fire

CH6 [Explanations]

It was terrible to watch Mamoru. Though his transformation was nicer than mine because he was made unconscious again as soon as he woke up, he still convulsed in his sleep and sometimes even started crying.

Aleksander didn't leave his side. He didn't really eat, he didn't leave the station to go home. I didn't even know if he slept at all. I guessed that he knew that Mamoru could still die. He wasn't there yet and whatever was going on inside of him didn't look entirely safe.

One night I sat down on a chair next to Aleksander, who was sitting on the floor, resting his arms and his head on Mamoru's mattress. He looked just as moldy as he did when I met him since he had stopped caring about his appearance.

"I didn't want this." Aleksander said after we both had been quiet for a while. "I... when I ran in there... I was so angry... but there was this guy and he was... so much stronger..."

"Most likely just overfed." I said quietly, trying to sound at least a little empathetically. "Maybe on a diet of a body per night. Of course he was stronger."

"Gross..." Aleksander commented and started playing with Mamoru's hair. The boy looked really sick by now. Deep, dark circles had formed below his eyes and his overall taint resembled a piece of butter. Aleksander rubbed his pudgy cheek a little, but Mamoru didn't show any response.

"I'm just glad he doesn't have to... consciously go through that, you know?" Mold-man said, still sounding upset.

I nodded, if I had to watch Mamoru wake up and talk about how much everything hurts, I would most likely had locked myself up and waited until he was finally there. I believed watching someone you never wanted to die cross was the most painful thing.

"They had just left me in some room and when I cried out they told me to shut up." He said. I realized he hadn't talked about how he was turned into a vampire yet. "Absolute twats. Some of the ladies apparently thought I 'looked charming' so they wanted to have me in the group. They were offended when I wanted to leave and told me, as a guy I should be happy about them wanting to fuck me. Heteronormative, sexist pigs...."

"H... how did they find you?" I didn't think anyone had asked him how he died. At least nobody had asked me, they didn't know until years later, and I thought maybe that would distract him. I didn't want him to keep having such a break-down. Besides- when Mamoru woke up and Aleksander was in absolutely terrible condition, I bet he would ask why nobody helped him, and I didn't want to get into that situation.

"What? Oh. A club. I went there with some friends but we parted in the city when we went back home." He said, sounding a little more distanced. "They basically went right up towards me, when I got scared I tried to punch them but they were stronger and I was alone against.... Four I think. Maybe some more, I'm not sure. While I thought I was dying they dragged me along the street, on the way I passed out and the next thing I know is that I'm lying on the floor in some apartment, around me are bagged potatoes and stuff like that and below me just some tiled floor, everything hurt and when I made pained noises they yelled at me from the other room."

"Oh." I made, trying to portray the disgust and empathy I was actually feeling, but in my opinion it just sounded half-hearted, so I added: "That's awful."

"Yeah... you only told me you died in the 80's and it was some woman, how did that go?" He asked, looking up at me for the first time.

"I had to buy cigarettes for my brother." I explained, picking some skin off the area around my nails. "So I went to the gas station but nobody was at the counter, so I waited and suddenly a woman comes in, I kinda thought she wanted... something else..." I swallowed, realizing I didn't want to say any more, but I felt like I had to, now. "...but she bit me and left me there in the gas station... I was lucky the owner himself was a vampire and kind of... brought me back to life." I chuckled awkwardly. He must also have been the one who gave me his blood, otherwise I wouldn't be a vampire now.