Vampire Beneficence

Part 2

I had work to do. As soon as I left the car, I headed west, for University College Hospital. Travelling in the animal-state, it only took me fifteen minutes to reach; I was due to meet Nicole later.

“It was a simple matter to slip past the guards and get to the refrigerator stores on the fourth floor. Bases, base humans, are easily distracted and we become, to all intents and purposes, invisible when we cast-the-cloak.

“I lifted fifty of the shining silver packets from their racks but then decided one hundred was probably required for a good congregation. I had to purloin a large mail sack from another room to carry them out. I don’t like taking such things from bases, it’s immoral, given that it will cause more deaths, but it is necessary. And we have always practiced theft.

“On the way to Nicole’s flat, in Highgate, I passed another, going about his nightly work. I nodded as we passed. He nodded back. There are so many of us now in London. One doesn’t even know their names, most of the time.

“Unfortunately, Nicole’s flat was locked. And the lights were out. I wished again that she would give me a key!

‘You’re late!’ Nicole admonished me as soon as I saw her in the London School of Finance computer room.

‘I can explain, dear…’ It was regretful how a vampire of nearly 1000 long years sometimes felt under the thumb of a mere twenty-two year old. Even if she too, was a one of us.

‘Later! I have to drop some books off in the library. And what is in that dirty-great big sack, you are dragging about?’

“I grinned and followed her to the library. Descending the steps, I was gratified to see several new faces hanging, bat-like from the ceiling. It has long been established among ourselves that, because of our dependence on blood, the mind benefits from the increased flow, being upside down while asleep. It is a simple matter to create perches for the purpose and even simpler to distract bases from seeing us. I could see that Nicole had created at least a baker’s dozen fresh vampires of her own, though mostly male. This last detail did irk me somewhat.”

“Here the tape pauses, while David asked the man whether he really meant there were vampires hanging from the roof in the LSF library.

“Yes. Where was I? When we reached her flat, I pushed the sack though her door.

‘Help me put this in the freezer, dear,’ I replied, rather ingratiatingly.

‘Hm! Don’t think that will get you off the hook! I have loads of it already!’

Reluctantly, she helped me and it was only when we finished that I explained.

‘We finally have the Vicar of St James Church. This is for his congregation, this Sunday.’

‘Why bring it here, now, then?’

‘I will be too busy. There is so much to organise. We have wanted our own place of worship for so long!’

‘Well, as you know, I’m an atheist. But if it lights your fire?’

‘Lights my fire?’

‘Oh, never mind…’

‘Where’s little Serenata, then?’

‘Baby sitter’s.’

I shook my head. Baby sitters? Whatever next!

“Half an hour later we collected Serenata, on foot. I marvelled again how like her mother she was. And that she was alive at all! She had curly golden locks and gorgeous clear sky-blue eyes. Of all the women I had loved, Nicole was the most beautiful.

‘I still can’t believe she is here, real!’

‘I told you…! There’s no reason we can’t have babies. If we’re part of the species, as you say…’

‘But you doubted me once. We argued…’

‘Well now I know you’re right.’

‘It’s so rare! I have only ever seen one before. And that was hundreds of years ago. 1645, I think…’

‘Oh shut up,’ she said, and touched my hand lightly.

“I pulled her to me and kissed her soft, lipstick pink lips. I marvelled again how easy she was to be with. Her body excited me like a fire that whispered to me in the darkest night.

‘Are you?’ I whispered.

‘Yes.’

“Slowly, gently, I undressed her. I caressed her breasts. Laying her across edge of the table, I moved, kissing, down to her thighs. There I found what I most sought… what I had learned to need. It was just like the night I had taken her. Then I left.

“Moving from rooftop to rooftop, like a shadow, I passed the news and gathered the followers together. From all mouths came the same reply.

‘We want the congregation of St James to be wholly of the brethren and not bases.’

 

“All that I spoke to were excited. All had clung to their faith, down the ages, through trial by conflagration of the soul. All needed to believe, even more than you.