Monsters Within: Blood Night 2

Chapter 1

Charlie took a lazy swallow from the can of beer in her hand before throwing it in the garbage as she heads to her office and takes a seat in the cozy, battered old leather chair and stretching her long legs out onto the desk in front of her. She was in the manager's office of the new report in San Francisco she worked at - as a editor. She was not the reporter; this was not her office or her desk or her chair. But this is the only job she was ever to get employment and have decent money to pay off her monthly rent, and business was slow, so Charlie decided to help herself to the relative luxury, which wasn't a luxury at most times.

After when Charlie graduated, she didn't have the necessary idea of what she wanted to do in her future. Moving to San Francisco was the best choice for her since her mom insisted her to go to some expensive university, and she disagreed. She rather by be a burden to her mother. She found the cheapest apartment and read the newspapers about wanting a new reporter in San Francisco Weekly News. The idea of her report the new to people sounds very interesting to her, she can see herself reporting facts to people and make them believe what she reports is factual.

But, turns out they wanted another editor and Charlie didn't have the guts to say no. Instead, she willed herself to tough it out and work her butt off to get the money she needs to survive.

Her in the secretary office is filled with many people scattering like nice around the room. All are busy typing rapidly in their quick fingers, others running back and forth to move papers, carts or take a long break of coffee and a donut. Inside Weekly News, you're not a person anymore.

Only a mindless zombie.

And Charlie was already one, way before the job.

The incident in Clark County.

Her next door neighbor Jerry, the ruthless vampire. That wanted Charlie's blood, her immortal blood.

She had definitely been thinking about him. She found herself thinking about those horrific incidents being chased down by the monster with alarming frequency and at inopportune times.

Her mind drifted back to that night, to the memory of being sprawled on his back with the sharp teeth in her delicate neck, Jerry fully sheathed inside of her. Every night in her dreams, it went back to that night of her almost near death- few days ago, Charlie dreamt something different. She wandered around the cold dirt basement Jerry kept his newborn vampires in. She heard Jerry calling her and she was drawn to him. Turning around, Jerry was in front of her and smiled, spoke to her before blood spilled all over her body and she woke up.

Charlie chewed on her lip for a moment. That ain't it, she insisted to herself. Her obsession was oblique and it made her more weak than ever. She noticed the passed months she looked pale, eyes sunken in like she hasn't any sleep and always hungry, even after eating a full meal. Her fingers hovered over the phone hesitantly before checking the time.

She has four more hours. Almost there to go back home.

-:-:-:-:-

The familiar flurry of activity commenced almost immediately: struggling to clean the already dirty apartment she had monthly payments she needed to pay badly, who vastly begged the owner she will get her next pay cheque this week, nagging herself to finish some work over her laptop in peace and quiet until she drifted to sleep again before a loud commotion wakes her up immediately. Loud electric guitar playing on the amp vibrates her room and she can't make the guy next door by the hallway to be quiet, so she lays on the bed and uses a pillow to cover her ears until he stops playing that God awful metal scratching music. It was hardly the first time she had gone the entire day without finding a different day.

Every day is always the same.

The music stops playing at ten o'clock and she trudged to the the large closet with a sigh, running her hands slowly over her face. She opens it to go to the mini fridge she kept beside all the artifacts, books, the tribal flag of a single tribe of vampires she taken from Jerry's house.

Of course, she lied to her family about thinking about Jerry so often but she can't atop it. When his house (or was his house) was contracted to be destroyed by the construction workers, Charlie went to the house very late at night, putting all his equipment from his office in boxes and moved them into her room, hiding them away from her family. Why she took his history books about vampires? Wasn't it that he was in a tribe? The eventual outcome of all tribe of vampires existing found out about the special blood of Charlie. She can't let her guard down. Years she read histories of vampires, beginning of the thirteen century, no more than blood-thirsty animals in the beginning. How they all run a system of government to not annihilate humans since humans are livestock. Jerry was very interested on history in Ireland, vampirism and of course, the Immortal Blood that Charlie is. However, all this information is cramped in the back of her brain and barely comes back to her. They are just for safety, if anything happens again.

She began to unbutton her shirt, and her wrist brushed the phone in her front pocket. She pulled it out and noted with some surprise that she had missed a call. It wasn't a number she recognized, and whoever it was had left a voicemail. She tapped it and brought the phone to her ear.

"This is Jennifer Mohsin, former hematologist at Evergreen Foundation- organization of achieving goals to make humanity revolutionize our future- and send you this message for booking an interview of a new article for the Weekly News about Evergreen Foundation. Call me back and will discuss an appointment." A low, sultry voice flowed out at the phone, and Charlie quirked an eyebrow.

Evergreen Foundation is an organization of scientist and engineers designing ways on "making humanity a better place" which is not making humanity go into a brink of extinction. They are a tricky business to deal with, many folks in San Francisco had many opinions about the company- good and bad. Mostly bad, because they announced on taking the homeless and giving them new homes when they have been accused on keeping homeless people as test subjects for their personal testing facility on skin treatment, having people stay young forever.

Charlie never liked about them, and the Weekly News always bring good opinions about Evergreen Foundations, no bad ones. She thought about why they want another article and it was just a scientist, not the original co-owner Malik Craig, richest man in San Francisco. And why she called her? She must know the boss has a number on every article. Maybe this Jennifer is going to bring some interesting stories and thought a reported would do the trick.

This could turn her day around. No more working with a sleazy boss that sits his lard ass on his comfy chair, no more years wasted to be promoted as a reporter. She can show her boss how good a reported she can be and hopefully have enough money to get her out of this wreck.

Charlie calls the number, staring into the dark of the room of the tribal flag. "Evergreen Foundations. How may I help you?"

"Uh, hello. Is this Jennifer?"

"No. She is not working for the time being. How may I help you?" Said a woman behind the phone with a thick accent.

"Got a call from Evergreen Foundations, saying they want an interview from the Weekly News. What time do you think I should come?" She taps her foot nervously, thinking how much trouble she would be without consulting her boss about this.

Fuck your boss, her mind darkly thought, and for a moment she realized that wasn't her speaking inside her thoughts. But she brushed it off, already making the choice and not turning back.

"Oh, well..." Charlie can heard from the line of clicking noises of keyboards being hit. "Mr. Craig is a busy man. I have a schedule for Thursday at one of a school field trip. Mr. Craig would have the time to discuss with you... Mrs..."

"Ms. Brock. Charlie Brock. That's good. Thursday sounds fine to me. Goodbye."

She ends the call and sighs before heading back to her squeaky bed.

Hopefully no more disturbances and get some final rest.

However closing her eyes, Charlie's body stiffened as if she could feel eyes burning into her skin, into her everything and she sensed something is strange but completely ignores her cold shivers.