underground street with ten large blocks of land. Most of which had what looked like two storey flats on them, but one of them looked like small house. “Wow, how’d you guys build this?”
Wolf was looking around for the block ten as we walked past a few of the flats, “Um, gifts of the government, this place used to be basically an air pocket. After we got down here we just cleaned it up. Levelled the ground and built housing for the other vampires, I remember when it was three blocks. Here we are, block ten.”
We had stopped in front of the house, “Well, here’s your key, bottle, and here’s a little something extra.”
He handed a small bag of red liquorice, “Thanks, I’ll see you around.”
He started to walk off, “Welcome, and if you need help, block one, room A2.” I waved him off and turned, just looking at the small house for a moment.
This was my home now.
Perks
I walked through the door and a smell hit me. It was familiar; I closed my eyes and breathed it in deeply, it smelled like lingering coffee, Chinese take-out and dried blood. It smelled like home.
I opened my eyes and turned the lights on; there it was, my apartment. Maybe a bit bigger, but other than that, exactly the same.
My blue shag carpet, my TV, my old coffee table and my old brown couch.
I was ecstatic.
I threw myself onto my couch and breathed in again. This was it, life was nearing the stage of minimal sense which was a vast upgrade based on the past few days. I felt a wave of stress fall off of me that I didn’t even know existed.
I looked up at the roof and saw the same red stain from when I tried to build a trebuchet, the end result being the half full bottle of wine getting flung straight up.
I sat up, grabbed my scotch and red liquorice, popped the lid off the scotch and took a mouthful of each. I felt the scotch burn my mouth while the liquorice swirled around releasing its sweetness onto my waiting taste buds. I gulped the mix and felt everything from my stomach to my chest warm. I started to feel a bit thirsty, and I mean thirsty.
I placed the treats on my coffee table and began walking to my room. On my way I was hoping that they hadn't replaced any of my furniture and upon entering I could see everything was exactly as I’d left it.
I noticed a lump of something sitting on my bed and I flicked on the lights, answering one of my most important questions. There, in all their now blood stained glory were my pyjamas.
I smiled at the sentiment before crouching next to my bed and lifting my blanket to reveal a pin-pad. I punched in my four digit code. No, I’m not going to tell you it, and felt a push of refrigerated air as my mattress lifted a few inches.
I reached in and began feeling around, old journal, photos, and bingo, water bottle. I pulled it out and saw that the beautiful red liquid. It was from a fool who had tried to rob me. He’d so generously donated it and the bottle was still filled to the brim. I unscrewed the lid and began to drain its contents. I started to feel gentle tingles run through my body. Ok, as well as having healing properties, making us stronger, less susceptible to sun damage, blood makes vampires kind of… Lusty.
I’d finished half the scotch, topped it off with blood and a few pieces of liquorice. I pocketed the rest of the liquorice, brushed my teeth, slid on my brown jacket and was out the door in less than two minutes.
I began walking down the road and found block six. I climbed the steps, and began counting off the door numbers, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7. I stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. I silently swore at myself for falling for the temptation of a waitress. “You've got this John, be your regular charming self.” I knocked three times, “Nope, no, nuhuh. I'm leaving.”
I turned to run away as I heard the door opening, but instead of Amanda stood Kate wearing a pair of red silk shorts and a baggy shirt, a frown sitting on her tired face, “What is… Oh, hi John.” She immediately perked up and began leaning on the door frame. Being this close I realised she was a good five inches shorter than me, she looked up into my eyes, “What’s up?”
I was deeply embarrassed, “Um, nothing,” I was trying to formulate an excuse for why I was here other than the truthful 'I'm here to sleep with Amanda', “well, not nothing. I wanted to see you. Not see you! I mean, yes to see you... I wanted to see if you wanted to have a drink?”
She smiled, bit her lower lip and looked down for a moment, “Sure come on in.” She walked back into her flat which was exceptionally larger than I had previously expected. The soft scent of incense burning swirled around my nose as I looked around her living room.
Her walls were decorated with brightly coloured artworks and photos, an oval shaped pink rug sat below a two-seater black couch. “Take a seat, I’ll go get changed.”
I smiled at her, “Thanks, just on the couch?” She nodded as she walked into a room and closed the door behind her. I sat on the couch and put the bottle next to me. I continued to observe my surroundings, taking in every aspect. She had a small shelf with a collection of DVDs and her medium sized TV sat on what appeared to be a mahogany stand. I looked over at her clock, I don’t know how, but somewhere between the bar and Kate’s house I’d lost six hours.
But as sure as the sun would rise it was 8.10pm. I clapped my hands together and began tapping my feet as I heard the door open behind me.
I stood and slowly turned to see Kate wearing a black jacket, red top, black skirt, black stockings and boots, her hair now brushed and a shade of rouge lit up her lips, “Let’s go somewhere.”
I was stuck looking at her, “Um, yeah, where would you like to go?” I mentally kicked myself, 'Stop it with the um!'
She smiled at me, “Let’s go to the city, have some fun on the town.”
I smiled back, “Sounds great, lead the way.” I grabbed my bottle as she led me to her door, out onto the street and toward an elevator on the opposite side of the cavern to the stairs that I had initially entered from.
We entered the steel box and she pushed a button with a little CP on it. I offered her some liquorice which she accepted, “So when were you changed?”
She regarded me for a moment, “Odd question on a first date.” I opened my mouth in an attempt to apologise but she cut me off, “I'm kidding sweetie, 1992, I was at a party with some friends for my twenty-forth. The night was finishing up and I decided I was well enough to drive home. Next thing I knew my car was wrapped around a pole and I was in some guy’s house with a nice little love bite on my wrist,” The elevator stopped and the doors slid back slowly to reveal a mass of cars.
She guided me as we began to walk toward a new black coupe, Kate gestured toward it, “This’ll be yours, keys will be on the driver seat, nice little gift from our friends upstairs. It’s like a rental, when you get your own car you give it back.” We climbed in and I started it up with a purr which quickly turned into a roar.
I began to follow the exit signs as the car glided on the car-park's smooth concrete path, “Anyway, the guy wouldn’t give me his name, he just explained the situation, gave me some tea and sent me on my way once I healed.”
There was a gate and what looked like the end of a telescope poking out of a small box to my right. “Look at it for a moment, it’s how they keep track of us.” I did, there was a green flash and the gate rose.
I handed her the bottle as I pulled out onto the road and followed the sign left that read 'Hobart'. “So why are you here? The others seem to have pretty intense combat training.”
She took a plastic cup from the glove box and poured herself a drink. “Well, after that night I began doing some mercenary work. I did some stuff in Rwanda, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and some more stuff in Korea. In 2004 Anton contacted me and sent me on a job in Sydney, after I was finished he picked me up and brought me here.”
I watched as something scrambled across the road ahead of the car sending a shiver run down my spine, I never liked things that scrambled as movement, it was very... shudder
producing.
Some more movement caught my peripheral vision, something more local and much less shudder producing, Kate adjusting her skirt slightly, “Mind if I turn the radio on?”
I shrugged, “No, go ahead.” She pushed a button near the centre console, a small screen lit up on her side of the dashboard and she began to sweep her fingers on it. She tapped it twice and a voice began blasting out of the speakers around me causing me to veer around slightly, “Sorry, sorry!” Kate turned it down and changed the station until a pop song began to beat around the car. I desperately tried to blink the stars out of my eyes.
A few buildings started to come into view. “You ever been here before?”
I shook my head, partly as an answer, partly as a vision enhancer, the stars had started fading away, “What’s it like?”
She smiled, “It’s pretty quiet, not a lot to do, but it’s good to get out once in a while.”
Full hearing and vision had been restored, “So what will we be doing?”
She pointed down a road which led to the coast and then into the city, “Getting dinner, watch a movie. Oh, also you have a new bank account, the card and code will be in your wallet, I really hope you brought your wallet.” I took one of my hands off the wheel and began patting myself down, and there it was, right where I left it. I slid my hand into my jacket's pocket and pulled my wallet out. It was old and