《Bookworld Online: The Rogue Necromancer》 000 Prologue Welcome dear friends, to the Virtual Reality Full Immersion System called Bookworld Online! This is your chance to live the lives of your favorite characters from your favorite stories. Not only can you complete the stories as they exist and live the actual life the character lived, you can also diverge from the known canon of information and forge a new path for your favorite character to follow. I know this sounds too good to be true, and in some respects it is. You will only be given choices during key moments and not on a constant basis, since our computers can only handle so many requests at one time. Some scenes and actions are done by default in order to keep the narrative going... however... if you diverge too far from the normal story lines or choose an original story based on the characters and their lives, then the process can become even more exciting for you, the player. So, will you relive what you know and only change a single moment or will you branch out on your own and see what our team of writers can come up with for you to experience? It is all up to you! _______________ I sat there and read the popup again and wondered what the gaming company thought they were doing when they spent so much money to lease, and in some cases buy outright, the royalties for an unbelievable amount of content. Of course, there were statute of limitations that some of the content reached as well, so there were a lot more ''free'' books and public domain books that people were going either play in, watch, or have a different adventure in. The thousands of hours, maybe even hundreds of thousands of hours that had been needed to create the models and designs for everything that existed in those books was kind of blowing my mind. There wasn''t even any guarantee that someone was going to play it... and yet... they had to make all of the content, just in case someone did choose that option. I shook my head at the choices that were given for a preliminary or starter adventure, mainly because they were all short stories that had been written a hundred years ago. I was sure that they could be entertaining, in a nostalgic point of view; but, I much preferred a more contemporary flare for the dramatic than the stylized ''old stuff'' that was there. I browsed past most of the older stuff and started searching by decade. It almost made me laugh at the huge amount of copyrighted content that was on there. I honestly didn''t know how they had managed to acquire the titles and then I realized that it was only the book versions. No television shows, no movies, no animated shorts or even trailers. It was all based on hard literature that had been published. In some cases it was usually only the first and possibly second books in a series, and that kind of threw me off a little. Quite a lot of the good book series got better with time, or one of the later books were the jewel of the series and had the best content. I was relieved when I found several of my favorites had the full series and I relaxed. They also had branching stories between each book and had options for continuing or for taking the side road into new territory. Those options caught my fancy. It was always nice to finish a book and imagine where I wanted it to go. The downside is when you read the next book and it didn''t turn out like you thought it would. It would sit in your mind and bug you that the writer that you like so much didn''t do what you wanted them to do. Now with this virtual reality option, perhaps I could finally get my chance to show the original author how things should have gone. I was already fully loaded into my full immersion VR harness, my nutrition injectors were set for the appropriate times for meals while I was inside the VR world, and I had messaged everyone that I was taking an extended online tour for at least a week while I was on vacation.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I had inquired about the time compression ratio and it was different for each book. Depending on the content and if you chose a branch story line or not, a whole book could be lived through in only an hour or it could take up to a full day. If there was a series, it could take a week or more, depending on if you played them all through at once or not. Unlike my friends, I didn''t intend to take breaks or anything, because I wanted to take full advantage of the full immersion. I didn''t want to break the story up, because when I did it, I wanted to do it all without having to wait. I flipped through the choices I had narrowed myself to and dithered over if I wanted to take a quick run through one of the books or choose a branch adventure. ¡°Screw it. I read the book already, so let''s do a branch adventure.¡± I said and chose a branch story that was a couple of books in. It asked me if I really wanted to play what they called a twist on the content I was used to. ¡°I want to skip the info dump, too.¡± I said and chose yes... then I was shocked when I was given a choice to play it as a woman or as a man. ¡°What... how...¡± I shook my head and reached for the woman option... then smiled. ¡°You know what? I think I''d like to see a gender swap.¡± Being a man myself, I chose a man for the main character and everything went black. ¡° Despite the seemingly odd changes from males to females, the relationships are pretty close to the same. I thought. ¡°Well, I didn''t come here to think about it, so let''s do it.¡± 001 Waking Up Ughhh. I thought and opened my eyes. Once again I awoke to the familiar surroundings I thought I wouldn''t have to see again. Yeah, you guessed it... a hospital room. Funny how things just seem to go downhill just when you think things couldn''t possibly get any worse. The door to my room opened, and to my surprise, Steve stood there with a particularly satisfied grin on his face. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°So I can heal. I added in my head. ¡° ¡° ¡° Stay. I thought with a sigh. There''s no guarantee that going home now will make any difference. ¡°Just because I couldn''t go home to the family didn''t mean that they couldn''t come here to see me. ¡° This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡° ¡° ¡° Well, that was just great. I thought in exasperation. What the heck was I supposed to do with two useless legs? How was I supposed to raise the dead when I couldn''t get to a graveyard while using a wheelchair? ¡° How do I tell the head of a family of vampires that she doesn¡¯t control your sexual desires anymore? I asked myself. Do I tell a lie or tell the truth? It didn''t take me long to decide. Truth. ¡°I haven''t had sex since the morning before the accident.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°What did Natalie''s eating habits have to do with me? ¡° ¡° ¡°Why did I know that? ¡° ¡° What was up with Nina tonight? I asked myself. To my knowledge, she has never stood up to Jeanette like that, or to anyone else for that matter. I reached a hand out to her out of sheer reflex and she took my hand and gave it a small chaste kiss instead of shaking it like I had intended. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Wait, did I just deny Jeanette comfort? I asked myself and I found it hard to believe that I didn¡¯t stroke her ego to try to ease the tension in the room. I mentally shook my head, because that was not a great survival tactic to piss off a powerful vampire. Okay, damage control to the rescue. ¡° ¡° 002 Home Again Welcome to my life. I thought to myself as I left the building with Natalie and Charlie. Mikki was working and couldn''t be there, so she had sent one of her personal guards to me. Speak of the devil. I thought, because there was Frank talking to another were-cat. ¡°Hi, Frank. What''s up?¡± I did not ask about were-beavers right away, despite my curiosity. ¡° Story? What story? I thought in confusion. ¡°Luke? What are you doing here?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° The David Drake?¡± ¡° ¡° This was definitely not good. I thought as I looked at the envelope in my hand. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°you?¡± I practically shouted at her. ¡° Yeah, I guess that was pretty funny. I thought, so I laughed, too. 003 Did I Do That? Isn''t it funny how I was noticing his hair color and not how many weapons he had on him? I think I''m losing my knack for this stuff. I thought and wasn''t sure if I should be sad about that or not. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Sally! Oh, boy. I did not want her to come here to take care of me. That was something she would do just to make sure that Steve and I weren''t doing anything... inappropriate. Even though there was absolutely no chance of that happening with me in a wheelchair, she would want to be here just in case. Oh, Thank God. Thank you, God. I thought in prayer. ¡°Amen.¡± I whispered. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° * ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I laid there between them, and I felt... safe. At home. Usually it takes no time for any of us to generate some kind of emotion, namely unbridled sexual desire. Unfortunately, I had nothing. I realized I had been hiding my emotions like a son of a bitch, so I let them go and tried to concentrate on my bond with Jeanette. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes wide and looked at two of the women in my life.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Are either of you trying to protect yourselves as hard as I am?¡± I asked them. They both turned to me with identical looks of surprise on their faces. My darling, I have been shielding some.¡± Jeanette responded. Me, too.¡± Nina said. I gazed at them like they had two heads, because I had thought they wanted to help me as much as they could. I concentrated on my bond with Jeanette and felt slight pangs of guilt and a lot of regret. I couldn''t tell from whom, so I felt along the bond and Nina caught her breath as the tiny bond with her flared up slightly, which meant we did have an independent bond from Jeanette. I felt more strongly the regret from Jeanette and the guilt from Nina. That was all. I was this close to them and I should have been rolling in their feelings and vampire powers, because I wasn''t trying to block them at all. I said the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Oh, boy. This is bad. Really bad.¡± That, my darling, is a serious understatement.¡± Jeanette caught my sentiments exactly. What are we going to do, my love?¡± Nina asked, concern in her voice. Damned if I know.¡± I said with a slightly high-pitched tone to my voice. ¡°Apparently, without the feeling in my... ah... private parts, it has technically altered my connection to Jeanette and...¡± I felt along that tiny bond. ¡°...and to you as well.¡± My darling, this cannot...¡± Quiet, Jeanette. Let me say this.¡± I said and cut her off. I gave Nina a look and stopped her before she said anything in response, then took a deep breath and continued. ¡°Jeanette is super sexy. It''s her main power to be alluring and to seduce. She even affects those around her and makes others both think and feel sexy. I''ve known this on an intellectual level for a long time; but, it wasn''t until my accident that I realized just how much she affects those around her, especially me. Now it seems that I''m immune to it.¡± My darling...¡± Jeanette started to whisper. I said...¡± My anger flared up, and that part of me that is my power... actually, there was no ''part'' because it was just me, now... poured out of me and I shoved it into Jeanette. ¡°...shut up!¡± She stopped talking in mid-sentence and looked like she was choking. Absolutely no sound came from her. Nina turned shocked eyes to me and I felt her fear. My power flared at that and I shoved it into Nina and she gasped instead of speaking as my power filled her. There was nothing like swallowing someone else''s power to shut them up, so I continued to speak uninterrupted. Jeanette was never worried about not being in control, Nina. She was always in control.¡± I took my arm away from holding Jeanette. ¡°She didn''t need to worry about me rebelling or me trying to get away from her, because she had my libido.¡± I let out the sigh I was holding in. ¡°Until now." Jeanette writhed on the bed and she clawed at her throat as she desperately tried to speak. I looked at her and watched for several moments, then with a touch of my power I said, ¡°Speak.¡± Jeanette coughed for almost a full minute before she said anything. ¡°My darling, I would never...¡± No lies.¡± I said and pushed a little more power into her over the bond we had. Jeanette changed what she said instantly. ¡°You''re right.¡± Nina looked like a stray dog that was just run over by a truck. ¡°You mean...¡± Yes, David is correct. I was always in control. It is one of the uses of my power to manipulate those around me to suit my purposes.¡± Did you make her say that, David?¡± Nina asked, both fearfully and curiously. No. I can only make her follow ''the dead can''t lie'' rule.¡± I said, a little sadly. Nina glared at her family head. ¡°You''ve manipulated us this whole time? All these years, it was just one big Machiavellian plot?¡± No, Nina. Not one plot. Several hundred smaller ones that have all come together. Even I cannot plan to that extent.¡± Jeanette said. Well, that''s good to know.¡± I said. You have become a wrench in the cogs of this bonding, my darling.¡± Jeanette said with a glare. Well I am so sorry! If I had known that I had to get paralyzed to find out the truth, I think I would have preferred to live in ignorant bliss, thank you very much!¡± I spat at her. I''d have preferred not to know, too.¡± Nina said, almost in a whine. I cannot undo that which cannot be undone.¡± Jeanette said. ¡°We have come too far to back away now. Until my darling is healed however, there is nothing I can do with our bond altered like this.¡± I agreed with her one hundred percent. Without the fully functioning bond to act as a conduit between us, we couldn''t call enough power between us to raise the hair on the back of my neck, let alone try to heal my broken spine. I said what I thought out loud. ¡°We have to generate enough power to try to heal me; but until I''m healed, we can''t generate enough power. Great. Just great.¡± I said, also in a whining tone. ¡°We''ve got ourselves another catch 22." Damn it. I thought. This wasn''t the direction I wanted this conversation to go. How could I say it without hurting their feelings? Do I lie or tell the truth? I looked into both of their eyes and decided. Truth. ¡°I love you, but... I''m not in love with you.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Nothing? I thought angrily. She thinks that losing my mother was nothing? ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°AM A MONSTER!¡± I yelled at her. I wasn''t sure what would have been said next, because the bedroom door burst open and a large cat-woman stood in the doorway. It was really strange to see someone I knew like that in the middle of the month and nowhere near the full moon. She looked both pissed and pleased. Hi, Mikki.¡± I said, my anger fading at seeing her cute and furry face. I don''t know what''s going on in here.¡± Mikki almost spat, then she purred at me. ¡°I felt you call me.¡± What do you mean he called you?¡± Jeanette asked. He called my feline heart and I answered.¡± Mikki said. ¡°That''s never happened before.¡± Both Jeanette and Nina looked at her with shock on their faces, because I hadn''t shown any kind of ability like that. Ever. What of the others?¡± Jeanette asked. Mikki gave a quick cat howl and we heard several answering cat howls respond. Nina turned to me. ¡°You called their beast side?¡± No.¡± I said, then I thought about what happened when I reached out to everyone and I felt their fear. It wasn''t me that they were afraid of, I realized. It was the power calling their beasts that they feared. ¡°Oh, God.¡± I said and rubbed my face with a hand. What is it David?¡± Nina asked. I touched every supernatural creature in town, Nina. I''ve only got connections with the were-cats; but, if I called their beasts, then the whole city could respond and they might all change.¡± Oh, no.¡± Nina said. Yeah.¡± I sighed. Then fix it. Change them back. You know what we need to eat when we first change.¡± Mikki said as she licked her lips and stared at me. ¡°Meat... or blood.¡± What time is it?¡± Nina asked. One in the morning.¡± Mikki said, almost in a purr. Good.¡± I said and thought about what I needed to do. ¡°Stand back.¡± Both Jeanette and Nina started to talk at the same time. ¡°What are you...¡± QUIET!¡± I yelled and a ripple of anger and power went across the room and they fell silent. My power hadn''t turned off before. It seemed like I didn''t have an ''off'' switch anymore. I reached out with my power and essence like I had before by accident and felt everyone that I had touched. I focused my attention on the living this time and I could see them more clearly now. I recalled how I had felt when calling them mere moments ago and I reversed it. Instead of giving them power and calling their beast, I drained off their energy and calmed them to try and change them back. That took care of almost all of them, since they were mostly in private situations, like in their homes and in bed. Unfortunately, some of them had night jobs and were going to be a problem. It was such a rush to absorb all that living energy when I was only used to deal with the cool energy of the dead. I knew I couldn''t keep it myself though, so I waved Mikki to come over to me and I kissed her furry face. She meowed at me and then the hair on her body stood on end as I funnelled all that living energy into her and into the bonds she had with the were-cats that were her family. I didn''t distribute it evenly, though. I tried to give a lion''s share to Mikki and her parents, that way they could spread it out as they saw fit over everyone in their pack. Unfortunately, with the bond I had with Jeanette damaged like it was, I couldn''t share the energy with her or her vampire family... not that they would be compatible with living energy anyway. I drained off the last of that energy from the people I had endangered and I felt everyone change back. Mikki''s now normal lips kissed me deeply and she had to stop herself before things went too far. I did not tell her that it was a rush to use her family like living batteries, which meant that I was definitely getting smarter about when to keep my mouth shut. 004 Sporadic Tendencies The next day I sent word to everyone through Mikki''s family connections that it was my fault, that I was sorry for causing all the trouble, and that I would pay for all the damages that might have occurred as a result of my unfortunate show of power. There were still a few holdouts that didn''t want to forgive me, mostly the ones with the night jobs that were ''outed'' as were-animals because they had been forced to change in front of witnesses. The rest of them? They called me or told me personally that it was the most fun they''d had all week. Most of them wanted to do it again on the night of the full moon, which surprised the hell out of me. I told them that I would think about it, because I wasn''t sure if doing it could be duplicated in a more controlled environment. Then I thought ''why not?'' and met them on the night of the full moon in a nice and secluded spot and did my best to do it again. To my surprise, thanks to Mikki''s help sharing the same energy boost I had given her, it worked... and oh, boy... what a party. Not only were all of the were-cats invited, every shape shifting person and animal in town got an invitation. I thought that it was the least I could do after what had happened by accident the last time. I was just glad that the collateral damage was kept to a minimum. I knew that the last time I had touched all of the were-animals, with both my power as bridge and my essence as a catalyst, was a rush; but, with over a thousand of them gathered together in one place, I didn''t have to work at trying to spread myself across the city to touch them all. Needless to say, a week later I could still feel the tingling in my bones from channelling so much energy. After they released the animals for hunting, because there weren''t enough wild animals for just the were-cats to eat, let alone everyone else, I did my little bit of magic. They all transformed instantly, with little or no side effects like dizziness or fatigue that they usually had. It had been like flipping a switch. One moment I was surrounded by a bunch of people and the next moment I was almost drowning in furry bodies. If I hadn''t known any better, I could have sworn that they were all a little drunk. Standing near me when I did what I did was apparently an even bigger rush for them than it was for me, especially since the last time I had done it, it was from a distance and only Mikki had been close enough to get a full dose of energy. I had thought I had seen everything; but, until you''ve seen over a thousand were-animals burst their human skin and become furry, you haven''t seen anything. I would never forget the sight or the sound for a long time, if ever. The best part of the whole evening was that for the first time in my life, it didn''t bother me to be completely surrounded by a mass of furry animals. * It had been two weeks since the full moon party and I awoke to a familiar sound when my house phone rang. Mikki tussled under the covers, unwrapped herself from around me and grabbed the phone. After a moment or two she hung up and turned to me. Pack business.¡± Mikki said in a grumpy voice. Being half asleep like I was this early in the morning, she had a right to be grumpy. She had recently gotten a raise from work, and considering she was doing most of everyone else''s jobs herself, she deserved it. Natalie woke up when the phone rang and didn''t move until Mikki got out of bed. What time is it?¡± Natalie asked. I looked at my alarm clock on the nightstand and sounded as tired as I felt. ¡°Three thirty.¡± Natalie groaned and asked what the call was about. Mikki just sighed and said it was another new were-cat in trouble. Having so many were-cats in the area was great and really helped out on the manpower front most of the time; but, it sure makes a lot more problems for the pack to deal with and Mikki was usually the one they called for help, since she was the next in line for pack leadership. I turned over on the bed and reached out for Mikki''s hand. She took a hold of it like it was a lifeline for a drowning victim. Before you say anything, there isn''t anyone else. We only have a small number of alphas to deal with problems like this and they''re all busy. So it''s me or no one.¡± Mikki said with a sigh. I squeezed her hand and the tension in the room dropped a bit, so Natalie took that as a hint to go put on some coffee for us. I knew this because she did it every time as if she knew we needed a little alone time. She hopped out of bed and slipped on her cute boy shorts and a t-shirt. She smiled at me the whole time because I was watching her like a hawk, then she left the room. Mikki and I were alone, or as alone as anyone could get with having several were-animals in the house. David...¡± Mikki started to say. It''s okay. I know.¡± I said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Even better than you do.¡± But, I don''t even want to go.¡± Mikki, I said it was okay. You need some time away from me being so depressed anyway.¡± I joked and pointed. ¡°Get me my chair, will you?¡± Sure.¡± She opened the closet door and there it was, the bane of my existence. A lump of steel with wheels. She manoeuvred it into position by the bed, so I could get to it easily, or so I thought. Mikki turned away to finish getting dressed because she knew how much I hated it when someone fusses over me too much. I adjusted myself to try and put myself into the chair, just like I had done dozens of times so far; but this time, instead of gliding into the chair like usual, my hand slipped on the hand pad and I started to fall face first to the floor. My power over the dead flared up, because it was always on now, and I was scared. I saw Mikki in that ¡®everything is in slow motion'' view, and watched as she turned back to me and flung the wheelchair aside like it was nothing. She lunged to catch me and just before I hit the floor, she somehow managed to get her arms under me to save me. If I hadn''t seen it for myself, I would have told you that nothing on this earth could move that fast. Thank God I was wrong. I thought as I looked up at her face and into her eyes. Lying in her arms was one of the best feelings in the world and I let her see that on my face. She looked down at me with tears brimming in her eyes. You almost fell.¡± Mikki said in a soft voice. Thanks for the save.¡± I smiled weakly. David, you could have really hurt yourself.¡± Mikki said. ¡°You have to be more careful. I can''t...¡± You can''t what?¡± I asked with my mouth set in a grim line. No matter how much I want to, I can''t stay with you all the time to protect you.¡± I don''t need your protection, Mikki.¡± I said and my power flared a bit more. I guess any strong emotion could set it off now. You''re doing it again. Distancing yourself.¡± Mikki shook her head. ¡°Please David, don''t shut me out, too.¡± What do you mean?¡± I asked, confused. Everyone here walks on eggshells around you. If anyone tries to help you, or even thinks about approaching you that way, you bite their heads off. I don''t think I can take that kind of rejection all of the time. Not from you.¡± Well, I''ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak... and there it goes. It was time for damage control again. Mikki...¡± I slid my hands down her arms and she moved me just enough to sit me in her lap. ¡°... the only thing...¡± I motioned for her to hug me. ¡°... that matters...¡± I grabbed her hands and closed my eyes. ¡°... is this.¡± I moved her hands down over my abdomen to touch me between the legs. The sound she made was the sound almost any woman makes when she gets permission to do things she shouldn''t be doing. Yeah, that sound. She had so much need and pain mixed into her feelings that she reminded me of... well, me. Could we really be so much in sync that even with my body damaged we could... I didn''t even get to finish the thought as my power flared up and touched her. It was almost like Mikki got its attention. I turned my head to face her and pumped power through the room. My power burst the last of my years of practised restraint and crashed into Mikki full force. I realized with a shock that I could almost feel her hands on me. Mikki widened her eyes and her mouth made that little ''o'' motion of surprise, because she could feel what I felt as well. Even though we were both naked and touching and it felt like I had a ski suit on... but... I could feel something! To say I was happy was quite an understatement. Natalie burst into the room just as my power peaked. What the hell was that?¡± Natalie asked, shocked. Nearly all of the hair on her head stood on end. Me.¡± I said, barely above a whisper. You''re really happy. What happened?¡± Natalie asked. I felt Mikki''s hands.¡± But, you feel them all the...¡± Natalie glanced down at us and the look on her face was almost pure joy. ¡°Does this mean...¡± No, I can''t really feel it; but, for some reason, my power can make a connection to Mikki.¡± Oh.¡± The look of joy on her face turned to sorrow. But, it''s a start.¡± Mikki said. My power ebbed and I lost the feel of her hands, which brought my happy mood crashing down. They tried to comfort me and reassure me, and I didn''t say anything in response as they held me. What was I going to do? Keep this power level up constantly, just so I could pretend to feel things? How could I be so selfish? I would probably drain Nina to her second death in no time at all if I did that, and according to Jeanette, possibly Natalie as well through our supposed bond. I closed my eyes and thought it over.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. As it was now, since Jeanette suspected they actually were connected to me and feeding me energy outside of her bond with me, she had ordered Nina to feed twice her normal diet to try and intentionally give me extra energy. Natalie had energetically joined in and was eating twice as much food as she normally did and I could almost feel the energy coming off of her. I couldn''t tell if she was giving me any of it, though. My little bursts of power might be a telltale sign that it was working, according to Jeanette. I never had my power flares happen to this degree before, even when my sacred necklace had been damaged and I lost control of my powers. I turned my head and noticed that the remains of my wheelchair was under a large dent in the wall across the room. I think I need a new chair.¡± I commented and both Natalie and Mikki looked at the mangled chair. After a nervous laugh all around we all got dressed. Mikki took me to the living room and propped me on the couch, then she left to baby-sit the new pack member. Natalie went to get the coffee she made and brought me a cup, then she snuggled into my side and we sat there in silence. Ah, delicious coffee. I thought and put an arm around Natalie. Natalie let out a slight purring sound and sipped her coffee, then she looked at me with clear devotion in her eyes. You know it''s not healthy to love me that much, right?¡± I asked her. Natalie let out a laugh and gave me a kiss. * Thanks to a bit of phone tag with the hospital, I had a three o''clock appointment the next afternoon with a specialist in town for a custom wheelchair. I told the man on the phone that I had tried to get an appointment with the same company to adjust my current wheelchair and he said that they wouldn''t touch ¡®common'' wheelchairs made by other manufacturers. Apparently, I was getting a wheelchair like one of those Olympic sport deals with cloth and racing wheels. I told him that I really only needed one like my last one, and he said that if I was going to spend the money that I might as well get a really good one. He also warned me that I was probably going to need a few more. I told him I really didn''t want to think about having a wheelchair so long that I would need to replace them, and he said it took me less than a month to ruin the one I had. He had a point. I still didn''t like to think about it, though. The next day, Mikki easily loaded me into the jeep. Did I forget to mention that were-animals were strong? Oops, my mistake. We headed out to 238 Alexander Avenue and it was clear across the city from where I lived out in the suburbs. It was quite a ways to go for a wheelchair; but, Jeanette had said the night before that Mr. Spelmann was the best and to not be late. So, away we went. It was quiet in the jeep as we drove. It was an easy quiet, not hushed or forced, thank goodness. We were comfortable not talking, even though we could if we wanted to. I can''t believe we haven''t been able to repeat what we did last night.¡± I said, slightly disgusted. Me, either.¡± Mikki said, sadly. ¡°Once we did it the first time, I thought we could keep doing it. I guess that isn''t so.¡± Yeah.¡± I said and couldn''t keep the disappointment out of my voice. All this time with no feeling in my lower body, to finally get some reaction... only once... seemed like cruel and unusual punishment. I might have been better off not having that glimpse of normality. Mikki must have guessed what I was thinking. ¡°Everything is so wild with you. I don''t think you''ve ever duplicated anything you''ve ever done. You''ve done things more than once, except not in the same way each time. Maybe that''s true for this, too.¡± Maybe.¡± I said, noncommittally. Now it''s time for me to tell you not to worry and that everything will work out fine.¡± Mikki said. Yeah, and my day job is being the Tooth Fairy. I thought. Sometimes I wished I had Mikki''s calmness, then I realized that I would have been dead a dozen times over if I did. In my old life, anyway. Now? Well, I guess a little calmness couldn''t hurt. We continued on into the outskirts of town in my jeep. When we came to the turnoff we were supposed to take, we found it cordoned off by police. They had their cars in the basic ¡®block the road'' pattern to discourage passersby from even thinking about crossing the barrier. So, down the block we went and circled around to the other end of the avenue only to find another police car. This officer was a little more on the ball and walked towards us as we pulled up. Sorry folks. You''ll have to turn your vehicle around. This street is blocked off for official police business.¡± The officer said while I read his name tag. Officer Stanton, I''ve got an important appointment on the other side of this road block that I have to get to before three o''clock.¡± Jeanette had told me it was very important to keep the appointment and I didn''t think I could reschedule, because getting one this quickly with a specialist was almost unheard of. The cop tried to give me that seasoned cop stare and I stopped my laugh before it escaped. After seeing the top brass giving me cop eyes while they tried to stare me down, this guy''s glare was a piece of cake in comparison. He would need a lot more practice in order to pull it off like a professional. Sorry, no exceptions.¡± Officer Stanton said. I thought about mentioning that I was a bounty hunter and had previously worked freelance for the department, then I realized with a bit of a shock that I didn''t have my ID with me. I had left it on the dresser, not thinking I''d need it for a simple appointment. I almost sighed as I thought about how I was going to convince a police officer, that I had no authority over, to allow an armed civilian and a were-animal to cross a police blockade. Let''s try sympathy. I thought. ¡°Officer, I''m... handicapped, and I need to get to my appointment. It was a last minute deal and if I don''t see him now, I won''t get to see him.¡± Sir, I''ve asked you nicely to leave. If you don''t turn your car around right now, I''m going to give you a ticket for blocking traffic.¡± I''ve helped the squad out on a lot of cases...¡± I started to say and he continued on as if I hadn''t said anything. If you still don''t leave, then I''ll have no choice to arrest you for trying to interfere with a police investigation.¡± The officer said and rested his hand on his belt near his holstered gun. His attitude really got on my nerves, mainly because he immediately went to threats instead of politely convincing us to move along, which was what he was supposed to do. Who is training these new people? I asked myself. He''s the second officer of the law that I''ve met with horrible interpersonal skills. This time I actually did sigh. How am I going to get by this guy without shooting him? I asked myself, then smiled. Maybe a call from one of the top brass would settle this, so I called Sanchez. Who are you calling?¡± Mikki asked, curiously. Sanchez. I really don''t want to have to shoot this guy for being impolite.¡± I said. Officer Stanton chose that moment to chime in with his pearls of wisdom. ¡°Excuse me, sir. I think you can make your call after you move your vehicle away from here.¡± No actually, I can''t.¡± I said. Sanchez picked up on the second ring. ¡°Sanchez.¡± He must have taken some phone lessons from Rick because I guess saying ¡®Sergeant Sanchez, City Supernatural Investigation Squad'' every time he answered his phone would get a bit monotonous after a while. Hi, Sanchez. It''s David.¡± Holy Hanna, is it really you? I haven''t heard from you since...¡± Since before I got kicked off the team, yeah.¡± I responded. Hey, sorry about that. I tried to pull some strings, but... Rick and a few other guys were adamant about getting you out of the cop helping business now that your... um... incapable of doing a lot of the work we needed you for.¡± Ha. I wondered why I got the boot so quick.¡± I said, understanding that bureaucracy was the bread and butter of the police department. ¡°That''s not why I called, though. I''m out here on Alexander Avenue and I''m having a bit of a problem with Officer Stanton.¡± Stanton? I put him on the far end of the street... blocking traffic.¡± Sanchez said with a chuckle. ¡°All right. I''ll be right there.¡± The officer in question had listened to my side of the conversation and drew his own conclusions, without realizing that Sanchez was walking up the street towards us. That wasn''t really Sergeant Sanchez you were talking to. You''re just trying to intimidate me into letting you into this crime scene. Well, it isn''t going to work.¡± Officer Stanton said. He was about to continue his little speech when Sanchez''s voice startled him. Just what the hell do you think your doing harassing my friend?¡± Sanchez asked in his best ''Rick'' voice. He didn''t say he was your friend when he pulled up.¡± The officer said in his defense. Did he present you with his ID when you asked for it?¡± I... didn''t ask for it.¡± You didn''t ask for their ID when someone was trying to come into a crime scene? Really?¡± Sanchez asked, his voice full of scorn. No, Sir. Sorry, sir.¡± Officer Stanton said. Geez, kids these days.¡± Sanchez responded and shook his head. Sir, I don''t need the person''s ID to tell them that they can''t come in.¡± Officer Stanton said. ¡°He said he''s helped on cases before, but...¡± Are you a detective on this case?¡± No, Sir.¡± Then how do you know this isn''t a crime that could use his expertise?¡± I... uh... don''t.¡± Officer Stanton said, then quickly added, ¡°Sir!¡± Right. Now get your ass back to your patrol car and do your job, only the right way this time.¡± Sanchez said and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. Yes, Sir.¡± Officer Stanton said in a defeated tone and walked away. When he was far enough away to not hear us, Sanchez turned on me. Why did you just make me chew out a rookie?¡± Sanchez asked, a little angrily. Me? He''s the one being a total ass.¡± I said. Mikki leaned over me to look out of the jeep at Sanchez. ¡°David''s right. At no point did we raise our voices or caused a scene. He threatened us right from the beginning.¡± Sanchez took off his sunglasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. ¡°I''ve been trying to keep him on a short leash, but it''s hard. I don''t know how he passed the psych test to get on the force. He''s a little short on his temper and has no compunction to not take it out on the public.¡± He sighed and then glared at me. ¡°You didn''t hear that from me. That''s all I need right now is to have the guys find out that I''m airing our dirty laundry to you.¡± He said, then the glare disappeared and he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and held in my laugh, because we both knew good and well that Sanchez didn''t give a rat''s ass what the other guys said about him. I was obliged to respond, though. Our lips are sealed.¡± I said and Mikki nodded. Good.¡± Sanchez said and leaned against the jeep. ¡°Now, what are you doing here? I didn''t call you about this crime.¡± He said and let the unspoken accusation hang in the air between us. Sanchez, do you really think I''d invite myself in on an investigation after being dismissed?¡± I asked. In my current condition. I added in my head. Sanchez read the thought in my eyes. ¡°No, I guess not. But, off the record, I sometimes wish you did. It''s been... hard without your help on a lot of these cases.¡± Gee, Sanchez, I didn''t think you cared.¡± I said, then I sighed. ¡°I''ve been out of the loop so long that I might not be any help to you anyway.¡± I said with a lilt of unhappiness to my voice. Wow, I really was unhappy about it. I thought in surprise. The whole time that I had been doing this thing and helping the police, I had thought that I needed to get away and take some time off. Now that I had to stay away because I physically have to, I really didn''t want to. It really was like they say. You don''t know what you''ve got until it''s gone. During my retrospective Sanchez asked us what we were doing there if I wasn''t trying to invite myself into whatever case was there. Mikki told him about my appointment at 238 Alexander Avenue and he widened his eyes as he looked at me. It wouldn''t happen to be with...¡± Sanchez riffled through his crumpled notebook to a specific page, ¡°...an Arthur Spelmann, would it?¡± I successfully managed to not take in a sharp breath. Apparently, we were all headed to the same appointment. Lucky me, huh? Now that we knew we were going to the same place, we had to decide how we were going to get there. With the street blocked off, I needed a wheelchair. Mikki would have carried me if I didn''t have a shred of personal decency. I was for damn sure not going to be carried around like a doll for the rest of the day, especially around a crime scene. Sanchez had the novel idea to get me a chair from the shop. I guess he figured I was going to get one from Mr. Spelmann anyway, so I might as well have it now. 005 More Clues By the time Sanchez got back with the wheelchair, which bore a striking resemblance to my old one, Mikki had me out of the jeep and ready. Luckily, there weren''t any news vans around, so no one got a glimpse of me being carried around like a baby. Or better yet, imagine if the cops weren''t here already and I had to call it in. Wouldn''t that make a great headline? ¡®Crippled Ex-Cop Rolls Over Body''. The three of us walked up to the right address and it was just a basic storefront. There were no flashy signs or bright colors and he didn''t even have a stupid name like ¡®Wheels on the Go'' or something. It was just called ¡®Spelmann Custom Wheelchairs''. I bet it took him awhile to come up with that one. The police and detectives on the scene were just like all the other crime scenes that I attended in the past. That is, there were way too many for what needed to be done. They parted for us as we approached, just like the Red Sea did for Moses. Everyone stared at us as we passed through the crowd and went into the store. I don''t know if it was because Sanchez was such a commanding presence, or because of the sight of me being pushed in a wheelchair by my girlfriend. I was going to bet on Sanchez this time, because I was neurotic enough about the chair as it was. I looked around as Mikki pushed me past the detectives in the hallway and into the main part of the store. There wasn''t a single thing that looked out of place. No broken lock, no forced entry, and no damage to the store at all. Sanchez noticed what I was doing. ¡°Any thoughts?¡± There wasn''t a break-in.¡± You''ve always had an eye for detail.¡± Sanchez smiled. No, just for the obvious.¡± Well, any ideas?¡± He either knew the perp, or perps, and let them in... or he was tricked into letting them in.¡± I said. In what way?¡± Do I really have to answer that? It''s not like we all don''t know the answer.¡± I responded. Humor me.¡± I let out a little sigh. ¡°A vampire used mind tricks to get in.¡± Why?¡± Oh, come on Sanchez.¡± I said, almost in exasperation. ¡°I''ve been off the force for years; but, I''m not stupid. They didn''t want it to look like there was anything wrong here, so no one would find out what actually happened.¡± Bingo.¡± Sanchez said. Apparently, that didn''t work because you guys are already here. So what tipped you off?¡± A neighbour noticed the lights didn''t come on last night. She said they would come on every night, because she can see them from her front window over her television set.¡± Now it was my turn to take the bait and ask stupid questions. Yeah, like that would get the police down here. What really tipped you off?¡± Sanchez almost laughed. ¡°The silent alarm was triggered on the back door of the building around the same time as the witness''s call.¡± So, there''s a back room to this place?¡± Yep.¡± Sanchez waved towards the back of the room. ¡°Step right up and behold the wonders of... uh, sorry.¡± It''s okay, Sanchez.¡± I said and as we neared the entrance to the back, I smelled it. Raw meat. I don''t know why I couldn''t smell it until then, since it seemed so prevalent, now that it had invaded my nostrils. It was that smell that let me know exactly how bad it was going to be back there. Wait.¡± I said, and we stopped just outside the door. ¡°Can you smell it?¡± I asked Mikki as I looked up at her. I can.¡± Mikki said with a nod. You have to stay out here.¡± I said. But, what if...¡± My power spiked a little as I spoke. ¡°I''m fine.¡± I''ll wait here, then.¡± Mikki said with a hint of a smile. Thank you.¡± I said as I took over control of my wheelchair before Sanchez could offer, then I rolled into the back room. I thought for a moment that everything was painted red, at least until my brain made sense of it. Paint doesn''t run unless it''s wet, so this had to be... blood. A lot of blood. From floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall, the whole room was covered in blood. Bits and pieces were scattered around the floor with nothing bigger than a finger. With that revelation, I noticed it. A finger lay on the table next to the door. I thought I had all the horrors I could manage in my head, but here was another one, even more gruesome than the last. The worst part about it was that my stomach fought itself over what I saw. Half of it wanted to chow down because it smelled so good, which shocked me... and gave me an inclination about what Jeanette meant about me having a bond with Natalie. Ohhhh, shiiiit. I thought and managed to not shake my head or give any outward sign of what my brain was having a difficult time processing. Unfortunately, the other half of my stomach, the still human half, wanted me to see what I had for breakfast a second time. I held down my gorge as I scanned the room, and my eyes picked that time to notice the pretty color. My power flared like a heartbeat; going thump, thump, thump. My eyesight went into what I affectionately call hyper-focus. It was the same thing that had happened yesterday morning when I had fallen and seen Mikki rescue me. Right now, I could see every detail in the room. It used to take me several minutes to piece together a crime scene; but, with this eyesight and my previous knowledge of anatomy and other crime scenes, I could tell what was missing. There weren''t any organs. I told Sanchez this and he stared at me like I had two heads. How do you know that?¡± Sanchez asked. How do you explain that you can see that there were pieces missing? I asked myself. You improvise of course. ¡°There''s lots of blood, which tells us that he was killed right here, but there isn''t enough...¡± I waffled my hands in the air a bit. ¡°...mass to account for a whole person.¡± That''s what the forensics team said.¡± What?¡± I looked at him with surprise on my face. They said that the remains were only tissue from the outside of the body and that no organs or brain matter were found.¡± My power started to ease off, which was also a surprise. ¡°You mean I''ve been wasting my time here?¡± No. I''m just telling you that you were right.¡± Sanchez said. Oh. That''s ok, then. I thought, then my eyes caught a glint of something. ¡°Did they see that?¡± See what?¡± Sanchez asked and tried to see what I was looking at. It looked like a small diamond, perfectly cut, laying inside a crack in the floor next to the worktable. Has the lab taken pictures and video? I don''t want to disturb any evidence.¡± I said. Yeah, they just finished before you called.¡± Sanchez said. If they''re still here, can you get them to take a picture of the floor near the left front table leg?¡± Sure.¡± Sanchez said and stepped out of the room. ¡°Hey, Bill. Get your ass in here for another picture.¡± I was going to say something else, then the man in question popped into the room and Sanchez pointed to the left front table leg.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Get me a close up picture of that, will you? Near the floor.¡± Sure thing, Sergeant.¡± When the flash went off, both Bill and Sanchez noticed the reflected glare of the diamond. Well, I''ll be damned. How the hell did you see that, David?¡± Sanchez asked. I''m a lot closer to the floor now.¡± I said to explain away my heightened sense of sight. Sanchez laughed and patted Bill on the back. ¡°Thanks, Bill. Get that and the other pictures developed as soon as you can.¡± Bill nodded and left. Good thing you were here, David. We might have missed this.¡± Sanchez said as he bent down to pick up the stone with his rubber gloved fingers and placed it in an evidence baggie. ¡°You see, we still need you on cases like these.¡± Yeah, it''s just too bad my services are no longer required.¡± I said. Yeah. Hey, look. It''s against company policy...¡± Sanchez said with a huge grin. ¡°...but, I''ll call you if anything pans out on this little rock here, Ok?¡± Thanks, Sanchez.¡± I said, then a wave of tiredness hit me. I barely managed to roll myself out into the main room to a patiently waiting were-cat. Mikki brightened up as soon as she saw me. ¡°Ready to go?¡± Take me home.¡± I said. Mikki pushed me out into the daylight and down the street to the car without saying a word. I didn''t even ask if anyone minded if I kept the wheelchair. I just took it and left. When Mikki and I arrived home, Natalie already had dinner waiting. Natalie always knew when I needed to eat lately and now that I had an inkling why, it didn''t worry me as much as the reason. Of course, I don''t think I could remember a time when I came home and she didn''t have something ready for me to eat. Natalie noticed that the wheelchair wasn''t the one that I had gone out to get and didn''t say anything. I knew she would get the whole story from Mikki later, so I didn''t say anything. We sat at the table and enjoyed a nice home cooked meal of steak, potatoes, and vegetables. I could do without the veggies most of the time; but, I have to keep my strength up, now that my mobility had been drastically reduced. We talked about what Natalie was doing that day, and she started needling Mikki for details about my wheelchair. I just finished my steak and half of my potatoes when the phone rang. Natalie got up to get it since she had already finished eating. It''s the police.¡± Natalie said. But I thought...¡± Mikki started to say. Me, too.¡± I said as I went to the phone and found out that it was Sanchez. I was surprised to hear his voice. He had told me earlier that he would call if anything interesting about the diamond came up; but, I didn''t think he would discover anything this soon. He informed me that some diamonds have a serial code laser etched onto their surface to mark where it was originally from. Luckily, the diamond I found was one of them and it was traced to a jewellery shop in Washington, DC. I was about to comment that it wasn''t feasible for me to follow up on it when Sanchez said he had already pulled some strings and found out the stone was from a special batch ordered by the military for its special forces team rings. I asked him if he was kidding. He said no, that there were over a thousand rings made with this particular stone setting. Well, damn. I thought. ¡°I suppose you have a list of everyone who got one?¡± Sanchez laughed. ¡°That''s the best part. There are no official records of who got these rings.¡± Double damn. I shook my head. ¡°So much for me finding that one special clue.¡± I''ll call if anything else develops.¡± Sanchez said and hung up before I had a chance to say good-bye. I chuckled, because he was definitely taking phone lessons from the squad captain. I went back to the table and finished eating. Even the veggies. Natalie got up and cleared away the dishes from the table and gave me a kiss. She had to get ready for work that night and said she would finish washing the dishes later. She had been off work for a while and needed to get back to the bar to keep her job. There was only so much leeway one could have with taking care of a sick family member, even if you were using up your vacation time to do it. Natalie grabbed her things after changing for work and picked up the phone to call a cab. I told her to go ahead and take the jeep, since I wasn''t going to need it anyway. Mikki pointed out that she was home and that we still had access to her car if we had to go anywhere in a hurry, so Natalie gave me a kiss, took the keys, and left. Mikki and I planned to spend the rest of the night alone, maybe with a bath and some snuggling later. Plans were made to be broken, however. Actually, rules are; but, I don''t really have a lot of those left right now, despite having a ton of them before. I''ve had lines that I thought I would never cross and I''ve crossed almost all of them. I swore I''d never maim or torture anyone, and I did. I swore that I would never sleep with more than one woman, especially at the same time, because nice guys didn''t do that, and I did. I also swore that I would never, ever, sleep with someone after they had shape-shifted. There was just too much of a chance to catch their ailments from sharing bodily fluids, and I''ve done that, too. So, my personal barriers have all come crashing down around my ears, especially now that I suspected that the last time Natalie and I slept together, she gave me a lot more than just her love. I couldn''t even be angry at her about it, because it had been my choice... and she looked so damn cute at the time and I couldn''t help myself. Oh, god. I thought and shook my head. The next full moon is definitely going to be interesting. The phone rang again and this time Mikki answered it. ¡°It''s Jeanette.¡± Why is she calling me now?¡± I asked as Mikki handed me the receiver. Did I just say that out loud? My darling?¡± Jeanette asked as if she hadn''t just heard me say what I said. Yeah.¡± I responded. Are you well?¡± ¡±No, Jeanette. What do you want?¡± You sound irritated. Perhaps I will call at a more opportune moment.¡± I don''t think there will be a ¡®more opportune'' moment. You just caught me at a bad time. What''s up?¡± What case are you working on for the police?¡± Jeanette inquired. I''m not working any case for them.¡± I said, then sighed. ¡°I assume you heard about Mr. Spelmann.¡± Yes. My contacts in the area pointed out his gruesome death to me.¡± I know you know him; but, did you talk to him personally, or did one of your flunkies have contact with him?¡± I asked. One of my ¡®flunkies'', as you so kindly put it, did.¡± Jeanette said, almost with a laugh. So, you don''t know whether he was alive or not at the time.¡± Yes, he was alive. Although I did not speak to him directly, my ¡®flunky'' did.¡± For some reason. I don''t think that''s why you called.¡± I said. No, my darling. Some of my vampires have gone missing.¡± What do you mean, gone missing?¡± I asked with concern. Yesterday, at dusk when most of my family awoke, I could not feel some of them.¡± But, that would mean...¡± Yes, my darling. Either someone is powerful enough to have hidden them from me, has taken them from the city, or...¡± ...or they''re dead.¡± I whispered. ¡°Their second death.¡± Correct.¡± Jeanette said, her voice subdued. I couldn''t resist asking the next obvious question. ¡°Who''s missing?¡± Do you really want to know?¡± You wouldn''t have called me if you thought I didn''t.¡± Ah, you know me well, my darling. Hephastus, Apollo, and surprisingly Kratoa.¡± Yeah, that is surprising.¡± I said as I did my best to remember them. ¡°Hephastus and Apollo are two of the family''s bodyguards, doing their duty as muscle for the next fifty years. They are young and not really powerful. Kratoa however, is pretty powerful, so he doesn''t fit in with the m.o. of the other two. Especially since he''s just visiting your territory.¡± The m.o.?¡± Jeanette asked. The Modus Operendai. It''s the rules a criminal will stick to no matter what. They might be his own rules, with his own reasoning, or someone else''s rules; but, they''re still rules that they have to follow. Unless he''s a nutcase, then the rules don''t apply.¡± Perhaps you are right. Kratoa doesn''t fit at all.¡± Thanks for letting me know, Jeanette. I''ll get right on it.¡± My darling, I did not call you to get you on this ¡®case'', only to inform you of the disappearances and to be careful.¡± My new self figured that was its cue and decided to let Jeanette know that it wasn''t happy being dictated to. I pumped my power into the slightly damaged bond we shared and I heard the receiver hit the floor. After a moment, I felt her compose herself and pick it up. Very well, my darling. I did not mean to dictate how you would handle the information.¡± Jeanette said, almost as an apology. I calmed down and my power receded. ¡°Thank you for letting me know, Jeanette.¡± I said and hung up the phone without saying goodbye. I sighed at the oversight and thought about calling her back, then shrugged. I told Mikki about the side of the conversation that she couldn''t quite hear and without being asked, she loaded me into her car and somehow managed to get the wheelchair in her trunk. I wanted to go see Apollo and if he had actually disappeared, so we pulled up to the outside of Apollo and Hephastus''s house. It was just what you would expect a middle class medium income family home would look like. It was a small one and a half story split level home, painted eggshell white, with blue trim, blue shutters and little flower boxes under the two front windows. It had a small walkway across the lawn, and a small concrete step with a brown ¡®Welcome'' mat on it. Who would have thought Apollo would go for something like this? I asked myself as we got out of the car and Mikki helped me into my chair. I didn''t bitch and complain about it, because my new self just loved it when I got angry and I needed to keep it under control. In retrospect, I think it was a bad choice when I gave it my anger as fuel. Oh, well. It wasn''t like I could change it, now that I know. Mikki rang the doorbell for me and we waited. I knew it was just before dark, but I had to check anyway. I pushed my power into Apollo''s house, almost like radar, and searched for him. I had always been able to find the dead like that, ever since I was a kid. I felt a body in the basement, but there was no one ''home'' yet. I knew it was Apollo, though. My ability with the dead had felt him as I passed by him all the times I had visited Jeanette at her family home. I felt him return to his body as the sun sunk below the horizon and he woke up. I also felt his panic, which was a new thing for me. I hadn''t had that much reciprocation with my power before. Usually, all I could feel is them being animated by whatever force that brought them back from the dead to make them vampires. Maybe becoming a were-cat is changing my power? I asked myself. I didn''t tell Mikki to ring the doorbell again because Apollo knew I was here. He also knew he was trapped and pleaded for help. ¡°Oh, damn.¡± I said and looked at Mikki. ¡°He''s trapped in the basement.¡± Mikki gave me wide eyes for a moment, then she nodded. ¡°Doors are cheap.¡± She said with a smile and popped her palm on the door handle. I kid you not, the whole handle crumpled and went right through the hole in the door. She dug her fingers into the mangled mess of metal and pulled on the latch, then the door swung open. Um. Wow.¡± I said as I looked up at her. Was it really that impressive?¡± Mikki asked with a demure smile, gave me a quick kiss, then waved for me to go in. 006 Another One I rolled into the house and Mikki closed the door behind us, then she pushed the latch back in and it stayed closed. I pointed to the right door for the basement and she pushed me over to it. It wasn''t locked, to both of our surprise, and Mikki opened it and went down on all fours. It was both odd and a little stimulating to see her crawl like a cat down the stairs and disappear into the darkness. It''s clear except for two coffins.¡± Mikki said in a normal voice and walked back up the stairs. She must have seen something on my face, because she smiled when she reached the top of the stairs. ¡°You''re disappointed that I didn''t crawl back up.¡± I... yeah.¡± I said and smiled at her. ¡°That was kinda sexy.¡± I''ll remember that.¡± Mikki said and picked me up and slung me over her shoulder in a fireman''s carry, then she carried the wheelchair down into the basement. She set me down in it again and neither of us said anything about how easily she had handled me. He''s in the first one.¡± I said and pointed where I had felt Apollo. The coffin was chained up for some reason, which in my opinion was completely stupid. It was a wooden coffin and they were vampires. Nothing could hold them inside, because all they would have to do was stretch their arms or kick their legs, and bam! Free as a bird. Mikki didn''t bother looking around for a key for the lock and just yanked on it. The mechanism snapped right off and she pulled the chains out of the way. In the next moment, she lifted the front of the coffin up to reveal the inside. Apollo was dressed in his typical style, with a tailor-made black suit and a red tie that matched the handkerchief in the pocket. He even had on gold cuff links to match the small gold chain around his neck that had a locket with Hephastus'' picture in it. I knew what was in it, because I had bought it for him and a matching one for Hephastus with Apollo''s picture in it. They were gifts for taking care of Jeanette for me while I was out of town. Apollo also had a large blessed cross laying on his chest and the inside of the coffin had markings and etchings all over with some kind of symbols and things. I didn''t know much about spells; but, I was pretty sure this must have been some kind of containment spell. Give me the cross.¡± I said and Mikki lifted it off of the apparently ''dead'' vampire and handed it to me. I thought about tucking it away, then thought better of it. If Apollo has been missing for a few days, he might be really hungry right now and as the only human in the room, I might be a desirable snack. Can you tear off the top of the casket, so I can keep the markings intact?¡± I asked and Mikki didn''t hesitate as she easily pulled it off the hinges. ¡°Great, now run your claws through the etched marks.¡± I said and pointed to the parts that I thought looked important on the sides of the casket. Mikki did so with the sound of claws on wood, then I felt Apollo return to himself and his connection to Jeanette snapped back into place. He woke up from whatever it was had happened to him, a spell, an enchantment, or a curse. Hi, Apollo.¡± I said, my voice sad. Apollo sat up and his face was a bit thin, chalk white, and the look in his eyes was that of a man who had lost the only thing that had mattered the most to him. He glanced at Mikki and then down at me in the wheelchair. Hi, David. What are you doing here?¡± Apollo asked, as if this was any other day. I heard about Hephastus. I''m so sorry.¡± Really? I didn''t think you liked him.¡± Of course I do. He''s your partner and he makes you happy. Why wouldn''t I like him?¡± I asked. No reason, I guess.¡± Do you know what happened to him?¡± I asked to try to pry some answers from him, since he seemed kind of reluctant to volunteer anything. No. I woke up last night and he wasn''t there next to me.¡± Apollo said, which meant he didn''t remember anything about the last two days, because Hephastus disappeared three nights ago and Apollo had disappeared two nights ago. Would you mind if we took a look around?¡± I asked, even though I suspected that I wouldn''t find anything. No, not at all. Help yourself.¡± Apollo said and climbed out of the coffin, then the three of us went back up the stairs. Apollo took the wheelchair for me and Mikki carried me over her shoulder again. He stepped aside for us when we reached the top of the stairs and put the chair down, then Mikki gently sat me down in it. The basement door led into the hallway and when we entered the living room it felt like a physical blow. There was only one word that could describe the room. Majestic. I don''t know a lot about interior design, but this was mind-blowing. I didn''t think Apollo had this kind of money to throw around, not while only being bodyguards. There was a pair of roman columns on the far wall on either side of the huge fireplace. The furniture looked like it was all eighteenth century, with a sofa, love seat, footstool, and coffee tables that had so much intricate wood carving that you couldn''t see all the detail even close up. I pretty much said so to Apollo, and he said that it was on loan from Jeanette''s private collection. I couldn''t believe it. Jeanette said that she would loan me some pieces to spruce up my house, but... this was unbelievable. There was literally a fortune sitting in Apollo''s living room and it was Hephastus they took. They just walked by all this other stuff. That is definitely a big clue to add to this case, that the criminals weren''t interested in certain material possessions. I was going to have to ask Jeanette if she loaned furniture to the other missing vampire. I think I''ve got a couple of leads to follow up on.¡± I said and motioned to Mikki. She ran down into the basement and came back with the coffin top in her hands. ¡°Thanks Apollo, and don''t worry. I''m sure Hephastus is fine.¡± Bring him back to me, please David! He''s all I have to live for!¡± Apollo exclaimed, a bit dramatically. I did not comment about how he wasn''t really alive anymore. ¡°I''ll do my best. Take care, Apollo.¡± Mikki went out the front door, put the coffin top in the back seat of the jeep, then came back for me. She pushed me out the front door. Oh, sorry about the door.¡± I said. ¡°I''ll...¡± Don''t worry about it.¡± Apollo cut me off before I could offer to have it fixed. ¡°We break the doors around here all the time.¡± He smiled for a moment, then he frowned and closed it. We heard the latch click to hold it in place and Mikki pushed me over to the jeep and helped me climb inside. Mikki voiced her opinion after we pulled out of the parking lot. ¡°Can you tell me why we didn''t have to look around at where they had abducted Hephastus?¡± Because it doesn''t matter.¡± I said. ¡°Whoever took him left no physical clues, except for the fact that they had left the fortune in furniture.¡± Mikki gave me a disbelieving look and I chuckled. There''s also no point in going to where Kratoa lived, because he stayed there alone and there was no way to find out where or when he was taken.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. We went back to my house and restarted our planned night of a bath and snuggles. I didn''t enjoy it as much as I should have with this mystery hanging over my head, though. At least the call to Jeanette went better than I thought it would, especially since she had one of her guards back. Who would want the missing vamps, and why? I asked myself as I laid in bed with Mikki''s face buried against the side of my neck and she was deep asleep. I could understand killing vamps to get closer to Jeanette, or to make a path to Jeanette, or to make a statement... but, there was no word from the kidnappers or even any proof that the vamps were still alive, except for finding Apollo. I pushed those thoughts out of my head when Natalie came into the bedroom and she looked exhausted. Hey, beautiful.¡± I whispered and she purred at me. I laid there and watched her undress, right down to her panties and she turned slightly to give me a side view of her modest chest. Her tiny nipples were poking out for me and a little growl escaped from my throat. Natalie shivered at the sound and she came over to the bed. ¡°Can I try again?¡± She whispered as she laid down beside me. Good luck.¡± I said with a sad smile and she gave me a kiss, then she moved down and did her best while I did my best to try and reproduce the effect Mikki and I had accomplished once before. Neither of us were discouraged when both attempts didn''t work. We hoped that it would work one of these times and we went to sleep as we cuddled together all night. The next day I decided to give my old job another try, now that it had been a little while since the last time I had been there for a visit. Natalie accompanied me again to the office where Mary greeted us with a genuine smile this time, almost as if she was relieved to see us. I guess not seeing me for a while made them appreciate me more. I hoped, anyway. Maybe I could convince the boss to let me back into the company. Yeah, and I''ve got some swampland in Florida that''s a real steal. I thought and kept the amusement off of my face as we approached the receptionist at the desk. I noticed something odd as well. There was police tape over one of the office doors and figures were moving around inside. Mary, why is there police tape...¡± I started to ask for an explanation and the words were barely out of my mouth when she rushed me, fell to the floor on her knees and hugged me, then she cried. Mary spoke between sobs. ¡°Oh, David! It''s terrible. Hal was found...¡± She sobbed and hiccuped. ¡°...dead in his apartment this morning!¡± Hal was dead? I asked myself and didn''t voice my disbelief out loud. Mary was in a terrible state as it was, so I just held her and let her cry. Natalie lifted her from the floor and sat down on the couch, then she cradled Mary like a child. She seemed to quiet down while Natalie stroked her hair and told her sweet lies, like it was going to be alright and that everything was fine now. _______________ You have the option to stay and comfort the secretary or go and investigate on your own. What will you choose? A) Keep your nose out of it and lay low. B) Stick your nose in where it doesn''t belong. Let''s go with B and see what kind of a mess I can stir up. _______________ While Natalie kept Mary occupied, I rolled over to Hal''s office to see if I could hear who was inside. I could only hear mumbling and feet shuffling. I assumed that I would have to try the direct approach and knocked on the door. The mumbling inside the office stopped and the door opened. I saw Hank''s pale and startled face. Beyond that was Sanchez''s cop face. Why was his squad called in? I asked myself, then sighed. Oh, crap. David.¡± Hank said. Hank.¡± I responded. Now isn''t a good time.¡± Hank said and tried to dismiss me. Really, Hank? Mary fainted out here and I''d like to know what you want to do about her.¡± I said. What? Oh...¡± Hank looked over at Mary, practically collapsed in natalie''s arms, then he turned away to look at Sanchez. Sergeant, I''ll be right back.¡± Okay, Mary didn''t actually faint; but, I needed to distract Hank long enough to ask Sanchez some questions. I rolled back out of the way to let Hank walk by me without tripping over me or the wheels. I am definitely getting better at this whole wheelchair thing. As soon as Hank was near Mary and Natalie, I passed under the police tape and into Hal''s office. With a little more wheel manipulation, I closed the door with barely a sound. Hey, Sergeant.¡± Hi, Mr. Drake.¡± Sanchez said with a half-smile. I chuckled at his use of my last name in response to me calling him sarge. ¡°Any clues in Hal''s files?¡± And how exactly would you know there are any clues to find in his files?¡± Sanchez asked, pointedly. Because I''m not stupid. If anything led to his death, there might be some kind of record in here. He was pretty anal about his files.¡± Huh. He sure was. He kept detailed notes on the color of the salad he ate for lunch yesterday.¡± I couldn''t help it and laughed. ¡°Well, I knew he was anal, but damn. Even an anal retentive would think that was too anal.¡± Sanchez couldn''t fight off his smile and laughed too. My ploy to break the tension worked like a charm. ¡°Is there any chance you can tell me what happened to him?¡± No. Is there any chance you could take this case off my hands?¡± No. I''d be arrested for interfering with an official investigation.¡± I countered. Sanchez nodded. ¡°Hey, it was worth a shot.¡± He said and walked over to me. ¡°I''ve gotten everything I needed from here anyway.¡± He pat my shoulder as he passed by. ¡°I''ll see you around, David.¡± I waved to him as he ducked under the police tape and left. I nosed around the office a bit and I didn''t see anything significant either, so I left. Hank and Natalie finally got Mary to come around enough that she apologized for causing a scene. I told her she needed a break and she said she had some vacation time coming up and might just take it. I took another run at Hank to try and get my job back. He said that the other workers had voted me out, and unless I was miraculously cured, which was highly unlikely, I was out permanently and wouldn''t be allowed back. Natalie and I headed home after a quick stop at a drive-thru to grab a bite to eat. I have to eat all the time to keep my strength up and I can''t move around to burn the calories off, so I felt like I was gaining weight, even though I had only been immobile in the chair for a short while. Even while I ate a salad I imagined the pounds of fat as they slid slowly down my body to rest in my gut. I thought that was an odd thought and looked at Natalie. She blushed and avoided my gaze. Now I needed info about Hal and what he had been into lately. I thought about how I was going to get it, and figured I''d go to the most likely source. I wasn''t going to his apartment since that was way too obvious. I did not want to tip the police off that I was looking into Hal''s death this early, either. I called my source at the newspaper, Luke. He was good reporter and had done several stories on me. As a reporter, he had access to some information that I just couldn''t get, especially now. Luke.¡± Luke said with a deadpan voice, as if his response was automatic from picking up the phone. Hi, Luke.¡± I said in a poor imitation of that voice, just to show him how awful it sounded. Luke was quiet for several moments. ¡°David? Is that really you?¡± He asked, not too sure. ¡°I haven''t heard from you since I did that story on your house.¡± Yeah, it''s been a busy few weeks. Listen, I need a favor.¡± Figures. That''s about the only time you do call is when you need something from me.¡± Hey, that''s not the only time I call.¡± I said. ¡°Mostly.¡± Luke laughed. ¡°Okay, you made me laugh. What kind of favor do you need?¡± I was wondering if you could get some information for me.¡± What kind of information?¡± Luke asked. He sounded a bit apprehensive, which was strange for a reporter. I need everything you can get on my co-worker''s murder.¡± Don''t you mean your ex-co-worker?¡± Luke asked. ¡°He was only killed last night.¡± It sounds like you''ve already got something.¡± Like what?¡± Luke evaded my statement. Well, you already know his time of death. The police didn''t release that yet.¡± Luke sighed into the phone. ¡°Okay, you got me Drake. But I want something in return.¡± There''s not a lot I can give, Luke. You know my current situation has put a stopper on my old lifestyle.¡± Well, how about we trade info then?¡± I wasn''t sure I liked where this was headed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Now who''s being evasive?¡± Alright. I''ll share any info I have for any info you have.¡± I said. About any murders you have access to?¡± I slapped my hand on my forehead. Of course! He wants to know about Spelmann. I had to think about it for a minute. ¡°It goes against my better judgment, but all right.¡± Great. I''ll meet you anywhere you want.¡± You can''t tell me over the phone?¡± I asked. I knew what his answer was going to be before he said it. And what''s to stop you from hanging up before you tell me anything?¡± Luke responded. Come over to my place and I''ll make sure we''re alone. At least enough to protect your tender sensibilities.¡± I said and I could almost see his smile over the phone. Done. I''ll be there in a little while. I''ve got some things I have to gather up for you.¡± I''ll see you then.¡± I said and hung up. 007 Connections Two hours later, Luke arrived at my front door with a small manila folder under his arm. He was dressed in the basic reporter garb of brown slacks, a white shirt that needed a good ironing, and a tweed coat. You know, the one with the fake leather patches on the elbows. I was pretty sure that he couldn''t afford a real one on a reporter''s salary; but, he never told me what he makes for a salary anyway, so who was I to judge? Mikki chose that time to come home from work. Actually, I had called and told her that Luke was coming over and that I needed a chaperone that could handle the messy stuff that we were going to talk about. It was just a bonus that she happened to be there at the first crime scene with Spelmann and she could corroborate my story. We all went into the kitchen and settled down at the table. To my surprise, Natalie had taken the liberty of arranging coffee and cookies before she left for work. I started to pour out coffee for Mikki and myself. ¡°Coffee, Luke?¡± No, thanks.¡± Luke scoffed. ¡°I don''t know how you can drink that stuff.¡± How can you not drink it?¡± I asked with a tone of amusement, because someone that didn''t enjoy a good cup of coffee didn''t know what they were missing. I couldn''t function without at least one cup of coffee in the morning. Lately, it''s been two or three and I was still sleeping a lot more than I should have. How about a cookie? They''re homemade.¡± I said and motioned to the heaping plate on the counter. Not yours, I hope.¡± Luke said as he grabbed one and bit into it. I rolled over to him quickly and smacked him in the back. He covered his head with his arms and laughed. ¡°I''m kidding. I''m kidding!¡± It would serve you right if I did make them!¡± I said with fake indignation, then the three of us laughed. After a few minutes, I broke the levity. Let''s get down to business.¡± I said. Your word you''ll spill the beans about the Spelmann murder?¡± Luke asked, unsure. I already gave it. Let''s see what you''ve got.¡± Luke handed over the folder and there wasn''t much in it. There was a short write up on Hal''s murder, a copy of the police report, and photos from the inside of the apartment. I picked them up and the look on my face must have been one of slight shock, because both Luke and Mikki spoke at the same time. What is it?¡± Luke asked. What''s wrong?¡± Mikki asked. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. The pictures looked like they could have been taken in the back room at Spelmann''s shop. I gave Luke a knowing look and told them how similar the two crime scenes were. Luke chimed in with excitement in his voice. ¡°Oh, baby! A serial killer!¡± Just because the two crime scenes are similar, does not make it a serial killer case.¡± I clarified. What do you mean, just two?¡± Luke said with a slight smile on his face. I gave him a stern look. ¡°You sneaky bastard. What aren''t you telling us?¡± Let''s just say that there have been a few murders like this over the last few months.¡± What?¡± I blurted before I could stop myself. It''s been a side bet that I have with the other reporters. We''ve been hunting down all the leads to these crimes and came up with nothing. All dead ends.¡± Luke said and didn''t even ask for forgiveness for the bad pun. I sighed. ¡°Do I even want to know who the other victims are?¡± Maybe. It depends.¡± Luke said. ¡°Technically, the crimes happened in other states and countries, so there''s no real way to connect them together. You know how jurisdictional these cops assholes are.¡± He said and then ducked his head. ¡°Ah, present company excluded.¡± I had to chuckle. ¡°Hey, I can be an asshole sometimes.¡± I waved at the chair. ¡°As my not insignificantly beautiful partner can attest.¡± I pointed at Mikki. Jesus, can he ever.¡± Mikki laughed and ignored the beautiful comment. Luke perked up at our words and smiled. ¡°We can''t link the crimes officially; but, we all agree that it should definitely be the same guy. The list of the victims is in the folder.¡± I put the photos down and shuffled the papers around, and there it was. The list that changed my life. Gestapo Marks, Mexico City, Mexico Gail Collette, New York, NY Jack Talbot, during vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii Bernard Jackson, Los Angeles, California Beth Perkins, Dallas, Texas Arthur Spelmann, Colorado Hal Brooks, Colorado I read the list several times before I finally made sense of it. It came as quite a shock to find out that I had met or had known, not just some, but every person on the list except for Spelmann. He was the only one that didn''t fit the pattern, so I managed to hide most of my reaction. I passed the list to Mikki and she read it. She didn''t get it, though. I hadn''t told her my entire history in detail, so that was understandable. I knew Luke and his reporter pals were looking for a common thread between these crimes; but, I wasn''t ready just yet for him to know about my connections to these people. So much for sharing everything I knew about the murders. I thought and tried to ask a question to cover up my sudden shock. ¡°That''s seven murders within the last two months.¡± I said. ¡°Do they all have the same details to each crime scene?¡± Luke responded with the same passionless tone all reporters get when reporting the facts. ¡°Yep. Every single one was mutilated so bad that the walls and floor were covered in blood.¡± Were the organs missing from the other victims as well?¡± I asked. Organs? There were organs missing?¡± Luke asked with enthusiasm at the tidbit of new information. Oh, crap. I thought I knew when to keep my big mouth shut. I sighed. I guess not. ¡°That''s off the record.¡± Aw, come on Drake. This could break the case wide open!¡± Luke nearly yelled. No, it could tip off the killer.¡± I said to try and convince Luke to sit on the information. ¡°He could start leaving the organs at the crime scenes to throw us off his trail, so please... keep it off the record... for now at least. You''ll need proof from the other crimes to corroborate my claim anyway.¡± You''re right.¡± Luke nodded. ¡°I''ll make some calls in the morning and try to weasel my way into getting a copy of the coroner''s reports.¡± He thought about it for a minute, then gave me an inquisitive glare. ¡°Is there anything else I should be asking about?¡± Whew. Crisis temporarily averted. I thought. ¡°If I think of anything else, I''ll let you know.¡± Well, I guess I better go. Research to do, places to be and everything.¡± Luke said. ¡°Thanks for the info.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°You know, these cookies are really good. Can I take some with me?¡± Both Mikki and I answered at the same time. ¡°Help yourself.¡± Luke almost giggled as he grabbed several of them and put them in his pockets. We all said our goodbyes and Mikki offered to walk him out to his car. I shouldn''t have let the organ clue slip. I castigated myself. Sanchez would kick me off the team if he found out. Oh, wait. I''m not on the team anymore. I smiled sadly. I would have to keep a closer reign on my tidbits of information from now on. You never knew when they might come in handy as a bargaining chip. Mikki came back into the kitchen just as I was pouring my second cup of coffee. I got it from the large coffee percolator that Mikki and Natalie had given to me. The thing was huge and brewed ten to fifteen cups of coffee at a time, and they tasted great. Tonight''s flavor was Mocha Vanilla Fudge. I used to hate the different flavors of coffee you could buy at the coffee shop. For some people, it was too difficult to decide beforehand what flavor they wanted. I always had trouble since all I wanted was a plain cup of coffee. None of that double latte with extra foam and green sprinkles crap. I wanted real coffee. I usually ended up buying nothing, because they would say that they didn''t serve the kind of coffee I wanted. I never knew that it was because I was such a hard ass about it that they just didn''t want to serve me anymore. I wondered to myself if I should tell Mikki about me knowing nearly all of the victims. Was I really ready to be this open with her? If I did tell her, would she make me turn the info over to the police because I was the connecting thread between the crimes or would she let me go on and investigate on my own? Do I want to give over that decision to her? I asked myself, then mentally shook my head. No. It''s my decision, and I''m going to make it. I filled Mikki in on what I actually found out from Luke''s victim list, that I knew those people and had met them at some point in my life.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. It could be just a coincidence.¡± Mikki said. ¡°Just because you knew or met these people at some time in your life, they had been killed before, during, and after your accident.¡± I realize that.¡± I said and went over it in my head. ¡°I just...¡± _______________ You have a serious choice to make. Do you want to withhold evidence from the police and potentially derail their investigation for your own safety, or will you take the chance and expose yourself to the potential for intense scrutiny? A) Stay quiet as a church mouse and hide. B) Bite the bullet and face the consequences. Definitely B. I thought. _______________ I don''t like withholding potential evidence from the police, Mikki.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°Unless I have to.¡± Mikki chuckled and gave me a kiss. ¡°Then you know what you have to do.¡± I had made my decision and called Sanchez. I left a message for him to call me back because I had info on the murders, as in multiple. That should get his attention. I thought. After I hung up I realized that I didn''t say which murders. Oh, well. He might call me back faster now. No sooner had I finished that thought when the phone rang. I told Sanchez what I had learned about the other crimes and that I had known the victims, except for Spelmann. He told me that I should come down to the station and give an official statement later today. I responded that I would try, except that I had pretty much filled my running around quota for the week, because I had done more travelling in my wheelchair over the last few days than when I had the use of my legs. Sanchez laughed. ¡°Just get your ass down to the station as soon as you can.¡± He said and hung up. After about half an hour, there was a knock on the front door. Mikki started to get up from the couch to answer it and I told her I would get it. I couldn''t let her do all the work around here when we were alone. It was probably Luke anyway, since he forgot his folder on the kitchen table. I couldn''t see out the peephole on the front door. How did the guys forget to move that? I asked myself. Of course, I would only see crotches if they had. I thought with a chuckle and opened the door. To my surprise, it wasn''t Luke. A rather tall gentleman stood in my doorway. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and a professional manicure with clear nail polish and everything. He also wore a finely tailored suit, dark blue with a thin pinstripe, and a bowler hat. Who wears bowler hats these days? I asked myself, a little confused. ¡°Hello?¡± Are you Mr. Drake?¡± The man asked. That depends. Who''s asking?¡± My name is Thomas Anders and I have a proposition for you.¡± Sorry. I''m not buying anything today. Thanks.¡± I started to close the door. Thomas stepped forward and blocked it with his foot. ¡°You misunderstand me. I''d like to hire you.¡± Oh. I thought. ¡°My apologies. I thought you were a salesman.¡± It''s the hat, isn''t it?¡± Thomas asked. It was the hat; but, I just shrugged. He took off the hat. It was a present from my wife.¡± Thomas said and turned around and waved to a very pretty woman that sat on the passenger side of a Mercedes Benz parked on the street outside of my house. Even from this far away I could see the diamond necklace she wore as it sparkled in the sunlight. I wasn''t sure how women could feel comfortable wearing a few hundred thousand dollars worth of jewellery around their necks. Mr. Anders'' wife doesn''t seem to have a problem with it, though. Thomas turned back to me with a million dollar smile on his face and I knew it wasn''t for my benefit. He really loved his wife. It had been my experience that rich people don''t have the same moral backgrounds as regular people. I wasn''t saying that they are worse or better than us, just different... and there I was making him stand outside on my front porch like the salesman I didn''t want to buy anything from. Would you like to come in?¡± I asked and rolled backwards and out of the way. I''d be delighted. Thank you.¡± Thomas said and came inside. What about your wife?¡± I asked before I shut the door. She wanted to wait in the car. Amanda doesn''t care about the details, just that it gets done.¡± I motioned for him to sit on the couch as I closed the front door. Did I just notice a flicker of disdain on his wife''s face just as I turned away? I wondered. ¡°Now, what is it you wanted to hire me for?¡± I would like to have an ancestor raised from the dead.¡± Sorry, but I''m not a part of...¡± I know.¡± Thomas said and cut me off. ¡°We were there earlier today. When we asked for you they informed us of your current status.¡± Who did they get to take the job?¡± I asked, curious. No one.¡± But, you just said...¡± Everyone we have talked to, claims you are the only one who can do what we need. Legally at least.¡± Aha! I thought. No, I did not say ''aha'' out loud. ¡°How old is your ancestor?¡± He is approximately a hundred and eighty years old, give or take a decade or two.¡± He wanted me to raise a hundred and eighty year old corpse? Well, that''s... interesting. I thought. With the way my power had been acting up lately, always right there on the surface, I believed that I could do it. I don''t mean I might be able to do it, I meant I should be able do it. Pretty easily, too. I was as sure of it as I was of raising a ten year-old corpse, which I could do in my sleep. Don''t ask me how I know that. There are dozens of people across the country that could do what you want.¡± I said, instead of what I was thinking. Yes, but you are the only one who could do it quickly, with a minimal amount of fuss, and without a... human sacrifice.¡± Thomas said and almost didn''t wince. ¡°It is, how you would say, a sellers market.¡± I almost laughed. Tell me about it. I thought. I had heard of dabblers in necromancy that took the money and ran without even trying to raise a zombie that old, probably because they couldn''t. I had even heard of a man that got the death penalty after attempting something like this and not having it work with the human sacrifice. The clients had been so angry that the zombie wasn''t raised after spending all that money, that they turned the animator in for the murder. Little did they realize that they were complicit in the crime and their trial for negligent homicide was still pending. Why do you want him raised?¡± I asked. Do you want the truth or an elaborate lie that just sounds like the truth?¡± Talk about tough decisions. I thought. Which one would I normally pick? Yep. You got it. ¡°Truth.¡± Very well. This ancestor was a slave merchant. He bartered, bought, and sold slaves.¡± And?¡± That doesn''t shock you?¡± Thomas asked, surprised. ¡°My family made its money from slavery!¡± Mr. Anders, if your family didn''t do it back then, someone else would have. I''ve actually raised a few people who swindled all of their money from the people around them and even one man who had robbed banks.¡± I smiled. ¡°Before you ask, yes, it was the bank that paid me to raise him.¡± Thomas nodded and I knew that was what he was going to ask. That''s just the way things happened at the time. I won''t throw stones at you now for what your great-whatever grandfather did.¡± That''s mighty generous of you, Mr. Drake.¡± Please, call me David.¡± Of course, David.¡± You haven''t answered my question.¡± I said. ¡°Why do you want him raised?¡± You have a one track mind. Determined. I like that.¡± Thomas said and almost smiled. ¡°He was a slaver and made several ledgers to cover up what he actually did with all the money he made. We found several of them hidden in a small space under the floorboards in his office, with his journal. I brought the journal with me if you would like to see it.¡± Sure.¡± I said. Thomas reached into his breast pocket and I tensed up, as did Mikki. I didn''t have my gun with me, since I couldn''t wear my holster while sitting in my wheelchair, so I was screwed if he drew a weapon out. It was so stupid of me not to have checked him for weapons first. Bad David, bad. I thought and quickly glanced at Mikki. She shook her head and I relaxed, because everything was fine. She couldn''t smell anything from him. Thomas took out a small leather bound book and handed it to me. It was dated eighteen hundred and thirty-two. I carefully opened it to the center of the book and read a little. The handwriting was actually printing, so close together that it looked like writing. The pages were so small that I supposed you had to write like that. It really was just a journal. No flamboyant stories or anything outrageous, either. It was just a day-to-day account of what his ancestor did. I flipped a few pages and handed it back to him. There was no need for me to comb it for details if there weren''t any significant ones in it for me to find. In this journal he mentions five ledgers, but we only have three.¡± You want to know where the other two are. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through for a couple of old books.¡± These books are almost two centuries old. I''ve had the ones we found appraised and they are of significant value, both historically and monetary. If we had the entire set...¡± It could make them almost invaluable.¡± I finished for him and he nodded. Exactly.¡± You know it''ll be really expensive.¡± Money is no object.¡± Thomas said. I''ve had clients say that until they got the bill.¡± Which was true. My old boss was still in litigation over the terms of an unpaid bill with a client. We told them how much it was and completed the job. They got what they wanted and when they got the bill, they said it was outrageous and unjustified. Very well. How much?¡± For a century old it''s about thirty grand, and another ten for every fifty years older than that. A two hundred year old corpse would be around fifty thousand.¡± I said and managed to not cringe when I said it. ¡°Oh, and that includes the purchasing of livestock.¡± Thomas nodded. ¡°To put both of our minds at ease, I can pay you half up front and half when the job is done.¡± I haven''t said I would take the job yet.¡± I said. Please, Mr. Drake...David. Don''t insult my intelligence.¡± Thomas smiled. ¡°I noticed your face brightened up when I said how old he was.¡± Dammit, I didn''t think I let that show. I thought. I was out of practice in more skills than I thought I was. I would have to keep a closer eye on Mr. Anders in the future, I think. I sighed and it was his turn for his face to light up. When do you need it done by?¡± I asked. Whenever you can find the time.¡± Thomas said, almost excitedly. ¡°Would you like a check now or would you like it deposited into your account directly?¡± Deposit is fine.¡± I said. ¡°I need to warn you, though. If I find out anything that''s different from what you''ve told me, my price doubles. If I find out you openly lied to me about anything, I''ll keep the money you gave me and drop the job completely.¡± Thomas smiled again. ¡°I would expect nothing less from a shrewd business deal.¡± He said and took something from his pocket. It was a sealed envelope with his contact information on the front and he handed it to me. ¡°Here are the details. If you have any questions, please don''t hesitate to call me.¡± Thomas stood up and offered me his hand. I shook it briefly and I rolled the wheelchair over to my front door. He put on his hat as he followed me and after I opened the door, he stepped out into the fresh air. Have yourself a great day, David.¡± Thomas said. You, too Mr. Anders.¡± Please, if I can call you David, you can call me Thomas.¡± All right, Thomas.¡± Thomas smiled at me, turned away and walked over to his car, then got in. Mikki came to the door and hugged me from behind while I watched the Anders'' drive away in their brand new Mercedes. I figured it was about time you did some zombie raising.¡± Mikki said. You know what will happen if I don''t do it willingly, it''ll just happen anyway. I''m a little nervous, though. Do you think Mr. Anders would mind if I showed up with an entourage to keep me company?¡± I don''t think he would know the difference if you didn''t tell him.¡± Mikki said with a smile and I closed the door. She was right; but, I was pretty sure that I was only going to take a couple of people with me. Just in case. 008 Touching Darkness You have the choice to go to the police station to make a statement or to pursue your own interests. A) Tell Sanchez everything you know about the victims. B) Do your own thing. I seriously thought about spilling the whole can of beans as soon as possible. It was pretty important information... if it actually amounted to anything and wasn''t just a coincidence, like Mikki thought. It was then that I realized there wouldn''t be much the police could do until tomorrow anyways. I''m picking B this time. I thought, a little selfishly. It was getting pretty late at night, so going to the police station to make a statement was out. What I really wanted to do tonight was go to the cemetery and visit the ancestor for Mr. Anders. I almost had an ache in my bones to do it. It was like that itch on your back that no matter what you did, you just couldn''t scratch that one spot. I needed to scratch it, so I made a few calls. One was to Mikki''s pack of were-cats, with her enthusiastic backing of course, and I arranged for a couple of were-cats to accompany us to the cemetery for guard duty. Jillian offered and said that she would bring another, and Charlie was Mikki''s normal bodyguard and would be coming, too. I also convinced Natalie to come along, just for some company. The next call was to a lawyer that was on retainer for my old resurrection company. It wasn''t unethical for me to contact Joe, since he had handled a few things for me in the past. He wasn''t exclusively tied to the business and taking me on as a client for a police consultation was right up his alley. I let him know about the statement I needed to make the next day, asked if he was available, and could he meet me there. He said that he wasn''t busy and would meet me. I thanked him profusely and hung up. The last call was to Nina. It was after dusk and she was wide awake, thankfully. I filled her in on my plans for tonight and she said that she would happily come along. So, after loading up with my gun on my lap and a knife in my boot, Mikki, Nina, Natalie, and myself were headed out to the cemetery with three bodyguards. How could Mr. and Mrs. Anders not know something was up if I appeared with seven people, just to let me visit a grave? I almost laughed at that, because if I still had the use of my legs, I would have gone all by myself. Oh, no! Not again! I thought in desperation and punched myself in the leg. It didn''t hurt. NO! I can''t feel anything! ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I was kind of dumbstruck, even knowing who she was. ¡°Angelica, I''m only checking out the cemetery tonight.¡± ¡°I know you are. I just have a feeling that you are going to achieve something you''ve never done before. This is one of the oldest zombies you have ever tried to raise, so I can only assume that is what I''m picking up on. You might not be raising it tonight, but... you will eventually. Have a good night.¡± I was almost at a loss for words. ¡°You, too. It was nice hearing from you.¡± Angelica laughed and it made me shiver, in a good way. ¡°Such sweet truthful lies.¡± She said. ¡°Goodnight, David.¡± ¡°Goodnight.¡± I said. When she hung up, I felt much better about... well, everything. Angelica always seemed to have that effect on me. Even though she was a powerful clairvoyant, she always tried to lead me to answers, rather than just give them to me. She just advised me on my choices and told me to make one. It can sure be annoying sometimes. While I was on the phone with Angelica, the rest of the group had piled out of the vehicles and assembled their weapons for bodyguard duty. I recognized an MP5 and an AK47, then one of my impromptu guards had a make of gun that I hadn''t seen before. Jillian said his name was Miguel.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Miguel, if you don''t mind my asking, what is that?¡± I asked and pointed to the odd looking weapon on his back. He smiled and pulled the thing from its holster. It had a shiny metallic sheen and reflected the light like a mirror. It had a long double barrel that was perforated with small holes like an uzi, held two clips on the underside of its stock, and had what looked like a shoulder mount. ¡°This here''s a custom job. A double magazine connected to two air filtered barrels for quick firing. It fires fifty rounds per second from each barrel, and can hold either two straight clips from a regular uzi or a large mushroom clip. The guy I had do it up for me called it a ¡®super-uzi''. Yeah, I know it''s a stupid name, but hey, it was his idea.¡± Miguel said as he smiled. ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± I said and admired the thing. ¡°What do you use it for?¡± ¡°Crowd control.¡± Miguel said with a toothy grin and that made the other two bodyguards laugh. If I was still in the business, I would surely be tempted to get one of those. It had to be painted completely black to get rid of that metallic sheen, though. You would never sneak in anywhere with something that flashy if you didn''t conceal it. Considering my current situation, there wasn''t much chance of that, so I didn''t ask him where he had it made. I opened my car door and let Mikki put me in my wheelchair, then she told everyone to gather around. I waited for them to come over to me before I spoke. ¡°Listen up everyone, because I''m only going to say this once. I haven''t done this in almost two months and I''m a bit out of practice. I''m not planning on anything to go wrong tonight; but, if anything does, I don''t want you to shoot everything in sight unless I tell you to. Understand?¡± All the bodyguards nodded their heads while Mikki and Natalie shook theirs in disbelief. ¡°Your treating this like an incursion into hostile territory.¡± Mikki said teasingly. ¡°Of course I am. That''s because it is.¡± I said and pat her hand. ¡°I would be stupid if I didn''t treat it that way after being away from the job for so long, not to mention wasting the time of my bodyguards.¡± There was a murmur of agreement from the bodyguards I just mentioned, Jillian included. I had Mikki move me towards the graveyard and the others fanned out around me. When the tires of the wheelchair rolled onto the sanctified ground, a shiver went through me. I sat there and inhaled a huge breathe through my nose and let it out through my mouth. It had been a long time since I smelled the fresh night air and the pungent smell of gravestone mold at the same time. I looked around at my entourage and I think I was the only one that was comforted by it. The were-cats were a little jumpy, being in a graveyard at night, and they seemed a little unnerved by the eerie calm. Nina however, being a vampire, was like me and revelled in the night. Even though I was alive, I have always had more in common with the dead than with the living. I wasn''t sure if it was because of the necromancy in my blood or just my personality. One of the reasons I had brought Nina along was because the living interfered with my connection to the dead. Mikki had offered to carry me around the cemetery, so I could do my thing, and I knew that I couldn''t do it with her. I needed to touch the dead and that was where Nina came in. I asked her to pick me up, which surprised her for a moment, then delight covered her face. She carefully picked me up and cradled me in her arms like a child. I looked absolutely ridiculous, proven by the amused looks on the were-cats, then my hand touched Nina''s bare neck. My power flared at the simple touch and a small burst of it flowed over everyone present. It was much stronger than it had been the last time I had used it and Nina stood still as a statue as she adjusted to the cool power flowing out of me and into her. The were-cats shivered as it touched them and asked me to try and ease off. I held in my sigh as I explained that I didn''t do it on purpose. My power was strongest at night and with this many dead around me, it was like a Molotov cocktail. The problem was, I was about to light it and throw it. I always imagined my necromancy was like a large fist and that I had to unfold my ¡®fingers'' to use it. Until recently, that was literally true. Now? All I had to do was let my new self know it had a job to do, and there it was. No calling of power, no lengthy rituals, it was just there. I think I''m going to like this new me. I had assumed that I needed Nina to walk me around the cemetery like I used to do, which was impossible now that I had a wheelchair; but, I felt like that particular action was no longer needed. I let my power out and it floated down into the earth, then it flowed through the ground and searched over the remnants of caskets and bodies. After a few minutes, I was a little surprised that I could feel every grave in the entire cemetery. I could even ¡®taste'' them in my head, which was a new experience. There wasn''t a grave in this place that was under a century old, and I knew them all. If I concentrated on a specific one, I was sure that I could learn about who they were without having to look at their gravestone. A lot of cemeteries have ghosts, spirits, remnants, or presences that just hang around like they don''t know what to do with themselves, now that they were dead. No one had been able to tell if they were parts of souls, psychic abilities, or just faint memories that were too stubborn to abandon the mortal realm when the physical body died. This cemetery had about a dozen of them that were spread all over. I told everyone to keep their eyes forward and to ignore anything that tries to grab them, then I told Nina to walk. The new bodyguard, Miguel, didn''t quite believe me until he was tripped by a semi-solid ghost hand and fell flat on his face. Now he believed me and kept his eyes scanning for threats and ignored everything near the ground. Not surprisingly, I didn''t need the directions Mr. Anders gave me, or the name on the headstone. I knew where the plot was that held his ancestor. I could also tell if there was a ritual performed, or if the grave was ever disturbed, or even empty, and now I could confirm that I could tell who was in the graves. It felt so right, like I had been playing the role of a necromancer my whole life, without really being one, and now I finally understood what it meant to really be one. I couldn''t see my own eyes; but, I knew that they must be glowing black as my power flowed out. Everything was in sharp focus and I could see all the details around me, and not just the ones you could see with the naked eye. I pointed in the direction we had to go and Nina took me over to Mr. Anders'' family plot. She carried me and the rest of my entourage followed us. My power flowed all around us and I could feel everyone like they were rocks in a stream, only I was the stream and they looked like they were standing in shivering cold water. Natalie was the first to say anything. ¡°Good god, David. I''ve felt you do this kind of stuff before, but... this is...¡± Totally freaking you out?¡± I asked with a smile. Yeah.¡± Natalie said and rubbed her arms. Everyone nodded slightly in agreement, except Nina. She loved the feeling and I could feel one of her nipples poking my side. Despite what had happened the last time we had been together, she had pushed the incident aside and had forgotten it. Vampires seemed to be like that. A scary thing happens, then they get over it quickly and move on. I wish I could do that. I thought. We came up to the plot in question and I felt the pull of centuries. I could tell you the age of this grave almost to the day. It was almost fifty years older than what Mr. Anders said; but, I knew I could still do it. I wouldn''t require a cow or a lame horse, either. A goat would do it, or even a couple of chickens. Good God, I could do it. I thought, shocking myself. Just wait until Hank finds out about this. He''ll be salivating at the minimum hundred grand per job! I started to wonder how long it will take for the other workers at the company to vote me back in once they found out. I laughed in my head and I eased off the flow of power, then I chuckled at the chorus of relieved sighs from the were-cats. I''m done here.¡± I said and they all turned and prepared to go back to the cars. I wanted to do the job right now. I really wanted to. I held in my sigh and convinced myself that I didn''t have what I needed and pulled my power back to only a trickle of what it just was. I don''t think I have ever seen bodyguards so relieved to have a job over so quickly, so I half jokingly told them that I would need them tomorrow night as well. Only Jillian said she would come back, with some new help of course. It wasn''t good when you could rattle the guards trying to protect you. Charlie, Mikki''s bodyguard, just laughed and said that he would come back too, just so he could see the whole show. We all piled back into our respective cars after some brief farewells and the other two cars drove away. Nina was especially affectionate as she sat me in the passenger side of the jeep. She thanked me for using her as a medium for my ability, which was something she hadn''t done before. She gave me several tender kisses, whispered that she wanted to do a lot more than that, then disappeared from sight. I don''t know why she keeps doing that.¡± Mikki said. Because she can?¡± I asked. Mikki shook her head and shut my door while Natalie got in the back. We left the cemetery and drove home. I didn''t fall asleep and stayed awake this time. I did not want a repeat performance of whatever it was that had happened before. Because of that, I definitely had a long overdue appointment with a hot bath and cuddling with two of my main squeezes. We got home to a blinking light on the answering machine. I wasn''t going to answer it, then Mikki had to be all practical and said that it might be for her or Natalie. I sighed and pushed the button to start the messages on my way to the kitchen. I needed a quick snack and went to the refrigerator. While I checked for food, the messages played. *Whirrr. Click.* Hi, this is Mikki''s dad, Carl. I just wanted to make sure Mikki was available for work tomorrow.¡± The voice paused for a moment. ¡°Goddamn, I hate answering machines. They make me sound stupid.¡± *Beep.* Mikki and Natalie laughed at their dad. Hi, David. This is Luke. I got the other coroner reports. You aren''t going to believe it! The other crimes had the organs missing too! We got our serial killer! I''ve already passed on the relevant info to the police, just in case you didn''t get the chance. I did it anonymously, of course. I can''t give up my sources like that. So... can I publish it now?¡± He paused for a brief moment. ¡°I hope you said yes, because it''s in the morning edition with my name on it. You didn''t expect me to sit on it forever, did you? Bye!¡± He chuckled and hung up. *Beep.* Well, at least he gave it to the police instead of surprising them with it. I thought and made several sandwiches. What a slap in the face that would have been to the police, especially since Luke had been right about it being a serial killer and they didn''t agree. My darling, I know things have been... uncomfortable between us lately. Please call me as soon as possible. Thank you.¡± Jeanette''s voice said, and you could feel that she was being magnanimous. *Beep.* *Click. Whirrr.* The tape stopped and rewound itself. No actual cop business, were-cat business, or anything else that needed to be done right away, which meant that it was time for that much needed relaxation I so desperately craved. We ate our sandwiches and then we went to the bedroom. Mikki drew the bath and added a few bubbles. I didn''t want too many bubbles, now that I had to keep a close eye on the sides of the tub. The three of us got undressed and Natalie climbed in first, then Mikki slipped me into the tub to Natalie''s waiting arms. The water was just on the good side of hot, exactly the way I liked it, and then Mikki joined us. She slid in close like we were puzzle pieces and the three of us settled down into the water and cuddled. I was warm and comforted, which was the best feeling in the world, and fell right to sleep. 009 Grave Mistake I woke up, startled, and splashed the water as I flailed my arms around, except that I was in my bed. My arms were quickly caught and Mikki and Natalie whispered into my ears. Apparently, I had fallen asleep in the bathtub while in their arms and after a short while, they bathed me and dried me off, then took me to bed. Did I hurt you?¡± I asked, worried my flailing might have struck them, and they both laughed under their breath. They cuddled into my sides and purred as they nuzzled my neck on each side. I was flooded with relied and relaxed, then let out a purr of my own. Mikki and Natalie caught their breath as their beast hearts reacted to a male calling to them and they couldn''t help react to it. Their purrs intensified and the vibrations sent pleasurable shivers down my spine. I turned my head to Mikki and kissed her, then I moved my head down slightly and bit her neck. She froze solid and didn''t move a muscle as I growled. Ohhhh!¡± Mikki moaned and came. I let her neck go and she stared at me in surprise, then I turned my head to look at Natalie. She already had her neck exposed and was eager for me to do the same thing. I let out a low chuckle and kissed her neck, then bit her. Natalie froze and let out a moaning purr that was so cute, I had to bite her harder. Mmmmm.¡± Natalie moaned and I tasted blood. My necromancy power perked up as her blood rolled over my tongue and I sucked on the bleeding teeth marks on her neck. What... what am I doing? I asked myself as I licked her neck and I saw the perfect set of bloody teeth marks that I had left in her skin. What am I becoming? It took me several moments to rally my common sense and I fought my instincts, just so I wouldn''t hurt Natalie more than I already had. She must have sensed something was wrong because she stopped moaning in pleasure and turned her head to look at me. David...¡± Natalie started to say and then she kissed me with her own blood still on my lips. ¡°...thank you.¡± What?¡± I stared into her eyes and my power receded in my confusion. You claimed me, too.¡± Natalie said as a happy smile appeared on her face. ¡°You could have stopped at just Mikki and I wouldn''t have said anything, because you both love each other so much.¡± She said and kissed me again. ¡°Instead, you gave me the same mark and included me, too.¡± I...¡± I looked at Mikki and she had a happy smile on her face, too. ¡°You approve.¡± Of course I do.¡± Mikki said. ¡°I know Natalie loves you just as much as I do... and you love her, too.¡± I took a deep breath and let it out. ¡°Yes. Yes, I do.¡± I knew it!¡± Natalie said excitedly and gave me several quick kisses. ¡°You love me! You love me! You love me!¡± I couldn''t help but laugh at her reaction, then Mikki got in on it and they both took turns giving me kisses. This lasted for several minutes, then the alarm went off for us to get up. They stopped, albeit reluctantly, and we all got dressed. I let Mikki help me into my wheelchair and I didn''t complain about it. She gave me a kiss for not arguing about it and caressed my cheek. I went out into the kitchen and the coffee maker was already on and warming up. How did Natalie do that? I asked myself as I poured a cup for myself, Mikki, and Natalie. She must have been in bed since last night and the coffee looked like it had been done for several minutes. I guess that was one of the mysteries of the universe. I thought in amusement. Natalie came over to me and gave me a big hug, accepted her cup, passed one to her older sister, then she sat down at the table. ¡°You better call Joe and make sure he can meet us at the station for your statement.¡± Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that.¡± I said and reached for the phone. Just then it rang and I continued the motion and picked it up. ¡°Hello?¡± David? It''s me, Joe.¡± Hi, Joe. I was just going to call you.¡± I said. I wanted to touch base with you and make sure you knew that I''ll be at the station at ten o''clock.¡± Thanks, Joe. I appreciate it.¡± Not a problem.¡± Joe said, then he whispered. ¡°Hey. Stop that, dammit.¡± I thought I heard soft giggling in the background. Melanie says hi.¡± Joe said. I''m pretty sure that''s not what she said.¡± I said teasingly and Joe laughed. ¡°You''ve been married a few years now and you still act like love sick teenagers.¡± David.¡± Joe started to chide me. Hey, I''m not knocking it. In fact...¡± I reached out to the table and both Mikki and Natalie hopped over and snuggled me. Mikki nuzzled the back of my neck and then bit gently. It gave me a shudder down my spine and I took a sharp breath. ¡°...I''ve got a bit of that going myself.¡± Good for us.¡± Joe said seriously, then we both laughed over the phone over the shared intimate moment. I told him I would meet him at ten. Mikki left for work and Natalie put me into the jeep. I had been tempted to call a bodyguard to keep us company, then thought it was the middle of the day and I would be at a police station. If anything was going to happen, I should be perfectly safe. Joe and I met Sanchez at the station in the ¡®statement'' room. They could call it whatever they like; but, to me it always was and always had been an interrogation room. I didn''t even give a real statement. It was a full blown interrogation. Sanchez asked all the questions and I answered as best as I could. Usually Joe had to chime in and defend me when I got badgered with questioning; but today, he just got to sit there and listen to all the details, mainly because he needed to hear them all, too. After about an hour and a half, I had pretty much told Sanchez everything in my life that had to do with the people on the list, except for Mr. Spelmann. All I said about him was that I had only made the appointment the day before the body was found. I didn''t know him personally or professionally. The others on the list were an old girlfriend, my first boss, someone I had met in Mexico while on a case with Edward, a college friend, my next door neighbour when I lived in another city about ten years ago, and the bar owner from there. Mr. Spelmann didn''t fit into that personal of a list at all. Sanchez sat there and stewed on that information for several minutes and didn''t say anything, then he let a huge grin show on his face. ¡°Thanks a lot for coming over and giving all of this to us to follow up on.¡± He said and a moment later, a woman came into the room and gave him several sheets of paper. He hadn''t been thinking about it at all. I thought with a smile. He had just been waiting for the paperwork. Both Joe and I signed my ''statement'' and Sanchez walked us out to the waiting room. Natalie had waited patiently for us in there and she, Joe, and I headed down to the parking lot together. Thanks for coming down with me, even though it turned out that I didn''t really need you for much, except as a witness.¡± I said with a slightly amused tone to my voice.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. That''s okay. I needed the money, anyway.¡± Joe said with a laugh. It''s true, then! You only love me for my money!¡± I said with a tone of righteous indignation and a huge smile. Oh, the horrible truth is revealed at last.¡± Joe said and shook my hand. ¡°Feel better, David. It''s been really nice seeing you again.¡± Yeah, it was.¡± I said, genuinely surprised that was true. ¡°Say, maybe we could get together sometime. I''ve got a lot of free time that I have no idea what to do with now.¡± Joe had to laugh at that. ¡°You know, that would be nice. Just a guy''s night out. Melanie''s going away next week to visit her folks, too. I''ll give you a call on the weekend to set something up.¡± Sure.¡± I said. ¡°See you later, Joe.¡± Joe waved to us as he got into his car and then drove away. _______________ You have a choice that could change how things progress. Do you want to go home and relax, or do you want to do some investigation on your own? A) Go home. B) Look into the murders. C) Find some information about Mr. Anders'' ancestor. Well, I could try to look into the murders, except that I don''t have a clue where to go to start looking. I thought. Hmm. Home or research? I asked myself and nodded. Research it is. _______________ I figured since we were in town anyway, we might as well pay a visit to the library. I had to track down the town records for the Anders family, assuming the records still existed. There was no way that Thomas'' story added up. Natalie brought me to the library and after a talk with the librarian, she led us into a large back room that was full of old newspapers and things. Please be very careful with these. Most of them haven''t been transferred to storage film yet.¡± The librarian said. ¡°I will stay with you for as long as I can to help.¡± Thank you.¡± I said sincerely, and we got to work. It took about an hour of research for us to find what I needed and I discovered that Thomas wasn''t telling me the whole truth. Some of the headstones in that particular graveyard had been replaced after the cemetery was ransacked in the early 1800''s. Although the names of the people buried there had survived, a lot of the dates were mixed up in the original records and the ''new'' headstones were completely wrong. I thanked the librarian for her help and asked if there was a donation jar or something for me to leave her something. She chuckled and led me back to the desk and held her hand out. Okay, I deserved that.¡± I said and gave her a fifty dollar bill. The librarian caught her breath. ¡°Mr. Drake!¡± Call me David.¡± I said. ¡°Thanks for the help.¡± You''re welcome.¡± The librarian said. ¡°Very welcome.¡± Natalie and I left the library and I called the number Thomas Anders gave me as soon as I was in the front seat of the jeep. I had to let him know that his story had a few holes in it. Big holes. The journal he gave me was real; but, it couldn''t have been from the ancestor he believed it was from. That is, the one currently residing in the grave. If it was, his timeline was also wrong, since the body was fifty years older than he told me. A calm and cool soprano voice answered the phone on the second ring. ¡°Anders and Sons Realty.¡± Thomas Anders, please.¡± Just a moment.¡± The man said and put me on hold. Thanks.¡± I said to myself, since the man hadn''t heard me. Thomas Anders.¡± Thomas said in a disinterested voice. Mr. Anders? It''s David Drake.¡± Ah, yes. Could you wait until I get to my office phone? I''m in a boardroom right now.¡± Sure.¡± I said. I will only be a moment. George, transfer Mr. Drake to my office.¡± *Click.* Before I could even counted to ten, he was back. Mr. Drake? How can I help you?¡± Thomas asked. Do you remember when I told you that if I found anything different about your story that my price would double? Well, guess what happened.¡± Oh, dear. What did you find out?¡± Like you don''t know.¡± I said, a little coyly. I sincerely don''t, Mr. Drake. I paid a private firm to trace my family tree and find my ancestors. I gave you everything they gave me. What is it that you''ve found?¡± Maybe he doesn''t know. I thought. It''s time to go fishing and find out for sure. ¡°The biggest thing I found was that the headstone was replaced after the cemetery was vandalized.¡± Oh, my. Was it the right one? It was still my ancestor though, wasn''t it?¡± Thomas asked, flustered. That sounded like genuine nervousness and panic, which means he doesn''t know. ¡°Yes, it''s still your ancestor; but, there''s another problem. The date on the headstone was wrong as well.¡± What? You must be joking. The journal and the ledgers clearly state the times and dates of their last entries.¡± I''m not disputing that. What I am saying is that the ancestor they found is older than your books.¡± Really? How much older?¡± Thomas inquired. About half a century older. I figure they must have mixed up Alfred''s name and his son''s, or maybe even his grandson''s name.¡± Oh dear, oh dear. That''s not good, is it? If you are the only one who can raise an almost two hundred year old corpse, who could possibly raise a nearly three hundred year old one?¡± Thomas asked, worriedly. ¡°He''s the only one that the firm could find that was actually buried.¡± That last statement stopped me. ¡°What do you mean by actually buried?¡± Three were cremated and one was interred. Alfred Anders was the only one buried below ground.¡± How old was the interred one?¡± I asked, genuinely curious. Hold on.¡± Thomas said and I heard him rustle some papers in the background. ¡°Here we are. It says here that his funeral and burial rights were performed in twelve hundred and ninety-seven.¡± I let out a slow whistle and he caught my meaning. It''s not going to be possible to raise either of them, is it?¡± Thomas asked. I didn''t say that.¡± I said and I could almost feel his curiosity peak. Could you explain that?¡± Well, I went out to the cemetery last night to examine the grave site. That''s how I knew the date was wrong when checked with the library''s town records. The only Alfred Anders listed died during the seventeen hundreds. Plus, when I''m close to a grave I can feel how old they are. I can usually tell if I can raise the subject or not, too.¡± Your voice has quite a serious tone to it, David.¡± Thomas said, without commenting that his did as well. To be blunt, I can still raise him. There''s just one problem. Because he''s so old, it''s going to take a lot of preparation time and energy. The cost will be a bit more than my original estimate, at about a hundred thousand.¡± I said and he was quiet. ¡°That''s not including my ''if the story doesn''t fit, my fee doubles'' rule, either. Technically, it wasn''t your fault that the story wasn''t accurate, so I can''t in good conscience penalize you for someone else''s mistake.¡± That is still quite a high price, Mr. Drake.¡± Thomas said. You don''t have to give me the job, since it''s turned out quite a bit different from both of our expectations.¡± I said. ¡°I''ve only done a little footwork and some background checking, so I can return most of the deposit you''ve already given me.¡± No, not at the moment.¡± Thomas said. ¡°I would like to think about it and decide if I want you to finish the job. It is quite a bit of money for only a single transaction that may or may not produce the results I wish.¡± I know.¡± I said. ¡°Tell you what, discuss it with your wife and decide together if it''s worth it to have this ancestor raised. Like you said, there''s no guarantee that this is the ancestor you''ll need, and it will cost you a bundle of money to find out if it''s not. You can let me know when you decide.¡± Very well. I will contact you again in a few days.¡± Thomas said. I promise not to spend all the money you''ve already given me.¡± I joked. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Anders.¡± Goodbye, Mr. Drake.¡± Thomas said and hung up. Whew! I thought in relief. Well, at least I let him know the bundle of crap he''s in for. I just hope he decides soon. I would hate to have to raise the dead for my own purposes; but, if I don''t raise something soon, all hell''s going to break loose. I don''t mean that literally, though. It was just that one time I tried to ignore what I could do and I turned out to be something like the Necromancer Pied Piper. Instead of mice, it was roadkill and anything else that had died that I walked past. Believe me, that was not something I wanted to go through again. Since I was sitting in the parking lot and on the phone, I called Jeanette to see what she had wanted. I couldn''t in all honesty keep putting it off. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that it was still the middle of the day and she was dead to the world. Luckily, her secretary knew all about what she had wanted to tell me and filled me in. She told me that another guard vampire had gone missing from the family. I asked who it was and I didn''t recognize the name, nor could I place a face to the name. It was the third vampire to disappear during the last few weeks and the secretary also said that a were-cat hadn''t shown up for work either. I held onto my temper, because Jeanette hadn''t said anything about two missing people in her message. By the looks of it, someone was chipping away at Jeanette''s hired help, at least on the surface. All I had to do now was connect the dots and find out who was doing it and why. Of course, I had no clue whatsoever about those answers and I was pretty sure that I wasn''t going to find out much if I did start asking around. 010 Sweet Dreams After talking to Jeanette''s secretary, I called Luke to see how things were going on his end of the investigation. He didn''t have any new details, except that today''s paper had the highest circulation numbers that they have had this year, because of the serial killer story. I responded and said that was great and that I hoped the murderer doesn''t take the hint and change his style. Luke just laughed and told me not to worry about it because there was no mention in the story about the organs being missing. He had withheld that information at the request of the police, whom he had called to ''corroborate'' the missing organs tip both he and the police had gotten. It was a damn sneaky way to work around his sources and I was grateful for that, since it covered my ass. He also said that he might be nominated for a press award for the most recognized article or something and he thanked me. If it wasn''t for me, he wouldn''t have connected the cases at all. That''s great.¡± I said and yawned. ¡°I''ll talk to you later.¡± I hung up my cell phone and yawned again. I turned to Natalie and asked her to take me home. I knew it was only the middle of the day; but apparently, I really needed some sleep. There was a bright flash of light and I looked around for the source of it. All I could see was shadows around me. They had a kind of weight to them, as if they were covering something I shouldn''t see. I walked over to the nearest one and tried to put my hand into it. I felt a bitter cold and a sharp pain in my fingers. When I pulled my hand out, it looked like it had aged twenty years! I clutched the damaged hand to my chest so I could turn and run, then discovered that I was in my wheelchair and I couldn''t push both wheels with only one hand to get away. I remembered walking only a second ago and that scared me. In my fright, I slid out of the chair and tried to drag myself away from the darkness that seemed to be alive and chasing me. I scrambled and clawed my way across the ground in a pitiful attempt to get away, when I heard something. I stopped struggling and listened closely, while the fear and terror I was feeling slowly receded to leave only my curiosity. It was a male voice that I had never heard before, and yet, I recognized it all the same. I didn''t know why. Mein Kind, es sind eine lange Zeit gewesen.¡± What? What did you say?¡± I asked, totally confused. They were speaking nonsense and I couldn''t make sense of it. I listened closely as the voice said it again and seemed to be closer. Mein Kind, es sind eine lange Zeit gewesen.¡± I couldn''t understand a word of it. Who... are you?¡± I asked and they didn''t answer. A moment later, I heard something else. Sie verstehen Ihre Wichtigkeit nicht.¡± I don''t understand.¡± I said as I gritted my teeth in frustration. I was getting a little tired of this game and started to get angry. I felt my power flare and I moved one foot, then the other, and pulled my legs up underneath my body. Komm zu mir.¡± Alright, that''s it.¡± I said and grabbed a hold of my anger to use as a weapon and I felt my power rise up to the challenge. ¡°I... have had... enough!¡± With that last exclamation, I pushed a wave of power out from myself and I stood up on my useless legs. I slashed at the shadows closest to me with my power and shredded them apart, then I heard several screams in return. David! DAVID!¡± Natalie yelled. ¡°Wake UP!¡± I opened my eyes to see Natalie, Mikki, their parents Gina and Carl, Nina, and Jeanette as they stared down at me. ¡°Geez, what''s so important that you had to wake me up so soon?¡± They all looked at each other for a moment and then back down at me. So soon?¡± Mikki chimed in first. ¡°David, you''ve been asleep for two days.¡± What?!?¡± I blurted. We''ve been trying to wake you up since Natalie brought you home from the police station.¡± Mikki said, her voice full of concern. Jeanette leaned closer. ¡°We''ve had round the clock sitters for you. This is the first time anyone has gotten you to respond to anything.¡± You''re kidding, right?¡± I asked and looked at them in disbelief. They couldn''t be right, could they? I thought as I looked around, then remembered my watch. I picked it up and hit the little button. There was my proof. Two days! I''ve lost two whole days! With my dream still fresh in my mind and my power still flowing, I realized I must have been attacked, somehow. I immediately thought that some vampire had invaded my dreams and tried to gain control of me, or at least tried to influence me. My anger wasn''t far from the surface of my thoughts, not after that dream, and it flared up and I felt a burst of my power go through the room. Almost like it had happened in my dream, everyone near me felt it and staggered back from me like they had been hit with a physical blow. As God as my witness, I will kill the vampires who just attacked me!¡± No one has attacked you.¡± Carl said. ¡°You''ve been here the whole time and no one that you don''t know has been in here.¡± I wasn''t attacked physically.¡± I said in exasperation and looked at Jeanette. ¡°In my dream I was being chased by some kind of shadows... or by something inside them.¡± Jeanette sighed, because she knew that it was one of a vampire''s tactics to attack someone mentally to weaken them. ¡°My darling, it wasn''t anyone from my family.¡± It was my turn to sigh and my power receded. ¡°I know, Jeanette. I''m sure I would know the difference.¡± What I didn''t say out loud was that the voice seemed to speak in tongues or something else, or that it seemed very familiar. It took me a few moments to recall what I heard. Now that I was awake and could associate the sounds I had heard with the linguistic part of my brain, it really did sound familiar. The voice I heard was speaking German.¡± I said. I had never learned the language; but, I had heard enough of it to recognize it. I turned to Natalie, who was standing next to me and shaking slightly. ¡°I''m sorry for scaring you.¡± I said and gave her a hug. ¡°Can you hand me my phone? I need to look some things up.¡± Okay.¡± Natalie said and gave me a kiss, then walked around the bed to the dresser, picked up the phone and brought it over to me. Nina stepped forward. ¡°What do you need to look up?¡± She asked. ¡°After what you just did...¡± My power was still flowing under the surface, so I spiked it intentionally and threw it at her. ¡°It''s none of your business! I don''t have to explain anything to you or anyone else!¡± Everyone gave me wide eyes and I realized what I just did. I took in a long slow breath. What was wrong with me? I asked myself and let the breath out. Lately, I''ve been on edge and have been biting everyone''s head off for little or no provocation. ¡°Look, I''m sorry.¡± I said and held a hand out to her.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Nina took it without hesitation and my power went from assaulting her to flowing into her. She almost moaned as it filled her up and she knelt in front of me. This latest attack has me on pins and needles. I''m a little upset that even though I''m crippled and pretty much useless, I''m still a target for power hungry vampires.¡± I said and looked at Jeanette. She didn''t react like I thought she would. She didn''t defend herself or her vampires. At all. How do you know it was...¡± One of the bodyguards at the side of the room started to say. If you or anyone else here knows of some other creature that can invade someone''s dreams, I''m listening.¡± I said and no one offered any suggestions, because they knew it was pretty much a vampire''s calling card. After that, the crowd around me had gradually dispersed, after I had apologized a dozen times for worrying them and for my inadvertent power display. Natalie climbed onto the bed with me and cuddled me after she helped me sit up. Mikki sat down on my other side and I cuddled the both of them a little, then I opened a search engine and started to look up what I wanted to know. It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be to look up the physical writing of the words I heard. The individual meanings of the words were slightly different than the use of the same words in a sentence, which made it that much harder. I had two sets of extra eyes and brains next to me, so I enlisted their aid. The task went much faster when I relaxed and let them help me. After about an hour of trying to say the words, working out how they should be written, then playing with the syntax and positions of the words in sentences, I believed we had an accurate representation of what I had heard in my dream. I read it out loud for everyone to hear. ¡°My child, it has been a long time. You do not understand your importance. Join me.¡± Well, I''ll be damned. You were right.¡± Carl said, not really believing it. Yeah.¡± I said. I was right. I thought and shook my head. Sometimes, I really hate being right. I did not want to go back to sleep after an experience like that, so Natalie had the coffee on a continuous stream to my mouth. God bless her for doing that for me. I had eventually moved from my bed to the couch and everyone went off to get back to their lives, or whatever it was that they normally did. Natalie handed me another mug, this one with the most appropriate saying. ''So I''m a bitch. Deal with it''. I laughed when I read it and almost spilled some on my lap. She steadied it and my hand for me, gave me a hug, and handed me a couple pieces of paper. You''ve had a few phone calls while you were out.¡± Natalie said with a sheepish grin. I grinned back. ¡°Ha, ha, very funny.¡± Most of them were just well wishers, except for Sergeant Sanchez. He said he had read the paper the other day and wondered if you were the anonymous source for the article.¡± He''s a smart man, that Sanchez. I thought with a smile and took a sip of coffee. Natalie continued when I didn''t comment. ¡°You might like the last one.¡± She said and tapped the small stack of papers. ¡°Thomas Anders has decided that he wants you to do the job and has already deposited half the money into your account.¡± She gave me a knowing smile. ¡°I think he thinks you''re going to back out on him if he waits too long.¡± I barked a laugh at her not too subtle reference to herself and our relationship. ¡°You didn''t tell him what was happening to me, did you?¡± Natalie shook her head. ¡°The couple of times he called, you were ''currently indisposed'' and unable to talk to him.¡± Thanks.¡± I said and gave her a kiss. ¡°Can you get a hold of Jillian and set up the guards for tonight?¡± Already done. Dad said he was surprised you waited this long.¡± Natalie said. ¡°They should be here just after the sun sets.¡± I put my arm around her and gave her a big kiss, with a little extra tongue action, because she liked that. We broke the kiss when Mikki came into the living room and Natalie giggled and being caught. What exactly is going on in here?¡± Mikki asked with an indignant tone and a huge smile on her face. Oh! Ah! Nothing! Absolutely nothing, honey!¡± I said with mock surprise, then the three of us started laughing. Mikki came over to the couch and sat down beside me, so I motioned for her to come closer and I gave her the same thing that I had given Natalie. She liked that a lot. We''re going out tonight. Zombie raising. It''s been awhile. Are you coming?¡± I asked. Mikki''s face fell and looked sad. I''ll take that as a no.¡± I said. I''m on shift tonight.¡± Mikki said. Me, too.¡± Natalie said. ¡°We both took the last two days off to be here and we need to make that time up.¡± I held in my sigh and nodded understanding. ¡°I''m sorry I''m at fault for that.¡± Mikki gave me a kiss to distract me. ¡°It wasn''t your fault.¡± Not at all.¡± Natalie said. ¡°In fact, I''m sure I could quit my job and stay here with you full time.¡± _______________ You now have a story altering decision to make. Will you have one of your girls quit her superfluous job and stay at home with you to cuddle and play with, or will you make her go to work and earn a normal wage, even though a single job of yours easily matches her yearly salary? A) Hold onto her with a tight grip. B) Give her the choice to live how she wants. What? I can''t do both? I asked myself with amusement. Well, damn. Okay. I need to consider... I noticed the timer quickly counting down the seconds. Stupid timer! Okay. I love her and it''s not fair for me to choose. It''s her choice, so B it is. _______________ Bite your tongue.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°You worked hard to get that job and you enjoy it.¡± I said and gave her a kiss. ¡°I know it doesn''t make a lot of money; but, you''re independent and you''ve proven to yourself... and to your parents... that you can handle what life throws at you.¡± Natalie gave me a huge smile and another kiss, with more tongue of course. ¡°I love you, David.¡± Thanks for telling me.¡± I said smugly and her sister Mikki lightly smacked the side of my head. Don''t be smug about it.¡± Mikki said with a laugh and looked at Natalie. ¡°We''re both proud of you.¡± Thanks.¡± Natalie said and tapped the papers on my lap. ¡°Nina will be up in a few hours and she''ll come here to take you to the cemetery. Mr. Anders will meet you there with his lawyers. He also said something about justifying the expense.¡± She gave me an inquisitive look. ¡°How much is this job costing him, anyway?¡± I whispered the price. I was sure she had heard me, since her hearing was so good; but, I think she was in shock from what I said and couldn''t believe it. What... what did you say?¡± Natalie asked. A hundred grand.¡± I said a little louder. Mikki whistled and Natalie just stared at me with an open mouth. David.¡± Mikki said in a subdued tone. ¡°I don''t know a lot about zombie raising things; but, you aren''t ripping him off, are you? That''s a lot of money.¡± I glared at her and my power flared up with my anger. Mikki felt it and defended herself before I could say anything. ¡°Whoa! Hold on! It was just a question!¡± She said and put a hand on my face to try and calm me down. ¡°You haven''t brought in any money to this house over the last two months. I can''t help thinking that you might be overcompensating with this job to make up for it.¡± I managed not to sigh as I got a handle on my temper, which took a minute, then I told them the truth. ¡°No one, and I mean no one, can raise a zombie close to three centuries old without a human sacrifice. For some of the people out there, I don''t think it would be possible with several human sacrifices, actually. Me? I can do it. I''ll need at least a goat, and maybe a cage full of chickens; but, I can do it.¡± They both widened their eyes at my words. The confidence I displayed in myself was unlike anything else I had shown them before. I had no doubts, no indecision, and no second guesses. Mikki and Natalie looked at each other, nodded slightly, then they both dropped the subject entirely. They left me alone as they went about their own business of getting ready for their respective jobs. Nina woke up just after dusk and arrived at the house just before Mikki and Natalie left for work. She bid them a good evening and then helped me get ready. She retrieved my zombie raising gear in the large wooden chest that I kept everything in. I opened it and made sure that I had everything I needed to do the job, just in case. It was always a good idea to make sure that you have the tools you need beforehand. We all met in the living room at my house. By all I meant my two bodyguards, Jillian and her new partner Carlos, Nina, and myself. Not surprisingly, were-cats weren''t that fussy on feeling the whole necromancy vibe and experiencing my powers, first hand. Mikki''s bodyguard Charlie was an exception and was disappointed that he was going to miss it. We didn''t have to split up our small group into various cars to make the trek to the cemetery and we all climbed into my jeep. I had to stop at a drive-thru on the way, just because in all the excitement at my place, I completely forgot to eat. The two bodyguards got something as well when I said that it was my treat. Our one car convoy arrived at the cemetery in plenty of time and I saw that there were several cars parked there already. We had to find a parking spot as close as possible, because I wasn''t going to let Nina carry me all the way to the graveyard and then all around the cemetery to the grave site. I mean, I could take some embarrassment, and I will while getting to the grave site... I just didn''t want to start out the evening that way. The two bodyguards took up positions on either side of the jeep while Nina got me into the wheelchair. I took in several breaths to acclimate myself to the sweet smell in the air that I always enjoyed when in a cemetery. ¡°Let''s go raise a zombie.¡± 011 Is That A Zombie? Almost as soon as Nina pushed me onto the small road that led into the cemetery, I could feel them. For some reason, I felt like the dead knew I was coming. They had been patiently waiting for me and now they had to wait no longer. My power flared up a bit when I thought that and I could have sworn I heard a sigh. I looked around and no one else seemed to have heard it. I wasn''t sure why that bothered me. It was probably the wind and I was just hearing things. When we were near the spot that I needed to get to, where the wheelchair couldn''t go, I asked Nina to pick me up. As soon as I put my arms around her neck, my power flared up again and it touched every grave in the cemetery, just like last time. It was both cool and unnerving at the same time. I never had that much power before to empower all of the ghosts and spirits that I had felt the last time. They were still there in their chosen spots, only this time they were a little more visible. Some of the remnants were even full blown wisps of smoke. I warned everyone again to not pay attention to them, because ignoring them was the best defense against ghosts. Attention seems to give them even more power and they tend to grab you. Unlike the last time, they believed me and listened. I also asked my two bodyguards to play gopher and to carry my wooden chest and the sacrifices. How are we supposed to guard you if we''re carrying things?¡± Jillian asked, not happy. Um... drop them if something happens?¡± I asked with a smile and she chuckled and shook her head. All right. Fine.¡± Jillian said and grabbed the wire cage full of chickens and the rope tied to the goat. Carlos picked up the chest and the two of them were ready to follow. Nina.¡± I said and motioned her forward. Nina gave my cheek a kiss and stepped onto the sacred ground. It sent a shiver up her spine and right into mine. It was like a bulb in my head had lit up and I looked at her face. This hurts you?¡± I asked, concerned. I would do anything for you, my love.¡± Nina said, without a sign of pain on her face. ¡°I would even brave the inside of a church.¡± I almost gasped at that. ¡°Nina!¡± I would also consummate our relationship before God, if given the chance.¡± Nina said in a whisper. My mouth dropped open at that and she laughed under her breath at shocking me so much. The small crowd of people at the graveside dispersed for us as we approached them. I could feel the weight of their gaze upon me, not just the living, either. I could feel the dead were looking at me as well. I couldn''t have Nina hold me in her arms all night, so I had her sit me down on the headstone. It was just about the right height that I could sit comfortably and Nina only had to lightly brace me. She could also catch me if I fell. I looked around at all the expectant faces. Some of them showed surprise and I knew that they wouldn''t be disappointed. Not tonight. Carlos stood beside the grave and held my wooden chest at the perfect height for me. I opened it and started to reach for the big sacred blade I owned and stopped. Something was nagging at the back of my brain. For the life of me, I couldn''t figure out what it was. I took the blade from the bag and heard gasps from Mr. Anders'' side of the grave. I looked up at them and gave them an apologetic smile. ¡°I''m sorry. I keep forgetting to tell people not to be shocked by what they see. I''ve done this so often that it''s not second nature to me, it''s first nature. I could do this in my sleep if I wanted.¡± I paused for a moment. SLEEP! I yelled in my head. That was what''s been nagging at me! I could feel something. A presence maybe? I was pretty sure that it was one that was in my dream. It was close, right here in this cemetery. _______________ You have a critical choice to make. Do you try to remain safe, or do you put yourself in danger by putting your bodyguards in danger? A) Send Nina to check. B) Send Jillian and Carlos to check. C) Ignore it for now. The timer started counting down from five seconds. Goddammit. I thought and didn''t want to choose. I''ll take C, dammit. _______________ I thought about sending Nina or my bodyguards out to check for me; but, I wasn''t sure if whoever it was, was alone. I could be sending the bodyguards to their deaths and Nina to her second death. There''s nothing I can safely do about it, not until I raised this zombie. I thought. Being in a wheelchair most of the time, I have had to modify my performance for raising a zombie. Instead of ¡®walking'' a circle of protection around the grave like I was supposed to, I just imagined it in my head and took out a huge jar of red salt. It wasn''t actually red salt, though. It was really crystallized blood. My own blood, actually. I had refined it myself in a cleansing ritual to purify it and made it into a magical medium. Give me a hand.¡± I whispered to Nina and told her what to do. She took two handfuls of the crystals and she walked in a circle around the grave for me and sprinkled the crystals from her hands. I hadn''t actually tried it like this yet, with a helper; but, I knew it would work, as long as I was the one controlling everything. Nina came back to my side and she nodded to me. Before I could tell her to carefully rub her hands over the jar to get the remains of the crystals off of her hands, she started to lick her hands clean. Her own power pulsed as each crystal hit her tongue and my power pulsed in turn. It almost felt like she was licking me somewhere else and her eyes locked onto mine as she made sure to lick off every single crystal from her hands. I managed to stop my drool from leaking out of my mouth because of how good that felt. In fact, it felt so good that I had to look down at myself to see if it really did get that kind of a reaction from me. My eyes widened at the tent pole in my pants and Nina let out a little laugh as she carefully put the cover on the jar for me. Even crystallized, you are delicious. Nina breathed into my mind and I looked up at her face. Yes, my love. I will definitely want to try this again later... with less witnesses. Witnesses! I thought, now that I remembered where we were, and she laughed again and put the jar back into the chest. What is next?¡± Nina asked. A... chicken. Yes, we''ll start with a chicken.¡± I said and told Jillian to give me one. She uncovered the crate and pulled one out. I told her to cover it again and before she could ask me why, I explained that I didn''t want his buddies to see what might be happening to them. Jillian laughed this time. ¡°Why?¡± Because it upsets them.¡± I said with a shrug. ¡°I don''t feel like listening to five squawking chickens, do you?¡± A sound of dismay came from the small crowd on the other side of the grave and I shrugged it off. Jillian nodded and covered them up again. I got the chicken by the scruff of the neck and told Jillian to hold onto the body tightly and not to let it go. I readied my sacred blade, then brought it down in a clean strike across the chicken''s neck and took the head right off. A larger than average gush of blood spurted out and covered the sacred blade and my hands. Jillian was so surprised by the gush that she dropped the body. Just like the roadrunner, it ran all over the place as quick as a flash and sprayed blood everywhere. On nearby graves, the quite disgusted crowd, and the surrounding grass. I had a hard time keeping my laughter under control at the sight and pretended to cough to cover it up. We all watched Jillian chase the headless chicken for a full minute before I said anything. It was just too good of a show to not sit there and enjoy it. Just let it go, Jillian.¡±I said with laughter in my voice. ¡°It should stop running around in a few minutes.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Jillian came back to the headstone where I was and she was pretty much covered in blood. She also had a glint of amusement in her eyes. It must have been hard for all the were-cats to ignore a free lunch that was running around at their feet like that. I nearly let my laughter out again when the image of a bucket of chicken running around popped into my mind. I pushed that thought away and imagined a circle of protection around the grave again, this time with the crystallized blood to give me a nice physical component. I rubbed the extra blood from my hands onto the headstone I was sitting on, then asked for another chicken. We repeated the beheading and Jillian kept hold of the chicken this time. I told her to walk the same circle that Nina did and to direct the chicken blood in the same pattern. I had to use two more chickens to complete the circle, then used the last of the chickens and their blood to inscribe the proper symbols in blood over the headstone, the grave, and also on my own arms. I was essentially using the chickens as a connector between me and the zombie, lending it my power. Of course, the big sacrifice, namely the goat, would be needed to jump start the actual power exchange. When I finished the last of the symbols and spoke the words of sealing to complete the summoning circle, that was when they attacked. Ghouls. About twenty of them had silently molested and eaten the headless chicken, while a dozen or so surrounded the grave site and us. My wooden chest hit the ground as Carlos quickly drew his gun and opened fire on the threats. The chest didn''t break, thankfully. Guns blared out into the silence of the graveyard and the hail of bullets had taken several of the ghouls by surprise and they fell. That surprise didn''t last long, however. Surprisingly, the ghouls rallied and they concentrated on attacking the bodyguards that were protecting me. Nina had stayed near me, because she could only fight up close and knew that getting in the way of people shooting was as dumb as attacking a pack of ghouls all alone. She might have been a vampire; but, that didn''t mean she was invincible. Keeping them close to me was the smart choice, then. I thought. Hold on. Why are they only attacking my bodyguards? Thomas has a few guards of his own and they were taking him and their lawyers away from the fighting. This got my new self to pay attention and my barely repressed anger flared more of my power out from me, at the thought that Mr. Anders had somehow hired the ghouls to attack. I followed my instincts and did the same thing that I did in my dream, only better. I pushed that power out as hard as I could and concentrated on just the ghouls. STOP!¡± I yelled the command and used every ounce of power I had to enforce it. You know that moment in the middle of a fight when everything seems to slow down? Well, this time everything stopped. Everyone within the sound of my voice and the feel of my power stopped dead. Unfortunately for the ghouls, it was quite literal. I had pushed so much power and anger into them that they had all dropped dead on the spot. Their skinny supernatural bodies couldn''t handle the conflict between me and whomever had control of them. The bodyguards fighting the ghouls had stopped fighting as well, glared at me for distracting them with my show of power, and then they looked back at their now fallen opponents. It took everyone else a minute or two to look away from me and notice what had happened to the ghouls. Except for Nina. She stared at me intensely and her eyes kept darting to my neck and I could almost hear her thoughts that begged me for a direct taste. I ignored her need for now and the others eventually turned their attention back to me. I was surprisingly still full of energy, even after that big of an expenditure. Some of the people''s faces were filled with what looked like awe, which included Carlos. Jillian had seen me do some crazy stuff, just like Nina had, and she took it in stride. I was a bit uncomfortable for a few moments at the scrutiny, then the feeling passed and I composed myself as I turned to Mr. Anders. ¡°Did you or anyone in your group arrange this?¡± I asked him, accusingly. I give my word, and will testify under oath and binding, that neither I nor my lawyers arranged this.¡± Thomas said, his face stern and unflinching as he stared at me. Well.¡± I said and smiled. ¡°Barring any more disruptions, I am going to raise this zombie.¡± I waved at the grave. ¡°Would you care to join me?¡± If I didn''t know any better, I would say that was a look of satisfaction on his face. I had thought about calling the whole thing off after the attack; but, his promise to swear under a binding oath told me fore sure that he had nothing to do with it. He and his group came back to the grave and waited patiently. I was still sitting on the headstone within the ritual circle and I was a little surprised that a completed circle had no effect on my ability to push my power through it to affect things on the other side. With my power still at an all time high for some reason, I asked Jillian for the goat. Some of you might want to close your eyes for this.¡± I said and picked up my sacred blade. ¡°Hey there, Billy.¡± I said and pet the goat. Stop playing with it.¡± Carlos whispered out of the side of his mouth. ¡°You''re making me hungry.¡± I barked a laugh and that scared the goat. It froze stiff at the sudden sound and I quickly took advantage of the situation. I held the blade against the underside of its throat with my other had covering it, then yanked on the knife. A large cut appeared on the goat''s neck and a small cut appeared on the palm of my hand. Blood poured out of the goat and a trickle from mine. The blood combined and splashed down onto the grave. The ritual circle and all of the symbols I had drawn glowed to life as my power poured out and down into the grave. I looked down at the ground and called Alfred Anders from his grave. It was... easy. The extra power helped, almost like it wanted to be used. I felt better for using it, too. The better I felt, the more power I had. The more power I had, the more I fed into Alfred. By the time Alfred had dug himself up from the ground, he looked just like the day when he was buried. A freshly tailored brown suit, a brimmed hat, and a pair of expensive shoes finished off the outfit. He had rosy cheeks, a double chin, and was slightly on the portly side. I was impressed, especially considering that he was only dust for a couple of centuries, right up until a minute ago. There was nothing in his eyes, though. It wasn''t until I raised the sacred blade to his mouth that he smelled the fresh blood and reacted. He licked the blade completely clean, not once cutting his tongue on the razor-sharp edge. As soon as he had finished I felt the snap of consciousness in his head, then the light came into his eyes. Mr. Anders?¡± I asked. Both Thomas and Alfred answered at the same time. Yes?¡± They looked at each other and smiled. I rephrased the question to ease the confusion. Are you Alfred Anders?¡± Yes.¡± Alfred said. I''d like you to meet your descendant, Thomas Anders.¡± Thomas? That was my father''s name. It couldn''t be him since you said descendant. So he would be...¡± Your great-great-whatever grandson.¡± I said. Hmm. Great-great-grandson, eh? Then that would mean...¡± Alfred got that look in his eyes that the dead had when they finally realized that they were actually dead. ¡°How long have I been gone?¡± Sometimes when a recently raised zombie knows it''s dead, it has a hard time accepting it, but in this case, Mr. Anders seems to have come to grips with it rather quickly. Do you really want to know?¡± I asked. Yes, you might as well tell me.¡± Alfred said. It''s been about three hundred years, give or take a few decades.¡± Alfred coughed and it sounded like he actually drew in air. I knew I did good work, and the last few I did were really good, but this thing, even as old as he was, still looked more alive than I did. He turned to Thomas. Come here, boy.¡± Alfred said to Thomas. Thomas looked like he was in his mid thirties, by no means a boy. Compared to five centuries of age? I guess he would practically be a baby. He only hesitated for a moment and moved closer. I don''t believe this young man does this kind of thing for kicks, so I assume it was you who put him up to it.¡± Alfred said. ¡°Why?¡± Thomas was taken aback at the accusatory tone in Alfred''s voice and at once came to attention. Alfred liked that reaction and smiled a bit. I wanted to talk to you personally after reading this.¡± He reached into his jacked and produced the small journal. Alfred took it and examined it thoroughly. Hmm. I left this in the care of a good friend of mine, and yet all the dates have been changed.¡± Alfred said, confused. ¡°How did you get it?¡± Thomas'' eyes lit up at the comment and explained how it had come into his possession after several will readings, estate searches, and fact-finding. ¡°After a lot of speculation and digging around, I finally found it under the floor in our... ahem... your old house along with three ledgers.¡± He said. ¡°When I read your journal and found out there was supposed to have been five ledgers...¡± AHA!¡± Alfred said. ¡°I figured you''d be after my money!¡± He paced around the circumference of the circle of protection like a caged animal and sounded the same. ¡°I worked damn hard for all that money and now some whippersnapper is trying to take it all away from me?¡± He spat. ¡°You may be family...¡± Thomas opened his mouth to try to reason with him and I motioned for him to be quiet. Alfred, stop.¡± I said. Alfred stopped walking like I had told him to and he looked at me with wide eyes. ¡°What did you do? I can''t move!¡± Be quiet.¡± I said. Just like what happened with Jeanette, Alfred''s mouth was moving but not a sound escaped it. Alfred, Thomas is a self made man. I''ve checked him out. He''s got more money than he knows what to do with it. His wife wears a necklace that costs double or even triple as much as my services cost here tonight.¡± I said. ¡°He had all of this long before finding your books. Please calm down.¡± Alfred, Thomas, and the lawyers stared at me, so I used a bit of power to ensure Alfred was calm. I''m going over there for a... while.¡± I waved at the direction of the jeep. ¡°I suggest you listen to what Thomas has to say.¡± I had been about to say ''for a walk'' and changed it at the last second. Walking wasn''t happening anytime soon for me. After telling Mr. Anders that he could talk and move around inside the ritual circle, Nina picked me up from the headstone and carried me back to the wheelchair. While she pushed me towards the jeep, Jillian and Carlos went to check the bodies of the ghouls. I didn''t expect them to find anything. They came back over to us and reported that they didn''t find anything. Sometimes I hate being right. 012 Things Change Nina put me in the front seat, because there wasn''t anywhere else we could go besides the jeep to sit down comfortably. At least it was a lot more plush than the headstone was. I knew I couldn''t actually feel it with my legs; but, when I ran my hands down my legs to smooth out my pants, I felt the creases and crevasses that the headstone had left indented in the skin and muscles on the back of my legs. Carlos was the first to break the silence. ¡°What do you think they''re talking about over there?¡± I had to look up at him to answer him. ¡°Honestly, I don''t care.¡± That was the truth. Most of the time, I would stay within earshot, just so I could overhear anything that might be important. These last few weeks have been so draining on me, both emotionally and physically, that I didn''t have the energy to waste trying to listen. I didn''t need more unnecessary crap running around in my head, either. Before Nina could scold me for not paying attention, I told her my reasons. Hey, I agree.¡± Nina said with a smile as she leaned against the jeep next to the open door. ¡°In fact, you would probably have had a lot less trouble over the years if you hadn''t been eavesdropping on private conversations.¡± Maybe.¡± I smiled back at her. I turned my head to see Jillian scanning the surrounding area with those bodyguard eyes and searching for the next threat. I nodded my head to her and she came over to me. Before I could ask her if she had noticed anything out of the ordinary, the group around Alfred Anders decided they had all the information they needed and were done with the zombie. One of them waved at us to get our attention. With a small signal from me, Nina picked me up and took me back to the graveside. I sighed mentally, because she completely forgot to keep up the wheelchair pretense to save my dignity. My two bodyguards flanked us and as we reached the grave, I heard the trailing end of Thomas and Alfred''s conversation. ...wonderful, wonderful. It''s good to know that you''ve done so well for yourself.¡± Alfred said and pat Thomas'' shoulder. ¡°You make sure that you get some kids into the picture soon. I sorely regret only having the one child before I died.¡± I will, sir. Thank you.¡± Thomas said and then turned to me. ¡°Thank you as well, Mr. Drake. It''s been such an honor meeting my ancestor, and it was you who made it possible.¡± He said with a smile. ¡°I''ve already transferred the balance of your payment to your account.¡± You''re welcome.¡± I said, glad that he actually got his money''s worth. ¡°I assume you have no further business to discuss?¡± Correct. If you would kindly return Alfred to his slumber, our deal will be concluded as well.¡± I barely managed to not stare at him. Most clients would beat feet out of the cemetery as quickly as possible as soon as they were done with the zombie; but, Thomas seemed to want a front row seat to the ¡®clean up'' part. I had Nina sit me back on the tombstone so I could finish the ritual. As soon as my butt hit the stone, I felt it. Like a small electric shock that went up my spine, I knew that there was another ritual being performed somewhere in this graveyard. Of course, now I wondered what kind of ritual it was. It felt like someone was trying to raise the dead, and yet, it was different somehow. I couldn''t explain why it was different, just that it was. I was about to put it out of my mind when the feeling disappeared. I gave myself a small shake to put my mind back on track. Alfred looked at me with eyes full of regret. ¡°I don''t suppose...¡± I''m sorry.¡± I said and I really was. ¡°I can''t let you roam around freely. There are too many things that could possibly go wrong if you stayed. Rotting would be a big one, not to mention the legal implications if you decided to try to exercise legal rights to resume your empire.¡± Rotting?¡± Alfred''s face paled slightly and he had a pained look in his eyes. ¡°Very well. Put me back.¡± I had Carlos pick up my chest and hold it for me. I took out an urn that was full of grey dust. ¡°Ashes to ashes.¡± I said, grabbed a small handful, and tossed it on Alfred. I had Nina pass me a handful of dirt, and I threw it on Alfred. ¡°Dust to dust.¡± Alfred didn''t flinch or move as I used my sacred blade to cut his wrist slightly, then I rubbed the blade in the slowly moving blood. I took the bloody blade and stuck it into my palm where I had cut it before. I return thee to thy grave and I reclaim the power I lent to you.¡± I said and I could almost see the slight glow leave his body and flow back into me. That was new. I thought, slightly surprised. Alfred''s eyes lost their alive luster and returned to their empty look. He didn''t have to lay down like all of the other times I had laid a zombie to rest, either. He just lowered down into the ground, as if he was on an elevator, and the earth just sucked him right in. The ground was almost eager to get him back. In all my years of doing this, I haven''t seen or felt anything like that. I''ve felt the earth hungry for power and blood, which happens a lot more than you think it does; but, it was the first time it wanted something that had already been buried in it. The ground rippled a bit more to smooth itself out, then it settled down. You couldn''t tell that anything at all had happened here, let alone a ritual zombie raising. Even the ritual circle and the blood had all been absorbed. With the show over, Thomas nodded to me and he and his entourage left. Carlos and Nina gathered my zombie raising gear up and I packed it up in the proper spots in the wooden chest. I had learned a long time ago that if you took care of your things, they took care of you. Most people didn''t realize that philosophy applied to everything in a person''s life, and not just physical items. Nina carried me back to the jeep and I called the police to ask what they wanted me to do with the ghoul bodies. Of course, it was late at night and I didn''t get a real person. The message said to dispose of them with fire. If that wasn''t possible, I was to tie them up and give the location to the local fire station and they would come out to take care of it when they could. Does anyone want to have a nice bonfire using ghoul logs?¡± I asked and Jillian and Carlos let out barks of laughter. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes.¡± I said and left a message about the incident and that it was handled. I got to sit there and watch as the three of them cleared an area and piled the ghoul bodies up. I offered up a bit of gas from the jeep and Carlos quickly siphoned out a small amount and dosed the pile. A lit match later, the entire pile was completely engulfed in flames. Holy shit!¡± Carlos laughed and came back over to the jeep. ¡°Can you feel that heat? It''s like an inferno!¡± If it keeps up, there won''t be anything left.¡± Jillian said, then she gave me a knowing look. Yeah, I''ve seen one alive that was set on fire, too.¡± I said. ¡°If you had any doubt that magic was involved, it took the ghoul almost thirty minutes to burn down enough to stop moving.¡± Jillian nodded. ¡°Now tell them the bad part.¡± I looked at Carlos and Nina and saw their surprised faces. ¡°The one I saw had set fire to a dozen houses by the time the fire finally claimed it.¡± I was in a suburb.¡± Jillian said. ¡°Some idiot thought it would be funny to set fire to one before he killed it.¡± No.¡± Carlos said and shook his head. We got the people out.¡± Jillian said. ¡°It was all we could do.¡± She sighed. ¡°No one wanted to go near the creature while it was freaking out and shedding parts of itself to try and put the fire out.¡± I held a hand out to her and she took it, despite her being my bodyguard. Sometimes, you just needed a hand to hold onto when remembering awful things. We waited for the bodies to burn themselves out, which took a little while. Carlos went over and kicked at the ashes to make sure there wasn''t anything still burning and nodded. After that, they piled into the jeep with me to head home. Thankfully, the silence that followed during the drive back to my place wasn''t strained or unnerving. I wasn''t much for small talk anyway; but, that didn''t mean I didn''t want to listen to it occasionally. Tonight, I had no problem just listening to the silence. When we reached the house, Jillian and Carlos left in their own cars and Nina took me into the house. We discovered that it was completely empty and it hadn''t been like that in a while. Natalie would be working like a dog, or were-cat as the case may be, for quite some time and for the next few nights. The same could be said for Mikki, since she also needed to make up her hours. I felt bad that I was the cause of it, though. My love.¡± Nina said and I looked up at her face. ¡°We would do that and more for you.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I couldn''t stop my sigh and she bent over to kiss me. I''m going to help you for the next little while and you are not going to complain.¡± I opened my mouth to complain about that statement and she flashed me her teeth. Don''t make me bite you.¡± I closed my mouth and then smiled. ¡°What if I only half-complained?¡± Nina laughed a laugh of a woman that was going to get what she wanted, then she took me into the bathroom. She helped me wash myself in the tub and helped me change for bed. Natalie would have cuddled me more.¡± I whispered to her as she put me under the covers. I know.¡± Nina said with a smile. ¡°I wanted you to complain about it.¡± She whispered and climbed onto the bed and nuzzled my neck. ¡°My love.¡± I felt the sharpness of her teeth in my neck and I hugged her close, to let her know that I wanted her to feed. She had agreed years ago to never try to play mind games with me, so it always hurt when she fed. That was also why I always let her do it when she wanted it. Neither of us hid what we were from each other, neither the good nor the bad. Do you... want to... stay over?¡± I asked as sleep tried to claim me. Being on a bit of a power high was draining in its own right. I don''t want to crowd out your kittens when they come home.¡± Nina said. They''re staying out... at work.¡± I said. ¡°Please.¡± I will stay with you forever, my love.¡± Nina whispered and licked my neck to clean off the blood and showed that there were no longer any holes there. Thanks.¡± I said with a lopsided grin. Nina propped herself up on her elbow to look at my face. ¡°You''re supposed to be grateful that I''m so devoted.¡± Uh huh.¡± I said and closed my eyes. Don''t you dare go to sleep without thanking me properly!¡± Nina said and poked my chest with a fingertip. Oops.¡± I said and tried to let sleep claim me. David!¡± Nina said. ¡°DAVID!¡± I can''t hear you. I''m asleep.¡± I whispered. You...¡± Nina said and then I felt her lips on mine. ¡°Sleep well, my love.¡± I will with you here.¡± I said, and knew that it was true. With that last thought, I fell asleep. I kind of woke up when the bed shifting slightly and I saw Nina standing up and talking to Mikki. I blinked my eyes and I had a warm body next to mine and I hugged it. I blinked again and another one was beside me, so I hugged it, too. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, the telephone rang. The ringer was surprisingly loud in the quiet room and Mikki left my embrace to pick it up, I assumed to tell the person off and to slam the phone down. That wasn''t what happened, however. WHAT did you say?¡± Mikki almost shrieked into the telephone. Who is it, Mikki?¡± I asked. Could you repeat that?¡± Mikki asked. I asked you who is on the phone.¡± I repeated. Mikki covered the phone with a hand and whispered to me. ¡°Not you, David. I was talking to Luke.¡± She said and put the phone back to her ear. ¡°No! Absolutely not!¡± _______________ You have a story changing decision to make. Will you let Mikki handle this call and go back to sleep or will you let your curiosity get the better of you and find out what''s going on? A) Let Mikki decide what''s best for you. B) Be more than the half of a man that you are. What the hell kind of options are those? I asked myself. Jesus Christ. I looked at the timer and I had thirty seconds this time. Okay, this is going to change the story somehow. What should I do? I wasted twenty seconds thinking about what Luke could be calling me about. When ten seconds were left, another prompt appeared. Warning: There are severe consequences to this decision. Well, fuck. I thought. All of this for a goddamn phone call? I shook my head. I need to know what''s going on. B it is. _______________ I sighed and forced myself awake. ¡°Let me speak to him.¡± I said and reached for the phone. Mikki looked like she was going to defy me, then she thought better of it and handed me the phone. I gave her a reassuring smile as I put my free hand on her back. ¡°Hi, Luke. What''s up?¡± What do you mean, ''What''s up''?¡± Luke almost yelled. ¡°Where have you been? The moon?¡± I was pretty sure that was meant as a rhetorical question; but, I answered it anyway. ¡°I was out raising a zombie earlier tonight and have been home in bed ever since.¡± I explained. ¡°Tell me what''s going on.¡± You haven''t seen the news yet?¡± Luke asked, surprised. ¡°Turn on your TV, right now!¡± Natalie, turn on the television.¡± I said to my other now awake bed partner. ¡°What channel, Luke?¡± It doesn''t matter.¡± Luke almost laughed. ¡°Just pick one and watch.¡± Put it on channel twelve. The news should be on in a little while.¡± I said, then was surprised that we didn''t have to wait a little while for the news. According to the announcer, they had been on the air for the better part of three hours, ever since the first report of the dead coming to life had come into the studio. * ... We now join our Field Correspondent Sally Wallace at the scene of the latest incident. Sally?¡± The news anchor said and his image was replaced by a pretty blonde woman. Thanks, John. Yes, we are here at the waterfront where a large group of zombies are attacking innocent bystanders... and are eating them! Oh, my God!¡± Sally exclaimed, then she whispered. ¡°Turn the camera and show it, Ed.¡± The camera panned around and showed the gruesome scene, then it zoomed in. There we can see several of them pulling apart what looks like a human leg! It''s horrible! How can this be happening? Where are the... oh! Here they come!¡± Sally said in relief and the camera zoomed out. ¡°The police are finally on the scene! Those brave men are risking their lives...¡± There''s a woman there, too.¡± Ed said. Shut up, Ed.¡± Sally whispered, then spoke normally. ¡°Brave men and women are trying to save the people! What a noble profession to be in...¡± Hey! You! The one with the camera! Just what the hell do you think you''re doing out here?¡± One of the police said loudly. ¡°Are you trying to get killed? They''re everywhere! Our squad is spread thin enough without having to save your skinny behind from stupidity!¡± He ran over to them and pushed the camera off of the zombies. ¡°Get out of here before I haul you in! Move!¡± The camera cut off and the news anchor came back on. That was the scene just moments ago where the police had the situation well in hand. Now, for those of you that have just tuned in, the dead now walk the earth! Contrary to popular belief, these zombies are no different from the ones we have all seen in the movies. They are slow moving and can be disabled by either destroying the brain or severing the head from the body. I repeat...¡± * Oh, God.¡± I whispered, almost in a prayer. Both Natalie and Mikki agreed with me. I held the receiver tightly as I explained to them and Luke why the news was wrong in a certain respect. ¡°They ARE different from the movies. They can be slow moving normally; but, if someone told them to, namely the people that raised them from the grave... or if they are flesh-eaters like the ones they just showed on television... they can move very fast to catch anything that moves.¡± Goddamn.¡± Luke said. Remember, they don''t have what normal people have in their heads to stop them from hurting themselves.¡± I said. ¡°The worst mistake is that you can''t just cut off the head. It doesn''t always work that way. If the necromancer is strong enough, you can chop up a zombie into little pieces and it will still come after you, because the flesh is animated, not just the brain.¡± Are you kidding me?¡± Luke asked, shoked. Hitting them in the head with bullets, bats and blunt objects can work, because there''s a possibly to remove the controller''s influence. You can''t depend on that, though. Fire is the best way to make sure they''re finished, except that you may make a ton of firebugs that will light the whole city on fire.¡± I said, remembering the bonfire back at the graveyard and the stories Jillian and I shared. ¡°Luke, you have to call the news stations and let them know.¡± Thanks, David. I will.¡± Luke said. ¡°Are you heading out? That''s why I called, by the way. The mayor sent out a call for every necromancer and practitioner of the dead to go out and help the police with their expertise.¡± Yeah, I am.¡± I said without hesitation. ¡°Bye, Luke.¡± The look on Mikki''s face when I said that showed just as much disappointment as it did fear. There was no way I was going to let the city fall to the dead, not if I had any say in the matter. Even though I''m crippled, I did have a say in the matter. I called Jillian right away to come with me and to bring anyone else who had experience and would be willing to help. I put on all of my vampire hunting regalia, which was mostly a biker outfit. I had thick leather pants and a thick leather coat on, thick leather straps over my wrists and my neck to protect the vital areas, and two long knives with one in each of my boots. I had my normal handgun in the holster on my lap, with blessed bullets no less, and my backup weapon right beside it. I couldn''t wear either of them while sitting in a wheelchair, so I had to carry them. I also had two shotguns, one regular and one sawed-off. The second one was highly illegal, because it had been modified for maximum dispersal. I also had all of the extra clips and ammo that I could carry. With the wheelchair as a conveyance, it essentially gave me a mobile reloading platform. I added as much ammo and backup clips as I could. It was quite a lot. Jillian showed up at the house twenty minutes after my call and she wore almost the same clothes as I did. She was also alone. Apparently, being potentially torn apart limb from limb and devoured, wasn''t high on the other were-cats ''I need to do this'' list. I mentioned my thoughts to Jillian and she just laughed. There''s no way I''m staying home and letting this shit go down, not when there''s something I can do about it.¡± Jillian said, then for dramatic effect, cocked her shotgun. She caught the ejected shell and reloaded it. I knew there was a reason I liked you.¡± I said with a grin. Keep it in your pants, Romeo.¡± Jillian said. ¡°We''ve got some exterminating to do.¡± I was just...¡± We can talk about it later.¡± Jillian said and gathered up her weapons. Her choices were a bit more exotic than mine, and it ended with an M-16 rifle. After a very brief and hurtful argument, Natalie stayed at home to protect it and Mikki got to drive Jillian and myself into danger. We took my jeep, since it could take us, my wheelchair, and all of our guns and ammo without any fuss or crowding. Jillian was in the back seat and adjusted the sights on her M-16 rifle, then she made sure that it was loaded and the barrel was clear. I hoped that we didn''t have to shoot all of the zombies. Yeah, I know it was a faint hope; but, if they were flesh-eaters, then the only way to properly dispose of them was to slow them down and then burn them, usually by cutting them into pieces. Once a zombie consumes living flesh, it has a tendency to break the power ties it had to its summoner and becomes ''free''. Free to do as it pleased, namely eat as much human flesh as it could. Thankfully, Jillian had a spare machete for Mikki to use, in case they got too close. With that comforting thought, we drove off into the night to face the zombie horde. 013 Night Of The Dead Living _______________ You have a choice of where to head to first. Will you run off in a random direction and help who you can, or will you go directly to the people you know and help them first? A) Random. B) The police station. C) Vivian''s place. D) Mikki''s parents. E) Your old job. A ten second timer popped up while I was still reading the options and another warning appeared below them. Warning: Your choice will have severe consequences. Goddammit. I thought as the options disappeared. _______________ Mikki made the decision for me by going downtown to where the most recent broadcast was made. It seemed like a good place to start to her, so that was where we went. When we turned onto the main road, we noticed that there was no power to any of the buildings. The streetlights were still on, which was a bit weird. Mikki slowed down the jeep as we approached the spot where the news van was still parked. There on the ground next to the rear tire was the camera, as well as what was left of the cameraman. That was something I had forgotten to tell Luke. The zombies in the real world didn''t make more of themselves by biting people and turning them into zombies. They just eat whatever they can get into their mouths. There was also magic involved, because the zombies didn''t get bloated or filled up, no matter how much they ate. It was a quirk that I hadn''t seen in years and I had forgotten it. There was no time to call him at the moment, though. We stopped just short of where the police vehicle was and started to get out, then Jillian took the initiative and shot a zombie that was gobbling down the remains of the police nearby. Mikki quickly loaded me into my wheelchair and I looked up at her as she passed me my sawed-off shotgun. You push and reload when I need it and I''ll shoot. Deal?¡± I asked. Mikki nodded her assent and strapped the machete to her hip, then we headed down the street locked and loaded with Jillian expertly shooting any zombie she saw. Her marksmanship was spot on as she picked them off with head shots. To say there wasn''t much left of the heads after an M-16 round was an understatement. The bullet fragments as soon as it hits flesh and spreads out. In dead flesh? It was like an explosion. I really needed to get one of those. I noticed a few things as we moved slowly down the street and started taking out the single zombies we could see. Apparently, a shotgun blast to the chest of a zombie didn''t leave much left. The biggest thing I noticed was that there were no blockades on the roads or alleyways and nothing was cordoned off by the police to protect the civilians. There were no safe areas where someone fleeing could rest and reload their weapons, if they had any. As we moved, I felt a tingle move down my spine and felt a familiar pull. I motioned to Mikki to turn me around and noticed an overturned car on a side street with a group of three zombies trying to get inside to what looked like an unconscious woman and a child. Left.¡± I said and claimed the single zombie on the left side of the car. Jillian nodded as I switched to my handgun and then we opened fire at the same time. We knocked down the three of them with perfect head shots, which made a bit of a mess on the car and the street. We weren''t concerned about that. If they were flesh eaters already, it might take them only a minute to get mobile again and to come after us. We had gotten their attention away from the car, at least. I turned on my cell phone to check the charge, which I should have done right from the start, while Mikki and Jillian rescued the mother and her kid from their seat belts. Hopefully, we would be long gone before any more zombies showed up or the ones on the ground roused themselves. I called Luke to tell him about people not turning into zombies if they were bitten, and there was no answer. Dammit.¡± I said and started to tell Mikki and Jillian about how I had felt the zombies nearby before seeing them, when my phone rang. ¡°Hello?¡± Thank God I finally got you.¡± A man''s panicked voice said over the phone. Sanchez? You sound...¡± I''ve been trying to call you at home for the last ten minutes. Where the hell have you been?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I need more! I thought to myself and sent a pulse of power out to the mass of zombies in front of the police station. I felt all of them, both outside and the few that had found a way inside, and yelled at the top of my lungs. ¡°STOP!¡± I''m pretty sure I can word it much better than ''leave me alone''. I thought and sighed mentally at how Mikki was going to react at my choice. It has to be B. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°What kind of ritual was used to give them this level of autonomy, even though they''re half rotted and shambling? I asked myself. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° How do you plan on stopping me? You couldn''t stop them without me, so how would you stop both them and me? I asked myself while I composed what I should really say. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° 014 Rest In Pieces Oh, right. I forgot about them. I thought. ¡°Hold on for a minute.¡± I said and reached out with my power like I was in a graveyard. Every zombie around me straightened up and gave me their full attention. They felt the power as much as I did and they responded by adding their own feelings to mine. Them wanting me to do it was just as surprising to me as their ''aliveness'' was. ¡° ¡° ¡° Goddammit. I should have had one of them bring it. I thought as I looked up at the zombies. They really were reflecting my emotions, because I could see a few dozen faces looking down at me that were full of worry and fear. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I concentrated on the dirt below me and just like I had at the graveyard with Alfred Anders, I could ''taste'' the graves and the zombies that it needed to fill those empty graves. What kind of choice is that? I asked myself and a five second timer appeared. Shit! B! I chose B! Something''s wrong. It''s not supposed to feel like this. I frowned, then I realized what it was. There was someone alive in here! I thought in surprise. NO! STOP! I commanded... and it didn''t work. I wasn''t a necromancer commanding the mass of dead right then. I was the mass of dead. Yes, that''s what I was supposed to do. I thought and mentally commanded them to grab a handful of dirt to hit themselves with it. ¡°Dust to dust. Go back. Go to your resting place.¡± I said and used my power to urge them to do it. ¡°Lay down and be no more.¡± I commanded. ¡°Sleep, and be free of this undeath.¡± Dammit. I thought and took out a handkerchief and managed to tie off a tourniquet over my ritual cut on my arm to stem the bleeding. I had to see who it was that I could hear, so I listened closely for several moments and pinpointed the sound to my right. I put on my discarded leather jacket to protect my arms from the very stupid thing I was about to do. I started to pull myself along the ground with my damaged hands.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. This was so stupid of me. I thought as I crawled without the use of my legs. I managed to cut my hand on a sharp rock less than a minute later. Shit! I hissed and stopped for a moment, then sighed. I should have kept at least one zombie near me for movement. ¡°I need to exercise more. ¡° She sounds like she''s having a hard time breathing. I thought. It''s more than likely she has a couple of broken ribs and maybe a punctured lung. I looked at her arm and saw it was at a bad angle. ¡°You could have been killed following me! What were you thinking?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Come to me. I commanded and three of them that were closest to me quickly came over to me. I told them to pick me up, just as two police cars and an ambulance appeared and screeched to a stop in front of the horde. Get me over there. I thought and the three zombies carried me over to the mass of dead. I heard gunshots as the police got out of their cars and opened fire on the wall of dead between them and the cemetery. Now that I was close enough to them, I didn''t want a repeat of what happened to Stanton, getting his arm ripped off, so I pushed my power out and called to all of the zombies. Thankfully, they all turned to face me and turned their backs on the police. Come. Come to me. I thought to them and they all moved away from the cops and towards me. Thankfully, the police stopped firing as the threat moved away from them. I waved to Jillian as I led my dwindling army of the dead to the next cemetery and I thought I saw her shaking her head at me. ¡° ¡° ¡° Next time I think I''ll be a little more specific in my commands to hundreds of zombies. I thought with amusement, then I stopped that thought in its tracks. I remembered the feeling of almost losing myself in the mass of the dead and shook my head. No. Nope. I don''t want that to ever happen again. ¡°don''t want any credit for it?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°The zombies, the murders, the kidnappings... wait. The kidnappings. I thought. They don''t fit the pattern. ¡° What would have happened? Would the zombies have eaten everyone in town or would they have just wandered around until someone set them on fire? I thought, then a few more questions popped into my head and they didn''t have any answers, either. 015 Choices Suck Once again Mikki and I drove home in silence. I knew that she wanted to ask me about what had happened in more detail and she knew that I didn''t want to talk about it right now. During the drive, Natalie called and said that the house was fine and she was going over to her parents to check things out, then going to work. Just be careful.¡± I said. ¡°It''s pretty messy out there.¡± I should tell you not to worry about me and that I''m a big girl.¡± Natalie said. ¡°I love that you care enough to worry, even knowing I''m a big strong were-cat.¡± I chuckled. ¡°I don''t care what you change into, you''ll always be my cute little kitten.¡± Both Mikki and Natalie let out ''aww'' sounds and purred a little. See you tonight.¡± I said and ended the call. Mikki pulled into our driveway half an hour later. She loaded me into my wheelchair and took me into the house, only to discover that we were inside an empty house. That was twice in as many days that happened to me and I wasn''t sure if I was happy about that or not. Since there was just the two of us, the thought that we were completely alone sparked something inside me. I didn''t know if it was the night full of overwhelming power rushes or my desperate need to make some kind of connection with something living after wallowing all night with corpses. Whatever that feeling between us was, it ignited like a ball of fire and Mikki turned to stare at me when she felt it, too. There was no room for thought as she quickly grabbed me from my chair, like I weighed nothing, and hurried into the bedroom with me in her arms. Everything happened so fast that I couldn''t remember when we had lost our clothing. All I knew was that I was on my back and Mikki was on top of me. I could feel the pressure of her stomach against my raging hard-on and she desperately kissed me. We grabbed each other''s hair and held on for dear life while we pressed ourselves together for the first time in a while. With another lightning quick motion, she had slid up and was pushing herself down on top of me. She strained with it, because she was so tight after not being with me for so long. I was almost as surprised as she was when she exclaimed pleasure and finally worked me all the way inside. Y-you can feel that?¡± Mikki asked with wonder in her voice. YES!¡± I yelled. ¡°Don''t stop, please, in case it doesn''t last!¡± It had been so long since the last time we had done anything like this, that it took a while to get into the rhythm. Once we did, it was like we were one person, sharing the same space, and giving each other the same feelings of joy and pleasure. She slid up and down on top of me and made sure that she rubbed me over her special spot. I felt an orgasm building, bigger than any that I had ever felt before. Over and over again, Mikki used my penis as she rubbed that spot inside of herself, sliding up and down on me like a well-oiled machine. Just when I thought I couldn''t take any more, it suddenly burst out of me and into Mikki. We both yelled our pleasure when it happened and my new necromancy ability burst forth as well. It seemed to grab onto and consume the passion Mikki and I felt for each other, which shocked me. Of course, that power burst was one too many for my poor exhausted brain and I blacked out. I awoke in a daze sometime later and Mikki was there with a tray and two coffee cups. I pulled myself up higher on the bed, so I could drink without spilling anything on the covers, and I noticed that I didn''t have any feeling below my rib cage again. I had expected that, since it would have been too good to be true to keep the sensations I had felt that morning. No sooner had the thought passed through my mind when I remembered what it had felt like to have an orgasm with my necromancy active like that. I almost rolled around in the bed, my back bowed, and relived the most awesome ejaculation that I''ve ever had. My power surged forth as well and Mikki dropped the tray and grabbed my arms to try and hold me down, not knowing what was going on. That was the worst thing she could have done, because in some weird way, my ability jumped to her. Like that mini-movie of memories I had seen with the ritual that created the army of the dead, Mikki experienced me getting off inside of her. I passed on to her how I felt, and somehow, she passed on to me how she felt. We both kind of flailed around on the bed until whatever it was ended a couple of minutes later. Mikki looked at me a few minutes later with a lazy look in her eyes. We both had an orgasm from it and the sheets were now quite a mess. Good God, David. Was it really like that for you? I mean... I thought I had a lot of pent up energy that needed to be released... but... god, that was... ¡± Mikki motioned down at her underwear and I saw that they were completely soaked, right up to her waist. She lifted the covers and showed me the huge mess I had made myself, even though I knew I had done it. A second later, we laughed together for several minutes, then the humor faded and I was left with a feeling of loss. Oh, David.¡± Mikki said and held me close, muttered sweet nothings to make me feel better, and stroked my face and chest to touch as much of me with her hands as she could. After another few minutes, she moved back enough so I could see her face. ¡°You have to admit that that was a lot more feeling than you had the first time we did something like this.¡± Yeah, but this is the first time we did this much.¡± I said, almost guiltily. Mikki laughed and gave me a kiss. ¡°I''m not complaining.¡± She said and then purred. ¡°It felt wonderful to have you buried that deep inside of me when you came.¡± She whispered and kissed me. ¡°I''ll be right back with more coffee.¡± She picked up the dropped tray and mugs, huffed at the spilled coffee, then left for several minutes. She came back in with three more mugs of coffee and to my surprise, a few toasted and buttered bagels. I ate two halves and drank some coffee while Mikki changed the bedspread for me. We needed to get a good night''s sleep and we couldn''t do that while the bed was still wet. Mikki cleaned me up next and then herself, climbed into the bed with me, then we shared the rest of the bagels and more coffee. She didn''t pressure me at all about what had happened the night before, and that made it even more prevalent by its absence. After suffering in silence for another few minutes, I gave up trying to keep it all to myself and started to tell her everything that happened. Several hours later, Natalie came home and held us spellbound with tales of the adventures at the bar. She told us about the new dance craze that made people look like they were having seizures, which made us laugh. She relayed how the customers loved the new sound system, the music, and the option they had at the bar for a ''mystery drink''. They didn''t know what they were getting until they tasted it. It''s cheap, isn''t it?¡± I asked and she nodded. ¡°Yep, they would definitely love that.¡± Natalie laughed. ¡°Even the people that didn''t like the drink, still thought it was great.¡± She said, her eyes almost twinkling. ¡°Little do they know that it''s just the bartender training.¡± Ha ha!¡± I barked a laugh. ¡°That''s a sneaky way to practice making new drinks.¡± It really is.¡± Mikki said. ¡°It''s also smart and builds practical skills.¡± Natalie nodded again. ¡°We''ve been slowly adding the most popular new drinks to the menu and no one noticed.¡± Definitely smart.¡± Mikki said and gave her sister a hug. ¡°Now what else has been going on? What''s Sally been up to?¡± The usual.¡± Natalie said with a grin. Oh, geez.¡± Mikki laughed. ¡°Did she get caught again?¡± Natalie nodded and told us all the gossip and dirty deeds going on at the bar. When she was finished telling us all that had happened during her shift, our conversation turned to other things, mainly the house renovation and how well it had turned out. _______________ You have a minor choice to make. There are no real stakes, except the order things happen. A) Try to have fun and enjoy life. B) Do your best to mess things up for yourself. What the hell? I thought and shook my head. I like how things are right now, so A. _______________ We decided that we needed to properly thank the people that had helped renovate the house. We should have a movie night!¡± Natalie said, excitedly. I don''t know.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°The living room isn''t that big now.¡± It''s half of the damn house and there''s two couches in there.¡± Mikki said with a laugh. ¡°We could have a whole basketball team sit in there and still have space on the floor for pillows!¡± I was trying to tease her.¡± I said and gave Natalie a ''come here'' look. I think you should stick with using your hands for that.¡± Natalie said and then her face flushed red. I widened my eyes at her and she darted in and gave me a quick kiss to stop me from commenting. What do you think the theme of the movies should be?¡± Mikki asked. ¡°We can''t really have a zombie theme after what happened.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I almost snorted. ¡°I don''t know. Calling the movies on their sh... blatant lies could be fun.¡± Natalie laughed at my correction. ¡°Maybe a monster movie theme?¡± Why not do both.¡± Mikki said. What?¡± We can have a combo night. We can watch a monster movie, then a zombie, another monster, and so on.¡± Mikki said. ¡°The movies are pretty short, so we could have a whole marathon and everyone will enjoy it.¡± I never thought of that!¡± Natalie said and gave her sister a hug. ¡°What a great idea!¡± I''ll leave it to Mikki to call everyone and see if they can make it.¡± I said. ¡°Saturday should be good, right? Almost everyone has Saturday night off and no work on Sunday.¡± I''m pretty sure.¡± Mikki said. ¡°What do you think we should serve?¡± Don''t worry about that.¡± Natalie said. ¡°I''ll take care of the food.¡± Sounds like a plan.¡± I said. Hey, wait a minute.¡± Mikki said. ¡°What are you doing to help?¡± I''m going to help the both of you by absolving myself of responsibility and letting you do all the work.¡± I said smugly. Mikki and Natalie exchanged looks, their smiles turned predatory, then both women tackled me and covered me with kisses and caresses. Saturday rolled around and true to their word, Mikki and Natalie did take care of everything on their own. Mikki had called everyone who was coming and told them to come around five and not to bother eating. Natalie handled the food part and ordered eight pizzas with various toppings, lots of refreshments for everyone, chips and dip, candies, and enough popcorn to choke an elephant. Believe me when I say that it was a lot of popcorn. Mikki and Natalie had booked off work and I, well, I didn''t have a lot to do anyway. Luke the reporter showed up with what he said he would bring, lots of beer and several bags of pretzels. Mikki''s parents had politely declined, and their bodyguards Ron and Bill didn''t, to my surprise. They arrived just before Carlos and Jillian did. Jillian!¡± I nearly yelled and rolled my wheelchair over to her. She bent down and I gave her a big hug. ¡°I didn''t think you''d make it tonight. How are you feeling?¡± I asked, concern clear in my voice. Pretty good. The doctor says I have to take it easy for a while until my lung heals properly. She mentioned something about a mystical injury or something.¡± Jillian shrugged and waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, then she winced slightly because she had used her right arm and the broken ribs were on that side. ¡°I''d also like the rest of the story about what happened after you ditched me.¡± I didn''t ditch you!¡± I blurted. ¡°You were hurt! I had to get you taken care of before anything else happened to you.¡± Jillian looked like she was going to argue, then she smiled. ¡°Thanks.¡± Several other were-cats showed up, including Mikki''s bodyguard Charlie and his date Lisa. Nina and another vampire named Mina showed up almost at the same time. Last, but not least, Vivian showed up. Unfortunately, she had the bright idea to run off to Las Vegas and got married to her boyfriend after the zombie scare, much to the disappointment of all her friends and family, me included. We all would have wanted to be at their wedding if she had thought to ask. I didn''t hold it against them, though. Well, not much. The pair arrived just as the first movie started. Don''t ask me how, but Natalie somehow found a movie for everyone. We had movies for zombies, vampires, were-cats, and surprisingly, necromancers. We all laughed and carried on for the whole night, cat-calling and yelling at the television every time something ridiculous came on the screen. It was a great time. At around three in the morning, the party started to break up. Everyone said that they had a great time, even Nina''s friend, Mina. I thanked them all for everything they did for me while exchanging various goodbyes, hugs, and handshakes with everyone. After that, Mikki, Natalie and I were alone in the house. I looked at Natalie and took her hand as the last guest closed the front door behind them. Thank you. You were wonderful. I don''t know what I''d do without you.¡± Probably starve.¡± Mikki said and I took her hand, too. I pulled the both of them down into a big bear hug. ¡°I don''t know what I''d do without either of you.¡± I squeezed them tighter than I normally would and let them go. ¡°Well, I think it''s time to hit the hay.¡± The two main girls in my life exchanged a look that I thought I might have seen on their faces before. I''m not going to bed with plans for anything to happen, but if it does...¡± I said, almost teasingly. The two of them smiled at each other, then the three of us went to the bedroom. Not surprisingly, we fell asleep almost immediately and slept for the rest of the night. The next day, even though it was Sunday, Mikki had to work. So, I spent a nice quiet day with Natalie. She had to work that night, so I spent the evening cuddling together with Mikki and fell asleep. I awoke to the sound of shuffling in the hallway. I rolled over Mikki, who was still tangled up in the sheets, positioned myself in my wheelchair, and went to the door. I cautiously opened it and peered around the door frame to look for the source of the sound. I saw nothing but darkness and that was odd, since the hallway almost always had some kind of light. I rolled out into the kitchen to make myself some coffee since I was already up, and heard whispering from the basement. I knew for a fact that there wasn''t anyone downstairs because Nina had left with her friend earlier, despite me asking her to stay. I opened the basement door to listen to the distant voices and I heard a very distinct German accent, just like the one I had heard previously. Mein Kind, Denken Sie an mein Angebot. Schlie?en Sie mich, an oder Sie werden es bedauern. Hoffnung, Sie bald zu sehen.¡± I shut the door and I pictured in my head what I had just heard. I repeated it over and over while I rolled into the living room to retrieve my phone. That thought stopped me, because my phone was in the bedroom. I realized that I was dreaming again and as soon as that thought formed, the dream faded away and I woke up. I grabbed my phone and quickly did the same thing I had done the last time. Thanks to my previous work, in no time at all I had the translation. It was definitely getting easier to figure out what was being said, especially because I worked hard at remembering the words and the pronunciations. My child, think of my offer. Join me, or you will regret it. Hope to see you soon.¡± I said out loud, which woke Mikki up. I told her what I had just heard in my dream. She hopped out of bed and left the room. She came back a few minutes later and said that there wasn''t anything down in the basement, except some empty storage boxes and some packing material. I almost laughed that she completely missed describing the two coffins in the basement. What time is it?¡± Mikki asked and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Almost two in the morning.¡± I said after checking my phone. Mikki sighed. ¡°I''ve got to cover a shift at four.¡± She said and I could tell that she was seriously considering going back to sleep. ¡°Do you want me to call anyone to come over and stay with you until Natalie comes home?¡± _______________ You have a critical choice to make. Will you make the call for help or will you tough it out and try to survive on your own? A) Have Mikki call for help. B) Call someone yourself. C) Don''t call and hope for the best. Warning: Severe consequences will result from this choice. Again with the story changing option? It''s just a phone call. I thought and cursed when a ten second timer appeared. Goddammit. All right. I''ll go with B this time. _______________ No, that''s okay.¡± Are you sure? I hate leaving you here all alone.¡± Mikki said. ¡°God knows what could happen.¡± I managed not to sigh. ¡°Mikki, I''ve got enough problems on my plate right now without having to deal with...¡± I stopped myself before I said something I would regret. ¡°You''ve always been there for me, and I appreciate it a lot more than I can ever say.¡± Mikki gave me a disbelieving look. ¡°That was not what you were going to say.¡± Not even close.¡± I said and smiled. Mikki frowned. ¡°You were going to complain that I''m being overly protective, weren''t you?¡± Who, me?¡± I asked innocently. David...¡± Mikki started to say. I rolled over on the bed to get closer to her and took her hand. I was glad that she let me. ¡°I know I''ve been hard on everyone the last while, especially you and Natalie, since you''re both around me so much.¡± I said. ¡°I''m sorry that I''ve been such a pain and I''m trying really hard to bottle it all up and not bother you with it.¡± That earned me a smile. Since this happened...¡± I motioned to my completely useless legs. ¡°...being an ass is the only way I know how to deal with it.¡± I sighed. ¡°Can you forgive me?¡± I asked. I thought I felt some uncertainty, but Mikki nodded and gave me a hug before she dressed for work. I kissed her goodbye and said that I would see her in the morning. About a half an hour after Mikki left, I got myself to the kitchen and decided to try calling Luke on the home phone after getting a cup of coffee. I was pretty sure that he would be up this close to four in the morning. I hoped he was a light sleeper, anyway. I had to keep up with the investigation of both the mysterious deaths and the missing vampires, since I hoped that they weren''t in the same category. I didn''t think that Apollo could take losing Hephastus and I need to find him as soon as possible. Just as I reached for the phone, I felt a very strong pull on my heart and my necromancy power at the same time and then the room went pitch black. It wasn''t the black you see when you are unconscious, though. Believe me, I''ve seen it enough times to tell the difference. I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to clear away whatever it was. When the darkness faded, it was like I was watching a faded film, just like when I saw the ritual and when I shared that experience with Mikki. I was now looking at a small room. There was a small table, and a mirror with all those little light bulbs around it, so you don''t have any shadows on your face when you do up your makeup. I noticed the various band posters on the walls and knew that I was in one of the bathrooms at the bar Natalie worked at. It was the employee one and only workers were allowed in it. I sat down at the table on one of those small folding stools and looked at myself in the mirror. To my utter shock, I saw Natalie looking back at me. Apparently, I was seeing things from Natalie''s point of view. I, or rather she, proceeded to reapply makeup to her eyes to bring out the bright color of her eyes. I heard a knock on the door and told whoever it was that I was a little busy. I heard another knock and then heard the door click open and turned to the door to yell at whoever it was, then I gasped when I saw myself standing there! I thought this was some kind of waking dream or something, then I heard myself... or rather, Natalie... as she spoke. David! Oh, my God! You can walk again? That''s great! Fantastic!¡± Natalie exclaimed. The ''David'' in front of us turned and locked the door while we jumped to our feet and ran towards him. He stood there in front of the door and let us give him a big hug. This is so great! Does Mikki know?¡± Natalie asked. ¡°What about Nina and Jeanette?¡± She gushed and rested our head on his shoulder. ¡°Oh, David! This is wonderful!¡± While we were pressed together, we could feel his breath on our neck and then a thought went through our head. Oh, my God. He''s going to mark me again! I should push away. I have work to do, but... it''s been so long since he held me like this! We felt the edge of his teeth on our skin and a shudder ran down our back. Then we felt that something was wrong. Two of the teeth seemed a bit longer than normal. We were about to say something when he bit down. The orgasm was instantaneous and we went weak in the knees and he caught our weight. We felt him take our blood and our minds wanted it so badly. No, this isn''t right! NO! I tried to force our body to scream and someone burst in through the door and broke the lock. It was Mina and she had a smile on her face. I barely managed to turn our head and looked to see a male vampire that I didn''t know was sucking on our neck. I tried to break free again and Mina raised her arm and shot us. It was such a shock that our body froze before I could try to escape. I looked down at our chest and I saw the end of a tranquilizer dart. I looked back up and was about to curse at the bitch when the darkness took me. I came back to myself and I was sitting in the wheelchair with my hand still reaching for the kitchen phone. The entire thing had happened in an instant, or so I hoped. I felt a sharp pain on my neck and used my had to rub the spot to see if anything was there. There wasn''t. I suddenly felt so tired and drained of energy that I fell asleep right there in the kitchen and my phone call was completely forgotten. 016 Reap What You Sow I woke up on the floor and didn''t know what time it was. My body was sore from falling and stiff from sleeping on the floor. I managed to get myself up and back into the chair and looked at the clock. I was pissed when I saw the clock and it was ten in the morning. Over six fucking hours!¡± I cursed out loud and I knew having no one else in the house had been a huge mistake. I needed to get to the bar as soon as possible and I used the phone to call for a taxi, specifying I had a wheelchair. I didn''t bother getting changed, since I didn''t have time. I did have enough sense to grab my cell phone and my keys before leaving the house and getting in the taxi. I loaded myself into the rear passenger seat and the driver put my wheelchair into the trunk. The chair doesn''t fold up, so the trunk had to be big, which was why I specified wheelchair when I called. I told him the address of the bar and to step on it as I tossed him a couple of twenty dollar bills. Yes, sir!¡± The taxi driver said. We flew down the road, rushing to get to the bar, and I thought I felt the tires leave the pavement a few times. Usually I''m very conscious of the road and tell people to slow down. Today? I had more important things to worry about. I tried calling the bar and there was no answer. I gathered my courage and called Mikki to tell her about my vision. Mikki was quiet for a few minutes, then she spoke. ¡°Did you call Jeanette?¡± No. There''s not much point considering she won''t be awake until tonight.¡± I said. ¡°What''s her secretary going to say? Or do to help?¡± Mikki sighed on the phone. ¡°Why did it take you so long to call me?¡± Actually, that''s my fault.¡± I admitted, because I had been stupid and didn''t let her make the call when I had the choice. ¡°I waited too long after you left to try and call Luke about the investigation. That''s when the vision hit me and I blacked out and fell on the floor.¡± I could hear Mikki grinding her teeth on the other end of the line, biting back what I figured was a pretty scathing remark, and she let out a low growl. ¡°David.¡± Yeah, I know.¡± I said, sadness in my voice. ¡°Do you think I haven''t been kicking myself for not listening to you and had someone with me just in case?¡± I asked. ¡°If anything happens to Natalie because of my stubbornness, I''m never going to forgive myself... or ask you to forgive me.¡± Mikki was quiet for a few moments, as if she was trying to decide to believe me. ¡°Just... get your ass over there and find her.¡± I''m already on it. We''re pulling into the parking lot now. I have to go.¡± I said as I unbuckled my seat belt. ¡°I love you.¡± I added automatically and realized that I shouldn''t have. Good luck.¡± Mikki said and hung up. That threw me for a moment and I stared at the cell phone in my hand. I couldn''t remember the last time that she didn''t say that she loved me when I said I loved her. I sighed and put the cell phone away. I think I''ve finally screwed up the most perfect relationship I''ve ever had. I thought and fought to keep my emotions in check. Dammit. The taxi driver held the chair for me and I climbed into it. He shut the door and I saw the police tape around the doors of the bar. I was wondering why it was difficult to get a parking spot close by. I was hoping this had nothing to do with Natalie; but, my hopes have had a tendency of being crushed the last little while. _______________ You have a choice to make. Will you try to bluff your way into a crime scene without any reasonable expectations to get in, or will you sit quietly and wait for someone to eventually come out and tell you what''s going on? A) Run a Bluff. B) Take your time and possibly disappoint Mikki. That''s not even a choice. I thought and wasn''t surprised that no timer appeared. I was surprised no warning appeared, though. I''m going with A. _______________ I rolled myself over to the police line around the club and I took out my ID. I was pretty sure that I didn''t need it. ¡°I''m David Drake and I used to work on the squad.¡± I said, sincerely hoping that a sense of old connections would garner me a bit of sympathy and possibly an in. ¡°Who is the commanding officer at the scene?¡± Lieutenant Richards.¡± The officer said. Could you send for him, please?¡± I asked nicely, even though I wanted roll right over the officer and barrel into the bar to see what was going on. I''m not a messenger.¡± The officer responded. My temper started to rise at that. What is wrong with these people? Didn''t they teach proper respect at the police academy? I almost choked on my smart-ass remark and calmed myself down a bit. ¡°I didn''t intend for you to abandon your post, officer. I was just being professional and following standard operating procedure. Now could you please pass on the message that I would like to see Lieutenant Richards?¡± He gave me a cop look and tried to size me up, which was really hard to do, considering I was sitting down. There wasn''t any way to get a reasonable assumption about the capabilities of a suspect while they were sitting down and remained passive, so usually it was just a waste of time. He seemed to come to the same decision and reached for the shoulder radio that all uniformed officers wore. The officer spoke into the receiver and I didn''t hear a response. If the officer really did relay a message to Rick, then there probably wouldn''t be. He never was someone that engaged in small talk or wasted time with pleasantries on the phone or the radio. To both the officer''s and my surprise, the door to the bar opened and a plain-clothes detective ushered me inside. I smiled, nodded, and rolled in under the police tape. I even managed to not glare or make any rude gestures or comments as I passed the officer. I really wanted to, though. I imagined the look on his face if I blew a raspberry at him and my smile grew brighter as I entered the bar. The bar was still packed from last night''s festivities and the patrons were separated from the workers. The bouncers looked a bit upset, I assumed because the cops were now doing the jobs of the bouncers and keeping order, while the bouncers were now herded into the same group as the waitresses and bartenders It wasn''t hard to find Rick in the crowd, because he was the tallest person in the room. To tell you the truth, he was always the tallest one in the room. I had never met anyone who was even close to being as tall as him, and that was saying something. I rolled over to him and he had a bit of a surprised look on his face when he had to look down, way down, just to look at me. I had a bit of a shock myself when I realized that this was the first time Rick had seen me in the wheelchair. It''s been over a month since my accident and he didn''t visit me even once. My anger flared back to life at that and he must have seen a shadow of it on my face, even though I tried to hide it, because he reciprocated my anger just as quickly. We both closed down our faces at the same time and stared blankly at each other. David.¡± Rick said. Rick.¡± I responded. What are you doing here?¡± Rick asked. I could ask you the same question.¡± I countered. No, you couldn''t.¡± Ah. Down to the nitty-gritty. Fine. Look Rick, I don''t care what ¡®official'' letters I get...¡± I started to say. What are you doing here?¡± Rick repeated and ignored what I said. If I see police tape around somewhere that someone I care about is, I''m going to come in looking for them.¡± Why would you do that?¡± I''m here to pick up Natalie.¡± I said. Rick was quiet for a second before he said anything. ¡°Natalie Maxwell?¡± He asked and said it like he didn''t know that she was the Natalie I was talking about. Yeah. That''s the one.¡± I said and managed to not roll my eyes at his behavior. I''m sorry.¡± Rick said and didn''t look sorry at all. ¡°She went missing last night before her shift ended.¡± The blood in my face drained and for the first time in my life, I felt faint. Could it have really happened? It wasn''t just a hallucination? I asked myself as shock went through me. Are you okay?¡± Rick asked, no real concern in his voice. ¡°Someone get David some water.¡± A cop was lurking nearby, I assumed to try and overhear our conversation. He nodded and went to the bar at the far side of the room. I wasn''t ready to tell Rick what I had seen in my vision the night before. I couldn''t explain how I had seen it, especially since I didn''t know how it happened or why. I sat there in silence until the cop came back with a bottle of water. I took it graciously and sipped from it for a few minutes while they both looked at me expectantly. Well, they can look all they want. They aren''t getting anything from me. I thought and gathered my courage. ¡°Can I see where it happened?¡± Sure.¡± Rick said and motioned to the officer. ¡°Take him out back. I''ve got a few more witness statements to take care of.¡± Sure thing, Lieutenant.¡± The officer said and moved behind me to take the handles of my wheelchair. I quickly rolled out of his reach and raced ahead of him. He had to jog to catch up to me before I hit the door to the back rooms. I let him get the door for me and I rolled in.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. When I got to the small back room that Natalie had supposedly disappeared from, I caught my breath at the few drops of blood on the plush carpet. The door frame was splintered where the lock on the door had torn it apart, just like in my vision, and this time I really did faint. Or so I thought. I was now in a small room with concrete walls and no light. I could see just fine, though. Chains bound my wrists and ankles to the wall behind me and I could see a door made of metal in front of me. The chains had a heavy weight to them and held me immobile, which meant I didn''t have the leverage I needed to break them. I was startled to think that thought. I couldn''t break chains... but Natalie could. That meant I was seeing things through her eyes again. The door opened and a frail looking old man stepped into the room through a halo of almost blinding light from the doorway and our eyes squinted from it. He spoke in the same accent that I had been hearing in my dreams. Sie hat mich nicht kontaktiert noch. Ich dachte, dass es Zeit war ihr liebstes Spielzeug nehmen. Vielleicht jetzt wird sie pr¨¹fen, mich zu begleiten...¡± It was getting easier for me to understand German the more I heard it. Every time I had a dream or a vision about it, my mind seemed to be adjusting to it. He said something about contacting him? Um... a missing favorite toy? Something about joining? The old man motioned toward the blank wall beside us and for a moment a shadow formed there, then a male vampire stepped out of it. We recognized the vampire as the one who had bitten us last night. I mean he bit Natalie. He moved closer to us and turned our head. We tried to move and fight him; but, we were bound so tightly that we couldn''t struggle away at all. He leaned in close and we felt the same breath on our neck. It was in the same spot as before, which meant that he was about to bite us again. He wasn''t even using his powers to make us think he was doing something else. As he bit down hard and his teeth pierced our skin, we screamed. I was shaking slightly when I awoke to smelling salts being waved under my nose. I opened my eyes and looked around to see a couple of concerned faces. Not Rick''s, though. He just gave me the best cop stare that I''ve ever seen. I''m... okay.¡± I lied, to cover up what I just saw. ¡°I just... I haven''t eaten since yesterday.¡± I was telling the truth about that part and it seemed that the officers around me believed it. Rick only kept the stare and I knew that he would never let me near another crime scene after this. They took me out of the room and into the main bar area. I didn''t press Rick for more details of the crime, since I knew he wouldn''t bother telling me, even if he knew something. I didn''t try to have him send me a copy of everything he found out, either. All I could do was play the grieving boyfriend and had him promise to call if anything new develops. Yeah, I wasn''t holding my breath for that. Once outside, I called Mikki and told her that Natalie had been reported missing and that the police were involved and handling the case. She said that it was great that the police were on top of things and hung up on me. I felt like such a fool that when I tried to call her back to explain about my vision and she didn''t answer, I decided that I would just tell her in person later. The taxi had waited for me, so I went over to it and the driver helped me in and put the wheelchair in the trunk. On the way back to my place, I had the taxi go through a drive-thru. I needed to get something in my stomach besides the coffee and a couple of bagels from the night before. I even offered to get him something. He declined and drove me home. I was dropped off with my food and rolled to the front door. I opened it and entered my very empty house. I rolled to the kitchen and hit the button for the answering machine. There were a couple of messages from my old workplace and I listened to them while I ate. All each message said was to call them back when I could. Since I had some time to spare while I waited for night to fall, I called. Their secretary answered on the second ring and gave me the automatic phone introduction. Edith? I thought you were taking a vacation?¡± I asked. David! Hi!¡± Edith almost gushed. ¡°I was going to take some time off, but Hank said that he needed me, so I put it off for a few months.¡± The anger I had at myself over what happened, that I had been trying to keep a tight reign on, threatened to break loose. What was wrong with Hank? I asked myself to try and calm down. It wouldn''t cost the business very much to bring in a temporary secretary for a few weeks while Edith took a much needed rest. It took me a few seconds to compose myself. I have several messages on my machine to call in.¡± I said. Yes, that''s right. Hank wants to see you. When can you come in?¡± I looked at my watch and it was only one thirty in the afternoon, so I had at least six hours before Jeanette and Nina would be awake. I had some... pointed questions... to ask them. How about right now?¡± I asked. That''s great, David. I''ll let him know you''re coming.¡± Bye, Edith. I''ll see you in about fifteen minutes.¡± Bye!¡± I hung up the phone and called for another taxi. I wasn''t surprised that the same guy showed up and loaded me and the wheelchair into the taxi. I said that I had an appointment downtown and told him the address. We headed over to my old workplace and I looked out the window at several clean-up crews doing their best to clean up the mess I had made of the city. How much do you want to bet that insurance premiums all over the city are going to skyrocket after all the claims from this? I asked myself. We arrived only a couple of minutes later than my estimate and the driver offered to stay again. I thanked him and rolled myself inside the old offices. I still regretted not being able to clear out the stupid forest of plants that greeted potential customers. Edith came over to me and gave me hug, then she ushered me into Hank''s office with her usual flair. I got an odd feeling when I saw a particular look on Hank''s face. It was the same look he had when he interviewed prospective talent and rich clients. I held in my sigh and rolled over to the desk as Edith shut the office door. Hi, Hank. You called?¡± I asked with as civil of a voice as I could muster, considering how I was treated the last time I was in this office. I did. Several times.¡± Hank said, as if he was doing me a favor. ¡°I heard about your little stunt yesterday.¡± Oh, this can''t be good. I thought and tried to cover my tracks. ¡°What stunt?¡± Come on, David.¡± Hank said. ¡°An army of zombies terrorizes the city and in the middle of their assault, a jeep that miraculously looks like yours shows up, then the army of corpses do a complete about face and marched... literally marched... out of the city.¡± He gave me a gloating smile. ¡°It doesn''t take a genius to figure out that you had something to do with it.¡± Yeah, I believe that just as much as I believe in Santa Claus.¡± I scoffed. ¡°Who told you?¡± The face that had gloated a second ago, lost its luster. Hank sat back in his chair and folded his hands on his desk. ¡°Our source prefers to remain anonymous.¡± He said and readied himself for a barrage of questions from me that he thought I would use to pressure him into giving me a name. I wasn''t going to give him the satisfaction by jumping through verbal hoops with him. Not now. ¡°Fine. What do you want?¡± Hank seemed flustered for a moment and then composed himself. ¡°Both I and the partners here, would like to offer you a job.¡± I put a really fake smile on my face while I digested that bit of information. ¡°Let me guess. You''ve been plagued by calls since yesterday from people that are asking to see the hero of the city, right?¡± Hank didn''t say anything and lost all expression on his face, which was tantamount to admitting it. Now that I''m about to get so much publicity, you want to cash in by hiring me back as a zombie raiser?¡± I asked. ¡°Even after the several times I''ve been in here and asked for my job back?¡± We don''t want to hire you in your old job.¡± Hank said, which surprised me. ¡°We want you to be our public relations liaison.¡± _______________ You have a crucial choice to make. This will change how the story progresses. Will you accept the job that will get you back into the company that you spent so much time helping to build their reputation, or will you throw caution to the wind and see where fate will lead you? A) Accept the job gratefully. B) Accept reluctantly with misgivings. C) Tell him to shove it. I didn''t even have to think about it. C! C! I choose C! _______________ This was the second time I just sat there with a fake smile. Public relations? Me? All he wants me for is to talk to the press? I thought and my anger bubbled up to the surface. I didn''t want to talk to the press normally and he wants me to do it for a living? I don''t think so. No. Actually, make that hell no. The words burst from my lips before I thought about restraining myself or my anger. You sanctimonious prick!¡± I nearly yelled. ¡°You get me to come all the way down here, make me get my hopes up that I was getting my job back, then you have the gall to tell me that you don''t want to hire me to raise zombies?¡± I glared at him and my power pulsed out. ¡°A public relations liaison? Are you kidding me?¡± If I was able to stand, I would have shot to my feet, just so I could point menacingly at him. ¡°You know what I say to your offer? Two words. Fuck. You.¡± Hank had never heard me curse like that before and his face lost some of its color. He also came to the conclusion that his little scheme to lure me in wasn''t going to work. It looked like his face was getting angry and he was about to blow his temper, so I pushed him off track and told him something I knew would shock him. I''ll have you know that the other night I raised a nearly three hundred year old zombie, using only a few chickens and a goat.¡± I spat. ¡°Just a goat, Hank! Oh, and I got paid a hundred grand for it, too!¡± Hank''s face lost the rest of its color when he heard the ridiculous amount of money I made for a single job... that I would have made for the company... if I had still been working for them. He looked like I had just knocked all the wind out of him. A moment later, there was a knock on his office door. Whoever it was, opened it without being asked and I was about to tell them to go screw themselves, until I turned my wheelchair and saw that it was Edith. The senior partners are out here in the lobby and they want to talk to you.¡± Edith said and wasn''t looking at either of us. Which of us do you mean?¡± I asked her. I think the both of you should come.¡± I gave Hank a scathing look that if it could maim, he would have lost all of his limbs instantly. I rolled towards the door and Edith stepped back out of the way. I noticed that she had the same scathing look for Hank, too. Hank and I had been shouting the whole time; but, I didn''t realize that we had gathered such a large crowd of listeners outside of his office. Everyone that worked for the company was there, including Mark, who was supposed to have been on maternity leave with his wife, Natasha. They were also supposed to stay at her parents place in the next state for a couple of months to ''raise the baby right'', according to Natasha''s mother. I rolled towards him with that question on my face. Yeah, I was supposed to be off.¡± Mark said. ¡°The company hasn''t been doing so well since you left.¡± What do you mean since I left?¡± I asked, slightly confused. ¡°Mark, I was fired.¡± It was Hank who spoke first of everyone there. ¡°We voted him out while you were away, Mark.¡± Mark had an angry look on his face. ¡°You voted him out? Are you insane? David loves it here!¡± He said. ¡°He''s the one that made the most money and brought in the most clients. In fact, it''s because of him that I stayed here in the first place.¡± He said and looked at everyone''s guilty faces. ¡°What is wrong with you people? Why did you get rid of him?¡± Hank didn''t even have to think about it and used the same excuse he told me. ¡°It''s too dangerous for him to be out there in a wheelchair. I''m sure he could handle a lot of things and might be able to be carried to some of the jobs; but, you know as well as I do that he can''t physically do the job anymore.¡± My heart sank at his words, because they hurt just as much this time as the first time. You are all idiots.¡± Mark said. I reached up and tugged on his shirt sleeve. ¡°It''s okay, Mark. Let it go.¡± Mark looked down at me with what looked like fury in his eyes, then they softened and he receded back into his old personality. ¡°It''s been a long time, David. You''re looking good.¡± I couldn''t help but laugh, because I knew what I looked like in a wheelchair. Mark joined in and it eased some of the tension in the room. One of the new people that I hadn''t seen before today, turned away from us and faced Hank. ¡°Did you make the offer to David?¡± Yes.¡± Hank said. ¡°Since you apparently didn''t hear his response, he turned it down.¡± What offer?¡± Mark asked. You mean the offer that is so insulting that I want to knock the building down around Hank''s ears?¡± I asked in disgust. ¡°They offered me a job as a public relations liaison for the company.¡± Mark looked completely embarrassed and then looked at the others with the same disgust as I did. ¡°If you don''t give David his old job back, I quit.¡± 017 Venture Forth You''re not a quitter, Mark.¡± I said. Don''t get all sanctimonious on me, David. Since we''ve been pooling our money for the good of the company, these bastards have lost sight of how much work we do.¡± Mark almost spat at Hank. ¡°All they see is the shared profits and not how we get them.¡± I didn''t think that things were this bad down here.¡± I admitted. I hadn''t really been paying attention to the way things had been changing, since Hank was the one that usually took care of everything that had to do with the company finances. I just did my work and that was that. Since you left, it''s been nothing but bad. We lost a few regular clients because you didn''t work here anymore, and we''ve lost a lot of new business for the same reason. When they found out you left, they weren''t that interested anymore.¡± Mark let out a short laugh. ¡°If they had known these geniuses had kicked you out instead...¡± He shook his head. ¡°I think they realize now that if they had you on staff, even as a ¡®liaison'', they would have all those clients back in a jiffy.¡± I figured as much.¡± I said. ¡°That''s what pissed me off about it.¡± _______________ You have another choice to make. This could be good or bad, depending on what you decide. A) Leave and give up on them. B) Stay and try to work something out. C) Strike out on your own. I don''t want to give up on... My thought cut off as a ten second timer appeared. Dammit. I want to do B, but... I sighed. It has to be C. I choose C. _______________ I stared around the group of people, and a thought that had milled around in my head a few times over the years, came back to me in that moment. I said out loud my bright idea and it surprised everyone, myself included. Mark, how would you like to be partners?¡± I asked him. Partners? How?¡± Mark asked. ¡°It''s not like these guys are gonna let you back on the team, not after insulting you... and me... with all this crap.¡± I chuckled at his indignation on my behalf. ¡°I''m not sure why I didn''t think of this until now. I guess I didn''t think I had the talent for it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Now that I''m a free agent, I think it''s time that I started my own zombie raising business.¡± The looks I got from the group were a mixture of horror and shock. Mark was startled into silence for the first time since I''d known him and Edith glanced furtively at everyone around me. It''s probably going to take a couple of months to get things started, but the money I got from a client last night should cover the first year of operating costs, easily.¡± I said and everyone stared openly at me. ¡°I''ll need a business manager, though.¡± Everyone cast their eyes to Hank automatically. He was looking more and more like a drowned frog every passing second. I let him stew for a minute before I spoke. ¡°Edith, how would you like to work for me?¡± Edith was flabbergasted, as was everyone else. I don''t think Edith had seen that one coming, because she didn''t speak. Now, I know it''s short notice, and you''ll have to take a month off while I get the business registered.¡± I said. ¡°Then I''ll need your help with all the paperwork to get everything going properly.¡± I smiled at her. ¡°I hope you''ll consider my offer and let me know as soon as you can.¡± I said. ¡°As an incentive, how does a signing bonus of ten thousand sound? Oh, and an annual salary of fifty thousand of course.¡± A collective gasp flooded the room. If Mark hadn''t been quick on his feet and caught her when she fainted, Edith would have been sprawled on the floor. After Mark pampered her for a bit, she came around and asked me if I was serious. I told her that she deserved even more than that; but, I wouldn''t be able to afford more until her next pay raise. Edith swooned a little at that, then she stated firmly that she didn''t have all the necessary skills she needed to have. I responded that she pretty much ran this company by herself anyways and if she wanted to take a couple classes to learn what she wanted, that I would pay for them. She graciously accepted my offer while she simultaneously turned in her resignation to Hank. Her current annual salary was just over thirty thousand and as far as I knew, for all the years she had worked for the company, she never had a pay raise. Mark didn''t even wait for me to make him an offer and he resigned as well. I had said that it would take a month or two to get the business started, because I wanted Edith to have that deserved time off and to give Mark some more time with his family. The looks that the rest of the people at the company gave me as I rolled by them towards the door, were reminiscent of hostages that were about to be shot in the head. Well, it wasn''t my fault that they didn''t want me around anymore. I thought, then I turned slightly when Mark touched my shoulder. ¡°Mark, you get your ass back to your wife and her family right now.¡± I said to him, then I laughed as he tried to kneel, hug me, and shake my hand at the same time. ¡°Stop! Stop! You''re horrible at thanking people properly!¡± I said and we both laughed. Thank you so much, David.¡± Edith said while tears flowed down her cheeks, then she hugged me tightly. Easy now. If I wasn''t already crippled, you would have just broken my back.¡± I joked and she laughed and cried in equal measure. I pat her back. ¡°I''ll have your bonus deposited into your account later today, so make sure you take the time off and relax.¡± I gave her a stern look. ¡°I mean it!¡± Yes, David.¡± Edith said and wiped at her face. ¡°I''ll do what I need to over the next month.¡± Good.¡± I said and waved at them as they went back inside the offices to gather their things. I rolled out of the building and over to the taxi. I climbed back into the taxi and sat there in silence as the driver loaded the wheelchair into the trunk. I had no clue how to run a business and I kicked myself mentally for doing what I had just done on the spur of the moment. Both Edith and Mark looked really happy, though. I thought and smiled. I had bet on Edith being around the old office so much that she would be able to run the new place. All I really knew how to do was raise the dead. Doing that is a piece of cake. I chuckled at the thought. At least I''ll be able do it whenever I wanted. Legally, anyways. Someone is always looking to have something raised from the grave. Where to, mister?¡± The driver asked. _______________ You have a minor plot point to decide. Where will you go now? A) Home. B) The bank. C) Jeanette''s. D) Mikki''s work. E) Mikki''s Parents. F) Somewhere else. Well, A,D, and E are out. I thought, because I didn''t want to deal with that right now. I can''t do C until tonight and there''s no real rush for B. I ignored the timer when it appeared this time, since I already made my choice. I want to go somewhere else, so F. _______________ I had spouted a crazy plan about starting a business and I had no clue how to go about it. I did know the first step, however. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know where I can get a business registered?¡± I asked with a self-depreciating smile. I was a grown man and I had no idea where to do it. I''d say city hall should be able to handle what you want.¡± The driver said. Then let''s head there.¡± I said and we drove towards the middle of the city. We were pretty close to it, so it didn''t take long for him to park and I was back in my wheelchair. ¡°I''m going to owe you a lot of money after all of this.¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°What''s the meter up to now?¡± The taxi driver gave me a grin. ¡°What meter?¡± I opened my mouth to respond, then understood what he was doing. ¡°Hey, thanks.¡± The man waved my thanks away. ¡°I''ll be here when you come out.¡± He said and I went into the building. One of the clerks asked me right away what I wanted and I tried my best to explain. Oh! You''re going to want to incorporate, probably into a limited corporation, especially if you''ve only got a small business and only a single partner.¡± But... we haven''t even started work or found a place to do that from.¡± She laughed. ¡°You would have been in trouble if you had.¡± She said and gave me a stern look for a second, then she beamed a smile at me. ¡°I''ll take you into one of the spare offices and we can figure out what we can do for you.¡± All right, just... could you try to take it slow? It''s my first time.¡± I said and gave her an innocent face. She had a startled look for a moment, then she burst out laughing. ¡°I''ll be gentle as a lamb.¡± She said and led me over to a nice office and we got to work. I was actually surprised that it didn''t take very long, once we decided on the name and registered it. Resurrection Inc. LLC.¡± I said and looked at the official paper with the business license. With this registered and your business taxes and fees set up, you can go right to the bank and start the paperwork for everything else.¡± The clerk said. Thank you.¡± I said. Don''t thank me yet.¡± The clerk said with a wicked grin and waved at the paper covered desk. ¡°Now you have to pay for all of this.¡± I laughed for a moment, then took a breath. ¡°I''ll try to not to hold it against you personally.¡± She chuckled. ¡°As far as you''re concerned, I''m the face of this coming pain.¡± She gathered everything up and we left the office and went back to the main desk. After a bit more paperwork, she hit me with the bill. I managed, barely, to not yell in surprise. I warned you.¡± She said. ¡°So, are you transferring the hate to me yet?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I wanted to say no and I honestly couldn''t, despite her being so nice. ¡°I just thought that I wanted to say no.¡± I said and smiled at her. Damn, the honeymoon is over.¡± She said with a laugh and I paid the fees for setting everything up. She gave me a copy of everything for my own records and our business was done. Thank you for all your help, expensive as it was.¡± I said and tucked the folder beside my leg. She grinned at me. ¡°If you''re thinking what I think you''re thinking, even if we were dating, I couldn''t give you a break on the fees.¡± I barked a laugh. ¡°That''s good to know, especially since I''m in this state.¡± I waved at my legs. ¡°I wouldn''t be earning too much of a discount even if it did apply.¡± She looked down at me and then looked at my face. ¡°I''m pretty sure there''s a lot more to being with you than that.¡± Yeah, I can be a real ass at unexpected moments.¡± I said and she laughed. We all can be.¡± She said. ¡°I hope you have a great evening.¡± I have to have a serious talk with a vampire, so... maybe?¡± I said and rolled over to the door. ¡°Thanks again.¡± She gave me a wave with a worried face and I left the building. The taxi really had stayed there and I climbed in. We went to the bank next and I was served immediately. I took out the paperwork the clerk at city hall had given me and the teller called over one of their representatives. It didn''t take long for him to get everything set up, including a joint business account and linked individual accounts for us if we needed them. I transferred sixty thousand dollars from my personal account into the business account, then transferred the ten thousand dollar bonus from the business into Edith''s personal account. The representative didn''t even question me about it. I marked on the deposit slip what it was for and he immediately understood. I needed to establish a paper trail for the business as soon as possible and this was the very first step. I thanked him for his help and he said he was happy to do it. I took that paperwork and added it to the pile I already had, then left the bank. I looked at my watch and saw that it was getting late. I went to the still waiting taxi and told him the address for Jeanette''s mansion. She called it a ''modest dwelling'' and it always struck me as both pretentious and funny that she thought a twenty thousand square foot mansion was ''modest''. We drove there and the taxi asked me if I was sure that I wanted to get dropped off. I do.¡± I said and he helped me get out. I pulled out a handful of bills for him and he shook his head. That''s okay.¡± But... nearly all day...¡± I muttered. I saw the video of what you did.¡± Wh-what?¡± I looked at him in shock. You didn''t know?¡± He asked and took out his cell phone. ¡°This was the biggest thing to happen to the city in... well, I can''t really compare it to anything, can I?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Who in their right mind would ever expect to see a zombie apocalypse?¡± I stared at his cell phone as he showed me the video. A mass of zombies marched down the street and were perfectly timed. Each arm, each leg, all moved at the exact same rate. It almost looked fake. I was about to say that when I saw my own head bobbing in the middle of them. I recognized you immediately.¡± The taxi driver said. ¡°I called in and took the day off when I picked you up.¡± But...¡± I told my boss who you were.¡± The taxi driver said. ¡°He made it a paid vacation day instead.¡± I opened my mouth to respond, then realized there wasn''t really anything I could say except thank you. ¡°Tell your boss I appreciate it.¡± I said and held a hand out to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± The taxi driver shook my hand. ¡°Just call whenever you need a ride.¡± I nodded and he walked around the car, climbed in, and drove away. I turned the wheelchair around and rolled up to the gate and the guard opened it without a word. As soon as I was through, a butler and a maid were there. The butler took the handles of the chair and the maid fussed over me to make me presentable. I had been through the process so many times that I didn''t bother protesting. When the maid was done, they took me over to the mansion and rolled me right up to the door over a makeshift ramp. We went inside and they took me over to the room called a parlour. It was just a fancy word for meeting room. I sat there and wait, as did they, for the mistress of the house. I wasn''t surprised when the sun finally set and I felt a jolt of power go through me. In the next moment, the side door of the parlour opened and Jeanette swept into the room wearing a long white nightgown that looked more like something you would wear to a ball and not to bed. My darling.¡± Jeanette said and came over to me, bent down and gave me a quick kiss. ¡°I''ll be right back after I''ve changed.¡± She said and just as quickly as she had appeared, she was out the other side door and was gone. She was just here, wasn''t she?¡± I asked, jokingly. The maid chuckled and quickly followed her to help her get dressed. Ten minutes later, Jeanette came back through the side door and was dressed in all of her finery. A dress that looked so expensive that even a high fashion model would balk at wearing it. Glittering diamonds adorned her ears, wrists, and neck and made those features stand out, rather than covered them. She also had her hair done up in a complicated style that suited her features perfectly. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?¡± Jeanette asked. Like you don''t know.¡± I said and laid into her with all of the questions I could think of about her people, why she hadn''t done anything about it, and why she didn''t protect her workers better. She didn''t have answers for most of them, including the important one. Where''s Natalie?¡± I spat at her. My darling, I do not know.¡± Jeanette said. Don''t give me that crap.¡± I said. ¡°You run your business with an iron hand and you know exactly where all the skeletons are buried.¡± I believe you are confusing my talents with yours.¡± No, you are the...¡± I stopped when what she said registered. ¡°What did you say?¡± You are the one who can detect skeletons, my darling. Not I.¡± Don''t... confuse me.¡± I said. ¡°I. Want. Answers!¡± I said with such passion, that my power and anger popped up and showed itself. I immediately saw Jeanette as a nice tasty morsel to feast upon. I couldn''t tell if it was my necromancy or something else, however. Jeanette must have felt the attention because she immediately went very still. If I hadn''t been looking directly at her, I wasn''t sure I would have seen her in the room at all, even wearing what she was. I closed my eyes for a moment and took several breaths to calm down. My power eased down almost immediately and I came back to my senses. My darling, if you do not keep calm, you will not get any closer to finding Natalie.¡± What do you mean?¡± I asked and tried my best to keep calm. I have the security video for the back entrance.¡± Such relief flooded into my body that if I hadn''t already been sitting down, I might have fallen to the floor. I asked to see the video as nicely as possible. I kept a stranglehold on my anger, just so I wouldn''t try to rip Jeanette apart so she would hurry up and show it to me. She waved at her maid, who walked over to the television at the side of the room and played the video. It was a fairly good quality, too. It showed a clear picture of the back door of the bar, where the workers used it as an employee entrance, and it showed the connected alleyway. The door was pushed open when two people emerged and they carried someone between them. A car pulled up in the alley and the two people tossed the unconscious Natalie into the trunk. When they turned around, I recognized the man as the vampire from my vision; but, I didn''t know his name. The other person was Mina, which confirmed what I had ''seen''. With a glow of righteous fury in my eyes, I turned to Jeanette and pointed a finger at her. I was about to chastise her for letting Natalie get taken from her bar, when I noticed her pretending to cry. My anger receded slightly at the sight of her sobs and she dabbed at her dry eyes with a handkerchief. Another of my family has betrayed my trust.¡± Jeanette said. ¡°Once again, my power base appears weak to my family and those around me.¡± _______________ You have a decision to make. Will you accept and understand Jeanette''s pain or will you forgo all reason and act however you like? A) Comfort Jeanette in her time of need. B) Shout indignantly at the unfairness. C) Show her who''s boss. Mother fu... I stopped my curse before the thought fully formed. Comfort Jeanette in her time of need? HERS? What about NATALIE? I yelled in my head. I really want to shout indignantly; but, I think I''d rather show Jeanette who''s boss. I thought with satisfaction and completely forgot that I didn''t want to curse. I pick fucking C! _______________ Your... power... base?¡± I said through gritted teeth. The anger that had been fading away, crashed down like a tidal wave and I rode it to its fullest. At the very core of my being was my power. Pure, undiluted necromancy power. Whatever had happened to me, and I kind of knew what it was and wouldn''t admit it, really liked it. I mean, it really liked it when I was angry. A lot. There was just one problem. I''ve been trying to justify whatever it was as a ''new thing'' inside of me, when I knew for a fact that it was just me. There was no ''new'' me. With my power going completely active like it was, I could feel the difference in my body. How it had started to change and adapt to reality. My reality. I was becoming a were-cat. Natalie had infected me during all of her attempts to get a rise out of me. I hadn''t realized it at the time; but, now I knew that there had been a lot more exchanged between us. That was why Jeanette had been so worried about what Natalie had been eating and sharing energy with me. She had inadvertently formed a bond between us and made me one of the pack. My anger rose even higher, even though I didn''t think that was possible, and my blood boiled. Jeanette had known I was changing and she hadn''t said anything. She didn''t even imply what I was becoming, and that pissed me off. I let out a loud growl and Jeanette, the maid, and the butler froze still. I have to accept this is who I am. I thought. It''s just... me. It''s all me. That''s when it clicked. That one small mental blocker, the one that had been inadvertently holding me in check since the accident, disappeared. It had made me scared of all the new, exciting, and scary things that I could do with my abilities. That was why I could only regain feeling in my lower half when I did something new, because I was stopping myself from admitting the truth. I was the very first necromancer were-cat. There wasn''t any sound that I couldn''t hear as my brain unlocked everything I was able to do. I felt strength surge through my muscles and fill me up as my power rose with my anger. I now understood why my anger did that. My beast heart accelerated and the power grew, the anger making things easier and my mind clearer. I now knew what to do. I reached out with my power. It went through the air and through the ground and as it touched everyone and everything that I knew, both the living and the dead, they all heard my call. The power flowed out and added each person and thing into the circuit, just like I had done with the army of the dead and with the were-cats that were in the city. Jeanette was right there and she tried to take a step back. I moved my hand instantly and grabbed her wrist. The power flowed over her and into her, then through her into her family. It flowed down the blood bonds she had made as well and I felt every vampire that she had bound to herself. I now felt all of Jeanette''s vampires, which included Nina. I also felt the blood bond I had to all of the were-cats, even though I hadn''t fully changed yet and joined them officially. My power reached out and out, and because I was on the outskirts of town at Jeanette''s mansion, several graveyards were nearby. The zombies I had laid to rest the night before were easily accessible and the power expanded as each necromancer ''battery'' was added to my expanding net of power. I called it a net, because as it cast out farther and farther, it caught more things in it. I covered the whole city and every corpse that my power had ever touched was clear in my mind. It was all there at my fingertips and I could feel it all. With this much power at my beck and call, I felt like I could do anything I wanted. I could even take over the city... but... that wasn''t my thought. I never wanted to do anything like that. You couldn''t rule anything if they all hated you. No, taking over was not the right thing to do. I turned my attention away from the physical world and looked deep into my own head. All that power was mine to control and I used it. I had made the mistake after my accident of trying to have just the were-cats heal me and then tried to have Jeanette and her vampires heal me. I knew that was wrong now. I needed to combine them, because I had both things inside of me... so, that''s what I did. I pulled in as much living energy and as much undead energy as I could stand and concentrated on my spine. I wasn''t any kind of medical professional and I had no training in casting healing spells; but, I knew there were lots of that knowledge in the collective energy I had brought to myself, so I let it do all of the work. It felt like bolts of lightning shooting down my spine as things inside of me snapped back together in the right order. Loud cracking sounds emitted from my lower spine and it felt like my back broke again. Then I felt the most wonderful sensation as the nerves and things reformed and healed. It tingled like crazy as the feeling in my lower body came rushing back. I looked down at myself and saw the muscles in my legs that had started to reduce in size from not being used, expand back out to their normal size... then they went out a bit more. I widened my eyes at that, then looked at my arms. They expanded out slightly as new muscles seemed to form under the skin and added to my strength. It was amazing and scary, because even though I admitted what I was, seeing it was still a shock. I sat there and let the feeling and the power fill me, then the most miraculous thing happened that really surprised me after all of that. I wiggled my toes! 018 Power Struggles I can wiggle my fucking toes!¡± I nearly yelled and then I turned my attention back to the real world around me. I could feel the connections in my head, the spinning lines to the people in my life. Then I remembered Jeanette''s reaction, or lack thereof, to Natalie being kidnapped. How...¡± I gathered even more energy to myself. ¡°...dare...¡± I saw Jeanette''s eyes widen as I rose from my wheelchair. ¡°...YOU!¡± I still had a hold of Jeanette''s arm, so I focused on her bond to me and to the vampires she ''owned'' that have given blood oaths to her. She had bound both Nina and myself to her and she was in control of our power dynamic. I honestly didn''t have a problem with that before, because she was there for me when I needed her and I let her be in charge of things. I also did everything she asked of me, because I loved her. I have always had an affinity with the dead, being a necromancer, and that gave me control over all forms of the dead. I hadn''t realized until recently that also included vampires, even though they had their own powers and personalities. The bonds that vampires formed were just another form of control used by the dead, which meant that it was a power that I could also control... or remove. I jammed my gathered power into the connection Jeanette had to me and she screamed. I knew for a fact that she could siphon power from me through it on occasion and now knew that she had been doing it constantly since we had first bonded. N-no... please... stop. Stop!¡± Jeanette pleaded and dropped to her knees. _______________ You now have another critical choice to make. What you decide will change the story and how things play out. A) Listen to Jeanette. B) Ignore her and do what you want. C) Compromise. D) Fuck her. What? I thought in surprise. That''s a choice? Really? I asked myself. I''m riding this power high and... oh. Okay. Yeah, doing her like this would probably blow her mind. I almost laughed at the thought. No, I think the only real option that won''t destroy everything in my life is C. I choose C. _______________ I knew that I could sever my link to Jeanette and destroy the connection that she had given to me; but, I hesitated. I didn''t want to hurt her permanently. She really had been there for me when I needed her, and we have had the best times together. Even when she had invited others to our bed, it was great. I never felt used or abused, and it was how I had met Nina. At the moment, I wanted to keep my relationship to her and to Nina, even knowing Nina had brought Mina to our movie night. I looked into Jeanette and found her bond to Nina. I couldn''t tell how or when it was formed, only that it was very similar to the one that Nina and I shared, which meant Nina was definitely a subordinate... and so was I. I didn''t like that. D-David... please... don''t.¡± Jeanette said and looked at me with pleading eyes. ¡°Nina needs my protection. You know she does.¡± I opened my mouth to say that she didn''t... and sighed. I did know that Nina needed more than physical protection and Jeanette''s family was one of the most powerful in the city. So, I had to leave Nina attached to her. Just know that I can break your bond to her whenever I want.¡± I said and Jeanette nodded. Yes, I know.¡± Jeanette said. ¡°I can feel your power touching my connections.¡± I nodded this time. ¡°You do realize I still have to show you who is the boss now, right?¡± Yes, my darling.¡± Jeanette said, sadly. ¡°I misspoke before and I belittled your love for your kitten.¡± I let my anger flow out and into her. She gasped at the strength of it and she stared at me. I let her feel it for a full minute, then I took her connection to me and reversed the flow. AHHHHHH!¡± Jeanette screamed as her blood bond to me changed from an input to an output in an instant. I could feel that her inherent power didn''t change and the power she gained from her bonds was still there, and yet, I now seemed to share in them. The funnel of power, and for some reason feelings of devotion, now extended to me instead of me adding to it like I had been. Then I felt my expanded power flow back down that funnel and into Jeanette. My eyes widened as it went down further and further, through the bonds Jeanette had formed with everyone under her protection. If I hadn''t been paying so close attention, or had been using an absurd amount of power, I don''t think I would have noticed it at all. It was so subtle that I had to look at Jeanette to confirm it. Yes.¡± Jeanette said and shivered. ¡°The bond isn''t a one way street as you would put it. It is more like a multi-lane highway with three lanes for me and one lane for you.¡± Then... even if I did take Nina...¡± She wouldn''t have... the same benefits as she does... bonded to me.¡± Jeanette said, haltingly. I thought about that as I felt Jeanette''s body try to adjust to the changed bond between us. ¡°Shh. Go to sleep for a few hours. You need to rest.¡± My darling...¡± Jeanette started to say and then fell unconscious and crumpled to the floor. I picked her up easily and looked at the maid. ¡°Take her back to her room. She''ll wake again in a few hours.¡± I said and looked at the butler. ¡°If she has any appointments before that, delay them until then.¡± Yes, master.¡± They both said. I gave them a pointed look at the title and they both smiled. We can already feel your power as it... touches us.¡± The maid said, her face a little red. ¡°It is... filling.¡± I thought you were human.¡± I said and she smiled. I am.¡± The maid said and took Jeanette from me. ¡°I look forward to your return to the mansion, master.¡± They walked away in different directions and left me alone for the first time, ever, and I stood there for only a moment as I thought about what to do next. _______________ What will you do with your newfound abilities? A) As much good as possible. B) Screw them, it''s all for me. C) Use your head and do what you can. Goddammit! All of them are good choices! I thought and read them again. No timer popped up, so I had some thinking to do. I considered all of the possibilities for each option. I think A is a bit too generic. As much good as possible? That could mean almost anything. Of course, B is so tempting! I would have chosen that if I hadn''t gotten the use of my legs back. I sighed in relief and then smiled. Well, then it''s got to be C. I choose C. _______________ I surprised myself when I turned my attention inwards and towards Natalie. I found the tentative bond to her and concentrated hard on it. Why didn''t I think of this before? I asked myself, then shook my head. I didn''t have the ability to do anything with it even if I had. I admitted to myself. Natalie? Where are you? I thought very hard into that link. Here. A very faint response came and I shivered. I could almost feel her and how weak she was after having her blood sucked out several times already. I pulled on the bond I had to her and she managed to barely give me a mental picture of where she was. It was in a graveyard on the outskirts of town, the one where I had laid to rest the first and largest amount of zombies. She was chained up inside one of the small mausoleums that I hadn''t seen in the dark that night.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. How could I have missed it? I berated myself, then I remembered the shadows that some vampires could use to conceal things and that was what must have happened. I hadn''t seen it because they didn''t want me to and had hidden it from view. ¡°I''ll be right there.¡± I said and sent her as much of a feeling of love as I could. Hurry. Natalie sent to me and it was even weaker than before. I tried to send her some energy and it didn''t work. The bond isn''t strong enough because I haven''t changed yet, dammit! I thought and turned around to see three vampires step into the parlour. One was Jeanette''s sister and the other two were her first and second bonds. I couldn''t feel them through Jeanette''s blood bonds, though. Maybe once they bond to someone else, those bonds are no longer available to other vampires? David.¡± Charlotte spat at me and I saw fury on her face. I don''t have time for you today, Charlotte.¡± I said and I reached out with my power. Since I was now sharing it all along Jeanette''s bonds, it was quite a bit less than it had been when I first accessed it. If I was using the zombies and the were-cats as batteries, then there were a few too many trying to pull on them at the same time. The charge and amount of power available was diminished. I can''t believe you''ve done this.¡± Charlotte said. There was a flicker of regret in her eyes when she spoke again. ¡°You have come into the home of the head of the family and attacked her. This challenge to her and her authority cannot go unpunished.¡± It sounded like a line from a bad B-movie script and I didn''t laugh at her, because she was being completely serious. I stared directly into her eyes and that was usually a big no-no for me to look at Charlotte like this, unless I was sure that she wouldn''t try to use her vast mental tricks on me. Today however, I somehow knew that she couldn''t touch me. I felt her build up her own power and she focused on rolling my mind. Charlotte knew that I was particularly vulnerable to her charms, thanks to my bond to Jeanette and the several times we had all shared a bed together. I had to admit that those were some damn wonderful times, too. The things older vampires could do with their bodies in bed was... well, you can imagine what a century or two of sexual experiences could possibly feel like. Nope, even better than that. Yeah, there you go. To Charlotte''s surprise, I didn''t even blink. Her power pounded on me with a force unlike anything I had felt from her before, and that surprised me in turn. Been holding back on me all this time, have you?¡± I asked sarcastically. Charlotte''s anger reached its peak at my taunt and I realized that it was a pale shadow to what I had in me. I opened up my necromancy ability that was combined with my anger and made it more powerful, and I shoved it into her. Charlotte gasped as her anger and indignation at the perceived insult was dwarfed by mine. I fed it to my own, chewed it up and spit it back out at her. Her eyes widened as I did this and she wasn''t sure how to fight against me. Her power faltered under her doubt, which gave me the upper hand, and she knelt on one knee on the floor. I walked towards her and my power assaulted her body and her senses. The anger I felt over Natalie being taken, nearly completely crushed her defiance and she was having a hard time resisting the draw of my necromancy. The two vampires beside her didn''t try to interfere. They knew better. I didn''t challenge Jeanette and I haven''t accepted your challenge, either.¡± I said and stood in front of her. Charlotte looked up at me with surprise on her face. ¡°But... I just... we fought and...¡± I reached down and touched her face. ¡°A mere lover''s quarrel.¡± I said and my power''s assault on her changed into a comforting and caressing power instead. Oh, god.¡± Charlotte whispered and stood up. ¡°David...¡± Can you feel it?¡± I asked and she closed her eyes. I could tell that she was checking her family bond with Jeanette. When her power touched the changed bond I had with her sister, her eyes flew open and she stared at me. Charlotte didn''t say anything at all and nodded, because she understood that I wasn''t Jeanette''s underling anymore. I had shown her who was the boss. I went over to the DVD player and took the copy of the security footage disc. I asked Charlotte if I could borrow her car. Mason, take David anywhere he wants to go and be quick about it.¡± Charlotte said. Yes, master.¡± The tall vampire on her right said. David.¡± Charlotte said in a voice that didn''t really suit her. Don''t.¡± I said and gave her a quick kiss. ¡°I like your defiant nature.¡± Charlotte gave me a smile and she nodded. With that, I left the mansion in one of the fastest cars I had ever been in. It was so fancy and expensive that I honestly didn''t know the make or model. I was pretty sure it was Italian, though. I looked into the rear view mirror and staring back at me was my own face, except that my eyes were jet black. There was no glow around my normal eyes or changed were-cat eyes like I had expected. They were just a pure and solid blackness. I was a little surprised that it didn''t bother me in the least. I lingered on my reflection for another moment, then tore my gaze away as I recalled the security video. Mina was the vampire that had turned Natalie over to whoever had her. As I thought about her and her kidnapping, the other kidnappings seemed to fall into place. Mina had access to all of them. Better yet, it might also explain why they were missing. I think she wants revenge on Jeanette. I thought. I was positive that Jeanette had slept with the visiting Kratoa in a bid to gain his favor and his loyalty. The were-cat was still a mystery to me, since I didn''t know him personally; but, he was a big strong male with tasty blood. It didn''t take much to make those connections if Jeanette decided she wanted him, even for only a night. Also, nearly every vampire Jeanette bonded with meant something to her, so that would explain pretty much every kidnapping. Hephastus was a little harder to explain, until I thought of Apollo and Hephastus being two of Jeanette''s main bodyguards. Neither of them would want to work for her if the other wasn''t there, since they were partners in work and in life. What better way was there to get back at Jeanette than by removing all of her protections, layer by layer? It was a bit of a long drive back around the edge of town to get to the right cemetery. I had thought about running the whole way; but, considering I just got the use of my legs back, I figured it would be better to not push myself too hard too soon. It was a tempting thought, though. The feel of the pavement under my feet, my barely used sneakers scraping against my ankles, and even the feel of my jeans occasionally rubbing together between my legs as I ran, could be a welcome sensation. Oh, hell. Any sensation was welcome. I thought to myself. The extremely fast car rounded a corner with a squeal of tires and the graveyard came into sight. I''m almost there, Natalie! I thought over our bond that was a bit stronger, now that I was so close. I can see the graveyard and... My thoughts suddenly cut off and I blacked out. The same darkness that I had seen in my visions before engulfed me. Once again I was inside the small concrete room inside the small mausoleum. This time, only the male vampire was there. I could see him pretty well in the darkness. I could see his clothes and the style of his hair, and the rise and fall of his chest. Vampires didn''t have to breathe because they were dead; but, they did sometimes pretend to breathe if they wanted to pass for human. Why would this one want to pass when I clearly knew he was a vampire? I asked myself. This is it. The final time.¡± He said, a bit of satisfaction in his voice. What did he mean by that? I thought about it and it hit me like a slap to the face. This was the third time I had this kind of vision, the other two ending with Natalie being used as a blood donor. I wasn''t sure if she had been bled more times than that, though. I didn''t know why I was getting these particular visions and not seeing things through her eyes all of the time. Multiple bites over successive nights was all a vampire needed to drain someone completely dry of their blood. Normally, if the vampire was powerful enough, the victim would rise as a vampire a short while later. The only problem was that Natalie was a were-cat. She couldn''t be turned into a vampire, because she already had a blood ability that destroyed all other invasive influences. It was why they never got sick or suffered normal ailments like appendicitis and tonsillitis. They were going to kill her! I yelled in my head. No! NO! The male vampire moved closer, leaned in, and tried to give Natalie a kiss. She turned her head to stop him. He moved back and put a hand on her chin to hold her steady and tried again. Natalie darted her head forward and smashed her forehead into his face. Argh!¡± The vampire pulled his head back and felt his nose as blood poured out of it. ¡°You broke it.¡± Try to kiss me again and I''ll break more than that!¡± Natalie spat at him. Yes! I cheered for her. I love you, Natalie! I''m sorry it had to be this way.¡± He said, not apologetic at all, and he wiped at his face. ¡°My master wants your master. He has yet to contact us and submit, so you must suffer for his shortcomings.¡± Natalie laughed in his face. He had a puzzled look on his face and turned a quizzical eye on her. David isn''t my master, you idiot. He''s my best friend, my lover, and my saviour.¡± Natalie said. ¡°He saw me as nothing more than a little girl to save, then he accepted me for who I was and not what he thought I was.¡± She said proudly. ¡°He would rather kill himself than give up to you or anyone else. You could kill everyone he knows and it wouldn''t make any difference, except that it would piss him off even more than he is now.¡± The male vampire backed up slightly at her defiant tone, then he squared his shoulders and looked like he had made a decision. ¡°Somehow, I think seeing his favorite killed will make quite a difference.¡± Natalie''s face was suddenly pointed towards the wall and I felt the vampire dig his teeth into her neck. She didn''t scream at him or at her pain as the vampire did his best to suck the last bit of blood out of her. Dav... David. I... I love... you. Natalie thought her last thought and then she was gone. I had just enough time to scream in my head before my connection to her shattered apart. The darkness that had covered me disappeared as I felt a sharp pain in my heart, worse than any pain I had ever felt before. I opened my eyes and wondered why the car I rode in hadn''t arrived at the cemetery yet, since we were right down the street when the vision had started. Just then, the speeding car slid off the road, jumped a ditch, and hit a tree. 019 Sad Days My face was pressed into the airbag as I dragged myself up from unconsciousness. The seatbelt I was wearing had saved me from breaking my neck and the airbag had stopped me from crushing my face on the dashboard, or even worse, the windshield, because the seat I was in hadn''t stayed where it was supposed to. Of course, once I pulled a knife from my boot and popped the airbag, I saw the extent of the damage. Instead of seeing a vampire beside me, I saw the tree trunk. I was groggy and shaken when I reached for the door handle and didn''t realize there wasn''t a door there. I fumbled for a minute and then used the knife to cut the seatbelt and freed myself. Or so I thought. I tumbled out of the remnants of the sports car and laid down on my back, only to see a large piece of something sticking out of my abdomen. I couldn''t tell what it was. Metal or plastic? I shook my head. It didn''t matter. _______________ You have a life endangering choice. Will you lay there and hope that someone comes along to help or will you do everything that you can to survive? A) Yell for help. B) Use your cell phone. C) Lay there and die. D) Take matters into your own hands. Fuck! I thought and read the options. Who the hell am I going to yell for? Or call? I asked myself. The timer popped up and had five seconds on it. No, I''m not staying here to die. I choose D. _______________ In what I thought was a monumentally stupid idea, I grabbed onto whatever the thing was that was sticking out of me, and I yanked it out. It easily came out, along with a large spurt of blood. ARGH!¡± I yelled loudly and covered the spot with my hands to staunch the bleeding. It was then that I remembered the medical advice that if you ever had something foreign penetrating your body, you should leave it, in case it had perforated veins or arteries. It was acting as its own tourniquet. After only a few moments, I felt better for some reason. I blinked my eyes and took in a breath of air. The cool night air was like a slap in the face and I sobered up quickly and my head cleared. I wasn''t sure how long I was actually unconscious after the accident, then I remembered Natalie. NO!¡± I rolled over and coughed up blood, wiped at my face, and stood. I was a little shaky and blood still seeped out of my abdomen wound. I didn''t care. I was only down the street from where they had held Natalie and I started running. I had learned years ago not to run flat out because you ran out of energy quickly and are out of breath if you sprint too long. I ignored that advice and ran as fast and as hard as I could. I could feel my leg muscles burning after only a few minutes. I guess not using my legs for over two months was detrimental to my physical fitness. I thought and it made me laugh. I came up to the main entry of the cemetery and leaned my forehead against the cool metal gates while I rested for a minute. Taking deep breaths, I reached for my holster and my gun... then realized I didn''t have it. Fuck!¡± I cursed and looked around to see if there was anything or anyone waiting for me. I couldn''t see anything obvious except that everything seemed much shorter than when I was here before. I guess that was because the last time I was seeing everything from waist level. I could see the gate was chained and padlocked, and it had never been before, so I knew someone was trying to stop me from getting in. I wasn''t going to get in the front way, unless I wanted to break the lock off and alert the bad guys to where I was. So, I needed another way in. I walked along the outside wall and scanned the darkness for a support to help me over the wall and noticed a recycle bin near the street corner. It was pretty weak for a trashcan and probably wouldn''t have held a full-grown person. That was like an eight foot jump! I thought in surprise. Okay, okay. Calm down. You can do this. Damn it, David! Get your head in the game! I thought to myself. Stop making rookie mistakes and get your ass in gear! Move it! Move it now! Where were they? I asked myself, because I knew for a fact that there were at least three vampires around. Mina, the male vampire, and the old man. There could also be more, because those were only the ones I knew about. What the hell was going on? ¡° How could they do it? How dare they take her from me! I summoned up all the anger and strength I could muster, then I reached out and grabbed the chains that bound Natalie to the wall. I did it carefully, so I wouldn''t damage her body any more than it already had been, and pulled the chains from their tethers on the wall like they were nothing. Her limp body fell to the floor and I went with her. ¡° ¡° Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. That''s not even a choice. I thought. I choose C! Definitely C! ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Oh, shit. I thought and glared at Rick. ¡°You didn''t call her parents to tell them we found her?¡± I asked. ¡°It''s been hours, Rick! Hours!¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Another day, Natalie. I thought. Another day and I''ll see you again. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° 020 Back In The Groove You have a minor choice to make. It will change the order you do things and possibly gain you more clues. Will you call the black magic practitioner immediately or someone else? A) Call the Witch. B) Call for help. C) Call Mikki. D) Call Sanchez. Despite Mikki''s acceptance of my plan, she''s still pissed at me. Sanchez hasn''t called me and I know for a fact that he would if he had something, unlike Rick. The Witch? She was a complete unknown. I thought. Screw it. I can definitely use more help. I choose B. _______________ I decided to call Steve and left a message with his answering service. He called me right back and I let him know what had been going on. I filled him in on the murders across the country and the murders and kidnappings here in the city. I told him about the copy of the security video I borrowed from Jeanette and he told me to keep it hidden until he got there. Of course, being slow on the uptake, I asked him why he was coming. He said that he wouldn''t miss a vampire hunt if his life depended on it, even if he was ¡®officially'' retired from bounty hunting. His wife Sally had convinced him that he had made enough money that he could invest it and spend more time with her and the kids. He agreed on one condition. If he was needed for a hunt, he was going on a hunt, regardless of money and the circumstances. I had assumed that she would have put her foot down at such a blatant bypass of retirement, and all she said was that she would have expected nothing less from him. It had made me laugh when he told me. Two hours later, his plane landed and he called to say he would be there soon. I didn''t have to wait long for Steve to show up at my place, once he was back in town. He knocked at the door only half an hour after his call and Mikki led him into the kitchen where I was sitting at the table. I drank a cup of coffee while Steve explained that he had a private plane booked on standby since my accident, just in case I called and said that he was needed. I thanked him and asked how much that had cost him. Steve shook his head. ¡°I tell you about my noble gesture and all you can think about is how much it cost me to do it?¡± You''ve always known I''m a practical person.¡± I smiled. ¡°You know I can''t help it.¡± Steve laughed and sat down across from me while Mikki gave him a cup of coffee the same as what I had. Black and two sugars. I had Luke''s manila folder on the table between us and pushed it toward him. He read it all and looked at the list of victims. Interesting. These are all people who have crossed paths with you over the years.¡± Steve said. You''re the only one who actually got that.¡± I said and took a drink of coffee. Steve looked at me, then at Mikki, and back to me again. He squinted his eyes a little and spoke. ¡°So, what you''re saying is, I''m the only one in your life at the moment who actually knows you good enough to understand the significance of this?¡± He held up the list and shook the piece of paper. Mikki sat down at the table with us and fidgeted in the chair a little. Yes.¡± I said, not looking at Mikki, even though it was quite hard not to. O-kay.¡± Steve said. ¡°Now that that''s out of the way, do you have that security video?¡± I passed over the DVD that I had stashed away since the car accident that had miraculously not broken it, and he pocketed it without even glancing at it. Aren''t you going to watch it?¡± I asked, curious. Not here. I''ve got a guy who handles this sort of stuff for me. I''ll have him check it and get the plate numbers of the car if he can, as well as pictures of the perps.¡± I know one of the perps. Her name''s Mina and she used to work for Jeanette.¡± I said. ¡°May still be, since I''m not sure how you actually fire a vampire that betrays you.¡± I pointed to his pocket. ¡°She''ll be the female vampire. It''s the other one I''m concerned with.¡± I said, my face angry. ¡°He''s the one I want.¡± I had the thought of having my hands wrapped around that bastard''s neck and squeezed. The poor mug I had a death grip on shattered into a hundred pieces and they flew everywhere. Luckily, I had just finished drinking the contents and I didn''t have to scramble to gather up the papers that Steve had scattered across the table, from being ruined by splashed coffee. Steve looked at me expectantly for a moment, as if looking forward to having me along for the hunt, then the light faded from his eyes as he remembered that I was still confined to a wheelchair. I noticed the look on his face and hopped out of my chair, knocking it over. ¡°Damn it, that was one of my favorite mugs!¡± I said loudly and waved at the mess. Steve was glued to his chair and sat there, dumbfounded. His eyes never left my legs. I was pretty sure that I could have pulled a knife from my boot, cut off one of his ears, drawn my gun and shot him at least twice, before he spoke. Yes, it was that long. I almost felt bad about surprising him like I did. Almost. I... I''m not dreaming, am I?¡± Steve asked me, his voice full of disbelief. I just smiled at him and shook my head. He jumped up from the chair even quicker than I did and took me into a big bear hug. I was so surprised by it that it was me who could have been shot or maimed without realizing it. Steve broke the hug and moved back from me with what looked like a tear in his eye before he wiped it away. ¡°God, it''s good to see you this way. I don''t care how it happened. Or why.¡± He sat back down and continued drinking his coffee. I picked up my chair and got another mug from the cupboard. I filled it with coffee and sat back down. I think it hit me harder than I thought it would when I saw you for the first time in that wheelchair.¡± Steve said, his voice sounded weak and subdued. I was speechless. I had never heard that tone from him before. Then you said you would always have my back. I... I knew that it would never happen while you were stuck in that damned wheelchair.¡± I knew it the second I said it, too.¡± I said, my voice sad. ¡°There was no way I could ever help you again. There would be no reason for you to help me, either.¡± I looked at his face. ¡°At least, I didn''t think so at the time.¡± We exchanged glances and saw each other''s expressions. Then we both laughed. Mikki, who had watched the whole show, spoke up. ¡°I don''t understand. Why are you laughing?¡± It''s hard to explain.¡± I said and Steve nodded. I looked at Mikki''s puzzled expression and tried to put it into words. ¡°It''s like this. When Steve realized I was paralyzed, he knew he would never get to kill anything with me again. When I realized I couldn''t help cover his ass in a sticky situation, I wouldn''t ask him to help me kill stuff, either. Not that I could with useless legs.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Mikki still looked like she didn''t understand. We both knew that we had lost that something... special between us. Our friendship was built on it and we would never have it again.¡± I said and then chuckled. ¡°I told you it was hard to explain.¡± I think it would be better to think of it as missing a continued shared experience.¡± Steve said. Mikki nodded her head; but, I don''t think she got it. Actually, unless she was like Steve and myself, I don''t think she would ever understand it. Steve assumed the point had been made and moved on. ¡°I''ll call you as soon as my source has anything.¡± He said and stood up. ¡°It''s good to have you back, David.¡± It''s good to be back, Steve.¡± I said and saluted him with my new coffee cup and we nodded to each other. I''ll see myself out.¡± Steve said and left. That night was one of the longest nights I could remember. Not only did I not sleep, Mikki didn''t, either. Neither of us wanted to go to bed together or by ourselves and it was really awkward. We have almost always had Natalie with us, either together or individually, and now that we knew we would never be able to do anything with her again, ever, we didn''t want to do anything at all. Or, at least I didn''t. I wasn''t sure how Mikki felt because we haven''t spoken at all since Steve left. The next morning, we sat at the kitchen table and just stared at each other over our uneaten breakfast. Just when I thought I couldn''t take the silence anymore, the phone rang. Mikki, who looked just as distressed as I did, grabbed for the phone like a lifeline. She listened for a minute and hung up the phone. ¡°I have to go. Pack business.¡± Okay.¡± I said without looking at her. Mikki turned away and started to walk towards the bedroom to get changed, when the phone rang again. She stopped and grabbed the phone again, almost faster than the eye could see. She sighed a little and held it out to me. It''s for you.¡± Mikki said. I looked at her for a brief moment and she let me see the hurt in her eyes as I took the receiver from her. It made my heart stop beating for a moment. ¡°Hello?¡± I said when the moment passed. David, it''s Steve.¡± Steve.¡± I said and my spirits soared, because he said he would only call if he had something. ¡°What have you got for me?¡± Just had my guy finish up with the security video. I''ll fax you over the pictures of the vamps. I''ve got a couple of other connections working on the plate number right now.¡± Great. I''ll take the pictures over to the mansion and see if Jeanette and her... oh, damn.¡± I sighed. What?¡± I almost forgot. There''s no point in going to her right now. She hasn''t talked to me, let alone seen me in person, in two days.¡± Why? What happened?¡± Steve asked. I recounted most of the story, but left out a few pieces, like Natalie making me into a were-cat. That''s not something Steve needed for me to tell him over the phone. That was an ''in person'' discussion if anything was. Then how are you going to find out about the male vampire?¡± Steve asked. She''s not the only vampire in town, you know.¡± No, but she owns a good portion of them as the head of the family, doesn''t she?¡± Yeah, but I''ve still got connections.¡± I said, thinking of Charlotte and Nina. Of course, Nina was avoiding me just as much as Jeanette was. Guilt and accusations could scare even vampires away. That''s my old partner.¡± Steve said. ¡°I''ll call when the licence plate gets traced.¡± On my cell.¡± You got it.¡± Steve said and hung up. I turned around and went over to the fax machine to wait for the pictures to come through. The thing was old and it looked like it had been dropped down the stairs a few times. It still worked, though. The first picture that came through was a pretty good picture of Mina. The second picture was an almost full face shot of the male vampire. I had a knee-jerk reaction to it and my anger and power burst out. I almost smashed the fax machine before I caught myself. Calm down, David. Get a grip. He''ll be yours, soon. I took a deep breath and hit the button to print the fax again. I''ve got to find out who he is. I thought, then realized it was morning and I would have to wait until tonight to ask the vampires I knew about it. Mikki came into the kitchen dressed to go out. ¡°I''m leaving now.¡± My eyes brightened and my face lit up when she looked at me. I might not be able to talk to the vampires yet, but I sure as hell could see if the were-cats knew anything. I want you to do something for me.¡± I said and stepped close to her. Mikki squinted her eyes at me, almost as if she was trying to decide if I was joking or not, then I held up the picture of the male vampire. This is the bastard that killed Natalie.¡± I said and held it out to her. ¡°I want you to pass this around to everyone in the pack and see if anyone knows who he is, or even if anyone has seen him.¡± Mikki very gingerly took the picture and stared at the male vampire''s face. It looked like she was memorizing it. After a few moments, she looked at me and nodded. I also don''t know the name of the missing were-cat that was used as a sacrifice.¡± I reminded her. We''re still looking, David.¡± Mikki said, frustrated. ¡°You know there''s so many around that...¡± I reached out and touched her shoulder tentatively. ¡°I''m not demanding anything, Mikki. I was just reminding you that if you did know who it was, they were involved and this picture might help you find out who it is.¡± Mikki took in a sharp breath and looked at the picture again. ¡°I understand.¡± She said. ¡°Thank you.¡± We''re in this together until the end, one way or the other.¡± Mikki had wide eyes for a moment, then she stepped close and tried to give me a quick kiss. When our lips touched, an electric shock went through the two of us. My anger and power were right there, since I hadn''t tried to push it away after receiving the fax. Mikki''s anger was also right below the surface, and when we kissed, our bodies need to express that anger. We both growled into each other''s mouths and the quick kiss became a full on make out session. Mikki''s hands were all over me, her nails digging in and marking me, everywhere she could reach. I was doing the same thing, except I still only had human fingernails. I still marked her up good, though. You bastard!¡± Mikki spat at me as she broke the kiss. I really am.¡± I said. No! You''re supposed to call me a bitch!¡± Mikki said and punched my chest. Ow.¡± I said and rubbed the spot. ¡°Even if you were a bitch, I''d never say it.¡± David!¡± Mikki punched me in the face and I stepped close to her, so she couldn''t get much strength behind it. ¡°You''re supposed to fight! Fight, goddammit!¡± I am.¡± I said and grabbed her nice shirt and tore it open. Her bra broke and her breasts bounced and jiggled. ¡°I''m going to fight you so goddamn hard!¡± I said and dug my hands into the soft and tender flesh of her chest. Oh, god!¡± Mikki exclaimed and then she moaned as my mouth followed and then bit her nipple. ¡°Harder, you ass!¡± I bit her hard and tasted blood, and Mikki roared a cat-like sound and then I was suddenly on my back on the floor, my pants and her skirt were shredded, and she had me in her mouth. I was hard instantly for her and she growled as she sucked, then she was riding me as hard and as fast as she could. I... fucking hate... you!¡± Mikki said and moved faster. ¡°You... killed... my sister!¡± I did.¡± I said and saw her falter at my blatant admission. I took the chance to gain the advantage and rolled her over. She fought and tried to hit me, so I caught her arms and leaned over her to use as much leverage as I could. Even though she was still a lot stronger than me, being a full were-cat, leverage still gave me the upper hand. NO! Let me... LET ME UP!¡± Mikki yelled. I didn''t say anything and started to move in and out of her. ¡°I''m going to make you mine again!¡± I said loudly into her face, then I let her hands go and buried my face into her neck. I hugged her close, so she couldn''t hit me except on the sides, and I rammed myself as hard and as fast as I could into her. Her fists pounded my sides for several minutes as I forced myself on her, then her fists slowed down. Her hands opened and the punches became slaps, then they stopped and she hugged me back. Then I bit her neck. Mikki''s whole body shook and shivered from pleasure. Her eyes almost rolled into the back of her head and she lost most of the strength in her limbs. I noticed the difference and slowed down my movements as I stopped biting her. Mikki came back to herself and she glared at me. ¡°That wasn''t fair!¡± Who said fights were fair?¡± I asked her and let her out of the hug. What are you...¡± Mikki started to ask, then I grabbed her ankles and almost bent her in half as I pushed her legs to the floor. We''re still fighting.¡± I said and then jammed myself so hard into her that I thought I had pushed things too much and had gone a bit too far. OhhhhhHHHHH!¡± Mikki moaned and came, clamped herself so hard on me that I almost lost all feeling in my penis, then I came, too. I collapsed on top of her as I let her legs go and she put her arms around me to hold me. ¡°Mikki, I...¡± Don''t.¡± Mikki said and looked into my eyes. ¡°Don''t ruin it with words, David.¡± I nodded and carefully licked her neck where I had bitten her. It was already healing and she squirmed a little at the feeling of my tongue. A short time later, Mikki was showered and dressed again. She stopped before she left and looked into my eyes. She moved in close and just before she kissed me, she stopped and growled. I made a short mewling sound and her eyes flashed satisfaction, then she kissed me. The spark was still there and it went through us again; but, we knew its power now and accepted that whatever happened between us, sex was definitely not a problem. Mikki broke the kiss and gave me another pointed look, then she left. She was going to be very late checking in with her pack and she had the perfect excuse. Me. No one questioned her about it, either. 021 Working Things Out Are... are you kidding me? I thought in shock and read the options again. That can''t be a real choice! I shook my head. I''m tempted to choose it, just to see if it actually... no. No. I''ll go with work out. At least that''s productive. I choose C. ¡° Short and to the point. Nice. I thought. ¡°Hi, Jillian. It''s David.¡± I said and thought I heard a gun clatter around and then a magazine sliding into place with a click, which made me smile. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°Maybe professional people have to be trained in phone courtesy? I asked myself with a chuckle. ¡° ¡° ¡° Of course. I thought and I paid when we got there. I received a look from Jillian that I usually get from women when I jump ahead and try to pay for everything during dates. It steps on their independence and their choices, apparently. When we were out of earshot of the clerk at the desk, I said as much. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°run, all we see is a flash of ourselves in the mirrors.¡± Jillian said. She said ''run'' like it was in all capital letters or something. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° What am I going to do without her? I thought as the anguish felt like it was going to consume me, then Jillian grabbed my hand. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I knew it. I thought and she must have seen something on my face, because she nodded. ¡° ¡° Dammit. I really do hate being right sometimes. I thought. ¡° ¡° ¡° How did she get like that? I wondered. Since we were deep in sharing territory, I simply asked her. ¡°How did you become a bodyguard?¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°extra strength more.¡± Jillian said with emphasis on the extra. ¡° ¡° I smiled at her and agreed. It looked like the start of a wonderfully new working relationship between us. Now if we could only stay alive long enough to keep it, that would be great. 022 Plan For The Worst ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Huh. It''s kinda strange to have that bit of security and not the rest. I thought and handed the binoculars to Jillian. She looked and let out a little hiss, which meant she was a little angry that their ''guards'' were doing nothing of the sort. Incompetence always pissed off professionals. ¡° ¡° ¡° Damn, the choices are getting harder. I thought. Well, I didn''t come all this way to make a bunch of noise and alert everyone what we''re doing, so it was down to B and C. I thought about it for a minute. The doors could be rigged, so I''m going with C. I choose C. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Dammit. So easily caught. I thought with a smile and make a kissing motion with my lips. She clamped her mouth shut to stop her laugh, pointed to her own eyes, then out. I nodded and observed. ¡° ¡° Stupid legs. I thought and managed to stop before running into him when I got to the bottom. ¡° ¡° ¡°should be something. Some kind of trace. Something. There''s not.¡± ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°surprise you.¡± I said. ¡° ¡° What the hell was that thing? I asked myself. I was pretty sure that it was something like an incendiary grenade; but, I have never seen one do anything like that before. ¡° ¡°supposed to be dropped into a very large area and released to cover everything. It wasn''t intended to be used the way I just did it, mainly since it''s not supposed to be survivable.¡± He said. ¡°The blanket worked better than I thought it would.¡± ¡° ¡° 023 Hope For The Best _______________ You have a choice to make. Who goes where and does what? Actually, this part doesn''t matter, since it ends up the same way anyway. Look, I''m tired and it''s two in the morning and I have to meet my ''give the player some choices'' quota. Go ahead and choose. A) Search alone. B) You and Steve. C) You and Jillian. D) The three of you. E) Sit on your ass. Are... are you kidding me? I asked myself. Jesus, is this actually real? I shook my head mentally. Well, if it doesn''t matter what I choose, I might as well go with C. I choose C. _______________ ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Oh, my God. I thought. What the hell does all of this have to do with me? ¡° ¡° ¡° This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I don''t need her to make me feel worse about what happened to Natalie! I thought and made a fist to crush the note. Oh, for fuck''s sake. I thought and let what I actually felt be what I chose. I choose... B. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° What the actual fuck? I thought, then a timer popped up with ten seconds on it. Warning: She''s not going to like the default option. At all. It''s D by the way. Oh, shit! B! I choose B, you asshole! I thought. Fucking B! ¡° ¡°not going to regret this.¡± I whispered back and kissed her again, then took her to bed. 024 Now We Meet ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I guess that means I still don''t have the full were-cat suite of skills yet. I thought, then pushed that aside. ¡°When I came home after failing to find anyone else, I found your note.¡± I said in an accusing tone. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Well, there''s not much point in repeating myself. I can''t in good conscience ask Mikki to go to bed with us, not after just saying I wasn''t replacing Natalie. I definitely don''t want to ignore them, so I guess I''m going with D. I choose D.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Great, is she another psychic? I asked myself. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Maybe I should donate it. I thought and sat in the front driver''s seat for the first time in months. My hands gripped the steering wheel and I closed my eyes. I sat there for several minutes and didn''t do anything. I took a deep breath and let it out, turned the key in the ignition, and the jeep roared to life. No way. I thought and suddenly the siding looked old and was cracked in places. The windows were covered in dirt and grime, and the rain gutters on the roof were a shambles. What the hell was that? ¡° Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I thought. What''s with the awful choices? Are you trying to make me choose mostly bad things or something? I paused and waited for a response, then a ten second timer appeared. Warning: She won''t like the default option. At all. It''s E by the way. Yeah, I get it. I should have kept my mouth shut. I thought with a sigh. Fine. I''ll try and share some of the ridiculousness. I chose C. ¡° ¡°fun together, David.¡± The witch said. Not only sex. The thought said as it floated through my mind. What have I gotten myself into? I asked myself. ¡° 025 The Witch Maybe I should have flirted instead? I asked myself and the witch laughed as she approached me. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I really don''t like the sound of that. I thought. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡°are a child. An ignorant child.¡± The witch said, her happy face had become stern. ¡°Angelica didn''t tell you not to do it. She only told you not to dig too deep into the forbidden rituals.¡± ¡° ¡° Wow, okay. I thought. I don''t have to think about this very much, though. The first two options are too confrontational, and I definitely don''t want to promise her something. I looked at the third option and knew it was the best choice. I choose C. ¡° What the hell? I asked myself as a book''s cover formed and then the pages grew out and filled it. The book wasn''t very big and I read the cover. Necromancy And The Soul: Controlling The Dead For Budding Talents. ¡°What... what is this?¡± I asked, since I had never seen a book like it before. ¡° ¡°Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Staying on her good side is definitely the better choice. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Necromancers And The Dead: Fundamentals And Practical Usage. I read and looked at the witch. ¡° Good Lord. I thought and shook my head mentally. Yeah, I''m sure that the first two choices are going to happen eventually, no matter what I choose here. I read the options again. Joking is not the mood she''s in right now, so I have to choose D. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Um... thanks? I thought. Are you sure that none of them affect what happens? I asked. I think I can hear faint laughter. I thought. If it doesn''t matter what I choose, then I better go home and check on things. I choose B. _______________ ¡°I need to get home and check on a few things.¡± I said and stood up. ¡°Thank you for your help, even if it was just to point out my inadequacies.¡± The witch had to laugh at that and she stood up. ¡°I want to tell you to not wait too long to come and see me again; but, you''re going to be busy for a while.¡± She reached up and touched the spot on my cheek where her lips had kissed me. ¡°I''m going to leave that there as a reminder.¡± ¡°Leave what there?¡± I asked and then I felt a burning sensation on my cheek in the shape of her lips. ¡°It''s all right. No one else can see it.¡± The witch said. ¡°Only you, me, and another witch with an affinity with souls can see my mark.¡± ¡°You marked me?¡± I asked, immediately thinking about the were-cats and their tradition of doing that. The witch pat my cheek. ¡°No, it''s not like that. I''m not claiming you. It really is just a reminder.¡± I nodded and she waved at the door. ¡°You may leave my august presence now.¡± The witch said, her voice full of pretentiousness and self-importance. ¡°That''s not a very nice tone of voice for saying goodbye.¡± I said. The witch''s face went serious. ¡°I was dismissing you.¡± She snaked her hands up my chest and rested them on my shoulders. ¡°I am never saying goodbye, David.¡± Never. Another voice whispered into my head. Oh, boy. I thought. ¡°Okay. I''ll just... dismiss myself all the way out of the basement.¡± The witch laughed and let my shoulders go. ¡°Until the next time, David.¡± I nodded and walked across the basement. Just before I started to ascend the stairs, I had a strong urge to look back. I successfully ignored the pressure, mainly because I didn''t want her to think that I was trying to sneak another look at her. Her soft laugh floated through my mind as I walked up the stairs. I left the witch''s house and went to the jeep. I climbed in and put the book down on the seat. ¡°Oh, damn. I forgot the casket lid.¡± I said out loud and looked at the house. ¡°I don''t think I need it anymore.¡± The witch''s soft laughter went through my mind again and I sighed. I drove out of her driveway and went all the way back home. I didn''t need the completely empty driveway to clue me in that no one else was there at the house. I parked and grabbed the book, went into the house, and wasn''t surprised that I was the only being in the house. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° 026 Extra Help We arrived at the cemetery and I ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I really want to do A and B! I thought angrily. Definitely A! I choose A! I thought with satisfaction. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡° Mikki''s father? I asked in my head. ¡°Is something wrong with Mikki?¡± I almost barked. ¡° Oh, no you don''t. I thought and didn''t say anything for several moments. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° Well, damn. I thought and looked at the situation I was in. Steve could be hours, depending on what he''s doing or not doing. I don''t want to rampage, even though that would be really nice, it wouldn''t help me. I skipped over the C option, since I just raised the dead by accident and they hadn''t done anything yet to help me, which left only one option. I have to go with D. I choose D. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° 027 The Warehouse Well, that''s a big help. Thanks. I thought sarcastically. I get it. What the hell? I thought in surprise. You want me to... I shook my head. No, I can''t do that. I have to choose C. Oh, well. I thought and braced myself for the inevitable breaking down the door procedure, when I felt something. It wasn''t a zombie, since those I could clearly feel above me and behind me. This kind of felt like a vampire. I nearly hit myself in the forehead for not using my ability to feel if anything was there, then thought it was better that I hadn''t. I was pretty sure that if I did try to use my power to feel around, that when I did it to sense the dead and the vampires, they could probably sense me back. ¡° Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡° ¡° ¡° Wait, what? I thought and looked at the heart in my hand. The heart shouldn''t have been beating. I had finally killed Natalie''s murderer and I thought it would have made me happy; but, as I looked down upon the vampire''s dead body, I didn''t feel happy at all. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. I thought and looked at the little old man. WHAT? I yelled in my mind. No! It can''t be true! I thought, then my mind paused as I thought about it. Was it true? It was only over the last couple of months that I had been doing these strange and more powerful things. That was about the same time that Steve said that the warehouse and the business came into existence. But, if it was true, then what does it mean? ¡° How could he be that stupid to think that a shapeshifer could become a vampire? ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° I don''t think I like the sound of that. I thought. ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° ¡° 028 Into Darkness _______________ Hey, buddy. You awake? Huh? What? I thought in surprise. I''m not supposed to interrupt the story; but, you''re unconscious and I don''t feel too guilty about it. Okay. I thought, slightly confused. I''m sorry about what happened. I tried to tell you what to do. You should have listened to me and chose D. It was the only option that wouldn''t end with you... ah... captured. That''s not what you were going to say. I thought and then remembered all of the vampires inside and finding Natalie was there. No, I couldn''t burn her to death. You didn''t know she was in there when you made the choice. You knew and didn''t tell me! I thought as my head started to fill with anger. Yeah, and that''s why I said to burn it all down. It was the best choice and would have the best outcome. What? How? I asked. Natalie was inside and... She''s inside a fire resistant room, because they were testing her to see if she was vulnerable to fire like they are. The vampires would have fled long before any flames would have reached them and it would have left Natalie there for you to find and rescue. I sighed. Well, now what am I going to do? They caught me... and Nina... Nina, she just... Your choices led you to this point and to be perfectly honest, you''re screwed. Great, just great. I thought in defeat. Look, I can''t really do much, since the scenario is playing out pretty much with the intention of killing you. Like I said, I''m not supposed to interfere with you and the story you want to play through... But. I thought. ...there might be something I can tweak in your favor. You just have to tell me what you want. Get me the hell out of here, save Natalie, and kill the bad guys. I immediately thought. Jesus, buddy. I said tweak something, not rewrite the whole thing. I sighed mentally and then thought about it. If all you can do is tweak something, then... then give me an advantage that they wouldn''t expect. Something that can slightly change what they planned from being completely in their favor to be slightly in my favor instead. Hmm. That''s actually not too bad of an idea. Let me think about it. Hey, I''m unconscious. It''s not like I''m going anywhere. Ha, funny. Just for that, I''ll set the blackout for accelerated time and jump you ahead. No, that''s not the tweak I mentioned. Oh, damn! I just thought of how to tweak it. Ha ha! You''re gonna love this, buddy. I just know it. _______________ I slowly opened my eyes and I was in a small room on a bed and no zombies were in the room. I felt the sharp pain on my neck where Nina had bitten me and I felt a little sick to my stomach. I assumed it was due to blood loss. Since I didn''t know how long I was unconscious, it could be a lack of food, too. I tried to move and I discovered that I was tied up securely. I looked down at myself and was glad that I was still dressed, which meant that no one had been having fun with me while I was out of it. At least, I hoped that was the case. It was sometimes hard to tell, especially if they cleaned up afterwards. ¡°Don''t move.¡± Nina whispered and one of the shadows dissolved to reveal her. ¡°If you keep pretending to be asleep, he won''t send for you or make me bite you again.¡± ¡°Make you?¡± I whispered. ¡°You seemed really eager to do it.¡± Nina stepped towards the bed and climbed on top of me, I assumed to cover me from being seen. ¡°Oh, David.¡± She said softly, her voice full of sadness. ¡°Don''t you realize that...¡± She stopped talking and reached down to feel that I had an erection. ¡°...I''ve kept Natalie alive and I''ll keep you alive, too.¡± ¡°By killing us.¡± I responded and she shook her head. ¡°You know vampires are crazed until they take that first deep drink.¡± Nina whispered and stopped touching me, then she laid down on top of me and pretended to have sex. ¡°They are watching.¡± I did not tell her that was obvious, considering there were two more shadows in the room. ¡°I did my best with Natalie, David. My very best.¡± Nina said, barely above a whisper as she moved. Surprisingly, her crotch was not rubbing me and only hovered slightly above it. ¡°I kept her from leaving.¡± That last word resonated with me and my mind fought to not yell out loud in surprise. I knew exactly what she meant. Natalie''s soul hadn''t left. She was still her and wasn''t only a magically reanimated corpse. She wasn''t ''dead'' in the traditional sense, even though technically her body had died. Several different scenarios went through my head and I needed to decide what to do with that information. _______________ Ha ha! I told you that you''d like my tweak! Why couldn''t you tell me this before? I asked. Because if you knew, it would change the story. That''s how this works. It all depends on what you know and what you choose. If you knew, then your other choices would have changed and you might not have gotten here to let me change things. I sighed. Good God, you''re playing with the people in my life like they mean nothing to you. They don''t, not really. My priority is giving you a satisfying story. Good or bad, it''s still satisfying. That''s what I do. But, I''ve taken a liking to you and I don''t want you to get one of the generic endings, especially after some of the crap you''ve gone through. All right. I have to accept that as the truth. I thought. So, now what? You need to make a choice, obviously! Ha ha! Good luck, and I won''t tell you what you need to do. You should know that already. If you don''t, well... it was nice getting to watch this train wreck. Take all the time you need. A) Beg her to help you escape. B) Overpower her and try to escape. C) Accept reality. I read the options and then thought about all of the other options I had been given. Each and every one brought me here, to this moment, and I believed that everything that happened was my fault. You''re right, whoever you are. I do know what to do. I thought. I choose C. _______________ I waited for Nina to finish her simulated sex, then I whispered into her ear. ¡°Do it.¡± Nina froze stiff and didn''t move. ¡°David, I... I love you. You can''t mean...¡± ¡°If you really want to protect me and Natalie like you claim, then do it.¡± I said. ¡°Please.¡±Stolen novel; please report. Nina stared into my eyes and then gave me a gentle kiss. She moved her head down and buried her face into my neck, and bit me again. I blacked out and thought I would be unconscious for a long time, then suddenly the blackness faded. I felt that I was still bound up and looked around with my eyes, since my head seemed to be held still by a strap. I saw that it was nighttime and we were in a cemetery. The old man stood above me and said several phrases in German as he wrote several things in blood on my forehead and on the gravestone. Natalie''s gravestone. ¡°Hey, that was my chicken.¡± I complained and the old man''s cold hand slapped the side of my face. It dazed me for several moments, even with my better healing from the unfinished were-cat part of me. ¡°Quiet. I need to complete this.¡± The old man said and I felt his necromancy as it poured out of him and into me. My forehead glowed red and I blinked my eyes. I missed practically everything he said in German, since the words he used were not commonly used and not easily understood. I didn''t try to fight the power or whatever he was doing. I took it all in and accepted it. Nina stepped into view and leaned down. ¡°David...¡± ¡°Hurry up.¡± I said and she looked surprised for a moment, then she sighed and buried her face into my neck. ¡°I didn''t think you would be so eager to become a slave.¡± Nina whispered, then she bit me for the third time and I lost consciousness. _______________ Congratulations! You are now dead! Good going, buddy! Wh-what? I thought in surprise. Aren''t I supposed to... Hey, relax. You know that death isn''t really the end in this story right now. Nina''s got her ability going and she''s going to shove you right back into your body in a few minutes. A few minutes? I thought it took a day to stay buried in the dirt to count. I''m accelerating your down time, remember? I don''t want to sit here while you get magically transformed any more than you want to float in the dark and wait. That''s a good point. Thanks. You''re welcome. Oh, by the way, you''re going to be full of blinding rage and your hunger is going to be off the scale. Just so you know. Well, that''s just wonderful. I thought sarcastically. It can be if you use it right. Just bide your time, if you can. You might do more damage than you realize if you don''t control yourself. I thought about what Natalie was like and nodded my head mentally. I''m glad you understand. Okay, here we go. This should be fun. Hey! I just died! I thought in surprise. Yeah, and how many people can say that and not be complete liars? You have to admit dying in Nina''s arms was kind of fun. Come on, buddy. What a way to go! We only simulated sex the second time she bit me. We didn''t actually do it. You''re such a prude. Hey! Stop laughing! Sorry, buddy! Wakey-wakey! _______________ I opened my eyes and met complete darkness. I didn''t panic, though. My eyes adjusted after a few seconds and I could clearly see the top of a casket. _______________ Here''s another choice for you. I can''t tell you the importance of it, though. My supervisor is breathing down my neck about giving you too many hints. A) Stay and wait. B) Kill yourself. C) Bust out of there fast. D) Dig your own way out. E) Rage. I''m taking your advice this time. I choose E! _______________ I took in a quick breath through my nose and smelled Natalie. I was inside her casket! ¡°NATALIE!¡± I yelled as loudly as I could. I felt my power, my now vampire enhanced power, burst forth and it filled me with strength. I could hear my heart beating in my chest and my muscles expanded, just as they did when I had been ''alive'' and called power to myself. I carefully moved my hands up to my neck. I poised them to strike the top lid, then jammed them forward. To my utter surprise, my hands went right through the thick wooden casket lid and up into the dirt above me. Once my hands touched the earth, my power spread out and I felt the graves around me. They were empty and I felt their loss as if part of me was gone. I ignored that feeling and let my anger override my survival instincts and started to dig. The dirt flowed down easily and filled the space around me. I kicked off my shoes and pushed and pulled myself up and into the dirt as I pushed the dug out dirt down and into the casket to make room for myself. When I started to ascend to the surface, I was surprisingly quick, considering I was six feet down and had all that dirt to go through. I churned my arms and pushed with my feet to give myself the most purchase with little effort. I didn''t have to breathe now, so I didn''t panic when my brain started to give me automatic lung spasms and cried out for oxygen. I fought the urge to open my mouth and take a breath, mainly because I never did like the taste of dirt, then my hands met open air. I grabbed onto the surface and pulled... which just pulled more dirt down on top of me. Goddammit! I yelled in my head and kept ''swimming'' up through the dirt and kicked with my feet until I could get enough of a handhold onto the surface to pull myself out the rest of the way. I plopped down onto the ground beside the freshly churned earth that I had just escaped from and wiped it off my face. I took a breath and let it out, then I remembered what I just did. My anger flared and I stood up, quick as a flash, and turned towards the headstone. I kicked out with my foot and hit the center of it. There was an impact crater in the shape of my heel and the stone tilted back and fell to the ground. I wasn''t happy with only that, though. My eyes turned red and I gripped the sides of the fallen headstone, lifted it up with barely a struggle and slammed it back down onto the large stone base it was on. I did it again and again, until it broke into several pieces and the stone base was crumbling. I stared down at Natalie''s shattered name on the broken headstone and felt much better. I was still angry; but, that tantrum had let me calm down some. It was unfortunate, because now there was nothing to hold back the hunger. My stomach felt like it contracted into an eighth of its normal size and my throat dried up. I couldn''t speak and when I tried to swallow, it felt like I was swallowing sand. I choked and coughed and dropped to my knees. My mind started to haze over and all I could think about was the burning in my throat. I knew what I needed and I had no idea where I was going to get it. ¡°You should have waited.¡± The man''s voice said from off to the right. ¡°We wouldn''t have left you down there for long.¡± I ignored him, because I had caught the smell of something wonderful. My mouth watered, even though I didn''t have any saliva at the moment, and my stomach lurched and urged me to hurry up and feed it. ¡°B-b-blood.¡± I whispered and lifted my head. Six vampires I had never met were around me and I hadn''t felt them at all. My powers had receded because of my hunger and I couldn''t maintain it. My eyes fell upon the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. She was being held between two of the vampires and when she tried to struggle and break free, they had to use both hands to restrain her. ¡°Mikki.¡± I croaked. ¡°NO!¡± Mikki yelled as tears came to her eyes. ¡°No! That... you''re not... oh, David!¡± I stood up, a little wobbily, and I felt as weak as a kitten. I chuckled mentally at the comparison, because Natalie was my little kitten and she was anything but weak. I took a shaky step forward, then another. Mikki''s tears streamed down her face. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°He''s a lot calmer than I thought he''d be.¡± One of the vampires holding Mikki said. ¡°Maybe he exhausted himself by digging out?¡± The other one holding her asked. ¡°The headstone is smashed.¡± One of the others said and then laughed. ¡°He blew his initial rage on a piece of stone! What an idiot!¡± I ignored the taunt and stumbled a little, then I took another step and it put me right in front of Mikki. She looked into my blood red eyes and I could see that she searched desperately to see if there was anything of me left inside. I opened my mouth and started to smile. Mikki''s eyes widened as my fangs grew... and she recognized them. They matched her own. She nodded imperceptibly, so I quickly grabbed her and took her into a hug. I buried my face into her neck and almost growled. I didn''t bite her, though. The two vampires holding her arms, laughed and let her go, because they thought I did. ¡°This should be good.¡± One of them said and crossed his arms to wait for me to drain my first victim. I didn''t disappoint him. I quickly turned and tossed Mikki as hard as I could. She flew up into the air and well outside of the circle that the vampires had made to surround me, and all of their eyes followed her. IDIOTS! I yelled in my mind, since I couldn''t really speak, and I lunged for the vampire that had spoken. I sank my teeth into his exposed neck and sucked as hard as I could. As soon as the blood touched my tongue, slow and viscous as it was, my powers sprang back to full force and my urgent hunger faded. I didn''t stop sucking, though. None of the others noticed as they waited for Mikki to land. I sped up my blood absorption with power and commanded the dead thing in front of me to give me its power and its blood. I felt a massive amount of life force get pulled into my chest and my stomach filled with blood. I felt the vampire''s blood oath, just like I had felt Jeanette''s and Nina''s that time, and I plucked it free... just before the vampire died his second death. I quickly tore his heart out and crushed it in a second, then grabbed the other vampire that dared to touch Mikki. I commanded him to give me all of his power and reached inside him to touch that blood oath bond. I severed it and sucked in all of the vampire''s life force. I removed his heart and crushed it, too. Barely two seconds had passed and Mikki was now on the ground. She had seen what I did and ran as fast as she could. She wasn''t fleeing from me, though. She was buying me time. I pretended to help the other vampires chase her and as I reached each vampire, I did the same thing. I took their life force and ripped out their hearts. I was so quick that they couldn''t react or even warn the others. The merry chase we were on ended at the far end of the cemetery and I killed the last one. Mikki remained in a running stance when she stopped, fully prepared to actually flee from me. ¡°David, is... is that really you?¡± ¡°You know vampires are crazed until they take that first deep drink.¡± I said, repeating Nina''s words to me, and Mikki''s tears started flowing again. ¡°Oh, David.¡± Mikki said and walked over to me, then she took me into a hug. ¡°I''m so sorry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I asked and she stiffened, then let me go. ¡°You... you died. Now you... you''re just...¡± ¡°I''m just me.¡± I said. ¡°Nina didn''t let me leave.¡± Mikki caught her breath at my words, for two reasons. She understood what I had meant. Nina had turned me and she also saved me. ¡°I''m going to kill her.¡± Mikki said. ¡°She saved Natalie, too.¡± I admitted. ¡°WHAT?!?¡± Mikki yelled. ¡°Come on. I''ll show you.¡± I said and held a hand out to her. Mikki didn''t hesitate for even a fraction of a second as she took my hand. We took off running at full speed towards the warehouse district. 029 Confrontation The last time I made the trip to the warehouse district from Natalie''s grave, it took almost three hours walking. Running at supernatural speed, it took barely ten minutes. Of course, I had no idea what the limits on my abilities was, so when we arrived at the warehouse where I had stashed my wooden box, I was fairly weak and had burned off what little enriched blood I had sucked out of that one vampire. I should have drained the others of blood, too. I thought. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Mikki asked. _______________ All right, now you have a crucial choice. It''s a difficult one, because it will affect your relationships from now on. I don''t mean just the ones that exist, either. It''s all right. I thought. I know you''re just trying to do your best to help me. Thanks, buddy. Here you go. I can''t tell you what to take, so I''ll just say that you better be ready for the consequences of your choices. Oh, and be careful. You never know what could be around the corner. A) Leave Mikki behind and go in alone. B) Bring Mikki and tear the place apart. C) Burn it down. I almost laughed. Well, considering I just won Mikki''s trust back and I didn''t chose to burn it down the last time because Natalie was inside, there''s only one choice left. I choose B. _______________ I knew exactly what to do. ¡°Mikki, I''m going to storm the place.¡± ¡°You better not think of leaving me behind.¡± Mikki said, her face angry. ¡°Bite your tongue.¡± I said with a smile and opened my wooden chest. I took out the container that had my crystallized blood in it and her eyes widened. ¡°I''m feeling a little peckish and I''ll need you to carry this for me.¡± ¡°D-David, you... oh, God.¡± Mikki whispered as I popped open the top. I poured out a palm full and then tossed the crystals into my mouth. I didn''t chew them or try to suck on them to make them last, either. I swallowed them immediately and handed her the container. It took a moment for the powerful crystals to reach my stomach, where my vampire body could start digesting them. Normally, it only took a few crystals to get the power going when I raised a zombie. I had just swallowed a palm full. My compressed stomach seemed to expand slightly and I felt a very strong necrotic energy flow into me. ¡°Jesus! No wonder Nina loves biting me!¡± I said and my muscles rippled under my clothes. My hands convulsed and instead of strong normal fingernails, the very tips of were-cat claws popped out. ¡°These assholes don''t know who they''ve been fucking with.¡± ¡°They will now.¡± Mikki said and to my surprise, she took a palm full of crystallized blood as well. ¡°Hey, what...¡± I started to ask, then her teeth grew, her own claws popped out, and her eyes burned red. ¡°You''re mine and I''m yours.¡± Mikki said and closed the container, then used the cloth I usually cleaned my sacred blade with to tie the container to her belt. ¡°Let''s go save my sister.¡± I nodded and we both looked at the warehouse. I gave her a brief description of what was inside the last time I had been there, then we both snuck over to the warehouse. The bay door was now closed, so we searched around for another way in. We found a small service entrance at the back of the building. I easily crushed the door handle and pulled it out, then turned the mechanism with my claw tip to get us inside. This was a different entrance than I had entered before, so it took us a while to figure out how to get down to the next floor. I regretted not having access to my vehicle that Jillian took, because it had a backup gun in the glove compartment. I also regretted losing the guns that the old man had stolen from me. I was pretty confident with my new abilities; but, my grandfather was a fabled necromancer. I assumed that he had an even stronger affinity with the dead after centuries of using his powers. We found the staircase to go down and I warned Mikki about the electronic lock on the door. She just flicked her claws at me and I smiled in response. Locks on doors are no longer a problem for either of us, especially if we don''t care about what happens to the door. We crept down the stairs, our eyes adjusted to the darkness, and no other eyes were looking at us. I wasn''t sure why, though. Even a basic henchman would have a scout to watch for threats. I thought and nodded to Mikki. Mikki smiled at me, made a fist, and smashed it into the electronic lock. Her foot was next and the door practically split in half as she kicked the handle by the lock. I was through the opening in a flash and let my power out to touch everything in the room to see what was there. ¡°ARGH!¡± I grunted as I felt a massive backlash and dropped to my knees. ¡°Ah, ah, ah.¡± The old man''s voice said. ¡°You can''t touch my dead without my permission.¡± ¡°What... the... hell...¡± I cupped the sides of my head. ¡°That... it''s never happened before.¡± ¡°You''ve never met another necromancer that put restrictions on their dead so that only they can use them?¡± The old man asked and then he laughed. ¡°No wonder your zombies were so easy to take over. You didn''t put any protections in place at all.¡± ¡°I... didn''t know...¡± I said and fought the feeling. I pulled my power back and the pain lessened. ¡°I hope you realize that I put the same restrictions on you.¡± The old man said and waved a hand. Two vampires and two zombies grabbed my arms and legs before I could react. They picked me up and carried me over to him. ¡°I don''t need to ask what happened to my sentries.¡± ¡°You mean your idiot lap-dogs?¡± I asked. ¡°How old were they? A year? Two?¡± ¡°The youngest was almost a hundred years old.¡± The old man said. ¡°Ha!¡± I barked a laugh, right in his face. ¡°I''m not going to ask how such stupid people could live so long. They obviously had you protecting them all this time.¡± ¡°Yes, and you are also going to be protected by me.¡± The old man said. ¡°I don''t think so.¡± I said and tried to struggle. ¡°Stay still.¡± The old man said and I froze solid. ¡°You are under my control.¡± I felt my forehead burn and I felt his necromancy inside of me that he had given me at the burying ritual he had performed. It roamed through me and went right into my stomach. ¡°What is this?¡± The old man asked.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. I mumbled a response, since I couldn''t speak. ¡°Tell me what you have done.¡± The old man said. ¡°I ingested a special magic powder that gave me more strength than sucking the long life out of six of your pitiful vampires.¡± I responded. ¡°No, that... you couldn''t have...¡± The old man looked worried. ¡°The dead don''t lie.¡± I said with a smile. ¡°Show me. How did you do it?¡± The old man asked. ¡°Like this.¡± I said and poured my power into the two vampires holding me. Give me your life and your power! I commanded and grabbed their blood bonds to the old man, snapped them, then sucked in their life forces. ¡°NO!¡± The old man yelled and backed away as his two vampires died. My legs were free now, so I pulled my arms out of the grip of the zombies and quickly plunged my hands into the two vampires and removed their hearts. I crushed them and tossed them aside. ¡°What are you going to do now, old man?¡± ¡°Natalie!¡± The old man said and the door to the other area burst open. A ferocious and snarling thing came out and rushed towards me. _______________ I don''t even need to give you a choice here, do I? We both know what you''re going to do. Yes, we do. I thought with satisfaction. A) Welcome Natalie. B) Welcome Natalie. C) Welcome Natalie. D) Welcome Natalie. That''s a really hard choice. After a long internal debate, I think I''ll chose A. _______________ I didn''t run or try to fight. That wasn''t what I wanted. I opened my arms as the snarling thing jumped at me. I caught her and took her into my arms. She bit me several times and her extended claws tore at my body. ¡°Welcome home, Natalie.¡± I said as she snarled at me. ¡°I love you, my little kitten.¡± The thing in my arms slowed down at my words and her burning red eyes looked up at me. ¡°Go ahead. I love you. Drink, and be mine forever.¡± I said and dragged my own claws across my chest. I opened four lines of blood for her and her eyes flashed, then she pressed her face to me and drank. She drank and drank, and I let her. I also poured my power into her. I felt along the blood bond she had with the dead vampire and felt the old man. He was using her like a battery, so I crushed that connection. The old man stumbled as he physically felt the damage of having Natalie ripped from him. ¡°How... how can you... she''s mine!¡± ¡°She was never yours.¡± I said and I felt my power wane. My blood slowed down and then stopped flowing. ¡°She''s mine. She''s always been mine.¡± I looked down into Natalie''s blue eyes and she looked back at me. ¡°Even when I didn''t want to admit it, she was mine.¡± We both felt our blood bond form and we caught our breath at the strength of it. We both felt much better and then Natalie turned around to look at the old man. ¡°You are still mine.¡± The old man said and pointed a hand at me. ¡°I made you through Nina. I command you to...¡± ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± I said and waved to one of the shadows by the wall. ¡°Nina is mine, too.¡± The old man laughed as the other shadows became ten vampires and surrounded him. ¡°You do not have a blood bond with her. She is not yours.¡± ¡°That''s where you''re wrong.¡± I said and my body started to collapse. ¡°You don''t need a blood bond to declare yourself to someone.¡± Nina dismissed her shadow and rushed over and caught me before I fell to the floor. ¡°You gave her too much.¡± ¡°She had to... drink deep.¡± I said and looked up at Natalie. ¡°I''m going to let you... handle the others.¡± ¡°With pleasure.¡± Natalie said with a smile, then her power that felt a lot like mine, poured out into the room. She didn''t suffer the same backlash as I did, since she didn''t have the same restrictions I had. In the next second, a vampire was slammed into the ground and his skull shattered. She tore his heart out, bit into it to get the blood, and her power increased. ¡°Fresh kill.¡± She growled and the other vampires looked nervous. ¡°GET HER!¡± The old man yelled and Natalie was swarmed by the others. Mikki sneaked into the room to slip in behind Nina. ¡°I''m going to kill you for what you did.¡± She whispered and poured another palm full of crystallized blood into my mouth. ¡°Even though you saved them, they still died.¡± ¡°I''d rather have them as vampires than gone forever.¡± Nina said. ¡°Wouldn''t you?¡± She asked and Mikki glared at her. ¡°We can fight over it later.¡± I said as my old power flowed through me and healed all of my injuries. ¡°Both of you need to go and help Natalie.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Nina asked. ¡°I have a plan.¡± I said and felt something through Natalie. ¡°All I need is a distraction and here he comes.¡± A second later, the entire ceiling exploded. _______________ Ha ha! This is getting exciting! What are you going to do with your distraction? A) Get everyone and run. B) Kill them all. C) Help Natalie. D) Help the old man. E) Help yourself. That''s actually not a difficult choice. I choose D. I thought. Wait, what? Are you crazy? After all I did to help and you''re going to throw it all away? Hey, buddy. It''s your turn to trust me. I choose D. All right. Here we go. _______________ We didn''t waste any time and used the distraction to full advantage. Mikki and Nina went to Natalie and helped her dispatch the several of the vampires. Steve dropped down on a repelling rope and was covered with weapons, armor, and grenades. He opened fire on several vampires and they screamed as the blessed bullets tore through them. I quickly made my way over to the old man near the side of the room where he had retreated. ¡°Let me help you, master.¡± I said and the old man gave me an odd look, like he couldn''t believe me. I reached out and took his hand and poured my power into him. ¡°Thank you, grandson.¡± The old man said and hundreds of zombies poured into the room, as did thirty more vampires. I could tell by the bonds through the old man that these were the last ones he had and had kept them in reserve. They didn''t have the shadow power, though. It was my turn to give him an odd look that I didn''t believe it, and he chuckled. ¡°It takes time for them to learn enough to conceal themselves.¡± The old man said. ¡°Seize them!¡± Mikki, Natalie, Nina, and Steve were immediately caught in mid-kills and they all looked over at me. ¡°DAVID! NO!¡± Mikki yelled. ¡°I''m sorry, Mikki. My grandfather is my master.¡± I said and tears came to her eyes. Natalie stared at me like I was stabbing her through the heart and Nina just stood still and didn''t react at all. ¡°Jesus Christ, David.¡± Steve said with a shake of his head. ¡°Stop fucking around.¡± I laughed and nodded, then turned to the old man. ¡°I learned a trick recently when playing with blood bonds.¡± I said and used my power to delve deep through the blood bond I had with him. ¡°You shouldn''t have bonded with me and kept me as an underling to Nina.¡± ¡°What are you... wait, how are you...¡± The old man started to say, then I grabbed onto the blood bond. ¡°If you break it, you''ll die from the backlash!¡± ¡°Break it? Ha!¡± I said and did the same thing I did to my blood bond with Jeanette. I reversed the flow. ¡°AGGGHHHHHHH!¡± The old man screamed and dropped to his knees. My eyes went blind as all the centuries of power my grandfather had, flowed into me. The memories of all the lives he had ended came with their life essences. He had thought he was the only one and then learned of my existence. He had to test me to see if I could do the same thing as him. He was very disappointed that I was just a generic necromancer and didn''t have any special abilities. That was when he started playing with murdering the people from my past. I shook my head at all those deaths, just because he was annoyed that I wasn''t special like him. ¡°You were wrong, grandpa.¡± I said as my sight returned, as did my bonds to the zombies. ¡°I am special.¡± _______________ Holy shit! I didn''t expect that! Ha ha ha! Way to go, buddy! Okay, okay. Back on track. What can I have you do... Oh! Ha. Okay. You might like these or you might not. Try to pick the right one. A) Offer sanctuary. B) Offer to kill them. C) Wipe them out. D) Zombie massacre. E) Have fun. Jesus. I thought with a laugh. A lot of those are the same thing. I knew you would like them. I can''t wait to see what you do. You know what? Screw it. I chose E. Let''s see what happens. _______________ I went through the old man and his blood bonds to touch the vampires he had made in the room. ¡°I give you one choice.¡± I said to them and flicked the bonds to show them that I could actually do what I said. ¡°Transfer to me willingly or die.¡± I felt the vampires all react negatively, so I grabbed those bonds and broke them. ¡°Tear them apart.¡± I commanded the zombies. In the next moment, thirty vampires had died their second death and the zombies held the hearts out to Natalie. ¡°David, what...¡± Natalie looked at the offering. ¡°Fresh kills.¡± I said. She understood that I was giving all of that extra power to her and nodded, then she bit into each one and sucked the blood out of them. Her power burst out and her hair grew, her claws nearly doubled in size, and she growled. ¡°Thank you.¡± Natalie said and walked over to me. ¡°Can I have him?¡± ¡°You can''t kill me.¡± The old man said. ¡°My children will come for you if they feel my death.¡± ¡°We better not kill you, then.¡± I said with a smile and poured my power into him. ¡°You can never contact your children, friends, family, or anyone that is indebted to you to help you escape.¡± I said and used Natalie''s bloody hand to draw the binding runes onto his forehead. ¡°Take his arms and legs off.¡± ¡°NOOOOO!!!¡± The old man yelled and then Steve was there with the machete-like blade and lopped off the old man''s arms and legs. A second later, he had burned the stumps with both fire and holy water. ¡°Where can we stuff this guy, now that he can''t get away?¡± Steve asked and kicked the old man onto his back and tied a rope around him. ¡°I have an idea.¡± I said with a smile. 030 Resolutions We rescued the hostages and returned them to their families and loved ones. Apollo dropped to his knees and begged me to accept his pledge of allegiance for rescuing his partner, Hephastus. I responded that I''ll take the pledge, as long as he didn''t expect a blood bond or stopped working for Jeanette. Both he and Hephastus accepted the conditions gratefully, so now I had two powerful vampires at my beck and call without having to deal with their every day matters. We all bound and gagged the old man, my ancestor Otto Drakkenstein, and put him into Natalie''s grave. I had to empty the casket and retrieve both the casket lid and my sacred knife from the witch. It seemed fitting that his own binding and silence spells would keep him contained. I removed the ''bloodline sense'' portion of the ritual, though. I took the old man''s words to heart and didn''t want anyone to think we had actually killed him. Steve had a headstone delivered a week later and we all laughed at the inscription. ''Here lies a stump of a man. He has no arms or legs and his name is Phil.'' Steve''s a really funny guy. Mikki was overjoyed to confirm that both her sister Natalie and I really did have our souls. It was thanks to Angelica mysteriously showing up the next day and the ritual she performed. I didn''t ask her why she didn''t tell me anything about what was happening, since I knew her restrictions and also knew that she would have seen it all coming. Her eyes glistened with tears as she gave me a kiss. I gained an erection immediately when I smelled her magically rich blood through her skin. She blushed hard and gave me another kiss, then she left as quickly as she had appeared. I am definitely going to be careful around other magical people. I thought and felt a piece of paper appear in my pocket. I took it out and it gave me a time and a place, the bottom marked with a stylized capital A. Well, damn. There goes that resolution. I thought with amusement. Mikki''s and Natalie''s father was blown away by the fact that Natalie was ''alive'', even knowing she was actually a vampire. Her blood ties to the pack were still there, which had never happened before, so we were all still waiting for what that would mean when the next full moon happened. Of course, I was waiting for that, too. Since I had been waiting for it before being turned into a vampire, my body was quite the conundrum. My necromancy powers were heightened to a ridiculous level because of what I had been through and from what I had taken from the old man. It gave me a unique perspective on the problems everyone that wasn''t human faced. The night of the full moon came and I was officially inducted into the were-cat pack before the moon rose. They had refused at first, until Natalie''s mother stepped forward and asked Natalie what she wanted. ¡°Mom, I''m his. Heart, body, and soul.¡± Natalie said. ¡°Our blood bond is so strong that I can feel his power running through me.¡± Her mother had nodded and took me into her arms. ¡°You will always have the responsibility for doing this to her.¡± ¡°I know.¡± I responded and looked into her eyes. ¡°That''s why I asked Nina to change me, too.¡± Everyone at the gathering froze at my words, especially Mikki and Natalie. ¡°I couldn''t let my little kitten go through this all alone. I had to do it with her.¡± I said, then her mother started crying and kissed me several times to thank me. I was surrounded by were-cats and then the induction ritual was performed. When the moon rose up and everyone transformed into their chosen forms, I watched Natalie change into a were-cat. The process hadn''t been altered by her being a vampire, and I felt such relief that I didn''t even notice my own change until my entire body started tingling. I grew in height and black fur covered my body. My eyes sharpened and I felt my mouth extend out. It was an odd sensation especially since I hadn''t experienced anything like it before. When I was done, I was among friends and family. I felt something nip at my heel and I turned to see a hunched over were-cat and their tail flicked playfully. ¡°Jillian?¡± I asked in mangled speech, since it was really difficult to talk normally with a muzzle.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I''m sorry I wasn''t there at the end.¡± Jillian said as she stood up to her full height. ¡°I''ve never seen a pitch black were-cat before.¡± I looked down at myself and then at everyone around me. There were several of them that were black for the most part, except they had stripes or spots in different colors. One even had all four paws white. ¡°Do you think us accepting you let you change fully?¡± Mikki asked. ¡°I don''t want to know.¡± I said and hugged her, which was also awkward, since we had only hugged in human form. Getting used to these new sensations was going to take time. ¡°Release the animals!¡± Mikki''s and Natalie''s father Carl said loudly. My ears picked up and I could hear the metal latches as they were unhooked, then the animals were free and the men took off after them. _______________ One last choice to make. I''m glad you made it through this cluster-fuck, buddy! I chuckled in my head. Yeah, this was quite a ride. Thanks for all the help. Hey, at least you didn''t get the generic ending. I don''t want to ask what that was, do I? Remember a bit ago when I said you were going to end up captured no matter what you chose? When I said that wasn''t what you were going to say. I added. Yeah. You were supposed to die. I mean, not the ''I''m a vampire'' thing, either. I mean dead dead. I know. I thought. Thanks for not letting me be killed permanently. Ha ha! Yeah, I still had to let you die because of the story. I''m sorry about that. I''m just glad it all worked out. Thanks. I thought. All right, I''m ready for this final choice. I hope so, because it''s going to be a doozy. Good luck! Oh, and have fun. Ha ha! A) Hunt Mikki. B) Hunt Natalie. C) Hunt Jillian. D) Hunt the Queen. E) Hunt animals. F) Have fun. I read the options and my eyes just happen to catch the look that Natalie''s mom was giving me. Are you kidding me? Why would she let me... just because I... I shook my head, then I looked at the last option. All right, I get it. I chose to have fun the last time, so I might as well do it again. I choose F. _______________ I turned my head towards Mikki and growled a very particular growl. Her cat eyes widened and her fur rippled down her back as her tail puffed up. I looked at Natalie next and growled, then did the same to Jillian. They both shivered and their tails puffed out, too. ¡°You have two minutes.¡± I growled out and the three of them took off. When they were well into the woods with the other females, I turned to the Queen of the pack and growled. ¡°You have five seconds.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Their mother said, then she realized she had just wasted three seconds. She started to turn and then I had my teeth into the back of her neck. She purred loudly as I immediately dominated her and pushed her to the ground. She pushed her ass up into the air and presented herself to me and I had to admit that it was damn sexy. I grew hard and discovered that I was much larger in this form. Are those barbs? I asked myself, then I pressed myself to her very ready opening. She moaned as my erectness slid into her and her purr was so loud that I felt her entire body shake with it. She apparently really liked the feeling of the barbs. Neither of us said anything for a minute as I moved in and out of her. I came inside of her unexpectedly and she meowed loudly at me finishing so quickly for her. ¡°Oh... oh, David.¡± She panted. ¡°Go... go and... find...¡± She closed her eyes and curled up into a ball, her purr didn''t lessen at all as she fell asleep. I didn''t need to be told twice. I was still rock hard and knew that I had to relieve this tension. I wasn''t sure if it was magical interference or what; but, I quickly found Mikki and had my way with her. It only took a minute and I finished again. I was a little worried that I was suffering from premature ejaculation, until I found several other females curled up into balls as I searched for Natalie. I guess it''s normal. I thought and caught Natalie''s scent. I used my necromancy power and my muscles expanded to twice their normal size and my speed doubled. I found her a minute later and did the same thing to her. It took a little longer this time, I assumed because we were both using our vampire powers, and she reacted the same as her sister and mother did. ¡°Find... Jillian. She... loves you, too.¡± Natalie said and then fell asleep. I gave her a kiss, my assumption that she would accept Jillian correct, and I flowed through the woods to find the last one I was looking for. She was crouched beside a fallen log and thought she was hidden from sight. I smelled her from fifty feet away and knew she was fully prepared for me. ¡°David!¡± Jillian gasped when I tackled her and bit her neck. ¡°Thank you!¡± I paused and looked at her. ¡°You saved me for last.¡± Jillian said and pushed her ass up for me. Her tail swished playfully and she rubbed herself for me. ¡°Give me your love.¡± I joined with her and she purred and meowed loudly into the forest. It was over a minute later and she collapsed, sated and happy. I picked her up and carried her to where Natalie was, then went to get Mikki. I dropped her off and then went to where the hunt started. Carl the King had his wife in his arms and pet her. ¡°Thank you for what you did.¡± He whispered to her. ¡°He feels like a part of the family already.¡± I snuck away and went back to where I had left the others, then climbed into the pile. I had so much fun with them that I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to hunt an animal. I felt a vampire come close and I looked up to see a shadow fade and Nina was there. ¡°Thank you.¡± I said and Nina''s face went sad as she sobbed, even though there were no tears. I opened my arms and she climbed into the pile and hugged me tightly. We couldn''t have sex with me changed like I was, so we just held each other. I fell asleep in a pile of people I loved and I couldn''t think of any better way to spend the night. 031 Epilogue Thank you for playing Bookworld Online! Your branching story for The Rogue Necromancer has been completed and the results have been saved. We hope you enjoyed this take on the story and that the twists and turns weren''t too much for you. You may continue from this point or restart from the beginning and see what the other choices can do for your gaming experience. What will you choose next time? Will it all work out? Will you destroy everything? It''s all up to you! _______________ ¡°Jesus Christ.¡± I said in surprise as the David Drake personality blocks were lifted and I came back to myself. ¡°Jesus Christ! What the hell was that?¡± I shook my head several times. ¡°How the hell did they make something like that?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. _______________ Personal inquiry detected. Response generating. Displaying. We have dedicated writers, system administrators, and programmers that spend hundreds of hours working on how to generate the best visual and emotional experiences for you. Your favorite stories are child''s play to recreate and manipulate to change the narrative. Although, we have to limit the types of choices generated to keep the narrative secured. You would be making choices constantly if we didn''t maintain strict rules and that doesn''t help you enjoy the experience. _______________ ¡°This was... good God.¡± I shook my head again. ¡°I can''t believe something like this exists! How is this not sweeping the world right now? This thing is fucking awesome!¡± _______________ Personal inquiry detected. Response generating. Displaying. It would be too much work to have this system spread worldwide, considering the amount of people needed to maintain a single story. If fifty people played this same story, the choices would need to be reduced and their impacts reduced as well. _______________ I had to think about that for a minute. ¡°So, you''re saying with a smaller player base, you can make it that much more enjoyable.¡± I said and had to nod. ¡°Okay, I guess that makes sense.¡± _______________ You seem to really like this novelization. Do you wish to play The Rogue Necromancer again? Yes / No _______________ ¡°No. I think I''ll save this thing for later. I don''t want to overload myself with just this story right off the bat.¡± I said and then smiled. ¡°What else have you got for me?¡±