Blood or Love Ch. 01

"He ran off?" Jack asked, thinking of what he would have done as a vampire.

"Or, they found a way to capture him, and put him away somewhere. Evidently, he suffered terrible insomnia. The family would wake up to find him standing over their beds, just staring down at them. Totally freaked them out, as you can imagine. He stopped eating, and started drinking a lot."

"Drinking...what?"

"Water. Gallons of it every day."

"Water?" Jack grimaced at the huge pitcher of water by the couch. Kim and Benson made him drink too much of it.

"Then, the family cat disappeared, and then the neighbors' pets went missing."

"So far, you're not telling me anything definitive that this was a vampire."

"Oh come on, man, you know it all adds up." Matt took a long drink of beer and shifted in his seat.

It was obvious to Jack that Matt enjoyed this, and it was the kind of thing the other guy probably stayed up late into the night discussing on internet forums.

"Anyway, he lost his mind and became violent. One night, he and his brother got in a fight while playing video games. He bit his brother's arm, drew blood."

Jack cocked an eyebrow. "Go on."

"They tried to restrain him, but none of them could hold him down. From the sound of things, they barely got out of the house alive. When they ran out, he was still talking to himself and throwing furniture around."

"Hmm. What kind of furniture?"

"Huh?"

"You said he was throwing furniture around. Are we talking footstools, end tables? Or did you mean the dining room table, couches?" Jack gestured for the other guy to elaborate.

Matt looked stunned. "Uh, I don't know. Just furniture. But the point of this is, I know about vampires. Not only do I follow the websites and run some of my own, but I've seen vampires in person." He smiled broadly at Jack. "You're my tenth one."

"So how is it you've met so many vampires and lived to tell about it?"

"It's not like I hunt them in dark alleys," Matt said. "I'm careful about where I go, catch them off guard."

Jack moved on the couch until he was upright. "So what, you just look at them, and rush back to your computer to tell the world?"

Matt nodded. "All I want to do is learn about them, try to help others be safe. That's why you're such a find. You're a vampire, but you've had the antidote, and I can actually interview you. It's a great, rare opportunity."

"What makes you think I'm a vampire?"

Matt gave Benny a pat on her bare shoulder and she looked up at him with a smile. "You mean, besides what she told me, and your vice-like squeeze on my hand?" He set his beer bottle down and rubbed his hand again for a moment before he looked up at Jack. "I could just tell the minute I saw you. Look how pale you are, and your eyes look funny-"

"I'm sick, for Christ's sake."

"Yeah, but I have this strong aversion to you. Felt it the minute I walked in. Just being around you feels really weird, like that feeling you get when a strange, snarling dog approaches you."

"Maybe you should pay attention to that feeling." Jack's voice came out like a growl. He watched Matt's good hand settle back onto his sister.

Benson moved, and the magazine dropped to the wood floor. She sat stiffly against Matt in the seat, arms crossed, eyes glaring at Jack.

Matt got up slowly and ambled around the room, stopping to look at pictures of Jack and Benson when they were kids, pictures of their parents, photos of his wedding to Kim. "Just out of curiosity," Matt began, "the antidote weakened you considerably, right?"

Jack glanced at Benson again. She was mouthing the word, "Co-op-er-ate," and her eyes were pleading with his.

Jack realized he was getting too worked up again. Benson was only trying to be helpful in her own way. If she really thought Matt could help, then he needed to give the guy a chance, for her sake.

"You're weaker, Jack?" Matt asked again.

"Yeah, of course." Jack rubbed a hand over his forehead. "The antidote suppresses vampiric power."

Matt said nothing, just moved to the end of the couch.

Jack's head was spinning, and he felt nausea at work on him again. He sighed and relaxed back into the couch, eyes closed. "And I only have weeks until it wears off completely. So just what is it you think you can do to help?" Jack couldn't help but smirk. "Do you have a shot of the antidote in your pocket?"

He heard Matt's quickened heart rate and breath, and the flutter of his hand through the candy dish on the end table.

"No," Matt said. "But I have this."

There was a rustle of air, and Jack felt the sharp tip of a stake pierce his chest.