The Human

  Tonight wasn’t much different; I was back on Tannenbaum, just in an adjacent neighborhood. I was dressed more like myself, and with smarter footwear. It was still altered from what I would regularly wear when I wasn’t working. If Tannenbaum noticed me tonight, I wouldn’t be immediately recognizable were we to cross paths later.

  I snapped a photo as he left a small Chinese takeout joint. He was still stuffing something into his jacket as he headed down the sidewalk. It must be Collection Day for whatever this operation was. And, because money was involved this time, he brought two built men with him– Large Goon and their partner, Slightly Smaller Goon– to surveil the streets for threats.

  “Asia Garden is a yes,” I muttered, both for my own notes as I reviewed this later and to Paul, who was again on the other end of my earpiece.

  The three entered a tiny neighborhood market next, and I shot another photo as they went in. Unlike the restaurant, they were in there for several minutes. Muffled shouts grew in volume until the busy street came to a nosy stop. The gathering onlookers started to block my view of the entrance, so I moved a bit closer.

  The mood was different when the trio walked back out; the target’s face showed pure anger, but Slightly Smaller Goon looked quite pleased with himself. A fourth man briefly peered out at the crowd, cradling a bleeding nose.

  “What!?” he shouted at the numerous people who were recording the event on their phone. “Mind your fuckin’ business!”

  I mentioned this to Paul; it would be useful if he could find any of the uploaded videos later. I snapped a series of photos before the store owner retreated inside; he pulled the market’s door closed and locked it behind him. I wanted to let the gang get further ahead before I continued my pursuit and sifted through some of my recent shots while I waited.

  “Looks like I missed all the excitement.” Fuck.

  I like to think I’m more situationally aware than the average person, but I had no idea he was behind me this time; the voice belonged to the man who followed me last night. I looked quite different tonight and I was in a different neighborhood. Yet, he found me again.

  “You missed a distracted crowd.” I didn’t look up to acknowledge him.

  「“M?”」 Paul wanted to check in but I didn’t have anything I could say to him that wouldn’t be obvious.

  My tail entered my line of sight from the left. I did my best to ignore him but he made a point of letting me know he was looking me over.

  Disappointed I didn’t wear a dress tonight?

  My attention remained largely split between the screen and Tannenbaum, anyway, until I finished cycling through the photos I’d taken. I lowered the camera and observed the target’s movements closer. He had stopped near the entrance of another business to scolded his goons.

  The man didn’t stay quiet for long. “What were you doing over here?”

  “Enjoying you not being here.” And you ruined it. He has to work for Tannenbaum, or whoever Tannenbaum works for. Why else would he be over here tonight?

  「“Is it the dude from last night? I can come down there if you need me to.” 」

  I continued not to respond. If Paul came down here now he might make things worse. I was still able to do my job for the moment.

  “Ah, can’t have you go back to doing that.” His playful tone suggested I was in for another night of his company.

  I tried to remain focused; there were now three people that didn’t need to notice I was following them. I occasionally glanced at the man who quietly remained at my side. With him there, I at least looked less like someone conducting surveillance, but trying to sort out his intentions while I worked was still a distraction. What he wore tonight was quite similar to the clothes I last saw him in. I briefly pictured a closet with multiples of the same shirt and pants, like you might see in a cartoon, and suppressed my own surfacing amusement.

  He eventually broke our mutual silence: “Why the pictures?”

  I lowered my camera and thought for a moment. I didn’t usually have to justify what I was doing to a stranger.

  “The ones of you, or the other ones?”

  I wanted to tell him about Rita From Accounting who said he was cute when she saw last night’s photos. But, he shouldn’t get too attached to the idea of Rita; not only is she happily married, I also made her up.

  “The ones that actually exist.” He caught me.

  “Those tell a story.”

  “About what?”

  It’s about a man who harasses local business owners for money claiming he’s providing protection when he and his goons are their biggest problem. A common theme, so it’ll be hard for this one to be noticed among the others. “It’s still being written. Sometimes the end changes the beginning.” Too often, what’s reported isn’t what actually happened, but what sounded better to justify the results. It’s none of your business, though, so stop asking me questions.

  I watched the target cut across an alley and get into the backseat of a car. Slightly Smaller Goon joined him in the back and Large Goon squeezed into the driver's seat. I took another small set of photos while they loaded in, and got the license plate as the car pulled away.

  I tucked the camera and earpiece in the satchel I carried tonight. It was a bit obvious what I was taking pics of that time, but it wasn’t something I could afford to miss just because he was hovering.

  “All done for the night?”

  “Yeah.”

  I thought about my next words, and debated confronting him about his intentions. He wasn’t following me just to chat and his attention had far exceeded that of your average pickpocket.

  “You’ll have to find someone else to follow around.” This is your cue to leave me the fuck alone.

  “What’ll you do?”

  Drop the camera off then straight home, hopefully. “I can’t remember what my life was like before you came into it. But, I’m breaking up with you.”

  He didn’t seem as amused as I was.

  What was that cliche line? Oh, right. “I need to rediscover who I am without you.”

  And with that said, I headed out.

  I chose a different parking spot this time; it was about half a mile outside of this neighborhood but it had better lighting than the route I took last night.

  The street this far out was empty at this hour, and there were no footsteps other than my own. Whether I used windows or glanced behind me, I didn’t see him. I wasn’t followed last night but I still couldn’t shake the feeling.

  A hand gripped my shoulder while I was unlocking the door and whipped me around.

  “Hey!” I shouted, mostly in surprise.

  While in the turn, I ducked to my right and took a step back. I now faced the man who’d been trailing me the last two nights and I barely avoided his attempt to trap me against the door. I took another step back and didn’t let him out of my sight. For now, I’d keep him talking; I needed to buy time to form an actual plan.

  “Coming home with me?”

  I continued to take steps back. If I could at least put the car between us, it’d give me time to react and I’d get a better look down the surrounding alleys.

  He laughed at the question. “Is that an invite? ‘Cause, I’ll accept it.” He no longer attempted to appear friendly.

  “It’s a ‘what do you want?’”

  This was definitely more than what it seemed. No one was nearby when I got to my car and unlocking my door took seconds. Where the fuck did he come from?

  “Well, now I want that invite.”

  And, he was enjoying himself more than he did earlier. Maybe he wasn’t a thief at all. Was this his signature? Pick a victim, get to know them for a bit, then kill them?

  I continued to take steps backward. “Fresh out. Rain check?”

  Each shop down this way was closed for the night. Fuck.

  My eyes remained on the man as he stayed on the opposite side of the car; he was much taller than its roof and easily able to watch me. Other than quick glances to make sure I wasn’t backing into a tripping hazard, I didn’t look behind me for long; instead, I scanned the streets and alleys ahead of me for a potential exit.

  “Afraid not. I’m cashing in the rain check you gave me last night.”

  Was he following me then, too? Exactly how long has he been tailing me? And, what stopped him last night?

  “Expired at midnight,” I shot back.

  Beth’s call, maybe? I was on the phone with her as I was getting in the car. I was getting a little more distance, but that didn’t seem to worry him.

  “You’re very bold, even when you know you’re in danger.”

  It still wasn’t clear what danger he was bringing. If he was carrying a weapon, he hadn’t found it necessary at any point to threaten me with it. Was he more hands-on, like Paul preferred? Paul was stronger than me, but I was faster and usually able to evade his blows.

  “What would you rather hear me say?”

  Even so many steps away, I could see a mischievous grin growing as he processed my question. “‘Please’ is always a great start,” he responded as he walked around my car and leaned against the passenger side. His smile faded and his voice became more direct: “Come back over here.”

  Hell no. “Say ‘please.’” I heard it’s a great start.

  “You’re making this very fun for me.” He started taking steps toward me. “You don’t want to do that.”

  I wasn’t prepared for how fast he could move once he shifted to a run. He was in front of me in seconds – we were just inches apart.

  That’s how he was behind me so quickly after I got to the car.

  His eyes locked on mine and we remained frozen in this intense staring contest until he spoke, once again direct: “Get on your knees.”

  I didn’t have much to lose. Complying with his demand could buy me a little more time but it would also put me at a disadvantage, especially with his size; I chose to hold my ground.

  “Say ‘please,’” I repeated.

  The corner of his lip twitched. I couldn’t read him. Was he mad? Was he amused? He removed my beanie and my braid fell free from its containment. He scruffed me like a cat and brought me closer to him.

  His lips were almost touching mine as he growled, “you still aren’t afraid. Let’s change that.”

  He adjusted his grip to tilt my head to the side and leaned in like he was going to kiss my neck.

  I didn’t wait to find out if that’s what he was doing. I was at an awkward angle but I aimed a kick at the back of his knee. It landed off-target but caused his leg to buckle slightly as the impact forced him to shift his weight. He took a step back while he rebalanced himself and I punched him in the fucking throat before I sprinted past him.

  He caught up to me when I was feet from the driver-side door and pulled me to a stop by the tail of my shirt. I was slammed back-first onto the hood. It happened faster than I could react and I landed with zero time to brace myself. The back of my head slammed against the metal and my ears rang as he positioned himself between my legs.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open for long when I looked up at him; the streetlight above us was so bright and his silhouette blurred into it above me. Oh, fuck…

  His weight came down over my stomach, then my chest, as he used his body as a restraint. His mouth returned to my neck and, instead of the kiss I thought I was trying to avoid, he bit me. Hard. I tried pushing him off of me and he responded with more pressure in his bite, releasing it once I groaned. He punctured something major, whether it was my jugular or carotid.

  Either way, I was in trouble. I should’ve fucking asked for Paul’s help this time.

  He swallowed mouthfuls of my blood as quickly as my heart pumped it out of me. I grabbed a fistful of his hair and attempted to pull him off; he growled but didn’t stop. I wasn’t able to even move his mouth away from my skin. Instead, he grabbed that arm by the wrist and pinned it down.

  My other arm was partially trapped between us and I successfully worked it free. I pulled a knife from a sheath I wore inside my waistband and shoved it into his side as hard as I could. His yell didn’t stop me from going further – I dragged the blade across his stomach and cut him open.

  He was already out of arm’s reach when I tried to stab him again. Not far enough from my legs, though. I landed a kick, then swung myself off of the hood on the driver’s side and scrambled into the car.

  I locked that door while I started the engine and pulled away as quickly as I could without flooding it. I didn’t even take the time to look in the rear view. I was still actively bleeding from the neck and that was my priority once I could safely address it. The left side of my collar was already soaked with my blood and starting to stick to my skin.

  I reached a red light at an empty intersection and used that stop to search my glove compartment for anything that would slow the bleeding. Unfortunately, all of my first aid shit was in the trunk. I hadn’t gotten enough distance to risk retrieving what I needed. The light turned green and I went, applying pressure to my neck with my hand in the meantime.

  I removed my shirt at the next red light. After folding it into a tight rectangle, I pressed it firmly against my neck and blew the red. I had to keep moving.

  My head was pounding and the streetlights were just as blurry as they were before I got in the car. My heart beat rapidly in my chest and I could feel my pulse through the layers of my shirt. I started to have a harder time taking deep breaths.

  I’ll be lucky if all I have is a concussion from the impact, and I’ve lost a lot of blood.

  At this rate, I was unlikely I’d be able to stay conscious long enough to drive to someone I trusted, and even less likely I’d still be in a state that someone could still help me if I did.

  What are you doing? Slow down. You ripped him open. He’s dying alone in the street unless someone comes to help. Either way, he’s in no shape to chase after you.

  The adrenaline was what told me to keep running but I actually had time. Time to make a call, time to arrange a place where someone could pick me up or send help. I stopped at the next red light and dialed Paul’s number. As it rang I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision. The blur started to grow dark instead.

  「“Where are you, M?”」 We didn’t use greetings. 「“If you stopped to eat you better be bringin’ something back for me.”」

  “Paul, I…”

  I dropped the phone into my lap. Fuck. I was telling my arm to move but I couldn’t lift it. I slowly slid it across my leg and my fingers touched the side of the phone. I tried to grab it and pick it back up but it felt heavy. Everything felt so fucking heavy…

  Glass smashed behind me and the car rocked as someone climbed in the backseat– help? I must’ve passed out. Their arm brushed against my right side as they put the car in park. Smart, if my foot slipped we’d both be in trouble. The car swayed a little more as the front doors were unlocked, first the passenger then mine.

  My door opened from the outside a moment later and I was lifted.

  Someone buckled me into a different seat. I already knew it wasn’t Paul, he’d be filling the silence with lectures or some sort of commentary about the situation I’d gotten myself in.

  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

  I opened my eyes and realized I was in the passenger seat of my own car, facing my now empty driver’s seat. Moving seemed like an impossible task but I was able to turn my head against the headrest.

  Him.

  Oh… “Fuck off…” How? You’re supposed to be dying. Dead.

  I don’t know if I just thought that or if I said it out loud. I hope he heard it.

  Fuck off and fuck you.

  The Vampire

  The streets were busier tonight. Many of the shops were getting ready to close but people were still packing into the restaurants and bars. I sat on a bench and pulled out my phone.

  My contact didn’t have current or accurate information but they did the job I gave them. I sent them a payment. What a disappointing end to such a promising night.

  Before I could put the phone away, a text popped up from Robbie:

  『19:49: Ben NCNS’d @ Jt and we’re getting slammed. Covering bar for now.』

  Have I met Ben? Either way, he’s out. Robbie would take care of that process. I opened an existing group text of local bartenders that had opted into contracted work for me and scrolled through the memberlist. First, I blacklisted Ben, then sent:

  『19:41 Need 1 at Jonestown. First available.』

  A reply came within 30 seconds:

  『19:42 Jin: got it』

  I updated Robbie and pocketed the phone. My attention shifted to the activity on the street. Maybe going to Jonestown myself wouldn’t be a bad idea, it was only five or so blocks away from where I currently was.

  A commotion a few streets over began to grow in intensity. Something about money; the yelling had been ongoing for well over a minute. I could head over there first, it wasn’t out of the way.

  I took a few shortcuts that brought me to the scene a minute later, just in time to see three suspicious-looking men leave a small grocery or market. A man, who’d been roughed up, briefly popped out of the door.

  He looked embarrassed and yelled at the gathering, “What!? Mind your fuckin’ business!” then slammed the door as well as any door with soft-close hinges could be slammed.

  The crowd began to disperse. Another man stood near the front and had a camera raised to take pictures of the scene; his camera was similar to the one Marcus had. His hair was covered by a slouchy beanie and he wore thick, black-framed glasses. He appeared to have stubble on his face from what I could see of their side profile.

  I took a few steps closer while his focus was the camera’s screen and the light wind blew his scent in my direction. They were using a different deodorant tonight, something more masculine, but the faint smell of the person underneath was unmistakably the same. Marcus.

  I had no plans to search for them further after the apartment was a bust. How unfortunate for them to cross into my path again. Or, him?

  I looked them over as I got closer. They were a couple of inches shorter tonight, in flat-soled shoes instead of the heeled style they had on the day before. They wore a t-shirt and jeans today, the crew-neck fit satisfied my curiosity from yesterday.

  What beautiful, accessible veins you have. That’s a throat I’d enjoy wrapping my hands around. I spoke once I was in earshot: “Looks like I missed all the excitement.”

  Their body tensed, their heart rate started to increase, and their breaths slowed. They did well to brush me off last night, but they recognized my voice.

  Finally acknowledging the threat? Good.

  “You missed a distracted crowd.” They continued to act indifferent and initially didn’t glance up from the camera to acknowledge me.

  When they were done flipping through it, they let it hang down from the strap looped over their shoulder and looked ahead instead of turning around.

  Uh-uh. Not tonight. I have you now. I took a few steps forward so they’d have to see me. “What were you doing over here?”

  “Enjoying you not being here.” Zero hesitation.

  I couldn’t be mad, they knew I wanted something from them. Still, the continued, and almost deliberate, avoidance of any self-preserving behavior was impressive. You started a game with me you don’t even know we’re playing. I bit back a smile. “Ah, can’t have you go back to doing that.”

  I stayed at their side. They continued to take pictures as though I wasn’t there. A journalist, maybe? A blogger? Content creator? They glanced at me from time to time, and I’d meet their gaze with my own. Yes, I’m still here. I was otherwise in my head; the fantasy I created about them being a vampire hunter replayed and worked myself up again. There was only so much time until the sun came up and our time together had to end. I’d optimize every minute.

  “Why the pictures?” I was curious, but it wouldn’t be relevant later.

  “The ones of you, or the other ones?”

  When would they have taken pictures of me? I’ve been next to them the entire time. Have I been so focused on making plans that I’ve ignored what was happening?

  “I hope the handful I grabbed tonight turn out just as nice as yesterday’s.”

  There was a tightness forming in my chest and I didn’t like it. I studied their face; Marcus’ deadpan delivery was believable but the smirk they were trying to hide told me they were full of shit.

  You almost had me. “The ones that actually exist.”

  “Those tell a story.”

  “About what?”

  “It’s still being written. Sometimes the end changes the beginning.”

  If you needed inspiration all you had to do was ask.

  They took a few more photos, including some of a car, then packed up just as they had the night before.

  “All done for the night?”

  “Yeah.”

  Wrong. Your night is just beginning.

  “You’ll have to find someone else to follow around,” they added.

  “What’ll you do?”

  “I can’t remember what my life was like before you came into it.”

  You won’t be saying that so playfully later.

  “But, I’m breaking up with you.”

  I say when this is over.

  “I need to rediscover who I am without you.”

  You will think about me everywhere you go.

  I let them get ahead and trailed them to their car. I had to reach them before they got in, otherwise it would be a bigger challenge to get my hands on them. It was pure coincidence that we crossed paths two nights in a row, but I wasn’t letting them slip away again.

  I ran up behind them as they approached their door; they had to take the time to unlock it and this provided the distraction I needed. I gripped their shoulder and turned them to face me.

  “Hey!” They side-stepped me before I’d finished spinning them.

  Their heart rate jumped again like it had earlier; did they see me coming? They weren’t showing signs of fear, just adrenaline and anger, as they glared at me. Good reflexes? Possibly. But, they clearly had some sort of self-defense training.

  Too bad they didn’t teach you when to keep your mouth shut, too.

  “Coming home with me?” They took another step back.

  I know where your home isn’t, Marcus. Of the various outcomes for tonight that I’d already pictured, having them take me to where they actually lived wasn’t actually among them.

  I laughed to myself. Wasn’t.

  “Is that an invite? ‘Cause, I’ll accept it.” I already accepted it, no takesies-backsies.

  “It’s a ‘what do you want?’”

  I’ll show you what I want. “Well, now I want that invite.”

  They kept moving backward, but their eyes remained on me. I could get behind them before they had more than a few seconds to process that I moved, but watching their efforts was amusing. Are they hoping to get a head start to safety? Or that if someone comes along it will deter my plans? Not tonight, I’ll kill anyone that gets in my way.

  “Fresh out. Rain check?”

  “Afraid not. I’m cashing in the rain check you gave me last night.”

  “Expired at midnight.” I’m going to make you honor it, anyway.

  “You’re very bold, even when you know you’re in danger.” My warning was just a courtesy. The more they talked back to me, the more fun I’d have punishing them for it later.

  “What would you rather hear me say?”

  You can tell me so much without saying anything at all.

  They’d put enough distance between us that I had to speak much louder to make sure they heard me. They did too, assuming the same of me. The area was quiet enough that I’d hear them even if they whispered.

  “‘Please’ is always a great start.” I stepped over to the passenger side of the car and leaned against the door. It was fun to let them think they had a chance, but I had something more exciting planned for us. “Come back over here.”

  “Say ‘please.’”

  Mocking me, now? You’re in so much trouble.

  “You’re making this very fun for me,” I slowly stepped forward as I gave them another warning: “You don’t want to do that.”

  I made it over to them faster than I’d estimated and came to a dead stop in front of them. I looked into their eyes and this time they didn’t look away. Our gazes were fixed but I didn’t feel that usual mental ‘click’ that told me I had them.

  I gave it a test: “Get on your knees.”

  “Say ‘please’.”

  Hah, as I suspected. Even their subconscious is defiant.

  They weren’t the first person I encountered that didn’t respond to compulsion, but it was rare. I didn’t know what it was that made them resistant but it never made the night any less fun for me. This changed things, though; I couldn’t prevent them from telling people about tonight if I let them go. They’d have to die. No problem. I couldn’t make them drive us anywhere as I’d planned, but they looked flexible enough to fit in their trunk.

  I removed their beanie; the long hair they wore down yesterday was now in a heavy braid that fell to the center of their back. My hand slid down to the back of their neck and brought their face even closer to mine. No fear, just adrenaline.

  “You still aren’t afraid,” Challenge accepted. “Let’s change that.” I want you to know who you were playing with. I angled their head to expose more of their neck.

  They landed a kick to my leg when I leaned in for the bite; I was still recovering my footing when their fist met my throat. They sprinted to their car, as if they’d already forgotten how quickly I made it over to them moments ago.

  I caught up to them as they rounded the front and threw them onto their hood. A loud thud rang through the empty street as their head made contact with the metal; they landed a lot harder than I intended.

  Don’t be so rough with them, not yet.

  I placed my hands on their knees and moved one of their legs to make room to stand between them. They tried to look up at me and winced. Maybe they were seeing double but they weren’t out of it.

  I pinned their body against the hood with mine and sank my teeth into their neck; they tried to push me off of them but I just bit harder. They let me know it hurt. Music. I slowly decreased the pressure on their neck so their blood would fill my mouth. I savored it like a warm trophy, at first, but I realized they’d stopped fighting me. Surrendering just like that, Marcus? What an anticlimactic end to all the foreplay.

  Their sweet tooth was resonant in every swallow. A silent aggression gripped at the craggy walls of a bottomless well and tried to claw its way out. Cold dirt fell over me in measured clumps.

  They grabbed a large chunk of my hair and pulled; there was no lead-up, no tension as they prepared to act. It stung but they weren’t able to budge me.

  Nice try but I say when I’m done. I growled against their neck and held that arm down. And still no signs of fear, not even in their blood. Anger, at most, and even that was diluted.

  They continued to shift beneath me; I couldn’t make them stay calm and their increasing movements excited me in a way that made it harder for me to stop as I tried to focus.

  What is their life like that this is all I taste? No emotion, no memories, just- fuck!

  I pulled away from their neck and yelled from the sharp pain in my stomach; Marcus had sunk a knife in me to its hilt and I looked down just as they opened my abdomen with the blade. They tried to stab me again but I stepped out of their reach. I should’ve moved further; they kicked me in the hip and that sent me stumbling a few more feet backwards.

  I held the wound closed until I could feel the skin start to come back together; the healing process would take much longer otherwise. They seized the opportunity to hop off the hood, scramble into the car, and lock the door. I’d almost reached the handle to the passenger side when they sped off.

  Fuck. This could be bad, but they shouldn’t get too far. They were still bleeding out from the bite wound, whether my mouth was there to receive it or not. I lifted my shirt and examined the large cut they gave me; I had enough of their blood that it was already mostly healed.

  I hurried after the car. They stopped at the first red light and I could see their silhouette through the back window; they were rummaging around for something, but went again when the light turned green. I followed them to another red light where they took off their shirt. They were certainly trying to save themselves.

  That won’t be enough.

  They hit the gas and ran the light; I wasn’t trying to stay hidden, so they could have seen me. It wouldn’t matter, I just had to wait them out. They pulled to a stop at another light. There were some minor movements inside, then nothing.

  I caught up a moment later and peeked through the driver-side window. Out, but still alive. I broke the back window and unlocked the door. Once I climbed into the backseat, I reached up front to put the car in park in case their foot slipped from the brake.

  「“M! Did you hit something?”」

  A phone? Shit. Of course they called someone.

  I pulled the phone from their hand and ended the call; I didn’t recognize the number but it wasn’t 911. Whoever it was, they could be meeting Marcus somewhere along this route, or tracking their phone. The phone went in my pocket for now and I got out of the back seat once I unlocked the two front doors.

  I lifted them out of their seat and moved them to the passenger side. The bite still oozed slowly; their blood covered that side of their neck, chest, and stomach, and a mix of my blood and theirs were on their hands. I buckled them in and, while I leaned over them, licked the punctures until they closed.

  Marcus stirred enough to get a glimpse of me as I stepped back and grumbled, ‘fuck off.’ Not ‘help.’ Not, ‘please don’t kill me.’ If they were going to die, they wanted ‘fuck off’ to be the last thing they said to me.

  I removed the smartwatch from their wrist and tossed it and their phone as far as I could in opposite directions. They were out again by the time I got into the driver’s seat. I pulled out my own phone and placed a call.

  I spoke as soon as they picked up: “I need you at my place in the next fifteen.”

  「“I can cut it close,”」 the other person answered.「“What happened?”」

  “Grab anything you have available to treat major blood loss.”

  I periodically glanced at my passenger as I drove their car back to my apartment. They were so controlled these last two nights– even as I had them pinned under me, they waited calmly for an opportunity then took it without hesitation. Had I been human, I’d still be laying in front of where their car was parked, my guts spilling out on the asphalt. Dead, or wishing for it.

  What the hell am I doing bringing them to my home?

  I took a lot from them, more than I planned to before I stuffed them in their trunk, and they were covered in a significant amount of blood. Their clock was running out. This sense of urgency– for someone I was going to kill at the end of the night– wasn’t letting me think clearly.

  You won. Call back and cancel. Pull over and finish them off.

  There was more to them than what I saw the last two nights: the cross-dressing, the picture taking, the sarcasm, the flirting, their irrational calmness, their lack of emotion.

  Who are they, exactly?

  I wanted to find out. Tonight didn’t go as planned, but I’d make up for it. I was going to do everything I could to help them survive. And, once they were better, I was going to find their breaking point and dangle them over its edge by an ankle.

  I pulled into my complex minutes later and parked the car in front of the main entrance. Marcus was still unconscious when I retrieved them from their seat. I carried them upstairs to my unit on the third floor and laid them flat on the couch once I got inside.

  They grumbled as I transported them but didn’t awaken. Their skin had become cool and clammy and they took rapid, shallow breaths. They didn’t have much longer without assistance. Maybe even with.

  The man I called, The Doctor as I knew him, arrived about ten minutes after I did. I gestured to the couch and he knelt in front of Marcus. He performed a brief exam to get an idea of what he was working with then started an IV. I was sent downstairs to grab a pump and a cooler from his car while he started a more thorough exam.

  “We need to keep him warm.” He gave me a large handful of his gloves while he pushed the bag of fluids.

  I filled them with near-hot water and tied them off like water balloons. With his direction, I placed most against their neck, armpits, and groin, then grabbed the blanket from my bed to trap the warmth under the covers.

  The Doctor pulled a few injectables out of his bag; he drew up a dose of each, pushing two in Marcus’s shoulder. I used my thumb as a tourniquet on their other arm and he pushed the third medication into their vein.

  “It is not like you to take someone home,” he finally commented.

  And? “Wasn’t their time.”

  Though, I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t let this go, either. I had nothing to prove to Marcus. Dumping them somewhere would have been a much simpler solution. Am I really going to this extent for a re-do?

  The Doctor walked me through flushing their catheter and showed me how to switch them back over to fluids once the current bag finished. I wouldn’t need the pump then and he would pick that up from me tomorrow night if Marcus didn’t need more blood. He pulled out a few unopened pill bottles and went over them and instructions for general care in the days ahead.

  “Oh, you will want to keep him on these until you’re finished with him. I have more fluids and flush in the box.”

  I wouldn’t have them for long. “Thanks.” I looked over the meds briefly then pocketed them.

  He shrugged at me. “No thank-you needed. I provide the service you pay me for.”

  “Yes, yes.” I took the hint and used my phone to make the payment.

  The Doctor warned me of potential complications from the blood loss, the transfusion, and the injections. He advised me to stay close to them for the day.

  “Call me if you need me before tomorrow, or if he wakes up.”

  I locked the door behind him then checked my phone; it was just after four in the morning.

  I lifted Marcus into a sitting position and sat on the couch behind them. I got as close to them as I could get, then laid back with them. The water-filled gloves shifted with this move and I placed them where they’d be most effective before I got too settled in.

  Dried blood flaked off of their skin where I made contact. I was still wearing the same bloody shirt from earlier when they tried to gut me. Not just tried – succeeded. If I wasn’t me… I’d worry about getting cleaned up all later; I set an alarm for every hour through sunset then closed my eyes.

  The back of their head was on my chest and I was trying to identify the scent of their shampoo when I fell asleep.