Page 5 of Space Vampire
“. . . what?”
“Never mind. I hate being a pet and I’m venting and talking nonsense.”
He grunts.
I take another step forward, only for an oversize, warm hand to clasp my arm. “Don’t. You’ll step on glass.”
“Oh.” I remain where I am, because that was kind of him. His skin against mine feels good, like a heating pad, and I’m reminded how I’m always cold because the air on the station is frigid and optimal for mesakkah aliens, not humans. This guy is warm, though. He hovers over me in the darkness, and I suspect if I reached my hand up above my head, I’d find his face.
I’m really curious about his face.
I also think the hand on my arm might have claws, but I’m scared to check. My heart hammers. Despite my fear, I keep a breezy smile on my face in the darkness, because you can still hear a smile. “So you’re the project they were working on? Were you the one making all the crashing sounds? I kept hearing glass breaking.”
“Mmm. I was trying to get to the packs of blood they keep stored here.”
“Why?”
“To drink.”
That makes me pause. Goose bumps move up my arms again. “You aren’t fed nutrient bars? Those shitty, tasteless square things? Kinda feels like chewing on wood?”
He hasn’t let go of me. His hand skims up my bare arm, as if petting me. I should be more afraid. This is the monster, right? But he’s not being particularly monstrous to me. He just skims a claw along my arm, as if testing to see that I’m real. “Haven’t had those, no.”
My stomach growls, and I’m reminded that everyone has abandoned us, and there’s no chance that anyone is going to feed me anytime soon. “I don’t really recommend them. They’re crap. But when you’re hungry enough, you don’t get choices. And the doors here are locked. I don’t suppose you have access to get into the locked parts of the station?”
“Don’t know that I do. Haven’t tried. I’ve just been ... here. In the lab.”
“In the dark,” I point out.
“The lights hurt my eyes and they make my skin burn.”
I take that in. Really take that in. He hates the light. He drinks blood. This is starting to feel like a prank. My fear bleeds away. “Are you ... trying to tell me that you’re a vampire?”
Man, the Halloween vibes on this ship are immaculate.
“What is that?”
“A monster that kills people. Hates garlic and sunlight and crosses. Drinks blood.”
“I don’t know what two of those things are, and I’ve never stood in sunlight. I do know that the lights here pain me, and I drink blood. I haven’t killed anyone ... yet. But I did attack some of the scientists, yes.”
I can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. “Why?”
“Because I was hungry.”
I suddenly feel like a rabbit having a casual conversation with a wolf. “And ... are you hungry right now?”
“Ravenous.”
Oh dear.
His thumb moves on my arm, and then he drops his hand. “I am more interested in talking to you than drinking you down, no matter how good you smell. You haven’t run away, even though you’re afraid. I can feel your pulse hammering.”
“Where would I go? I’m a pet, remember? And I’m not running away because if you’re their enemy, you’re automatically my friend.”
“Even if I am this garlic monster?”
Despite my unease, that makes me smile. “Actually it’s a vampire.”
