Here Comes the Sun

 This is my first completed short story, and the first of the  Nocturn series, which is a series of short stories and novellas about the everyday lives vampires,werewolves, gargoyles, and other storybook horrors  all living in the same so far unnamed city. I'll put out more of the series as I finish writing it. Hope you enjoy.

“…Well kid, I got good news and I got bad news,” Teddy said to the quivering mess sitting before him. He took long drags of his cigarette between sentences, his face nearly featureless behind the shadows and smoke. “Good news is you’re still alive…well, more or less. Let’s not quibble over technicalities.”

It didn’t do much to comfort Alan, who was still shaking on the floor with his arms curled tightly around his knees. Teddy was never very good at consolations but he had a talent for getting his point across. “I know that doesn’t seem like much to you yet. Part of you’s still thinking you should be dead, thinking you’d be better off dead. Believe me, we all go through that. But the bottom line is you’re alive. Hell, better than alive, damn near immortal, long as you don’t do anything stupid. ”

Alan looked up at Teddy, forced a crooked half-smile, and asked, with a dreading shiver in his voice, “And…and the bad news?”

Teddy paused for a moment, exhaled a mouthful of smoke then said, “The bad news you’ll figure out piece by piece, and some of it’ll creep up on you long after you think you have it all figured out. Like it or not, kid, you’re one of us now, and tonight’s the first night of the rest of your life.” He took another drag and cringed. “Eh, scratch that last part. Too melodramatic. Tonight’s…well, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

Teddy dropped his cigarette and stomped it out on the dusty hardwood floor. He turned toward the door. “I got some business I have to take care of but I’ll be back soon. You got three hours ‘til sunrise, and I left a thermos on the table in case you get hungry.”

“What’s in the thermos?” Alan knew he’d dread the answer, but he asked anyway.

“Don’t ask stupid questions, kid. You know exactly what it is,” Teddy answered and made his way out the door whistling what sounded like some old rock song Alan had heard but couldn’t remember the name of.

Alan got up onto his knees then slowly, carefully onto his feet. His joints still ached from the transformation. The last night’s events were a drunken blur, and trying to recall them only made his head hurt worse. He reached up and felt his neck. The two gashes from the night before still stung a little but were somehow nearly healed. The bite marks served as a counterpoint to the voice in his head telling him this can’t be happening. At the very least, though, he was glad to have Teddy’s voice out of his head. If he were in a better state of mind he might have found some humor in Teddy’s crash course in vampirism.

He observed the dark, dusty room. The walls were covered in spider-webs and the windows covered in thick black sheets. A barren bed lay in the far corner, and a small wooden table draped in a white, moth-eaten cloth stood in the center, the thermos resting on top of it.

Alan had felt a sharp hunger since he’d woken up, yet the thought of food repulsed him. He knew exactly why, and he didn’t see any point in pretending otherwise. From halfway across the room he could smell the blood in the thermos. He could almost taste it, detecting flavors and undertones he didn’t think blood had. It was inevitable, he thought to himself, better now that than when driven half-mad with hunger. Guided by impulse, he walked over to the table, sat down, and poured a cup of the thick, red liquid from the thermos. He didn’t wonder too hard about how Teddy acquired it. He was rarely the type to believe that ignorance is bliss, but in this case he felt ignorance was sanity. The pain in his stomach got sharper. He picked up the cup, thinking he’d probably drunk worse to cure hangovers in the past.

After a moment of nervous hesitation he downed the cup, trying not to pay attention to the taste. He felt an immediate kick then a mild warmth flowing through him, like vodka without the burn. The ache in his neck and limbs disappeared almost immediately, and his head began to feel lighter, clearer.

Alan sat, pondering in silence for several minutes, maybe an hour, trying to remember the past night’s events. The memories came to him slowly in jumbled fragments. His girlfriend, Nina, was shouting at him, he didn’t remember what about. He remembered leaving and arriving at some bar, but nothing in between. He had a few beers, five or six maybe. Then some guy in a yellow sweater tried to pick a fight with him, or was it the other way around? They took the fight outside into a nearby alley, then some blurs of a of fists and insults, a sinister look on the guy’s face, and then a blank until he woke up in this room with Teddy standing over him, cursing over the phone, yelling something about a parcel. So that’s how it happens, he thought, black out one night human, then wake up a vampire. It didn’t seem right: no full moon, no scared villagers, eerie omens, or profane rituals, just a bad night in a seedy bar. Somehow that disturbed him more than the human blood he’d just swallowed down like vodka.

He spent the next hour or two looking for ways to take his mind off his situation. He wandered around the rooms and hallways of Teddy’s house, curious how a vampire spent his days, or rather his nights. There was a dusty, discolored piano in the main hall with an autographed poster of The Beatles on the wall above. The mirrors were absent from all the bathrooms, and the windows were all covered over, except for one in what appeared to be the library that gave a beautiful view of the city. There was a vast collection of books in the room ranging from Shakespeare to Spider-Man. He could tell from the dust and lack of wear that the Shakespeares didn’t get much use. He noticed a lone shelf full of worn spines and cracked covers: a Lord Byron collection, histories of Vlad Tepes, I am Legend, a few volumes of Preacher, various editions of the Bible, at least six copies of Dracula all full of underlining, corrections, and copious marginalia, and a faded letter addressed to “Master Edward James Martin” in incomprehensible Victorian script.

Alan heard the front door open and Teddy speaking, on a phone maybe, “Alright, Lloyd. I trust the parcel will arrive in time. I can’t risk the new kid becoming a threat to me. Fine, midnight at the latest.” Alan immediately smelled the same presence as in the small, dusty room. He could hear Teddy walking up the stairs to the library, probably going by smell.

“Good to see you up and about, kid,” Teddy said. “Smart move. Most of ‘em don’t touch the blood ‘til they’re half-crazed with hunger.”

“So I’m not the first you’ve taken in like this?” Alan asked.

Teddy reached into his pocket, pulled out a new cigarette, and lit it ask he spoke. “There were a few others over the decades.”

“Did they all get the same pep talk?”

“Only the clever ones.”

Was it always this hard to get a straight answer out of him? It struck Alan then that he didn’t know a single detail about Teddy. “This you?“ Alan asked, holding up the letter he’d come across.

“Hm?”

“Edward James Martin.”

“Used to be my name back when it came with a title and a reputation. Only my old friends use it now.”

“Vampires?”

Teddy nodded. “Only old friends I got left.”

“So why’d you take me in?” Alan asked, immediately regretting the straightforward tone. “I mean, not that I’m ungrateful, but I’m still trying to make sense of all this.”

Teddy paused as if caught off-guard. He took a long drag, exhaled, and answered, “You were a liability. Couldn’t have you out on the street, still green, knocking over the veil.”

“The veil?”

“It’s the first rule of being a vampire: as far as humans are concerned, we don’t exist. They get to feel safe at night. We get to live and feed in peace. Everyone wins.”

“Is that the only rule?”

“No, there are others: no turning children, no feeding on anyone famous or important, or anyone who’d draw a big investigation, no direct involvement in crime, or at the very least, no getting caught, and so on. But really they’re all just corollaries of the first rule; it’s all basic common sense. We don’t have judges and juries to enforce the rules. You compromise us, we kill you. That simple.”

Alan found something in Teddy’s tone unsettling, as if he’d enforced the veil before, but he didn’t want to ask and he had bigger issues on his mind. “So what do I do about my life then? I got a job a, girlfriend.”

“And now you don’t,” Teddy replied with a shrug.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“What did I tell you about stupid questions, kid? Whoever you were before you woke up here, he’s dead now.” Teddy paused for a moment. “Look, if I seem cold it’s only because I’m preparing you for the inevitable. People come and go, and none of them are irreplaceable. You go back to your job or your girlfriend, in the long run you’ll just hurt yourself and compromise all of us. Look, it’s, uh, starting to get bright. We can talk about this in the evening if you want. The guest room you woke up in is yours for the time being.”

Alan left without saying anything. He had too much to think about. The obvious details: the blood, the nocturnal lifestyle, meant little to him in comparison; it was the fear of abandoning his old life that really got to him. He hadn’t spoken to his mother since college or his father since the divorce. His job as a file clerk was only supposed to last him through law school, and he suspected Nina was going to break up with him soon. Still, it wasn’t a life he was willing to just let go of. Maybe it was the people he’d miss, the loose ends and unfinished life goals he’d left behind, or the knowledge that Alan Harris came and went, and one way or another they’d all replace him in time. Alan poured himself another cup of blood, raised a toast to his own memory, and downed it without hesitation. For a moment his mind was clear.

It was dark again when Alan awoke, 8:30 according to his watch, which was badly cracked from the bar fight. Instinctively he smelled Teddy and his cigarette, and another presence he didn’t recognize. He heard the two of them talking outside the house. They were barely talking above a whisper, but Alan could make out the conversation clearly. He didn’t know whether it was some new vampiric ability or just the unusual silence about the mansion.

“This won’t do, Lloyd,” Teddy announced in a strictly business tone.

“But Master Ed-”

“Teddy.”

“Right. My apologies, Teddy. This is exactly what you asked for, isn’-”

“No, I asked for silver bullets. These are silver-plated. I can smell the difference from where I’m standing, which makes me wonder how you managed to miss such an obvious detail holding the box right in your hand.”

“I-”

“Never mind. Just show me the parcel, and don’t disappoint me twice in one night.”

Alan heard a trunk open.

“Perfect,” Teddy said in a far more relaxed tone, “Just get me the bullets by midnight and the money’s yours. You know where to find me.”

“Wait!” Lloyd called out.

“What is it, Lloyd.”

“Are you sure about this plan? I mean, doesn’t this seem a bit drastic?”

“First off, yeah, I’m always sure. You don’t survive a week, let alone a century in my business without complete certainty in your plans. Second, I don’t like this any more than you do, but we don’t really have a choice. He’s a walking liability right now, and now that I’ve gone and stuck my nose into this mess, that makes me a liability too. We eliminate him, we eliminate the problem. I’ll go wake the kid now. You don’t breathe a word of this to him.”

Alan’s mind was scurrying for any plausible alternative, any explanation for the conversation he’d just overheard that didn’t involve Teddy trying to kill him. That’s what silver bullets were for, weren’t they: killing vampires? And he didn’t even want to know what ghastly item was in the trunk. He imagined his heart would be racing now, followed by a sobering flow of adrenaline, but his body was still. Did he even have a heartbeat anymore? Alan heard every metallic click and wooden squeal as Teddy was opening the front door. He ran to the window, ripped the black curtain away, and forced it open with both hands. It was a two-story drop, but with Teddy inside the house it was the only exit route he had. He closed his eyes, jumped, and hoped a vampire might fare better against gravity than a human would. His muscles jerked reflexively in mid-air, and he landed on his feet barely feeling the impact. Not wasting a second he sprinted in the direction he assumed was downtown.

Alan kept a sprinting pace for maybe half an hour through countless city blocks, amazed by his newfound stamina, then finally stopped when he reached a street he recognized. He was only a block from Nina’s apartment. He was certain no one was pursuing him anymore if at all, though he hadn’t dared look back for more than split seconds during the run. He had the crude beginnings of a plan worked out, and it would be enough for the time being. He would say goodbye to Nina; she deserved at least that much. He would take the first bus out of town and find somewhere to take shelter for a while. And finally, he would sleep with a stake under his pillow until the name Teddy Martin was a distant memory. Not a great plan, he thought as he slowly made his way to Nina’s, but he still had a little time to work out the kinks.

Alan approached the door and sensed a familiar warmth and perfume scent that he recognized as Nina. He hadn’t yet considered what he’d tell her. He began to cycle through excuses as she approached the door, but he stopped himself in mid-thought. He didn’t their last moment together to end in insincerity.

The door opened and Nina stood dumbstruck. Her eyes were red and her usually silky blond hair stuck out like dry straw. She hadn’t gotten sleep in days. “Good God, Alan. I…are you alright? Where have you been? You look half dead. Did you get into a fight or something? ”

“Yeah, pretty bad fight,” Alan said. He was hoping for a smoother introduction, but considering the circumstances that was probably the smoothest it could have gone.

“That’s it? ‘yeah, pretty bad fight?’ Do you have any idea how scared I was, you just disappearing?” She took a moment to breathe and collect her thoughts. “Well, come in. God, I must look like a proper mess right now. Your fault by the way. Had me up all night worrying.” There was obvious relief in her mock-chiding tone.

“Listen, Nina, I can’t stay long, I-”

“Alright,” she said, a hint of worry returning to her voice, “But at least sit down have some coffee with me. God knows we both probably need it.”

“No, no coffee. Nina, I need to say something.”

Nina stood with a quiet, dreading look on her face. Those words always prefaced something grim.

“Nina, I need to leave. I don’t know for how long, but I have to get out of town for a while.”

“Oh, Jesus, Alan. What’s wrong? It’s Tony and that damn blackjack scheme, isn’t it?”

Alan shook his head. “No, worse. I got mixed up in some bad business. That’s all I can safely say. Look, I know I got no right to put you through this, and I understand if…if…you” No, far too late for excuses or apologies, Alan though. He grabbed her shaking, sweaty hand, put his other hand around her warm cheek, leaned in hesitatingly, and kissed her. Immediately he felt her warmth, she felt his coldness, but she didn’t mind. He felt a twitch in his teeth and hands that moved in rhythm with her heartbeat, a sudden impulse with only one logical conclusion. Alan pulled back and jerked himself away before it took him over.

Nina’s reddened eyes were fixed in disbelief “You’re so cold, Alan. Are you-”

“I need to run.” Alan made his way to the door. “For what it’s worth, I always loved you. I always will.”

“I lo-”

The door closed behind Alan. Nina’s last words were drowned out by a hellish squeal like startled bats or rusted car breaks. A black Oldsmobile with tinted windows pulled up by the old red-brick building. Alan knew who was inside before he scent of fresh blood and Marlboros hit his nostrils. Teddy stepped out, cigarette between his lips, the look of a true businessman on his face.

“Don’t even think of running, kid.” He pulled a silenced pistol out of his jacket. Alan was struck by an offensive smell, most likely silver.

“How did you find me?” Alan’s eyes darted frantically around him until he realized there was no escape. Teddy didn’t seem like the type who could be reasoned with, and begging would only piss him off.

“Connections. That’s all you need to know.” A moment passed in uneasy silence. “You didn’t tell your girl anything about, well, you know?”

“Not a word.”

“Smart move.” Teddy walked slowly over to the trunk of the Oldsmobile, keeping his eyes fixed on Alan.

“I’m not going to like what’s in the trunk, am I?”

“Only one way to find out,” Teddy replied.

Alan walked over dreading every step he took. The stench of silver was stronger, nearly unbearable. Looking inside the opened trunk, it was just as he had feared. An empty black body bag was in the trunk. A neatly crafted silver stake lay beside it with ornate but illegible script inscribed into it. “I suggest you put on some gloves before handling that,” Teddy said. He held the gun mere inches from Alan’s chest, but now he was gripping the barrel, the handle facing Alan. “You did a smart thing not squealing, kid. I was worried for a minute I’d have to use this on you.”

Alan was at a loss for words, or rather an overflow of words: too many questions and profanities to even string together into a sentence. “Then what…damn, I don’t even know where to start with the questions.”

“You got tangled up in some shady business, kid. The veil’s been breached and I’m getting paid a pretty nice sum to, uh, correct that mistake. I’ll need you to tell me everything you remember about whoever turned you.”

“So you can hunt him down shoot him?”

“He broke the rules, kid. It’s how it works. And no, the gun’s for just in case.” Teddy pointed to the stake. “Killing him’s not enough. Gotta send a message across so the next vampire’ll think twice before doing something as stupid as turning someone in public and then just letting him loose When the obituary comes back saying ‘stake to heart,’ everyone who matters within fifty miles of here will get the message..”

“This is all a joke, right? I mean, you can’t be…serious?” Teddy shot Alan a condescending look. “I know, I know. Stupid questions.”

Teddy closed the trunk, dropped his cigarette, and moved back to the driver’s seat. “You hungry, Alan?”

“A little.”

“Good, hop in. We got a lot to talk about before dawn breaks.”

Alan got into the passenger seat and the Oldsmobile drove away with the same hellish squeal. Teddy put on the classic rock station and whistled along to “Here Comes the Sun.”