Chapter 2: The Vampyre's Lair

 

The two of them headed back towards the residential area, where it might be safer. Veronica, while shaken, was quickly recovering, and somehow found space in her mind to enjoy the walk. Kalvin, on the other hand, was practically neurotic; he looked in all directions every minute or so, and he would periodically walk ahead of her for a while, and then behind. Veronica merely meandered along, her arms folded over her chest.

 

“So… Do you sleep in a coffin or something…?” She questioned, her eyebrows raised.

 

“No,” replied Kalvin distractedly.

 

“Can you walk up walls?”

 

“No,” he said. “…But I’m pretty good at jumping,” he added, nodding his head a little.

 

“Do you drink blood, like… like them…?” she asked hesitantly. Kalvin did not answer for a while.

 

“…Only when I have to,” he finally replied.

 

“So, what? You don’t like it?”

 

“I do… but I shouldn’t.” Here he slowed his pace and seemed to calm down a little. He shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled beside her. There was a pause between them.

 

“So where are we going?” Veronica piped up.

 

Kalvin smiled. “You ask a lot of questions.” He took another good look around the street they were on. The houses were a little nicer here. There was even a white picket fence or two, though a few of the pikes had been broken off.

 

“To my place,” he answered. “You’ll be safe there.”

 

At this, Veronica spoke again. “Who were those guys, anyways?” she asked incredulously. Images of the fight came back to her. She shuddered.

 

“Maktashe,” said Kalvin.

 

“Gesundheit.”

 

Kalvin laughed a little. “No. The gang. They’re Maktashe.” Veronica gave him a confused expression. He continued. “They’re a certain clan of vampyre. There are many clans – seven, to be exact – and their members all have different personalities. The Maktashe – the guys I just saved you from – are rough, ruthless types that kill first and ask questions later. They’re best avoided.”

 

Veronica nodded as she took all of this in. It wasn’t until Kalvin stopped walking that she noticed they were in a completely different part of town. The charming little houses had disappeared, replaced with business and apartment buildings at least three stories high. The streets were a bit cleaner here, as they were getting towards the heart of the city. Kalvin walked up a short stoop to their right and knocked on a door. After a moment of murmurs through the intercom, a buzzer sounded and the door unlocked. He looked back at Veronica with a sullen smile.

 

“Home, sweet home.”

 

Kalvin’s apartment was a couple flights of stairs above them. It wasn’t much. The wood floors were grimy, and the walls were an old off-white. Mismatched pieces of furniture were strewn about the main room, most of them patched, or scratched. A lonely desk stood in the corner by the window, piled with books, papers, and news clippings. It wasn’t until Veronica took a closer look, that she realized the aforementioned window was boarded up, so that all light was blocked. Figures, for a vampyre… she mused.

 

“Are you hungry?”

 

Veronica looked up to see Kalvin standing in his kitchen.

 

“Huh?” She blinked.

 

Kalvin held up a peanut butter jar. “Are you hungry?” he repeated. She smiled and nodded. Moments later, she wondered how long the peanut butter had been there… Her smile turned into a grimace; but she shrugged it off. Veronica looked up at the clock: 2:00 AM.

 

“Joey must be worried about me…” she murmured to herself; but Kalvin had sharp ears, and didn’t miss it.

 

“Joey…?” His voice carried from the kitchen.

 

Veronica flopped down onto a couch and watched the dust particles whiz through the air. “My boyfriend… I guess…” she replied, a little half-heartedly. Kalvin didn’t reply. Her eyes wandered, idly resting upon his desk.

 

Curious, she got up, walked over to it, and picked up a news clipping that caught her eye:

 

 

 

Veronica grimaced and put the paper down. Her eyes skimmed over the others; they were mostly alike: killings, murders, money heists, blood bank robberies… and always, the police are “baffled”. The books piled up had strange symbols on them, and seemed to have been written in another language she had never seen. Fascinating…

 

“Having fun?”

 

Veronica nearly jumped out of her skin. Kalvin was standing directly behind her; an annoyed expression on his face and a fresh PB & J sandwich on a plate in his hands.

 

“I… I’m sorry… um…” Veronica stuttered. She stepped away from the desk. Kalvin set down the plate.

 

“If you want to snoop, you can leave”, he said quietly. He did not meet her eyes.

 

Veronica sat on the couch. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. Kalvin smiled softly, and released a sigh. “ I know,” he said, as he sat in a chair across from her.

 

“You can sleep here tonight, if you want,” he continued. “You should. You can leave when daylight comes, too,” he added. “All vampyres – Maktashe, me, and everyone else – will be sleeping by then.” Veronica nodded.

 

“Thanks”, she said quietly. “…for saving my life.” She smiled.

 

Kalvin stood to his feet. “Any time,” he said. “Let’s just hope we don’t meet those guys again.” He bowed his head slightly. “Goodnight.” And with that, he turned and walked to his bedroom. Veronica watched him go, then laid down on the couch.

 

Somewhere in the sleeping city, someone’s breakfast screamed.

 

Reviews

[LSS]

I guess I'm old enough to not be fanciful about 'The Walking Dead', I have enough trouble with those who are 'Dead Ahead', 'Might as well be Dead', and the ever present 'Dead Certain'. I am going to plagiarize you though. I'm taking a snippet of one of your lines in chapter two, "Someone's Breakfast Screamed'. I'm going to use it as the title in a new children's story about animated cereals.
The first poem I read of yours, about the Inferno, led me to believe you were a very immature writer. I'm glad I decided to read another of your works, then another, then another. You are an amazing writer. You are riveting and understandable and insightful. I throughly liked your stuff, except of course Inferno and the blood thing. I'll enjoy reading more from you. And don't take my cereal thing, please! - Oh, go ahead, it was yours anyway.
Lar