Page 5 of Dear Mr. Vampire

I missed Morgan and her antics. I was going to be depressed when she left me to go back to Minnesota. I wish I had a friend here in Chicago to distract me from the loneliness.

CHAPTER TWO

ZAND

Itook a cold shower and let the water cleanse me of my sins. In my recent past, I was a hell of a sinner. I hadn’t been a bad boy for quite sometime. Then again, everyone had a different definition of bad.

Tonight, I was ready to get into something sinful and delicious. I toweled off and dressed in all black. Some days I would spice it up with a splash of color, but that wasn’t in the cards for tonight. I had fallen into a routine, and I had grown accustomed to the monotony. I’d done almost everything that life had to offer. I was on the quest for the mundane and regular. Living a slow and quiet existence wasn’t as boring as I believed it would be.

I had a little basement apartment with only a few furnishings. I lived this way for over a year, and somehow I didn’t long for more. Being content was underrated. I might even work behind the bar at The Castle.Maybe?

In the past, I never lived this way. I was finding it rather enjoyable. I was never tired, but running around in circles was getting old. Sleeping around never got old, but it seemed women were growing more vapid by the minute.

I checked my cell phone for the time: 11:48. I grabbed my black vintage leather jacket off the arm of the chair. It belonged to my old friend Elvis, and it was the only thing I had of his after his death.

Something was off. Something was different. Although all the lights were off, my eyes went from the front door and then to the floor. A folded white piece of paper was on the floor on the inside of my apartment.

I stopped, not because of fear, but because of the unknown. I looked around the room just to make sure there was nothing else amiss. I had been asleep, and I needed to know for sure that no one had entered my apartment without my consent. I hadn’t had a woman over in days.

A quick scan of the room gave me the answer. I didn’t smell anyone, and all my things were exactly as I had left them. I didn’t have many things, so the assessment was a quick one to make.

Four steps toward thedoor, and I bent to retrieve the bright white note. I flipped it over to see it closer. I sniffed it to get just a hint of a grimy floor scent. I opened the paper and read:

Dear Mr. Vampire,

I know who you are. You only go out at night. You’re the one with red stains on your clothes. You should be more careful. Stop drinking human blood and start drinking animal blood. Haven’t you seen Twilight? People are trying to live. Life is precious. Do as I say, and your secret will be safe with me.

Signed, a Daywalker

My mouth formed into a slight smirk before a chuckle escaped my lips. This night was full of surprises. Someone was watching me, a glorious turn of events when I was usually the predator. The writer had to be a woman. No man would ever reference the Twilight movie in a note. I wondered why the immaculate handwriting asked if I’d seen Twilight instead of reading it. Do I look like the kind of man that doesn’t read books? I was impressed by the penmanship and the knowledge of vampire terminology. I’ve been known to enjoy a vampire movie from time to time.

I thought of a way to respond and pushed the thought away for a later time. I had somewhere to be. I would save this endeavor for another time. I shoved the note into my pocket. I exited my apartment and let the door automatically lock behind me. Privacy gave me solace. But being watched gave me a hard-on. Both were good. Aroused by a note instead of a naked woman only inches away from me. This was a first.

I walked up the stairs to the ground level and walked through the vestibule until I was out in the crisp night air. The chill was soothing on my clean skin. I looked up at the windows of the apartments on the left and then at the apartments on the right. Two out of the six residents had their lights on at this late hour. Second floor left was the new lady that wore scrubs, a nurse, possibly.

The other house light belonged to the middle-aged man that smelled of marijuana. He was an unregistered sex offender. He was living off the grid. He slept with a girl three years younger than him, back when he was eighteen. It didn’t matter that teen lied about her age. Her parents filed charges, and he was branded forever. He did some time, and he’s never gotten over it. Maybe he’s never gotten over the girl.

Back to the note, this Daywalker was probably not even a resident of this apartment building. It could be any of the random women I had one-night stands with over the past year. One thing I knew for sure was I would soon find out. I had time. There was no rush. Time was on my side.

I walked out of the open gate into the courtyard and turned left. It would take me about ten minutes to walk to The Castle.

I took this walk often, but this time it felt different. It was like I sensed something new was on the horizon. I needed something new. I was quite content in my little working class bubble, but I had to admit I could use a little mystery. Let me rethink that. I needed a little mystery without the drama, of course. Leaving L.A. was a necessity. I wasn’t actually hiding, but I was trying to start anew. Bad relationships were not something I wanted to be bothered with. Been there, done that. I wasn’t used to being tied down to anyone. I left California for liberation, and I swore I would never be exclusive to any one person.

I loved the life I built this year—a life full of parties and plentiful sex with a bevy of beauties. Sure, I got bored sometimes, but that was par for the course.

I heard the hard pounding of EDM beats an entire block away from The Castle. I never entered through the front entrance. I always cut through the private parking lot that led to the alley. I liked to slip in without a fuss.

Nick and Josh were always standing in the doorway, guarding the club’s back entrance. Occasionally, people would try to sneak in through the back alleyway. The back door was only for famous visitors and special guests. There was a guest list for some and a waiting list for others. The private parking lot was only for the guests with expensive cars willing to pay one hundred dollars to have access to The Castle’s hidden treasures.

Nick and Josh parted as soon as they saw me walk down the middle of the darkened alley. There was a single light and a video camera right above their heads. Some people called them bouncers, but I called them security specialists. It just gave their job titles a little more flair. Both men were six feet and six inches tall. I was slightly dwarfed, even with my six-foot two-inch frame. They greeted me with their customary head nod. I returned the gesture and stepped over the threshold and into the pulsating thud of loud, fast-paced music.

This was the night my favorite DJ was at the helm. Carpe Cool D was a young, talented, transgender woman who wanted to still be referred to by his masculine pronouns— a truly bold decision but his to make. His skills were revolutionary, and I was a true music connoisseur. I knew good music. The deejay stage was across the bridge and over the moat. The Castle had a detailed drawbridge. It was quite a sight. The décor was that of a Scottish castle from the eighteen hundreds. The unique drink menu and the pool of water was a major attraction.

The Castle was quite mellow tonight. This, despite two rival actresses showing up and throwing shade and eye rolls at each other. They had both dated the same NBA player just a few months ago. Layla forced the salacious information on me. She was the club’s events and public relations manager. She was good at her job and made sure The Castle was a premier hotspot in Chicago.

Layla wasn’t my type, and I’d never slept with her. Mixing business with pleasure was never a good idea. But the note I received earlier made me horny, and I wanted to fuck someone. I had my pick of a club full of hot cover models and starlets, but I chose to keep my cock in my pants from time to time. This, sadly, was that time. I was moving at a different pace and I wanted to delay my sexual gratification.

After hours of being cooped up in my office and drinking too much. It was time for me to go back to my apartment. My night could’ve been full of mischief, but I didn’t indulge. I had other things on my mind.

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