at Chad’s expense.
“This is Michael,” he said, “and I am Tanish.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said again, positively bouncing with excitement.
Michael wondered idly if he was on drugs. “Nice to meet you, Chad,” Michael said unconvincingly.
“You’re new, too, huh?” Chad asked, punching him on the shoulder. “When were you…you know…’turned’?” he made accompanying air quotes.
“Last night,” Michael said.
“Cool,” Chad said with a wide, boyish grin. He had an odd sort of excited head bob that he didn’t seem to be able to control- combined with his blonde hair and absurdly large nose it gave him the overall impression of a duck on acid.
Michael and Chad stood there awkwardly for several moments while the other two exchanged looks. Michael began singing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” in his head.
“Right,” Tanish said finally. “We are going to make a quick stop before heading to meet the clan.”
“Where are we going?” Chad asked before Tanish had even finished his sentence.
“Tanish is in need of some nourishment, and I could do with some as well,” Joseph said, his heavy brows drawn down in annoyance.
“You mean…blood?” Chad asked with baited breath.
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” Joseph replied flatly.
“Cool,” Chad said, nudging Michael with his elbow conspiratorially. “We get to see how it’s done!”
Michael smiled weakly. He felt pale. He had gone past feeling sick or weak, now he actually felt pale.
“There’s a good place a couple of blocks from here,” Tanish said, gesturing back down the alley the way they had come.
“Lead the way,” Joseph said, positioning himself in the rear of the formation.
They were herded in silence. Michael felt that he was walking to an appointment with the gallows. I am not ready for this , he thought frantically.
Chad seemed to be having the opposite reaction. He smiled at Michael over his shoulder every once in a while, Michael trying his best to keep smiling in return.
“Do we get to…’do it’ too?” Chad asked as they turned the corner onto a less well-lit street packed with cars. Pulsing bass blasted from a crowded bar at the end of the block. Every reflective surface on the block glowed neon green thanks to the bar’s overenthusiastic signage. Michael’s head throbbed with every beat of the music.
“No,” Joseph said firmly. “Not tonight. Only watch.”
Chad looked disappointed. Michael’s opinion of Chad shifted from “annoying druggie” to “possible sociopath.”
“Are we going to have a problem?” Joseph asked in response to Chad’s deflated posture.
Chad seemed pretty low on the IQ ladder, but even he could read between the lines of Joseph’s tone.
“No,” Chad said quietly.
“Good,” Joseph said.
Tanish laughed out loud, and Michael wondered what had been so funny.
Michael had only been in a bar once before. Some of his acquaintances from school had insisted on taking him out when they had found out it was his twenty first birthday. It was a dark, smoke-filled corner with questionable patrons loitering in the bathrooms. Michael had one sip of some horrible smelling liquid and left the rest to a couple of his friends. They had both proceeded to get very drunk, and then very sick. Michael picked up the tab and the cab fare to take them home. He hadn’t returned to the bar scene.
This bar was packed with people. Michael wouldn’t have used word “filthy” but no one would reference it as “high class” either. As they approached, Michael’s sense of impending doom skyrocketed. He pressed his palms against his temples trying to dull the pain in his head.
Near the entrance, they were almost run over by a gaggle of giggling women. They were dripping with costume jewelry and the tallest among them wore a Miss-America-style banner that read “Bachelorette” in garishly pink letters.
Tanish eyed the
“This is Michael,” he said, “and I am Tanish.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said again, positively bouncing with excitement.
Michael wondered idly if he was on drugs. “Nice to meet you, Chad,” Michael said unconvincingly.
“You’re new, too, huh?” Chad asked, punching him on the shoulder. “When were you…you know…’turned’?” he made accompanying air quotes.
“Last night,” Michael said.
“Cool,” Chad said with a wide, boyish grin. He had an odd sort of excited head bob that he didn’t seem to be able to control- combined with his blonde hair and absurdly large nose it gave him the overall impression of a duck on acid.
Michael and Chad stood there awkwardly for several moments while the other two exchanged looks. Michael began singing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” in his head.
“Right,” Tanish said finally. “We are going to make a quick stop before heading to meet the clan.”
“Where are we going?” Chad asked before Tanish had even finished his sentence.
“Tanish is in need of some nourishment, and I could do with some as well,” Joseph said, his heavy brows drawn down in annoyance.
“You mean…blood?” Chad asked with baited breath.
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” Joseph replied flatly.
“Cool,” Chad said, nudging Michael with his elbow conspiratorially. “We get to see how it’s done!”
Michael smiled weakly. He felt pale. He had gone past feeling sick or weak, now he actually felt pale.
“There’s a good place a couple of blocks from here,” Tanish said, gesturing back down the alley the way they had come.
“Lead the way,” Joseph said, positioning himself in the rear of the formation.
They were herded in silence. Michael felt that he was walking to an appointment with the gallows. I am not ready for this , he thought frantically.
Chad seemed to be having the opposite reaction. He smiled at Michael over his shoulder every once in a while, Michael trying his best to keep smiling in return.
“Do we get to…’do it’ too?” Chad asked as they turned the corner onto a less well-lit street packed with cars. Pulsing bass blasted from a crowded bar at the end of the block. Every reflective surface on the block glowed neon green thanks to the bar’s overenthusiastic signage. Michael’s head throbbed with every beat of the music.
“No,” Joseph said firmly. “Not tonight. Only watch.”
Chad looked disappointed. Michael’s opinion of Chad shifted from “annoying druggie” to “possible sociopath.”
“Are we going to have a problem?” Joseph asked in response to Chad’s deflated posture.
Chad seemed pretty low on the IQ ladder, but even he could read between the lines of Joseph’s tone.
“No,” Chad said quietly.
“Good,” Joseph said.
Tanish laughed out loud, and Michael wondered what had been so funny.
Michael had only been in a bar once before. Some of his acquaintances from school had insisted on taking him out when they had found out it was his twenty first birthday. It was a dark, smoke-filled corner with questionable patrons loitering in the bathrooms. Michael had one sip of some horrible smelling liquid and left the rest to a couple of his friends. They had both proceeded to get very drunk, and then very sick. Michael picked up the tab and the cab fare to take them home. He hadn’t returned to the bar scene.
This bar was packed with people. Michael wouldn’t have used word “filthy” but no one would reference it as “high class” either. As they approached, Michael’s sense of impending doom skyrocketed. He pressed his palms against his temples trying to dull the pain in his head.
Near the entrance, they were almost run over by a gaggle of giggling women. They were dripping with costume jewelry and the tallest among them wore a Miss-America-style banner that read “Bachelorette” in garishly pink letters.
Tanish eyed the
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