Ouch! Da fuck!? Talk about a hangover! What the fuck happened yesterday? I can’t remember much of anything. Dancing flies? A sidecar in Manhattan? What the hell was that? Hey, brain, do you think this is a good time to do the riddle thing?
The sun is stinging. Of course, the only time the bastard showed up between the clouds this month had to be this morning.
A metro station entrance. I rush in. My stomach doesn’t like the movement of the escalator. Not at all.
I try to hold it back, but nope. When I reach the platform, my stomach empties its contents onto the floor. It looks a bit like a stew with funny colors. I feel sorry for the few witnesses to this unflattering scene. I may have spoiled their morning. I turn around and run through the corridors to the surface and some fresh air. At least I didn’t ruin anyone’s shoes. Well, except mine.
I wander around for a few minutes. I know the neighborhood like the back of my hand, but this morning it feels foreign somehow. And my memories of last night still refuse to return.
The shops have not yet opened. A cardboard box is moving in front of an entrance. I stop. No, I’m not losing my balance, the box is really moving. It begins to rise. It jumps up and stands right in front of me.
He is tall. He has long black hair in a ponytail. A little pointy goatee. Crazy eyes. Very pale skin. And… And blood on his lips?
When he sees me, he lets out a little hiss. He probably thinks it’s threatening, but it almost sounds like the cry of a newborn. He holds his mouth open for a few seconds, revealing some vaguely protruding canines. They are… stained with something red, too.
He is not happy. Not at all.
“It’s all your fault!”
“Ah… So I was with you last night? That might explain this weird hangover. You didn’t try to suck me off, did you?”
“Shut up! This is all because of you! You tricked me into drinking that poison you humans love so much! Look at the state you put me in!”
“What are you talking about? It’s not the first time you’ve taken a drink!”
“Rahhhh!”
I shrug.
“What happened last night? Was there a problem? I’m sorry, but my memory is a little hazy right now.”
The vampire (?) yells, “The Prince of Darkness tried to contact me! I couldn’t answer because of you! The psychic connection was too weak because of the alcohol you forced me to drink! I lost contact and a lot of life energy. Dawn was coming. It was too late to go home or to one of my ghouls. I had no choice! And then I had to find shelter here to protect myself from the sun.”
Oh… I see now that he is holding a dead rat in his hand, also stained with blood. It might not be the right time to point out that it’s way past sunrise and he hasn’t turned to dust.
“And what exactly did the Prince of Darkness want from you?”
“You AND me! He’s expecting both of us at HQ in two days!”
“Oh? This ‘Prince of Darkness’! I see… – Mikael looks at me a little confused – Well, then we shouldn’t waste any time. You’ve got three hours to pack your bags and meet me in front of the Gare du Nord. Bring some aspirin if you have any, I think I’m out”.
If only he could come to his senses, at least for the duration of the trip, I wouldn’t mind. Someday someone should sit down with Mikael and explain to him that vampires do not exist. But not me. The last time I tried, it was me and not them who had to babysit him for weeks. He’s even less fun when he’s completely depressed and almost suicidal.
Draco… and Mikael
to be continued…
And if you missed the beginning, click the logo below
Inspiration: FD
Photo: JW
Author(s)
Frenchman, exiled on the other side of the planet, DavidB writes. It's not always very good, but who cares, the goal is to write. Sometimes, he also does other things.
MetaStructure is one of his longest-running projects. It was started in the early 2000s. Stopped many times. Started over a few times. Let's hope this time is the right one.
Discover more from MetaStructure
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.