“Are you safe? Is someone coming for you?”
Yes.
I licked my lips and shook my head. “No.”
“How old are you?”
I rolled my eyes and tried to think.
“Fifty-five. Does that matter?”
He scribbled on his clipboard. “Not really. Sometimes the older the vampire,the braver they are. Humans know of our existence, so it’s a dangerous world for the blood community. Vampire hunting is almost a hobby now. There’s no shame in seeking help if someone is trying to hurt you. We’re not just a blood resource,you know.” He looked atmewith a small smile.
I sighed. He really seemed to mean well, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of here before Desi found me. “Thanks. I know. I’ve seen the pamphlets. I just need some blood to fill my backpack,and I’ll be good.”
He stared at me for a long time before he relented. “Okay. We can’t legally keep you here. We just want every vampire to be happy, healthy, and safe. Let’s get you what you need and see you on your way. Miss—”
I pressed my lips together, racking my brain. I didn’t want to give him my real name. “Felicia,”I said. He knew I was lying but nodded and led me to the lobby to get my blood.
Filling my backpack with enough blood to last me at least four days, I thanked them and started off into the night. I had been unconscious all day, apparently. I had lost a lot of time, which was concerning. Desi could have found a way to move with the sun up. Iwouldn'trule anything out.
In my current state,there was no way I would get a ride from anyone. I looked like a drowned vampire bat,and that was before they stopped to talk to me. As Desi would say, I smelled like a turtle tank.
I had to choose my moves wisely. Thankfully, the blood bank didn’t make me pay for anything, but now I had to decide what to do come morning. I needed a place to stay, but all I had in my wallet were debit and credit cards. The moment I used one, Desi would find me.
I found a blood shelter and asked to stay a day. They had a bed, but the room was cramped. I slept in a room with a dozen other vampires down on their luck. The shelter had no shower or soap in the bathroom, so I could only splash water on myself, which was useless. I held my backpack tight to my chest just in case one of them got brave enough to rob me.
When nightfall came, I knew I was running out of resources. I had to use my cards to pull out my money. I didn’t know what to do other than keep moving, and I couldn’t do that in these clothes with no shower.
“Where’s the nearest ATM?” I asked the attendant at the shelter. He was a Bloodshed with boredom in his eyes.
“Down the street at the liquor store. Are you staying another night?”
I shook my head and started out the door. “No. Thanks for the help.”
I ran out into the night and looked over my shoulder constantly as I ran my card through the machine. I winced, looking at the total I had there. With a deep inhale, I clicked the buttons to remove it all.
Seeing it come out intwenty-dollar bills, it looked like enough to tide me for months. However, counting it as I removed them from the slot, I had only a few weeks if I was lucky.
I asked the clerk at the liquor store to call me a cab, and surprisingly, he did. It was an agonizing wait, but finally, I was picked up.
“Where to?”
Good question.
Did I go back to Ohio? Where I had been living the last few years? Did I go back to mine and Desi’s place? No. That was his now. I didn’t want it.
“Bus station,please.” I decided. That only bought me more time to thinkaboutit.
Every step of the way, my stomach physically ached as I used my money. The cab ride, the busfare. All of it, slowly,my stack of twenties was dwindling. I stepped up to the ticket booth and braced myself, deciding to head somewhere safe.
“One ticket to Los Angeles, please.”
The man eyed me with suspicion. “Vampire?”
I sighed and stuffed my hands in my pockets. I rocked on my heels. “Yes, sir.”
“You’ll need to wait for a blood bus.”
