Chapter 23: Blood Pirate

February 1999

When I woke, it seemed that I had slept only for a brief, few seconds, as though it had all been a dream. Then I realized that I was not in my bed, my room, or my house. I was still in Tayla’s mansion. It was no dream! The thought of it terrified me. I saw streams of pink sunlight streaming into the room, but I could not tell if it were sundown or sunrise. I was unfamiliar with the directions out here, so far away from home.

As I had said before, I could not find a clock anywhere in the room. I found myself undressed, under the sheets. The candles had burned all the way down to the candleholder. The roaring fire had died out long ago. The room was cool, no longer warm as before when I fell asleep, but not freezing as when I had first met Tayla. Tayla! Now there was a wakeup call! I leapt from the bed, searching for my clothes. I found them neatly hung up in the closet. Before I knew it, I was struggling to get them on as quickly as I could. The pinkness of the light coming in through the sheer drapes began to gradually turn to gray. It must be closer to sundown, I thought. I must have slept for quite a while, maybe at least 16 hours. Tayla would be coming soon and she would want to talk about the task that she needed me to perform. Would I be up to it? Would it be something that was disgusting, criminal even? As I tied my shoes, I hoped and prayed that it would be something that God would allow me to do so that all glory was His. I really did not think He would let me do anything else.

I reached for the door handle, a gold-plated fixture that resembled a renaissance halberd, to try the lock. After all, I did hear the lock turn as Tayla had left, the night before. As I gave it a gentle twist, it moved to open the door. Swinging the door open, I popped my head out into an empty hallway. I thought it very strange to see no guards of any kind, mortal or vampire. Where was I going to run inside this huge mansion? I should be looking for the front door! As I stepped out into the hallway, I noticed that the sunlight was darker, more faded in that part of the house. It reminded me that Tayla would be paying me a visit soon. Better her to find me first, I thought, than any of her clan. Some of them had looked awful, showing their true reflection. A few were bald with wisps of long stringy hair, attached to the sides of their scalp; others were in dire need of a dental hygienist. Still others needed a manicurist, not to mention a good tailor, for they all seemed to be dressed in dark clothing as if black or dark brown was the uniform of the day. They were deeply devoted to Tayla, their actions hanging on every command she gave. Their loyalty was so intense that they would die for her. I felt that alone commanded respect.

I continued down the hallway, seeking someone who could tell me what was to happen next. There was a magnificent, huge stairway of white marble with a baroque style banister winding its way down to the great room. The quietness was the most eerie and strange thing about this house. I called out to see if anyone would come out to meet me, only to get no response. My voice echoed sounds that only an empty house would give. There were no lights, no candles, and no fire in the massive fireplace in the great room at the bottom of the stairs. As I reached the bottom of the staircase, I called out to see if anyone might hear me. There was nothing but an echo of emptiness in the giant house. I wondered if this was a test. Something told me if I even got near that front door, literally all hell would break loose, summoning every bloodsucker in the house. To have gotten this far in life, especially in this line of work, could only be attributable to the fact that I had integrity. I could be trusted and was true to my word. Tayla was probably counting on that very attribute. After all, she demanded it from her followers. Even Christ talked about how valuable honesty was, especially when you were talking to Him. I decided that, to survive this ordeal, I was going to have to accept the fact that I was here for a reason, and a purpose. I turned away from the direction of the front door, and instead walked down the hall toward the kitchen. I was hungry, and I felt that if I am a guest here, they should treat me as one. As I reached the kitchen, it was just about dark, so I started looking for a light switch. I found one inside the kitchen, on the wall and turned it on. Let there be light!

I opened the refrigerator, and found that for a bunch of vampires, they ate well. This collection of food stored here was not for them, but for the familiars, the humans who enslaved by the vampire’s power to control them. I felt I might as well make myself at home. They wanted something from me. I hoped that I could somehow manage to learn something about these creatures without compromising any of my own beliefs and principles. I fixed myself a plate from leftovers in the refrigerator, (I thought it best to stick to a vegetarian plate for the time being) and began to heat it in the microwave. After dialing in the necessary settings, I turned around to view the rest of the kitchen only to realize that now I was not alone. Dread and Necro were standing in the doorway eyeing me the way I had eyed my dinner.

I was speechless for a few seconds. Dread spoke first. “Tayla will be pleased that you didn’t insult her by running away. It shows that you realize the futility of such an effort on your part. That shows respect. She will like that.”

Necro then spoke. “Tayla will speak with you in her library tonight. You need not be frightened, as she desires things from you. She values your company as well as your counsel. Remember, fear on your part brings forth temptation on hers. Control your fear!” They both turned away and left the kitchen. I stood there, still speechless, until I heard the bell on the microwave go off. I took the plate out, sat down at the table and began to eat. “Tonight, I’m working the night shift!” I thought to myself. I ate in silence, thinking that things could be a lot worse. I could be the one on the plate instead of the food that I was eating. It is a good thing to be high up on the food chain, I thought. After I finished, I went into the living room to watch some television, and maybe catch up on the news. I could not find a television and remembered that broadcasting constantly refers to time. The waiting for my host was giving me the creeps, some serious creeps. Remembering what Necro said about controlling my fear, I felt the only way to do that would be to trust in the Lord, and keep my eyes focused on Him. I knew that my faith and the Holy Spirit in me was enough to protect me. Maybe they did too, and that is why I am still alive to talk about it.

One of the things that I was learning about these creatures is that they have incredible intuitive powers. They can sense things about you. They can certainly sense fear as I had already seen that. The murder of the young woman could have easily happened to me. Only Tayla had wanted to prove a point, and to do that, she had to give a performance. It was my front row seat to murder, act one. Before that, I was still skeptical, believing that all of this was just another group of role-playing vampires. I had read about them, but not quite understood them. Either way, at the time, I still did not think that a real vampire, possessing supernatural abilities far beyond anything any human could perform, walked the earth now or ever before. It seemed Tayla was aware of that. Her actions on the first night certainly had changed my mind. She obviously knew that I was a true skeptic of anything dealing with the occult. She also sensed that though I rejected that of the occult, I embraced that which was of God. I wondered if it was my faith, my conviction, or my allowance of the Holy Spirit that so fascinated her. I certainly did not think her fascination meant she was looking for a new boyfriend. Rachel would have a fit. It would be an understatement to say that she was not my type. Maybe I was her type. Blood type? That is bad. How could I make jokes about such stuff at a time like this? I was just trying to control my fear, feeble attempt though it was. Necro said that if I did that, she would not be tempted. To the vampires, fear was synonymous to the spice put on food for flavor. Blood without fear is akin to bland food. It will sustain them, but the blood of a victim, who is scared out of their mind, is like a gourmet feast.