The Death Curse Short #3 - Welcome to the Family ft. Maggie
THE DEATH CURSE
SHORT STORY #3
Welcome to the Family ft. Maggie
She had no idea where she was going, nor any recollection of the events that had lead up to her waking up in some mold infested, death drenched crypt surrounded by cold stones walls and the stench of old blood. She wasn’t even sure she remembered her name, all she did know was that she needed to get as far away from that god awful place as fast as she could, and then she needed to access the damage done and find something to eat because despite the chaos and the confusion, she was ravenously hungry.
She stumbled about through the darkness, tripping over a tree branch here and her own two ducking feet there. Jesus, she was a mess. Why couldn’t she remember anything? And why did her head feel like it was going to explode?
Her body ached, every muscle sore as she tore through the graveyard, a hoarse scream of triumph escaping as her tired, battered feet met pavement. That could mean only one thing; she was close to some kind of civilization. Not stopping to do her victory dance just yet, she glanced each direction before taking off to her right, chasing the gravel road as she made her way to the street lights a ways ahead.
Before she knew it, she was fumbling through alley ways that crisscrossed throughout the city, connecting buildings and streets. Loud music drew her attention forward, which seemed like a good sign. She had no idea what time it was, or even what day of the week it was, but the sound was enough to keep her hopes alive.
When she finally reached the source of all that noise, the poor female found herself pounding her fist helplessly against a heavy metal door tucked at the back of the alley. To her complete and utter surprise, the door swung open and she was greeted by one of the most beautiful males she’d ever seen. Blood red hair fell in waves around his face, spilling over his shoulders and down his back and those eyes, she would never forget those cat-like eyes, their brilliant green and yellow something only seen in felines.
Before she could sputter any nonsense, that beautiful stranger wrapped strong fingers around her upper arms and quickly pulled her into the building. Panic gripped her as she was jerked inside, her heart pounding frantically in her chest as she prayed that this male didn’t kill her.
“What has happened to you?”
She blinked, shaking her head gently as she advertised her eyes anywhere but to the male before her.
“Do you remember anything? Can you give me a name?”
She thought about that for a moment, racking her scrambled brain for the answer to the one question she should have been able to answer without a doubt. It took her a few minutes, but as she released another sigh, her memory was jarred, “Maggie…” Wide blues eyes looked up at the stranger, “Can you help me? What the hell is happening to me? Why-why can’t I remember anything?”
“Maggie, take a few deep breaths,” That voice was soothing as those strange eyes met hers, “I need to you calm down before I can properly assess this situation,”
Maggie nodded slowly, forcing herself to draw in deep gulps of air, letting it out on harsh pants until her breathing evened out.
The male took a step forward, placing larges hands on her thin, frail shoulders, “My name is Slade, and honestly love, it’s a good thing you came knocking at my door,” His expression became grim as he slowly led Maggie down the hall, fighting the temptation to pull the small, broken female into his arms and carry her into his office.
Pushing open the door with a sigh, Slade lead Maggie into his small office, setting her gently on the small love seat before dropping to his knees before her. It pained him to see such a horrible fate befall such a young female, but she was in good hands if she accepted the help he was getting ready to offer, “Maggie, there’s absolutely no easy way to tell you this and I know that it’s going to sound absolutely unbelievable, but this is the reality that you are now facing and it’s best you tackle the acceptance before you fall into a spiral of denial,”
Maggie studied the male before her with wide, panicky eyes, unsure of where this conversation was headed but absolutely positive that she wasn’t going to like the end result. So she braced herself for the news that was about to be delivered.
Slade met those doe wide blue eyes and took a deep breath, “You are currently going through a phase known as the transition. It appears to me that you were attacked and your attacker felt it best to attempt to make you a vampire. Maybe it was a guilty conscious, perhaps it was out of spite. Whatever the case, you need to feed properly to complete the change. Without doing so, you’re body is going to grow weaker and weaker, until you fade away,”
Maggie’s mouth was gaping like a fish, she was sure of it. This was insanity! A vampire? Vampires didn’t exist! But wait a minute. How else did one explain what she was currently experiencing? Waking up in a crypt, bloodied and beaten with a insatiable hunger. Yep, that sure as fuck sounded like every vampire novel she’d ever read.
“Maggie, I am willing to help you through this, if you will allow it. I will feed you my blood to ensure that you are strong enough to complete the transition and I will make sure that you are properly fed,” Gods, Slade couldn’t stand this! Not all vampires were cruel, rage filled creatures, but punks like her attackers were the ones who gave the entire species a bad name, “I will teach you how to survive and I will make sure that you will be taken care of. I just so happen to have a spare suite above the bar and I have an open position for a bartender,”
The vampire gave Maggie a lopsided grin, “What say you Maggie? Why not make this a life worth living?”
Warmth spread through Maggie’s body, a sense of complete acceptance enveloping her at Slade’s kind words and ample offers. How could she refuse what he so selflessly proposed? She wasn’t ready for her life to end. So her new lifestyle was going to take some getting used to, but she was willing to do what she needed to do.
“Alright,” She agreed with a nod, “I’ll stay so long as you’ll have me,”
Slade smiled, showing off a sharp set of canines, “We take care of our own Maggie, and now you’re part of the family. You are welcome here for as long as you need, and you will always have a job if you need one,” Slade stood in one graceful movement, taking both of Maggie’s hands into his as he slowly helped her to her feet, “Now why don’t we get you cleaned up?”
