Sammy stood outside Raven’s house, contemplating the front door.
I could wait until later.
The door’s probably locked.
I could wait until moon rise.
He can’t even do anything with it right now. He’s asleep.
Sammy saw Barbara’s face. Bright-eyed and full of hope. So full of love.
But not for me.
He pulled out his cell phone and called Raven’s number.
The phone rang and rang and rang.
Sammy sighed and waited for the answering machine to take over.”
It stopped ringing.
Raven’s tired voice slurred out, “eoaahir?”
Sammy cleared his throat. “Hello. This is Sammy.”
“maf? Sammy?”
“Sammy Borscht of Sammy’s Place.”
“Ughn? Oh! I’m sorry, sir. Tired.”
“Yes. Could you please let me in?”
“Pardon, sir?”
“I’m standing outside your front door. Please let me in.”
“Very good, sir.” He sighed. “I’ll be right there.”
***
Sammy waited and waited.
Cars drove up and down the street. Their tires shushed in the slushy snow.
He examined the two papers again.
They still looked okay.
Very old, but okay.
The front door opened.
Raven stood on the other side, dressed in bed robe, pajamas, and leather loafers. “Hello, Mr. Borscht.”
“Is Ambrose Smith here?”
Raven stifled a yawn. “Yes, he is here. Do you wish to speak to him?”
“Yes.”
“He is asleep.”
Sammy smiled and a bunch of crocuses broke through the snow behind him. “He’ll be happy to see me. I have something for him. Something he needs.”
Raven perked up. “Blood, sir?”
“No.” He looked at the papers again. “Something so much better.”
“For a vampire, there is no such thing as ‘so much better’ than blood.”
“May I come inside?”
Raven stifled another yawn. “Very well, sir. Please enter.”
***
Olessa walked around Ambrose in a dress designed to make her look like a crow. A whip of pure electricity sparked and arched in her feathered hands.
His heart pounded.
He couldn’t speak.
Her bird beak stretched into a cruel smile. “Let’s see how your skin reacts to this.”
She raised the whip high over her head.
The scent of lightning strikes and fried wires filled the air.
Ambrose couldn’t protect himself.
He couldn’t escape.
The whip came rushing down to his bare chest.
He closed his eyes.
***
Ambrose opened his eyes.
He rolled onto his back, uncovered his head, and stared up at the ceiling.
Didn’t happen.
Not real.
Just a dream.
Just a dream.
But.
If she had that capability, that dream would have been real. She would have done that and so much more.
He shivered.
So much worse. She would have stood there, laughing at me. As my body rose and fell from the shock, she would have smiled and taken notes and applauded her cleverness.
I hate her.
I hope she’s dead.
A knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Raven entered. “I’m sorry to trouble you, sir. Sammy Borscht is here to see you.”
“Doesn’t he know I’m trying to sleep?”
“Yes, sir, but he claims that he has something for you.”
Ambrose quickly sat up, which made his head feel like an oscillating fan. He dropped back down and closed his eyes. “Well. What are you waiting for?” He sighed. “Let him in.”
“Very good, sir.”
Ambrose drifted to the brink of sleep.
Someone disrupted his happy sleep time with the clearing of a throat.
Ambrose opened his eyes. It took him a couple of minutes to fix a name and face to the bleary image that smelled of sandalwood and incense. “Sammy.” He carefully sat up and rubbed his face. “Is Mark Caten still alive?”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“Too bad. Did you get it from him?”
Sammy handed him the papers.
Ambrose examined them. He gasped softly when he saw his date of birth.
“Something wrong?”
“No, it’s just…I know I’m not young. I haven’t been young in so many years. I’d forgotten how many.”
Sammy’s expression did not betray his thoughts.
“I should be dead, Sammy. I should have died a long time ago. Maybe from sickness. Maybe a carriage accident. Maybe a robbery. Maybe old age. Old age.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m a vampire. I’m day exhausted. And I’m being stupidly sentimental. Hardly okay if you ask me.” He handed the papers back to Sammy. “Put these on the dresser. I’ll deal with them tonight. And tell Raven to leave them there. Little neat freak has to put everything away. You should see how he stares at the clothes in my steamer trunk. I like them in there. He just doesn’t…doesn’t…” He flopped back onto his pillow. “tired. so tired.”
***
Sammy watched the vampire slip back into sleep.
His expression did not betray his thoughts.
He walked over to the dresser and hesitated.
“All for Barbara.” He set the papers on the dresser and left.
ambroseandelsie 