Vampire and His Pleasant Companions: Volume 3 - Part 4

Previous TOC Next

Desperate to make it in time for the flight, Akira seemed too preoccupied to worry about the bat. However, once they boarded their scheduled flight to Nebraska and settled into their seats, Akira finally noticed that something was off with the small bat curled up motionless in its cage.

At first, Akira casually remarked, "Is it a stomachache?" But as he took Al out of the cage and grabbed him firmly, flipping him over, he noticed the slightly swollen genital area. "What’s this? Is it mating season?" he said insensitively.

When Al protested with a loud screech, Akira pinched his mouth shut between his thumb and forefinger, hissing quietly, "Shut up!"

As Akira inspected Al's body, he finally noticed something. "Hey, there’s a wound here. How’d you manage to hurt yourself? What a clumsy idiot." Al, with his mouth held shut, could only glare at Akira.

"Well, it’s a sensitive area. No wonder it hurts." Akira’s lips curled slightly, revealing a glimpse of his white teeth. He bit down gently, and when he next opened his mouth, a small bead of blood welled up on his thin lips.

"Here." Akira brought the bat closer to his mouth, offering to ease the pain now that he understood it. Al, grateful, stuck out his tongue and eagerly licked Akira’s lips. The pain in his injured area quickly subsided.

"Squeak! (Thank you.)" Al expressed his gratitude, rubbing his nose affectionately against Akira’s cheek. Akira, after making a face as if tickled, placed the bat on his shoulder and exhaled deeply.

There hadn’t been much time to think, between being thawed out in a microwave and getting suddenly injured in a sensitive spot, but Al was now on a flight from Chicago to Nebraska.

Al had a few days free before and after the shoot and had debated whether to visit his parents before or after. Since the shoot might run late, he decided to visit them before. However, there were still many issues. Even if he flew during the day as a bat, a day trip was impossible. At night, he would return to human form and need to change clothes. But there was no way he could carry his clothes while flying as a bat. As Al worried, Akira had offered to bring him along on the flight.

Thinking about it now, Akira had come all the way to America with him just to thaw him out and was now accompanying him on a visit home. Everything was for Al’s sake. Akira might be rough and have a foul mouth, which led to misunderstandings, but there probably wasn’t anyone kinder.

Akira began to doze off. Al watched his beautiful yet slightly weary face. When he had been mixed in with frozen beef and almost shipped to Japan, he had wondered what would happen, but now he felt it was fate leading him to Akira.

Suddenly, Al felt a gaze behind him. He had noticed someone standing in the aisle for a while now. Maybe they were curious about a bat on a plane, but the presence didn’t go away.

[“Al?”]

Hearing his name, Al turned around. The voice belonged to someone with dark hair and eyes that mirrored the darkness, a handsome, gentle face, and a soft tone—unmistakable.

[“It really is you, Al. I never thought we’d meet in a place like this.”] Kyiv whispered.

Kyiv was the one who had helped Al when he first became a vampire and was struggling to get by, arranging an apartment and other necessities. Unlike Al, Kyiv was a complete vampire and had lived for several centuries by then. One day, however, Kyiv vanished without a trace. Al had heard that vampires had to move every decade because their appearance never changed, but he never expected Kyiv to disappear so suddenly and completely.

Al was overwhelmed with nostalgia and had so much he wanted to say, but as a bat, all he could do was squeak.

Kyiv glanced sideways at Akira.

[“Why don’t you come over here, Al?”]

Kyiv extended a hand. Although Al couldn’t communicate, he could listen to Kyiv. With Akira asleep, Al thought it might be okay and hopped onto Kyiv’s hand. Kyiv smelled sweetly of flowers with a faint hint of blood. The back of the plane was less crowded than the front, so Kyiv sat down in an empty seat. He had moved away from the other passengers since talking to a bat would certainly seem odd—though Akira probably wouldn’t care about such things.

[“Where have you been all this time? I was really worried.”] Kyiv stroked Al’s head, making him squeak softly. Al felt frustrated that he couldn’t talk.

[“I went back to your apartment after a few years, but you were gone, and no one knew where you were. But it’s good to see you’re healthy. Your fur looks great, and it seems like you’re eating well.”]

Al nodded. Kyiv glanced over at where Akira was sitting.

[“That guy you’re with—what’s his deal? He’s human, but he smells like blood and medicine. Is he a doctor?”]

Al shook his head.

[“Doesn’t seem like a hitman either...”]

Al shook his head more vigorously.

[“I can’t figure it out. I guess I’ll have to wait until you turn back into a human to get any answers.”]

Suddenly, a stronger scent of flowers wafted by, and Al looked up to see a beautiful woman standing at the end of the aisle. She looked to be in her early twenties, with light-colored hair tied up high, long eyelashes, large eyes the same color as her hair, and full lips contrasting with her slender body. The neckline of her top was low-cut, and her skirt was so short that it made Al’s heart race, forcing him to look away.

[“So this is where you were. I was wondering why you hadn’t come back to your seat.”]

[“Ah, sorry.”] Kyiv smiled warmly at her. Was she his girlfriend? Kyiv’s partners often had a flashy aura that contrasted with his refined demeanor. Some were self-proclaimed models, dancers, or call girls. When Al once asked about his type, Kyiv had simply smiled and said, [“I like women who are like beautiful flowers.”]

[“I thought you might’ve run away to avoid meeting my father.”] She sighed.

[“Of course not.”]

[“Really? But you didn’t seem too eager. Don’t take it too seriously just because I said I’d introduce you to my dad. It’s not like I’m asking you to marry me or anything.”]

[“I understand, Justine.”] Kyiv squeezed her hand. Her long-lashed, light-colored eyes focused on Al. Instantly, her gaze narrowed, and she looked down at the bat sitting on Kyiv’s hand with suspicion.

[“What’s with that bat?”]

[“I have a favor to ask, Justine. Could you sit next to me?”]

[“…Okay, but is the bat safe? It won’t cause any trouble, right?”]

[“It’s a well-behaved little one.”]

Justine sat down next to Kyiv. Kyiv gently touched her cheek with his left hand and gave her a light kiss.

[“I love you with all my heart.”]

[“I know.”]

Justine smiled shyly. Her smile was cute, and despite her flashy appearance, she might be a bit shy.

[“But, you know, we’ve been together too long. It’s time to end things here.”]

Kyiv touched Justine’s forehead with his fingertips as she looked surprised. She closed her eyes, and the tension faded from her expression. When she opened her eyes again, she gave Kyiv a puzzled glance, then stood up without saying anything and returned to the front of the plane.

Al was certain that it was "memory manipulation." He had seen Kyiv do it to others many times. The people Kyiv touched with his fingers would have their memories of him erased, as if their closeness had been a lie. By now, not a trace of Kyiv’s memory would remain in Justine. That’s how vampires live, forgotten by everyone.

[“She was a good girl, though a bit possessive. But it was time to move on.”]

Kyiv watched Justine’s back with a hint of regret. More than the people who forgot, Kyiv, who was left behind, always seemed lonelier. As she disappeared, Akira approached, looking endlessly irritated with a furrowed brow, probably from waking up. Al wondered if Akira had noticed he was gone while he was sleeping and had come looking for him, but Akira simply passed by Kyiv without a glance and headed to the restroom in the back.

[“Your partner has a beautiful face,”] Kyiv whispered to Al.

[“…Back when I was working behind the scenes at a film studio, I once saw an actress who looked like him. I think her name was Hanae Tamura. She was Japanese, short, but had large, captivating eyes and was very beautiful. She was a great actress, too.”]

[“Excuse me.”]

Akira’s voice came from behind, and Kyiv turned around.

[“That bat on your hand—isn’t it mine?”]

Kyiv smiled warmly.

[“Ah, sorry about that. It’s such a cute bat, it seemed bored, so I brought it over.”]

Akira had a perplexed expression on his face.

"Al, come here."

Called by his master, Al perched on Akira’s shoulder. Akira turned his back on Kyiv without a word. When Al glanced back, Kyiv winked and said, [“See you later.”]

As soon as they returned to their seats, Akira scolded Al, "Don’t go off with strangers so easily!" Al lowered his head, feeling ashamed. He wanted to explain that Kyiv was an old acquaintance, but it wasn’t possible at the moment.

"Still, it’s odd to find someone who thinks a bat is cute."

Putting aside the irony of his own words, Akira muttered under his breath.

◇:-:◆:-:◇

Akira gripped the steering wheel of the 4Runner, his mouth set in a tight line as he silently drove down a road that would likely offer the same scenery for miles. Al perched on his shoulder, while Kyiv sat in the passenger seat.

At the airport, after renting the car and preparing to get in, Kyiv had approached Akira. Even Al hadn’t noticed Kyiv’s presence until he was right next to them.

[“Hi!”]

Kyiv, holding a small duffel bag, greeted Akira, who responded with a reluctant, [“Hi.”]

[“We talked on the plane, right? Where are you headed?”]

Al's family home was in a small town about 250 miles (approximately 402 kilometers) west of Omaha, Nebraska’s largest city. The town had been declining ever since a supermarket opened on the outskirts, leaving the downtown area desolate. When Akira mentioned the name of the town where Al's family lived, Kyiv clapped his hands and said, [“What a coincidence!”]

[“I’m actually planning to visit someone I know who lives there, too. I was thinking of taking a rental car or a bus, but it seems I lost my wallet. I’m sorry to ask, but could you give me a ride?”]

Akira gave Kyiv a look as if to say, "What a suspicious guy."

[“I don’t mind riding in the trunk if that’s easier.”]

[“Are you really okay with the trunk?”]

Akira’s face was serious. Kyiv looked momentarily puzzled, but then burst into laughter a few seconds later.

[“Sure, the trunk is fine.”]

When Kyiv gave a thumbs-up, Akira frowned and said, [“Just kidding.”]

[“I thought it was pretty bold of you to ask for a ride after only exchanging a few words on the plane, but this is America, after all. …I’ll give you a lift, so get off wherever you like.”]

[“Thanks. My name’s Kyiv. And you?”]

Akira shook Kyiv’s hand half-heartedly and introduced himself. Kyiv then winked at Al before getting into the passenger seat.

[“You’re an interesting person,”] Kyiv said to Akira almost immediately.

[“Very unique. I like it. Are you Asian? You don’t seem like a native speaker, but your English pronunciation is excellent. Where are you from?”]

Still facing forward, Akira replied, "Japan."

[“Do you live here?”]

"I came to America for sightseeing."

Kyiv murmured, [“Huh…,”] sounding surprised, and shrugged slightly. Akira started the engine and pulled onto the road. The area near the airport had scattered supermarkets and houses, but after just a few miles, they disappeared, giving way to vast grasslands with gently rolling hills as far as the eye could see.

[“If you’re sightseeing, there are plenty of other interesting cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, or Las Vegas. Why a small town in Nebraska?”]

["I have business there."]

[“But you just said it was for sightseeing?”]

["I do have business, but it’s got nothing to do with me. The idea of going out of my way for something that doesn’t concern me is irritating, so I’m convincing my brain that it’s for ‘sightseeing’—as I drive through a landscape of plains and cows that probably hasn’t changed in a hundred years and won’t change in another hundred."]

Akira’s metaphors were sometimes hard to understand. As expected, Kyiv tilted his head slightly, but decided not to pursue it further and said, [“Okay, sightseeing it is.”]

[“By the way, Akira, what do you do for a living?”]

["I’m an embalmer."]

Kyiv whistled softly and glanced at Al.

[“Huh, cool.”]

["…Let me tell you something upfront. The three things I hate most in this world are English, chatty men, and American jokes."]

Faced with Akira’s sharp warning, Kyiv sighed, sinking deeper into his seat with a resigned expression.

After a while, Akira took out a pair of sunglasses from his shirt pocket and put them on. The sun had become more intense, probably because they were heading in its direction. Al had never seen Akira wearing sunglasses before, but they suited his sharply defined features.

[“How long have you had that bat?”]

["I thought I told you I hate chatty men," Akira said in a low voice.]

[“It’s been fifteen minutes since our last conversation. I don’t think that qualifies as chatty.”]

Kyiv had the upper hand. Akira curtly replied, ["One year."]

[“The next conversation is in fifteen minutes.”]

Kyiv chuckled, [“Okay, okay. Fifteen minutes it is,”] amused by Akira’s firm stance. Al couldn’t help but feel a little scared as Akira’s irritation seemed to radiate through his entire body.

Kyiv had abruptly parted ways with his girlfriend and somewhat forcefully joined Akira’s car. Al wondered if it was so that he could talk to Al when he turned back into a human. While Al also had a lot to talk about, he was currently a bat, so he couldn’t communicate his situation or how much Akira knew about him to Kyiv. That’s why Kyiv could only ask harmless questions.

"Hm?"

Akira squinted into the rearview mirror.

"They’re speeding like crazy."

On the highway, where oncoming traffic was rare, a dark-colored Bronco was rapidly approaching from behind at high speed. In just a few seconds, it was close enough to overtake their car, pulling up alongside them.

"Hey, you’ve got to be kidding me. Are you even watching the road?"

Akira muttered angrily. Just at that moment, a rare oncoming car appeared. The Bronco showed no sign of slowing down. At this rate, a head-on collision was inevitable. Akira let out a small grunt and put his foot on the brake. The sudden deceleration caused all three passengers to lurch violently. The Bronco swerved in front of Akira’s car just before colliding with the oncoming vehicle, then sped off into the distance.

Akira shouted a curse at the retreating Bronco, while Kyiv, who didn’t understand Japanese, tilted his head in confusion.

Not long after, a faint sound like gunshots could be heard from afar: pop, pop, pop. Akira’s hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly.

[“Don’t worry. It’s probably… someone just shooting at a sign or something. The roads around here are so monotonous that people get bored,”] Kyiv said, yawning leisurely. Akira remained silent, staring straight ahead. Soon, they passed a road sign on the left side of the highway that was riddled with holes. It wasn’t uncommon for signs to be shot at, either as target practice or out of frustration, but this one was so damaged it was unreadable.

After that, they didn’t encounter any more reckless drivers and drove through the grasslands for about two hours. Eventually, signs indicating a reduced speed limit appeared, and scattered houses began to come into view. It seemed they had entered a small town.

[“Kyiv, are you hungry?”]

In a rare move, Akira initiated the conversation.

[“I’m fine, but if you want to grab something to eat, we can stop by a diner.”]

[“Don’t hesitate. It’s going to take some time to get there, and it’ll just be Coke and sandwiches anyway.”]

Akira, believing Kyiv's story about losing his wallet, was being considerate, thinking it would be pitiful if Kyiv were hungry.

[“Actually, I’m on a diet.”]

Like Al, Kyiv, who only drank blood, was politely declining.

[“I thought I told you I don’t like jokes.”]

[“Oh, no, it’s not a joke.”]

As they talked, a sign for a general store came into view on the left. Al chirped, "Squeak, squeak," to alert Akira. Akira muttered, "That place will do," and pulled up in front of the store, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

In the gravel parking lot was the Bronco that had recklessly overtaken Akira's 4Runner earlier. It seemed that the driver was also taking a break here.

As Akira got out of the car, Kyiv followed. Akira glanced at Kyiv, as if expecting him to come along, and snorted before leading the way to the store's door.

Inside, it was a typical country general store—not as large as a supermarket, nor as polished as a city convenience store. Akira headed toward the right side where snacks and some fruit were displayed but suddenly stopped and looked back. At that moment, Al, perched on his shoulder, could feel Akira’s body stiffen as if it had turned to stone.

[“Don’t move! Raise your hands!”]

Behind the counter was a man. He was a white man in his mid-twenties, wearing a T-shirt, with dull, light-colored hair, an unkempt beard, and somewhat cloudy eyes. He had an elderly woman, presumably the store clerk, in a chokehold from behind, pressing a gun to her head.

Of all things, they had walked in on a robbery. The elderly woman’s wrinkled face trembled as she kept repeating, [“Please, just spare my life… please, my life…”]

[“Move one step, and I’ll blow this old lady’s brains out! And that goes for you too!”]

The man pointed his gun first at Akira and then at Kyiv, aiming at them in turn. When neither of them moved, he seemed to decide they weren’t a threat and began rummaging through the cash register while still holding the old woman by the collar. He grabbed a fistful of cash and shoved it into his jeans' back pocket. In situations like this, where the robber has a gun, it’s best not to resist. If you get shot and die, it’s all over. …That goes for ordinary humans like Akira, even if vampires like himself and Kyiv might be fine…

Just as the man was focused on the cash, it wasn’t Akira, Kyiv, or Al who fought back—it was the elderly woman. She clawed at the man’s hand that was gripping her collar.

[“Ow! Damn it!”]

When the man let go of her, the woman dashed out from behind the register toward the aisle. However, she stumbled, either from fear or weakness, and collapsed in front of Akira on her way to the door.

[“You old hag!”]

With the money still in his left hand, the man aimed his gun at the old woman’s head. But before he could fire, Akira stepped forward and crouched down to shield her.

[“Move aside, or I’ll kill you too!”]

Even as the man threatened him, Akira refused to move away from the old woman. This is bad, Al thought. He quickly leapt from Akira's shoulder and attacked the man’s right hand—the one holding the gun.

[“What the—!”]

Startled, the man dropped the gun. Success!

[“What the hell is this thing?!”]

The man swung his right hand wildly. Despite Al’s deep claws, the centrifugal force flung him off, and the man picked up the gun again. A sharp crack echoed through the store as the gun fired.

[“Damn it!”]

The man fired another shot at Al as he flew around, narrowly grazing Al’s right ear.

"Hey! Stop it! Don’t shoot the bat!" Akira shouted.

As Al flew near the ceiling, the man fired again, but missed. Al hoped that while the robber was distracted with him, the others could escape. Akira seemed to catch on and was trying to get out of the store, but the old woman was still huddled on the ground, either paralyzed by fear or unconscious.

The man stopped aiming at Al and once again pointed his gun at Akira, who was sitting protectively over the old woman. Akira glared back at the man without pleading for his life. The man smirked, his lips curling into a sinister grin.

He’s going to shoot Akira! Al realized.

[“Could you wait just a moment?”]

Kyiv, who had been silently observing the situation, stepped forward with his hands raised.

[“Stop! Don’t come any closer!”]

The man, startled by Kyiv’s calm and confident demeanor, took a step back.

[“There’s no need to be so scared. I’m unarmed.”]

Kyiv’s tone was light.

“Hey! Stop doing something stupid!” Akira shouted in Japanese.

Kyiv tilted his head, then turned back to the man.

[“Going to jail for robbery is a waste of time. You’re still young—why not use your life for something more meaningful? Life is much shorter than you think.”]

[“Shut up if you don’t want to die.”]

The man’s finger tightened on the trigger.

"Run!" Akira shouted in Japanese.

Kyiv tilted his head in confusion.

[“Go ahead, shoot.”]

The man, his face tense, pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed, and the bullet hit Kyiv square in the forehead.

The impact caused his head to jerk back violently, and blood splattered everywhere. But instead of spilling on the floor, the blood turned into a pale dust and vanished.

Kyiv remained standing, a smile on his face, even with a bullet hole in his forehead.

[“Aaahhhh!”]

The man screamed, firing multiple shots in a panic. Each shot made Kyiv’s body jerk, but he didn’t fall, and the blood scattered around him like mist.

Click, click—the gun began to dry fire as the bullets ran out. The man backed up in the small space behind the register, pressing his back against the wall.

The bullet-riddled wounds on Kyiv’s body started to behave strangely. His skin rippled like a living creature, and the embedded bullets began to push out from his flesh. The flattened bullets clattered to the floor with a metallic sound.

[“M-M-Monster! It’s a monster!”]

Kyiv effortlessly stepped over the four-foot (1.2-meter) high counter and calmly placed a finger on the trembling man’s forehead. The fear on the man’s face vanished, and his knees buckled before he collapsed onto the floor as if he were dead.

Kyiv picked up the receiver of the retro phone in the store.

[“Is this the police? I just came into a general store and found two people unconscious. I’m not sure what happened… Yes, it seems they aren’t injured, but one of them is a man with a gun. Yes, he’s still unconscious… The address? Well, I’m just passing through, but… oh, this must be it.”]

After giving the address from a shop card, Kyiv hung up and used a nearby towel to tie up the man’s hands and feet.

[“Now then, let’s get out of here before we have to deal with the hassle of an interrogation.”]

[“We can’t just leave them like this. And this old woman…”]

Kyiv crouched down beside the elderly woman lying behind Akira.

[“She’s just unconscious, so she’ll be fine. As for the man, he won’t wake up until someone else touches him. The police will handle the rest. Besides, I’m not confident I could explain this situation to them in a way they’d understand… Let’s go quickly.”]

Urged by Kyiv, Akira left the store as well. Despite the multiple gunshots that had rung out, no one came to check on them, likely because the houses were too far apart to hear anything.

Akira drove away, still looking unsatisfied. After driving for less than three minutes, a police car, siren blaring, sped past them in the opposite direction.

[“Kyiv, what the hell are you?”] Akira muttered with a serious expression.

[“You didn’t seem surprised when you saw I didn’t die after being shot. And you know about Al, don’t you? So, I think you already have a pretty good idea of what I am.”]

After a moment of silence, Akira asked, [“…Are you a vampire too?”]

[“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m actually a werewolf.”]

Akira replied with a simple, [“I see,”] as he faced forward. Al tried to chirp, "Squeak, squeak (No, no)," but Akira yelled, "Shut up!" and Al fell silent. Kyiv suddenly burst into laughter.

[“Sorry, sorry. I’m actually a vampire.”]

Akira frowned in irritation and snapped, [“I don’t care either way.”]

[“You don’t care? But there’s a big difference!”]

[“The only difference is whether you turn into a wolf or a bat. Both are the same to me, and neither matters.”]

Kyiv hummed in acknowledgment, then turned to face forward, resting his chin in his hand.

[“Why aren’t you affected by getting shot? You don’t even seem to feel pain.”]

Without looking at Kyiv, Akira asked the question.

[“Because I’m a vampire, of course.”]

[“But when Al gets seriously injured, he writhes in pain, and he won’t heal unless he drinks blood.”]

[“Al is special. In all my years, I’ve never seen another vampire like him. He barely met the conditions to become a vampire. If he had been bitten just a little less, he might have died as a human.”]

Hearing the word "died," Al pondered. Would it have been better if he had died? When he was living with Gaddis, drinking the blood of beasts, he had been miserable. At that time, he might have thought it would be better to die, but now…

[“Are there really that many vampires in the world?”]

Kyiv tilted his head slightly and said, [“Who knows? In the past hundred years, I’ve only met five new vampires. That’s one every twenty years.”]

[“You don’t live in groups?”]

Kyiv suddenly fell silent. Akira continued driving for a while but eventually couldn’t hold back any longer and raised his voice, [“Hey, I’m asking you a question! Don’t ignore me!”]

[“Oh, sorry… I just remembered that you said we should only talk every fifteen minutes. You don’t like chatty men, right?”]

Kyiv had always enjoyed this kind of humor. It was amusing in its own way, but it didn’t resonate with Akira. Al wanted to caution Kyiv against teasing Akira, but all he could do was chirp, "Squeak, squeak."

"Shut up, be quiet!" Akira snapped, grabbing Al off his shoulder and tossing him into the back seat. Then he steered the car off the road and onto a gravel path leading to an old, dilapidated house, where he turned off the engine.

[“Don't twist my words when I'm having a serious conversation!”]

Akira shouted, pointing his finger angrily, to which Kyiv raised his hands slightly and said, [“Oh, scary.”]

[“I thought you were cool, but you’re surprisingly fiery.”]

[“I don’t care what you think about me. Just answer my question!”]

[“No need to get so mad… We don’t live in groups. We’re not bats, after all. We don’t need to.”]

[“But Al turns into a bat!”]

Akira pointed sharply, causing Al, who had been sitting quietly in the back seat, to flinch.

[“Al is special because he’s a bat during the day and a human only at night. Normal vampires can change freely between human and bat forms.”]

Before Kyiv could finish speaking, his body swayed, and his entire outline blurred. His human form disappeared like smoke, and within seconds, he had transformed into a bat. Akira stared at the bat, now buried in the clothes Kyiv had been wearing, without blinking.

"Squeak, squeak," Kyiv chirped in his bat form as he flew to the back seat, landing next to Al. Although they looked almost identical, Kyiv was slightly darker than Al.

"Squeak, squeak (Akira is amusing)," Kyiv said.

"Squeak, squeak (He’s serious, don’t tease him)," Al replied.

As the two bats conversed with squeaks, Akira groaned softly, clutching his head.

[“…I get it. I get it, so… Kyiv, turn back into a human.”]

Kyiv flew to the front seat and transformed back into a human in a fraction of the time it took Al. Though vampires could freely switch between bat and human forms, they couldn’t automatically dress themselves. Kyiv, now in his natural state, pulled his crumpled clothes from under his hips.

[“…I thought I was having a nightmare…”] Akira muttered.

[“Because now there are two vampire bats?”]

As Kyiv was putting on his underwear and pants, there was a knock on the driver’s side window. A man who looked like an elderly farmer in a baseball cap and checkered shirt was peering into the car. Akira rolled down the window.

[“You should head to a motel. Kids pass through here.”]

At first, Akira seemed confused by the man's words, but then he noticed Kyiv’s naked state and realized the old man had misunderstood.

[“We weren’t having sex here.”]

[“Then why’s the guy next to you not wearing any clothes? Was he sunbathing in the car? Just move along to a motel or somewhere else. If you’re still here when I come back, I’m calling the police.”]

[“I’m not gay!”]

[“I don’t care if you are or not. I just want you gone. Now get out of here.”]

Akira, clearly displeased by the unfounded suspicion that they had been making out in the car, reluctantly started the engine. As the car sped away, Kyiv, now fully dressed, narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and said, [“Well, that was fun.”]

[“Vampires live forever, as long as they don’t get a silver stake through the heart. That means we have an eternity of future time. But to be honest, it’s incredibly boring. Really boring. Akira, you’re very interesting. Truly interesting. Thanks to you, I won’t be bored for a while.”]

Previous TOC Next