gift of the red vial

I groan as a knock on my door wakes me from my well deserved nap. The tips from my third 15 hour shift in a row fall out of my pocket as I turn over and pull my old blanket over my shoulder. Another set of knocks chases away my chance to fall back asleep and I sigh as I get to my feet. "I swear this better be important." I grumble as I unlock my door, the cold air of a winter night flooding into my one-bedroom apartment as it swings open.

"Good evening Mathew, I'm sorry to bother you so late." One of my new neighbour says, passing me a small red gift bag with a smile. "This is just a little something I thought you might like."

"Oh, um, thank you Mrs..." I pause as I take the gift, my sleep deprived brain unable to remember her name.

"Please, call me Eleanor. I find formalities ever so stifling, don't you?" She says, giving me a slight bow.

"Y- yeah, I do too." I say, returning her bow before gesturing towards my apartment. "Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"Such manners for one so young." She says, covering her mouth with her hand. "Another time perhaps, I'm afraid I have a prior engagement."

"Yeah, next time maybe." I reply, giving her a wave as she disappears into the night.

I sigh as I close the door, the cold air having chased away the sleep that I was so desperately in need of. I rub my stinging eyes as I flop onto the couch, letting out another grumble as I try to pull my blanket out from under me. "Damn it." I say as I get to my feet again, giving the stained blanket a shake for defying me. The sound of glass hitting linoleum covered floorboards makes me freeze in place. I scan my tiny living room to find the sounds source, praying that it wasn't my last drinking glass.

My eyes settle on Eleanor's gift, the red bag glittering under the florescent lights. "Crap, I hope I didn't break it." I say as I snatch the bag from the ground and peek inside. "What the heck?" I ask, as I reach inside and remove the small vial of red liquid and a folded piece of paper from the bag.

The paper felt thick and rough between my fingers, almost as if it was made from a used milk carton. I squint as I read my name on the front of the card, written in the most elaborate font I had ever seen. I rub my thumb along the words, freeing some kind of yellow powder that was somehow hidden within the letters. I take the card with my other hand and rub the powder between my fingers. It feels like sand but gives of an earthy smell the more I rub. A sharp breath banishes the dust from my fingers and I turn my attention back to the card.

More dust falls from the paper as I open the card and, once again, I'm forced to squint as I try to read the ornate writing. "A gift to you, for serlesed rentered?" I say, pulling the card closer to my face. "Services rendered." I correct, turning the card in my hand to look for any other writing on it. "Services rendered? What services?"

I put the card down and pick up the vial, giving it a bit of a shake before holding it up to the light. The red liquid shimmers under the flicker of the failing florescent bulb above, the liquid seeming to drink the light and casting a small shadow. "What is this?" I ask myself as I give the vial another shake.

With my curiosity now piqued I bring the vial down to eye level. I fumble with the small cork, the container making a small pop as its pulled free from its resting place. An odd metallic smell fills the air, the smell causing my mouth to water for some reason. I swallow hard as I stare at the liquid, intrusive thoughts demanding that I drink it. The red liquid calls to me, pleading, no, begging to be drunk. I let out a staggered breath as the vial edges its way towards my lips, my lips parting as it grows closer.

"Could you not. I'd prefer not to have to kill you too." A deep voice from behind me says, breaking me out of my trance.

I turn towards the voice, finding a large man wearing an oversized t-shirt and a tiny pair of shorts. "What, who are-"

"Vampire hunter." He says with a flat tone, scratching at his day-old stubble with a large metal nail.

"You don't look like a vampire hunter." I reply, shrinking away from the man as he begins to approach. "What do you think you're-"

"Yeah, that's kind of the point." He says as he closes the distance between us and snatches the vial away from me. "This is vampire blood you idiot. One sip of this and you'd become one in a matter of moments." The man gives the vial a sniff, his face contorting as he pinches his nose closed. "Great, it's from an elder. I get to spend a night in the cold now."

"I'm sorry, what's happening? Why are you in my house?" I ask with all the courage I have left.

"I'm saving you, why else would I be here?" The man says, his eyes widening as he uses his head to gesture to towards his outstretched hand. "The cork." Without thinking I drop the cork into his awaiting hand, the man letting out an audible sigh as I do. "Good, now go wash your hands."

"What? Why?" I ask, looking down at my hands, my finger tips now staind with blood from the cork.

"Do it!" The man yells, his face scrunching in anger as he points at my kitchen sink. I rush over to the kitchen and flick the water on, wetting my hands before dumping way to much dishwashing liquid on to them. The sound of heavy footsteps approaching makes me scrub faster, my sink filling with bubbles. "I'm sorry." The man says as he rests his back against my counter top. "I know you're confused, but she's fed on you too many times. Even a little bit of her blood could cause you to turn at this point."

I give my hands a shake and turn off the water. "There, are you happy now?" I ask, waving my hands in the air before wiping them on my pants.

The man gives me a somber nod, his face relaxing as he lets out a long sigh. "Yep, that's perfect." He says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Sorry for barging in like that, I'll get out of your hair now."

"Wait, I have questions. How did you get in here? Why is a vampire trying to turn me? Who's been feeding on me?" I ask as I watch the man stomp towards my front door.

He pauses as he grabs the handle, giving his head a shake as he looks over his shoulder at me. "Sorry kid. It's best you don't know."

"Can you at least tell me why you have that nail." I ask as my fear turns to anger.

The mans body visibly deflates as he turns to me. "The only way to kill a vampire is for them to be outside during the day. That's what the nail is for." He says as he holds up the nail. "If you had turned I would have used this to nail you to the roof with the others."

"Others? What do you mean others?" I ask as I back away, my hand knocking some used cutlery off my counter.

"You were the only one I could save." The man says, his head bowing to the side. "All I can do for the rest is make sure they don't suffer any longer than they have to."

"You're going to kill them?" I ask as I take a step forward and wince as I step on a fork.

"No, they're already dead. I'll put them to rest." The man says as he turns back to the door and gives the nob a twist.

"Wait, can you at least tell me your name?" I ask as the cold wind floods into my apartment.

"Its Christian." The man says, turning to me as he closes the door behind him. "With any luck you'll never have to see me again."

The door closes with a dull thud and I listen as Christian's heavy footsteps crunch the snow as he leaves. I swallow hard as I turn back to the sink and lift the handle. I smile as I run my finger around its underside, the small scraps of blood I had hidden there already starting to dry. "Don't worry Christian, I'm sure you and I will be very well acquainted soon enough."