I'm hungry

I'm hungry

           "I'm hungry," was the first thought Alicia Blue thought upon waking.

           It was her first thought when she awoke, lately, and her last thought before going to sleep. "It didn't used to be this difficult to feed," she thought, rising out of her coffin as the sun sank below the horizon.

           Two years ago, Blue moved to this small community, picking it for its proximity to prime, untouched, hunting grounds. Thirty five miles southwest was a community of seventy thousand with two community colleges, ninety miles southeast was a moderate city of more than one hundred thousand with a college, casino gambling and horse racing. Forty five miles, also to the southeast was another small city with a four-year college. To the northeast, roughly thirty miles, was a town with thirty thousand souls and two colleges, while another thirty miles from it, also northeast, was a resort city with a race track and limited casino gambling, but was known throughout the world. Roughly two hours away, also slightly northeast, was the state's capitol, filled with plump, tasty morsels to be devoured. In addition, there were other nearby communities where Blue could feed if she didn't want to travel much, some as close as ten miles.

           Life, so to speak, had been good for two years. She used the cover of being a day trader in the Asian stock market, which meant she worked during the evening and slept during the day. She'd bought the house and property online, seeing it for the first time when she moved in. She'd even had it remodeled, hiring contractors online. Alicia also hired a maintenance man to keep the property mowed and everything running. It was a small place, only two acres, but the house was fairly large, two-thousand square feet. Her "office" contained a mahogany computer desk, high speed internet connection and laser printer. It had a filing cabinet and looked, for all the world, like a working office, though no work was ever done there. Blue's money had come from taking it from her victims over the centuries, collecting gold until it became unwieldy and hard to explain, when it was converted to cash and other securities. She had no idea of how much she was truly worth, but it was quite a bit.

           Yes, things had gone her way until COVID-19 hit and the world stopped. Alicia knew about the virus, and, like most, ignored it when first learning of it. She took notice, though, when the area mayors instituted strict COVID protocols, including sunset to sunrise curfews for all but essential workers and those who work nights. She was shocked. Her food supply, once ample, was now all but nonexistent.

           At first she roamed the night, looking for potential victims, getting nowhere. She tried knocking on doors, but was rebuffed as everyone was afraid to let strangers in, much less help them, so finding someone to glamour was pretty much out of the question. Undaunted, and needing to feed, Blue traveled in defiance of the curfew and travel ban. However, all she found was dying homeless people only a desperate vampire would feed on. She knew they'd taste foul.

           To compensate, Alicia would occasionally resort to feeding on animals. There were plenty in the rural community. She dined reluctantly, on cows, horses, large dogs, deer and, once, on a black bear. Nourishing, but not fulfilling, especially the bear as it's blood had tasted wild and oily - most unpleasant.

           Hopping in her convertible Mercedes, Alicia headed to the state capital. There, she found empty streets, which was unusual as there were no pimps or ladies of the evening out and about. But, she did find one junky. Her hunger overcame her common sense as she fell on him, drawing out the blood, and getting hit with a massive drug rush. The junky had taken LSD, which had only hit his system when Blue sank her fangs in his neck. She got the full effect of the drug. Her senses, already heightened as a vampire, were kicked up another notch. Her brain exploded. Alicia was seeing sound and hearing color. She could feel the thought of Gaia laughing as the current pandemic was killing the virus on her surface.

           It wasn't a bad trip, but it was unexpected, and it lasted several hours. Alicia barely had time to make it home, still feeling the effects of the acid trip, before the sun came up.

           She felt hung over when the sun went down, Hung over and hungry. She flipped on the television and was thrilled to learn some of the COVID restrictions had been lifted. However, bars, restaurants, churches and discos were to remain closed. The curfew was also lifted, allowing people to stay out until nine at night. Alicia smiled broadly, fangs showing. She dressed in a plunging black top to show off her assets, which were plentiful, and tight jeans. Alicia Blue was ready to party.

           She raced to the nearest large community, ready to feast. Alicia had a plan, a solid plan. She would flit from person to person, using her beauty to entice men and women alike. Alicia, who'd been around for a thousand years, was striking. She was tall, about five-seven, with an ample bosom, narrow waist and wide hips. Blue glided more than walked and had a walk that would stop traffic cold. Ravens were jealous of her luxurious black hair, that went midway down her back. Her eyes were ice blue and her full lips looked as though they were begging to be kissed, with long, slender legs promising paradise.

           Alicia hit the mall, thinking it would be the perfect place to start. She was stunned to see the parking lot empty. "This can't be," she thought, driving around town. The streets remained deserted. No one was out and about. "I don't believe this," she thought. "Surely people are tired of being cooped up in their homes."

           Dejected, she returned home, stopping only to feed on a cow along the way. The rest of the night was spent in front of the television, trying to find out what was going on. She learned nothing. Newscasters were stunned as well, as they'd also planned on hitting the bricks to interview people on how they were coping with COVID.

           Blue hit her coffin early, depressed, but still hungering for human blood. She rose at sundown, but lay in her coffin, trying to formulate a plan. "This used to be so easy," she thought lying there. "All I had to do was show the girls a bit and I'd have men willing to follow me anywhere. I just don't get it."

           She turned on the television, after taking a long, hot shower, sitting in her favorite easy chair, naked. The newscasters gave her hope, the warm weather, they said, had drove people to lakes in the area. The news showed clips of scantily clad young men and women frolicking about in the water. "So that's where they were," she thought. "I'll feast tonight for sure." Alicia went through her collection of swimwear, selecting a barely-there bikini that covered little of nothing. She put on a hoody and pair of shorts, along with sandals, grabbed her purse and hit the road. There was a large recreational lake close to the nearby college town. This is where Alicia headed, as fast as she could legally drive (and traffic would allow. Semis were still a problem on the interstate.)

           Alicia was all smiles until she arrived and found the parking lot empty. "Damn," she yelled. "Where the hell is everybody?" She got no answer. Looking around, she saw a man slumped against a tree. Blue wasn't thrilled, but anything was better than nothing and she couldn't stomach more cow blood. She walked toward the man, noting the stench of alcohol coming from him. "Ugh," she thought, "just my luck the only guy around is a drunk. Oh, well." She dug in, draining him almost to the point of death. Her head was spinning when she removed her fangs from his neck. "Wow," she thought, "this guy's been drinking some of the good stuff." Alicia sat with him a while, getting her wits about her. When she felt under control, she carried him to the car and drove him to the hospital, leaving him at the emergency room entrance.

           "Another wasted night," she thought as she drove home, pleasantly buzzed. "Still, it shouldn't be this hard."

           Alicia Blue went to her cubbyhole, which was a small, windowless room in the house, with a crossbeam placed across the only door to keep people out. She slept, awaking as the final rays of the sun drained from the sky.

           Her first thought was, "I'm hungry."