Night Caller

Night Caller

  by

  James Bailey

  * * * * *

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Night Caller

  Copyright 2011 by James Bailey

  [email protected]

  *****

  I peered down from the rooftop at the prey below me. So much prey. All the little people busy with their little lives, out for dinner, heading to a nightclub. They all looked the same from up here.

  The breeze caught my long hair twirling it in the wind, my long coat swirled behind me. I looked up at the half moon gleaming down at me, casting faint shadows in the night. The clear skies made for a cold one but I didn’t feel it. I never had and never would be able to. The only temperature I ever felt was when I ventured beneath the sun’s rays. I hadn’t made that mistake for centuries, it had taken years for my skin to heal after the last time.

  I saw a pair that looked appropriate for my needs. A man supporting a particularly inebriated young woman as she stumbled out of a night club. He appeared to be heading for an alley nearby, no doubt to take advantage, unfortunately for him I would have to take advantage first.

  The woman seemed to try and resist the man, struggling against him. He held her arms and pulled her close to him and half carried her across the road to the alley. I moved to the edge of the roof overlooking their path and looked down to see if they were alone. I saw a cat pawing at a mouse underneath a dumpster and several rats, but little else. This place would serve well.

  I waited until the man and the woman were deep into the alley, well into it’s darkness so that they wouldn’t be seen from the road. As the man had the woman pressed against a wall, I walked off the edge and dropped down the fifteen floors without a sound. The wind whistled past as I dropped, my coat floating above my head. I smiled as I fell, this moment was always the most exhilarating. Dropping down on to my unsuspecting kill. I wondered to myself if this was what I falcon felt as he dove down to snatch a mouse from the ground.

  I landed a few meters behind the pair, neither the man or the woman sensed my presence. The woman was slurring at the man, words I couldn’t fathom. No doubt it was some new slang that I hadn’t bothered to learn. The man was looking at her with a hunger almost as intense as mine, although we had different appetites. He was grabbing at her clothes trying to undress her hurriedly.

  Sensing my opportunity I moved in and sunk my teeth into his neck, ripping into his artery and instantly feeling the warm blood gush across my lips and down my throat. I moaned in satisfaction, my eyes closing briefly as I savored the moment. A sob of fear broke me from my euphoria and I looked over at the woman in front of me. One of her hands was over her mouth and her eyes wide in shock. I gazed at this woman as I lapped up the blood from her would be lover, dazzling her with my eyes. She stared at me mesmerised, entranced by my spell.

  I took stock of this young woman, deciding her fate as I drank. Her hair was messy and out of place, her makeup overdone and starting to run, she had clearly been having quite a night. However, I could tell she was in her mid teens, although her makeup and dress made her look in her mid twenties.

  I felt a small twinge of disappointment, too young for me to kill. I never did like killing children and I wasn’t about to start with this young fool in front of me.

  After I had drained the last drop of blood from the man I dropped the withered husk to the ground, watching as it shrivelled to dust at my feet, then turned my attention to the girl in front of me. I moved closer to her until I was only an inch away from her face. She didn’t move, just stood there mesmerised.

  I lent in and whispered into her ear. “Go home little girl. Go home. You never saw me, you never saw that man. You had a few drinks then went home. Go,” I said softly.

  Slowly she drew her gaze away from me and walked out of the alley. She didn’t look back.

  I sighed to myself, such a shame the youth of today. I pulled my cloak around me and walked out of the alley and into the city street. Blending in with the crowds of people I wended my way through the crowds for a few blocks until I found my building. I opened the door to the apartment block and walked inside. Eric, one of my neighbours was just on his way out.

  “Gary! How are you? You really are a night owl aren’t you? I don’t think I have ever seen you once during the day!” Eric said with his usual over enthusiasm.

  I gritted my teeth and smiled, I didn’t like this man, he talked too much. “I work nights, daytime is when I sleep remember? Good night Eric, see you later.” I said, without stopping.

  “See you Gary! Have a nice night!” Eric said to my receding back.

  I wondered to myself whether I should break my pact to not eat my neighbours just this once. It was almost worth the possible trouble; but not quite.

  Opening the door to the stairs I clambered up the nine flights to my apartment, I never took the elevator, too confined, I liked open spaces.

  I walked swiftly to my room, I didn’t want another encounter like Eric’s, one of my other neighbours, Janine, was almost as bad.

  As I opened the door to my apartment a small dark shape flew past my feet. I reached out with lightning speed and grabbed the shape with one hand, seizing the fleeing creature.

  “Mr Fuzzle where do you think you are going? You want to join that alley cat eating mice don’t you?” I said in a voice I would never use in public. “You’re coming inside with me, I’ll fix you some dinner.”

  Mr Fuzzle was my cat, I had had him since I found him shivering under a cardboard box, his fellow kittens dead from the cold around him. I had just fed on some fool nearby and stumbled upon the kitten as I made my escape, I would never forget that sad little face looking up at me and meowing hopefully.

  I took pity on the poor kitten and took him home. In all my centuries I had never had a pet, even as a boy. I could see the attraction, they made good companions.

  Opening the pantry I fished out Mr Fuzzle’s cat food and made a little bowl of food for him with a saucer of milk to wash it down. Mr Fuzzle purred in approval as he lapped it up, I smiled at him and stroked his fur.

  Now that we were both sated we retired to the couch to watch some television before the sun came up and bed called. A modern day vampire may have to be a little more careful but I never had late night comedians to keep me entertained in the old days.

  Content, the two of us curled up together and watched TV until bed, Mr Fuzzle purring away on my lap.

  A few hours later the eastern horizon began to lighten as dawn approached. Picking the sleeping Mr Fuzzle up I rose from my chair then gently put him back on the seat. I moved over to the window and pulled down the solid blinds, blocking out the light completely. I had had these installed years ago, I liked looking out my window at night but didn’t want to have to avoid the room during day hours, these blinds served well in blocking the sun’s rays.

  Satisfied the room was sealed from any harmful sunlight, I turned the television off and moved into my bedroom. Mr Fuzzle, sensing that I was going to bed raced past me to steal my pillow.

  I lit a few candles around my room, I liked to fall asleep to their faint light flickering around me. I kept the room sparse apart from the shelves with candles. I kept a few sentimental items, a lock of hair from an old female friend in a glass case. A photo from fifty years ago of when I was living in England during the sixties. In prime position on a shelf above my bed was an old wood carving, the edges rounded with age. The carving was a young boy’s attempt at carving his mother’s face. I had made it myself when I was a boy all those centuries ago.

  Pulling back the covers, I clambered into bed, sighing in content at the feel of the soft mattress.

  Closing my eyes I went to sleep, Mr Fuzzle purring away in my ear.