Chapter 2- Changes

Yvonne could only see Erik staring open mouthed out the doorway, from her seat on the couch, “Eric, what are you doing invite her in!”
Eric’s head suddenly cleared a little upon hearing Yvonne’s voice, “I’m sorry, how rude of me come in, come in.”
The woman smiled and stepped through the doorway, then sat on the opposite side of the couch as Yvonne. “Hello… Mrs. Eriksson I presume”

“Yes, who are you, and what is this about?” Yvonne said coldly. “I hope you haven’t lied to us and you really are a reporter. You look much too young to be a detective”

The woman pulled out a tape recorder from her purse, laid it on the coffee table and pushed play. “I’m so sorry, let me introduce myself.”

“My name is Anna, Anna Frederickson. As you can tell by my accent Swedish is not my first language… I am from the United States. I really am a private detective, a very good one, so I’m told.” She looked at Oskar’s father as he drew up a chair from the kitchen table, “I am currently representing a client, who like you, has lost a child… I cannot give you his name; I can only tell you that in both cases, the circumstances were very similar. In particular the appearance of this mysterious dark haired girl, the papers keep mentioning. I believe this girl is the link between my case, and your son. If I can find this girl, I should be able to find my client’s child and presumably Oskar…”

Yvonne could no longer contain herself, this woman barely into her twenties talking to her in such a matter of fact tone; about Oskar. “Who do you think you are? You’re a child, and you talk to me a… grieving mother like this… is this supposed to give me hope? The entire Stockholm police department couldn’t find a trace of my son, and you, someone who’s never set foot in this country, think you will just follow a few clues and find Oskar?”

“Let her finish, Yvonne”, Erik yelled. “The police are a bunch of idiots; we shouldn’t have expected anything from them”

Anna waited a moment, “I would never dare give parents in your situation false hope. That was not my intention. It has been several months since your son’s disappearance. Anything could have happened in that time. I’m sure the police have explained that kidnapping cases usually go unsolved if they are not resolved in a few short days. I’m sure they’ve also given you several theories about what they suspect happened at the pool that night. I’ve read the police reports… gang violence was at the top of their list of explanations. Given the evidence it is a reasonable conclusion. Gangs have a long history of dabbling in child prostitution. In the past, gangs usually imported children from Eastern Europe, and Asia, but in today’s economic climate, the borders are being watched much more closely. As a consequence these gangs are finding it much cheaper, and easier to simply steal children from their own backyards.

Both Erik and Yvonne shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Anna continued unperturbed,

“I believe your son was a victim of this horrible crime, and the dark haired girl was used as a kind of “bait”, to lure him into a vulnerable position.”

Erik stood up, “Yes, even the idiot police detectives have given us similar theories… point is… How do you plan on finding Oskar?”

Anna calmly folded her hands on her lap, “Finding people is what I do, if it is at all possible I will find out what happened to your child. What I need from you is any information you may have about this mysterious girl. Any bit of information you can give me no matter how small, may be of use.”

Erik looked from the young woman to Yvonne, “I was not living here when all this happened, I never saw or heard about this girl… Oskar said nothing.”

Yvonne fixed her stare on a picture of Oskar sitting on the coffee table, “I never saw her, only traces of her… and I never put two and two together until after Oskar disappeared. I used to see him in the courtyard, he looked like he was talking to someone, but I could never see who… I just thought he was talking to himself; he was always kind of a loner. I think that they might also have talked to each other at night through the wall they shared … I was woken up several times by the sound of tapping and giggling… that’s all I know though, I never saw the man she lived with… the killer… if I had known what she was up to I would have killed her myself”

Anna looked at Yvonne with a hardened expression, “It’s possible that the girl is as much a victim as your son, as for the man she lived with, I don’t think anyone can explain that situation clearly except the girl herself.” She stood up, “I’ve taken up enough of your night, if you have nothing further to add I must be going.”

The woman stood up, and put the tape recorder back into her purse, Yvonne suddenly remembered, “My ring ...my wedding ring. I think Oskar took it before he left with her that night! Will that help you?”

Anna looked at Yvonne, her stare still cold, “I’m not sure. If he leaves it somewhere or sells it, it can help me track him but besides that no, probably not.” She reached the door opened it then paused, “If I have any news I will contact you… forgive me for not congratulating you earlier”

Yvonne confused asked, “For what?”

Anna looked at her directly in the eye, “You’re with child of course…Congratulations”. Then closed the door behind her

Erik stared at Yvonne with a surprised look on his face, “How did…?”

Yvonne began to weep, “A story… that’s all he wanted”

†

Anna walked out of the apartment building, and down along the sidewalk. She heard the distant sound of a mother weeping as she stopped parallel to the jungle gym in the middle of the courtyard. She walked up to it and touched it gingerly, “she was here”. She looked up at the lit windows of the apartment she’d just left.
“These people… they put on a sad faces, and cry like in the movies… but is that their genuine reaction? … Or are they just acting how they think people are supposed to act. I’m a complete stranger and I can plainly see that they lost Oskar a long time ago. Even without the help of the girl. They could have saved their son anytime, if they had just taken the time to listen… show some concern.”
She began to walk away from the jungle gym out of the courtyard, “Now they have another child…another child they can ignore… It’s sickening how selfish parents are these days”. She hadn’t noticed Oskar’s father watching her from the window, as she walked toward the underpass.

†

Oskar stood in the open doorway of the bedroom closet contemplating the ring in his hands, “Erik 22/4 1967”. It was twenty minutes until sunset according to Oskar’s almanac. Eli could give him an almost exact approximation of both sunrise and sunset, but he liked to look it up anyway while she was asleep. It helped him plan out their nights. It scared him when he looked ahead to the summer months. The nights would become short, to around six hours at their shortest. He would be alone for almost the entire day. He put the ring back on his finger, and looked down at Eli.
The closet floor was lined with dozens of pillows and comforters. Eli was lying on her stomach comfortably while arranging a pile of pictures in front of her. The whole night had been spent with Eli chasing Oskar around the apartment with the camera. Almost all of the pictures were of Oskar or Laika or a combination of the two. A few shots of the floor, and of Eli’s hand also made it into the pile.

Laika sat cuddled in between Eli and the closet wall. Oskar guessed it was probably the first time in her short life that she was content. They had fed her all of the cold cuts in the fridge plus a few slices of bread. Oskar smiled, stripped down to his underwear, and lay down next to Eli.

Eli scooped the pile of pictures into a single stack, and put them to the side, before turning to face Oskar, and propping her head up with some nearby pillows.
She smiled, then said, “I’m so happy Oskar, I never thought I could be this happy, it hurts, I’m so happy that it hurts”

Oskar, still smiling, reached out and stroked Eli’s cheek. “Yeah, I’m glad you didn’t kill me the night we met to”, he chuckled.

Eli’s smile faded quickly, “Don’t joke like that Oskar, It’s not funny, I really almost did it, you know, I showed you”.

Oskar sat there for a minute, twisted the ring around his finger, “Eli, you remember when you asked me if I wanted to be like you? After you know…that man, tried to kill you… I said no, that I just wanted to be with you?”

Eli only nodded sensing what was coming

Oskar continued, “Just being with you isn’t enough, I want more, I want to be with you forever… I want to be with you the way I am now, I don’t want to change, I don’t want to become like my parents”

Eli now put her hand on Oskar cheek, “Oskar, change is normal, it doesn’t have to be bad… I know you’ll grow up to be an amazing man”

“That’s just it though… I don’t want to be a man. I don’t want to grow up! My parents are miserable. They still love each other and yet they’re miserable. My dad can’t put down a damn drink and grow up, and my mom can’t put aside her pride… grownups… their minds... they work differently… they can’t just be happy.” Oskar started to cry, “I’m so happy Eli, it hurts… like you said, but I don’t want it to end… ever”

Eli too succumbed to tears, “I don’t want it to end either… but this thing, this sickness, it can change you too Oskar… It would try.”

Oskar wiped tears from Eli’s eyes with a comforter, “Eli please, I’m not afraid of your illness anymore, I can kill if I have to kill… I’ve done it a thousand times in my head… and it would all be worth it, if I get to be with you”

“…I’ve known two hundred years of killing. Most of the attacks are just a blur, I can’t remember them, but after this thing in me has had its fill, my own mind comes back. I remember every face; every set of dying eyes… I will do whatever you ask, but please; just one more sunset; just watch one more sunset before you make up your mind, and you must promise me you’ll really think about it, about the bad things too”

Oskar leaned forward and kissed Eli on the lips, “I promise Eli…for you… anything”. He got up closed the closet door then pulled the chain attached to the light fixture overhead.

They lay facing each other, Eli’s forehead against Oskar’s chest, and Oskar’s chin on top of Eli’s head. Their hands tied together. Behind Eli’s back Laika began whimpering in her sleep. They both smiled. “She’s dreaming”, Oskar said

“Ye...”, Eli sleepily replied before her breathing stopped entirely.

†

Anna walked at a brisk pace down the main street of downtown Blackeberg, toward her hotel. Thoughts floating around her head “Waste of time coming here, the boy’s parents never even saw the girl.” Anna stopped, mid stride, light and movement had caught her eye. On a television screen in the front window of the store next to her she saw what appeared to be a pastor giving a sermon. The man waved his hands emphatically. She moved closer, and read the closed captioning,
“Make no mistake good people, we are living in a new age, an age of greed, lust, and love of power… We live in a time characterized by the absence of all that is good, and the presence of despicable evil. The rich and powerful few of this Earth are feeding off the poor, and weak majority … The good word says, “there are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind”… Yes, vampires, they exist… The politicians, the lawyers, and millionaires…they are sucking the lifeblood right out of the rest of us… donate now, so that we may help the poor, every cent given helps get you closer to an eternity in heav…”

Anna smiled as she continued her walk, “Vampires…”

†

A woman sat chained to a chair completely naked, a rag stuffed in her mouth. She was facing what appeared to be a window, indicated only by the blinds hanging. A single overhead light bulb was the only source of light in the entire room. The light from the bulb only lit up the immediate area, the rest of the room was engulfed by darkness.
Out of the darkness, Anna walked up to the woman and unfolded a steel folding chair, set it down two feet in front of the woman, and then daintily sat herself on the very edge of it.

“Hello there, I see your wounds have healed, that part still amazes me. This thing you have truly is a gift and a curse at the same time. Oh I’m sorry; you’re still pretty sleepy aren’t you… I can fix that” Anna carefully sifted through her handbag before pulling out a syringe, “This ought to do the trick… it’ll only sting a little”, she smiled.
The woman felt a small sting as the needle found its target, her pupils dilated immediately.
Anna gingerly put the syringe back in her purse before looking into her hostage’s eyes, “Drugs… its amazing what they can do. That was my own special concoction, you should feel awake and alert, and at the same time very calm… I need your mind calm for this”
Anna folded her hands over the handbag on her lap, “Before I take out your gag, let me explain a few things… Yes, I have been stalking you for several months now, I have to admit you are very clever, you gave me the slip several times, but in the end it was your lust for young men that helped me catch you. You’re quite the romantic aren’t you, finding love in the middle of a war. It was one of your old boy toys, showed me all of your hideouts in this city a few years ago. It might be of some comfort to you that he was in the same predicament you’re in now…last I saw him.”

Anna grabbed the bottom of her chair and scooted herself close to the woman so that their knees almost touched, “You really thought it was going to last didn’t you… A twenty year old boy, yours forever, how romantic it must have seemed. Alas it was not meant to be. I saw who he fell for, after you turned him, she was quite beautiful. He turned her too… a vicious circle, this disease.”
Anna put her hand on the woman’s knee, “Anyway, you’re probably wondering what I want from you, seeing as you’re still alive. Your memories, that's all I want. Everything since you were turned. I want to see your own creation and your victims… all of them, I want to see any other infected people you’ve encountered… and most importantly I want to know every victim you’ve let turn.”
Anna pulled the woman’s gag out of her mouth, but the woman said nothing, just sat staring straight back at her.
Anna waited for a minute, waiting for her to speak before, “Well, are you ready? The easier you make this, the easier it will be for you… Oh and don’t try to leave anything out… I will know… are you ready?”
The woman simply nodded, and turned her palm up.
Anna reached out her hand and clasped the woman’s.

A seductive bite on the neck by a stranger. One hundred years of murder. A sensuous love affair with a young man. The dark haired girl sitting on a park bench in Gothenburg, “but now my friend... I have a wonderful idea…”

Anna experienced one hundred years of life and death in the span of a second. Every memory was as real as if she’d lived them herself, she saw every face, smelt every smell, heard every sound, tasted every...
Anna let go of the woman’s hand, and looked into her eyes.

The woman for the first time spoke, “Did he suffer…?”

Anna grimly looked into the darkness, “Yes”

A tear appeared at the corner of the woman’s eye, “Did he ever love me?”

Anna turned her head back to the woman, “Yes”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the woman crying, Anna watching her expressionless. Eventually the woman sniffled a little before lifting her head, “Could you open the blinds please? … The sun will be rising soon”

Anna obliged, then walked into the darkness, opened a door, then shut it behind her.

On the main street of downtown Blackeberg Anna finally reached the entrance of her hotel, "Yes vampires do exist... and so do I"

†

Oskar woke up around twelve in the afternoon, looked at his watch. “Four hours until sunset… I’ve got a lot to do today”. He leaned forward, and kissed Eli, who smiled in her sleep. He then got up opened the door to the pitch-black bedroom, found his clothes, and dressed. He carefully closed the closet door, then the bedroom door as he walked into the living room. In front of him at his feet sat Laika, looking up at him with anticipation. “Oh, aren't you sneaky...you need to go out?” Laika wagged her tail. He wasn’t entirely confident that she wouldn’t just run away without a leash, but he took the risk anyway. She ran into the yard in front of the apartment building, did her business, and then quickly returned to Oskar. He picked her up, and took her back to the apartment. As he set her down, “Good girl Laika, Ill be right back, I have a few things to do, and I’ve got to get you some food." He grabbed a fistful of kronor from a cardboard box on the kitchen counter, and then left the apartment, making sure the door was locked. He set off on his errands with a skip in his step; his heart, and mind racing.

†
Oskar reached downtown Gothenburg in just a few minutes. For the first time perhaps ever he was truly conscious of the sun’s rays on his skin. He was appreciating them in a whole new way. Oskar’s mind had been made up for weeks now, and this would be his last day. He was filled with a thousand different emotions at once. He was scared, scared shitless, he felt guilt, and sadness, but despite all of these he still felt happy. He and Eli would be together “forever”, he smiled. Oskar was so engulfed in his own thoughts, that he never noticed people stopping in their tracks and gawking at him. He never realized that he had forgotten to pull up his hood, to hide his face.

†

Oskar stopped in front of a pet supply store. The sales clerk didn’t even lift his eyes from his magazine at the sound of the bell, “Hello, let me know if you need any help”.
Oskar replied, “Yes”, before he grabbed the only small shopping cart the store had. He quickly found what he was looking for. He tossed a leash into the cart, and then two collars, a small one and a slightly larger one Laika could grow into. He thought for a second before tossing in a few bottles of dog shampoo, and then wheeled his way over to the bags of dry dog food. He loaded three, thirty pound bags into the cart, then tossed a few boxes of dog treats on top. It couldn’t fit anymore. He walked up the sales counter, and cleared his throat to get the man’s attention.

“Oh sorry, wow… that’s a lot of dog food, you starting your own kennel?” he chuckled.
Oskar just stared at the man’s paper on the counter, “No… well yes my parents are starting one… I’m going to need some more dog food, at least twelve more bags”
The man now looked a little more carefully at Oskar, “Well… um do your parents want to start a tab or…?”
“No”, Oskar interrupted, “They gave me cash… here”, he handed the man a wad of thousand and hundred kronor notes”
“Oh, no I was just... thought it would be easier to keep a running tab, but… Do you need help loading all this into your parent’s car?”
“No, my parents aren’t here, but I don’t live far… Could I use your cart though?”
“Of course of course, Ill just add up all your purchases and deduct it from this then”
Oskar smiled, “Thanks”,then wheeled the cart out onto the pavement outside.
When he was out of sight the man looked down at the wad of kronor on the counter, picked out a few hundred kronor bills, and stuffed them in his pocket.

†

Getting all the dog food to the apartment, then up to the third floor was hard work. He doubted he would even have been able to do it just a few short months ago. He was a lot stronger now. Whenever Eli was asleep, and he needed a reprieve from his own thoughts he would start to do pushups, and sit-ups, and even pull-ups on the shower curtain rod. He was able to do twelve pull-ups at a time now. Mr. Avila would have been impressed. Oskar wanted to match himself to the image Eli had of him… to make himself better… for her.

Oskar tossed the last bag of dog food on the pile next to the door, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He poured himself a glass of water from the faucet, drank it quickly, and then smiled at Laika. “You hungry?” he said before opening one of the bags and scooping some dog food into a bowl. He watched Laika eat for a few minutes before looking at his watch, “Bye Laika, I’ll be back in about an hour, just have one more thing I need to do” Oskar made sure the door was locked before he left, then flew down the stairs grabbed the cart and ran back toward downtown, to the pet store.
This time the clerk looked up when Oskar entered. “Here’s your change”, he said immediately.
Oskar didn’t respond at first, a rack of dog toys had caught his eye. He walked up to it, grabbed a cylinder of tennis balls, and a stuffed squirrel toy that squeaked when you squeezed it. “These as well”, he said holding them in the air for the clerk to see. Oskar put his new purchases in the pockets of his jacket, as he walked toward the door, “keep the change”. The man looked up from his calculator, blushed a little at the boy, “Hey! Anyone ever tell you, you look a lot like that missing boy… Eriksson?”
Oskar opened the door, looked back at the man and smiled, “Yeah… it happens all the time”.
The clerk stuffed the rest of the kronor into his pockets after he heard the bell of the door closing.

†

Only now, as he walked away from the pet store did Oskar pull up the hood of his jacket around his head. He walked with his eyes to the ground, until he nearly ran into his destination, a huge department store. He entered, and looked at the large floor plan of the store. He found what he was looking for; the children’s clothing department, then boarded the elevator, and took it to the appropriate floor. He got out and walked toward the side of the floor that was painted pink. Still winter, he had to go to the very back of the department, before he found what he was looking for. A saleswoman walked up behind him as Oskar was sifting through a rack of dresses looking for one’s he thought Eli would like.
“Excuse me young man, would you be so kind as to take off your hood, some of our other customers seem to think you’re a shoplifter or something”

Oskar quickly turned around, and hesitantly pulled off his hood, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice it was still pulled up”, he smiled.

He thought he saw a brief glimmer of recognition in the woman’s eye before she said, “Bah… you know how these old ladies are shopping in the middle of the day… they think every young person is a shoplifter or some crazy hooligan” The woman smiled, and looked at the dress rack, “Well dresses, in the middle of winter, for someone special I suppose?”

Oskar blushed, “Yes, very special”

The woman asked, “Well, do you know her dress size, or what kinds of dresses she likes”

Oskar shrugged, “I don’t really know her dress size, but I know she likes summer dresses”, he grabbed one of the dresses he had been looking at, “I think this one is about her size”.

The saleswoman took the dress and looked at the tag, “Wait here, I think we have some summer dresses in the back… do you know what colors she likes?”

“She likes bright colors, anything will do… umm, but if you find a white one that would be great”, his face grew hot, and the saleswoman gave him a tender smile before she walked away.
Only now that he was alone did he notice that several people in the store had taken an interest in him. He looked around, and started to pace up and down uncomfortably. He needed to get back to Eli, something wasn’t right here. Just as he was contemplating leaving, the saleswoman returned with an armful of dresses.

“I think you’ve hit the jack pot young man, I found you four dresses in the right size and even a white one”. The woman beamed at him while holding up the white sundress, “Since its still winter, these are priced at a big discount… do you just want the white one or…?”

“I’ll take all four”, Oskar said as he walked with the woman towards the register.

The woman reached the register first, Oskar saw her whisper something to one of her coworker’s who nodded, then quickly walked off toward the elevators. The saleswoman turned back to Oskar, “Well normally these dresses go for five hundred a piece… but for you, how about one thousand for the lot?”

Oskar nodded, then handed the woman a wrinkled thousand kronor note. His hands were sweaty, but besides that he gave no sign of how nervous he was.

The woman folded the dresses, then neatly packed them into a bag before handing Oskar a receipt, “Thank you for shopping with us, come back soon”, she smiled as Oskar nodded, and began to walk briskly toward the elevators.

Oskar mashed the call button ten times, praying that the elevator was close, and more importantly empty. “Please, please, please, please….”
The elevator door opened… and was empty. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you…” Oskar stepped in, and mashed the button for the ground level. It took a minute before the doors closed, and the elevator began its descent. As the elevator got closer to it’s final destination Oskar grew more and more nervous, he cursed himself for his own stupidity, “You’re such an idiot, if you get caught what happens to Eli, it’ll be your fault if they find her, you fucking idiot!”
The elevator stopped on the second floor, Oskar was like a cornered dog as the doors opened, he was prepared to bite kick, and gouge his way out of this store. An old woman stepped into the elevator, and eyed Oskar curiously. He managed a nervous smile before the doors closed, and the elevator again started its descent.
Finally, the elevator reached the ground floor. Oskar’s feet were frozen to the ground as the doors opened; he was expecting a SWAT team to be waiting for him, guns drawn. He blinked, and stared at the open lobby in front of him. There were people, walking around minding their own business; no one seemed to be waiting for him. Oskar saw out of the corner of his eye the woman watching him still; he turned to her, and gave her a small smile before bolting out of the door into the open lobby. He pulled on his hood, as he turned the corner and walked toward the entrance. “Almost there”, he thought as he put his free hand, the one not holding the shopping bag into his pocket. He felt the squirrel toy he had stored there earlier, and closed his fist around it. It wasn’t until he was just a few meters from the exit, that he saw the security guard. The guard didn’t seem to notice him. Oscar kept walking when he heard a crackling voice come from the radio on the man’s hip. He couldn’t make out the words. The crackling stopped and the man looked up, and straight at Oskar, there eye’s met. “NoNoNoNoNONONONO…” Oskar thought.
“Hey! Hey kid!.. Wait a second, I just want a word with you, It’s ok I’m here to help, I just want to get a better look at you is all”.
Oskar couldn’t help it, he froze. He just stood there motionless, as the large, friendly looking security guard walked up to him.