Chapter 5: Redemption

Oskar was worried. It was 4:00AM and she wasn’t back yet. He had called out to her but there was nothing! He got up, put on his clothes, and went downstairs.

Dawson woke up with a start, as Oskar knocked loudly, entered his room and turned on the light. “Eli’s gone! She said she wanted to fly over her old neighborhood and left about.10:30. She isn’t back yet!”

Dawson quickly got up and put on his clothes. “Come on Oskar! We need to find her. She’s still weak. She may not be able to get home.” Oskar went upstairs, grabbed Eli’s suit and the Space Blanket, and headed back downstairs.

They jumped in the car and headed for downtown. “Oskar, you need to try as hard as you can to find her. I know she lived for a while near Burdett Road and the Tower Hamlets Cemetery. She told me about it during one of our lab sessions. We’ll start there and spread out, but I don’t think she would be able to fly much further than that. The tires squealed as he went around a corner. Thirty minutes later, they pulled onto Whitechapel Road. He sped up, watching for police cars as they finally saw the street signs change, indicating they were now on Mile End Road. A short time later, they turned right on Burdett off Mile End. Eli! Can you hear me? Where are you? We’re coming. Please answer me! He got nothing. Complete emptiness. There was none of the faint background noise that he always felt when she was nearby. They drove up and down the dark side streets, as Dawson paused at each alleyway and Oskar cried out for her, then listened intently. They established a crisscross pattern – up one street and down the other as they moved further away from the Mile End – Burdett intersection. Finally, as Dawson passed the entrance to the Cemetery, he spotted a motionless form on the sidewalk next to the fence. He quickly pulled over to the curb, grabbed the flashlight, and jumped out of the car.

He crouched down and examined the body. It was only a drunk, passed out…What’s this? he suddenly spotted the patch on his neck, and the still moist blood around the edges of the strap. He felt the man’s pulse – weak and thready. He could tell by his pale complexion that he had lost a lot of blood. “Oskar, come here! It looks like this man has been deliberately bled.” He checked the ground around the body and found a small pool of blood a few feet away and drag marks leading to the body. “Someone did this recently. The blood is still fresh. This can’t be a coincidence. Eli had to have been here, and involved somehow.” He spotted the half-open pedestrian gate, and motioned Oskar to follow him into the Cemetery. The sky was beginning to lighten in the east.

They inspected the ground near the gate carefully. In the moist ground next to the outbuilding, Oskar spotted a bare footprint, then another. “Dad! Look at this. These are just like Eli’s footprints! I’d recognize them anywhere.”

“How can you tell, Oskar?” Dawson bent down and examined them closely.

“See how the print of her little toe is straight? Mine and everyone’s my age are bent inward because we’ve grown up wearing shoes. I tease her about it all the time.”

“Good observation, Oskar! The footprints end here at the building. Let’s see how far back we can trace them. He walked slowly away from the building, looking intently at the ground. The footprints ended at the sidewalk, but it looked like she had stepped off the walk as she was coming out of the Cemetery.

“Dad, what does this mean?” Oskar pointed at the moss-covered brick wall of the building. He could make out regular disturbances in the moss as far up the side of the building as he could see.

“Oskar, do you think she may have climbed the building?”

“If she had a reason, I know she could. That’s how she rescued me from the police station. She dug her claws and talons in between the bricks…see? Look here.” He pointed at a space between the bricks at about eye level. There was a small hole, with bits of loose mortar around it. “Dad, we’ve got to get up on the roof.”

“Oskar, look at this!” Three feet further down the wall, there were similar disturbances in the moss, but further apart. Another partial bare footprint could be seen in the mud just below them, but this one was much larger and animal-like, with talon marks clearly visible. “I think Eli is in real trouble! She’s been followed by someone up the side of the building, almost certainly another vampire. The man out front is probably his doing, and Eli caught him in the act. We’ve got to get up on the roof!”

“Over here,” Oskar hissed. He pointed to the fire escape at the back of the building. They quickly climbed the steep steps as quietly as they could, but they knew that if he were still around, he would easily hear them coming. Oskar felt his stomach tighten with fear and his hand began to shake as he held the railing for support. Dawson motioned for Oskar to stay behind him as he quietly stepped out on the roof. Nothing! He checked the door to the roof; it was locked and showed no sign of having been disturbed. He crossed the roof slowly, looking behind every ventilation shaft and skylight casing. He stopped suddenly and his heart went to his throat.

He saw two broken chains, one secured around a ventilation shaft in the center of the roof and the other to a four-inch diameter pipe about 10 feet away. The end links were twisted and bloody, and there was a small pool of blood where the chains would have met, had they been long enough. Eli’s blood, he was sure. But where was she? Had he killed her and moved the body? He felt Oskar arms around him, heard him sobbing.

“Is she dead? Where is she. I know she was here! I can tell!” He stared at the pool of blood.

“Oskar, we need to think this through. Eli’s life may be at stake. Especially if we don’t find her before the sun comes up.” He crouched down and examined the ends of the chains. He saw the detail in the bent shackles and the gouges in the chain clearly indicating the size of the objects that had been in the restraints; almost exactly the size of Eli’s wrist on one shackle and her ankle on the other. “Oskar, Eli was chained up here, but somehow got away. I don’t believe the other vampire took her. He wouldn’t have done such a precise job on her if he was going to move her. He knew the sun would take care of her when it came up. Also, he couldn’t have anticipated her being there while he was subduing the drunk, which means he had to have left her here for dead while he went back for the chains. He MUST have thought she was dead or so close to death that she wouldn’t be able to free herself, which was why he only chained one arm and one leg. He was wrong!” He shuddered to think that the only reason she would be dead or close to death would be if the vampire had attacked her and drained her blood himself. Fortunately, Oskar hadn’t realized this yet. Being a vampire, he also knew the length of time it took for a dead vampire to become an undead one – obviously longer than three hours.

They frantically examined the roof for clues as to which way she went. There were a few drops of blood in the direction of the stairwell, but they petered out quickly.

Oskar shouted at him “Over here!” There was a smear of blood on the ridge of the building closest to the fence. Oskar could see a row of thick bushes between the building and the fence, one of which was totally crushed. “I think she jumped or fell off the roof!” He ran for the fire escape.

He was breathing hard when Dawson came up beside him with the flashlight. Sure enough, there was a smear of blood in the shape of a handprint on the wall – a small hand with long, thin fingers; Eli’s hand. They followed the trail of leaves and broken branches until they reached the walkway heading deeper into cemetery. There was no sign of her after that. Dawson slowly swung the flashlight back and forth across the concrete path as they walked, making sure they didn’t miss any signs that had she left the path. There! A smear of blood and another bloody handprint. She must have fallen here, Dawson thought. He was feeling a deep sense of foreboding. The sun was already touching the top of a highrise a few blocks away. They hadn’t much time left.

“Look over there!” Oskar shouted. There was a gouge in the mud alongside the path, and another bloody handprint on a tree 10 feet further in. It was light enough now for them to see without the flashlight. They wandered through the labyrinth of old tombs and crypts, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Oskar stopped suddenly. “Dad, I don’t ‘not feel her’ any more.” He shook his head, “I mean, she’s not gone anymore. Does that make sense? I can’t hear her, but I know she’s not ‘gone’.”

“Oskar, you’re our homing pigeon! I’ll stand here and you keep walking until you can’t feel her any more. We’ll mark the spot, then meet in the center between them and repeat the same thing at a right angle to our original path. We’ll narrow it down until we find her. Hurry!” It only took them a few minutes to pick enough points on the circle that they could roughly estimate where the center was. There was a large tombstone, and a particularly old crypt just inside the area near the center. Oskar turned and strode purposefully toward the crypt, which had a one-winged eagle over the door. He felt a knot in his stomach as he grabbed the door handle, but of course he couldn’t budge it. “We have to get in! How did she get in?”

Dawson was already examining the walls and footing around the tomb. On the right side he spotted a large displaced foundation stone. He shined his flashlight into the hole and immediately spotted a two-foot-square metal plate at the bottom that looked as though it had been moved recently. He reached in and with a great deal of effort managed to lift it out of the hole, revealing a small tunnel leading directly under the crypt. “Oskar! I need your help!”

Oskar ran over, crouched down and peered into the hole. Without hesitation, he jumped up, took off his jacket, and plunged head-first into the tunnel. “Oskar, be careful! You don’t know what may be in there.” He watched as Oskar’s feet disappeared into the darkness. A moment later, Oskar stuck his open hand out of the hole. Without a word, Dawson put the flashlight in it and it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He sat down and waited, his back against the crypt.

Oskar backed into the chamber, turned and switched on the flashlight. At first, he saw nothing, but as he stepped past the raised sarcophagus in the center, he spotted her lying in the corner curled up in a ball, with her head on an old book and an old wooden box at her feet. She jerked as the light struck her face and she opened her eyes. Her body was trembling. Eli, it’s me! Eli?

Oskar! Is it really you? I thought you and Papa were only a dream – that I had imagined you, that you weren’t real. He saw tears in her eyes as he sat beside her and cradled her in his arms. He kissed her over and over and lay down beside her holding her to him, trying to get her warm. She was as cold as ice and even paler than normal. He saw the wound on her throat, and gently put his hand over it as though he could, just by thinking about it, make it disappear. He saw the gouges the shackles had made on her wrist and ankle, and the fresh bruises on her back and the side of her head.

“Oskar, we have to hurry! Did you find her?” He heard Dad’s voice echoing in the chamber.

“Yes! She’s here and she’s alive!”

The sun lit the head of the eagle, and Dawson realized suddenly that they hadn’t much time left. He stood up and ran for the car. Her suit! The space blanket. “I’ll be right back, Oskar!”

Oskar kissed her on the forehead, “Can you get up?”

She shook her head and looked up at him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“It’s ok. I’ll carry you.” Oskar held her gently and rocked her back and forth for a moment. He touched her wrist, and caressed the ugly bruise on the side of her face. “Oh Eli!” there were tears in his eyes.

He stood up and gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to the small tunnel. “Eli, put your arms over your head. Can you do that?” She nodded and pushed her arms through the hole as Oskar, holding her by the waist, edged her forward on her back. “Dad, watch for her hands! I’m pushing her through.”

Dawson reached down into the hole and felt for her hands – He had them! He pulled firmly and breathed a huge sigh of relief as he saw her sweet face appear in the pre-dawn light. He quickly pulled her out of the hole and laid her on the space blanket. She was as cold as ice; he could tell that her core body temperature was dangerously low. Oskar was at her side almost immediately. Together, they gently pulled her pants up, rolled her over and pulled her shirt over her head and guided her arms into the sleeves. She smiled up at Papa as he tightened the belt and slipped on her boots and gloves. He sat her up gently as Oskar brushed back her hair, pulled her helmet over her head and snapped the visor in place.

“Please, put the plate and stone back over the entrance,” she said softly. “The Other One might find this place otherwise.”

Oskar and Dawson quickly covered the entrance, and Dawson brushed away the footprints and as much other evidence of their presence as he could. As an afterthought, he bent down and slipped a penny into the small crack between the entrance stone and the adjoining one, and brushed some loose dirt over it.

Dawson picked her up and she put her arm around his neck as they headed for the car. Oskar fell behind, rubbing away all signs that he could find that showed that she had come back along the path after escaping. The morning sunlight lit their faces as Dawson placed her head in Oskar’s lap on the back seat, climbed into the front seat, and started the car. He turned the heater on full force, then as they pulled away from the curb and headed for home, Eli closed her eyes and squeezed Oskar’s hand. She felt like she had been rescued from the edge of a black abyss, and Oskar had saved her life once again. “That’s twice in two weeks.” She smiled at him.

“What’s twice in two weeks?”

“You saved my life twice in two weeks, Oskar. And you too Papa. I love you so much!”
She closed her eyes, and shivered reflexively as the warmth enveloped her. She suddenly realized that she had been cold for the first time in over 200 years.

She thought about what would have happened if they hadn’t found her. The Other One would have found that she had escaped. He would have easily followed her trail, and she hadn’t had the strength to put the stone back in position. He would have certainly found her and finished what he had started.

“Eli, we’ve got to get some food in you and get your body temperature back to normal. Is there anything we need to do quickly that’s more important?”

She shook her head, “No, my body temperature will take care of itself as soon as I eat.” She felt herself slipping away. “I…I think I’ll sleep now.” She felt Oskar gently rubbing her back as she drifted off.

=====

She woke up as Papa was gently placing a pillow behind her head. She felt the weight of several blankets, and felt how warm the room was. She suddenly realized she was in a pair of heavy cotton pajamas. She smiled to herself, remembering when Oskar had bought them for her on his first trip to the store with Papa, before she had her wonderful suit. She smelled soap, noticed that her hair was still a little damp, and realized that they must have bathed her while she was still asleep. “Papa? Could I have something to eat?”

Almost before she had mouthed the words, Oskar handed her an unclamped bag. She gratefully took it and made short work of it. Oskar immediately handed her another, and then a third one. She finished that one more slowly, then lay down contentedly, as she savored the warmth and the loving faces around her. She took their hands in hers and squeezed hard. “Thank you for saving me. Thank you for taking care of me. I’m so used to taking care of myself that I’m not sure how to say it right…”

“Shh! You’re doing just fine. Save your energy.” Papa said.

She reached up and touched her neck. Papa had put a bandage over the spot, but she could feel it healing as her strength increased. “Papa, I have to tell you what happened! It’s really important!”

“Eli, it can wait until later. You need to rest, and I’m sure Oskar could use some sleep.”

“No! It’s too important. I’m already feeling better.” She took off the bandage. “See? It’s already healed. Please!”

He sighed, knowing there was no holding her back. Her bottomless source of energy and determination always caught him by surprise. “Ok, Eli. Go ahead.”

She took Papa by the hand and looked directly at him. Oskar reached for her other hand, but she pulled it away. “Oskar, it was horrible! I don’t want you to be upset. Papa will tell you. Please promise me you won’t read me.”

“Eli, I think Oskar should see this too. We couldn’t have found you without him. He identified your footprints at the Cemetery, he spotted the marks on the wall where you climbed to the roof, he was first to see where you had jumped into the bushes, and ultimately, he was the one who climbed unhesitatingly into the black hole under the crypt and found you. I feel he has earned this.” The pride in his voice was unmistakable.

She turned and took Oskar’s hand. “Oskar, I…”

He squeezed her hand, “It’s Ok, Eli, Go ahead.”

She collected her thoughts, and told them the entire story, complete with self-recriminations. They felt her fear, her anguish, her despair as the inevitability of her death had become clear to her; the force behind her last command to her own body; the anxiety as she woke up alone on the roof, not knowing if he was toying with her and watching her from hiding, as, with great effort because of her weakened state, she finally used her fangs to twist and break the links and shackles, crawl to the edge of the roof and force herself over the edge. The fear as she half-crawled, half-stumbled to her old crypt and lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness for what seemed like an eternity until Oskar called out to her.

They sat in stunned silence for a few minutes. “Eli, whatever you did to shut your body down while he was feeding on you saved your life. I’m sure he thought you were dead; that he had gotten all he was going to get from you. He may have wondered why it was so little, but you are small and he probably just let it go. He underestimated the resolve of our Eli.” He smiled and gently stroked her hair.

“The other thing about this that is intriguing to me is his reference to Dr Rees Ralph Llewellyn. Do you know who he was?”

Oskar and Eli shook their heads.

“He was the police surgeon during the 1888 serial murders by Jack the Ripper. In fact, he did the autopsy on the first victim, Mary Ann Nichols. What do you suppose his relationship was with this man?”

Eli and Oskar looked at each other. “Was he…”

Dawson smiled mischievously, “One never knows. These days, one theory is as good as another. But if he were, it would certainly explain the sadistic cat-and-mouse game he played with you, Eli.” He paused, suppressed a smile, then said in mock seriousness, “ Just be happy that he was apparently over his disembowelment phase. That would have been even more unpleasant for you.”

“Is that what you call ‘graveyard humor’? I don’t think it’s funny!” she scowled at him.

Oskar stifled a grin.

“You too? What’s the matter with you two? Those are MY ‘bowels’ you’re tossing around so casually!”

They both roared with laughter, as that image formed in their minds. Eli finally gave in and swatted Oskar. Papa put his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead.

“I don’t think he’s Jack the Ripper, but he was obviously there at that time.” Dawson said, taking on a more serious tone. “Anyone he killed the usual way during that period would have been sent to Dr. Llewellyn. That’s probably their only connection, but we’ll never know for sure. The important thing is that he gave us a real clue as to where he lives. I’m sure it’s real, because he was sure you wouldn’t live to tell anyone about it. You two try to get some sleep. We’ll talk more about it this afternoon.” He got up, smiled at them both, and headed downstairs.

Oskar immediately got up and disappeared into his room. A couple minutes later, he reappeared, wearing a matching pair of cotton pajamas. He stuck his arms out and turned completely around. “What do you think, Eli?”

She laughed and clapped her hands, “Bravo, Oskar! You look like…ME!” He ran over, jumped into bed and gave her a big kiss. She gently turned him around, snuggled up behind him and clasped his hand in hers, as they had done so long ago the first time they slept together. She softly kissed him on the back of the neck and they quickly fell sound asleep, exhausted.

=======

The sun was just going down, and the kids had finally dragged themselves out of bed. Dawson had allowed them to sleep as long as they needed to; it had been a long, anxiety-filled ordeal for all of them. He hid a smile as they came down the stairs in their matching pajamas, sat on the couch together and looked at him solemnly.
.
“What do we do now?” Oskar asked. “We can’t go to the police, but don’t we have to do something?”

“Oskar, do you think he is the only vampire in England? Or even in London, no matter what he told me? We can’t do anything! We just have to hope he can’t find us.”

“I’m afraid Eli is right, Oskar. We can’t just turn vigilante and hunt him down. I simply will not put either of you, not to mention our neighbors, in danger by trying to find this -- Other One. He has the advantage of being a mythical creature. We would look ridiculous asking for help, and we simply could not do this without help. No offense, Eli, but you are no match for him by yourself.”

“But, if we knew where a mass-murderer was staying, wouldn’t we have to tell the police?” Oskar pleaded, “He tried to kill Eli! She can’t have been the only one he’s tried to kill in over 300 years.” Oskar could feel the white-hot anger boiling up in him again. He determinedly pushed it into the background.

“Oskar, believe me, if there were any way we could do this without endangering Eli’s own secret, and yours, I wouldn’t hesitate to at least try to discover where he sleeps.”

Eli looked down, “Oskar, you could have been describing me and my life as recently as a year ago.” What right have I got to condemn him for doing what I did myself for over 200 years?” she paused, then said softly, “Even in Karlstad.” She looked solemnly at Papa. “And he figured out, on his own, how to feed without killing anyone. I wasn’t smart enough to do that on my own.”

“That’s not true! You’re not like him! He figured it out to keep himself from being caught; he obviously still wanted to do it the old way. He told you so! You did it because you had to. You hated doing it!”

“I’m sure that’s a great comfort to all the people I killed, Oskar. ‘I don’t mind that she killed me, because she really didn’t want to. What a considerate little vampire!’” she said sarcastically.

“Eli, he’s an adult. You are not. Remember, I saw your life through your eyes. Do you think for a second that I would be able to love you and try my best to take care of you if I didn’t know with absolute certainty what you really are?” Papa said firmly, “My responsibility to you is even more important to me now, because I also know that you would kill yourself before you would go back to that way of living again. And I will NOT allow that to happen, even if it means that I have to let the Other One live his life freely.” His voice broke and he paused for a moment, “As long as I am alive, I will not allow you to be in a position to have to make that choice.”

“I’ve never told you that! How could you know that?” she looked at Oskar worriedly. She knew it would upset him and, so far, she had been able to keep him from seeing her secret resolve.

“Eli, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Every time we – communicate by touching, I see these things – even this morning in the midst of your horror story. They are so much a part of you and what you are becoming that you can’t keep them from me; perhaps because those things are at the heart of who you really are. I’m sorry if I’ve spilled the beans. I was sure that Oskar knew.”

“I did know. But I also knew that Eli didn’t want me to know, so I’ve kept quiet. Sorry, Eli.” He smiled at her and took her hand. “You’re right, we should leave him alone. I’m selfish. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Ok, then. That’s settled, but it doesn’t mean we should be careless. We’ll stay away from that area from now on and avoid any activities that could get us in the papers. Although I’m not really convinced that he cares one way or another where we are, as long as we don’t affect him.” He turned to Oskar, “Do you think you can do that? No more Seths?” he grinned at him.

Oskar held his hand up, “I swear!”

=============

Oskar was setting out the towels and Eli had just headed upstairs to change, when the bell rang. Dawson opened the door for Jack and Henry, and motioned them onto the back porch, where he had set up a small table with soft drinks and sandwiches.

“Wow! What are we celebrating?” Henry asked excitedly.

“It must be Eli’s new window and ‘finally healed’ party!” Jack said, as Eli bounded down the stairs and stepped out on the porch in her bathing suit. “You look pretty again!” he said as he grinned at her.

“What do you mean? Did you think I was ugly before?” she frowned at him.

“No! I just…” he stammered.

“Just kidding!” she smiled, “Thanks Jack. It feels great to be back to normal.” She grabbed Henry and gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek. “Henry, you’re as cute as ever!”

“Ewww!” Henry rubbed off her kiss disgustedly, then slugged her on the shoulder. She pulled him down on the floor and tickled him mercilessly. “Stop. Stop! I give up!” he rolled over and crawled under the table, giggling. “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Eli,” Henry smiled at her from under the table. She took him by the hand and helped him up. “Thanks Henry.” She winked at Oskar.

Oskar winked back, then ran for the pool, “Last one in is a rotten egg!” he shot a quick grin at Eli, just before he disappeared into the pool in a huge splash.

“My grandpa used to say that.” Jack laughed, “I haven’t heard it in years.” He quickly followed Oskar into the pool. Soon they were all laughing and splashing each other. The game of the week was seeing who could dive through an inner tube without touching the sides. Henry had the distinct advantage here because of his size. Jack, of course, had the most trouble, since he was three inches taller than Oskar, and correspondingly wider. Team Eli and Henry won every time over Team Oskar and Jack.

After their fifth win, Oskar secretly gave Eli a dirty look. She just smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and pointed at Henry, who was beaming with pride. It wasn’t often he could beat his big brother at anything.

The full moon was getting low in the sky when they finally gave it up. Henry was proudly waving around the small plastic diving trophy Dawson had officially presented to Team Eli and Henry. It was a depiction of a diver just entering the water, and Dawson had slipped a black rubber “O” ring around its waist. “You can keep our trophy at your house for a month.” Eli had told him, “Then, I get to keep it the next month.” They had shaken hands on it.

They were all relaxing in lounge chairs eating sandwiches as the evening wound down. “Eli, you never seem to eat anything,” Jack said, “Don’t you like the sandwiches?”

“I do! But I ate earlier because I sometimes get an upset stomach if I eat after swimming hard.” She picked up her glass of water, “I do get thirsty, though.” She drank half the glass before putting it down. Water was the only normal thing she could handle, although it had no apparent value to her system. And it came in handy at times like this.

Dawson began picking up towels, subtly signaling the end of the party; Eli immediately began gathering up the dishes. Jack quickly got up, picked up a couple of plates, held the door open for Eli, and followed her into the kitchen. “Thanks for having us over, Eli. Mom says that you are welcome to come over any time you want cooking lessons. She really likes you. She says it’s nice to have a girl to talk to for a change.”

She smiled at him, “I really like your Mom. She’s so nice. She’s such a good cook! Its no wonder you two always look so...well-fed.”

He blushed, “Thanks…I think. At any rate, you’re welcome to come over whenever you want.” He turned and headed for the porch. “Henry! Time to go!”

Oskar walked with Jack and Henry to the door, then came back and sat down with Eli by the pool and put his arm around her. “I really like being here -- with you.” He kissed her gently. “Eli, I was so afraid for you. I can’t bear to think about what happened to you. How anyone could treat you like that; like a piece of meat. And he enjoyed every minute of it. He’s nothing like you! No one could care about him. He’s got nothing worth caring for.” He held her as tightly as he could.

She stroked his hair and smiled at him. “Oskar, do you want to know why I lived? I just had to live because I had to warn you. That’s all I could think about; protecting you and Papa. And living was the only way I would be able to do that.”

She stood up and took his hand. They said good night to Papa, went upstairs together, put on their pajamas, and got into bed. They were soon fast asleep. The full moon shone in her window, casting moving shadows against the wall as the soft night breeze whispered through the trees in the back yard.

There was a soft thump outside the window, and Oskar opened his eyes. A sense of inhuman coldness, a sense of ageless rage, a sense of predatory passion, and a sense of deep unsatisfied hunger enveloped him. His heart began racing. Who’s there? He was afraid to move. His mind explored the feelings, as they suddenly coalesced and became clear to him. He could suddenly see Eli through other eyes: as an unfinished meal; as a beautiful, defenseless, naked child; a toy to play with, teasing it with hope, frightening it with the threat of death, and then, finally, feeding on it in ecstasy.

The Other One! He was here, just outside their window! He was watching them as they slept.

Oskar was terrified at first, but gradually realized that the Other One had no idea that he was there. He was eavesdropping on what he knew were the intense, private thoughts of a real vampire – not a comparatively gentle aberration like Eli, but the Vampire of legend, the Vampire of lore, the Vampire that brought forth the pitchforks and torches in medieval times.