Chapter Ten: Time to Go

These characters are not mine but the bad writing and poor storytelling are.

Oskar rolled over to search for Eli as he awoke. A small imprint next to him in the pallet of clothes that cushioned their sleep bore witness to her rest. Her familiar scent hung in the stale air of the cellar, yet grew stronger in the direction of the stairs, telling him that she had only just recently departed. He still marveled at how keen his senses had become. He sat up and looked toward the cellar door which had been left resting against the doorframe, only an inch or so from closing. He got up, stretched a bit then made his way from the cellar to the wide open spaces offered by the house.

The front door was open so he wandered through it finding Eli outside. She was standing with her back to him and staring up into the night sky. As he approached her he noticed that the white strands in her hair, which had appeared two nights earlier, now rivaled her ebony locks in number. She was hungry, almost famished. Oskar was able to restrain his hunger two or three nights longer than Eli. Most of the time she suffered those nights quitely for Oskar's sake. A sentiment of her devotion that could not be hidden nor was it wasted on Oskar. He placed a hand firmly on her shoulder which brought her attention from the heavens to him as she turned to face him.

"Eli, we're going to the city tonight to feed." he said, expecting some resistance.

"Yes. I think we should Oskar. It's going to rain soon, maybe tomorrow and that will make hunting difficult."

Oskar looked up toward the sky, studied it carefully for a moment, then looked at Eli with doubt.

"Are you sure? Everything is so still and calm now. There's not even a breeze or a cloud in the sky. How do you know?" he questioned.

Eli shrugged her shoulders.

"I just...know. The air kinda tells me I guess. It's something I started sensing a long time ago."

Oskar again looked up into the sky, focused his senses on the air, but he could not discern its message as Eli had. Eli turned, took a few steps away from Oskar, then stared off into the forest.

"Oskar...how long have we been here now?" she asked.

Oskar did not remove his stare from the sky. He only curled his bottom lip as he searched his mind for the correct answer.
"I guess about two months now." he replied, lowering his head to focus on Eli.

"More or less." he added with a smirk, thinking himself clever, but his playful remark did not get through Eli's wall of thought. The words were heard only by his ears. She stood only a few feet away yet she was lost in contemplation. Oskar moved into her line of sight and waved a hand in front of her to break the trance.

"Sorry Oskar, did you say something?"

"What's on your mind Eli? You've been preoccupied with something lately."

" Well...I think it's time for us to leave here Oskar."

"What? Why?" he questioned as he stepped closer.

"We need to move around to be safe. It's dangerous to stay in one spot for too long."

"Oh Eli, you're just feeling a little weird because you're not used to staying anywhere for long. We've done everything right." he argued.

Oskar stretched out his arms as if he were going to hug something very large, then spun around a couple ot times.

"This forest keeps us safe Eli. It's so thick and far away from the city. And besides, we've really scattered our hunts and been very careful in disposing of the bodies."

"That's true. This forest and the way we've been hunting in such a large city has allowed us to stay here longer than I would have by myself." she replied.

Eli drew in a deep breath, gathered her thoughts as Oskar waited to know the verdict of his case.

"Oskar. Do you remember that night when you came to my apartment after you realized what I was?"

"Of course." he answered, wondering where the question was leading.

"You asked me then if I was a vampire and I sort of got a little offended."

"A little!" he quipped.

"I got upset because I wanted you to understand that a vampire is what I am but not who I am."

"Yeah, at the time it was all so confusing and hard to take in." he admitted.

"Exactly, just like now. Believe me, I don't like constantly moving around but it's the only way to truly be safe. I want you to understand this too. I want us to be safe."

Oskar grimaced.

Eli stepped directly in front of Oskar. She raised her hands up between them. As Oskar watched her hands morphed smoothly into long fingered claws. Her eyes became huge black marbles in which he could clearly see his own reflection. Her upper lip bulged slightly from the presence of fangs. A low growl from the churning of her hunger crept into the night.

"Oskar...", her voice was deep and dark,"We ARE vampires but...", In the blink of an eye Eli's features returned to their previous form,"...that's not who we are." her voice was soft again yet solemn.

Oskar glanced down at his feet, crinkled his nose.

"I know that now more than ever Eli."

"And you also know that as vampires there are certain things...certain rules we have to follow in order to survive. Right?"

"Yeah, it's just that I'm still getting used to some of this, thats all."

"I know Oskar but I've been doing this for a very long time. That doesn't mean I like it, just that I'm already used to it."

Eli reached out and pushed Oskar lightly on the shoulder.

"Besides, if I didn't move around so much I never would have met you." she said with a grin.

Oskar's disposition brightened. One side of his face rose with a crooked smile. The debate was over. Eli: 1 Oskar: 0. Her knock-out punch landed perfectly. How could he argue against such truthful logic? Somehow she always managed to get her point across in ways that made him appreciate her even more. He knew that the natural protection and freedom offered by their surroundings had lulled him into a false sense of security and comfort but it was nice feeling that way, real or not.

"So where will we go to next?" he asked.

"Well, we'll wait for the rain to pass then we'll head eastward. There's a few places I haven't been to in forty or fifty years."

Oskar nodded in approval.

"Eli, I know you're weak because you've waited on me to feed and I'm sorry, but do you feel like flying tonight?"

"Sure Oskar. Let's go."

A little while later Oskar and Eli were soaring side by side high above the urban terrain with ease thanks to the calm night. As they approached the city the large, towering buildings protruding from the ground seemed as though they could threaten the stars. The various heights and shapes of the structures were crowded together yet they dominated the landscape like a mountain range. Somewhere below in the man-made valleys and trails of the city an unwilling sacrifice to hunger was waiting to be found. This night would be someone's last.

When they drew closer to the taller buildings Eli looked over at Oskar who met her gaze and understood her expression. He dropped back and fell in behind Eli, mimicking her every move as she navigated the rooflines, looking for a suitable vantage point. In an instant she veered off towards a high roof that was cluttered with mechanical equipment necessary for its daytime occupants. Oskar alertly followed. Eli swooped from the air to the roof quickly, making a fluid transition from flight to crawling on all fours in order to keep her profile low. She rushed to the cover of a large air handling unit then turned back in time to see Oskar duplicate her landing with the grace of a shadow. He made his way to her side then they both sat with their backs against the large machine. Looking at one another they shared a smile.

Moments later Oskar and Eli were lying on their bellies near the edge of the roof, clothed in worn and dirty shirts retrieved from their pants pockets. The roof curb was low which allowed them to rest their chins on folded arms as they each scanned the areas below them patiently. The early hours of the hunt could be tedious as they waited for the usual herds of people to thin out as the night aged. Hopefully there would be a straggler to make their grim task more convenient. They observed this time in mutual silence, preparing themselves for what had to be done.

The midnight hour came and went. The roar of the city was reduced to the occasional burble of a wandering taxi cab's exhaust. Street lights illuminated vacancy, sidewalks slept and the dark alleys kept to themselves but the sound of footsteps entered the stillness. Footsteps that reached Oskar and Eli's perch only because of supernatural ears. They quickly tuned in to the direction of the sound.

A man emerged from the blindside of a building, walking with a steady yet deliberate pace near the lit edges of the sidewalk. Oskar snapped his head toward Eli who was already nodding in approval. They left the shelter of the roof, slipping over it's edge and crawling down swiftly to set their trap.

As the man was making his way toward the end of the block his stride came to a sudden halt when he heard a voice reach out from an alley that he had just passed. It was a child's voice.

"Mister! Hey mister! Please help!"

The man turned and cautiously moved toward the alley, stopping where the street light's jurisdiction ended. He peered into the alley but could only see what seemed like boundless darkness. Oskar ran out of the dark to the threshold of the alley, stopped and pleaded:
"Please mister, I need help. My sister...she's hurt... real bad. Please..."

Oskar motioned for the man to come with him, frantically assaulting him with "Please, please." After a brief hesitation the man started towards Oskar who ran back into the alley. Oskar led him deep into the shrouded confines of the alley then came to a stop. To Oskar's surprise the man pulled a flashlight from the pocket of his coat. At the click of a switch the bowels of the alley blazed with light. Oskar threw up his hand to shield his eyes then pointed to the ground with his other hand. The man followed Oskar's direction with the light. On the ground, lying motionless was a slightly smaller child.

"You see mister...," at the sound of Oskar's voice the man snatched the flashlight and focused it's beam on Oskar,"...it's my sister...she's really hurt."

The man took a few shakey steps backward then spoke in a nervous tone.

"Are you...Oskar? Is it really you?"

The words disarmed and paralyzed Oskar but caused Eli to spring to her feet. She glared into the light, threatening the man with an agressive growl. The man gasped but stood his ground. Eli looked at Oskar who was stunned.

"Oskar!" she yelled.

He snapped his head towards her.

"Take him to the roof!"

Oskar's mind was flooded with uncertainty but Eli's command gave him something to focus on. He vaulted up and towards the man who tried to follow him with the flashlight but mortal reflexes were not sufficient for such unnatural speed. While in the air Oskar's wings tore through his shirt, slowing his descent just enough for clawed feet to land precisely on the mans shoulders. The man grunted and buckled from the impact then Oskar secured his grasp. With a powerful upwards thrust toward the roof the pavement of the alley was a lethal span away within a single breath's time. The man turned the flashlight loose as he tried vainly to take hold of Oskar's ankles. The light flipped end over end as it fell rapidly toward the ground, shattering into pieces upon collision.

Seconds later Oskar dropped the man on the roof. He tumbled but got to his feet and scurried over to a nearby piece of equipment, put his back against it and tried desperately to gather himself as he rubbed his shoulders. His heart was racing and his lungs begged for breath. Oskar descended several feet away. The man watched in shock as Oskar's wings withdrew into his form and his claws were replaced with small hands. Before his attention could settle on Oskar he was startled by Eli who stepped out from behind the apparatus that he sought refuge from. She circled slowly around him as her wings disappeared into her body, examining him with curious yet intense eyes. When she stopped in front of him Oskar moved in behind her.

"You must know that you can't escape so lying will do you no good." she declared.

The man slid down against the apparatus until he was sitting on the roof with his arms resting on his knees. His hands trembled from the rush of fear induced adrenalin.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" Oskar said anxiously as he moved from behind Eli to her side.

The mans eyes jumped between Eli and Oskar then he put his head down for a moment, closed his eyes. After a few forcefully taken steady breaths he raised his head and spoke with a voice that quivered.

"M..my na...name is Mikael Ol...Olofsson. I'm a fr...freelance journalist."

Eli knelt down to meet Mikael's stare. "Go on." she said.

"We...well, I was working for the, uh, local newspaper in Stockholm back when the pool massacre happened in Blackeberg." His body, along with his voice began to relax as his story unfolded. "I was sent there to cover the story. I began interv...," his words faded as he looked at Eli more carefully. "It was you wasn't it. You slaughtered those boys."

"She saved my life!" Oskar yelled, clenching his fists.

Mikael flinched and looked at Oskar.

"That's not important right now." Eli said calmly. Her words brought Mikael's concern from Oskar to her. "Continue."

"I did my job. I interviewed a few folks, got some statements, took some pictures and beat the deadline. My boss was pleased. I went back home, ready to forget about Blackeberg."

Mikael cleared his throat then continued.

"A few days later I was contacted by a guy working for The Regional Monitor, it's a popular tabloid. He wanted to hire me. He wanted me to continue investigating the pool massacre. Said he'd take care of all my expenses and pay me pretty good too. Heh, he wasn't lying either." Mikael paused.

"That was over ten months ago. Get to the part where you came here." Oskar demanded.

"I went back to Blackeberg and started to dig a little deeper. Like I said, the pay was good so I figured I could stretch my investigation and make some "real" money. I must've talked to everyone in that place. I even heard about a woman setting herself on fire at the hospital but all the staff there were pretty tight lipped."

Mikael looked up at Oskar.

"I even talked to your mom and dad. That's how I learned about you. They gave me pictures of you in case I ever ran across you. They're real worried about you Oskar."

Mikael's words breeched Oskar's defenses. He turned away as tears rolled out unexpectantly. Eli stood up and placed a hand on Oskar's back in an attempt to console him.

"Are you alright Oskar?"she asked. He simply nodded yes slowly. She turned back to Mikael.

"Keep going." she ordered.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to upset the kid...I mean Oskar."

"Nevermind that, just continue. How did you find us?"

"Well, you see, after I finished up in Blackeberg my employer wanted me to start traveling around to see if I could get a scoop on the story elsewhere. Hey, it was his dime so I hit the road. I traveled everywhere. For a long time I couldn't come up with anything. I fabricated a few tips and statements to genertate some material for the tabloid, I mean who really believes any of that stuff they publish anyway."

Mikael raised one finger in the air, then began to shake it as a sly grin grew on his face.

"Then I got lucky. I was searching through several of the local newspapers that I had bought in each place I visited and I noticed something. In a couple of the papers there were reports of unexplained homicides where the victims were killed very late at night and had severely broken necks."

Mikael's story was interrupted as Oskar strolled back to Eli's side. Oskar and Eli looked at each other for a moment and without any verbal exchange confirmed that all was well. They each looked at Mikael who also knew from their expressions to go on with the story.

"Like I was saying, these homicide victims, most of them had been dead for a while once I arrived on the scene. The local police usually had no leads and I couldn't do much until another victim turned up somewhere, which like I said was too late. I kept all of this to myself cause I didn't want anyone stealin' my story."

Mikael stopped. His eyes drifted up past Oskar and Eli, into the night sky for a moment then slowly fell back upon them.

"Then something funny happened. Something that I can't really explain. The tales in Blackeberg about a dark haired angel, about a vampire started to take root in my mind. You see, when you travel alone you have plenty of time to think."

A mild snicker escaped from under Eli's breath which confused Mikael for a second, then he went on.

"As I was saying, those stories started to consume my thoughts and after a while I just...started...to believe them. I mean, I'm a guy who has only ever believed in two things. A good story and a good paycheck but none of that mattered anymore. All I wanted was to find real proof, if only for myself so I started wandering from place to place. I did just like I did tonight. I roamed the streets from midnight until dawn hoping to find...well you."

"That's how you found us, by chance?" Oskar asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I swear it!" Mikael declared.

"What about this tabloid you work for, what do they know about all this?" Eli asked.

"Very little. I stopped giving them anything weeks ago and the money stopped coming soon after. I've continued my search on my own, with the money I made. You see, I've been looking for you so diligently because... I want to become like you."

Oskar and Eli drew back then looked at each other with shared suprise and agitation.

"You don't know what you're asking for Mikael." Eli said.

"Yeah, you've seen those homicide victims. You know what we have to do." Oskar added.

"Yes, but to live forever, to be able to do the things that I have witnessed tonight, to have that strength!" Mikael said excitedly.

Eli sighed then knelt down again to look into Mikael's now frenzied eyes.

"Do you think I wanted to be like this? Do you think my life is easy? Do you think I chose this!" she exclaimed.

Mikael leaned forward, met Eli's heated gaze.

"Did Oskar?" he asked with a smug tone.

Eli unleashed a deep, long growl that persuaded Mikael to ease back and assume a more obedient posture. Oskar loomed over Eli's kneeling position.

"Eli didn't choose to be like this but I did because I love her. If you want this for the wrong reasons it will turn you into a monster. We both know that." he said earnestly.

"Look, I'm sure I could be of help to you wether you turn me or not. I could watch out for you during the day. Maybe we could make a deal or..."

"No deals Mikael. All Oskar and I need is each other and that's all we have, all we want." Eli said.

"What about me then?" Mikael asked.

Eli tilted her head back to look at Oskar who was standing over her. He looked down at her, noticed again the invading white hairs and her sickly appearance, then looked at Mikael.

"Well Mikael, as you know we are vampires and there are certain things we have to do to survive." he said.

The fleshly hue of Mikael's face drained out as the realization of his fate became painfully clear. Eli pounced first then Oskar. Mikael winced and struggled but could do nothing more than satisfy the hunger that he sought. Oskar and Eli performed their service to the hunger, then Eli wrenched Mikael's neck so that no one else would have to. Oskar took Mikael's wallet and placed it in his own pocket. As they stood up Eli went over to Oskar and hugged him tightly. A long roll of thunder off in the distance broke their embrace as Eli let go and looked toward the sky. She looked back at Oskar and with a bloody smile said, "See, I told you it was gonna rain."

"You'll be wrong one of these years Eli and I'll be there to say I told you so." Oskar replied with his own crooked bloody smile. They laughed briefly then Oskar turned towards Mikael's lifeless form.

"So what should we do with him?"

"Nothing. We're leaving this place soon and it should take a while for anyone to find him up here."

Oskar extended his arm and Eli took his hand tightly in hers. Side by side they walked to the edge of the roof. Their wings emerged as they observed the lengthy gap between the roof and the paved streets below. In unison they leaned over the edge, fell forward and plunged downward several stories before pulling up and gliding off hand in hand.