Read Online Annie of the Undead by Varian Wolf - Free Book Online Page A

now
was the leaping and the soaring, above their world and beyond their
notice. That night I was given a teeny, mortal glimpse of what it
means to be a vampire: what it means to be free –free from gravity,
humanity, the trivialities and the trauma endemic to the labyrinth
of the mundane. That night I glimpsed what it means to be a god in
a world of ants.
    I was hooked.
    All too quickly, the joyride was over. The
vampire set me down softly upon my own uncertain feet in an alley I
could not name. Where was this? It had all been so fast, and I had
never seen the city from the air. I, who knew the seedy capillaries
of this concrete monster so well, was lost.
    But, as we emerged from the alley onto a
lamp-lit street, I realized where we were. It was all too
familiar.
    It was a cold realization following my cathartic
ride through the night. We were just down the street from the jail.
I could see the front door from here.
    I looked at the vampire.
    “You’re kidding me.”
    He did the understated version of biting his
lip.
    “You vampire dog!”
    He was gonna eat me, when he first saw me here.
That was his plan. He was gonna eat me. I could envision him in the
alley, or up on a rooftop –somewhere dark, lurking, stalking, doing
all those creepy things that everyone pictures vampires doing,
waiting for some poor idiot to walk out that door, for some lowly
skank of society to drink dry. Someone nobody would miss. Someone
people would expect to disappear. Someone like me.
    It crossed my mind then that maybe he hadn’t
changed his mind. Maybe this was some sick game he played with his
prey –worse than I had even hypothesized earlier. Being undead
probably did some wretched things to your sense of humor. Take the
dancing, for instance.
    “I’m not going to kill you,” he said, smiling
with all those teeth. “Not anymore.”
    I still looked at him accusingly.
    He offered his arm.
    “Come along,” he said, “There is a patrol car
turning the corner down there right now. Now would be a good time
not to look like you’re limping.”
    I took his arm.
    “I hate you.”
    “Good. It’s your most flattering sentiment.”
    We walked to his car, which was, of course,
expensive, glossy, and new, if covered with the three inches of
snow that had fallen while its master decided whether to finish or
spare his dinner. Somehow, I hadn’t imagined him driving a
rusted-out 1980 Station Wagon. Vampire Miguel drove a Mercedes Benz
SL600, a hundred-and-thirty-thousand-dollar car.
    And he didn’t even wear any bling.
     
    The vampire didn’t try to open the door for me.
Good thing. I might have killed him, vampire or not.
    We checked into the ritzy hotel that was
apparently the vampire’s idea of a fine coffin, complete with a big
fountain in the lobby, an escalator, and a bunch of tropical
plants. The receptionist took one look at us and figured me for a
working girl and the vampire for my paying customer. She kept her
mouth shut about it, but her eyes smiled with knowing
condescension. She was lucky I was so tired. Energetic Annie would
have punched her lights out.
    There was no more mention between the vampire
and I of the circumstances that had led to our acquaintance, and
there never would be again. I collapsed brainlessly on the massive
bed in the equally massive suite, determined to think only of
pillows and covers and sleep.
    “Annie?”
    “What now, vampire?” I grumbled, half asleep
before he’d even closed the door.
    “I’m going out. There is still an hour before
dawn.”
    “Good, go kill some people. Let me sleep.”
    I put a massive pillow over my head.
    “I will be relying upon you, Annie, when I
return. The sun will kill me. You must keep the draperies closed
all day.”
    “I’m gonna sleep all day. Don’t worry about
it.”
    “I am going to hang the ‘do not disturb’ sign on
the door. Do not allow anyone to enter the room.”
    “I’ll shoot anyone who tries.”
    “We must trust each other now. That is