Read Online The Vanishing Vampire by David Lubar - Free Book Online

rest.
    â€œWell?”
    â€œIt helped for a minute. What was it?”
    Norman grinned. He pulled out one of his yellow writing pads. “Liver. Actually, there were two elements in the test. One is the blood content. The other is the endothermic transformation.”
    I felt like I’d suddenly landed in Paris. English wasn’t the main language spoken here. “The what?”
    â€œThe change brought about from the exposure to heat. The steak you had for dinner was rare, but it was cooked. That has to change the structure of the proteins. So, for starters, we remove that element.” He looked like he had just discovered something important, like gravity or popcorn.
    â€œHeat…” I let it sink in. And then I almost threw up. “You fed me raw liver?”
    Norman shrugged. “Your body should be immune to any latent bacteria. Okay, that wasn’t the answer. What should we try next?”
    â€œYou fed me raw liver!” I wiped my tongue with my sleeve.
    â€œI think we need to isolate the key components. Blood is extremely complex in some senses, but nearly trivial in others. I know! Wait here.”
    He ran off again. The refrigerator opened and closed again. The blender whirred. The evening wore on. Norman tried everything he could think of, which was a lot more than the average person could think of. Much to my surprise, cat food isn’t all that bad, except for the little jellylike bits and the occasional crunchy part.
    None of it got rid of the hunger for more than a moment. That wasn’t great. But something even more disturbing happened. At one point, as he was racing into the room with a glass of blended chicken lungs, Norman stubbed his toe hard against the leg of his desk.
    I watched him hopping around in pain, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that I realized what was missing. Part of me was missing. I was just watching, as if the whole thing were happening on a movie screen. I didn’t feel any concern. I didn’t feel any need to ease his pain.
    I didn’t feel anything human.
    It was the first clear sign that I was losing the battle.

 
    Nineteen
    LOSING THE GRIP
    The night welcomed me as I left Norman’s house. It would be so easy to slip into darkness and leave the day world. I could see myself living as a creature of the night. I would find a place where I was safe during the day, safe and undiscovered. Then I would rise with the night.
    Nearby, I heard steps. I knew them. Like Vladivost, I also had an old enemy to deal with. I ran through the night. I ran toward the steps. As I started to move, I was on two feet. By the end of the block, I had dropped into the sleek form of a wolf. I moved like an arrow through the darkness, silent, speeding toward my victim.
    He was ahead of me, less than a block away now. At first, he didn’t even notice what was hurtling toward him. He was just leaving the park.
    â€œHey, doggie,” Lud said when he finally looked in my direction.
    I growled.
    â€œNice doggie?” Lud’s voice grew cautious as I rushed closer.
    I leaped, hitting him in the chest, knocking him down. He rolled to his knees. I stood, growling, waiting for him to flee. He would run and I would let him run. But I’d circle him and be waiting. Wherever he ran, I would be there ahead of him. I would be his nightmare.
    Run, I thought, quivering in eagerness, holding back until he made his move.
    He started to cry.
    I growled again and moved a step closer. He dropped to the ground, curled into a ball, and wrapped his arms around his head. His body shook as he sobbed.
    Another instant, and I knew I would tear into him. Every instinct was pushing me to attack him. But one tiny human spark inside me held me back. I turned and ran through the night. I raced the streets as a wolf. My path brought me to where I’d been headed before I heard Lud’s footsteps. When I saw my home, I returned to human shape.
    It would be