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Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes
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Bay City, Michigan – 1955
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I woke up curled into a ball and in complete agony. Everything hurt. My neck, my stomach, even my hair hurt.
Blinking open my eyes, I saw three people standing around, staring down at me. “Who are you?” I asked, then slammed my hand around my throat, as it was so dry, I was about to gag. “What happened to me?”
“You don’t remember?” one asked. He was the shortest of the three and was very pale. I looked up at the sky and saw a crescent moon and a few sparce clouds. Glancing around, I could see I was in the forest. A fire was burning in a campfire in front of me.
I pulled myself into a sitting position, then looked down at myself. My clothes were filthy and bloody. I tried to remember, as the man had asked me, what had happened.
“I don’t really remember much,” I said quietly. “Do you guys have a thermos or canteen? I need some water badly.”
They all chuckled. “You don’t need water, you need blood.”
I whipped my head up and stared in horror at the guy. “What? No. You drink blood?”
The guy bent down and handed me my canteen. I unscrewed the lid and began gulping down the contents. It wasn’t water, but it tasted pretty good and helped immediately drench the fire in my throat. Once I’d drunk it all, I replaced the lid and set it down. “Thanks.”
He reached down and gave me a hand to help me stand. “You feel better?” he asked.
I nodded, noting that nothing hurt now. I just felt dirty and a little confused. “Yes, much. Now can you tell me what’s going on?”
“What’s your name?” another one asked.
“Craig Walsh,” I replied.
“Well, I’m David, and this is Jim and Bobby,” he said, all of them staring up at me.
I looked around the forest. “I’m trying to remember what happened and how I got here.”
David pointed to a pile of disrupted dirt. “We buried the wolf for you.”
“Wolf?” I closed my eyes and searched my brain for answers. Then, like a punch to the chest, I whimpered. “Oh, sweet Jesus. Saundra. The wolf. The man... he was a wolf, then a man. Then... he bit me... I shot you...” I looked at Jim. “Then, I died.” I put my hands in my face, trying not to cry as I relived it all over again.
“Yes, you did shoot me, and then, yes, you died,” Jim replied. “That’s why we turned you. We saved you. It’s been three days and you’ve awakened.”
“Turned me... three days...?” I shook my head. “You saved me from dying without a hospital?”
“Well, you’re technically undead now, but you’ll live. Actually, you’ll live a very long, long life now,” David replied.
I sat back down and put my knees to my chest. “I don’t want to live a long life. I don’t want to live another day without my Saundra.”
“I’m sorry, my man. What’s done is done. You already fed, so that sealed the deal.” David stared at me apologetically.
“Fed? No, I haven’t eaten. I’m not even hungry actually,” I said, staring into the flames.
“Yes, you did. What do you think was in the canteen?” David asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know but it was very tasty.”
“It was human blood, Craig, and you’re now officially a vampire. We just wanted to save you. It was the least we could do for you after killing that filthy wolf.”
I whipped my head up and stared at him in horror. “Vampire? Surely, you’re joking.”
None of them were laughing or even smiling. Bobby pointed to the pile of dirt. “There are werewolves, you saw it with your own eyes. Why can’t there be vampires, as well?”
He had a point, but it was too hard to wrap my grief-filled brain around. So I simply said, “Oh, okay. Well, thank you, I guess.” I didn’t really believe what he was saying was true, but it seemed I did owe these guys my life in one way or another, so a polite thank-you was all I could get out.
The trio looked at each other, almost surprised, and David said, “You’re welcome. Now, c’mon, let’s get you out of these woods and back to our place. We’ll get you cleaned up and some new clothes.”
“I don’t think any of our clothes are gonna fit him, brother,” Jim said with a laugh as he watched David help me up.
They all looked up at me. I had to be a foot taller than all of them.
“I think you’re right,” David replied.
I’d spent a lot of time in this forest but had no idea this cottage was here. As I was led inside, I saw a small fire burning in the fireplace and random furniture plus a television set in the living room. There was a kitchen off to the right and a hallway behind it.
“The john’s just down the hall. You can use the bath or anything you need in there to get cleaned up. I’m going to attempt to find you some clothes that fit but we may need to go into town to find some,” David said.
“Thank you,” I replied, still leery of these men but also taking note that if they wanted to hurt or kill me, they would have done so already.
But hadn’t they?
As I went into the bathroom, I closed and locked the door behind me. I gazed into the mirror set above the sink and gasped in horror. I had dried blood and chunks of tissue around my mouth, in my beard, and all over my neck. My blue shirt was stained black with the stuff, and there were large spatters all over my pants. These clothes definitely were going in the trash. The boots could be salvaged with some baking soda and water.
I inserted the plug and started up the bath, waiting for the water to get hot. Once it was full, I carefully stepped in and groaned at the hot water. A washcloth and bar of soap sat on the edge, and I quickly washed away all the blood and dirt. I found a bottle of shampoo and washed my beard and too-long hair with it, then rinsed it under the water. As I got out and wrapped myself in a towel, I made a face at the absolutely filthy, chunky, bloody water that was now circling the drain.
Feeling much better, I cleared the fog from the mirror and searched around for a razor and shave cream. I quickly located the items in the medicine cabinet. I flipped open the razor and began to chop off the long parts of my beard. I watched as the chunks of hair fell into the white sink. Once it was short enough, I put some cream on my face and carefully began to shave. Wow, this razor was sharp! It was cleaning my face up nice and smooth. Once I was clean-shaven, I rinsed off the razor and went to close it when I sliced my finger on its edge. I hissed in pain and ran my finger under the cold water. As I searched around for some bandages, I noticed the blood on the razor and became a little fixated on it. An overwhelming urge to lick it off came over me... and I did. It tasted like the stuff in the canteen David had given me—the human blood.
I couldn’t find any bandages, so I gave up. Looking down at my finger, I became confused... the cut was simply gone. Which reminded me—where were the cuts and tears on my neck from both the wolfman and my new housemates? Surely not completely healed in three days? I searched in the mirror to find nothing but a clean, smooth neck. I pulled the towel off my waist and saw my leg was also free and clear of any cuts or tears.
Realizing that I really was a vampire like they had told me, I got a little dizzy, having to use my hands to steady myself on the sink. How was this possible? Man, what I wouldn’t give to go back to having no knowledge about these things. In a matter of just a couple of months, my life had been turned upside down, and I knew it would never, ever be the same.
A knock on the bathroom door sobered me from my thoughts. “Yes?”
“Craig, I put some clothes outside the door for you. They probably won’t fit well, but it was the best we could do.”
I didn’t know whose voice it was, but I thanked them.
After a few seconds, I opened the door and found a folded tee, a button-up shirt, and a pair of jeans. I looked at my discarded boxers on the floor and realized they could be salvaged but needed a good wash. The jeans fit around the waist but would look pretty silly since the hem sat about four inches above my ankle. Especially with the hiking boots. The white tee fit, but was snug, and no way would the dark-blue shirt button-up, so I rolled the sleeves and left it open. I towel-dried my hair, raked my fingers through it a few times, and exited the bathroom.
The three sat on the sofa and grinned at me when I walked out.
David whistled. “Wow, so that’s what your face looks like.”
I put up a hand and pointed at my clothes. “I know, I know. But I look like a total square.”
“Do they even sell clothes your size at Montgomery Ward?”
I shook my head. “Not really. I can sometimes buy skivvies and socks there, but I have to get pants, shirts, and shoes at the big and tall store.”
“Sit,” Jim said, getting up from the couch, along with David and Bobby.
I did as I was told and folded my hands over my knees.
“Listen, Craig, we’re going to let you crash at our pad here for a while, because we can tell you had been living in the woods. If you want to keep living there, that’s fine, but we wanted to offer you a place here. It’s secluded and people don’t bother us out here. You’ll have to sleep on the sofa here until we can figure something out, because there’s only three bedrooms.”
I looked at the sofa and smiled. I would maybe be able to fit my torso and head on it, the rest of me would hang off the edge. “I appreciate the offer, I really do. I don’t think I’ll fit on this couch, though. You cool if I just sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor until I can find my own place?”
He looked at the other two and they nodded. “Sure, guy. That’s cool with us. I’m glad you decided to stay because we have a lot to teach you.”
I cocked my head to the side, confused. “Teach me? About what? Oh, being a vampire. I think I’m getting the hang of it already. I like drinking blood and my wounds heal real fast. Just like in the movies. What about the sun? Do I stay out of it?”
Jim nodded. “Yes, you do. Sorry, bud, but you’ll never see another sunset again.”
David punched Jim in the arm. “Way to be negative.”
Jim rubbed his arm. “Just being truthful. He needs to know.”
“Well, that’s gonna be a drag,” I said. “I lost my job at the factory when Saundra died and was having a hard time finding another. Now where am I supposed to find a job working at night? Everything’s closed.”
“Well, I work at the hospital a few nights a week,” David said. “It gives us enough money to keep the lights on and us dressed in these fresh threads.” He pointed to his clothes. “Plus, easy access to blood. I have a few bags in the ice box, but they’re only for emergencies.” He jutted a thumb behind him at a new-looking refrigerator.
The kitchen looked immaculately clean and new, so I asked, “What else do we eat?”
David shook his head. “Nothing.”
My eyes went wide. “We can live on just blood? Nifty.”
“Yes. And we’re going to show you how to tap a vein and drink right from the source.” Jim looked at his watch. “We got six hours ’til sunup. Let’s eat.” He motioned for me to stand as Bobby tossed my boots at me.
I followed them outside and we began walking through the forest toward town. “I don’t think I should be walking around like this. I look like a dweeb.”
“Don’t be a wet rag. Nobody cares. Most everyone’s asleep, anyhow. It’s close to midnight.” David looked up at the starry sky.
We emerged from the forest and found ourselves on a side street. We kept walking until we were on the main strip. He was right, it was very quiet and dark this time of night. I had never gone out after dark before my life changed four months ago. Then, I would stalk the beach once a month on the full moon, trying to find that bastard who killed my wife. Then I’d go back into the forest, into my tent. During the day, I would try to find a job, but in a small town like this, nobody would hire me. They knew I’d lost my wife, and instead of taking pity on me, or appreciating my experience at the factory, they figured I had lost the plot and was too mentally unstable to hire. I knew I would eventually have to move to a new city and start over, but I hadn’t planned to do that until that wolf was dead... and now it was.
After a few minutes of walking, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere in particular. Just waiting to see if any humans are around, so we can eat.”
“Do you honestly expect me to bite a human? I can’t kill anyone,” I said quietly.
David stopped walking, and so did the other two. “We will teach you to feed without killing, but it’s a skill. That’s why all three of us are here tonight, to teach you.”
I put my fingers to my mouth. “But I don’t have fangs.”
Jim chuckled. “Yes, you do. They retract when we aren’t feeding.”
Brushing my finger over my teeth and gums, I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Yet again, I’d just have to trust these guys. These vampires.
We kept walking for a while longer and were heading toward the not-so-nice part of town. “Uh, guys, we shouldn’t go here. Lots of shady characters and ex-cons around here.”
“We know,” Jim said, smiling. “Those are the types that like to stay out late at night.”
The sound of music began to float into my ears, and when we crossed the street and went toward it, I could see an establishment called Al’s where the music was playing. As we got closer, I immediately froze. Something delicious-smelling drifted on the air and hit my nose. Immediately, I felt my gums erupt with teeth. Sharp teeth that made my bottom lip bleed.
“So hungry,” I said, heading toward the bar like I was a zombie.
Someone grabbed my arm. I looked down and saw David’s hand on my bicep. “Let me go,” I snapped.
He shook his head. “No, put your fangs away. We need to look like humans in there. And you will behave. No attacking the patrons. Got it?”
I reluctantly nodded, and my stomach twisted in pain. I bent over and grabbed it. “So hungry.”
“Maybe he should wait out here and we’ll bring him someone,” Bobby suggested.
The three of them looked at me, then David said, “Good idea. I’ll stay here, you two bring us a couple of drunk broads.”
I gasped when I saw Jim and Bobby race so fast toward the building, they were a blur. I stood up straight and pointed at them. “How did they do that?”
“Vampire speed,” David responded.
“Can I do that too?” I asked, intrigued.
He nodded. “Yes, I’ll show you when we get back to the forest.”
The back door to the bar opened and an older man in an apron came out holding two big trash bags. He tossed them into cans and my fangs again erupted.
One second I was at the side of the building, the next I had my hands on this man’s face. I wrenched his head to the side and bit into his neck like an animal. I didn’t know how I knew how to do it, it was just instinct.
David was right behind me and gripped me by the arms. “Listen for his heartbeat, Craig. Listen.”
But I wasn’t listening. I just wanted to eat.
“Pay attention! He’s dying, you nitwit,” David said, pulling me off the man. He fell to the ground.
I gasped as I saw his white shirt now blooming red with blood.
“Oh, Lord. Did I kill him?” I asked.
Just then, Jim and Bobby came around the back. They didn’t have any women with them.
“Couldn’t wait, huh?” Jim asked with a chuckle.
“This cat is fast,” David replied. “He was already feeding by the time I sped over here.”
“Is he dead?” I asked again.
David shook his head. “No, I can still hear a heartbeat. But it’s very faint.”
“Should we call an ambulance?” I suggested.
“No,” Jim replied. “He’s the bartender in there. Someone will notice him missing very soon.” He looked around and said, “In fact, we should scram before someone does.”
David looked at me. “Run, okay? Try to keep up with us.”
The three took off with that vampire speed. I ran fast but couldn’t keep up. How did they do that?