I'm No Monster (Original Short)

Lola fussed with her purse and her keys silently, trying to get into the car. Her day had been hectic. With everything going on between the humans and the vampires and now new politics were being thrown around. She shook her head at all the paperwork she knew she'd have to deal with come Monday. THAT was horrifying. She shut the door of her Mercedes SUV and pushed the button to fire up the engine and take her home. She hoped traffic would be light today. She could use something easy today.

As she drove she put the whole day on cruise control, letting her subconscious deal with sorting out the rest of her issues. A poppy little ballad with some woman played on in the background as Lola eased through the minimal traffic. The thoughts of a rogue vampire doing all this to disrupt the truce was almost absurd! Why would anyone want that? To go back to the dark ages, again? She shook her head as she began to quietly sing along, the train of thought still continuing. Her last thought on the highway was about Balthezar and what The Community planned to do with him.

Now the stop and go of neighborhoods replaced the long and placid freeway, her vehicle handling it all with ease. Lola considered leaving The Community, stop being a peacekeeper for two factions that had nothing but hate for one another, but they paid her well. Her law degree wouldn't have afforded her her car or her four bedroom house, which she pulled into as she finished her thoughts. As she sighed out the last of her work day she got her purse and her cell phone, which chimed about an email received. The keys with the big gold "L" attached to them jingled for a second before she pushed her door open. There was beeping and digital voices asking for a password and she complied with a sigh, pushing 'enter' to silence it all.

The voice that came from behind her was smooth and gentle with a hint of surprise, "I would have guessed your mother's birthday." Lola tried to whirl around to meet the owner of the voice, but her world became a violent blur. She barely recognized her glasstop table as she went through it, shattering it to a billion pieces. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat as she tried to find her hands and knees, shards and edges cutting up her palms and knees. Again the voice spoke from behind her, "I'm very sorry you're involved in this, truly I am. But things are what they are. I know you're sick and you've been waiting to be turned. That's why you accepted the job of Mediator or Peacekeeper or whatever the title is now a days." Lola crawled forward, looking for her phone or where it may have landed.

Her dizzy eyes found it a few feet away, she pushed herself towards her goal. Her world became a hurried rush of images as she flew the air once again, this time her china cabinet caught her with rigid and painful arms. She knew things had broken that time and panic took over, "Who...who are you? What do you...want?" She choked out between blood filled coughs. Her body was numb with terror, she found her feet fast and saw her attacker. He was tall, thin, hair a bit longer than the norm with a clean shaven face, handsome, his eyes shone with The Fire of the Night. Vampire. His hand shot out at barely conceivable speed and wrapped long fingers around her throat as he answered, "I want an end." She tried to fight him off, but she was far too weak, as he dragged her over to the next room with her two favorite chairs. Lola's bruised and broken body was shoved into one and he sat in the other.

She struggled to breath with the broken ribs in her chest, but she had to try to talk sense into the vampire. "An end...to what?" He studied her with violet eyes for a moment before waving his hand in a dismissing manner, "Don't worry about that, Lola. Just know that you are an innocent in all this." Her whole body pulsated with pain as she tried again, "My husband...." The vampire cut her off, "Hasn't been home for years. I hear divorce does that to some couples. What a man to leave just when you find out you have cancer, huh?" She ignored the jibe, "How do you know that?" He sat back, relaxing a bit, "It's what I have to do, Lola. Again. I am very, very sorry for all this. I promise I'll try to make the end quick. You'll have to forgive everything else up until then. It can't look like a vampire or a human killed you." She watched and began to cry softly as he raised his hand, the fingernails lengthening to claws. He stood before her, his other hand doing the same.

She still had an ounce of fight left, and she knew what they hated more than anything. She looked up at his beautiful pale face, "At least tell me your name!" She protested. "I am Michael." He bowed just a bit. She spit blood on him, "You're nothing but a monster." Michael, the vampire, didn't wipe away the spray of blood. "I'm not a monster. But I believe I can fulfill those fears rather nicely." Lola's scream was cut short.

Michael stood up and let out a sigh, looking down at the shredded remains of Lola's blue business suit and body. Now that the violence was finished business had to be conducted. After further trashing the house and leaving big, obvious clues, he went back to her body. The brand new cell phone unlocked with the birthdate of Lola's mother. He scrolled through the contacts with his still red digits and dialed the emergency line for the bureaucrats that ran The Community. He put the phone in her hand that still had fingers, and dropped a note atop the carnage. The hard part was about to begin.