"I was with a caravan. It was my first. It was supposed to be a complete milk run, we were just going across to Iron City, and it would only take one day. We still had lights, of course. You don't go out without them. But I wasn't really prepared for a night run. I was cocky, and stupid. Well, we broke down halfway there. And it took so long to fix that we were still out in the open when night fell. Still fixing the damn thing, even. We weren't going anywhere.

"They told us the rules for being out at night, of course. You never step away from the train, you never go near anything, not even a patch of grass, you stay on the road. But I was stupid. There was so much light, I figured it was totally safe. And so I went around a rock to, uh... do some business. And there was a vampire, all wrapped up so the light couldn't burn him, behind the rock.

"He hauled me off before I could even yell for help. Carried me straight to this cellar den..." He trailed off, and shuddered again. He was silent for a long minute, then he said "They weren't exactly nice to me there, I'll put it that way. I was hurt bad, and they weren't really giving me food, though they did give me water. But they..." he broke off, suppressing yet another shudder. "Never mind what they did, I guess the details don't matter anyhow. But I was pretty close to dying, I think, when he came... I didn't really notice him. I was trying to not notice any of them, it was easier that way, a little. And then he touched me... His hands were warm. I thought he was human. I wasn't really thinking straight or I'd have known better, but I wasn't... really myself. And his hands were warm..." Jeff trailed off again, then shook himself and continued. "He told me they were all dead, and when I looked, they were. He'd killed them." He grinned then, savagely. "They'd told me that they were going to kill me, and they'd live forever. Ha! They're all rotting in Hell now, if there's a just God out there. But he carried me out of there. He was gentle... I think he knew that I wasn't really sane, that maybe I could break. I think I would have, if I'd realized what he was right then. He carried me up out of that hellhole, and then he took me to the city. And he just... He walked right into the lights. He walked right into the lights until he was starting to burn. I saw his face... And he said that he was sorry he couldn't take me any further. That's when I knew what he was.

"I should have thanked him. He saved my life, and then he took me half way to the city gates, not because there were vampires out there, they were all dead, but just because... because he knew I would be afraid of the shadows after... after what they'd done. He had to have been in so much pain, and he did it just to be kind to me. And I should have thanked him, but I couldn't think what to say, and then he was gone."

He looked up at Megan. "If you do know him, tell him that for me. Tell him thank you."

She nodded solemnly, impressed by the story. "I will."

"But you said you had a message," said Mack. "What is it?"

"It's kind of complicated, really. But he needs some help, I guess is what it comes down to."

"We both owe him big time, so if he needs help, we're there."

Megan shook her head. "It's not that easy. This isn't just a favor this is... big. There's..." She considered how to explain. "You know there's a war, really, between humans and vampires. It's a war the humans have been losing for a long time. We lost the old civilization, and now we're just barely holding them back, clinging to what little we have. If something doesn't change, someday they'll win."

Both men nodded soberly.

"The thing is, if there were more good vampires, it wouldn't have to be that way. If there were enough like David, then maybe humanity could drive the vampires back, start really building again. That's the big picture. There's also that I think he's lonely. I was staying with him for a while, and he wanted me to stay, but while he was guarding me he couldn't hunt vampires, and it was driving him crazy. I don't think he should be alone, but he can't just have a human with him, he needs another vampire."

Mack shook his head. "But maybe one in thirty people who dies with the vampire taint becomes a vampire. To get one good vampire, you'd have to kill thirty good people."

Megan shook her head and smiled. "No, you wouldn't. That's the thing that this all hinges on. See, there's a reason why so few become vampires. It's because you have to decide to. You have to actually try to come back, and choose to be undead, in order to be a vampire. So of course most of the tainted just die. They don't want to be vampires! It's only the ones who are so evil that they want to live on blood, or so selfish and afraid that they'd rather do that than die, that become vampires. That's why there aren't more good ones, and why we wouldn't have to kill a lot of people. It would just take one, who'd decided to come back."

Both men were silent for a moment. Then Jeff said, "So... you came here, to us. You want one of us to become a vampire then."

She nodded mutely, not knowing what else to say.

Jeff twitched. "I don't... I couldn't. No way. I owe him everything, and I should... but no. I can't."

"Hey, it's okay," said Mack, reaching out to pat the taller man's hand. "I don't think he'd be the type to force anybody into this. Me... I said I wasn't afraid of anything, and I guess I'm not exactly afraid of being a vampire, but man... it's a big thing, you're right. I don't think I can make up my mind right now. I need to think about it. Or maybe..." He considered. "You can take him a message, could you take us to him? Obviously wherever you're going would be safe for humans, since you're going there, and you're no vampire."

Megan smiled. "I think I could do that. And it's not just vampires that we need, too. There also has to be donors. Vampires need human blood. But having to hunt down humans that other vampires have caught to get it, and then to take it from them... David really doesn't like it at all. He'd rather take it from people who aren't afraid, who are willing." She looked at Mack. "He said you were the first one to do that, to offer it to him, and it really impressed him a lot, I think."

Mack shrugged. "That's not a big deal. I've gotten into fights with regular old humans where I lost more than he took, I'm pretty sure. But I want to talk to him about this. If I'm maybe going to be a vampire, there are some questions I want answered about it, and what it's like."

Jeff looked pensive and said, hesitantly, "I think... I think maybe I could help. I..." he sighed. "Damn it! I don't want to twitch and shiver all my life. I've been trying to deal with it, and face it, I'm going to face this. If he needs donors, I can do it." He ran a hand over the scars on his neck. "I've got a lot of experience in it. And I want to talk to him too, if I can. To say thanks in person, if nothing else."