“You… you’re dead!” he said. His eyes bulged in terror and he raised his gun to fire off another shot. David moved with incredible speed to catch his arm before he could fire his gun again. He moved with inhuman speed, in fact. By getting up he had permanently blown his cover, so there was no point in pretending anymore. He took the gun from the other man’s hand easily and dropped it to the floor. He was weakened by blood loss, which he was especially vulnerable to, but even so he was still far stronger than the madman, who was, after all, merely human.

The gunshot hadn’t done any permanent damage, but before it could heal he would need to replace some of the blood he’d lost. After what had happened there was no way he could go back to this job, this life, and on top of that he was angry, more angry than he’d been in a long time, so he didn’t hesitate much before he pulled the madman closer and, making sure he had a good grip, lowered his head to the man’s neck. His canine teeth lengthened in response to his rising hunger. When his lips touched the man’s skin they were more than long enough, more than sharp enough, to cut through and reach the blood beneath. It didn’t take long before he stepped back, releasing the madman’s now lifeless body, which dropped limply to the floor. He looked at his co-workers, both of whom were staring at him in complete shock.

It was Robert who found speech first. “You’re, you’re a…” he stopped, not quite wanting to voice the inevitable conclusion.

David laughed bitterly. “A vampire, yes. Why do you think I was so certain he wasn’t one? I’d know another person cursed with real vampirism if I saw them. He was just a nutcase with an obsession. Though why anybody would want to be like me, I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?” asked Robert hesitantly, feeling both horror and curiosity.

“People have this romantic image of vampirism these days. I suppose it’s better than when they though we were the children of Satan, but there isn’t much that’s romantic about it. Take immortality, for one. That’s the thing people really like, the idea of living forever, but all it means is heartache. Everyone you know grows old around you. I’ve buried so many friends, so many of my family I can hardly bear it any more. When your own children grow old and die before your eyes, how can you live with it? And people start to notice it, that’s the other thing. So you have to move on, start over, become someone else. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve started a new life. It’s getting harder and harder to do. I learned computer programming so I’d be able to hack the systems to create new identities for myself, but they get smarter every day. Someday I may not be able to keep up with it, and then what do I do? I’ll become a non-entity, I won’t be able to hold a job, and I’ll be reduced to living like a homeless bum. People think all vampires are old and rich, but they’re not. A lot of us are dirt poor. Do you know how hard it is to find a job that will let you work after dark, and how much harder it is to find one that I actually enjoy? I loved this job, and now I’ll have to start all over again somewhere else.

“And the whole business of drinking blood… everyone is either fascinated by it or horrified. I drink the cow’s blood; you kill the cow and eat it. It’s the same thing; only my way of doing it is less pleasant. Some days I can remember what it was like to eat real food and it drives me crazy, I miss it so much. And then other days I can’t even remember what it was like before and I’m afraid I’m not human any more. Sure there’s a few advantages. I’m hard to kill,” he gestured at the wound in his chest, which was already almost completely healed, “but there are days when I wish somebody would come after me with a stake and just put me out of my misery.

“But what does that matter?” he said, weariness and bitterness in his voice. “It’s time for me to move on again. Another name, another place, another job…” he sighed. “Why did this have to happen? I liked this job. I was counting on at least a decade here.” He sighed again and tried to let go of the bitterness and frustration that filled him. There was nothing else he could do. He would have to go home, pack up the few possessions that mattered, and abandon yet another life.