Bloody good time

February 27th 2015


Sacramento, California


*Ashley*


Ann again wakes up thrashing around, screaming in a cold sweat for the tenth night in a row. Yelling, begging, crying. Mumbling incoherent phrases between her attempts at gasping for air. Nothing stops her fits. I can't get near her, when I do it only makes her worse. Only person she'll let near her is Andy during the episodes. He can coax her down to just a hyperventilating state, I can't even touch her without her panicking all over again but she'll let Andy hold her for hours on end until she falls asleep. That's the routine we've worked in.


Ann's night terrors wake us all. I get Andy from his room. Andy comes in. Andy calms Ann. Andy holds Ann till she falls asleep. I sleep in the corner with my separate cot to keep from making Ann even worse. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.


Why is Andy the only one she'll even let remotely near her? Why is when I come near her, she flips all shit? Why can't I make her feel better? I'm her boyfriend, not Andy. What the fuck is causing her terrors? Why won't she tell me the next morning?


I've developed the habit of just staring at her, watching for anymore signs of a nightmare, so I can be ready to call Andy in. I do that until I can't stay awake any further and fall asleep as well. Every morning she'll wake up and crawl into my cot with me. I can hear her cry, it's a soft and quiet sob. It's always followed by her apologizing for the night prior. Continually questioning what's wrong with her and why this is happening.


This morning was a little different. She crawls into my cot but doesn't start crying just lays there with her forehead pressed to my back.


She whispers to me, "I want to tell you why."


I sit up and turn to her. "Then tell me why." She lays there, quiet and still. Instantaneously regretting what she had said. "Ann. Fucking tell me what's going on. I deserve an explanation."


The room remained silent for a few moments before she spoke again. "I'm falling in love with you."


It was a moment that made my heart flutter and drop at the same time. I didn't know what to say back. Why would her loving me be a bad thing? I just want to know what's going on.


"I can't fall in love. It'd only end bad for the both of us," She says getting up from the cot. "I can't hurt you. You won't accept me for what I truly am."


I can't help but scoff at her statement, "Ann, I've dated a prostitute. I loved that girl. Fuck, I almost proposed. What is so bad about you that I wouldn't accept you? What're you, a serial killer?"


Ann nervously bites down on her bottom lip and stares at me with guilt.


I gasp a little and speak to low to hide the conversation from our friends. "Are you a serial killer?" I question wide eyed, becoming slightly anxious because I'm well aware this girl can most likely choke any bitch out. Including me.


"Kind of."


I panic and start talking in a really high pitched voice, trying to keep my volume low even though I kinda want to shit my pants. "The fuck you mean 'kind of'?"


Ann continually tried to form an explanation but couldn't find how to phrase it so she showed it. With her.......

Fangs.


"I'm a vampire," She confessed. "I'm over a century old." She began to pour out everything she's experienced during her years. Killing her parents. Roaming amongst England. Hiding from vampire hunters. About her 1920s lover, James. Her loneliness. Her thieving. Her killing. Her everything. When she finishes her story, I'm left to process everything.


The room was silent. Only thing to be heard was Andy and Juliet waking up, shifting around in their room. I pull myself from my thoughts, attempting eye contact with Ann but just the forlorn glaze to her eyes made it difficult, nearly impossible.


She's scared. Fearful that she'd be abandoned all over again. I'm afraid also but our fears are on different sides of the spectrum. She's afraid of being alone, hurting, suffering from yet again another heartbreak. I'm terrified of dying, of her killing me off too for my money or because she's hungry. Can you blame me? She's been doing it for almost a hundred years.


"I'm not going to kill you, dumbass," Ann scoffs, obviously offended, "I just tell you that I love you and you assume I'm faking then will kill you. I wouldn't drink from you unless I was completely desperate." She moves to the bar and pours herself a generous amount of scotch then drinks it straight. She goes to pour another without even wincing.


"Now just what the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I question angrily removing myself from the cot as well, "Am I not good enough to drink from?" I'm actually offended. Am I so disgusting that I'm not even eligible to be food for my girlfriend.


"You have this blood that gets vampires drunk off their fucking asses," She snaps taking the other poured shot. She sighs and sets down the bottle, "Besides, I don't fuck what I eat."


"I'm her food at the moment," Andy speaks as he slips into the room, gently closing the separation door behind him.


"Wait? So you're feeding off Andy?" Ann nods. "What's so special about Andy's blood?"


"His blood is pure as it comes in adults. Blood pure as his only comes in children. We've come to an agreement: I support the band and help support his family and I get blood."


"Ashley, she has provided this band so much already. You know those basses you thought the company sent you?" Andy asks, I nod remembering the packages. "That was Ann because she knows you're using an old shitty one because you couldn't afford to buy the new one yet. Ann replaced CC's drum set, all of our almost broken cords, the new microphones, that was all Ann."


"So, is that why only Andy could calm you down during your night terrors? Because of the bond you've both developed?"


"That and the he knew the reason why I was having the nightmares. I'm just afraid, Ashley. I'm afraid of being alone again. I just want to be loved again. I want to feel like I'm normal again," Tears begin to stream down Ann's cheeks while she quietly begs for her normal life back.


I finally decide that I've heard enough. I grab Ann and pull her into my tight embrace, pressing my lips to her gently and lovingly as I could. I want her to know she's going to be okay. I want her to know that I'm going to be here. That I'm going to love her. That I'm going to stand behind her. I'm going to care for her. I'm going to do anything and everything for her. And as I said before, I'm gonna wife the shit out of this girl.


Ann pulls away from me, cheeks a pink hue. I didn't think she could manage a blush being a vampire. She seemed pleasantly surprised, happy tears replaced the ones sobbed out of pain.


"Are we all good now?" Andy questions from behind a mattress baracade, he prepared for a storm of Ann's wrath. Can't blame him. She can rip out your spine from your throat if she wanted.


Ann giggles and rests her nest of ginger curls onto my chest, "Yeah. We're good."


"Ann, if you need another food source, I'm happy to offer myself," Jinxx said from the doorway, making Andy scream bloody murder.


"Where the living fuck shit did you come from?!" He screeches going into a stereotypical Kung-fu pose, fist directed at Jinxx.


"The front desk lady gave me the master key card so now I'm basically king of this establishment, "He wiggles a his card to us then slips it back into his pocket, "And I wanted to see if Ann was okay, considering all the nightmares she's been having."


"Jinxx would you really be a secondary source for me?" Ann questions moving away from my chest towards Jinxx. He nods and she throws her arms around him, "Thank you so much! How much do you want in return? Name your price. Anything in the world." Ann goes on to list the most lavish things he could want. A liger and a long list of exotic animals, gold, silver, platinum, as much cocain "as his little nose could snort", prostitutes, dildos and vibrators and many more vulgar things.


Jinxx just laughed and sent out his signature heart warming smile while shaking his head to her offer, "I don't want anything Ann, just you being okay is enough to make me happy."


Ann placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, my natural possessiveness seeps out a little causing me to pull her back into my arms. I know Jinxx is just being his normal kind soul but it just seems there's something he's trying to gain. Be it her heart or a place in her pants. I don't trust it. I don't trust him.

Notes