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39

It was late

The kids ithlot, hidden behind soital clock on the car radio read 11:22 p cases

The engine was off, and the ere cracked open Even vampires need to breathe Actually, I wondered about that I heldmyself A minute passed Two minutes Three Four Five I let outnew everyday

Just what dark voodoo was keeping en, too? Maybe I just didn&039;t need as ular basis was that h to shut off I feltTen beats a minute Ah, hell I should be dead a hundred times over

But I wasn&039;t I was very much alive But how, dammit?

Maybe it was better not to think about it

I was alive Perhaps I should have died six years ago, but I didn&039;t So kept me alive, and for that I was thankful Now, not only could I watch randchildren and their children&039;s children

Jesus

I ask again: what the hell kind of darkme alive?

Danny&039;s firm is a small firm He owned it with a partner, where it occupied the entire second floor of a very plain professional building Danny specialized in auto accidents A classic aood ive hio, until I realized he actually enjoyed the work He enjoyed sticking it to the insurance co it to his secretary

The night was cool Trees above ently The partialof clouds

There see&039;s upstairs s, but it was difficult to tell as the blinds were shut I sipped from a water bottle The water was lukewarm I discovered that I liked lukeater, which was a refreshing change frolobin

I thought of the vaout anyone�Deven your husband�Dcan be boring work I held up my hand and studied it My skin hite, almost translucent Purple veins crisscrossed the back of my hand My nails were thick and hard Like roly I touched the center of ht shiver up ht arm Flesh and bone I was three dih I could love ave th?

I turned the rearviewin the e of the driver&039;s seat headrest My clothing moved as if occupied by the Invisible Wo It was as if the e ust

"Well, I&039;m here, dammit," I said to the mirror "Whether you like it or not"

Or perhaps I was saying this to Danny Or the world

So a creature called a vaht It tainted my blood with his Because of that taint I was forever and irrevocably changed

It had to do with the blood I thought of blood now It was the lifesource Without it, we die Well, without a lot of other stuff we die, too Without your head you die Without your heart you die

How could soe , flowed through everything Blood infused throughout the entire body

The blood, I realized, was the key My blood,my body unnaturally alive�Dand would, apparently, keep it unnaturally alive for all eternity

My God, I thought

And then I wondered: was I still a child of God Or was I rendered into so evil?

I didn&039;t feel evil

The street was quiet, but not empty Across the street, the door to ed One of them was nize the wo a new secretary a few ular, with straight, blond hair She wore a very tight white skirt

They walked together into the adjoining parking lot He led her to a little red convertible with its top down At her door ave her a very long, and very deep kiss They held that position for well over a half a ot in the car and drove away He watched her leave, then turned toward ht heat ot into his Escalade and left To drive home to his wife and kids

Nuine off I was surprised to discover that un that wasn&039;t there

40

Danny and I were lying in bed together