2 Bloody Heart

So, now that the store is closed, I can finally get out. The store is supposed to be open 24/7, but the last time this policy was applied, the building was still under construction. I've been working here most afternoon and nights for the last 3 years. I've seen a lot of people, and I've been robbed about fifteen times. The first time I almost peed myself. The last time it happened, I just looked the robber dead in the eyes without moving a finger, and he almost peed himself before running away. The thing is, most of them are just teenagers with fake weapons who saw a few movies too much, so I usually don't have to do anything before they realize it's not going to go as they "meticulously" planned.

As I prepare to go home, I hear someone calling my name: "Hello James!"

Surprised, I look at the person behind me, and says "What the hell?? Who are you and how did you get in here?"

The guy doesn't look like he's here to rob me this time. He's pretty well dressed, casual suit, dark hair, he looks like he has a bit of makeup as his lips seem too red to be natural. He looks at me, his hands behind his back, with a straight posture.

"Well, my name is Baptiste, and I came through the door." "Like hell you did! I answer. It was closed! I closed it five minutes ago! What do you want?"

"That, you did, but a closed door never stopped me. Don't worry, I'm just here to talk. For now, anyway." He looks smug as he tells me that he came in by breaking in. As if it really wasn't the first time he did something like that. I'm starting to get the creeps, he has a weird vibe.

"Okay, I'm going to need you to get the hell out, we're closed. And why did you call me that?" As I recall, he called me James, and I don't know this guy...

"I have tremendous powers! And it's written on your badge." Does he think that it's funny?

"Okay thank you weirdo, now goodbye, come back when we're open. Or don't. I'd prefer if you didn't." I really don't want him to come back.

"No." he says.

"No? If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police dude, you're creeping me out!" Please, please get out, I say in my head. I don't want this to go on any longer than it already has… As I start to unlock my phone and go to compose the police number, he interrupts me.

"No. YOU PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN." He says, with a voice that doesn't let me do as I want. As if compelled by his magnetic voice, my arm, previously holding the phone, starts to lower, until it gently puts the phone down as instructed.

"What? HEY, what the hell!? What did you- what is happening to me?!?" I don't like having no control over my actions. Why do I have no control over my actions? That's not normal! What is going on?!

"That, hypnosis, is one of the power I possess. I told you had had tremendous powers before, James." Why does he answer my questions, and what the hell does he mean by powerS?

"What do you want from me? What are you?!" I'm properly scared now. I won't piss myself, but I'd really like it to stop now. Is this a nightmare? Am I dreaming? This can't be real...

"I'm a vampire James, and I told you that I just want to talk. Now, SIT DOWN." Yup, that's it. It's a nightmare. As he says it, my body listens to his command. My feet start moving towards the desk, and my ass sits on the chair. No way it's real. Vampire? What the hell? I must have watched too many movies as of late.

"What the hell? The fuck!?! Stop doing that! I can't control my body!" I say, as my body is now sat on a chair and not moving.

"Yes, that is how hypnosis works." Smartass… Please, sleepy me, wake up!

"Oh god help me! It's a nightmare!"

"I'm afraid he's indisposed right now, James." WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP! Why am I not waking up?

"Fuck you! HELP! HELP ME! HELP!" If I can't wake up like that, might as well start calling for help in the dream.

"SILENCE. Now, James. Please." And my mouth closes. God! I hate hypnosis.

"…" Well I can't say anything now, so I look at him, with a mixture of fear and annoyance.

"Yes, that is better. No one is nearby anyway." I keep looking at him. How is that better? I can't talk, I can't move, and a creepy guy calling himself a vampire and controlling my body is staring me down. I don't see a single positive aspect to this situation. Oh, wait. I'm seated. Yup, that's it. That is all the positive thing about what's going on here.

"…" I still can't talk, so I don't really know what he's waiting for. An answer?

"I don't particularly enjoy talking with a mute person." Yup, he wants me to answer. Dude, you're in control of my body!

"…" Let me go! I try to say, but my lips can't seem to be able to move.

"If I free you from this hypnosis, will you call for help again?" If I do, I'm sure he'll make me do something worse than sitting so I try to shake my head.

"…" Of course, I can't shake my head, so instead, I look left and right with my eyes to convey the idea that I won't call for help.

"Perfect." And as he says that, a reddish glint seem to flash in his eyes, and I can feel control over my upper body coming back to me.

"What do you want, and what are you?" I say, in a slightly less panicky voice. Don't get me wrong, I'm more scared than ever, it's just that I don't see any way for me to escape when the guy still has control of my legs and is out of arm's' reach.

"I already told you, I'm a vam-" I cut him off.

"A Vampire yeah, right. No seriously what do you want?" Is he serious? Why does he say that? Vampire don't freaking exist dude.

"Just to talk for a bit, James. That's all." He already said that. He seems to be getting annoyed as it's the third time he answered that question.

"And you'll leave after that?" Please, just talk fast then.

"Yes." Go ahead, talk, and leave.

"What do you want to talk about?" Do I have to do the conversation by myself?

"You." Yup, I guess I do. Please, if you use more than one word we'll get somewhere faster.

"Me?" I ask, even if the answer is pretty obvious. I've got to make sure, and I want him to understand that a discussion is usually centered around more than one word.

"Yes, you." Progress! Two words this time. Let's avoid the yes or no question then.

"What about me?" I ask him.

"Well, I know your name is James, and that you work here. I was troubled by your aura so I came inside. I want to know more about you." My aura? What the hell?

"Uh, okay. Well, my name's not James actually. Why am I telling you that?" Once again, I feel like my body isn't responding entirely to me. Why did I tell him the truth? It would have been better if he didn't know James wasn't my name.

"In my presence you can't lie. That is another of my powers. What is your name, if it's not James, and why do you have an alias?"

"My name is Josiah, and I use an alias because I can't stand people who can't spell or pronounce my name right. And I prefer James. It's my second name." Stop telling him all of that!? You have to keep to yourself!

"Interesting. Names can bring a lot of information about someone." I bet it does. Please stop asking questions like that!

"Is it over?" I want it to be over so bad. I want to go home...

"Not quite. How old are you Josiah?" Why do you keep asking me about me? Why won't you let me live?

"Just call me James, please. I am 26." And stop answering him you dumbass body!

"Okay James. I will." What, no more question? Is it over?

"What do you want now? Can you let me leave, please?" I'm dreaming, I must be. I just have to find my bed, lie down, and wake up.

"Yes, I will. You interest me James. I will come back for you." Finally. Wait, what?

"Please don't, you scare me." Stop telling him things!

"I know, but I will come back. Don't try to run or hide, it will not work with me. Do you believe me?" I feel a strange compulsion, like, he's connected to me somehow. I believe him, I feel that even if I try to hide he'll find me.

"Yes, I do." Once again, my body just answer him without my consent.

"Good. Well, then. James. See you later." Is it over? He starts walking away. I don't hear his footsteps, but after about 30 seconds, I regain control of my body. The first thing I do is go to the bathroom. I don't want to pee myself.

That was my first meeting with Baptiste. But unfortunately it won't be the last. I don't really know how, but when I woke up the next morning, I was in my bed. I don't remember how I got there. I took the day off, and went online, trying to know what the hell just happened to me. I try to search hypnosis and lie prevention, but all I got was fakes and fictions. I really didn't want to believe about his being a vampire thing. I didn't look that up. At night I couldn't even close my eyes. I went back to work after that, but nothing happened. Three days. Five days. Eight days. Ten. Two weeks. Baptiste didn't come back. I felt more and more relieved with each passing day. After three months, I had put the encounter behind my head. I almost forgot about it. Almost because I sometimes had a chill in my spine, and would think back at that dreadful night, and would comfort myself, saying that it was all just a nightmare I'd had. Sometimes, I would just browse internet, and watch videos about hypnosis and resisting its effects. Even if it was a nightmare, it would always be useful to learn to defend oneself against a power that can make you do things you don't want to.

But after eight months, Baptiste came back. I was, once again, prepared to leave the shop when he appeared behind me.

"Hello James." Creepy as always, I still didn't hear him come in. It's like he materialized behind me.

"Jesus Christ!" I wasn't expecting him. I was ready to move on.

"No, my name is Baptiste, James. Although I heard that name quite a few times." Once again, as soon as I talk, he plays the smartass. I hate this. Please, just ask me two questions and leave...

"What do you want? Why now? "

"I was busy, dear. I want to make you mine now." What? Dear? His? What is he saying?

"What the fuck?" is the only thing that escapes my lips.

"Please, stop being so vulgar." Please stop saying weird stuff...

"I'm not gay!" i don't want to be yours!

"Neither am I." He looks upset. Why did he say that then?

"What do you mean by 'yours'?" I'm getting confused here...

"I'm a vampire, I want you to become a companion for me." Again with his vampire bullshit?

"What do you mean vampire? companion?"

"Well, a vampire is a vampire. And it's pretty lonely." Oh come on, don't tell me you believe what you're saying?!

"Stop that, you're not a fucking vampire! That shit isn't real!"

"Isn't it?"

I thought I would die. He suddenly opened his mouth, his face whitening in an instant, with teeth that would scare a shark coming from his jaws. Some were white as bone, some were yellowish, but all looked razor sharp. I couldn't move a hair. I couldn't make a noise. I thought I would pee myself but didn't. he came closer and closer to my neck, inch by inch, taking all the time in the world, and I was sweating bullets, but wasn't even shaking. My body once again fell outside my control. At the edge of my skin, he stopped, breathed for a minute and came back to his original face.

"So, am I real, or am I a fiction, James?" Okay, that's official, I'm scared as hell!

"You-you-you're a vampire!!!" That's the only thing that's in my head right now.

"I know." he says.

"You're a vampire!" I don't know what else to say...

"Yes, I am."

"You're a vam-" He cuts me off, this time.

"Yes. Now, snap out of it.

"But-but- What was that?" I can't seem to organize my mind. That thing he did was surreal.

"What was what? Be more specific." That's not my fault I'm not specific, I can't think straight!

"Y-y-your teeth! And your mouth! And your face!" That was frightening. I don't want to see that ever again...

"In every faces are mouth. And in most mouths are teeth. Mine are just a bit more numerous and a bit sharper. It can look scary, sure, but don't make a big deal out of it." What do you mean a big deal? I can't forget that! This is the stuff that the people who invent nightmares make nightmare about.

"B-b-b-but vampire have two fangs!" I've seen a lot of teeth in his mouth, but no fangs. Not that it should make a difference, but it strangely does.

"No that was just the imagination of a few people that wrote a few books and then made up the myth about us." That was way too much information. First things first.

"Us!? There are more like you!?" Yup, that's an important point that needs some explaining.

"A few here and there, but less than we can count on two hands. We all know each other." Oh, if they know each other that should make things okay — Like hell it does!!

"And you bleed people to death?" That's the second question. It's more prevalent, now that I know vampireS exist...

"Yes and no. Some used to do it, but were quickly found out and killed. We can't really make ourselves known to the world. It would lead to more work for us." Oh thank god! Wait, they don't kill because it's too much work? And they killed their kind to prevent more work?

"You killed them?" I have to ask. It could help me out of this predicament. At least I hope it does.

"I was part of the group that killed them. It was quite a while ago." For a guy asking questions and answering easily, he's pretty difficult to lead where I want him...

"Why me?" Let's go back a bit. I need to know why he chose me. I'm not the only one in this city. I know that the name City L doesn't sound inviting, but the mayor is weird.

"I told you, you have an aura that attracted me here. Now, let's go, we have to leave." What? no! no no no no no...

"What? Why? Where?" I don't want to leave with him...

"We have to go home. Because I want to make you my companion right now." Does he seem rushed to you, because he seemed rushed to me.

"What if I don't want to?" I'm playing a dangerous game, here, but i need to find something out.

"Do you think you can resist me?" Yes, I do. I've been practicing bro.

"Try me!" Come at me! I try to focus, imagining a wall in my mind. A wall shielding a controller. I read somewhere that you need to use images to represent things. I imagined a controller for my body. I shield it behind a huge brick and cement wall.

"KNEEL." he says. Haha! it didn't work!

"What!?" Oh shit. It did. I'm kneeling. My wall is still there, my controller isn't. He took control of my body. He made it look easy, too.

"What? Did you think you could prevent my powers with some videos found online?" How does he know that? Did he read my mind?

"How do you know that?"

"You still haven't closed that computer; the video is paused." Stupid me. Well at least he didn't read my thoughts. He would probably be more than just annoyed if he had.

"But why can't I do anything?" I've done everything they said in those videos. And nothing worked against him.

"You could, if you were a vampire older and or more powerful than I am. But you're just human. You can't defend yourself against something stronger than you. Now, shall we go?" That does explain things. At least some things. I really don't want to go...

"I-I-I…" I can't stop stuttering.

"You what? Please, it's getting late, I'd like to go now." He seems irked. Is there something bothering him? Good! I need to know what that is!

"Why? Is it because of the sun?" Is he afraid of the sun? He should be, I mean Vampire usua-

"The sun? It's not even 3AM. And vampires can live under the sun." What do you mean?! I thought I had found a way to get rid of him!

"What? But-"

"Almost everything about vampires that you can find is false. We don't fear the sun, wooden stakes in our hearts, crosses and certainly not garlic. Now, I'm getting tired of your little game."

As he says that, he comes towards me, step by step. I can't seem to move a finger. His eyes turn red, and he stretches his hand towards me. He puts his finger behind my skull, and I feel my consciousness fading away as my eyes stare straight towards his red eyes. I can't move my eyes away, and feel my body getting heavier. My eyelids start to close, as my body rest in his hands. Finally, the last strand of consciousness leave me, as I fall asleep. At least I hope I'm falling asleep. I hope I'm not going to d—