Chapter 5: An act full of nonsense

"Are you serious right now?" Zach looked between the three of them, but they remained silent. Dominick paced around the room, fidgeting with books and quills while Mable gave him an awkward smile.

"Hey, answer me. Why are you keeping your mouths shut?" Zach pressed.

"We're dead serious," Velor finally spoke up.

"We told you because you at least need to know how to protect yourself and avoid..." Dominick trailed off, his voice heavy with the weight of the situation.

"Protect myself? From what? Even if I'm in some vampire base, I can't do anything!" Zach gestured around the room frantically.

"That's true, but we're not the only type of vampire that exists in this world," Dominick added seriously. "There are some that walk among mortals - the sunspawned."

"You might have met one without knowing they were a vampire. They're dangerous," Mable warned.

"That's why we need to talk about this. Your scent..." Velor paused 

his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You're surrounded by vampire scent right now. It's like a dinner bell to the sunspawned."

Zach's heart pounded. "So I'm... what, bait?"

Velor shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Let's just say you're on the menu."

"So I have to die somehow?" Zach's voice grew frustrated.

"No, you don't. We can help you avoid that tragic fate." Dominick said with a reassuring smile, gesturing for Mable to hand Zach the elixir bottle. It was rose gold in colour with intricate rose and vine patterns.

"This elixir can help mask your presence from the sunspawned," Mable explained. "It's not a permanent solution, but it will give us time to figure out a more lasting way to keep you safe."

She poured the pinkish liquid into a glass and handed it to Zach. "You need to drink this every day, don't forget. And if it runs out, I'll have Velor bring you more."

Velor raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"

"Aren't you the one with the most free time among us?" Mable countered. "I need to brew this elixir, and I need Dominick's help to gather the ingredients. You're the only one hanging around Dominick's room, judging everything."

"Fine, but don't expect me to enjoy it." Velor rolled his eyes dramatically, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.

Mable turned back to Zach. "It's a blend of rare herbs and... other ingredients."

"Now chug it, and you're good to go," Dominick encouraged.

Zach eyed the glass suspiciously, his stomach churning. What if this is poison? Another trick? "What if I drink this and die? Like, from whatever you sprayed me with earlier?"

Mable's smile softened, but her eyes remained cold. "Nothing like that, love. Just a little something to keep you safe."

Zach hesitated for a moment, eyeing the pinkish liquid warily. But with few other options, he steeled himself and tipped the glass back, taking a large gulp. The elixir flooded his mouth with a sweet strawberry flavour that carried a pungent, sour tang - like biting into an overripe berry. As he swallowed, the cloying flavours seemed to coat and tingle along his throat.

But that initial fruitiness was quickly overwhelmed by a strange, funky aftertaste. It had an almost metallic quality, like pennies or rusty nails. The unsettling flavour seemed to linger on his tongue and the back of his throat no matter how much he tried to clear it away. It left Zach briefly disoriented and reeling, his head spinning slightly from the harsh, unpleasant sensation.

He grimaced and shuddered, resisting the urge to gag or spit out the vile concoction. Was this some kind of cruel prank or trap? But Mable and the others watched him impassively, giving no indication they intended him harm...at least not yet. Zach could only hope he hadn't just made a terrible mistake by blindly trusting them.

"Tastes bad, eh? I once drank one of Mable's elixirs and had a blood fever for a week," Dominick said with a smirk, earning a death glare from Mable.

Zach shook his head, trying to clear the foul metallic taste. "Now what?"

"We wait and see," Mable replied, a flicker of warmth in her otherwise icy gaze. "We keep you safe, Zach."

"You better be," Zach sighed, eying her warily.

"Here." Velor slid Zach's phone across the table. ""Someone's been texting and calling like it's the end of the world."

"It's my friends, damn it. She's going to kill me for real," Zach grumbled, standing to leave.

"And how do you know when the elixir has run out? Do you have some kind of telepathic power?" he asked.

The three vampires burst out laughing.

"What?" Zach looked confused.

"No, we don't have that kind of power," Dominick wiped a tear from his eye.

"If it runs out, just text Velor," he said with a giggle.

Velor chuckled and snatched the phone out of Zach's hand. "Give me your phone then." He quickly added his number with a few taps. "Just text me if you need more elixir. Nothing else."

"Why would I text you about anything else?" Zach frowned as Velor handed his phone back to him.

Velor shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Who knows? Maybe you'll want to hang out sometime." He handed the phone back to Zach.

"Right..." Zach muttered and put the phone in his pocket. He still wasn't sure what to make of these vampires, but he had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot more of them.

"Good, now go home," Velor waved him off brusquely.

"Aren't you going to explain things further?" Zach asked, straightening his jacket.

"It's not time...yet," Dominick grinned cryptically.

"Alright then." Zach shot Mable one last glance, her worry evident, before turning to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing," Mable called out, waving goodbye. "Don't forget to drink it every day when you wake up!"

Zach stepped through the door, the sound of the three vampires arguing fading behind him. As he climbed the stairs, the truth of the place hit him like a splash of cold water. This wasn't an old man mansion - it was a vampire's nest. The guests, their eyes gleaming in the low light. The décor, all shadows and sharp angles. The metallic tang in the air, barely masked by the sweetness of rose and cherry. It all made sense now.

"Wait, so the old man who owns this place is... Dominick?" Zach mumbled to himself.

"Safe travels home," a voice purred. The twins materialised beside Zach as he neared the exit.

"Oh god! Th-thank you," Zach stammered, eyes wide as he took in their identical faces and shimmering eyes.

Zach walked towards the gate, the mansion looming behind him. A shiver ran down his spine. Had he just willingly entered a predator's nest? He shook off the feeling and hurried towards where Eva had parked, a cigarette smouldering in one hand, her phone in the other. He opened his mouth to call out, but her eyes found him first. 

Her eyes locked on him and anger flashed across her features. She stormed over, nostrils flaring. "Well? Explain yourself!"

"Eva, listen..." Zach held up his hands, but she cut him off with a stinging slap to his arm.

"Zachary Miltonz!" Eva's voice was a whip crack. Her hand connected with his arm.

"Do you know how worried I've been, you moron?!" Another slap.

"I know, I'm sorry," Zach winced. "It's just... a lot happened."

"We're leaving. Now." Eva shoved him toward the car. "And you're telling me everything, or I'll kill you myself."

She yanked the door open and slammed it behind her. The pungent smoke hit Zach's nostrils as he climbed in

"Thought you quit," Zach commented.

"Yeah, well, thanks to you, I started again." She pulled away from the curb. "Do you have any idea how late it is?"

"I know, I'm sorry. Like you said, I'm a moron." Zach glanced at the elixir bottle in his hand.

"What's that?" Eva asked.

"Can we go home first?" Zach offered a weak smile.

Eva frowned. "Fine."

The drive passed in suffocating silence, the unspoken worries louder than words. Zach stole glances at Eva but her thunderous expression kept the words caught in his throat. He knew he'd put her through hell - again. His mind raced for an explanation, any excuse.

 Eva pulled up to Zach's place, the porch light throwing jagged shadows across the unkempt lawn. With a jerk of her chin, she made it clear - time to move.

Zach fumbled with his keys, Eva prowling behind him like a lioness weighing whether to pounce. Finally, the door gave out. They stepped into the dim interior, Zach immediately setting the elixir bottle on the kitchen counter with a dull thunk.

Eva dropped onto the couch, fixing him with a bone-chilling stare. "Talk."

Zach opened his mouth, but what could he possibly say? That he'd stumbled into a vampire nest and somehow lived? That these monsters claimed they wanted to "protect" him?

"Either you start making sense right now, or I walk out that door." Her tone brooked no argument.

Zach's shoulders sagged in resignation. Where to even begin? He grabbed the bottle, rolling it in his palms as the gravity of his situation settled in his gut.

"If I told you, would you think I'm crazy?" Zach asked, sitting beside her.

"Depends," she replied, her voice firm.

"You know that mansion you dropped me off at?" His voice was little more than a rasp. "It's... it's a vampire nest."

Eva's eyes narrowed, but she stayed silent, waiting. Steeling himself, Zach launched into the nightmarish tale - the weird ceremony, the sleeping spray, waking bound by those....things. And their deranged claim to be safeguarding him from "the sunspawned."

As the sordid details poured out, Eva's expression remained inscrutable. Finally, Zach finished, gesturing weakly at the bottle. "Some kind of tonic to mask my scent, keep me off their radar..." 

The silence stretched on, swallowing them both. Just when Zach thought the doubt would consume him, Eva spoke in a low, measured tone.

"I knew that place gave off seriously dark vibes. Didn't think it'd be..." She exhaled heavily. "Vampire nests…Why is it always you, Zach?"

"That time it was some menace attacking you, and now a vampire nest?" Eva's eyes shone with genuine worry. "Maybe you're just cursed with the worst luck."

Zach slumped back on the couch, eyes closed. "I shouldn't have gone in. But you were so happy I showed any interest..."

A rueful smile tugged at his lips. "Hey, at least I walked out in one piece this time."

Eva stood abruptly. "I should go. You need to rest after...all that."

Zach's eyes snapped open at her movement. "Leaving already?"

"We'll talk later." Eva forced a reassuring smile and pulled him into a brief embrace. "I need to process this insanity first."

She pulled away, heading for the door. Over her shoulder, she added, "Try not to find any more hellmouths between now and then?"

A low, mirthless chuckle escaped Zach. "No promises."

As the door closed behind Eva, the weight of everything crashed over him anew. He looked at the innocuous bottle - his talisman against a nightmare he could scarcely wrap his mind around.

The fridge door creaked open, Zach grabbing a water bottle and pouring it into a glass. His grip tightened around the cool, condensation-beaded surface as he leaned back against the counter.

How had his once-mundane life degenerated into this twisted, macabre fantasy world? Part of him still waited for the punchline - for those pale, sinister smiles to split into maniacal laughter as someone shouted "Just kidding, you idiot!"

But the acrid, metallic taste still clung to his throat like a noose. And the haunted look in Eva's eyes told a different, uglier story. One of dread and ancient horrors lurking in modern-day shadows.

He gulped the water, but it did nothing to quell the nausea in his gut. The "protection" story felt like a trap. He eyed the elixir bottle like it was a venomous snake. Had he just signed his own death warrant?

He eyed the innocent-looking elixir bottle like a viper coiled to strike. Had he willingly slipped the noose around his own neck? Or was this his only lifeline against having his veins drained dry?

Zach moved to the couch, pressing the cold glass to his forehead. Sleep might offer a temporary escape from the dread gnawing at him. As his eyelids fluttered shut, a chilling question echoed through his thoughts, since when did the monsters stop lurking in the shadows and start running the world?

Morning light knifed through the curtains, rousing Zach from his fitful slumber. He blinked clearly, taking stock of his dishevelled appearance - hair tangled like a bird's nest, jacket slung over one shoulder. 

The previous night's events slammed back into focus as his gaze landed on the elixir bottle. Mable's warning rang in his ears - "Don't forget to drink it every day when you wake up."

Zach grabbed the bottle and poured a measure into last night's glass. He steeled himself and downed it in one searing gulp while pinching his nose against the vile, metallic aftertaste.But the funk still coated his tongue like tinfoil no matter how much he grimaced and shook his head. "Gotta ask her to make this taste better next time," he muttered.

After a quick, cold shower, Zach towelled off and fired up his computer. His fingers hovered over the keys as he attempted to summarise the previous night's events. He opened his usual writing platform and began typing, trying to capture the surreal nature of the encounter. But the words felt hollow, failing to convey the bizarre reality he'd stumbled into. He stared at the screen, the cursor blinking mockingly. How could he possibly explain the unexplainable? He backspaced furiously, growling at his impotent attempts to convey the surreal. These banal phrases could never encapsulate the existential dread of learning the vampire stalked modern society. Of waking up shackled in their nest, helpless prey to be toyed with.

Zach shoved away from the desk, scrubbing his hands through his damp hair. As a writer, he trafficked in imagination - in bending reality to his pen's whims. But last night's bizarre twist defied comprehension, much less coherent narration.

Glaring back at the blank document offered no epiphanies, only a mocking reminder of his artistic futility. Zach's gaze drifted to the innocuous elixir bottle, filled with mysteries more arcane than any words could shape.

For once, his creative well had run dry. No amount of flowery language could change the harsh truth – the world's shadows had taken on terrifying new forms. Perhaps it was safest to leave some stones unturned, after all.

He rummaged for his phone, thumbing through the photos from last night's twisted affair.

But the more he stared at those damning images, the more his brain ossified. Growling in frustration, he flung the phone aside and threw himself onto the bed. Maybe a power nap would jump-start his creativity. 

But for the matter of fact, Zach tossed and turned, unable to pry his thoughts free from their vampire-shaped shackles. 

When he finally cracked open his eyes, evening shadows stretched across his bedroom floor. A cramp ran through his gut - the first pangs of a neglected stomach. Zach groaned, pulled himself to his feet and shuffled into the kitchen. With bleary eyes, he rummaged through the fridge and pulled out some questionable leftovers. It didn't matter - any ballast in his stomach was preferable to those gnawing hunger pangs. He choked down the congealed scraps, grimacing at the unpleasant textures and flavours. 

The meagre leftovers did little to satisfy Zach's growling stomach. He tossed the empty containers aside in disgust. His body demanded to eat, but the thought of forcing down more dubious leftovers made him gag.

Zach straightened up and grabbed his jacket off the hook. He decided to find some proper food to eat, as he walked out. The cool night air bit at his cheeks like a slap as he stepped outside. Good. The pain was grounding. It reminded him that he could still feel that he still existed in the real world, despite the growing shadows around him.

Hunching his shoulders against the cold, Zach set off down the dimly lit street at a brisk pace. He navigated half by instinct, half by the garish neon signs that blinked through the inky darkness. Eventually, he found himself at a battered diner.

The tinny bell jangled overhead as he pushed through the diner's faded door. A couple of blue-collar workers huddled at the counter, while the waitress chewed gum and eyed him with disinterest. Zach made his way to a table in the corner.

"Can I order?" Zach asked, raising his voice slightly.

"What'll it be, then?" She finally looked at him, unimpressed.

"Cheeseburger and chips, please." He gave her a sheepish smile, which she flatly ignored

"Alright." She nodded and passed the order to the chef through a hatch in the wall. Ten minutes later, a plate piled high with a juicy cheeseburger and crispy chips arrived. Despite the diner's shabby appearance, the food looked surprisingly good. Zach dug in, gazing out the window as he ate. He watched cats slink along the street and couples stroll by, a bouquet clutched in one hand. He smiled faintly, then returned his attention to his meal.

Then the tinny bell jangled again as another dishevelled soul entered from the night, jarring him back to reality. He took another huge bite, chewing mechanically as the waitress's raucous laugh pierced the diner's hushed cocoon. Zach swallowed hard, the rich burger's heady flavour now ashes on his tongue.

As he looked outside while chewing

"Enjoying yourself?"

The low, familiar voice made Zach start. He looked up to find Velor sliding into the booth opposite him, his crimson hair less tidy than the night before. He held a box of juice in one hand

"Stalking me now?" Zach muttered, unable to stop himself from sounding worried.

Velor snorted, sipping from a juice box. "Please. Why would I waste my time?"

"Just out running errands, saw a kid eating alone." He shrugged, eyes boring into Zach.

"I'm 29, not a kid." Zach met Velor's stare, chewing defiantly.

"Whatever."

An uneasy silence stretched between them, the ambient clatter of the diner unable to drown out the crackling tension. Velor didn't even blink, looking at Zach with an intensity that made the hairs on his neck stand up.

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" Zach asked wearily.

"No." Flat and final, like an inscription on a tombstone

Zach crumpled his napkin, tossing it atop the decimated plate as he reached for his wallet. But Velor's voice stopped him.

"I don't have your number."

Zach looked up sharply as Velor slid his phone across the tabletop, fixing him with those unsettling piercing blue eyes.

"Can't you just look at missed calls?" But Velor's stare didn't waver.

Suppressing a grimace, Zach scooped up the phone and quickly thumbed in his number before sliding it back.

"There."

Velor pocketed the device without a word. Then, holding Zach's gaze unnervingly "Life is harder than it looks sometimes"

"Bye" Velor said, Zach looked at him with a weirdly look

He walked over to the waitress, paid for the food, and started to leave the diner. As the diner's bell jangled behind him, Zach glanced back to where Velor had been sitting, but he was gone. Shaking his head, Zach continued his way back home. 

Zach's phone buzzed with a text from the number he'd saved as 'Jerk.'

'Send me your addrss in case something happens.'

"What's with this guy?" Zach muttered to himself.

'Aren't you the one who told me to not text you about anything except the elixir?' Zach replied with a few confused emoticons.

'Yes Mable told me to ask yiu about this it is not my ides' Velor responded, his typing a bit sloppy.

'I can tell,' Zach shot back, sending Velor a screenshot of his address. 

Zach waited for the text back, but Velor left him on read

"This guy…" Zach sigh and put his phone away

As he arrived home, Zach headed to the bathroom to clean up and brush his teeth. Then, he walked to his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, not caring about the potential acid reflux from lying down so soon after eating. He pulled out his phone and began to scroll through it, trying to distract himself from the strange encounter with Velor today. His eyes grew heavy again. He considered doing something to keep himself awake but quickly dismissed the idea. Soon, he was asleep, his body and mind finally succumbing to exhaustion

The next few days passed in a blur. Zach went through the motions of his daily routine, taking the elixir each morning and burying his thoughts about the vampires deep down. Work and chores kept him occupied, the mundane tasks offering a temporary anchor in the storm that had become his life.

A few days after the weird diner run-in with Velor, Zach was still puzzled by the trio - Velor, Mable, Dominick. He felt a bit relieved not hearing from them lately, but also unsure what they were up to. Part of him wondered if maybe they weren't as bad as he first thought.

The elixir bottle was nearly empty, a constant reminder he'd have to deal with them again soon. 

One night, as he was getting ready for bed, Zach noticed what little liquid was left. With a sigh, he dug out his phone and found Velor's contact.

After hesitating a moment, Zach typed out a message asking for more elixir. His thumb hovered over the send button as he debated whether reaching out might stir up more trouble he didn't want.

'Hey, the elixir is almost out.' He put the phone down, but it buzzed almost instantly.

'Ok i'll tel mable,' Velor replied, his message riddled with typos.

Zach sighed and put the phone down again. A moment later, another buzz.

'Do you want me to give it ti you now?'

'That was fast.'

'She prepared it before hand.'

'So now?' Velor texted again.

'If you can,' Zach typed back

'I'll come over,' Velor replied instantly.

Zach grabbed a jacket and went outside. The cold wind hit him like a wall, forcing him to sneeze and sniffle. He looked at his shadow and began to play with it, amused by the way it mimicked his movements. He jumped and the shadow jumped. He waved, and the shadow waved back. It was a simple pleasure. As he continued to amuse himself with his shadow, he noticed a shadow of a figure behind him.

"Why every time I see you, you're always doing something alone?" Velor, his hair dishevelled and a jacket pulled tight around him, held a paper bag in one hand.

"And why are you outside? It's freezing."

"Waiting for you," Zach replied. "Though you bloodsuckers didn't get cold. Aren't you supposed to be immune? Mable's hands were like ice."

"Some are, some aren't. I happen to hate the cold," Velor said, shivering. "Now go inside, I'm freezing." He nodded towards the house.

Zach held the door open for Velor, who looked genuinely cold. The warmth of the house seemed to thaw him a little.

"Thanks," Velor said, stepping inside and rubbing his hands together.

Zach closed the door and watched Velor for a moment, a question forming in his mind.

"Here, the elixir." Velor handed over the paper bag.

"Am I tripping?" Zach asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Velor looked confused.

"Nothing," Zach mumbled, taking the bag

"Now, I need to tell you something," Velor turned to Zach. "Mable's out of town, gathering ingredients - the kind Dominick's too dumb to find." A smirk played on his lips.

"She said she'd be back before this bottle runs out." Velor glanced at the paper bag Zach was holding.

"And..." He pulled out his phone, squinting at the screen. "She changed some ingredients. It might taste like rotten bananas. She also said this batch is stronger, so don't take too much. Oh, and the effects can last up to twenty-four hours, so set a timer and try not to puke." He read off the message in a rapid-fire staccato.

"Next time, just forward her message to me." Zach sighed and pulled the bottle out of the bag. It was plain black, nothing special except for the thick brown liquid sloshing inside.

Velor stepped closer, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Is that even edible?"

Zach eyed him. "Maybe."

Velor quickly backed away as Zach opened the bottle. The smell of rotten fruit hit them like a wave as the cap popped off. Velor pinched his nose and retreated to the other side of the room while Zach staggered back, the food he had eaten threatening to reappear.

"Hell no, I'm not drinking that witch's brew!" He slapped a hand over his mouth and nose, voice muffled. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Velor shrugged, keeping a cautious distance as the stench crept through the room. "Hey, don't blame me. Mable's elixir, not mine."

A dark glint entered Velor's blue eyes as he watched Zach's discomfort. "That stench, and your situation... Perhaps you should just take it. " He stifled a giggle, pinching his nose dramatically. 

"Wouldn't that be awfully inconvenient? But for your own protection, well... it might taste good in the long run." Velor batted his eyes with mock innocence.

Zach whirled on him, forehead creased in an exaggerated scowl. "Oh you think you're funny, do you?"

He snatched up the offending bottle and poured a small amount into a glass, stomping towards the smirking vampire with a devilish glint of his own.

"Well then, oh mighty comedian - here, get a good whiff of this killer punchline!"

Zach swatted away Velor's hands as he tried to shield his face. With a mischievous cackle, he shoved the glass's vile, stinking concoction right under Velor's nose, the putrid stench wiping the smirk off Velor's face.

Zach allowed himself a brief, sardonic chuckle at Velor's disgust - a small win against the tide of madness...but it was short-lived relief.

Zach cackled, cornering the retreating vampire against the wall. "What's the matter?" he taunted, swirling the glass under Velor's nose. "Can't handle a little sip?"

Velor squeezed his eyes shut. "Come on! That stinks worse than a rotting corpse!"

"Ah ah ah..." Zach waggled the glass. "Try it for yourself. If it tastes as good as you say, I'll gladly chug this every day."

He smirked. Velor's eyes shot open, panic and disgust warring on his pale features..

"You sure?" Velor eyed Zach warily, a mix of desperation and disbelief etched across his pale features.

Zach's smirk widened into a devilish grin. "100% sure, fang boy."

Velor held his gaze for a suspended moment, then snatched the glass from Zach's hand with a resigned exhale. He eyed the chunky, foul-smelling sludge, disgust already twisting his expression.

"Go on," Zach purred, "Don't keep a guy waiting all night."

Pinching his nose with one hand, Velor tilted the glass towards his lips with the other. He hesitated, blanching as the rotten stench intensified tenfold.

"I swear, I always hate Mable's twisted idea of 'medicine,'" he grumbled through his sealed fingers.

Zach watched with unrestrained glee as the vampire finally screwed his eyes shut and upended the vile concoction in one massive, gagging gulp.

"There you go!" Zach whooped, slapping the sputtering vampire's back with each wheezing guffaw. 

Velor responded with a gagging sound, followed by a weak gesture for Zach to back off. He stumbled towards the kitchen, turning on the tap and rinsing his abused mouth frantically under the running water.

Zach collapsed onto the couch, wiping away tears of laughter as the last chuckles slowly subsided. He turned to see Velor slowly regaining his composure, braced against the counter. The vampire's porcelain features were flushed, his pale skin beaded with clammy sweat - no doubt from the caustic effects of Mable's purportedly "improved" elixir.

"Now you..." Velor croaked, voice ragged between heavy pants. "Your turn to chug it, smart guy."

He fixed Zach with a withering glare, gesturing towards the same glass with an imperious chin jerk.

A fresh grin split Zach's face as he scooped up the bottle and refilled the glass with the same pour. 

"You want a lesson on how a real adult takes their medicine?"

Holding Velor's defiant gaze, Zach took an exaggeratedly deep breath and swallowed the foul sludge in one long gulp, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

As soon as the first sickly-sweet note hit his senses, he understood Velor's violent reaction. A noxious tsunami of putrescence flooded Zach's mouth and nasal passages - fruity notes curdled into brackish decay, a bouquet of compost and rotten meat unspooling across his tongue.

He slapped a hand over his lips, fighting the volcanic urge to purge as the rancid tsunami crashed through his airways. Holding his breath only compounded the torture, that fetid miasma seeping unabated into his consciousness.

Zach's eyes streamed, jaw clenched in a rictus as he forced the ungodly thing down in protracted slow-motion. Every fibre of his being rejected the foul intrusion with violent aplomb.

Finally, it was gone, though the seared ghost of its presence lingered in a cold, septic vaporous wake. Gasping, Zach sagged back against the couch, gulping air like a drowning man as he shot Velor a sideways grimace.

"Congratulations," the vampire said flatly, looking distinctly unimpressed. "You're halfway to actually eating a corpse."

Zach choked back a gag, the taste of rotten fruit lingering on his tongue. But the sight of Velor's suffering brought a twisted sense of satisfaction. If this was the price of shared misery, then so be it. A small victory, perhaps, but a victory nonetheless in this upside-down world