Diary of a Blood Drinker Read online

  Chapter 1 The desert

  Chapter 2 Heading home

  Chapter 3 Phoenix

  Chapter 4 My first feeding

  Chapter 5 Las Vegas

  Chapter 6 The first job

  Chapter 7 Discovering my mortality

  Chapter 8 Los Angeles

  Chapter 9 Second career

  Chapter 10 Frank and Jonas

  Chapter 11 Meeting new Vampires

  Chapter 12 Jonas again

  Chapter 13 New hunting grounds

  Chapter 14 Normal life

  Chapter 15 Marty

  Final chapter

  Chapter 1

  I don’t know how I got into this mess. I know that if I use this baby to satisfy my thirst, it will die. I know that vampires are not supposed to have a conscience but, for some reason, I think about all my victims. Most of them live, but a body this small could not live if I take all that I need to survive.

  How it all started I am still confused about. I was supposed to meet a couple of friends on a camping trip to the Sonoran desert – friends I had met while playing blackjack at the casinos in Las Vegas. I would meet up with them from time to time and had developed friendships. We spent some pleasant time at the casino bar comparing stories about our personal lives, our careers, and how well we did at gambling. We found out that we all loved to camp, go fishing, and spend time outdoors. We talked about the possibility of getting together to plan an outing. After suggesting several places, we set a date to meet at an isolated location. The desert at that time of the year could get very hot during the day and cold at night. But the environment was so pleasant that it was easy to have a nice experience if you brought along the proper equipment. It had been hours since we were to have met and I had yet to see them. Maybe they could not find the place, or they decided that they really did not want to do this. In any case, they never showed.

  It was getting dark and cool and I was tired from the drive and from waiting. Being an experienced outdoorsman, I decided to set up camp in a level clearing next to a cluster of stovepipe cactus. I started a small fire, put down my sleeping bag on a tarp and laid down to rest.

  As I looked up in the sky, I wondered what happened to the two so-called friends. I marveled at the millions of stars I would be sleeping under that night. Being away from city lights seemed to intensify the brightness of the stars. Since there was a new moon the only light were the stars, and the small fire I had started to take away the chill. I warmed up some food.

  As I tried to make out the constellations in the sky I fell asleep. I had terrible dreams. I dreamed of demons, scorpions, and other creatures crawling over me. I saw snakes crawling over me and biting me. I was cold and yet, in my sleep-conscious mind I knew that everything was all right. I had plenty of blankets to keep me warm. I had made preparations around my campsite in case a curious coyote or snake came by. Because of my experience spending time camping like this, I remembered that most creatures are more afraid of us than we are of them and would most likely stay away.

  I came out of my sleep and saw the embers in the fire ring. The stars seemed to be more brilliant than I had seen before. I sat up, , looked around me, and saw the silhouette of the cactus and it seemed to be moving. I had an eerie feeling I had not experienced before that brought on a chill that ran through me.

  I was getting very warm and I couldn’t understand why because just a while ago I was very cold. The sun was coming up over the horizon but I knew that in the desert it take a while for the warmth to take effect on the landscape. I was covered with my blanket and as I looked around I was blinded by the light.

  I got up and stumbled to my car. I felt for the door, opened it and crawled into the back seat. I rolled down the windows to let some air in and I started to cool down. I lay there trying to think of what was happening to me. I felt so sick. It felt like I had been in an accident and every part of my body ached and burned. I needed to rest. I was so tired and every movement caused some part of my body to hurt. I finally fell into a deep sleep.

  I woke up confused, thirsty and hungry. According to the clock on the dashboard in the car, I had slept all day. It should be dark again, but as I looked around to see if anybody had come by, I was surprised that I could see as clearly as if it were daytime. I heard a rustle outside of the car and saw a small desert mouse scurrying through the underbrush. I heard a small breeze moving through the cactus towers. Off somewhere in the distance I heard a loud thumping. It wasn’t until I heard the braying of a donkey that I realize what it was. I got out of the car and as I tried to walk, I felt as if every muscle in my body had been beaten with something. I bent over and checked the embers in the fire ring and they were cold. Everything around me pointed to the fact that I had been sleeping for close to twenty-four hours.

  I found some bottled water and drank to quench my thirst. As soon as the liquid hit my stomach I started belching. My stomach started cramping up and I vomited it all out. I knew that the water was clean. Why would I react to it so violently? Something was wrong. I was thirsty. I needed to drink or I knew I would not survive out here. I got another bottle of water and opened it. As I held the container up to my mouth to take a drink, I was overwhelmed by a strong chemical smell of plastic. It must be the water that I bought on the way there that was bad.

  I had packed fruit juice in glass bottles. I knew that wasn’t bad because I had just had some when I got there. I opened the cooler and the odor of the food I packed was overwhelming. I slammed the lid shut and stumbled away. Everything smelled like it was rotten. I could detect every individual ingredient I had used to make sandwiches. The fruit smelled like it had spoiled. I was thirsty and hungry but it appeared as if everything that I brought had gone bad. Was I experiencing a horrible reaction to everything because I was ill?

  All my senses seemed to be stronger than I had ever noticed before. Maybe that’s what was making me react so violently to the food and water. My sense of smell and taste were many times more acute than I had ever known. I decided to wait until morning and maybe I would feel better. If I had to, I could find a place along the highway to get some fresh provisions.

  I crawled back into the car and lay there for what seemed like hours, listening to desert sounds that I had never heard before; sounds of creatures that I suspected were out there. I smelled plant flowers, moisture in the ground, and odors left behind by every person that was ever in the car. I could smell my sister’s perfume, the faint smell of candies that her son was eating and others that I could not identify. All these odors must have permeated into the fabric of the car seats but they were as strong as if they were fresh. I was fascinated by everything that was happening to me, yet frightened that, if I didn’t do something, things could get worse and I could die.

  Chapter 2

  I threw everything out of the car that smelled, grabbed my keys and decided to go try to find a hospital. I started the car and the smell of the exhaust was so strong I choked. I sat there until I was able to compose myself. I never realized how loud the car engine was when it was running. The vibration was so intense it seemed that the car was going to fall apart. I decided that I would have to take it in to a mechanic to have it looked at as soon as I got home. It took me a while before I could leave.

  As I was driving I realized I didn’t have the headlights on but that I could see as clear as day. I turned on the lights and was immediately blinded by the brightness. I turned them off and my vision came back to normal but as soon as I turned them on again, I could not see. How was I going to be able to drive along the highway and into town without lights on? I stopped the car and sat there, trying to figure out what was going on. What I was going to do? Why was my vision so screwed up?

>   I was sitting in the dark, confused and scared. I heard a rustle in the underbrush a few feet away from the car. I saw a wounded raccoon lying among the bushes barely moving. I also caught the smell of blood. In a flash I was out the door, running toward it. I dropped to my knees and bent over the raccoon. Something drove me to bite into the neck of that small animal. As I drank the blood, I came to my senses and realized what I was doing.

  I thought that I was going to be sick to my stomach, but it did not happen. My thirst and my hunger were not so bad now and I felt better than I had a few minutes before. What had possessed me to do such a thing? It felt as if I did not have any control over my actions. As I lay there next to this small animal I felt disgust and sadness for what I had done. I started to weep. I could not understand what was happening to me.

  I had read stories about creatures that drank blood but I always thought they were tales from someone’s imagination. How did this happen to me, all alone out in the desert? I wondered if I had been bitten by something that would cause me to experience these weird symptoms.

  I felt along my arms and legs to see if I had any bite or sting marks. I could not find anything. I crawled back in the car and looked at myself in the mirror. I examined my neck. There, on the side of my neck were two small punctures. I wondered about what kind of animal would leave marks like these. If this bite were from a fanged snake like a rattler, I would not be sitting her trying to figure this out – I would be dead. I thought of bats that came during the night to feed on the nectar of the cactus flower. Was it possible that I had been bitten by one? I had read that there were such things as vampire bats. Was it possible that I had been bitten by one during the night? Was this the cause of my dreams? From what I had read, vampire bats fed on livestock. Why one would chose to feed on me? Why would I be reacting to this bite so violently? Did the bite of a bat infect me with something that would make me crave blood?

  Some of the symptoms I was experiencing were consistent with what I had read about vampires, things like heightened sense of smell, sight, speed, and agility. I had felt all of those things when I smelled and drank the blood of the raccoon. If all the vampire stories were true, there were other things I had to watch for. I could no longer be in the sunlight. Drinking blood would be my way of life, judging by my recent reaction to the food and water. I knew that my body was changing and I did not know how long this would last.

  I had to get out of there and get some help. Who could I seek help from? If I found someone, what would happen to me once they found out what I’d been going through? Who could I trust, that would take me seriously and find a way to help me? I decided the best thing for now was to try to make it home; wait to see if these symptoms would go away. If things did not get better, I would have to see a doctor.

  I got into my car and drove in the dark as close to the interstate as I could. I hoped I could make my way home but, after a while, I realized I needed help. I parked on the shoulder and walked to the side of the road, standing with my back to the headlights of the oncoming traffic. Someone would surely stop and offer some help.

  I heard a slow moving truck approach and slow down. I ran as fast as I could and easily caught up to it. I jumped on the trailer bumper. Before I saw what was inside, I was hit be the odor of cow manure. The smell was so strong that I felt dizzy and had to cover my nose with my hand. It was a cattle transport truck. I was able to open the back gate enough to slip in among the animals, hoping that I would not be trampled to death.

  All this activity had made me thirsty and hungry. I realized that, if the small amount of blood from a raccoon could revitalize me, the blood of a cow would do even more for me. How could I get some blood from an animal this big? I found a young calf and felt around its neck. At first the calf was restless and tried to move away, but because of the trailer being crowded it could not move easily. I thought that I would bite into the neck artery of the calf. The thought of putting my mouth on a fur-covered animal made me step back for a moment. The urge to drink blood was so strong that I was having a hard time convincing myself that this was okay. Why did I not feel this way with the raccoon earlier that night? Something took control of me and the next thing I knew, I was biting into the calf’s neck.

  Every drink I swallowed brought me back to a health that I never realized I could experience. My body and my mind grew stronger; all my senses were becoming more acute. I could hear the breathing and heartbeat of every cow in the trailer. I could hear the truck driver humming a song that I had never heard. The smells of the cows and truck were overwhelming. The euphoria of drinking blood and enjoying the newfound energy sent my mind whirling. I was not as confused as before and now I was beginning to think more clearly. My body did not hurt anymore. I still could not understand why I had this strong urge to drink blood.

  I am a middle-aged man who thought that sitting around a campfire, having a drink or two was enough physical activity for me. My job was pretty sedentary and I did not socialize very often. I was living a very normal life hoping to make ends meet, maybe win a little money at the machines at the casino, dreaming of one day winning the lottery.

  But now, because of what was happening to me, I did not know what I was going to do. Would I get over this or was this going to be a permanent affliction? What I was going to do about work. I would take a few days off and wait until the symptoms of this illness went away. If this affliction did not change soon, I would go see my doctor or go directly to the hospital. But I did not feel ill since I had satisfied my thirst and hunger by drinking the blood of the calf. Would I have to live by drinking blood all the time? If so, where would I get it? I could not roam the neighborhood feeding on my neighbor’s pets or any animal that would venture into the area. Would I be able to live in my house in Phoenix anymore? Surely my neighbors will notice a change in me. Would I have to stay inside all the time and only come out at night?

  I never dreamt that I would be able to run down a truck or move so easily that no one could notice me. And, why was I developing these senses that made me almost superhuman? How was I going to retrieve my car? If I left it, someone would find it and come looking for me either in the desert or at home. How would I explain all of what has been happening to me? I had so many questions that I started to worry and felt afraid. There were so many things that I did not understand.

  I rode along in the back of the truck, looking through the slats of the trailer, enjoying the landscape as it went by. I could see that we were still in the desert but heading toward the city. The loud sounds of the truck moving along and the cows shuffling around me were deafening. I found that if I concentrated on one individual sound I could block out the other noises. I put my hand on a nearby cow and felt and heard its heartbeat. By concentrating on the steady beat of its heart I was able to tolerate the chaos around me. I still could not believe that it was nighttime. The only way I could tell was by the headlights of the cars on the road. The lights were so bright that whenever one came close, I had to close my eyes.

  We must have traveled for miles. As I was coming out of my deep thoughts I felt the truck come to a stop. I heard the buzzing of neon lights and a couple of people talking. The pungent aroma of gasoline filtered through the slats in the truck. I smelled the heat from the engines of other cars and trucks. We were at a truck stop.

  We stopped far from the buildings and the driver turned off the engine. We sat there for some time with just the sounds of the cows moving around and, once in a while, mooing. The animals seemed to have accepted me being in the trailer with them. Their heartbeats were steady and they didn’t seem as agitated as they had been before. After a while, things got quiet in the truck cab.

  I decided to investigate. I opened the back gate of the trailer and stepped out. As I approached the cab, I heard the truck driver snoring. I opened the door. Stepping in, I was hit with the strong smell of his body odor. The sickly smell of a sandwich and snacks he had been eating made me want get out of there as soon as I was able. I m
oved with such stealth that I felt like a breeze blowing around. Where are we? Is there anything here I can use? I checked out the cab of the truck. The driver was about my age, overweight, and looked like he had been on the road for some time, judging by the way he stank.

  I felt an urge to feed again, but the thought of drinking human blood was not appealing to me. I needed him more as a driver than as food so I left the truck and moved back into the trailer with a pair of his dark glasses in hand. I decided to continue riding in the back of the truck until we got to the city. I was still unsure about all that I was experiencing. I felt safe in the back of the truck for now. I did not know if I would be able to get a ride with anyone else, and we seemed to be moving in the right direction.

  We reached a stockyard near a train station close to town well before sunrise. I left the truck as quickly and quietly as I could and went into a barn-like structure. There were animals of every kind – I assumed were on their way to market. As I moved among them, I could sense their agitation. I heard a variety of sounds coming from them. The smell was way beyond belief.

  I moved as quickly as I could and found a washroom with showers and lockers that the workers used. As I entered the wash area I saw myself in the mirror. The reflection was me but I looked like I had twenty-five years earlier. I stepped closer and saw that I had dried blood around some areas of my mouth. I thought I had hurt myself but, when I got even closer I saw that I had fangs. I could not see them unit I opened my mouth. How did I not feel them? I then understood why it had been so easy to bite into the cow’s neck. I cleaned up a bit and since I knew where I was, I started working my way home. I wanted to get there before the sun came up.

  Chapter 3

  I took a shuttle and a cab to my neighborhood. In both vehicles the smells were overwhelming. I had to open the window closest to me and get as much fresh air as possible. I kept on asking the drivers to turn up the air conditioner because the morning heat was affecting me. I felt very hot but not so hot that I could not function. We drove into my neighborhood and it looked like most of my neighbors had left for work.