I Am Vampire

I AM

Vampire

A Novel By

Daniel Hamilton

Table of Contents

Dedication

With Thanks...

The Birth of My Death

1 AD

2 AD

Daybreak

Copyright

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife Maxine. Thank you for all the help and encouragement you gave me to finish this book. The occasional kick in the ass didn’t hurt either. Love ya babe.

With Thanks...

I’d like to thank Brian Hamilton at Jupiterspin for the great cover photo.

A special thanks to Stephen King and David Cronenberg. Decades ago the early books and films by these guys shaped my love of the horror genre and they both continue to entertain me to this day.

The new flesh is dead, long live the new flesh.

The Birth of My Death

1

Awww shit!

I don’t know how but this note is going to change everything and deep in my gut I know it won’t be in a good way. I glance down at the three handwritten words on the piece of paper one more time and then look out toward the empty street. Why the fuck did this have to happen now just as things were getting better? This past month has been so much easier than the dozens that came before it.

Before this past month, my life had become an endless stream of days that all played out the same way. I’d get up in the morning and go to a monotonous job on a shitty line in a hot factory for eight and a half hours at a full five fucking dollars over minimum wage. After my day in hell I’d go back to my little hot box apartment, eat whatever food was left over or microwave what was still frozen and then I’d go online until I collapsed in bed.

Repeat.

I know I have a pretty serious video game addiction and I spend far more time and money than I should on the habit but it’s one of my few pleasures in life. At twenty five years old I’m starting to realize that I need to sort my shit out and maybe work towards a life goal or two. Luckily, that feeling disappears after four or five hours of mindless bloodshed and some nights I save whole countries from destruction as well as rescue the babe. How’s that for achieving a goal?

I’ve had my share of girlfriends over the past few years and some of them even lasted for a couple of months. Eventually, one of us would get tired of putting up with the other’s shit and it always ended ugly. Actually, it wasn’t all that bad since I like casual hook ups over anything more serious. When the need strikes I don’t find it all that hard to pick someone up at a bar or some club, scratch the itch and then split before it gets anywhere near a relationship. Up until a month ago I didn’t have any extra cash to do much more than I was already doing. I was living a pay cheque to pay cheque life and dating can suck up a pay cheque fast. Late night drunken hookups cost a hell of a lot less and they fit into my life quite nicely. Usually, we’d go back to their place since they feel safer in their own home and that was fine by me. It was a lot easier to leave than getting them to leave. The sex was always new, I was free to game whenever the fuck I wanted to and spend any extra money I had on games and system upgrades. Life was ok but a month ago it got a lot better since that’s when I got the offer from Caleb.

Not that I met him personally, the job was actually offered to me by John. I was at a free concert in Nathan Phillips Square, some local band that sounded like a cross between Slipknot and Taylor Swift. They were uneven as hell and the funniest goddamn thing that I’d seen in a long time. I noticed this guy that seemed to be watching me and I knew that I’d seen him a couple of days before in some store. After a while, he came over to me, mentioned that he’d seen me in the game store and introduced himself as John. We ended up leaving the concert and talking for what seemed like hours.

In some ways, the guy looked like he might only be a few years older than me but when you got a closer look at him he looked like shit. It was a bit annoying because he was one of those guys that don’t look at you much when he talks to you, always looking to the sides. He had some weird wrinkles going on and there was something different about the way he walked, not a limp or anything, just something different. Age aside, we seemed to hit it off right away and we had a really honest talk about our lives. I told him shit that I hadn’t thought about in years and he seemed really interested in my life. After a while he told me that he did these odd jobs for this old guy named Caleb that lives out near the valley. He said that he was going to quit working for him in a few weeks since he was heading out west to live in Vancouver. If I was interested, he said, he could probably hook me up with the job.

You only have to go to his house twice a week, he said Every Monday and Friday, you’ll find instructions on a piece of paper in a box on the porch. It will be a list of simple things like cash this cheque, deposit this money, buy these books or pick up some supplies. Whatever money you need will be in the box and he pays you $200 for each day’s errands. To top it off, the money will all be cash under the table.

John made it sound too good. I asked him if there was anything illegal going on since $200 just to run some errands sounds a bit fucking fishy but he assured me it was all on the level.

Absolutely nothing that can get you in trouble David, to be honest with you I don’t think the guy is all there in the head. He’s really old and doesn’t like to meet people so that’s why the box. I’ve only seen him a couple of times, he’s got this nasty skin condition and he looks like hell so everything will be done through the box.

John talking about Caleb having some nasty skin condition was funny since it was coming from a guy that looked like he had his own skin games going on. I looked at the strange wrinkles on his face and the thought did occur to me that it might be some contagious disease. If there’s a chance of catching some weird fucking bug no job is worth it but the more John talked about it the harder it was to pass up so I agreed to give it a shot. After a day of training, which took all of 10 minutes, John split and I became the new errand boy. For the past month I’ve worked the old guy’s routine around my shifts at the plant and ended up with 400 extra bucks a week in my pocket.

Twice a week I’ve been coming to this big old two-story house that backs onto the Don Valley with one of those old style porches out front that goes the whole width of the house. At first I thought it was kind of odd that there were no chairs on the porch, but I just guessed that the old guy didn’t go outside much. The place looks well kept, someone spends a lot of time keeping the hedges around the front of the house trimmed and the grass cut clean but there are no flowers or any other plants anywhere. The front of the house looks barren but it has a neatly cut lawn, well-trimmed hedges and a completely empty porch except for the two foot square box that stands near the door.

Inside that box I find a hand written note of instructions and any money that I need. The errands usually take me no longer than an hour or two at most and I’m happy that I never have to do any grocery shopping for the guy. For all I know he has a nurse coming in every day and she brings the food. The extra cash in my pocket has been really nice. I’ve been able to upgrade my computer as well as pick up all the latest games. There’s this girl at the plant that I’ve liked for quite a while now and last week I decided to ask her out to dinner. We ended up eating dinner together for three days straight and I think there’s something very real between us. As well as having a serious body that she can do some amazing things with, she has a sick sense of humor like my own. And if that’s not enough she even likes to game so we end up wasting a lot of time when we get together. I could get used to having Janice around. Yes, life has been good but for the past minute or so I’ve been wondering if all of that is about to change.

Awww Shit!

I look down at the paper in my hands and once again read the three words on it.

Please come inside.

Talk about upsetting a routine. I debate simply walking towards the street and away from this but today is Friday so he knows I will have come and seen this note.

Nasty skin condition.

I picture in my mind how pale and wrinkled John’s skin was. Could this shit really be catching? I drop the note back into the box and rub my fingers against my jeans. If I refuse to do this then I can kiss that weekly cash goodbye. Awww shit, I’ve handled notes and money coming out of that house for a month now so if it is something really contagious I’ve probably caught it by now. I walk over to the door, take a deep breath and open it.

Hello? I call into the house.

Come, join me in here.

The voice is coming from a room deep inside of the house. I step through the door and close it behind me. As I walk toward the voice I look around at a place that seems clean but feels like it has been closed up for a long time. The air is stale and there is a strong smell of smoke from a fire. A lot of nice wood trim gives the interior a much more Victorian feel than the outside would lead you to believe.

Back here calls the voice from a room halfway down the hallway in front of me. As I continue down the hallway, I notice that there are no pictures or any other kind of art on the walls. The inside of the house is as well-kept yet just as barren as the outside is.

Halfway down the hall and on the right there is a large archway that opens into a big study with a fire burning in a huge fireplace with beautiful stonework all around it. There is no furniture in the room except for two chairs by the fire, a couple of small tables and a desk against the far wall. Someone is sitting in the larger of the two leather chairs that seem to be placed too close to the fire. The room is obviously used as a library or an office of some sort since built in bookshelves cover every wall. The fireplace has a large stone ledge in front of it and a hatchet rests beside a pile of freshly chopped kindling. More firewood is stacked within an alcove in the stonework.

The man in the chair looks like he’s not a day over 110, maybe 109. His face is covered in pale skin rippled with deep creases and it looks more like the surface of a peach pit than a face. A drop of acid lands somewhere deep in my gut, he looks like an older version of John.

Please sit he says as he gestures toward the chair opposite him.

The fire suddenly seems very odd since it has been a rather warm April week. This room has bookshelves from the ceiling to the floor on every wall but there still isn’t enough space, books are piled on top of each row of books. It’s also poorly lit for a library with only a small lamp way over on the desk by the far wall and it isn’t even turned on. There might be a window in front of that desk but heavy drapes completely hide it and stop any light from coming through.

Please David, have a seat. My name is Caleb and you have been working for me for a while now, I feel that it’s time we met.

The peach pit said this to me and then attempted a smile that I really wished it hadn’t. This is the first time that I’ve heard the guy say more than a couple of words and I immediately notice that he has some eastern European accent that’s a lot like a couple of the guys at the plant.

Caleb. I say as I step forward to offer a handshake but he stops me by holding his hand up.

I prefer not to shake hands, it’s a custom that I’ve never liked, he says.

That was fine by me, the hand that he held up looked like it had a glove on it but I doubt that is the case. This guy is obviously very old but there is something more than that, the skin on his hand has the same ridges that he has on his face and it looks like worn leather covers both. He’s wearing dark pants and a dark long sleeve shirt but it can’t be because he’s cold, the fire is burning strong and the temperature has to be over 90 fucking degrees in this room. I take off my jacket and sit down in the smaller chair that’s opposite his.

What can I do for you Caleb? I ask.

I’m curious about who I have in my employ. Tell me about yourself David. As he asks me this he seems to stare right through me, his eyes almost seem black in this light. There is also a familiar scent in the air that I can’t quite place but it might be coming from the fire.

Ah, well my life is really quite boring. I’m not married and I work shifts at the trim plant …but that never impacts my work for you. I have a sudden worry that Caleb is about to fire my ass.

"No David, not what you do, I know all that I need to know about that. Tell me more about yourself. What are your religious beliefs?"

Well, I was baptized in a United Church but that was probably the last time I was in one. I suppose there is something after death but I don’t think the answer is in a book since dead people don’t write many.

Caleb smiled, What do you like to read?

I looked around the room at the mountains of books and thought of my own small pile at home. Mostly, I read the instructions for new games.

Autobiographies, I’m fascinated in the lives of others. I guess I like the vicarious experience of being in someone else’s skin for a while.

We can learn a lot by studying the lives of others David. Tell me about your family, do you talk to them by phone or on the internet often?

Odd I thought, why would he not ask if I saw them often?

I know all that I need to know about that.

My dad died when I was 11 and I never got along with uncles Fred, Tom, Henry or any of the other temporary family members that mom brought home. My younger sister and I pretty much hid in my room for five years; that was if we were even at home. As I got older I spent as much time out of the house as I could and it didn’t much matter where that was, let’s say that it rounded out my education. Both sis and I got out of the house as soon as we were old enough. Now it seems like we just remind each other of a shitty time so we avoid the memories by avoiding each other. Whoa I thought, why the fuck did that shit come out?

Is there someone special in your life now, someone you look forward to seeing after your shift at the plant? Caleb asks.

I think about Janice and realize that I see her several times a day in the plant but I guess I do look forward to seeing more of her after my shift, much more of her. The truth is I not only look forward to the sex but to just talking to her, we tend to talk almost as much as we play. It’s like I’m just now realizing that she is in fact ‘someone special’.

No, there is nobody special. I lie.

Caleb stands up and walks over to the fire. He picks up a poker and moves the logs around and while the guy looks to be pushing triple digits in the age department he sure as hell doesn’t move like it. There is a grace to his movement that defies advanced age. The way that he holds the poker and moves those logs with ease tells me that this is one strong senior. He replaces the poker and walks over to me, leaning in a bit closer than I would have liked.

Would you like something to drink David?

Almonds! That was what came to mind, I had already noticed a trace of it in the air but now it’s stronger and I realize that it’s Caleb’s breath that smells like almonds. It’s as if this guy has just eaten a pound of the fucking things.

Actually I am quite thirsty, some water would be fine. I answer.

I’ll have it brought right away. Caleb says.

Have it brought. There must be someone else in the house. Probably the nurse or whoever does the grocery shopping that I’m happy to avoid. Caleb walks over to the archway and after stepping outside of it I hear him briefly talk to someone before he returns.

There is something I’d like you to see David, come look at this. Once again he stands uncomfortably close to the front of the chair and I have just enough room to stand up without bumping into him.

Over here. He instructs as the smell of the almonds attack me once again.

I love books David, they give me a different world to live in each time I open a new one. I too enjoy autobiographies but anything to do with history is a pleasure. We can learn all we need to know about life’s battles by listening to those that have already fought them, the battlefield will change but the battles remain the same. The answer to every question you will ever have is here if you know where to look for it and you read carefully.

He’s over by the bookcase on the other side of the fireplace but as I try to walk over to him the room does a little shift on me, it’s almost as if I’m a bit drunk. I manage to get over to the bookshelf that he’s standing in front of but it’s a damn good thing I’m not walking a straight line at the side of the road. Caleb starts talking to me about some book that he’s taken off the shelf but I cannot hear any of it. Suddenly, the little bit tipsy David is shaking hands with the shit-faced drunk David.

Uh, I better sit down. I manage to get out before staggering back and slumping into the chair.

What is wrong David? Is it too hot in here for you? I do love a nice fire. Caleb says this without even looking at me as he casually returns the book to the shelf.

I’m not sure… I just feel… sort of dizzy…sudden. The room is starting to spin on me. I think… be ok if I just… sit here for a bit. I try to tell him but while I know what I want to say my mouth won’t easily say it.

Caleb walks over and stands in front of my chair watching me for several seconds. It feels like there is a thick fog in my head and when I try to get up my head tells me to sit back down. Caleb leans in very close to me.

"My dear boy, sit still." He orders.

Oh there were those almonds again, that shit’s really getting inside my head. He stands in front of me watching intently. Wow, suddenly my arms feel like weights are strapped to them and my legs are dead to me. The really strange part is that even though all of this registers I’m not in the least bit panicked, I mean I should be freaking out but I’m just not and in fact I feel quite calm. I want to look over towards the door when I hear someone enter the room but the effort that it would take just doesn’t seem worth it.

Oh I love the day of the spawn, you will remember every one John. Caleb says to the new person in the room.

John? Is that John that came through the archway? He’d left for Vancouver as soon as I started… at least he told me that he was leaving. My hearing is fine and I can see whatever is right in front of my face but the rest of me feels strapped down. I don’t see John until he walks into my field of view.

This is so odd, I’m sitting here thinking about how fucked up things have suddenly become but I have this overwhelming sense of so what. At this point if the crazy cult leader walks in with my cup of Kool-Aid I’ll drink it and ask for more. Caleb then leans down to me and does the oddest thing, he opens his mouth placing it just in front of my own nose and mouth and then he slowly exhales at me, the sound he makes is a long hiss. This time the almonds make me smile and I feel more content than I have ever felt in my life. No drug, no drink, no amount of crazy sex has ever made me feel this content. John starts going through my pockets, removes my phone and holds it out to me.

You need to make some calls David. Caleb says.

No I…calls? Yes I ...ok, I need to make some calls. I hear myself say these words which are a struggle to get out and I watch as my arm easily rises up to take the phone from John.

They make me wait 10 minutes until my mouth starts to co-operate again but the words that come out of it are not my choice. I make several calls that all seem to make sense while I make them but I say things that I would never say to the people I speak to. I say exactly what they tell me to say and as a result each of the calls had a mix of both angry and sad voices in them but none of this bothers me at all. By the time I finish the calls I start to have control of my legs again and realize that I need to get the fuck out of here but Caleb suddenly leans toward me, hisses in my face and once more I don’t give a shit. He then puts his hands under my arms and easily lifts me down to the ground, laying me out in front of the fire.

Listen to me closely David, Caleb says tonight you become much more than you were. Tonight starts a change that will see you reborn to a higher state of being. Come close John, watch the rapture of a true feeding.

Feeding? What the fuck is going on here, I feel like I’m drugged out of my mind and I don’t give a shit about much that is happening but still….feeding?

That’s when Caleb bites me.

His mouth moves from in front of my face to my neck in one quick motion. I feel his teeth pierce my neck and then he starts jerking his head back and forth, working his teeth deeper into me. Because I’m so calm during this I actually feel him chewing on my neck until my artery pops open and I start pumping blood to the wrong side of the tracks. He’s sucking at the wound… I can feel his lips moving against my neck, I hear him swallowing. Jesus Christ, he’s drinking my fucking blood and I’m fascinated by the sound of it instead of screaming and fighting as if this was even an option. I know I should be fighting for my life but for now the only pressing thought I have is, let’s just see what happens next.

He moves against my side and wraps his arms and legs around me but never removes his mouth nor misses a swallow. I remember seeing a photograph of a lamprey eel attached to the side of a fish in some nature book when I was in public school.

Caleb is my lamprey eel.

Everything is swimming now and I wonder how much blood I still have left in me. It feels like I’m falling down a dark tunnel, dusk is turning to darkness fast but it all feels so wonderful that surely only pleasant dreams can follow? The last thing I am aware of as I slip into the arms of blackness is that of Caleb biting down even harder, squeezing me tighter with his arms and legs and growling against my neck.

2

Intense pain greets my return to consciousness.

Waves of pain and heat spread out from deep