Part 10 (2/2)

In total contrast to his white suit were his skin, hair, eyes, lips, and nails. The skin was a blotchy purple color. The rest were a dark, vibrant red, as though they'd been soaked in blood.

I didn't know who or what this creature was, but I could tell immediately that he was an agent of evil. It was written all over him, the way he stood, the way he sneered, the way madness danced in his unnatural red eyes, the way his ruby-red lips pulled back over his sharp, snarling teeth.

I heard Mr. Crepsley curse and scramble to his feet. Before he got up, the white-suited man bellowed and ran toward me at a speed no human could have managed. He lowered his head and b.u.t.ted me, almost rupturing the walls of my stomach, driving the wind out of me.

I flew backward into Mr. Crepsley, unwillingly driving him back to the floor.

The creature in white shrieked, hesitated a moment as though contemplating an attack, then grabbed hold of a carca.s.s and dragged himself up. He leaped up high and grabbed hold of a windowsill - for the first time, I realized windows ran around the entire top of the room - smashed the gla.s.s, and slithered out.

Mr. Crepsley cursed again and shoved me out of the way. He mounted a carca.s.s and jumped up to the windowsill after the purple-skinned man, wincing from the pain in his injured left arm. He hung there a moment, listening intently.

Then his head dropped and his shoulders sagged.

The fat human - who'd been blubbering like a baby - got to his knees and began crawling away. Mr. Crepsley noticed him, and, after one last desperate look through the window, dropped to the ground and hurried over to the man, who was trying to rise.

I watched helplessly as Mr. Crepsley pulled the human up and glared into his face: if he was intent on killing the man, there was nothing I could do to stop him.

My ribs felt as though they'd been battered by a ram. Breathing was painful. Moving was out of the question.

But Mr. Crepsley didn't have murder on his mind. All he did was breathe gas into the fat man's face, who stiffened, then slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Then Mr. Crepsley whirled and came toward me, rage in his eyes, the likes of which I'd never seen before. I began to worry about my own life. He picked me up and shook me like a doll. ”You idiot!” he roared. ”You interfering, mindless fool! Do you realize what you have done? Do you?”

”I was... trying to... stop...” I wheezed. ”I thought...”

Mr. Crepsley pressed his face against mine and growled: ”He has escaped!

Because of your d.a.m.ned meddling, an insane killer has waltzed off scot-free! This was my chance to stop him and you... you...”

He couldn't say any more: rage had seized his tongue. Dumping me to the ground, he spun away and sank to his knees, cursing and groaning - at times he seemed to be almost crying - with undisguised disgust.

I looked from the vampire to the sleeping human to the broken window, and realized (it hardly took a genius to figure it out) that I'd made a horrible - perhaps fatal - mistake.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

There was a long, edgy period of silence, minutes pa.s.sing slowly. I felt around my ribs - none were broken. I stood and gritted my teeth as my insides flared with pain. I'd be sore for days.

Making my way over to Mr. Crepsley, I cleared my throat. ”Who was that?” I asked.

He glared at me and shook his head. ”Idiot!” he growled. ”What were you doing here?”

”Trying to stop you from killing him,” I said, pointing to the fat man. Mr.

Crepsley stared at me. ”I heard about those six dead people on the news,” I explained. ”I thought you were the killer. I trailed -”

”You thought I was a murderer?” Mr. Crepsley roared. I nodded glumly. ”You are even dumber than I thought! Do you have so little faith in me that you ”

”What else was I supposed to think?” I cried. ”You never tell me anything.

You disappeared into the city every night, not saying a thing about where you were going or what you were doing. What was I supposed to think when I heard six people had been found drained of their blood?”

Mr. Crepsley looked startled, then thoughtful. Finally he nodded wearily. ”You are right.” He sighed. ”One must show trust in order to be trusted. I wished to spare you the gory details. I should not have. This is my fault.”

”That's okay,” I said, taken aback by his gentle manner. ”I guess I shouldn't have come after you like I did.”

Mr. Crepsley glanced at the knife. ”You meant to kill me?” he asked.

”Yes,” I said, embarra.s.sed. To my surprise, he laughed dryly. ”You are a reckless young man, Master Shan. But I knew that when I took you on as my a.s.sistant.” He stood and examined the cut on his arm. ”I suppose I should be grateful that I did not come out of this even worse.”

”Will you be okay?” I asked.

”I will live,” he said, rubbing spit into the cut to heal it.

I looked up at the broken window. ”Who was that?” I asked again.

”The question is not 'who,' ” Mr. Crepsley said. ”The question is 'what.' He is a vampaneze. His name is Murlough.”

”What's a vampaneze?”

”It is a long story. We do not have time. Later, I will -”

”No,” I said firmly. ”I almost killed you tonight because I didn't know what was going on. Tell me about it now, so there won't be any more mix-ups.”

Mr. Crepsley hesitated, then nodded. ”Very well,” he said. ”I suppose here is as good a place as any. I do not think we will be disturbed. But we dare not delay.

I must give this unwelcome turn of events much thought and begin planning anew.

I will be brief. Try not to ask unnecessary questions.”

”I'll try,” I promised.

”The vampaneze are...” he searched for words. ”In olden nights, humans were looked down upon by many vampires, who fed on them as people feed on animals. It was not unusual for vampires to drink dry a couple of people a week.

Over time, we decided this was not acceptable, so laws were established which forbade needless killing.

”Most vampires were content to obey the laws - it is easier for us to pa.s.s unnoticed amongst humans if we do not kill them - but some felt our cause had been betrayed. Certain vampires believed humans were put on this planet for us to feed upon.”

”That's crazy!” I shouted. ”Vampires start off as humans. What sort of -”

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