4

She's undead already? Wesley wondered, as he stared at the figure, standing in the shadows of Winifred's bedroom. She began moving slowly, in the direction of the open doorway.

He stood up, holding the crucifix. He remained where he was, as she neared the doorway. She came out of the shadows, into the light. He saw that all life was gone from her. Her eyes were not focusing, and her skin was dark. When she reached the doorway, he realized that her skin was not only dark. Her pajamas and match-ing fluffy slippers were pink, but her skin had turned a splotchy dark blue; so had her hair.

As she stepped into the living room, he raised the crucifix, holding it out between himself, and whoever this being in Winifred’s body was.

Then she stopped moving, and looked around herself with confused curiosity.

Now Wesley spoke. “Illyria?”

Her eyes focused on him. She opened her mouth and displayed a pair of sharp, fully extended fangs.

Then she spoke, in a very uneasy tone. “Wesley?”

He held the crucifix in place. “Winifred?”

She asked calmly, “Am I dead? I remember Harmony...”

“She drank all the blood she needed, to end your life.”

“Am I” she spoke haltingly. “a vampire?”

He nodded, “You are now among the undead, my lo...”

He wondered, Can I call her “my love”, now?

She put her hand to her mouth.

“I have fangs,” she told him, “and they’re sharp.”

He raised the crucifix a little higher. She looked away from it.

Then she told him, “I’m getting hungry.”

“Don’t take another step.”

“I’m hungry Wesley.”

She turned toward the door of the apartment. Wesley moved swiftly, placing him-self between Winifred and the door, while still holding the crucifix between her and himself.

“I’m hungry Wesley!” She insisted, “I need to eat!”

“I understand that Fred. It’s all right. Harmony’s gone out to get you some blood. She says it’s ‘The good stuff.’”

“How soon before she gets back?”

“Well she’s only been gone about fifteen minutes. I have no idea how soon she’ll get back. We didn’t expect you to become undead this quickly.”

“Can you call her on her cell phone, and tell her to hurry back?”

“Right.” He raised his free hand, with the palm facing her, and made a pushing ges-ture.

“Just stay where you are.”

He removed the cell phone from the pouch in his belt. The receptionist’s cell phone number was listed among the contacts. He tapped the button, put the phone to his ear and waited to hear Harmony’s voice.

Winifred turned slowly, gazing at everything around her with a dazed expression on her face. Then she halted, facing a mirror.

“I am a vampire.” she said in a dazed tone. “I have no reflection.”

She looked down at herself; at her hands and bare arms.

Now Wesley spoke into his cell phone. “Harmony. Something unexpected has hap-pened. Winifred has revived already. I know. It’s three days earlier than we’d ex-pected. Tell me, have you got any of that blood yet?”

Harmony sounded peeved. “Of course not Wes. I’m nowhere near the place.”

“Well Winifred’s hungry, and she needs blood now.”

He heard the vampire chuckle.

“That’s no problem Wes.” She told him with a happy voice, “If Freddie gal needs fresh blood, you’ve got more than enough for her, just pulsing through your veins and arteries right now.”

“Harmony?”

“Welcome aboard Wes.”

“Wait. I don’t know what you’re doing to get the blood. You don’t have to tell me that. All you have to do is tell me where you are, and I’ll have Winifred join you.”

“Sure Wes. I’d love to have some company. I told her I’d teach her how to hunt...I mean purchase bottled blood.”

He groaned under his breath. Then he asked, “Where can we join you Harmony?”

“Not you Wes. Just her.”

“Right. Where can Winifred join you?”

“Tell her that when she leaves her building through the front door, she should turn left and go thee blocks to the corner with the Dunkin’ Donuts next to the bodega. That’s where she should turn right, cross the street and go another three blocks. I’ll be coming in the opposite direction, and meet her somewhere in between.”

Stolen story; please report.

“Right.”

Wesley switched off the phone.

“All right Fred. You’ll have to get dressed, so you can go out and meet Harmony.”

“I can’t go out.” She told him, “My skin has turned blue. Oh Wesley! I can’t have people see me like this!” She shouted, “I’m hungry! I need blood now!”

She began to approach him, with her hand raised between her eyes and the crucifix.

“Please Fred.” He told her, “Please be patient. You’ve been hungry before, and you’ve waited patiently ’til it was time to eat. It’s just the same now.”

“When I was hungry before,” she shouted, “I wasn’t a vampire!”

Then she pounced forward, reaching for Wesley. He raised the crucifix, which she grabbed with her right hand.

As soon as she touched it, Winifred screamed in agony. Then she collapsed.

The splotchy blue body of Winifred Berkel lay stretched out dead on her living room carpet.

Wesley knelt beside her.

“Winifred.” He asked her, “Are you in any way undead? Winifred?

She opened her eyes, which glared at him in the midst of her dark blue face, which displayed a haughty demeanor.

“You were told,” she spoke with a commanding voice, “to address me as Illyria!”

He immediately moved the crucifix, holding it near her face.

The woman on the floor shrieked and cringed, shielding her eyes with both hands in front of her face.

“Keep that away from me!” She commanded, “Take that away or you will regret it!”

He took a step back while still holding the object that revolted her.

She got up into a crouching position, and retreat several feet. Then she stood up and regained her composure, while keeping one hand between the crucifix and her eyes.

She resumed her haughty demeanor. “This talisman you are holding. It is truly powerful. I touched it and it burned me. My hand still hurts from touching it, and my eyes ache at its sight. I am a Goddess, and yet it harms me.”

Wesley told her, “This is called a ‘Crucifix’, most ‘divine one’.”

“The shape of the object is strange.” She said, “I cannot look upon it now, but it shows a dying man nailed to some device.”

“The man,” he told her, “was named Jesus. He was the Son of God. He was cruci-fied dead and buried, then He rose again on the third day, and ascended into Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”

She asked, “A son of a god was murdered by mere mortals?”

“Yes Illyria. To take away their sins.”

She asked, “Is there no more sin in this world?”

“Oh yes. More than ever. But His blood was shed to cleans away every sin, from everyone who accepts Him as Savior.”

“The son of a god you say? Which god is he?”

Wesley told her, “He is the God of the people, who you would have known by the name Israelites.”

“Israelites? Yes. I know of them. They are a plague upon all the Earth!”

“From what I have read Illyria, that is what many people said about you.”

She again spoke with anger. “It was an Israelite; a priest of this God of theirs, who helped seal me inside that accursed sarcophagus. He held a scroll, containing the words of their God’s Law. He put it as close to my face, as you put this talisman, and made me powerless, as they sealed me inside.”

“An Israelite Priest?”

“Yes. His name was Aaron. He was brother of their King Moses.”

“Aaron the brother of Moses?”

“You know their names, after 30 centuries?”

“The name of Moses stands out above all time, and even more does the Name of Je-sus. Aaron restrained you with the Word of God’s Power. It is the same Power that is found in the Name of Jesus; and nothing evil can stand in the Presence of the Liv-ing Word of God’s Power!”

Illyria shrieked and hid her face with both hands again. She swiftly backed away from Wesley, retreating into the bedroom where she shut the door against him.

He shouted, “Stay there Illyria! Do not come out of that door, and you will be safe from me!” He added, “And my ‘talisman’?”

Unfortunately, he thought, so will Winifred.

Wesley returned to the desk, and sat back down in the chair, still gripping the crucifix.

This, he thought, is going to be one very long night.