I looked around the room. It was set up... sorta. I mean there isn’t really much to it. Take a folding chair from the rolling rack, place it in the circle. eleven chairs. One for me and ten others. I checked my watch it was 11:45 pm. They should be here in about 15 minutes.
Rght on time the doors opened and three… people walked in. The first was a young woman. She was wearing sweat pants and a hoodie. The second was an older woman, late forties maybe. She was draped in a massive fur coat and had large mirrored shades. The last was a man dress in a red silk suit with a red top hot, red cane, and red sunglasses.
“Is this the meeting?” the man asked.
“Yep,” I nodded.
“That would make you?” he asked.
“Call me Fred,” I said. “We should be able to begin in a few minutes when the others arrive.
“Oh, they have coffee,” the young girl said. She pointed at it from across the room. She didn’t take any. She just pointed at it and nodded.
“Help yourself,” I said as three more people walked in all of them were middle aged men in biker’s leathers.
The leader of the group was head and shoulders taller than me. the guy was a giant. He glowered at the man in red. The target of his disdain smiled broadly and waved.
I glanced back and forth, strangely it wasn’t the three bikers giving me the there’s-going-to-be-trouble vibe. I still needed to check, “Are we going to have problem?”
“None from us brother,” the big man said. He glared at the man in red as he walked across the room and sat down. The two men with him sat on either side of the giant and each kept their eyes each on one of the two others. The young woman looked very nervous, and the older lady gave them a wink and a smile.
I was just beginning to think this was a bad idea when the last four people arrived two of them were wrapped in black cloaks with hoods that hid them completely. The third was a young man that looked to be homeless. His clothing was worn and dirty. He was almost gaunt, and had that slightly strung-out hungry look in his eyes. He put my teeth on edge. My heart went out to him, but I could tell he would absolutely stab me in the neck to get my wallet.
The last one is the one that put this all together. The gorgeous woman beamed as she strode toward me with arms held wide and a radiant smile, “Fred, it is perfect.”
“Samantha, What the hell is this?” the biker demanded.
“This is a addicts meeting,” Samantha said, she hugged me and kissed me on each cheek. “Fred, here will be helping us organize.”
“I am certain, Freddie is charming in his own way but he is also quite alive,” the man in red said sitting down across from the bikers. “I know that can be rectified if need be but…” he shrugged.
“No one will be killing anyone in my presence,” one of the hooded figures snarled. Everyone except Samantha and the other robed figure flinched at this.
The second one said in a voice that grated like gravel on stone, “oh, they have coffee.” It seemed to glide over to the small table with the pot. Its hands were marble white but shockingly smooth.
Samantha clapped her hands, “So, how do we start?”
“Let’s all sit down,” I said. It took a bit of jostling but I sat down with a biker on my left, the girl in sweats on my right and Samantha sitting across from me. “Okay let’s get the simple stuff out of the way first. This is a safe place. If you are here, you are here to try and better yourself. That means no mocking each other, no talking about other people’s struggles outsides these meetings, and no pointless judgement.”
The guy in red raised a hand, “what about the thing that is probably going to be a nonstarter?”
“He knows we are all vampires,” Samantha cut in. “it will not be a problem.”
Everyone looked at me for a long moment.
“Yeah, let’s get this started. I am Fred and I am an Alcoholic. I have been sober now for seven years. While it is probably not comparable to all of you. I understand having strong urges leading into destructive behaviors that resulted in hurting others.”
“What’s the worst thing you ever did?” one of the bikers demanded.
“Got drunk, eight years ago. My seven-year-old daughter was playing with some dumb video game toy thing. It made noise that annoyed me. I beat her so hard it ruptured her spleen. She nearly died. I just sort of left her there until my ex-wife found us. She called 911. My daughter went to the hospital. I went to jail.”
The biker nodded. Not agreeing with me. Clearly not impressed, but accepting that I knew something about doing terrible things.
“Thank you for sharing, Fred,” Samantha said. “How were you able to turn your life around.”
“It was a lot of things. I was forced into sobriety in prison. While there I attend AA meeting mostly for positive marks for parole. That said having others to support me, and being there for them enabled me to maintain discipline and not backslide once I was out. I am not going to push it on to any of you but I did find exploring faith to have helped also.” I explained.
“That was lovely, Freddy, you can call me Red,” the man dress in red said. “Sadly, I am not sorry nor am I interested in religion.” He stood, “I think I will leave.”
“Sit down,” one of the robed figures snarled.
Red’s ass hit the chair like someone kicked his legs out from under him.
The robed figure gazed around, “I am the eldest here. Times have changed. We do not simply blend into the dark and fade away into the nightmares of mortals. Now there are cameras and tax laws. Everyone here has grown beyond the physical need for blood. You will participate in this.”
“…or else?” the homeless kid asked.
“No or else, Drake.” She rasped.
“Then how are you going to make us be here?” Drake asked confused.
“Betty, is very persuasive, “The Ringwraith with the coffee rumbled. “I planned to sleep through this whole America experiment. But then she explained this. It sounded fun.”
“Sobriety is literally the opposite of fun,” Red sniped.
“Everyone,” I cut in. “this has to be a willing effort. Ignoring all logistics of this. You can’t force someone to change into something they do not want to be. Eventually force will yield to nature, unless you want to, and work to change yourself.”
“Great, good luck everyone,” Red said standing to leave.
“You are not leaving,” Betty snarled. Red sat down again.
“We are all going to give this a one-year trial.” Samantha said. “Betty and Veronica have graciously offer to help hold us accountable. They have gone more than a millennium each without killing a human.”
“How?” Drake asked. The kid looked amazed. I was too. A millennium is a long time
Veronica shrugged, “When you get as old as me. most things lose the pleasure. You begin to do what you truly believe to be right. Killing almost never betters the world.”
“How about I promise to only kill pedophiles then,” Red snarked.
“You are a Pedophile,” the giant said still glaring at him.
“Now son, that is no way to talk to your dear old dad,” Red chided with feigned hurt in his voice.
“This isn’t helpful,” I stepped in again. I looked to the giant man, “is there anything you would like to share?”
“Ah fuck it. Hello, I am…John. I am a vampire.” The giant began. “I have been hunting the back roads of this country for the last four hundred years. I have tried to…limit the harm I do for the last fifty years or so. I am still feeding on people. I have built a network of consensual partners along the east coast. I have not killed a human for food in… eleven years.”
“Consensual partners?” Drake asked.
“Yeah, most of them are sexual partners, but I also pay them for the blood. About half a pint every three months. The trick is to not bite them. Set up an I.V. style bag.”
“Is the goal to stop drinking blood?” I asked Samantha.
“We are all learning together. We absolutely want to stop any unnecessary harm to people. I did assume cold turkey would be the best method. John’s idea is interesting.” She admitted.
“Yes, let’s all drink from a network of drugged up whores,” Red piped up.
“Quiet, Red” Betty growled dangerously.
“Is that true?” Drake asked. “Are you drugging people so they will let you feed on them?”
“I pay most of them with cash, but a lot of the people I deal with are on amphetamines.,” John admitted.
Everyone turned to me, “I don’t think this is the best way. With regard to most addictions changing from one substance to another is not successful. I also suspect that the goal of not harming people is thwarted by getting them addicted to drugs.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
John thought for a moment, “I think the changing from drinking from people directly to from freshly bagged is like switching from cigarettes to vaping. As for them taking drugs. All but three were already using before meeting me. So, wouldn’t it make sense stop drinking from those three? That would stop propagating any unnecessary harm.”
“Wouldn’t it still be harmful to the others. They would still be hurting themselves and you would be letting it happen,” the young woman asked.
“At some point other people’s actions are their responsibility,” John explained. “I can’t control them.”
“Exactly,” Red agreed.
This gave John and his two friends pause.
“Could I share?” the young woman asked.
“Please,” I said. It was probably best to move on from drug sex and the inevitable fist fight that was clearly brewing between John and Red.
“I want to be Irenie, call me that” she said with a cute smile. “I am also still drinking human blood. That said I find it is best to have just the one partner at a time. I met my last partner Herman sixty years ago. Back than he was a strong man. I remember how he would hold me in his arms”. She hugged herself and smiled a moment. The smile faded “He died three years ago. I was heartbroken. Then I met Nate. Things are still early but… the important thing is I take very little bites. Tiny nips.”
At first, I thought she was smiling, but her face kept splitting along the lines of her mouth. Her teeth changed as well. They adjusted from human to almost leonine fangs. they were clearly meant to hold prey and probably crush bone. The lower jaw descended. Some primal part of me knew she could fit my neck in her mouth. Then the fangs retracted and the lips furled. Her incisors were still pointed.
“Rather than chew like most of us do, I take just little drinks. I don’t even leave scars. I think it is actually beautiful the love we share. But the pain of loss is extreme. Like when Nate escaped.” Irenie added.
Several of the vampires considered this. The thing is the leer had me on edge., but then then her words caught up to me, “Wait escaped?”
“Yes, he is a remarkable young man. His blood is…amazing.” Irenie blushed crimson. Didn’t know vampires could do that, “He also has forces acting upon him. One of them removed him from the compound and released him back into the world. It sounds like he is in the south fighting a cult. I plan to head there after this. I promise to make the next meeting though.”
“So, you kidnap people and bleed them for decades?” Drake asked looking horrified.
Irenie waved the question away, “You have no sense of romance. Do you call what lovers do wrestling? Bah! We live together, see the world, and share the joys of life, together. I protect them. The world is dangerous. They are so fragile. I have learned to take steps.”
“That is not right?” Drake said shaking his head.
“I thought this was a place with no judgement?” Irenie demanded.
“there’s no such thing,” Red quipped.
“Let’s stick to productive things. Irenie did share her experience. Her ideas probably will not work for everyone. Drake, you seem to have ideas would you like to share your methods?” I chipped in.
“No,” Drake said.
“Don’t be shy,” Veronica rumbled. “I would greatly appreciate hearing your story.”
Drake sighed. “Hi, my name is Drake. I have been a vampire for just over a year. My …rebirth or whatever you want to call it, was odd. That’s not important! Anyway, unlike every vamp my age, I do not physically need to drink blood. That said I just want to. Every part of me is desperate for more. When I walk the streets, I feel the heart beats of people blocks over. I can sense the flair of the heat of their blood pumping through their veins and arteries. I can’t talk to most of them. If I get close something just... I didn’t want to come here tonight, but I almost… I nearly bit someone I care about. I knew if I bit them, I would drink them dry. I also knew that if I drank them dry… I could just embrace oblivion for at least a few days. Trouble is they would be there forever in my head or whatever, haunting me. Once I came down, I would remember. The only reason they are alive right now is that I realized I would feel bad after she was dead, before I killed her.” Looked terrified of himself.
“Are you starving until you crash and then binging?” Samantha asked. When everyone looked at her confused, she continued. “I watch television. I have fallen down a Netflix hole of psychology things. The eating disorder episode is somewhat related to our predicament. The one with the people that pulled their hair out is more interesting but not important.”
“Getting back to the topic and what Drake shared,” I pressed. I swear to god, these vampires will take every side road available.
“Right,” Samantha said straightening slightly, “The thing is part of that is setting impossible goals that lead to unstainable lifestyles that then cause a cycle of inevitable failure and self-loathing. It is just not a sustainable method. You must have a means of satisfying needs or the stress will build to a break point.”
“So, what do you do?” Drake asked.
“I own several hospitals and blood banks. Older blood, less than a week removed from the source, is like diet coke compared to regular. For me it scratches the itch. That, and I have a lot of sex to stay busy.
“Your advice is to be rich and fuck the pain away?” Red asked laughing
“Red, I get you are not here entirely of you own free will but if you are going to continue to disrupt and belittle the others, I am going to ask you to leave,” I said flatly.
Betty and Veronica gazed at him. Even I could feel the weight of their stares. It is odd. They looked like smaller people in black robes, but I felt a strange draw to them, as well as that tingle of danger you get when you are near large animals, specifically predators.
“Please, no violence,” I insisted. I knew I couldn’t make them do anything, but I felt the need to try and keep the meeting peaceful.
“Saving me again Freddie,” Red sneered, “ah, why not. I am Red, and I am a vampire. I am one of the old ones. That said unlike most of these lot I have figured out the way to keep feeding without risking our species. I much like Samantha realized, wealth has its uses. I have been connecting with the stock market types since wall street was a street with an actual wall on it. Then I set up a network of lickspittles and the like. They are so desperate for a taste of wealth they will do practically anything. I have my food delivered and the trash taken away by servants. It is extremely effective and allows me to enjoy a better quality of life in general. The important thing is to remember the herd won’t do anything so long as they think the right ones are getting hurt. The clothes are just for the laughs. No one ever believes the man dressed as a vampire is a vampire. Plus, I keep backing stories involving sexy vampires, it helps a lot to lower the guard of the herd.”
“So, you are still killing people?” I asked.
“All of them are,” Red snapped, “You are in a room full of billionaires. With the exception of Drake, here we have more wealth than several nations. We got it by bleeding workers. We maintain it the same way. The fact that I literally bleed people to death, makes me honest not different.”
“It makes you a coward,” Betty snarled. “You make no attempt to mitigate the harm you cause, because you fear you will fail. You have to believe everyone else is as hopeless as you because the alternative is you’re the only one that has fallen so low and refused to get back up.”
“Betty, we are not here to attack each other.” I stepped in more on reflex. Red seemed like an asshole, but he absolutely would not listen if he got defensive.
“He is my son. I have a responsibility as his mother.” Betty insisted.
“Right now, in this room we are all just addicts trying to recover, and trying to support others in their journey.” I said. “We need to try and find effective means of moving forward.” As the silence stretch between me and Betty I felt my blood pressure rise.
“Seriously why is he here,” Drake demanded seeming to respond to my increased heart rate. “Samantha this was your idea. You could have bought an instruction manual and we would have gotten to Betty disemboweling Ro-Red by now.”
“Fred has lived it. Some things cannot simply be read into. Plus, if we did not invoke a mortal sense of urgency, we would be messing around with this while mankind was colonizing mars and waring with one of the aliens out there.” Samantha explained.
“Are aliens real?” Drake asked.
“Yes,” Veronica rumbled. “They tried to steal our pyramids. Luckily the caster’s stepped in.” she thought for a moment, “That may have been extradimensional beings, or what the celt call fey. I was not paying the best of attention at that time. I was distracted by a resurgence of primordial activity and negotiating with the reapers to allow them to act in the world again. The ghost people did not like that… fuck’em.”
“I think we need to focus back on the trying to not hurt people stuff,” I said unable to unhear any of the extremely menacing sounding stuff she just said.
“Perhaps we need to figure out some sort of set of rules,” Irenie pipped up. “There seems to be some disagreement on what is or isn’t abuse.”
“Let’s let the young ones provide answers first,” Samantha said.
“What constitutes the young ones? Red asked.
“Under two hundred total years.” Betty proclaimed.
This resulted in Me, Drake, the quiet girl, who was Kendra, and the other two bikers, Franklin and Brian.
Turns out Kendra was lawyer specializing in estates, Brian was an accountant and Franklin was an investor. Drake was a high school dropout and current homeless person. So, between three wealthy intellectuals, an ex con former drunk, and a strung-out kid we came up with.
* No violence accepts in self-defense. No killing to feed. Any deaths require acts of atonement determined by the others in the group. Hiding deaths will open the perpetrator to the judgement of Betty and Veronica.
* No coercion of mortals to gain blood. This included using drugs, violence, emotional abuse, isolation or blackmail of the mortal or their friends or families.
* When in doubt follow mortal laws
This took a surprisingly long time parse out these rules. Strangely trying to get too detail orientated would result in tricky immortal minds finding ways to adhere to the letter of the law without actually following the law. This required putting in a punishment and the last guideline was for spirit of the law. I worried some asshole would dig through precedent and pull something up from before Florida was a state or something to justify decapitating children or something, but what can you do.
In the end everyone agreed to these terms and that we would meet again same time next week. I also gave them all my cellphone number. If they felt in crisis, I was willing to talk to them on the phone. I made it clear I would not be traveling to meet any of them during a time they felt they may feed on a person.
Red sauntered off as soon as he was allowed. Irenie stayed long enough to thank me for my time and then sped off faster than a bullet to go reacquire her “love” she planned to run to Louisiana tonight from New York. John, Franklin, and Brian gave me a nod and left.
Drake shook his head “Samantha this isn’t going to work and you know it.”
“Doing nothing, will not work, Drake. While this will almost certainly fail, we will take what we learned to try something better the next time, and when that fails again, we will improve. A perpetual cycle that will lead us to something morally acceptable.” Samantha explained. “Four thousand years ago I cultivated people like cattle to feast on the children of their forced broods. Now I am funding medical research and agricultural development to improve the lives of the poor. I am looking into renewable energy but that is more political than is smart for us.”
“You really don’t get it,” he turned on his heel, “See you next week.”
Kendra had simply vanished into the night. Which is on brand for vampires.
Betty and Veronica swept up the folding chairs, and put everything away. They then simply vanished. That left me alone with Samantha.
She seemed a little nervous.“Did that go well?” she asked.
“I honestly can’t tell. Red is not receptive to the idea. John is arguably trying to mitigate harm given he is at least sort of dealing with people in a semiconsensual manner. I am guessing he is going to have trouble when not dealing drugs begins to affect his access blood. Irenie is… honestly she seems to be a serial killer. The fact that she is very slow doesn’t change the pattern. No idea about Kendra, Franklin or Brian. They seem to be the type to fall in line. That Drake kid is going to kill someone. Probably in the next month. That said I believe he doesn’t want to do it and he will feel bad that it happened, but he is clearly still dealing with something close to physical addiction. I think what you said is true. This first attempt is going to find a bunch of issues, and refinement will be needed. We need to have healthy expectations.”
Samantha nodded, “may I ask an indelicate question?”
“About my daughter?”
“Probably the groups you wished to receive the majority of your payment,” She clarified.
“The women’s shelter took my wife and daughter in when they couldn’t afford rent. One of people there spotted the complication from the botched corrective surgery, and saved my daughter’s life. My kid participated in the sport programs. she found friends there. The homeless shelter helped me. I just… I just want to try and give back.” I managed.
Samantha Nodded, “I have set up several trust they will support those organizations. For each year you work with me I will back them for ten. Should you die, I will support them for at least fifty years barring corruption which I will work to ensure does not occur.”
“Just like that?” I asked not quite believing that so much money could just be handed out.
“Yes, it is just money,” she explained.
“Then why not just give them the money if it means nothing to you,” I demanded.
“You have something I want.” Samantha explained. “Do you still wish to continue?”
“I have to. I have to, because I need to believe that honestly trying to be better will at some point make me better than I was.” With that I shut off the lights and locked the door behind me.