Blood Scare - Part II

This is Part II of Blood Scare.

ID: 1434275   (Rated: 13+) Blood Scare - Part I  Even vampires can have odd habits. by dc-musing

He wanted to get as far away from the city as fast as possible but he was going to have to wait until the following night.  Getting away from the bar was the best he could do this evening.  Knowing he had to  leave was first and foremost in his mind.  Getting caught was not a concern for him, he was always gone before the authorities arrived, Mathis truly just wanted to be away from what was left of Killian.  He never never traveled alone and Mathis feared someone would soon be looking for him to seek out some story or to relate one about an amazing kill.  The minions were predictable like that and one of the many reasons Mathis kept to himself.

Mathis never spent much time in any one place.  There were no possessions to speak of and he liked it that way.  New things could be bought and keeping things light left him open for a quick flight if necessary.

He stumbled down a street and into the first hotel he could find.  It was not something he normally did but with the money Killian had provided him with, a nice place was in order.  He also thought it would be a good way to hide.  No one would come looking for him here.  At least he hoped they wouldn't.

The woman behind the counter was nice and clean, something he noted for later.  He took his keycard and once in the room closed up all the curtains and set out the do not disturb sign.  He didn't really sleep but the daylight was murder for him.  He gave the bathroom a once over and happy it was clean sat down on the bed to wait out the sun.

A few hours into his vigil a knock came at the door.  Startled, he walked to the door wondering why the maid would be knocking considering he had put out the sign.  Looking through the peephole he was shocked.  Standing on the other side of the door were Killian's people.  Four of them.  They had come to kill him.  There was nothing he could do.  Mathis knew he would have to pay sometime but he hoped to have at least few more days of freedom before they arrived for his head.  He didn't open the door and didn't say a word.  If they wanted him they would have to come in for him. 

“Mathis, can you open up please?”

Mathis said nothing and didn't move.

“Mathis, please, we just want to talk?”

“Yes, just talk.”

Conrad thought Mathis.  He hadn't noticed him when he looked out.  He'd like to see him again but the others he didn't really know and had no interest in.

“Conrad.  I will let him in and him only,” said Mathis through the door.

“Thanks Mathis,” answered Conrad.

Mathis peeked through the hole once more and noticed the others backing off leaving Conrad standing in front of the door alone.  He reached up and undid the lock and opened the door.  Conrad stepped into the room quickly.  “Nice to see you again,” he said.

Mathis could only nod at the statement.  He really had no interest in seeing him or any of them at all.  “What do you want?”

“I think you know why we're here.”

“Not really.  I'm a loner.  No one ever comes to see me and I do my best to stay out of everyone's way.”

Conrad nodded.  “Yes.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Mathis, it has come to our attention that something grievous may have happened to Killian this evening.  We believe that you are involved.”

Mathis remained still.  If they were accusing him of murdering Killian, they were going to have to say it.  He wasn't going to help them out.

Conrad stared at him in the very strange unblinking way he had before continuing.  “We know that you murdered Killian.”

Crap thought Mathis.

Conrad and Mathis stood staring at each other for a several minutes before Conrad spoke up.

“You do realize what this means?”

Mathis shook his head, probably for the last time.  “I do.”

“Good.  That's what we were hoping to hear.”  Conrad moved over to the bed and picked up the remote.  “Anything good on?  I never get the chance to watch TV anymore.  Did you see this thing called the Food Network?  It's fantastic.  Of course it only reminds me of what I can no longer eat but, wow, it's entertaining.”

“So, who is going to do it?”

“Do what?” asked Conrad.

“Kill me.”

“What? Who wants to kill you?”

“You do!” said Mathis.

“No I don't.”

They stood staring at each other not knowing what the other was talking about.

“I thought you were here to kill me,” said Mathis.

“We don't want you dead.  We want you to be our leader.”

Leader.  Mathis was no leader.  He was the loner.  He liked it that way.  It was easy.  No one to care for but himself.  He couldn't be, and didn't want to be, responsible for anyone but himself.

“No.”

“No.  What do you mean no,” said Conrad.  “You don't have a choice.  You have to be our leader.”

“Why?”

“Because someone has to be!”

“Why?”

“Stop with the questions!  You killed Killian and now someone has to replace him.  It has to be you because you killed him.”

“Why don't you do it?”

Conrad began to pace.  Covering the room quickly in short bursts.  His arms flailing above his head in what could be described has a helicopter motion. 

“Don't you want to do it?  You would be so good at it.  Much better than I would be,”said Mathis.

Conrad stopped in front of Mathis.  Staring hard at him he turned his head to the side inquisitively.  “You have to do it.  Don't you understand?”

“I guess I don't.  Why do I have to do it?”

“Because you killed him.”

“So.”

Conrad took a deep breath.  “When you kill the leader, you have to take over.  By killing him you have taken the step and sent the message that you want take control of the minions.”

“But I don't!” said Mathis.  “I had no intention and never meant to send any message.  It was an impulse move and one I am very sorry for having committed.  I do not want to take over any minions.  I don't want any minions.  I took Killian's life so he would leave me alone.”  He was rubbing his hands again and looking around the room for some hand sanitizer.  A small bottle was on the night table and he grabbed it.

“The minions...” started Conrad.

“The minions!  I don't care about the minions.  The minions have never cared about me.  I don't want to care about the minions!”  He was rubbing his hands furiously, liquid hand sanitizer dripping from his hands.  He added more of the liquid and continued washing up past his wrists.

Conrad stared at him for a moment.  “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you really do it if you didn't want to lead?  I mean, it makes no sense to get rid of Killian and not want to be our leader.  There was no other reason to kill him.”

Mathis walked around the bed and peeked out of the curtains using the back of his hand.  The sun was bright and cheery, something he was not right now.  What the hell was I thinking?  “It was an impulsive move.  I didn't think of the consequences.  Well, I did but somehow I thought I would just end up dead and not someone's leader.  You know me Conrad, I couldn't lead a dog.”

Conrad smiled at that.  “Doesn't matter.  You are still the leader by default.  You have to do something.  Let's face it, Killian wasn't a great leader but he was the leader.  He settled disputes and took care of the dirty work.  We need someone to do that and it's now you, whether or not you want to.”

They stared at each other for some time.  “I have to tell them something,” said Conrad.

“Who are they?”

“You don't want to know.”

“I don't want to be your, their, or anyone's leader.  Tell them, whoever they are, that,” said Mathis.

Conrad nodded and moved to leave the room.  Mathis watched him open the door and slip out.  He stood staring at the door for sometime hoping no one would come through it.  He looked around the room, walked over to the small table in the corner and moved it slightly to the left, rearranged the chairs and the straightened the tablet, pen, and restaurant and hotel information at perfect right angles.  He fixed the bed where Conrad sat and rumpled the covers.  Pleased with the room, he walked into the bathroom and unwrapped the soap.  He looked up to the mirror, no one stared back at him.  Suddenly he was insanely curious about the three people who came with Conrad and why Conrad was here.  He had been close to Killian but he couldn't be part of some death squad, if that's what it was. 

Will they be back to kill me once it's dark now that I've turned them down?

Probably was all he could think.  He unwrapped the soap and began washing his hands again.  They were dry and cracked and would have been bleeding by now if he weren't already dead.  He scrubbed until the soap was gone.  He opened a second, turned on the water in the shower and stepped in leaving the dirty clothes outside the door so there would be no contamination.  He worried about finding clean clothes.  He should have brought some.  He would have to have them laundered and then began to worry about having them back in time for his departure this evening.  There was nothing he could do.  He would have to wait.

Two hours later, showered and looking mildly red for a dead man, he wrapped himself in a towel, and made a call to the front desk.  “I need to have some laundry done.  The airlines have lost may bags I have only change of clothes.”

“Not a problem, sir.  If you leave the bad outside the door, we will send someone up,” said the very happy voice on the other end.  Mathis wondered if it was the same clean, pretty girl from the night before.

“How long will it take?”

“We can have the clothes back to you in two hours sir.”

“Thank you.”  He hung up and looked down at his hand disgusted.  How many people have touched that phone?  He wiped his hand on the towel he was wearing, found the laundry bag in the closet and dropped the full bag outside the door, looking up and down the hallway for Conrad and the minions. 

He had two hours to wait.  He paced fixing and aligning things as we went.  He found the robe in the closet and after a few minutes of thoughtful introspection about who could have worn it last, decided to put it on anyway.  It was the only thing close to clothing left in the place now and he needed something besides the towel.  He wrapped himself in it and sat on the bed, careful not to catch the linens on the robe.  He flipped the tv on at watched a guy with spiky blond hair make chicken and wondered what Conrad found so interesting.

Two hours and several recipes later, someone was knocking at the door.  He looked out to find a bellboy holding his freshly laundered clothes on hangers.  He found his money on the side table, carefully peeled off a few dollars.  He opened the door, made the exchange and happily got dressed.  He fixed the bed again, left a few more dollars on the table for the maid, and left.

-----

The sun was setting as he walked out on the street.  He wanted to run but thought better of it.  What he really needed was a way out of town.  Trains were ideal.  Buses were too dirty.  A plane, also in the dirty category and he didn't have that much cash left.  He couldn't rent a car without a license.  He was going to have to steal one and that was always problematic.  Maybe a bus would just be the way to go.  It was a small town and asking for the bus station would be the least obvious.  Besides, everyone knew he was strange and would never think he'd take the bus.  The perfect ruse.  He walked back to the front door of the hotel and asked for a cab to the nearest bus station.

A few minutes later, he found himself at the bus station with buses belching exhaust and doing his best not to touch anything.  It would be a long trip.  He needed the largest big city that was all he asked for and knew he was in a for a long ride.  The woman at the ticket counter with the dirt under her nails said New York was about two hours out if traffic was good but that was the best she could do.  He paid he in $20s and asked where the bathroom was.  He needed soap and water after that transaction.

He returned and waited patiently with the others for the New York bus.  He hadn't eaten yet and wondered what he was going to do on the bus if someone sat by him.  He was not getting nervous, not a good combination with his hunger.  He back away from the crowd and decided to stop breathing.  No one would notice he was sure.

A loud speaker announced the number the 3408 to New York Penn Station from Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Mathis shot out in front of everyone and handed his ticket to the driver who didn't seem to notice him at all.  Sitting in the middle of the bus away from the window he counted the people in line and was happy to see it was not a full bus.  Some college students and fellow travelers.  He relaxed slightly taking up the whole seat and looking as menacing as he could.  No one sat by him.

He was now left with two hours and thoughts of the minions.  He knew he didn't escape, he was only running and they would find him.  New York would make it harder but he had a few friends and maybe one of them would be willing to hide him even if just for a night.  Enough to get his plans underway.  Going into hiding would not be easy, but what was a few centuries in coffin to him.  He would live forever, all he needed now was an undertaker who was willing to take a bribe.