Michael was still sleeping on the air mattress when I woke up. Quietly I put my clothes back on and left him sleeping there. Tonight Skull’s little gang was exceptionally quiet, usually there was the heavy thumping of metal base blaring through some speakers, but tonight it was quiet as the grave. I walked up the stairs and found that everyone seemed to be sitting about in silence. At first I panicked but then I heard a familiar voice.

“Is it green tea with lemon?” Keira asked.

“Yes love.” Skull replied in a hush tone.

“Good, I’ve had such a fucking headache all weekend. I hate having to deal with those pushy government assholes. Now rub my shoulders.”

“Yes darling.” Skull said obediently.

I walked into Skull’s office and was surprised to find the gentle sound of waves coming from the stereo system, and delicate smell of incense wafting through the air. Keira was in pink velour track suit today. She was laid across the desk while Skull massaged her shoulders. I knocked on the office door softly. Keira opened one eye and said,

“You have no idea the trouble you’ve caused.”

“I know, I’m a pain in the ass.” I replied.

“I brought you and Michael a red cross parcel of essentials while you survive maison de Skull.” Keira said pointing to several suitcases of clothing.

“Thank you so much.” I said.

“You’re mobile phone is in there too and Dad made sure I pack you one of his bank cards.”

“What’s the limit?”

“The sky.”

“So what’s happening in the real world?”

“The government want you back in custody but our legal eagles are working on it as we speak. Where’s Michael?”

“Sleeping.”

“Poor boy has been a nervous wreck since you were taken into jail. I wish my husband cared about me like that.” Keira said abruptly rolling off the table.

“Aw come on darling, don’t be like that!” Skull whined.

Keira ignored Skull and handed me my cell phone, “Sheldon is desperate to talk to you.”

“The government don’t suspect his involvement in all this?” I asked worried.

Keira shook her head, “He’s very good at covering his tracks.”

Skull quickly grabbed Keira’s green tea and offered it to her. Keira looked at the cup scathingly.

“I wanted a slice of lemon in the tea.” She snapped.

“Babe, we don’t have any lemons.” Skull replied.

Keira handed me a five pound note, “Be a love and go and get me a lemon from the corner shop. You look like you need some fresh air.” She said.

I should have stayed in, but I had been cooped up in the hotel for so long the luxury of simply walking out on to the street was too strong. I slipped out from the pub holding the money and my cell phone. It was pouring with rain but luckily the shop was a two minute walk away. Running across the road I entered the small newsagents and smiled. Shopping just like any other normal person. I browsed the magazines and the small selections of goods they had to offer enjoying the freedom of being able to do the things I use to do when I was human. Choosing a single lemon I got into the queue and waited to be served. An old lady behind the counter served me. I got my lemon and I turned. The world stopped turning and froze for a moment. Micah stood behind me arms folded chatting pleasantly to the girl in the queue. I pretended to act normal and walked past him. He spoke loudly telling the girl that he was from a small town in the US and had come to England to pursue a girl he was once in love with. The girl smiled and laughed at his jokes as he turned on the full Micah charmed, I remember myself being in awed and impressed by the tour de force of Micah’s charisma offensive. But now listening to it I just wanted to roll my eyes and vomit- well maybe I would have done that if I wasn’t so scared. The girl handed her cell number to him. I walked out the shop without even acknowledging him. Outside the rain was falling. I waited under the plastic awning until Micah exited. He looped his arm around my waist and produced an umbrella which he opened.

“Good girl Lorna, you didn’t run.” He said.

“Running was pointless.” I replied bleakly.

“Not when you’re surrounded by thirty monsters waiting for the signal to tear you to pieces.”

“We need to talk.”

“We’ll chat later, but first I want coffee.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, Lorna, I am serious. I want you to put your arm round my waist and walk to the little coffee shop on the corner like we’ve just had dinner together and we’re now getting a post date coffee.”

“Micah I don’t want play games with you.”

“It’s coffee babe. Just coffee.”

“Fine.” I said reluctantly.

We walked to the coffee shop on the corner and went in and found a dark shady table. A pretty waitress came and took our order and I tried to act as normal as possible. Micah leaned back into the chair and stared at the waitress’s ass as she walked away.

“You seem a little uneasy babe.” He said softly.

“Micah you haven’t exactly kept a clean record since I last saw you. Running around with those things killing innocent people, I mean, what the hell happened to you! I ran out on to that bridge expecting to save my poor little Micah from the evil vampires and ended up,” I struggled to string the words together and gave up, “Well you know what happened, you were there.”

Micah smiled and shrugged, “I can’t help what I am Lorna. I need to eat, we all need to eat. The humans made us this way none of us would have chosen this life.”

Genuine pity flickered through my heart and I suddenly felt very sorry for the creatures that the humans had created and abandoned. The waitress returned with our coffee and Micah beamed at her taking note of her name tag and thanking her personally. Opening a sachet of sugar he poured it in to his coffee.

“That Michael guy, do you love him?” He asked.

“We paired accidently on the first day I woke up. We’ve been inseparable since.” I said frankly.

Micah jaw tensed and he tore open another sugar. “Well ain’t that a kick in the teeth.” He snapped.

“Oh come on Micah you’ve been flirting with at least two girls in the last fifteen minutes.”

“That’s not flirting. That’s finding lunch.”

“Is that what happened to Emma?” I asked.

Micah’s expression changed. “Ah, my Emma, the one that got away.”

“Did you kill her?”

“I forget most of the people I’ve killed but I remember Emma. Sweet Emma. She told me she wanted to save me, she wanted to save all us and we believed her. Sadly she lied and she had to pay for those lies.”

“Explain to me.”

“No. You want to capture me and hand me over to the authorities so you can go back to your cushy little coven and spend the rest of eternity blissfully with your partner while the humans slaughter all of us. Fuck you Lorna. None of us wanted to be dragged into the world this way.”

 “I would rather hand myself over to be destroyed than carrying on living like those things. Micah those monsters are not really living. They don’t know who they are or what they have done. They just drift like zombies until the change happens and they-”

“Become what they really are,” Micah interjected, “The zombie state is a side effect from being neither fully vampire or fully human. It’s a kind of limbo we’re stuck in. The human side is clumsy, weak and forgetful but the vampire side, the monster side, makes up for all that. We are strong, we are at our peak while we are vampire and that is what I want for my feral hoard- to be free of our human curse. ”

“So you don’t care about the misery and death you and those monsters have caused.”

“It’s collateral damage. We kill to live. Look across the road at the grill joint, humans feast upon the dead there and nobody is having any moral hang ups about that. This is nature Lorna, it’s savage but if we don’t eat then we die.”

“Micah you don’t have to kill people.”

“Oh sweetie, I give up. You’re beginning to sound like a broken record. Don’t kill, don’t drink blah blah blah… the sad fucking story of our love.”

I didn’t know what to say. Micah straightened his jacket and looked over to the waitress behind the counter.

“It’s been swell catching up with you babe, but that girl is just begging to be laid. I had hoped to take you home but while lover boy is alive I don’t think that is going to happen. Ce la vie.”

Micah threw money for coffee on the table and got up and left the booth. I watched as he went over to the counter and leaned forward smiling at the waitress. It made me feel sick. Slowly I got up and left the café. Perhaps I should have run all the way back home, but I didn’t. I walked steadily through the pouring rain allowing my clothes to become absolutely saturated. The whole ordeal felt so surreal. I got to the boarded up pub and banged on the door. The punk bouncer let me in and I walked through the filthy grimy decay of the building down into the cellar of the pub. I had completely forgotten about Keira and her lemon. My cell began to buzz as I descended the stairs. I pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” I said quietly.

“Lorna? Where the fuck have you been, I’ve been calling you for the past hour!” Sheldon yelled angrily.

“I was having coffee with my ex.” I said coolly.

The phone went dead for a few moments and Sheldon then said, “Shit.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. Micah was surprisingly normal.”

“What happened? Did he say anything?”

“He said that he and the other monsters were just doing what came naturally to them. No remorse or sympathy for what they had done. Micah even admitted to killing Emma.”

“Ah fuck, this is heavy. Did he follow you back home?”

“No, he left to go and bang the waitress and then probably eat her after that.”

“You should have called the police or the slayers.”

“They’re after me too, remember?”

“Ah fuck. Do want me to tell your parents?”

“No, they’re freaking out enough as it already is.”

“Okay, is Michael there?”

“I am going to see him now.”

“Well, I rang to say I think I found a lead. I found a list of names of people who worked at the HOWE research lab but were ill on the day of the accident. Unfortunately most were either admin or cafeteria workers but there was one very junior scientist there. At first I dismissed her because she was so junior but then I noticed her name, Mary Logan. I did some research and hey presto Miss Logan is Tessa Logan’s cousin. Tessa was the head researcher before she became chowder for the v-monsters.”

“Okay, where is she now?”

“She lives in Sevenoaks south of London above a hairdresser salon. She has kept a pretty low profile since Cumbria.”

“Great we’ll look into it tomorrow night.” I said numbly.

“I’ve gotta go now but promise me you won’t go out by yourself again. Not without Michael or one of those idiot punks by your side.”

“I doubt Micah would try anything again.”

“I don’t care, promise me. I don’t want you to end up like Emma.”

“I promise I won’t end up like Emma.”

“That’s not what I meant-” Sheldon voice cut off as I ended the call.

I couldn’t promise anything. I would do what was necessary to obtain Micah. I opened the door to my room. Michael was still asleep. Dripping wet and freezing cold I lay down beside him and closed my eyes. I just wanted it to all go away.