Life Blood's Vengeance

Exhaust-i-drunk

Life Blood

Exhaust-i-Drunk

My day drags on after Samuel left for home to recover from his trauma in retelling his torture. He seems to have some sort of Shell Shock also stupidly referred to as PTSD in today’s era. According to Lucy from the event I witnessed today, I think she is correct. I worry about how he is doing throughout the rest of the day as I check throughout the company to make sure all is running now the way it should. I run around every floor making sure all departments have their computers online and having department heads following me around filling my head with information and my hands with files.

In the meantime, I have Lucy contact Shirmiski’s son with the Russian government. She seemed to keep hitting dead ends even when she said she had information about a war criminal from World War 2. They had questions and she told them some answers that we did have. She was asked why she was not informing our own government and she answered that we were in the process of doing so, but that we had tracked the hack to Russia. She was given cryptic answers, denials of involvement, and no definitive time frame as to when we would hear back.

In response to the dead ends I had Lucy looking around the Atlanta area to see if there was another cyber security expert with the credentials I wanted we could employ to work with us. She came up with a few names, some that had been on the news like Will Nobels. If I could not get in touch with Shirmiski’s son by the end of the week then I would give up and choose one of the local companies. Until then we would have our systems still working and worry about the treat to discloser of information we would have to be worried about to begin with.

Every now and then I would drop them off at Lucy’s desk to file for me under weekly reports or special reports and she would fill my hand with a list of those who needed to talk to me next and a cup of coffee to keep me going. She would tell be about her search and keep telling me to take a break, but I had too much to do and to many people demanding my attention. Before I knew it the time was 6:30pm, Lucy was leaving for the estate an hour away and it was almost time for my dinner appointment at Benedict’s. At this rate of my exhaustion I would have to have another pint of chilled blood I only kept for emergencies in my office locked mini fridge. I also happen to keep a few test vials of experimental drugs the company is working on in case anyone questions why I have blood in my fridge. No one dares open the ice box, but just in case they do. I am a bit paranoid about being caught, my father would be proud. Now arguably the most dangerous portion of my day, leaving for dinner. The occurrence sounds stupid, but I know Michell will be wanting revenge for the violence I did to him if he was able to survive. Hopefully he was not able to find a local family member or blood relation to feed off of, but I had a feeling he had turned a few men with his blood much like we had done with the Jewish refugees from World War 2. However, I don’t think his turns had been willing or warned of the pain in turning.

I call security and I have to wait for the night shift manager walk me out to his car. Mine is to damaged and he said he would be happy to drive me for an extra $100 and wait to pick me up and bring me back here. He did not know I would be staying, but he assumed I would be working late taking care of any issues I could not during the day. I was known for staying late and then locking up with the after-hours security I had. However, he had to wait for his replacement to arrive so I had a moment to rest and reminisce about the late nights my family would enjoy on hunts and dinners. In my younger years in the Virginia colonies to stay up late instead of waking up with the chickens, back then I could stay up long hours with ease along with my father.

I found I could hunt for blood better that way as suspicion and myths about the native peoples especially in the western frontier lands would cover what I was doing, hunting humans at night to take a bit of blood for survival in hunts with my family. I close my eyes and smile as I settle into the lobby chair and think of the many memories we would have laughing over the thrill of the hunt, me with my bow, my father with a gun, and both of us with our fangs drinking from humans giving all a great fright. The Renquist family made our living after the French Revolution as hunters, trappers and trackers in the western portion of Virginia instead of soldiers as the Puritan and deeply devote citizens were prone to religious fervor, often leading to witch hunts or accusations of devil worship on a large scale. These happenings concerned my father and mother greatly and we made great riches off trading valuable furs to the plantation owners. Soon we were well known trappers and were able to purchase our own tracks of land for our own large farm. My father still feared our family would be discovered as vampires and continued his trade as a trapper, especially since we were now well known. There was still the matter of needing human blood to survive and use our powers on a regular basis. We feared being found and hunted by our prey in mass numbers.

My mother happened upon a plan from one of the natives we worked with. Often the natives would wear furs to disguise their human scent. A trick my mother would reconfigure for our own use. We would be able to use those same furs to blame the abundant wildlife and the local’s extensive belief in religion, myth and legends to make them believe large human like monsters inhabited the woods and would attack humans. They even had a ridiculous names for us, what modern language would call the Yeti or Bigfoot. At first we did not wear shoes as it made our foot falls quiet but all of us would wear furs all over our bodies and pretend to be a large ape like creatures.

After the legend took hold we would wear large shoes shaped like a footprint and cover ourselves with the fresh thick pelts of or kills and then begin hunting our meal after we hunted for our profession. Using our skills of better vision and hunting we would hide in the frontier lands and take our meals. Then we would come back to town as fur, sell it and then continuing running the farm. My head falls to my chest and I realize I almost fell asleep. This simply will not do.

I need to stop thinking of the past, but again it is a habit when I am very tired. I need to keep myself aware of my surroundings instead especially with Michell around. I need to think more about the business meeting coming up and I will be late if I have to wait for my security guy Mark much longer. I hear him coming my way and concentrate on what needs to be done right now. I see his burly stature walk towards me, adjusting his gun on his hip and giving me a thumbs up. Getting up from my almost resting place we start walking to the garage deck.

“Thank you Mark, Benedicts please. I should be no more than an hour and then the trip back should not be a problem. Keep your eyes out for danger as always.” He gives me a nod and a yes madam and we arrive at his Mazda on the first deck near the elevators that has seen better days for the two mile trip to the uptown classic bistro for me to fill my body with great food, even better liquor and a wide variety of fresh breakfast desserts I can purchase for after my hangover in the morning. It is a quick trip and I get admitted into Benedicts with their rustic southern charm emanating from every decoration with the sole exception of their extensive deli area which contains countless pastry confections.

I am lead to one of the less populated backrooms they keep for parties and seated in a large booth next to a scarred bar top and an attentive bartender. My favorite combination.

I order a bottle of my favorite Merlot, despite my fear of being late I have arrived 15 minutes early. This gives me time to tidy my hair and outfit in the women’s bathroom. I was not alone, which although not unusual was potentially opportune. I consider taking a blood snack on the dyed beach blonde that was in a mini-skirt but she turned the thought sour as she smelled off, like drugs. Drugs in the blood did weird things to my mind and I hated the taste. I was like a bitter and chalky taste that you wished would come out but does not even after scrubbing profusely. I was not truly needing the blood but I am angry and need to spill someone’s blood. What better way to do that then to feed at the same time.

I exit the restroom and wait for Theodore and Jacob the business lawyer with the helpful bartender. What many did not know was that Jacob was one of our kind like Lucy, but he decided he wanted to take a different track when we helped him escape. He left us for about 20 years and then when he came back he said he was tired of moving around due to the suspicious nature of his lack of aging. I made a deal with him, if he said as my business attorney he could not actively go to court. That he must stick to writing arguments and having them arbitrated. He did not see this as a problem, but is mind was far more analytical and brutal than many knew. This suited me fine.

I see Jacob walk in with signature black dress shirt and black and narrowly striped white pants. He needed some fashion sense, but since everything about the guy was simple and direct I saw no major issue. His dress was merely a reflection of the man dark, simple, cunning and deeply cynical. He could also drink anyone under the table in just a few hours, one of the ways he coped with his past however unhealthily. He waves and sits down next to me and orders a vodka straight and shoots it down like water.

Theodore is not far behind him and orders his rum and coke and all of us get started talking about the waste of time the board meeting was earlier. “Okay, so we can agree that we need to implicate Jackson in the failings of firewall through embezzlement attempt charges right?” Jacob mutters as if contemplating a speck of grass under a microscope. “I read the confidential information Theodore gave me cover to cover and think there are some serious errors in professional judgement we can exploit as fault. The problem is getting more of a background in technical failures, as we already have the personal.” He looks up from his glass and knocks back the rest of the shot of vodka the bartender had just brought him a minute ago.

I sip my wine and look around to make sure no one is listening, “Yes, I have reason to believe an OLD family friend might be disposed to help with the issue.” One of my list of things to do was to make contact with the current Shirmski’s official office personnel and I have a call with his assistant tomorrow as he was indisposed to speak with me personally this week. I had mentioned I knew his grandfather well and could help him if he could assist me in a small matter. Knowing the type of unethical man Samuel described he would not hesitate to learn more. However, he would approach cautiously.

Jacob nods as he watches Theodore to make sure he did not catch on to my hidden meaning. Theodore seems more interested in the alcohol at the moment as he raises his glass to indicate a re-fill. When the waitress comes back we order our food and I look forward to the lobster and shrimp fettuccine in alfredo sauce I know and love to be covered in cheese and garlic. The myth about vampires and garlic is wrong, but silver did sting us a little. Not enough to truly irritate or harm us in any way. At best silver would give us a skin rash.

We continue to discuss specific plans to protect the company from legal repercussions of the cyber issue and it seems like we need to get the third party assessment done as we all agree we can’t trust Jackson’s initial report and findings. Depending on what is found Jacob suggested there might be more charges Jackson can answer for. We realize had every reason to want to diminish the actual size of the damage done. Just as we wanted to maximize Jackson’s responsibility for the cyber breach so the company could blame the employee that attempted to take funds from certain departments. The sad portion is that all of this was decided before the appetizer Jacob had ordered arrive, which was about eight minutes.

We did in eight minutes what ten people could not agree upon in three or more hours. We were on the appetizer when it was decided that we would alert the authorities at the state level of the hack and then file the company charges on Jackson at the same time. It meant that since it would be an active investigation we would only have to report the issue to our clients. Although bad, it would not initially be a headline story on the Atlanta evening news. It would be eventually, but it would be after we were actively working with the authorities and would be an employee related incident.

I had heard that making important business decisions was not a good idea while drinking or exhausted however I felt like we were making some headway in the great conversation.

Now to my next dilemma, after today I needed a sounding board to vent all the problems Jackson caused us collectively. Theodore and Jackson already knew the problems we deal with and often any meeting that was just the three of us became complaining about employees, vendors or supply chain issues. Often we would get drunk, but not nearly so early as tonight. I had already been through a full bottle of wine, Theodore had already consumed 4 rum and cokes and Jacob was on his sixth vodka shot by the time I had finished my pasta.

Although Jacob and I had more alcohol then Theodore he seemed to be more drunk with his soft dirty blonde hair slightly ruffled and standing on end and his cheeks ruddy. Poor Theodore was also starting to slur words ever so slightly. Jacob would be driving him home tonight unconscious at the rate he was going. That was not going to happen as I motion the bartender to cut our table off. I know to well what happens to humans if they drink to much at night and then knowingly run into a vampire like myself. If Theodore and I had met 100 years ago in his current condition he would be a blood snack on my way home and if he ran into Michell tonight odds are he would be dead from blood loss.

Theodore’s condition seemed a good enough reason to break up our gathering and allow me to finally get some sleep. Of course, the guys wanted to stay later and talk about quarter goals and such, but I had no patience anymore and I was about to fall asleep right here at Benedict’s. I am not as young as these two and I need sleep in order to think. I bid them both goodbye, “Theodore I still want you in the office tomorrow, but you can come in two hours late. Please sleep well and go home now and get some sleep. Both of you. I am headed back to the office to research some cyber security experts in the area.”

“You have worked just as long as us, you are being a hypocrite. Be reasonable, please do rest you look like hell warmed over” says Jacob. They protest as I shake my head firmly declining any pleas to see reason. I pay my tab with the bartender and walk to the lush and decadent deli counter. Piles of cannoli’s, bagels, croissants, donuts, cakes, scones, muffins, Danishes, cookies, brownies, cheesecakes, crème filled pastries and moose fill the 4 glass cases. Temptation gets the best of me and I order my large bag of pastries that I plan to share with Lucy in the morning. I feel like I have just bought heaven as I picked out a chocolate chocolate chip cookie with caramel chucks and fudge icing.

I pull out my cell phone as I make my way to the brass and window paned door with the gold letters of Benedict’s proclaiming a long and rich history of culinary delight. Indeed the soft and rich cookie is one of the reasons I love this establishment. My comfort here as lowered many of my preservation skills, but maybe that could be attributed to my exhaustion, the fact that I am slightly drunk or that the food was filling.

Calling Mark at the door on my cell phone where I was clearly visible was not the best idea I have ever had and knew the moment I did it I might pay for it. The searing hot pain of my shoulder and the shattering of the glass door in front of me answer my less than wise choices in life as an affirmation. Yes, I was not intelligent in that moment. I here the screams and shouts of the restaurant patrons around me and I kneel to the ground holding my shoulder. The wound was meant to disable, not to kill. However once I found the person who shot me they will wish they had shot to kill. Sadly my belief in myself did not measure up to what I was physically able to accomplish.

My body had enough for today and my freshly eaten meal was no longer in my stomach and my bleeding would not stop. I hear Jacob’s voice shout my name as I pass out. He knew what to do, but he could not expose us in such a public location. At least I knew he would take care of my pastries were saved; they were too good to go to waste.