Just An Average Vampire

Night Shift

There used to be a time where I looked out, rather than in. It wasn’t that long ago either, but ever since that one forgotten night and the fiery morning I haven’t been able to look out in a long time. The years seem to drag on rather than whizzing by like so many have said before. Many have said that I would never get used to the chilled feeling in my heart. The buzz of loneliness is ever present, and it is hard  to pinpoint a time when I wasn’t like this. It’s only been a few years - three, perhaps - yet I don’t remember much before then. I was an adult, yes, but for some reason I can’t remember anything from my childhood.  

“Where’re your lighters?” 

I blinked and straightened up, snapping out of my internal thoughts. My back was stiff from standing and my stomach ached, reminding me that I was hungry. I suppressed the urge to yawn and pointed to the aisle on the right end of the store. 

“They’re over in the last aisle, top shelf. They are get two get one free.” 

The man tipped his hat and nodded before walking off to get them. “Thank ya ma’am.” 

I smiled as he went and when he was out of sight I leaned back down on the counter, sighing. I checked my watch and saw that it was almost two in the morning. I worked strictly the night shift at Marley’s 24 Hour Corner Store as the store manager. I lived in a small town in north Ohio called Farbe where the population was about 520 people. Everyone knew each other and no one knew the guy that always sat on the street in front of the store. All the truck drivers passing through the town knew me, and if they didn’t, they learned my name very quickly. I was the one who always worked the night shift. I worked full time, and although Marley, the guy who owned the place, wasn’t supposed to work me every night. I insisted though, since this was the only store in the entire town that stayed open. I needed a job at night. Daytime jobs weren’t an option. 

I yawned and felt my eyes water. A shiver ran up my back and I huffed, pulling my red uniform vest closer to my body. I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and let the hair fall over my shoulders. I felt my neck immediately get warm and I shivered again. I needed to tell Marley to fix the heater now that winter was coming. 

The man came up to the counter again and threw some cigarettes and three lighters down. He grabbed a bag of chips from the rack behind him and tossed them down as well. 

“This it for you tonight, Rodney?” I asked, ringing his things up.

“Yeah, I just needed some smokes and a snack for the road,” he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “How ya been, Andy?” 

“Pretty good. All I do is work so there isn’t really much to talk about.” I told him his total and he handed me a five dollar bill. I punched the total into the register and gave him his change. “You have a good night, Rodney, and tell Karen I said hi.” 

“Will do, have a good night!” He grabbed his things and waved goodbye, leaving the store. I was alone again, and since there wasn’t anything to do, I just sat. 

I wondered if people thought it was strange that I just worked all the time. I didn’t go to school, although I was the right age and had the right intentions. I just wouldn’t be able to find a job at night to fit my needs easily, and plus I couldn’t take night classes because I was at Marley’s working. Not only that, but there would come a time where I would have to venture out into the day, and that just isn’t an option for me. 

I heard the bell over the door ring as someone walked in. I glanced over and smiled, my mood lifting a little. A man walked in, red hair in disarray pointing in all directions. He was pale, his cheeks were spattered with freckles, and his glasses were slightly crooked. He stood tall, broad shouldered, yet a little lanky at the same time. He looked more tired than me, and I could tell he just got out of his university classes. He rubbed his eyes and straightened his red vest, yawning as he passed me. 

“Hey Andy. How’s it going?” He mumbled tiredly. 

“Pretty slow, and you?” I asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Tired.” He walked behind the counter and punched into the timeclock. “Does anything have to be done in the backroom tonight?” 

“No, I already restocked everything for tonight, so you should be good for the rest of your shift after I leave at five.” 

“Damn, I keep forgetting this is pretty much morning for you.” He grabbed a clipboard hanging on the wall and looked over it. “Well then, I guess I’m gonna have a good time just sitting here on my ass.” He pulled up a stool next to me and sat down. “How ya doin’ girl?” 

“Stop,” I said, laughing. “You get paid to sit here like any other person. Just enjoy it while you can. I may not be so gracious next time and you might have to restock the entire store someday.” 

“Honestly, though, how do you do all of that so quickly? I thought you usually came in at nine or something.” 

I smirked and leaned back, folding my hands behind my head. “I think you know the answer to that.” 

It took him a minute to realize what he said and he sighed. “Yeah, super speed, I forgot.” He yawned again and stretched. “You never really told me about that though so I had to go on the legend this time.” 

I grabbed a sports magazine and started to absently flip through it. “The legend is pretty close to the real deal, just the whole garlic thing is a load of shit.” 

“Oh and reflections,” he added. 

“Yeah that too.” I glanced up and watched him typing something into his phone. I shook my head and went back to reading the magazine. He was adding yet another fact to his List of Lore. He was smart and a little too curious for his own good. I had never told him my biggest secret, but rather he connected the dots himself. At first he was kidding, and so was I, until everything stopped being a game. Creatures are attracted to their own kind, and that includes my kind as well. 

“Do vampires turn into bats?” He asked, looking up from his phone. 

“Yeah,” I mumbled. 

“Really? Or are you f*****g with me?” 

“Yes, Floyd, we can turn into bats.” I stopped and thought about my answer then. “Actually, scratch that, we can turn into a variety of animals based on how powerful you are.” 

Floyd started typing that into his phone. “Ok, so how does that even work?” 

I put the magazine down and took a minute to think. “I mean, the more powerful you are the more animals you can turn into. If you were really powerful you could alter your appearance such as becoming male or female, but for the most part we can only turn into certain animals.” 

“What about you?” 

“I’ve only really turned into a cat.” 

Floyd hummed and stared at me. “Fitting.” 

“Shut up.” 

He went on to type the rest of my response into his phone while I went back to the magazine. Vampire lore was tricky. Of course it varies from place to place, but for the most part things are pretty much the same. Vampires weren’t all s*x gods made to be the epitome of human beauty. I was pretty average myself. Many didn’t know how to change their appearance enough to really make a difference. Vampires could be a little paler than usual, but for the most part a well fed one stayed pretty close to their actual skin color. I myself being part Vietnamese I was darker than the mainstream vampire. Anyways, the skin of a vampire could change based on their diet. If a vampire were to drink too much blood then they would end up having darker skin and they would have a little bit of a purplish tint to them. They were usually feral vampires though and having too much blood could actually kill them. Like everything in the world there needed to be a balance. 

Vampires weren’t very common either. There wasn’t a vampire council or anything, but rather just some unspoken rules about feeding and whatnot that kept the vampires from being completely found out. There was no vampire law either. If a vampire started going public there would be nothing anyone could do. They would be exposing themselves, not the rest of the vampire race. 

The whole immortality thing, though, was true. We unfortunately live much, much longer than anything else on the Earth. That was a burden more than anything else. I however was not old enough to have to experience that just yet. I only recently became a vampire then, so immortality hadn’t really affected me yet. 

“Are you strong enough to turn into other people?” Floyd asked. 

“I don’t know. I never tried,” I answered, putting the magazine down. “Are we done? I have about another hour before I have to go home and I don’t want to spend it answering random questions about vampirism.” 

“Ok, ok sorry. I didn’t mean to bug you about it. It’s just, vampires are pretty interesting and you’re probably the only one I will ever meet.” He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and I sighed. 

“Well, do I live up to your expectations?” 

“Actually, yes.” 

I snorted and shook my head. Of course I did. He was a strange one, and I enjoyed being around him. He made everyday life (unlife?) interesting. I had to admit, working everyday and hunting was becoming a bore. I had been at it for about two years now and until recently I was starting to regret becoming a vampire. 

I stretched my back and suppressed a yawn. Funny enough I was getting a little tired. The night was always slow and for someone who did this every single day it was getting to be a real chore coming to work. I had no need for the money since I didn’t need to buy food and I didn’t really need a job to fit in. I could literally walk away from it all right now and still live a sustainable life. Sure I liked the internet and smartphones, but in reality I could live off grid and it wouldn’t be a hassle. Then again, I would still be bored and I had family to worry about. They of course knew nothing about my secret and just thought I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Too bad I couldn’t really do anything that required me to go out in the daylight. 

Floyd was the exact opposite of me, though. He went to school full time and worked part time. He was human with no desire to become a vampire. He had never asked me to turn him and I was relieved that he had no interests in becoming the undead. That was one of my biggest fears when he found me out. I was afraid he was going to make me turn him in order to keep my secret, but oddly enough he was completely fine being the way he was. He was extremely smart and liked folklore. It wasn’t just vampires he asked about, but everything else as well. He had asked me about ghosts and werewolves and many other things. My knowledge was limited though, since I had only become a vampire a couple years back. I had fallen out of touch with my mentor about six months prior and I only knew the basics about vampires. I had never ran into any other creatures of the night - vampires included. 

I glanced up at the clock and groaned. “Half an hour left.” 

“Three more for me,” Floyd said, yawning once more. “God, I’m so tired.” 

“Don’t you have finals?” I asked. 

Floyd pouted and whined. “Unfortunately.” 

I smirked and shook my head. “Good luck with that.” 

The rest of my shift was pretty slow. There was nothing to do and no one really came in for the rest of the night. Floyd spent the time studying and I resigned myself to reading. Due to having nothing better to do I usually did everything that needed to be done early. I guess that’s why Marley never minded that I work every night. I got s**t done. 

When the clock hit five I stood up and stretched. “Night loser, see you tomorrow.”

“Mhmm” He hummed, eyes not leaving his textbook. “See ya.” 

I went into the backroom and gathered my purse, taking my car keys out. I put on my coat and grabbed some hand warmers before heading out. Yes, vampires do indeed get cold.