Girls' Night Out
By Heather Hill
Michael Lasseter was at his favorite bar, drunk.
Not that that was anything new for him. He'd been drinking steadily all his life, even more so for the last three months since his wife had left him.
Janice had come home from work one day, packed her bags, and announced that she wanted more out of life than a middle-aged, overweight, alcoholic garbage man who came home every night smelling of rotten fish and cat litter. She told Michael that she'd been promoted at her company and was moving out of state. Without him.
Well, that was fine by Michael. With
the way that woman spent money, he'd have plenty more of it left for himself now
that he didn't have to support her anymore. Janice could have her new
position as a marketing executive in upstate
Michael rose unsteadily to his feet and staggered into the men's room, his vision slightly blurred.
God, how much had he drunk tonight? He tottered over to the urinal and answered the call of nature.
 |
Relieved, Michael went over to the cracked old mirror on the wall and grinned at himself. He still wore his dark blue city sanitation uniform, not having bothered to change his clothes before going out for the evening. It was covered in stains and smelled strongly of garbage. Michael ran his hands through the few tendrils of hair that still clung loyally to his skull. Lucky you made it in time, old buddy.
Another minute or so and you would have hosed the floor. Not that an accident would have bothered him.
Michael had had plenty of them at home, even when he was less drunk than he was now. Janice had always thrown him bodily into the shower and cleaned up the mess, muttering about what a drunken loser he was.
Janice. She was pretty, in her own way, and she'd always browned the meatloaf perfectly when she cooked it for supper. Always washed and folded his clothes for him, too. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about how hard it was to live without a woman taking care of him. Especially when they were in bed together at night and she used to...
Well, that was something that they hadn't done together in a long time. Michael wondered who Janice was doing it with now.
He shakily walked over to the nearest stall, closed and bolted the door, and sat down on the seat and cried.
###
Two young women were crouched behind some large bushes about twenty yards from the bar. The shorter of the two poked her head out from behind the foliage into the dark night air.
"Lily! What are you doing?! Get back in here with me before someone sees you!" a voice hissed to her.
Lily pulled her head back inside. "Dessi, I don't know if we should be doing this. What if we get caught?"
"We won't be found out, Lily. It's been a long time since we last did it, and no one suspects anything."
Lily trembled briefly, her long dark hair swishing as she moved. "This doesn't feel right, Dessi. I don't want anyone to catch us. Especially her. Not after what happened when we were discovered last time"
Dessi gazed into her twin sister's eyes, dark violet eyes that mirrored her own. "I promise you, sis. She won't catch us. No one knows that you and I are here, not even her. We'll be just fine."
Lily nervously twisted strands of black hair in her fingers. "You sure?"
"Of course I am," Dessi chuckled softly, being careful to keep her voice low in case anyone could hear. "And besides...I'll be doing most of the work.
All you have to do is enjoy the fruits of our labors once it's all over."
Lily considered the matter for a moment. She smiled weakly at her sister. "Well...all right. Can we keep any valuables we find when we're finished?"
Dessi smiled at her twin. "Of course we can, Lily. You can have first pick, if you want," Dessi said, patting Lily affectionately on the cheek.
A movement caught Dessi's eye, and she quickly turned and looked at the bar's entrance. In the glare of the parking lot lights, Dessi could see a bald man in a dark blue jumpsuit with the words CITY SANITATION written across the back in silver.
"Look! There's one now! Let's go, Lily." Dessi helped her sister to her feet.
###
Michael walked outside to his car, breathing deeply of the night air as he went. Amazing how bawling like a baby can sober a guy up, he thought.
Can't let it happen too often, though. It's not manly to cry like a little girl.
Michael fumbled with his car keys, thinking how grateful he was that no one had walked in while he was weeping. As he turned the key in the lock, he heard a rustling noise. He looked up, confused. Where was it coming from?
Suddenly, two women appeared. They began walking toward Michael. The two were visions of loveliness, shapely look alikes with long, waist length hair and pale creamy skin. One of the ladies wore a purple dress suit, while the other wore a doctor's coat. The sight of the ladies' career clothes slightly diminished their radiance for Michael. They made him think of Janice again. The women reached his car and the taller of the two addressed Michael.
"Excuse me, sir. My sister and I were on our way home from work when my car broke down. We're stranded about two miles from here, and this is the first place we've come to where we could ask for help. Might we borrow your cell phone?" the woman asked politely.
"Sorry, lady. I ain't got no cell phone. Try the bar inside." Michael moved to leave.
The two women exchanged looks. "Err...we'd both like to get home soon. It's been a long day, and my sister and I are tired. Could we trouble you for a ride? We don't live far from here."
Michael gave the twins an appraising glance. Why not? Giving two beautiful women a ride home was not the sort of thing a man like him was asked to do every day. These ladies needed him. If he helped them, they might even be grateful enough to want to... Nah.
That was dreaming.
Michael offered the ladies a gap-toothed grin.
"Why, I certainly can, young ladies. Allow me to offer you a hand up into my chariot." He was careful to remember his manners now. It was always easier to score with girls if you did stuff like that.
Michael's 'chariot' was a beat up old pickup truck. Michael gave his arm first to the tallest twin, who smiled graciously and stepped up into his truck, then to her sister, who smiled nervously and jumped when Michael grasped her arm. She quickly scrambled inside. When the two were settled in the cab, Michael got into the driver's seat. He started the ignition.
"So...what are your names?" Michael asked tentatively. It had been too long since he'd been this close to any female, and the very nearness of them was making him nervous.
"I'm Dessi," said the one next to him, "and this is my sister Lily."
"Wow. Those are some purty names you got there."
Lily wrinkled her nose and made a soft gagging noise. "Dessi!" She whispered as softly as she could without Michael hearing her. "I think you picked a bad one. This one smells like he's already d-"
Lily's whispered complaints about their benefactor's scent were cut off with an "Oof!" as Dessi took that opportunity to elbow her sister in the stomach.
"Hush!" she growled to Lily. "Don't mess this up!"
"Eh?" Michael asked. "You girls say somethin'?"
"I said thank you. Lily and I were both named for our grandparents."
"She don't talk much, does she?"
"Lily's always been a little on the quiet side, even when we were little girls. Haven't you, dear?"
Dessi poked her again.
"Yes!" Lily squeaked.
"So...where does a big strong man like you live, Michael?" Dessi purred. A little more leading than she normally would have been, but if she didn't get started soon, Dessi was certain the smell of him was going to make her throw up. Lily wasn't kidding, the guy really did have the aroma of roadkill on him.
Dessi wished he'd changed his clothes before going out.
Michael turned to face Dessi, taking his eyes off the road as he drove. "I live about ten miles from here, right off the highway. Got me a little home out in the country. Almost paid for, too."
Dessi could smell the beer on his breath as he spoke. She smiled sweetly. "Well...I was hoping a big strong man like you could keep me company tonight.
It's been so long since I've had a real man to satisfy me. She traced a finger meaningfully down Michael's leg. "Could we...go someplace more private?" Dessi looked at him and licked her lips.
Michael's mouth hung open in shock. Hot damn, it was gonna happen! About time, too. It was a shame more women didn't appreciate what a man like him had to offer.
"What about your sister?" Lily was hot too, but Michael wasn't so sure he'd get as good a time out of her as he would from Dessi.
"Oh, she won't bother us. In fact, she can wait outside. All the better for us to be...alone." Dessi breathed in his ear.
"Do you wanna go to my place?" he whispered. The blood was pounding in Michael's ears.
"I can't wait that long," Dessi whispered seductively in his ear. "Why don't we pull over into that alley just up ahead?"
Michael thought his heart would explode. He hit the gas a little too hard and raced into the alley, slamming on the brakes with such force that they nearly hit the wall. Michael sat and looked at Dessi expectantly, a rapt expression of hunger on his face.
"Lily! You go and wait outside. This won't take long at all."
Lily got out of the cramped front cab of the truck, grateful to be free of the smell and the truck's driver. She breathed deeply of the cool night air. The gagging feeling was starting to go away.
"Better you than me, sis," Lily muttered to herself.
Chilled, she wrapped her coat more closely around herself and walked around the corner to wait.
###
Michael fumbled for the buttons on Dessi's dress suit. Dessi wrapped her arms around him and stroked the back of his neck. She kissed him.
"I've had a good time...this has been fun."
"Fun?" Michael pulled his face away from hers and frowned. "What do you mean? We haven't done anything yet!"
Dessi smiled sweetly. "You haven't done anything yet, dear...BUT I WILL!" Her pretty face contorted with rage. Dessi's hands locked tightly around Michael's neck. As she squeezed, Michael struggled with her, clawing desperately at Dessi's hands to pry them loose.
"Don't struggle so, dear. It only increases the pain."
The last thing Michael saw before he lost consciousness was Dessi's lovely smile, and the face of her sister Lily behind her.
###
Lucretia Vrykolaka wearily turned the key in the front door of her home. It was just past 6:00 AM, and she'd had an exhausting night at work. She was anxious to fix a little snack and go right to sleep.
She got a large carving knife from the kitchen drawer and a raw steak from the refrigerator. She set about chopping it up into fine pieces. The house was as quiet as a cemetery. Lucretia finished preparing her snack and went into the living room. She switched on the TV and sat down on the couch. The local news broadcast was on right now.
...And in other news, the body of a forty-six year old Caucasian male was found last night slumped behind the steering wheel of a pickup truck. The truck was parked in an alley, and the victim was discovered with massive injuries to the neck and appeared to have lost a lot of blood. Police have no leads at this time, but there has been some speculation that cult activity may be involved...
Lucretia choked on the piece of raw steak she was eating. Oh, no. Oh, no no no. Not again. Not this time. Not her two again.
She picked up her plate and slammed it down on to the coffee table. Lucretia went over to the basement door and slammed it open. She pounded down the stairs.
"LILITH!! DESSICATIA!!" Lucretia screamed.
She kicked the lids off of both girls' coffins. "GET UP RIGHT NOW!!"
The twins jolted awake and sat up. Dessi groaned and clutched her head. Lily snickered and swayed unsteadily. Both girls had dried blood crusting on the corners of their mouths.
"SO!! IT WAS YOU!!" Lucretia bellowed.
"Mom, not so loud, please," Dessi moaned.
So, you're hung over again, eh? How much did you have to drink this time?! What have I told you about hanging around bars and picking up inebriated mortals?! No daughters of mine are going to behave like common drunks!"
Lily giggled drunkenly.
"My head is killing me," Dessi whined.
"YOU'LL BE LUCKY IF I DON'T KILL YOU!!" Lucretia roared. "Get up right now, both of you!"
Lily and Dessi stood up shakily and got out of their coffins, Dessi continuing to clutch her aching skull. Lily hiccuped and pitched right over.
Lucretia helped Lily up. "Never in my day have I seen two girls misbehave in such a fashion...if your father was still alive, you'd have never pulled this stunt on him!" she grumbled.
"Dad died over two hundred years ago, mom."
Dessi replied, "And when did you get home from the blood bank?"
"Don't you get smart with me, young lady! Just never you mind when I got home from work! What were you two thinking, pulling a stunt like this?! Next thing you know we'll have people coming after us with holy water and guns and stakes to shove in our hearts!
Do you want to spend eternity with strings of garlic around your necks?!"
"No," muttered both girls sulkily.
"And what are you both WEARING?!" Lucretia screeched in horror. She surveyed the doctor's coat on Lily and the dress suit on Dessi.
"We thought we'd dress up when we went out,"
Lily mumbled. "I'm dressed as a doctor and Dessi thought she'd go as a lawyer."
Dessi gave Lily a dirty look.
"And after I bought all those beautiful Goth clothes for you to wear to school! The vampire look is just now getting back into style among mortals.
What were you both thinking?! No daughters of mine are going to disgrace the family by dressing in such a way! If you are going to be members of this vampire family, then you are going to start dressing like it!"
"You two are going to stay down here and get rid of any rats that you find until this basement is clean!" Lucretia glared at her girls. "And that will be your punishment until I can think of something more fitting. You're lucky I don't lock you both in the family crypt for a decade or so!"
"No! Not the family crypt again!" Lily cried.
"Be quiet!" Lucretia snapped. "When I come back down here, I want to see a whole pile of rat corpses.
And don't think you'll be getting poison or traps, either! I want these vermin disposed of in the old-fashioned way."
Lucretia walked back up the basement stairs.
"Maybe if you drink enough rat blood, you'll both sober up!" she yelled, just before she slammed the door. She locked it behind her.
Kids these days don't have any respect for their elders, Lucretia thought. Once the little brats hit their second century, they think they know it all.
Lucretia sighed. Maybe she would go back into work.
A little O type blood would be just the thing to make her feel better. She might even add a little B-negative and have herself a cocktail. Lucretia picked up the steak off the coffee table and stuck it back in the fridge, no longer the least bit tired. No cold food would do the trick after what she'd just been through. Lucretia grabbed her keys and purse and walked out the door. She only had another hour of darkness - she'd have to be fast if she wanted to make it back to the blood bank in time before the sun rose.