Blood Attraction

PART ONE: A DEAL WITH A DEVIL

Luke stood in front of a nice office building. He looked at his handwritten note. This was definitely the right address. At first he thought he must have taken a wrong turn or something, but no, this was definitely it. What kind of a blood bank has an uptown place like this? When he got tested two weeks ago, he had been to a clinic located on the edge of town, nothing out of the ordinary. Then he'd gotten a call asking him to come in again. Apparently, he had a rare blood type or something and they were very interested in setting up some kind of regular arrangement with him. They gave him a new address for the next appointment ... and this was it. Again, it looked more like a law firm's building than a blood bank.

He made his way inside. There was a reception, staffed by two very sharp-looking people, a man and a woman. There was a security guard stationed over by the elevators, and a gigantic fish tank with lots of colorful fish swimming around in it. Further in, he was sure he could see a dining area. Yeah, this looked more like a hotel lobby or the ground floor to some fancy Wall Street company than the entrance to a hospital.

"Excuse me..." he inquired at the reception desk. "I'm not sure I'm in the right place... I think I have an appointment at eleven... with a..." he looked at the note again. "

Victoria Soboleva

... is this..."

"Yes, sir. Mr. Williams, is it?" the youngish man interrupted, taking Luke by surprise before he continued in a crisp British accent: "Ms Soboleva is expecting you. Please take a seat and an assistant will be down shortly to collect you. In the mean time, can I get you anything? Coffee, perhaps?"

"No, thanks, I'll just... wait here."

The man at the reception nodded and pushed a couple of buttons on his screen before carrying on with his other business. Wow, they even knew his name already. Clearly somebody around here had a very good scheduling routine. Nothing like ordinary hospitals, where everything seems like barely organized chaos.

Luke sat down in the lobby and picked up a magazine from the glass table. The chairs were made of leather cradled in polished steel frames - they looked like they were designed by some French artist and probably cost a thousand dollars each. He hardly had time to enjoy sitting in them, though, as he soon heard a voice behind him:

"Mr. Williams?"

"Yes, here..." Luke replied and stood up.

"I am Ms Soboleva's personal assistant. Please come this way."

The voice was gentle and soothing, only just loud enough to be heard and no louder. It belonged to a woman dressed entirely in white, who also had fair skin and blonde hair cut to just above the shoulders. As Luke followed her, he looked her over and started thinking of people with albinism. She looked like she hadn't seen the sun in a decade. Pretty, though. Petite. With a lovely bottom. He followed her as she calmly walked him towards the elevators. Her movements were graceful and understated, like a cat walking across a living room floor. As they rode upwards, he got another look at her. She really was very pretty. She had a face like an angel - pure, beautiful and innocent, if a bit pale. His eyes looked down over her shoulder as he stood behind her. She had a supple, graceful neck and he tried to get a peek down her cleavage, but then the elevator arrived on their floor and she stepped out.

"What is your name, by the way?" he asked.

"My name is Anika."

"Nice name. Swedish?"

"No."

"I'm Luke."

"I know. Luke Williams."

"Yes."

Not much of a conversationalist, it seemed. She wasn't dismissive, she even smiled at him once, but she didn't seem like she had a lot to say. When she

did

speak, her voice was calm and gentle, almost like a whisper.

As they reached the end of the corridor, he was shown through a door made of what seemed like solid oak. Anika closed it behind them and Luke found himself in what looked like a doctor's office, with a large mahogany desk and diplomas covering the walls. Not much in the way of medical equipment, though - it reminded him more of that time he'd been to see a shrink.

"Your eleven o'clock is here, madam." Anika said and pointed Luke to a chair.

"Ah, Mister Villiams. I am Victoria Soboleva, pleased to meet you."

From behind the desk a figure arose and came towards them.

She was tall, slim and dressed in a red blazer. Red seemed to be her color of choice; lipstick, clothes, shoes, even her hair was dyed red. She spoke with a heavy Eastern European accent, with lots of rolling Rs and sometimes substituting a V for a W - hence the mispronunciation of his name. As she came to greet him, she smiled and gave him a confident handshake.

"Please to sit down? Vould you like something to drink?"

"Uh no, no thanks, I'm fine."

They sat down by a small lounge table.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am to meet you, Mister Villiams, it vas quite good news for us to hear of this finding."

"Yes, so I'm told... I'm a little unsure of what's going on, though..."

"It is quite simple - here it is: during the testing procedure a time ago, one of our clinics discovered that you have a rare blood type. This you are aware of, yes?"

"Yes, I'm B negative, that's why I thought I'd go back to donating..."

"Good, but there is also something else. There is discovered a certain genetic makeup that is very interesting from a research perspective."

"Ah. So... this is a research clinic? That makes sense. I didn't see much hospital equipment around."

"There is equipment, the best equipment, but not in my office, no."

"Our laboratories are downstairs." Anika said mildly while pouring some ice water into a glass, bringing it over to where Luke was sitting.

"Thanks." he said, accepting it.

"So, let me get to the point, Mister Villiams." Soboleva continued. "I vould very much like to arrange a contract vith you. You come to our clinic here every two months to donate your blood, and I vill pay you properly, unlike the standard hospital clinics."

Luke liked the sound of that. Lately, things hadn't been going well for the shipping company he was working for, and there was talk of possible downsizing. Making a few extra bucks wouldn't hurt. While Soboleva was talking, he was constantly nodding his head as if he was already subconsciously agreeing to her terms.

"So where do I sign?" he said as the lady in red awaited his response.

"Excellent - Anika here will make the arrangements, please to follow her and I will see you again another time."

He stood up and followed Anika to the door. They went across the hall to another office full of papers; there were book shelves and drawers everywhere. There was a desk in the middle of the room, with some papers orderly laid out along with a really expensive-looking pen. It turned out to be a legal contract, all arranged and ready to be signed.

"Please allow me to go through the arrangement, Mr. Williams." Anika said as she sat down.

"Please, call me Luke."

"Very well."

He thought for a second he could see her crack a smile, but it might just as well be his imagination. This girl didn't seem to be the emotional type. She was beautiful, though. Gorgeous, really. Luke was already hoping he would see more of her.

For the next half hour, Anika went through the deal with him. Every two months, he would come to this place and donate blood. He would be paid $200 each time. He gave her his bank account details along with his personal information, she entered it into her computer and made a few notes, and she also explained to him what she called 'the regimen'.

"We need to keep you healthy, so I am setting up a special diet for you. Do you have any allergies or intolerances?"

"No, not really. At least none of that gluten or lactose stuff."

"No food allergies either?"

"No... except that my throat sometimes itches a bit if I eat green apples, does that count?"

"Perhaps not." Anika said and smiled. "I will make a note of it, in any case. The diet should be rich in iron, so lean meat and leafy vegetables such as spinach are recommended. To help with the uptake of iron, vitamin C is advised after meals while coffee, tea, eggs and milk are not."

"Got it."

"Any medical allergies? To iodine, for instance?"

"Nope."

"Do you smoke?"

"Nope."

"Do you drink alcohol?"

"Not that often."

Anika looked at him, patiently, as if she knew he hadn't been entirely honest. She looked like a little girl who would be really disappointed in you if you lie to her - and Luke just knew that he couldn't.

"Actually, that's not true, I don't know why I said that... I do drink, occasionally. You know... beer, at the pub, with people from work..."

"Very well. How often?"

"Uhm... couple of times a month?"

"Right."

She kept making notes.

"Is that bad?"

"You must not drink alcohol the day before donating, nor the day after."

"I think I can manage three days without a drink." he said, jokingly.

"I would..." Anika said, pausing for a moment, as if deep in thought. Then she continued: "I would prefer if you did not drink at all. Alcohol is not good for the liver, nor for the kidneys. It is my job to keep you healthy, you see."

"Well, I guess I have to stay healthy, then. So you don't disappoint your boss."

"I would very much appreciate that." she said and smiled, a proper smile this time.

Luke had never come across anyone so persuasive. It was like a switch was flicked in his head - he no longer wanted to drink beer, ever. The thought of making Anika happy just made him feel really... good. She smiled when he agreed to do as she asked, and seeing that beautiful smile ... it was all he wanted.

The rest of the contract seemed like fairly standard legalese. Luke didn't have a lawyer with him, but it all seemed so thorough and referenced all sorts of clauses, and it definitely contained the points he'd been given earlier: he'd donate blood once every two months, and he'd be paid for it. After signing and receiving his first payment in cash, Anika led him downstairs for the first donation. Might as well get it done right away, he thought.

As he followed her through several long corridors, his eyes traced the outlines of her white dress. It was short, but not too short, stopping just above her knees. It was also sleeveless, leaving her arms exposed. Her skin was so pale it almost looked whiter than the dress, but not in a way that looked unhealthy. The shape of her body also spoke of a woman in excellent physical condition; a slim waist, rounded hips and medium-sized breasts, not an ounce of fat more than needed. She kind of looked like an athlete; fit, but not too skinny.

They arrived at the end of the corridor. Anika brought him in through a glass door, with a sign that said: "Laboratory 3". As he entered the lab, Luke started to relax. This was more like it, he thought. So far, the building had seemed a bit strange and business-like, but seeing the equipment lined up in this place, he started to feel at ease. There was a desk with a microscope at one end, closets full of lab equipment, vials, blood pressure monitors, medical charts... nothing out of the ordinary here. Just like a doctor's office.

This whole thing reminded him of that time he was invited to a famous restaurant. When he got to the address, it was just an old warehouse at the docks. Really out of place, strange, unusual. But when he'd stepped inside what looked like an old warehouse, he'd discovered that the insides had been turned into a Michelin-star restaurant with dining tables, wine cellars and a state-of-the-art kitchen. This building was like that. At first, it had just been a fancy office building. Here, though, there was what seemed like state-of-the-art medical equipment. Clearly this was some high-end privately owned clinic.

The rest of the procedure was very familiar. He had donated blood before. A phlebotomist came over and performed a few simple tests like blood pressure and temperature, after which Luke lay down on a bed with his arm connected to the machine, extracting a unit of blood over the course of about ten minutes. When it was done, he was given one of those little fliers listing several points of post-donation advice. Anika came over with a glass of orange juice.

"Here, drink this."

"Thank you."

"You should also have something to eat. There is a cafeteria downstairs..."

"Will you join me?" Luke interjected.

"Yes... I was going to suggest that."

"Beat you to it."

She smiled.

Over the next several months, Luke donated blood at the private clinic. It was quite nice to spend Saturdays like that - just taking it easy, having a nice breakfast, then chilling at home with food and drink afterwards. He began to look forward to his appointments, although mostly he was looking forward to seeing Anika. She was always there, always escorting him around the building and assisting him with anything he could possibly need. She would also sit with him in the cafeteria after his donations, and they talked about all sorts of things. Well, mostly about him, she didn't really share much about herself. She was very nice, though, and so achingly pretty that Luke felt his heart sting in pain every time she said goodbye.

One late October evening, he got a call from Soboleva's office, asking if he could come in a couple of days earlier than scheduled. Since he had the day off anyway, Luke had no objection. He was even collected by a chauffeur - normally, he'd just take the bus. He tried asking the driver if anything was out of the ordinary, but he didn't seem to know. Anika didn't elaborate either, but escorted him to his appointment as usual. After the donation, they spent some time having a snack in the cafeteria, and then Luke got up to head back home.

When he got outside, he suddenly realized that he'd left his phone. Going back in and not seeing it anywhere in the café, he figured it must be upstairs in the lab. Anika had vanished, but he'd been here several times by now, so he knew the way. He took the elevator and walked down the corridors to the room with the glass doors. As he approached, he could see some people in suits standing around in there - Soboleva herself being one of them. He didn't want to disturb what seemed to be some kind of meeting, but maybe he could just pop in quietly and grab his phone, which must be on the table where he'd left it as he went in.

Suddenly, he stopped. He felt the shock of adrenaline spreading through his system as his heart started pounding in his chest. He froze. Stopped breathing. Couldn't move. Couldn't think. The blood drained from his face. Soboleva and a man in a black suit were standing next to one another, holding a pair of glasses and enjoying a toast. The glasses contained a sticky red fluid. It wasn't wine. He knew exactly what it was. The door made a noise as it closed behind him, and the two turned to look in his direction. Their faces were contorted and there was a clear red tint around their mouths as little droplets of blood ran down their cheeks. The room fell silent as more and more people looked at him. Well... clearly, they weren't exactly ... "people". Only one thing occurred to him:

RUN!

Storming out the door, he could hear Soboleva's voice:

"Anika. Stop him."

As he ran out, he just managed to hear Anika's reply:

"No, madam."

He ran hell for leather down the corridor and practically flew down the stairs. As he reached the lobby, a man called out his name:

"Mr. Williams? Mr. Williams? Could you ..."

He didn't catch the rest - he threw himself at the door and landed on the street outside. Seconds later he was running like a sprinter down the road, his heart pounding and every cell in his body flooding with adrenaline.

The sight was still on his mind, that terrible sight that made his stomach churn and made him want to throw up. In fact, he did, once he reached the canal. After feeding the fish with the food he had just eaten in the cafeteria, he started running again. He crossed the bridge and came up to a taxi stand, and that's when he realized that it would be quicker to take one of those than to run all the way home. His brain clearly started working again. He threw himself in the nearest taxi and gave his home address. The rest of the way, he tried to make sense of what he had seen. What

had

he seen, really? He'd watched a lot of movies, so it's not like he hadn't seen anything like it before, it was just so ... real. Seeing it right in front of his eyes, and smelling it, that sour smell of iron...

"Shit shit shit...." he kept muttering to himself the whole way home.

Once he reached his building, he ran up the stairs and fumbled with the keys to the door. He got inside and locked himself in, double locks and all. He still didn't feel safe. He wanted to run away, the farther the better. Mongolia, maybe New Zealand or something. He wanted to forget that this day had happened. Parts of his mind were still saying that it hadn't, still struggling to come to terms with what he had seen. It just couldn't be real, it was too terrible. It must have been a nightmare, and at any moment now, he was going to wake up. Except he didn't. Instead, he heard a voice from inside his own living room:

"Mister Villiams, there you are. We have waited. Please to come in."

He spun around to see Victoria Soboleva sitting on his couch, legs crossed. Standing next to her were Anika and three other women, who were dressed in black robes. It was like seeing a group of sorority girls. Luke would be intrigued if he wasn't so afraid. Backing away, he soon bumped into his own locked door, realizing that he wouldn't be able to get out. He was trapped. There was no escape. Even if there had been, where could he run

to?

They had beaten him here and gotten into his place, what else could they be capable of? His chest started to close. He was panicking. Hyperventilating, he felt dizzy, like he was about to pass out. Anika made a quick step towards him and took hold of his hand.

"Luke, please. Stay calm. Breathe. Just breathe."

The world went black.

He woke up on the couch. Coming to his senses, he realized that he had his head in Anika's lap. She was stroking his hair and looking down at him, smiling as he came to.

"There you are. Here, drink this. It's all right - it's orange juice."

She helped him sit up and held a glass to his lips. The sour taste of fresh oranges hit his tongue. He drank it all, starting to feel a bit better. Sitting up, he saw Soboleva sitting in his chair, across the table from him.

"Please, try not to panic." she said in her thick Eastern European accent. "There is no need for you fear me, I am not here to harm you. Please let us speak."

"What the

fuck

is going on!? Who ...

what

are you!?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Mister Villiams."

She was not wrong.

"You're... you're a... vam...pire."

"Correct."

"I saw you... drink the... my..."

"Mister Villiams, please try to remain calm. As I said before, you are not in danger. But we really must speak, I cannot let you go before we have spoken."

They'd let him go? That's what she said, right? Hearing that calmed him somewhat. He was still freaking out, but at least it seemed he wasn't in any immediate danger. Anika kept holding his hand while her boss did the talking.

"Mister Villiams, you have a blood type that is ...

exceedingly

rare. The last time I found something of similar quality... oh, it must have been at the time of Ivan the Great."

Luke looked at her, confused.

"No? What about... Henry VII? Ferdinand V? No? Well, it was before Columbus brought news of this continent to Europe, in any case. At the time, I was living in... oh, no matter, no matter... As I said, very rare indeed. Something we only come across once every few centuries or so, and something I personally have only seen twice."