"Fuck Hydro Ottawa," Abram Woldense said to himself, upon realizing that the power was out at his tiny apartment located in the Vanier area of Ottawa, Ontario. Contrarily to popular belief, Vampires are no more enamored of the darkness than anyone else. It's one thing to be a creature of the night because you're fatally allergic to sunlight, it's another to be in love with the darkness, Abram thought. He'd have to rob someone and pay the electric bill next time he went hunting...
Becoming one of the Undead hadn't changed Abram's life all that much. Abram was still broke, lonely, and living in a rundown apartment in the dumps. On his wall was a picture of him and his former paramour Ferdusa at the Eaton Center. Like everyone else who ever mattered in Abram's existence, as a mortal and as a Vampire, the lovely Ferdusa was gone. Seriously, what else is new? It was getting bad out there, that much was certain.
Abram thought about a recent close call, and closed his eyes, hard. He'd been hunting in the Stitsville area, and came upon his favorite kind of prey when the shit hit the fan. It wasn't safe out for a dude with fangs, seriously. Dammit, and to think I thought I got lucky, Abram mused, shaking his head. He'd been lucky to escape the Hunters, men and women dedicated to eradicating the Undead since they were recently exposed to the world.
Mankind has officially declared war against the Undead, and that's all fine and dandy, but a Vampire still has to feed, or perish. The Hunters were out there, but without fresh human blood every few days, Abram would be dead...and this time for good. That's what drove him to prowl the night in the environs of Stitsville, Ontario. There used to be a private service that would deliver fresh blood to the homes of wealthy Vampires, but that service is toast now. Like all of his kind since the night of discovery, Abram has been driven to extremes...
A smart predator knows not to hunt in his or her own backyard, and Abram Woldense typically goes far out of his neighborhood in search of prey. The City of Gatineau, Quebec, and even the small town of Perth, Ontario, are pretty good hunting grounds. Abram, being relatively new to being one of the Undead, needs to drink human blood every seven days otherwise he will starve and die. The never-ending hunger drove Abram to venture to Stitsville, Ontario, lest he devolve into a degenerate and then die for a second time...
Abram happened upon a couple of drifters, a guy and a gal from the great state of New York, decided to park their car near Loblaws parking lot and make out in the dead of night. Easy meals, Abram thought as he approached them. After hunting humans for their blood for half a decade, Abram had the whole thing down pat. He would knock on the car window, pretend to be a hobo in need of some cash, and then pounce on them as soon as they let their guard down...
Human blood tastes sweet, especially when mixed with a twinge of fear, and Abram Woldense had become a connoisseur of this finest of beverages. The couple happened to be Hunters, and when Abram grabbed the dude by the throat, ready to feed on him, the woman grabbed her gun and pumped him full of lead. Luckily they didn't have silver bullets, Abram thought, wincing at his injuries. Injured, angered and outraged, Abram ran back to his car and sped away. Thankfully, the Hunters did not give chase...
Abram's kind, the inglorious Undead, were in serious danger of extinction. All over the world, the police and the military forces of various nations were gearing up for the war against the Undead, aided by armed militias made up of men and women who were all gung-ho for the so-called interspecies war. The Vampires were caught with their pants down, and now they were all going to pay the price for it. Human scientists were working on foolproof methods for telling the difference between mortals and the intelligent Undead.
Abram went to the fridge and grabbed an ice-cold Pepsi, part of a pack he bought at the local convenience store. Sitting on the couch, Abram stared into the darkness, wondering how lousy a time he'd been having lately. Five years ago, while on a trip to the City of Buffalo, New York, with his buddies from Carleton University, Abram went to a brothel located in the seedy part of town. While in that rather dubious establishment, Abram met a remarkable lady named Ferdusa Karangwa, and she changed his life forever...by ending him.
"Typically, wanderers like you are just food to me, but I see something in you," Ferdusa told Abram, as he rose, forty eight hours after being bitten. Abram sat up on the bed, and looked at his surroundings. It was dark, but somehow, he saw clearly through it. Ferdusa sat on a nearby chair, with a cup in her hand. Abram looked at Ferdusa, a short, curvy woman with dark brown skin and long dark hair. She resembled the East African beauties he encountered while traveling with his parents back in his native Eritrea. Of course, Ferdusa was much more than she appeared...
"What have you done to me?" Abram asked Ferdusa, as he rubbed his neck, shuddering as he remembered her biting him. He'd gone to the brothel in a seedy part of Buffalo, New York, and met the most gorgeous hooker ever. A dime piece with an ass like whoa, as they say. Unfortunately for Abram, Ferdusa was a monster with the face of an Angel, the body of a Porn Star, and the kind of fangs that a wolf would envy...
