Reginald Baxter the Vigilante Vampire (5 page)

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rachel asked.

Reginald fumbled for the doorknob until it finally opened. "Yes, I'm well enough anyways." He struggled to think straight as he saw her standing in front of him.

"You just bumped your head," Rachel said, pointing at the small red spot on his forehead.

"Umm, yes, I did."

She reached up and felt of his forehead. "You feel a little warm, but not much. I guess from the sweat your fever has broken."

"Huh?"

"The flu," Rachel said. "Mr. Davis said that you had the flu and wouldn't be in for a week."

"Oh, of course," Reginald said, nodding. "It hit me pretty hard and quick."

"My mother always made me tomato soup when I got sick. My appetite would zap away and she would worry that I wouldn't eat. Somehow the only thing that tasted good in those times was her tomato soup." She held out a bowl she was holding. "Here, hopefully it will make you feel better."

Reginald stood there for a couple moments before slowly taking the bowl from her. "Thanks," was all he could think to say. He raised the cover slightly and sniffed. For simple soup, it smelled delicious. "Thank you so much. I'll warm it up in a while." He carefully gripped the bowl and carried it over to the refrigerator. Sitting the bowl inside he took a deep breath. 'Stay cool, Reginald. Now's my time to impress her.'

"You've got quite a collection," he heard Rachel say. Looking back he saw her looking at one of the posters on the wall. "This movie came out in fifty-two, didn't it? Is this an original or a copy?"

'Oh, crap, she's inside my apartment," Reginald thought. "Yes, it is the real deal."

"Wow," she said, whistling. "I saw a poster for this on eBay for over a hundred dollars last year. How much did you spend, if I can ask?'

Reginald thought for a moment. "My grandfather bought it from a theatre after the show closed. He spent ten cents on it, if I remember right. He got a lot of them like that. They've been passed on down to me."

"That is awesome," she said. She moved and looked at another poster. "Now this movie is a classic. One of my all time favorites. I hate to say that I cried at the end."

Reginald laughed. "It was a most touching scene at the end. The memory is burned into my mind forever, I hope."

"Are you adding to the collection any?"

He nodded. "Yes, when I see a deal or something the peaks my interest. I've got an interest in several hobbies. Cards, books, coins, anything of that sort."

"I'll take a look around," she said. "I found a couple of posters I had when I was young from cartoons I watched. They're girl shows, so I doubt you would hang them in here, but maybe you'd be interested anyways."

"I'll look at them," Reginald said.

She glanced at the clock. "Well, is there anything you need?"

"Hmm?"

"Anything you need? Maybe from the store or something?"

"Oh. No, I went the other day. I am well stocked."

She nodded. "Okay, don't push yourself too hard." She reached out and grabbed an envelope from the counter. Taking out a pen, she wrote her phone number down on it. "If you need something and aren't well enough to go to the store, call me. Don't hesitate, alright."

"Alright," he said, taking the envelope from her.

As she turned to walk towards the door, her eyes caught the television. "That's pretty crazy, huh?" she asked, gesturing towards Reginald's image onscreen.

"Yeah, pretty crazy," Reginald echoed.

"It really makes me feel better," she continued, smiling. "All you hear on TV now is horrible things. Murders, rapes, thieves. It's nice to know that someone out there can be a hero."

He nodded. The screen was showing Reginald attacking the first robber in slow motion. It seemed as the robber wasn't moving while Reginald appeared to move normally. 'Wow, that look's weird,' he thought to himself.

"Amazing," Rachel said. "I know that the cops are doing all they can, but I hope that he's still out there, keeping an eye out for trouble. I know a lot of people are thinking the same."

He nodded again, failing to think of something to say.

"Well, I better get moving," Rachel said, yawning. "Get better soon, Reginald." He forced himself to stand still as she reached out and patted him on the shoulder before walking out into the hallway. "Like I said, if you need anything at all, just call."

"I will, thanks again," he said, watching her walk off. Numbly, he closed the door and locked it. He didn't seem to notice when he almost tripped over the rug while he was walking back to the sofa. He sat there with the television muted well into the morning just staring into space.

Reginald looked up at the hotel before him. Ottowash Palace was one of the more popular hotels in the city. Many of the famous or important people who visited the city would stay there. The mayor had chosen the hotel for many of his important announcements and conventions over the past decade since it had been built. It towered forty stories high and at night it stood out brightly compared to the darkened office buildings surrounding it. The name of the hotel stretched out in flashing lights just above its main entrance. Reginald thought the place was far too flashy and gaudy to enjoy, but sometimes necessity made him visit.

He walked between a couple of groups as they entered the building. One of the doormen nodded politely as he passed. Reginald tapped his cap to return the favor. As he walked into the huge lobby he smiled and looked up. One of the few things he loved about the hotel was the huge painting of the night sky that adorned the top of the lobby. The large white crescent moon and the many little sparkling little bulbs that lit the room reminded him of the nights of his youth. 'I wish you could still see the stars like that,' he thought.

He felt himself bump into someone. "Oh, sorry," he said, nodding to a man wearing a suit. The man simply grunted and walked away.

Reginald took in the rest of the room. There was a fair-sized line at the check-in counter as there always was. He saw a couple get keys to their rooms as a bellboy began to drag their luggage towards the elevators. Several people were lounging around on the sofas that were neatly lined up in the lobby. A large group was standing around a television on the other end yelling about some play that had just happened in the local basketball game. Reginald smiled as he saw one of the hotel staff walking over to quiet them. He smelled food coming from a large pair of doors leading into the famous Palace Restaurant. Each time he visited, he did wish for a moment that he could still eat solid food.

Trying to ignore his growling stomach, he turned towards the back wall that was lined with eight elevators. Each elevator had a friendly greeter standing beside it, nodding and pressing the button as new people walked up. Luckily, there was few people waiting to get on the elevators, making Reginald slightly more comfortable about what he had to do. He stepped over to the last elevator that was marked with an 'authorized personnel' sign beside it.

"Can I help you sir?" the greeter asked, looking Reginald over politely.

"Umm, yes," Reginald muttered. "I need to go down, please." He reached into his wallet and showed the man his ID.

"That's not quite enough sir," the man said, looking at him closely. "You should know what else I need."

Reginald nodded and closely looked around. No one seemed to be watching them. "Alright," he said, and curled his lip up so that the man could see his teeth.

"Something's missing, son," the greeter said, looking annoyed.

"Umm, don't worry, it will happen," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. 'Think of the woods. Think of the grass. Think of fresh prey. Blood. Blood.'

He slowly felt his fangs begin to drop down. "Alright, alright," the greeter said, pressing the button beside the door. "Don't bust a vessel or nothing."

Reginald chuckled and scratched his head. "That usually doesn't happen," he said, walking into the open elevator.

"Sure it doesn't," the greeter muttered as the doors closed.

The elevator was cozy with dim lighting coming from the ceiling. The carpet on the floor was a bright red, which went well with the dark cedar wood that most of the walls were made of. Reginald nodded at the pretty woman who was standing beside the console. She was dressed as hotel staff.

"Which floor do you require?" she asked politely.

Reginald knew there were only two responses to the question. "Requiem, please," he answered, firmly taking hold to one of the handles.

"Yes, sir," she said, smiling and revealing her fangs. She pressed a button at the bottom of the panel. Reginald breathed deep as he felt the elevator begin to descend. "We shall arrive shortly."

Reginald nodded, trying to keep himself steady as the elevator picked up speed.

"Is this your first visit to the Ottowash Requiem?" the woman asked, casually leaning against the wall. "I don't recall seeing you before."

"No," Reginald answered, shaking his and instantly regretting it as the world began to spin around him. "I don't visit often."

"I see," she said, noticing his motion sickness. "Well you should visit more often, sir. We are constantly adding reasons for members of vampire-kind to visit our expanding domain."

Reginald slightly nodded. "Yes, I remember my last visit quite well. I don't believe there is much here that suits me."

The woman shrugged. "I guess you can't please everyone."

A minute later the elevator began to slow until it came to a gentle stop. The doors opened with a pleasant ding. "Have a very pleasant night, sir, if you can," the woman said, her smile not moving.

"Good night," Reginald said, ignoring her attitude as he stepped out of the elevator. He smiled as he looked around. 'Well it never fails to impress, at least,' he thought. The rocky ceiling two hundred feet above him was carefully chiseled out of the stone. Stalactites were scattered in various patterns that rose up and down, forming patterns across the ceiling. Bright torches were placed at the tip of each stalactite, causing the entire chamber to be lit in flickering candlelight. A stone path stretched into the distance from the elevator, leading to a huge building a mile away that stretched from the bottom of the chamber to the top. Buildings were lined along either side of the path which were made of wood or stone, reminding Reginald of times past. Wooden signs were placed above the door to each building, offering various services available inside. Dirt had been placed all along the bottom of the chamber, allowing carefully tended grass to grow and carpet the ground. Several trees and bushes could be found here or there that required little light.

'Well, this does sort of make me feel back at home,' Reginald thought. He took off his sneakers and carefully tied them together in a knot. Slinging them over his shoulders, he stepped off the path into the grass. It was not like the grass he used to run through as a child, but feeling the grass through his toes made him feel at ease anyways.

After a few minutes of standing in the grass, Reginald began walking down the path towards the large building.There were only two places he needed to visit, so he decided to do the easy one first. He scanned the signs above the buildings as he walked. Most of them were the same as his previous visits, but there were a few new additions. 'Our kind continues to expand,' he thought. 'It's a wonder the whole world is not vampire.'

A beautiful woman in a revealing blue dress was leaning against the wall outside of one of the larger houses. "Would you fancy a night here at the Blood Moon Inn? We serve the best Blood Ale in the country, along with pleasant company." She crossed her leg, allowing the slit along the side to reveal her pale thigh.

Reginald struggled to keep his composure. "Thanks, ma'am, but I have urgent business. I will remember your inn if the need arises in the future."

"Very, well, sir. Have a pleasant night and I hope to see you soon," she said, licking her lips.

Reginald smiled as he began to walk back along the path. 'Your services will not be required, no matter how tempting they may be.'

A couple buildings down from the inn, he found the Phoenix Pharmacy. It was not the largest building by any means, but it was one of the busiest places along the road. Reginald stood there looking up at the sign for a minute. He nodded as a couple of customers came out. 'What do I say if she's in there?' He nervously scratched his head. 'What am I saying, she's definitely in there? I just hope she isn't too mad.' Finally he overcame his worry and stepped inside.

The Phoenix Pharmacy was one of the best places in the Ottowash Requiem for vampires to get items specially made to meet their unusual needs. There were all sorts of medicines and creams to help them tolerate the sunlight better. It was also a great place to pick up easily digested foods and vitamin supplements to ensure healthy diets among the city's vampires and help keep human victims to a minimum. It was the main reason that Reginald ever visited the Requiem. He liked to stock up for several months at a time to limit his need to visit more often.

Reginald grabbed a straw basket from beside the door and walked along the first aisle. He picked up a bottle from one of the shelves. "Hmm," he muttered. 'V-max sunscreen for those with extra sensitive skin. I wonder who this was designed for,' he thought, smiling slightly. He hesitated before placing it in the basket. He hated having to rely on such items, but it was always best to be careful.

Reginald spent the next several minutes going up and down each aisle picking out various items that he had ran out of. Most were vitamin supplements or medicines that he picked out. He finished his mental list and was about to check out when he noticed several new items on a shelf. "Hmm, what is this?"

Several boxes labeled Extreme were lined up with various types of food on the covers. Each had a simple theme to the food like spicy, fiber, or meat. Reginald picked one up and read the back. "Nice," he muttered, nodding approvingly. "It's about time they were able to target certain foods." He picked up the spicy themed box. "I think I heard Rachel say she likes Mexican food."

Before Reginald could decide on which to buy, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. With a small jump, he turned around and stifled a groan as he saw who was there.

"Hey, Reggie," a man said with a huge smile on his face. "I haven't seen you in fifty years, man. How've you been?"

"Pretty well, Danny," Reginald said, glancing behind him to see if there was anyone between him and the register. "Umm, how about you?"

"About the same, about the same," Danny said, he smile turning smug. "Had to give up the old company, but I've got plans for something huge. It'll be the future, I promise you."

"Hmm, sounds interesting," Reginald muttered, trying hard not to look interested.

"Yeah, Smithcom will be huge," Danny said, spreading his hands up and out dramatically.

"Smithcom? You normally name things after your original name. CalvinCo, Calvin Inc or such."

He shrugged. "The VAM suggested I stay away from the name for a few decades. I had to change identities just recently so I went with Smith. It doesn't get more generic than that, right?"

Reginald sighed. "Don't tell me that you are still going through wives like you used to."

"Well, they do keep waking up to find me sucking at their necks, so I had to keep my secret safe," Daniel said, laughing. "It's a major turnoff to most women from my experience. Well when blood is involved."

Reginald felt an uneasy feeling pass over him. Daniel Calvin had been a vampire that had always disgusted Reginald. He did not try to control his vampiric urges, and constantly killed his wives within a year or two of marriage. He had a strange control over women that most vampires couldn't match. There were few who could control themselves whenever he exerted his presence, making it always easy to find a new wife to replace his dead ones. From his bragging, he had been involved with over two hundred women in his lifetime, with most of them sharing the same morbid fates. Reginald and Daniel had conversed once and from that he counted Reginald as a close friend. Reginald always desperately tried to avoid him like the plague.

"You might just want to stay away from women for a while," Reginald suggested. "It would give you a break from constantly moving and changing, and you might accomplish something without interruptions."

"Yes, I might just try that," Daniel said, looking thoughtful. "I might do just that. And I might quit drinking blood altogether and just drink water. Maybe I'll start eating vegetables while I'm at it." He laughed and slugged Reginald on the arm. "I see you still have that twisted sense of humor, Reggie. Quit trying to hog all the women to yourself. We're going to be neighbors now, so we've gotta share."

"Oh, shit," Reginald said, realizing the meaning. Catching himself, he glanced down at his watch. "Shit, I'm late. I've got to be someplace soon, so I got to go." He started walking away as he saw Daniel's mouth open. "Nice talking, bye, have a nice day, man," he kept saying as he walked towards the counter. Luckily the customers had thinned and no one was in line. He turned around and thrust his basket at the woman behind the counter.

"Hey, Dad," the woman said, smiling. "It's been a while, now hasn't it."

Reginald forced himself to keep calm. "Yes, it has, Maya. Sorry."

"It's alright," Maya said. She had long black hair that had white streaks that scattered throughout, causing her to look more mature than she had been when Reginald had turned her. Innocent blue eyes stared at him, making him feel guilty about every bad thing he had ever done. She was dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans, making her look mostly like a modern teenager. "What'd you do? Lose your phone or something."

"I typed in the number wrong, I guess," Reginald said. "Sorry."

"Quit apologizing, Dad," she said, reaching out her hand. "Well, let me see it."

He handed his phone to her. "Quit calling me that."

Maya took it and sorted through his numbers. "Sheesh, you put in a five instead of a six. No wonder you haven't called. Oooh, who's this Rachel?"