City of Blood by George Thomas (robert munsch read aloud .TXT) 📕

"Mike Brown, retired hunter, number i.d. 329761582." i said and there was a long pause after i was done.

"Ok one moment ill put you though."

I waited about a minute listening to some old ass opera song that i didn't know. I stood there waiting the song repeated over and over. Just hang up and forget about this rn away with Amy go where nobody, even the clan elders could find us. The thought replayed over and over in my mind as the music kept playing.

Until someone finally said, "Mike is that really you or is this another prank?"

"No this is not a prank Tom its really me."

"Holy Shit you got some balls calling us after what you did you know."

"Yeah i know but i need to come and talk to you it's important trust me."

"Ha trust you you've got to be shitting me. If it was up to me i would have had you killed years ago. But since your grandfather has taken over we can't touch you."

"My grandfather?"

"What you didn't your grand daddy runs things now?"

"No, anyway i need to talk to you about something. And while your at it take the retired stamp of my file i'm coming back to work."

"Great looks like i'm going to need to start buying bottles again."

The next few days were a blur. Tom told me it would take a few days before i could come in he said 'i already have enough to deal with and now i have to worry about you, well i'm not pushing everything to the side for you'. So me and Amy crashed at Brandons place while we waited. During that time Brandon began trying to make sence of the whatever that vial had inside it. Brandon gave Amy a few tips to help control her transformations, and so she began to training trying to learn how to control her transformations. And me i was forced to stay in bed. Brandon made it clear the wolf venom was still inside me and if i didn't take it easy i might slip into a coma.

The days seemed to last forever with Amy around and i enjoyed having someone around i had been so long since i had been happy. But there was still the feeling that something wasn't right. Everyday more and more people were disappearing over night we had the uneasy feeling that it was only going to get worse. But there was really nothing we could do.

One day Amy laid down next to me one day and asked, "So when are we going on a date?"

"A date? Are you for real?"

She punched my chest and i laughed, "Okay, okay what you want to do?"

"Make it a surprise i dont want to know until we get there."

"Okay how about a hint?"

"There is a new romance film that was released a few days ago maybe we could go see that one day."

"You maybe i will think of something on my own and surprise you."

She laughed and we kissed again then she laid her head on my chest and said, "You know before we met my life was going nowhere but now i have something to live for." then she fell asleep and i whispered, "I know the feeling."

The next day we snuck out before Brandon woke up. We 'barrowed' Brandons car because i didn't feel like walking i left a note saying Hot date ill bring it back in one piece... hopefully. I took her to the movies and we seen the remake of Winter's Tale. It wasn't bad, i didn't understand any of it but it wasn't bad. Then i took her out for lunch, the waiter looked at me a little weird when i said i wanted my steak completely raw but he told the chief not to cook it. We ended the day with a walk at the beach, we were amoung the few people there and it seemed better that way we didn't have to try and walk over or around anyone.

"You know this is the best date i've ever been on hands down."

"The first of many best dates."

"You better be right about that." she said pinching my arm.

"By the way how's your training coming? I mean it must be doing something you haven't changed since the other day."

"Its going good Brandon said 'try focusing on something that makes you who you are something that makes you want to stay yourself' and anchor yourself with it, its worked so far."

"Mind if i ask what that is?"

She blushed a little at looked at me for a second.

"Oh. So i had that big of a impression on you huh?"

She pinched my ass and we both laughed a little. She looked around like we were being watched and said, "And also i've learned how to turn it off and on to a point."

"Off and on what you mean?"

She held out her hand and within a second her nails began to grow but then stopped and became normal again.

"Oh that, its rare but some wolves can do that with years of training. Its amazing how you learned it so fast."

"I'm special that way." she said as she kissed me.

Brandon was sitting at the table drinking blood out of a coffie mug when we walked in. He looked at me and then her and sighed.

"I swear if you guys fuck each other and i have to listen to it all night i'm kicking you both out."

"Don't be upset that you can't get this fine ass of mine because Mike has already claimed it." she smiled and waving her ass in front of his face.

I laughed so hard i couldn't breath he just sat there looking so pissed that i thought smoke was going to come out his ears.

"Whatever anyway i need to show you both something i found out about that stuff you brought me. Unless you both plan to steal my car again that is."

"Okay Brandon just give me a minute i need a shower."

Me and Amy both went in the room before closing the door she shook her ass towards Brandon once more and then closed the door.

We each took a shower i wanted to take one together but she said she didn't feel like it. When we where both finished we went and told Brandon we where ready for whatever he wanted to show us. He walked down into the basement of his house and we followed him. It wasn't much, it had lab equipment all over the place and it was kind of weird he had all this. I sat at a computer i pulled a chair out of the corner and sat down and Amy sat on one of my legs since it was the only other chair down here. He typed in something and a video diagram from his studies began.

"Okay this is me testing how it works on human blood."

As we watched he added something into the blood and from there it began attacking the cells turning them into copies of inself but not destoring them. And the ones that became like it began doing the same

"So that's why it happened so fast it uses the cells against themself like a virus."

"Correct now this is the video of the prototype cure i made."

He clicked a few more buttons and another video played. In this one the cells from the last video where there again. He added the cure onto them and they began dying.

"They have made something that if we try and remove it they begin to die before it even begins to treat the infection."

"So there is no way to make a cure."

"Sadly no. But thats not all i have one more to show you."

He pulled up another video this one didn't have the same kind of blood on the screen but some other kind. Then he added something into then the blood began to change only this time something else happened when it reached the cells they began to morph changing into something altogether new.

I jumped from the chair trying to get a closer view.

"What the hell is that."

"That is vampire blood and that was what you brought me. From what i can tell they just formed something completely different. A hybrid blood type so to speak."

"And that is?" Amy asked from behind me.

"That could be a new species in the making."

I got a call from Tom about two days after that saying he set up a meeting for me to come in at 3:30  It was following day in the evening. Amy got pissed when i told her she couldn't come with me she kept throwing things at my head and yelling "You just don't want me to go because you think i'm going to embarrass you!"

"You don't understand if i bring you there without them knowing what happened to you and that your not a threat they will kill you the moment you walk into the door. In fact they might do that to me because of what i did after Mary died."

"What did you do?"

"Long story, lots of gasoline and matches."

"Um okay..., but maybe i can still go have living proof of what your telling them."

"How about this ill drive you to someplace close by ill talk about what happened to you if they promise they won't kill you ill call you and tell you where to come. Deal?"

"Okay thats good enough i guess but if your lying i swear." she punched a hole in the wall and Brandon looked though it.

"God damnit that's it you both need to get out. I can't even take a shower without you breaking something."

We packed our things and went to my place. When we got there the landlord run out of his office and yelled, "Its about time your rent is late again plus we had complaints of people hearing a dog or something up there last week."

I handed him a roll of bills and just kept walking and Amy whispered, "I thought you said you weren't a millionare."

"I remember but that didn't mean i don't a good bit saved up."

"How much is a good bit?"

"Well a few ten thousands here and there."

"God you get more interseting more and more every day."

We got to my floor when i paused and Amy looked at me like i was crazy.

"What's wrong why did you stop?"

"You can't smell that?"

"All i smell is the axe you have on."

"There's a vampire in my apartment. Stay here."

I walked inside slowly and turned into the living room sitting there was an older looking man with gray hair and a business suit on he was reading a book on my sofa