I think the phrase rhymes with "clucking bell.

"

ell, perhaps we can shed some light on your problem in a new segment exploring pre-
adolescent turmoil. I call it, 'Choices'

"Well, you see Birch, I'm presently incarcerated. Convicted of a crime I didn't
even commit! Huh! 'Attempted murder' Now honestly what is that? Do they give out a
Nobel prize for attempted chemistry?"

"I'm aware of your thelonious past, but you're still my brother, and blood is
thicker than bread and water."
BOB: "You don't have to worry about me, brother, I'm all murdered out."

Just the thought of all that raw, surging power makes me wonder why the hell I
should care.

"To be fair, I never sucessfully killed anyone."

�Feels kinda nice not to hold anything back and just say whatever you�re thinking,
right?�

�We�re never going to stop being parents. It�s like a life sentence with no hope
of parole�

College, the war, school, the usual string of high points of an average human life
I guess.

Have you ever made someone feel lonely, when in the same time they only made you
hungry?

if you srsly think about it cutler is like a thing that keeps coming back no matter
how many times and how far away from home you dump it

To you Hal the renaissance was just something that happened to other people wasnt't
it?

[text] I'm not dead. Let's have dinner.

[text] To celebrate me not being dead.
[text] Then let's celebrate me not being proper dead.
sORTED FOR MITCHELL'S BDAY.
Says in my organizer you�re a July baby. And a bad liar.
That I�m an idiot? Seems to be the default.

�Many reasons, Hal - the first being that they�re going to rip you apart, and the
second being that, despite our history and your mistakes, I have no desire to see
you torn apart, nor do I have any desire to lie to my maker. For future reference,
I firmly believe the question should not focus on you putting your trust in me, but
rather me placing my trust in you.�

((starter: THE PLANTS

-�It stops me killing, but unlike you, I have enough self control that I don�t need
access to somebody else�s garden.� Cutler frowns, eyes fixed on his mess of a
garden. �But thank you kindly for the offer.�
-

-It all depends on the case and whether or not you like your lawyers to be
breathing.
-As it happens, I know just the guy.
�How can I help?
-�fine. Fine. You�ll want someone with experience in the field of �vampire stuff�,
then. I can think of a few. Not local, however.
-Cutler leans across the desk and passes Mitchell the business cards of the lawyers
mentioned; he moved around, networked, finding as many contacts as he could. It
helped. There were often times when he was in trouble himself.
��Tempting idea, Mr Mitchell, but I might need them one day.�
-He watches over the Irish vampire�s clear amusement and clearing his throat,
Cutler sits up. Whilst he didn�t doubt his own abilities he couldn�t rely on
himself all the time.
�Most of them,� He says, his attention turning to tidying the remaining cards
arranged on his desk before them. �But sometimes I need to dip my toe in, poke my
nose about and ask for help. No shame in that. Besides, you never know when you
might need access to hospital files. Hm?�
-Cutler soon became curious as Mitchell rose from his seat. His stare was focused,
determined. It was obvious there was a plan in the making behind his eyes. ��Busy?
Up to my eyeballs, some things don�t change.�
Deciding to stay seated, he holds the stare having been under the impression that
they were about to go into conversation. �What about you?� Cutler asks, a brief
glance between Mitchell and where he�d been sitting.
-"I�ve always said death isn�t an escape�� Cutler says, clearing his throat as he
spins slightly on his chair; fidgeting. Always having to do something. �Cheating it
never goes well. Karma comes back around at you and gives you what you deserve. No
rest for the wicked.�
The most unsettling thing to their conversation was only realized, not at first
glance, but when you really looked at just how calm the pair of them were as they
spoke. The lack of emotion made the atmosphere something well above sinister.
-

(FLASHBACK)
FB- The letter came a few weeks ago. Things had been so quiet, so silent and
strange and as Nick returned to an empty house, with an empty, somewhat heavy heart
he saw it there on the welcome mat. The enclosed document wasn�t from work; or a
bill and it caught him off guard to see something there addressed to him in the
first place.
Inside, all it simply read was Thursday. 9pm.
With an address scribbled under it.
Despite suspicions and heavy lidded, tired eyes from weeks of failed kills he made
his way there in a suit a few years old. The building looked empty, bleak; as if it
hadn�t been used for years. Usual vampire territory. The old buildings made for the
best meeting spots.
FB-Nick frowned as the car pulled up 15 minutes past the time allocated, yet never
thought or wondered why he hadn�t just headed home. He had no place to be, nothing
to do for the first time in the past seven years and something inside him had made
him stay. The smoke fumes drifted past him and he kept his expression very blank as
the Irish vampire breathed over him once he�d strolled over with ease. Cutler
didn�t have the energy inside him to pick a fight, and he�d never been that
confident to anyway � He knew better now to not fight with the vampires, despite
his sudden apparent freedom. A coward, as always.
�I could ask you the same question. I� got a note, so I came.� Nick explained, a
hand drifting to rub nervously at the back of his neck over the scars of his not so
old recruitment bites. They itched even now, and sometimes he felt a pulse run
through him before realizing it was nothing more than his imagination and a
desperate longing to be human again, somehow, even if it was entirely impossible.
FB-"Yes�� He had nothing better to do, after all.
It was difficult to know what to make of this older vampire, and until he said his
name he was considering turning and walking away. The smug attitude seeped from
every cold pore of John Mitchell�s skin as he looked up from under his eyelashes
and down at Hal�s recruit. The thoughts about running had to go once he knew who he
was standing opposite, and the hierarchy concerning age didn�t matter here -
Mitchell was highly favoured; the subject of gossip; and quite on his way towards
earning a respectable reputation, or a nickname. He would be remembered for sure
and nothing led to any doubt. As Nick looked up at him, he gulped before he
realized he was showing any reaction at all. Mitchell had it all.
��It�s nice to meet you?� He tried, but he knew that the other vampire�s mind was
already made up. Nick Cutler was a waste of recruitment.
FB-It was a leisure centre. What was left of one, anyway.
But that was only at plain sight and when you looked further there were the signs
of life about. What do you see? Not much, now. Nick was thinking as the cigarette
spoke fogged up his face yet again. This guy was going to start getting on his
nerves, but the smell of the nicotine gave him some sort of comfort - but not for
long, soon enough it reminded him of the days he probably would never return to,
and started to annoy him once more.
��Could do with a lick of paint.� But, that didn�t answer the question Mitchell had
asked him. �Some sort of lair� Hideout, thing?�
FB-"You�ve brought me to your hideout to discuss gambling?� Nick was bemused to say
the least. It was laughable, the famous John Mitchell arranging this mysterious
meet up in this ridiculous hiding place.
�I have an office.� It barely mattered, he could help of course he could. He had
recent experience that certainly made him qualify for the job but, it was silly,
Nick liked to follow procedure. In the majority of the century that had just passed
him by in his new, darker life, he had become a creature of habit. A tool on beck
and call whenever Hal Yorke needed him. Now things were the same and whilst this
element of familiarity was a mild comfort, he had just started to get his �life�
back on track; resculpting it to fit around his needs. Or at least the needs that
fit around the creature inside him. The vampire in there who needed to feast on the
life-source of others to keep it quiet� and ironically, keep Nick at least close to
human. He was awake on the blood, alert, so certain of his actions as if a switch
turned on inside him when it trickled past his throat�
FB-the vampire�s question was quick to spark Nick�s interests, with nostalgic grace
he glanced over at Mitchell suddenly much more curious. �Very.�
He was surprised that he hadn�t been brought here before, even to watch the events
of the fights, but this was the first time he�d seen this hall and these particular
cages. The set up wasn�t too different to those frequently used by old ones, and
those he had worked on. It was different to his human life, taking individuals and
throwing them into cages to fight. The barbarity didn�t shock him, however. He was
used to the hatred of people different from himself, he�d grown up around it but he
was one of those now. He was different. It made so much sense, though, how the
vampires treated those different from themselves; abusing them because they were
lower, like werewolves had drawn the short straw.
�Why do you ask, Mr Mitchell?� Nick queried, looking back from the cages.

GHOSTS- "It�s been a while � I�ve� been� busy.� Choked back words were forced out
with a sigh. The headstone was getting old now and there was a faint incipience of
cracks. With a faint smile he placed the flowers down beside the engraved words in
the marble. Lilies. The flowers carried on their wedding day that was now a distant
memory. In some ways, it felt like yesterday and the teary eyes now were so similar
to, but yet so unlike those tears of euphoria that were so far away, now.
�I met someone, Rachel.�
It�s a confession, an unwanted utterance. Something he had hoped to avoid.
�She�s nothing like you. Nobody is. And part of me hopes you�d be happy� and then
part of me knows you�d add this to the very long list of things I�ve done wrong.�
Cutler�s hands reached to tangle through his hair, tugging the strands in some
attempt to feel something other than regret as pain burned at his roots and tears
started to sting in his eyes.
�Not a day goes by when I don�t think about you, you know that, right? And I - I
don�t want a day without you in my thoughts because every. waking. moment� it gets
harder and harder to bear the searing pain inside my heart, a-and the overwhelming
desire to be deep inside the earth � in your place. I�m so sorry, my darling. This
is all my fault.�
GHOSTS- The shadow was obvious as it formed a darkness that loomed over Cutler�s
hunched body, and his wife�s grave. At first it wasn�t easy to notice; they had
flickered over him all afternoon and only now did he find himself noticing the
shape of the shadow.
Somebody was standing behind him, and he made the quick attempt to stifle his tears
by blinking and rubbing his eyes, and nose, on the cuff of his shirt. Whoever it
was, stranger or friend, the old man didn�t want anyone to see him in this state.
It wasn�t that he was ashamed of his grief � not at all, but he�d built up a life
here that for once worked with him rather than him working with it. There were some
things he didn�t tell� somethings best kept private. For his sanity, more than
anything.
�You�� Cutler told Mitchell exasperatedly, with a muffled sob in the back of his
throat ��a-are the last person I expected to see here.�
GHOSTS-"�- Yeah. Uh,� He stayed standing, glancing back for a moment at the
headstone. ��Rachel.� It hurt - the memory; the reality of his wife being buried
underneath them. Even her name burned his throat.
�I visit when I can.� Cutler didn�t really want to say much more, it was already
hard enough to have his grieving interrupted without needing to voice how he felt.
GHOSTS- "Nah,� Cutler shook his head. Feeling uncomfortable, his hands slid into
his pockets and he hunched, ever so slightly, shrugging and trying to brush off the
question. The burst of sunlight he had previously seen that afternoon had soon been
replaced by an ominous cloud speckled grey.
�Never permanently.�
He wanted to hide his feelings - after a particular amount of time it became
generally easier to hide and shroud feelings - but here, he didn�t see much point
and the desire to curl up and become so very small wasn�t overwhelming in the
slightest as his comfortable, friendly relationship with Mitchell made it easier
to, for once, be open.
GHOSTS-It wasn�t clear to him why he kept coming back besides the inability to
leave her. She had been everything, and whether or not she was slowly disappearing,
becoming less solid, he would come here for as long as he lived. However long it
could be. 100 years� 200�
�It�s a bit more than that,� Cutler rubbed the back of his neck, forcing out a sigh
because he knew how surprised Mitchell was at how sentimental he had been, �I
didn�t think I was, either. For a bit. But, we were married; everything was set
out�� He told him with a shrug, eyes staying on the ground whilst he tried to be so
nonchalant about his feelings.
�My life was her; she was the very last dose of sanity and humanity in this mad
world I found myself faced with when I was recruited. Even now, she keeps me sane,
I guess. Reminds me who I am.�
GHOSTS-"�Is there something wrong with holding on to the past? I�ve done so much
adapting, and changing, learning, re-learning�� Cutler sighed exasperatedly,
glancing across at the other vampire and feeling somewhat defensive about his
actions and feelings. But he chose not to pick a fight as he knew all this was down
to some part of Mitchell caring.
�I don�t see why I would ever leave her behind. Don�t worry, I know she�s not�
here� anymore. But I don�t ever want to forget about her.�
GHOSTS-"I�m not moping�� He trailed off as the other vampire�s words really started
to hit home. It really had been so long. Cutler knew there was care and possible
affection behind the words; Mitchell just wanted to help him and it was only now he
realized what he had needed to hear 10 � maybe 20 � years ago.
��Then what are you suggesting I do? Just leave and never come back?�
GHOSTS-"She�s not exactly not going to be there, though. I mean, she�s not� going
anywhere.� It was stating the obvious that, unless the ridiculous event of a zombie
rising happened, Rachel was in the ground forever. But she was here forever, too.
That�s how he saw it and whether she stood by his side or lay beneath him here was
home; and here they were together.
��But I know� What you�re saying, and it�s not, like that. I just miss her.�
GHOSTS-

((starter- �hungry.
-Maybe that�s a sign you should feed me, Seymour.
-Well... I knew a vampire that slit his wrists.
-Chicken nuggets will suffice.
-Well, ninety years in you get a bit bored of reading old porn mags and feeding
ducks. What else was I supposed to do?
-Really? Teach me your secrets, O� wise one.
-Do you reckon I�ll get one of them cards from the Queen?
-

((starter: *turns up covered in blood looking shifty*

-Yeah, this is actually my blood for once. Someone chased me.
-Got punched before the chasing.
-Idon�t know, some dick who apparently � apparently, right, I owe him blood. Which
is the first I�ve ever heard about this �arrangement�.
-Somebody decided to let slip that I have a supply, so all thanks to the Cat�s
Pajamas, my phone�s been ringing off the hook all day.
-What? Don�t people still say that?
-

-So what�re you then? There�s something there. You look human, but then again so do
I. I just can�t figure you out.
-Nope. Used to be, however. Long time ago. [scratches at the back of his neck] I�ll
show you mine if you show me yours?
-[he hasn�t really thought this through and suddenly gets a bit nervous, but he
really wants to know what the other is] �Alright. [Cutler allows his eyes to go
black and bares his fangs at the Doctor, only for a short second and then they snap
back to normal.]
-No? We don�t actually turn into bats, you know.
[Cutler stares in confused awe at everything that�s just happened once he�s stood
back up after ducking. That wasn�t natural. There was some serious defying of
physics involved there - in whatever the hell just happened.] What� What was that?
How did you-?
[and he gives up, and asks-] Who are you
-Batty by nature, maybe. Most of us dissolve into madness� I�ll let you know if I
ever turn into a bat. I�m Cutler. Or Nick. Mostly Cutler.
�Doctor Who?
-Just the Doctor? Fair enough. It�s a surname.
Are you a Doctor of anything in particular?
-I see. [I think he might be a little more than a bit batty�]
So, what do you do when you�re not being a doctor of nothing in particular�?
-Being a vampire�s not something you can just switch off, unfortunately, but I�m
also a Duty Solicitor. I suppose you could say it�s my �human persona�.
You see we can exist in society with� them [Cutler wasn�t sure if the Doctor was
one of them, or not, and so his words came out with caution] �even if they can be
deadly annoying. I�m not sure how you feel about humans�? Come to think of it, I�m
not sure you�re human � I don�t think I even thought to ask?
-So if you�re not from Earth� [Cutler leaned forward in his seat, watching as the
taller man paced about whilst eating his apple. Curiosity had sparked inside him
and he wanted to know more; as much as possible.] You�re an alien, then?
-�Time Lord?� Cutler asked, curiouser still as he fiddled his fingers; tapping the
tips together in a slow but paced rhythm, a subconscious habit. �Lord� stuck out to
him, ��some sort of hierarchy system?�
-�So you�re not really in charge of anything seeing as you�re the only one? Huh.�
An expression of contemplation fixed on Cutler�s face, realizing the Doctor�s
losses were probably far greater than his own. �You said �anymore�. What happened
to the others?�

[text] What do you call a dog with no legs? Doesn't matter, he won't come.
[text] Why are werewolves good writers? Because they always have a tail to tell!
[text] Why did the werewolf visit Barry Island? He was on howl-iday.

-[text] What's up Dracula?

-[text] What's it like to be kissed by a vampire?
-[text] It's a pain in the neck.
[text] I'm a tiny bit jesus.
- *sighs* It doesn't matter now.
- Why? You'll just punch me in the face, anyway...
- I was just thinking, right, it's a weird one, but... Um. What if you'd made me?
- You're not a kitten, you're a Rottweiler.
- NO I just meant you're more ferocious. Ok. You're a lion?
*
-[text] Four days. Just a head's up.
- [text] I might try a cage this time, or a taser gun.
- [text] By using the taser first.
- [text] By using the taser first.
- [text] WAIT, no. I know what's happened here. I've got taser and tranquilizer
mixed up.
- [text] You will help me, won't you?
- [text] Alright, I'll do the dragging. I've lugged a good number of corpses into
the woods before, I'm sure I'll manage...
- [text] Anyway, once that's sorted I owe you a drink.
- [text] Don't forget those tranquilizers. Please.
- [text] I might need them tomorrow.
- [text] I told you, I owe you a drink.
- [text] No. Thanks.
*

- [text] What are you doing next Sunday?

- [text] Good. You can help me with my film project then.
- [text] Nope. There's still Sundance Festival, but it's not that kind of film.
- [text] Why, are you interested in helping?
- [text] Ever the skeptic. It's a short informational film ... about werewolves.
- [text] Got it in one.
- [text] I'm filming lycos to put on the internet. Freak people out.
- [text] Have you got a really big net?
- [text] Duh. How else do you catch a werewolf?
- [text - received at 21:42] Hoping that wasn't a dig. I'm a lawyer, remember?
You've gotta be a decent level of intelligence for that. [text - received at 21:43]
I'm not actually stupid enough to try and catch a wolf in a net. [text - received
at 21:43:05] You've hurt me.
- [text] Stop making this about me!
- [text] Werewolves. [text] Why do you always make things about me? *raised eyebrow
emoticon*
- [text] What? No! What's up with you tonight, who pissed in your cornflakes?
- Isn't Big Bad John ridiculous enough?
- Of course. I'm familiar with the reference.
-
- Why don't you sparkle in the sunlight?
-

(vamp talking) We're involved in a blood feud.

3.Thanks to Madonna, Holy Symbols have become fashionable.
Two-hundred on one of them starting to speak in their native ape language.
. You would leave me and then never come back? That�s so violent and cruel. How
could you. The worst thing a human could ever do.

*
-You are quite intimidating, you know that?
- Probably the brooding looks.
-You're doing it again.
- The brooding.
**

-He frowned and tried not to stare as his mouth flapped in an effort to find
something that wouldn�t cause offence. ��Forgive me for asking,� Cutler said, not
sure if it was just him that had noticed the cloud, �but are you aware there�s�� It
was so weird to say. Saying it made it real. ��a cloud, er, floating over your
head?�
-�Looks like it,� A chill was coming from the snowy man�s overhead cloud, and
Cutler felt a shiver. �Does that make you a snowman?�
-He kept laughing for a moment, still smiling. �I� I don�t believe we�ve been
properly introduced, er - ?�
-
***
-�Yup. Aren�t I s�posed to?� He gave the ghost a quick glance up and down with full
knowledge of what she was. A coy smile fell on his lips, and whilst the ghost
seemed unsure, she knew more than the others usually did. Cutler was impressed.
�As it happens, I�m a vampire. Is that a problem?�
-He noticed she was staring at him like she�d seen a ghost and he straightened up,
smiling a little more curiously in her direction. �Hello, Nova. I�m Cutler.�
�You�re pretty understanding.� He mused, reassured by her blas� attitude towards
him and his condition.
-�Cheesy, but a decent mantra to live by.� He smiled, �I won�t knock it.�
Cutler felt the ghost was a little too calm and uneasily shifted his feet, fiddling
with the fabric of his pockets and readying his next utterance. Something
nonthreatening preferably. Most others would have freaked out by now, especially
the Newbies. Nova looked like a Newbie.
��Personal question, I know, but when did you die?�
_

***
-�A CV? The Devil�s work�� He says, straightening up. �Ok. No problem. I can help
you.�
-Cutler briefly returned the smile, �Like what?�
-�You should have a look about, see what�s going� Different jobs call for different
types and styles of CVs.� He frowned, but it quickly dropped. �Okay. Let�s start
with the personal statement bit.�
-�I see. That�s what that phone call was about�� Cutler straightened up in his
seat, raising his eyebrows at the werewolf. �What did you do?�
-�Some bloke?� A bemused smile crossed his expression, �C�mon, Tom. Don�t spare any
details� Vampire? Human? Another werewolf?�
-�What did he do to make you angry, Tom?� The lawyer was intrigued as the image of
the situation laced itself together in his mind�s eye. Leaning forward in his
chair, he started to drum his fingers lightly on the desk before him. �And is this
�just getting angry� something fairly recent, or-?�
-��Nothing in particular, I just hate my job some days.�
-
*+++*
-�Blimey, it�s you.� Cutler�s excitement is hard to hide.
He�s grinning so wide at the small, blonde werewolf, ��The stuff of legend. I�ve
heard a lot about you.�
-He cleared his throat, straightening up and feeling like he needed to make an
impression here. She was Nina Pickering after all, and her daughter was the
Saviour. A vampire nemesis. �Um. Cutler. Nick Cutler��
�Oh, lots. You know, stuff.� Cutler bounced where he was stood, jovial and
fidgeting like a child. She should be in a museum. But here she was.
-I�m good with kids? [but Cutler knows blood-drinking 90 year olds don�t make the
best babysitters�]
-� to save humanity. I was trying to do everyone a favour.
*+++*

-��What? What did I do?�

-The panic visibly drained from his face, �Tell me who you�re after and then let me
know what it is you�re up to.�
-�That�s irrelevant.� He forced a smile at her, �What�re you up to?�
-

**panics and closes curtains*

**shouts* THERE�S NOBODY HOME
*GO AWAY *trying to find his trousers* PLEASE
*charges out the door after her, half-tripping on his trouser leg in the process*
ARE THOSE MY FUCKING POTTED PLANTS?!
*Put them down or I swear to gOD
*He looks like he�s just ran a marathon; exhausted. He�s getting too old for this.
�Who said you could come in?� Cutler asks once he�s put the potted plant back down
next to the garden gnome where it belongs.
*�You�re in my house.� Its all he can manage. �My - MY house. Mine. And the plants
� my fucking plants.� In a mild state of shock he just hooks her jacket on the hat
stand in the hallway and walks to the kitchen to find that opened bottle of wine.
*�I don�t want anyone knowing what I do in my spare time.� Cutler tells her after a
swig of strong red wine. �That is by no means a reason to destroy months worth of
gardening. What did my Gerberas do to you?!�
*�A floating wine glass would provide� Can you just go, please?� He�s either about
to tear her skin or clothes off and he�s not quite sure which he�d prefer right
now.
*�I really don�t know why you�re still here, I�ve already made it clear how mad I
am about the plants�� That�s it, Cutler. Witter on about rubbish to distract
yourself.
*�Don�t you ever get bored of this� life?� He laughed in her face,
�Never staying in one place; never sticking around long enough to grow attached to
someone; never leaving them alive long enough? It�s easy when you can escape, I
know, and dear God that�s why I find you so frustrating, Woman! I can�t kill you.�
*Emotions were the last things he wanted to let out in this moment and in anger and
frustration, everything was getting mixed and muddled. He just couldn�t think.
Cutler sighed at a great number of things, his breath cold against her lips - Rina;
his heart and where it�d brought him to, again.
�You�re so right. So, so right. How do you do it? My God. Must be some sort of mind
reading ability, surely?! And you�re so proud�� Sarcastic, manic laughter began to
escape his mouth, slipping past his teeth, tongue and lips. �Good Lord, I can taste
the musk of arrogance on you� You actually reek of it � and all because think you
know me better than I know myself� Breaking News, honey. You don�t.�
*Cutler scoffed at her pathetic reaction and he silently willed her to slither away
into her cave. He wanted to escape her. It was easy to take and have control of his
life when people didn�t hang around, when freedom was still an option. There were
few people who he would go to at every beck and call, and again and again, decade
after decade, nobody listened. He was a tool of destruction; used for his skills.
He just didn�t want it anymore.��I don�t play games.�
*

*
-starter- ��just another manic bloody Monday.�
-�Tried to kill some girl this morning, right�� He told her as he cleared his
throat, �punchedmeintheface.�
-

**singing* Lovely Rina, meter maid, nothing can come between us. When it gets dark
I tow your heart away. Oh, Lovely Rina. Where would I be without you? Give us a
wink and make me think of you.
**I found my Beatles records. Reliving it, baby.
**Hey, Rina. Serious question... If I'd been out 'til quarter to 3, would you lock
the door? Will you still be buying me a Valentine? Birthday greeting? Bottle of
wine?
**There's nothing you can do that can't be done... Nothing you can sing that can't
be sung.
**Look, sorry about the singing. It was a gesture of sorts but nevermind. Doesn't
matter now.
**

STARTER-
Here comes the sun, do do do do�
*cowers back inside because it burns*

starter-�If anyone needs me, it�d better be important. After all, it�s a Sunday.�
-��� But so�s the race, �I suppose you are, a bit.�
-�It�s the Chinese Grand Prix,� He answered, only paying her half of his attention.
-Cutler sighs, his attention taken from the screen at last. �What�s that supposed
to men?�
-�Think of it what you want, but I really want to watch this��
-Great. It was really hard to know what was going on with the female vampire now on
top of him. His focus had been captured so heavily by the action on screen that he
found her more of an irritation than a turn on.
�Rina,� Sighing, he fought with her arms and pulled them out of his hair. �Please.�
-[Cutler shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets.] Judging by the state of your
neck, I�m not the only one suffering.
-I can see why you would.
-What? I�m not here for kisses at your convenience.
-Never said that.
-- About what, anything in particular; Politics? Cars? The Weather?
-It�s� a more enjoyable hobby than crafting together model airplanes?
-No! I just mean it passes the ti - I could do it for hours.
-I� because� Should it be something that I do?
-Is this a test? I didn�t study.
-No� I� Rina, what do you want? [It�s taken him far too long to finally get round
to this question]
-

Sit down, I�ll get you some toast or something.

-Beware, I�m not a yoga novice. My fingers haven�t stretched to my does for
decades, either. (sex
-Do I want to know what you have planned and can I be drunk when it happens?
-The Karma Sutra�s a long book.
-No, no. That�s not it at all. [Cutler shrugs his shoulders and tries to look as
unfazed by the remark as he can] I don�t think I could bear it that long.
-Rina. Please let me know when you plan on finishing whatever this is� because I
just might have to fashion myself a stake sooner or later.
-I�ll be off then, you can keep yourself amused with your word games. Try Sudoku
when you get completely stumped for ideas.
-Don�t you need something to balance out the massive ego?
-That only ups your sex drive, not your IQ.

-starter-[curled up under his desk after a very long day]

-�Whoever that is, go away unless you have a blanket.� He responded, half-asleep.
-�Rina?� Cutler groaned groggily. ��Have you got a blanket?�
-�I asked you a question first� but, I�m too tired to move.�
-�Why do you always have something up your sleeve? Just c�mm�ere.� Frowning, he
made grabby hands at her like a toddler asking for a cuddle.
-He snaked his arm around her waist, resting his nose on her shoulder for a moment.
��I could order a pizza?�
-�Yes. Because Pizza.�
-�Surprise me,� he told her with a sly kiss to her jaw.
-�Half an hour?� He nodded sleepily, �Okay.�
-Any other time, he�d have protested and moved away from her but instead he just
let his nose scrunch up at the kiss. Cutler shrugged, �Two Court cases, paperwork,
filing��
-A half-smile with a glint of confusion flashed at her, �What�re you doing?�
-He just watches her for a few moments, ��I think this is the longest we�ve gone
without biting one another, or arguing. Don�t expect this to last.�
-
++++
You could make a little pant flag.
Queen Rina. Suits you.
Am I right to detect a sub-textual meaning in there somewhere�?
You disgust me.

-Cutler had clocked off work early, frustrated from the texts back and forth all
day that had simply wound him up. As bad at each other, that�s what they were. It
didn�t matter who wanted want, they always wanted something from one another. Nick
wanted a hunting buddy, someone who allowed him to let loose and have a bit more
fun but she kept wanting his company and after such a long time he felt himself
growing attached to somebody; this time someone who wouldn�t die on him.
In his hands he held flowers, and his eyes contained an apology or at least the
beginning of one, but his words when she opened the door to her hotel room said
otherwise. �What�ve you done to piss Hal off?�
-He somewhat forgot how annoyed he might have been as the door opened and he saw
her. The frustration drained and he felt relief at seeing her again but there was
still that little niggle inside his head that wanted to know what she�d been up to.
�Something like that, I was hoping you might have hay-fever so I could threaten you
with them.� Cutler said, thrusting them into her hands.
-�Hey! My parents were married.�
He returns the smirk, stepping inside and flopping onto the sofa in the corner of
the room. �Soooo. You gonna tell me what�s made Hal�s fangs ache? Your name came up
and then I think he wanted to kiss me.�
It had been a weird day.
-

+**
-Says the two hundred and twenty five year old I witnessed have a tantrum this
afternoon.
-*snorts* I�ll have this wine to myself, then. Makes no odds to me.
***

-He slipped into one of the rows, a little late, and was only just sitting down as
the curtains were tugged open. This wasn�t really this thing and it was only
because they were visiting for the weekend that he had allowed himself to be
dragged here in the first place. He smelt the indecency of the place in the air and
knew of the undoubted dodgy dealings behind the scenes. It was an art; but also an
act.
His company had vanished, backstage, no doubt and he wondered if he would hear the
music playing go up ready for them to make a kill. Nobody else bothered to sit and
watch the entertainment here; it was what they called Culture and Kill although
often sans Culture.
Cutler perched on the edge of his seat so he could slip out at any moment if he
sensed trouble, alert as always. It was his job to fix everything at least. He let
himself clap, hands falling together as the female performer walked on stage with
her feathers moving behind her and a painted smile on her face.
All an act, Cutler concluded as he saw her and he felt a twinge of a familiar
strain.
-The second the curtain dropped, he slipped past the row of audience members and
backstage. Another act made their way onto the stage and the vampire dodged the
spotlights shining down as he found the door. Now this was his turf - behind the
scenes. In the shadows.
Cutler had never liked to be the center of attention and it made him feel much more
comfortable to be where he could watch the unfolding action much closer so he could
come up with excuses and lies to write in the reports later that week. Silhouettes
of struggling girls flickered from behind closed Dressing Room doors and he heard
muffled, shrill shrieks. He grinned at the danger, the action and stayed completely
amused and quite happy to sit and observe as it continued but then he noticed her.
He moved past the crowded bodies gathered in the hallway backstage, and silently
willed them to continue their loud chatter and smoking of cigarettes to mask the
reality of what was going on. For anyone else, it was difficult to see anything
wrong with the scene in-front of them; or in fact to see at all. The lights were
dim and the room was musky, fogged with smoke.
That�s when he grabbed her; the showgirl just exited the stage. His hands dived in
to take hold of hers whilst he could easy have clasped a palm over her mouth to
stop her screams. �Come with me.� The vampire whispered, �I have a proposition for
you.�
-Cutler led the woman into one of the rooms in the back of the establishment. His
mind flicked from one outcome to another, but all he could focus on is how much she
might scream. He wanted to toy with his victim, and wondered if explaining was the
best thing here. It even struck him that maybe he should make a speech.
�You were very good, up there.� Neither of them wanted small talk but he still made
it, attempting to make her feel slightly more comfortable and, perhaps, a little
less resigned to the idea of being in his company. He noticed how the obviously
familiar and common compliment slipped right past her, and continued, a hint that
he didn�t want to play nice.
�But it seems to me like an old habit, an old game. You�ve been doing this for
years. Day in, day out. Started out as a passion; you�ve always wanted to be a show
girl � Fame.� He seemed to sigh, relaxing as he took a seat and propped his feet up
on the surface of the dressing table. �Have the world at your feet gasping for your
adoration. We�ve all sniffed it out. It�s the power, isn�t it? Makes you hungry.�
-He watched as the cigarette was lit and as the smoky entrails drifted across the
air, past the dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Cutler snorted with laughter,
looking up at her with a bemused smile. �You think I want you for sex?� He cackled,
almost, watching her reaction with great joy as he jumped up from his chair. The
door was locked. �Oh, Rina. Dear me. I want you for a lot more than that��She had
nowhere to run. No escape. Cutler crossed the room to where she was and stood at an
uncomfortable distance from her; too close.
�You want much more than that, too. I can tell. Strange men, strange hands all over
you. You shouldn�t let people treat you like this. You�re worth so much more�� His
fingers brushed her cheek in a delicate manner, sweeping over the skin and feeling
the warmth of life. ��so much potential� A history maker, perhaps?�
He noticed the cigarette in her hands and plucked it from her fingers.
�Such a nasty habit. It�ll probably kill you.� Cutler�s eyes met hers as he stubbed
it out, and they turned dark. �But then again, so will I.�
-He smirked at her with bared fangs, beginning to laugh at the terror in her eyes.
�Shh now Poppet, you�ll thank me later.� He cooed, clasping a hand over her mouth
to stop any potential screams. The whole building would be half empty; or half full
of corpses by now. It depended on how you looked at it. With little difficulty he
shoved the woman against the wall behind her, a hold strong enough to keep her in
his grasp despite her struggle.
�It�s about time you learned a new routine, that�s all.� Cutler whispered in her
ear and soon his fangs pierced the skin to sink into the vein running through her
neck. Smooth; soft; metallic; the blood slipped from her throat and down his. A
fresh source of live was filling him; re-awaking his long dead veins once more. He
kept drinking, in no hurry to stop � And that�s when it all went dark.
Watching the lifeless girl, Cutler considered changing his mind but it certainly
didn�t last long. He wiped his mouth on his cuff and then tore the blood stained
fabric down to expose his wrist. Now he needed something sharp� something to cut
into his skin� A hair pin left on the dressing table sparked his attention and he
used it to jar and rip across his skin; making a cut so his blood could drip into
Rina�s mouth.
-With help of the vampires he�d visited the establishment with, Rina�s bloody body
was lifted into the back of their car and transported back somewhere more private.
In the basement of a warehouse, Cutler sat with his recruit and waited until the
process was complete.
It was customary to be there when they woke up, some sort of unwritten rule as if
he had to throw her a handbook to explain things. She�d been making a god awful
noise and was lucky she wouldn�t remember the pain she had gone through over the
past few hours.
When she finally awoke, he was pacing rather impatiently back and forth and
somewhat convinced it hadn�t worked.
-�Hello,� She had taken him by surprise, and he jumped ever so slightly when he
heard the gasp. As he turned to face her, his composure began to reform. �I was
starting to think you�d never wake up. I�m new to this. It�s an art, or something,
I really did think you were proper dead.�
Cutler reached for a decanter, pouring out a glass of blood for both of them. He
remembered how he felt when he woke up so many years ago and rose from the dead; so
thirsty. So hungry. Desperate for something to relieve the thirst but nothing
soothed the craving except warm, sticky blood.
�Here, you�ll be wanting this - you won�t quite know why right now but it�ll make
sense eventually.� He stretched out his arm to her, holding out the glass of dark
liquid.
-It was reassuring to see how she took to the blood almost instantly. It looked
like she was quick to learn, and adapt. His suspicions were soon being confirmed
that he was entirely right to choose her. It would take time, of course, but every
newborn vampire was slow on their feet at first. Killing would take practice, too.
For now she was like a baby, being weened on the blood.
��What?� Nobody else had spoken to him about it, or even mentioned it. The Old Ones
were quiet beings and didn�t appreciate it when someone tried to pry. He quickly
knocked back his glassful of blood and swallowed hard to down it. �I�ve seen them
too.�
-�Yeah. When I died.� The way it said it was so curiously nonchalant, without care
or fear concerning what he was saying. Naturally, immortality meant you were freed
from the fear of death. Cutler wondered how she�d react, and hoped that distracting
her would help prevent any screaming or running away. �Do you want another glass,
Rina?�
-Cutler watched with eager eyes as she downed a second glassful. He wasn�t so sure
what else he was supposed to say to, or do with her. By now he�d long forgotten the
series of information Hal had given him when he was a new recruit. But the way
things were going, it seemed likely that she would do anything for the blood. She
liked it.
�Do you know what I am?�
-�The club was one thing, sure, and you�re very good at what you do but there�s so
much potential there.� He crouched down so he was closer to her. �You could be so
much more, with the right training.�
Cutler shrugged his shoulders, �It�s a gift. Eternal life. And with it comes the
ability to zap the life from others. Brilliant, isn�t it?� He giggled, excited
still at the perks of the curse. �What wouldn�t you want? One second somebody�s
trying it on and the next you�re dragging their corpse through a forest. You stood
out to me; so I gave you a chance.�
-He stood back up, watching the new recruit as she found her footing for the first
time since death. Learning to walk again was nowhere near as hard as it was
learning to live again.
But they never really accepted death. That was the curse of the vampire that made
them so vain; so smug; conceited. But this was a one-way deal and a second chance
at living life � Something so different and new, and so unsettling. But there was
no turning back. Humanity was so far away by this point.
Cutler�s hands slipped into his pockets, perfectly relaxed as he observed her
struggles. He waited until she might request his help.
-He finished the drink of blood he held in his hand, and looked at her as if it was
obvious. Time was taken with his answer, the tension building for as long as he
could make it last. She was slow but curious one, but he suspected the fear was
holding her back.
�I made you like me. A vampire, Rina.�
-��you believed me...� Cutler said, surprised but entirely relieved.
�I thought I�d have to go get some cryptic runes, or a book or something � We have
tapestries somewhere��
-�I wanted to make a spectacle of it� You wouldn�t listen before I, uh� So I hadn�t
much choice.� He frowned at her, now feeling a bit stupid.
-

-"Yep. Thought so. I'll never get used to this dreadful racket," He said to her,
raising his voice slightly as they crossed to the bar. "What do you want?" Cutler
asked her, eyeing up the selection inside the pub as he withdrew his wallet from
his pocket, "I'll get it."

??�Handjobs are welcome, too.� But he appreciates the hug all the same even if he�s
not completely sure why he�s being given it.
��Thanks, though.�

-�Adam! Grown into your fangs yet?� Cutler smirks at the younger vampire.

-�Thomas,� Cutler beamed at the werewolf from where he stood, leaning against the
wall. �Long time no see.�
-�Only saying hello,� Somebody had changed his tune. Strange, how things changed in
a matter of months. �Just being friendly. Let me guess, you�re upset about Alex,
too?�
-

Don�t see why I can�t do both, if I�m honest. You do realize I�m actually
pretty young compared to the others, right?

-�Hello�, he says with a raised eyebrow, �No. Can�t say I�ve met you, either.�
-�Cutler,� he�s still not sure exactly why she�s talking to him and looks at her
with expectation. �Can I help?�
-�Hm. Well enough,� Cutler found the question amusing; he�d lived there a long
time. Long enough to know the tastiest victims, the places to avoid, and where to
hide his bodies, ��food? Well, we�ve got a Nando�s.�
-�Cardiff fine-dining.� Ah. It was becoming clearer what she meant. �Oh. That.
Well, most of them are Welsh here, so it can be a bit like eating a lamb shank.�

Just like the French tasted a tiny bit like garlic - and if you were really unlucky
- snails.
-��We can�t just go out and kill people willy-nilly.�

It would only mean more work for him if they did.

***
***
-�You�re late,� Cutler remarked, not lifting his eyes from the screen of his phone.

-�Hm, don�t flatter yourself.� He smirked at her, �I�m inquiring about your�
habits, let�s say that. Heard that you�re not being as careful as I advised you to
be.�
-�You could, I dunno, maybe not kill people in the hotel? Just a suggestion.�
Cutler said with a sigh, �I don�t think that comes up in the list of Premier Inn�s
services.�
-Really? He mused silently. �That�s not the point. It�s not safe! You�re at risk of
exposing us.�
-�Go to their�s. Never take the victim with you. You�re not really in control that
way,�
-Age didn�t come into his, and it made him fume that she thought it mattered who
was older in this situation. They all had their place, and he was only doing his
job.
�Then what was different this time?� Flicking his eyes back up at her, he didn�t
look or sound impressed as he queried her actions.
-He sighed, realizing he wasn�t getting far. �Just try and not let it happen again,
it�s really hard to cover those things up.�
-�Nothing of great interest, really.� He said, being modest. He�d been working on
lots of stuff. Pretending to be a Police Officer to gain information about a
werewolf attack, mainly.
-�A ferret?� Cutler straightened up, not sure if he should be offended.
-He squinted at her in confusion, and laughed uncomfortably. �What on Earth? That�s
ridiculous.�
-�No!� He objected quickly, rather uncomfortable now, �I don�t need a lead. Thank
you. I can handle myself.�
-�I never know if you�re being serious, or not.� Cutler sulked,
-�I�ve been playing dress up, Rina.�
-�Police,� he sniffed, �been doing a little snooping.�
-�There was an attack a week or so ago on a waitress in a caf� Animal attack.
Corpse was left in the kitchen.� He explained, �Most likely a werewolf.�
-�They wouldn�t.� He admitted, �But, get this, it wasn�t on a full moon.�
-Cutler felt himself beginning to smile, �There are some types of Lycos who are
shape-shifters, rather than generic werewolves.�
-�You don�t believe me.� The smile stayed on his face. �Since forever. It is
possible - I was shocked too, but I�ve done some pretty heavy research on the topic
since Mitchell and I were out one night and got stalked by a Lyco. It wasn�t
anywhere near the full moon when it happened; I�ve got a moon chart to keep an eye
on them all; know when I should avoid the woods, that sort of thing.�
-�Well unless they�re aware of it, the transformations are completely random. They
exist in usual society, of course. But they�re always likely to have some sort of
heavy sleeping condition or amnesia in their hospital records - and then there�s
the blackouts, as well. It�s also completely possible they might have random
nosebleeds because of the pressure of the curse.� Cutler leaned back comfortably in
his chair, a dark smile on his face like a parent telling a ghost story, �and
there�s definitely one of �em in Barry.�
"I've met her."
-�No need to take the piss,� he sighed, �I thought you�d be interested.�
-He looked past his hand which was now resting on his head in frustration at her,
�By the sounds of it, yeah.�
-Rude. He rolled his eyes and sighed, annoyed at the ferret comment and the fact
that he could only really reply with, �As it happens, yes.�
-�I don�t know, one of the ones they keep in zoos away from people.� He grins at
her, �Because they�ll end up eaten otherwise.�
-�I suppose you could put it like that,� he smiles in admiration.
-
****
***

**What? I�m a hopeless romantic

Oh, alright. Mostly just hopeless.

**I�m not so sure I�m the right man for the job, Rina.
**

Different countries on the same continent. That's what you are.

Yes, well, it is not exactly a curse that happens to you once a month, is it?
Everyday working on your stakes, watching people walk by, eating sandwiches, making
plans, being what you used to be - being normal.
No! Out of the dank basement wonderland? No, never. The pipes alone are like a
gurgling, rusty lullaby.
Also, neither of us have recently played Maria von Trapp to a group of ghostly
teenage wasteland.

Q: What does it mean if there is a werewolf in your fridge in the morning?

A: You had some party last night! -

What�s a werewolf�s favorite nighttime story?

A hairy tail!

Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

This isn't an office. It's Hell with fluorescent lighting

You're not yourself today, I noticed the improvement straight away

�Look!� he blurts out, getting down to business while he still maintains some
composure, and has got all his limbs intact. �The Old Ones, they want the baby
alive.�
�I get it,� he says, with a weak smile. �You�re some kind of a hero now. Well,
let�s go be heroes!� He raises his fist like he�s Superman ready for take-off.

�It�s your fault! If you had driven the point home it would have spared me the
embarrassment and you the� her.� He thinks about it and adds: �And Tom�.�

�We had a few disagreements. About the, uh� structure of�� Cutler deflates, and
admits: �My videos went missing. And Mr Snow is kind of a dick.�

�I�m all for stopping the invasion,� he says conversationally. If he can�t be a

proper villain, he might as well settle for a half-baked anti-hero.

- Do we even need to blink as a function now? I've always found it's just habit. (I
think it is mostly just a habit. Which is handy if you�re trying to play dead.)
- Or, I suppose, if you wanted to play human? (That could go for breathing too.
Anything to blend in, right?)
- Food, too. I'm not too fond of chicken nuggets, but humans seem to be. (Are we
compiling a list of things we don�t actually need to do but do anyway?)
- I think so. This is like when old women talk about the weather and bus times.
- I was around in World War 2, you know. Not for long, and I might have been a
teenager, but I was still around... 'Back in my day', honestly. [can't help but
grin.]
- R-really?! How old are you?
- With your brooding and mysterious ways? At least 150.
- I didn't mean it like that. I mean you strut about like you belong in a museum.
(Keep digging yourself a bigger hole there. You�ll be in Australia soon at this
rate.)
- Yeah, okay. Sorry. [shuts up.]
- [really wants to interject here but decides to just go along with it] No. Of
course not. Sorry, again. I should be out dog hunting.
-

Oh George! I�m sorry, I didn�t recognize ya without the fangs. You look proper
human now.

Please call me Cutler. And trust me ma�am, I�ve learned from my mistakes. I am
terribly ashamed of the way I behaved, I will endeavor to act more responsibly from
now on.
My old headmistress used to make me feel like this before. I thought I was over it,
it was 70 years ago after all�but clearly not.

I�m glad it�s going well.And good to know that you�ll be staying with us too! The
more the merrier and I�m sure that the place is big enough for the 5 of us and the
occasional guest or two. Say, do you like calamari? I�m planning on having a
gourmet dinner night every week and Hal�s being a stick in the mud about it. But,
I�m guessing if enough people like the idea, he�ll have to let us do it.

Hey! I've turned a new leaf.

I can? Does that mean I�m part of the �gang� now? That is so awesome! I�ve never
been a part of a �gang� before�.a servant to the old ones, but never a part of
their group.

That was also part of the reason. Let bygones be bygones now shall we? And look at
you manager at a hotel! You are moving up in the new life you built for yourself
aren�t you. If I join you do I have to work at the hotel as well? Or shall I keep
my job as a solicitor? I sense that there is a lot of vampire activity right now
and our kind need legal advice.

There's a couple of things they don't teach you back in Laws School. One is how to
cope with defeat; the other is how to handle a shotgun. I'm going to do both right
now

Every time I stick my neck out, he chops my head off, but you get away with murder.
How come?

I hate hockey, and I don�t like kids. Look, I�m sure this will be a real bonding
experience. Maybe one day one of you will write a book about it in jail.

Oh, you can gaze into some crystal ball�

Why don�t we rent a nice restaurant for these things?

Because it�s all about impressing the clients. They like to know that inflated fees
buy fancy offices.

Well that seemed perfectly normal.

Thank you for coming, Mr Auditore.

Which only compounds my gratitude for your choosing to do so. Let�s go to my office

Well, believe it or not, it�s about your best interest, Miles. Gosh, my office
seems so far away.
Let�s go to this one over here instead.

I do not want to speak with you. Can you please walk away?

It almost seemed personal. Have you done anything to upset this guy?

We need to be very specific about what happened back then.

If he�s not arrested, I can see him. I don�t need to tell you that.

You�re amazingly inconsiderate, you know that?

Go subscribe to National Geographic. Make a list of the places you�ll never get to
visit. Add to that list, Grayson.

It's evidently unethical. But again, you hire me to allow you walk the street, not
engage in a moral debate.

Basically she looks as unemotional as ever almost calcified

I try to be vulnerable here. Could you toss me a bone? Give me something?

That's not fair! It�s a stunt and a cheap one!

Denny. You enjoy being with Bev, she enjoys being with you. Why don�t you just
have fun in the moment. And leave it at that!

Do you smoke it or take it in the arm?

Oh, our relationship is purely based off bonobos.

Check it out. She�s about to graduate magna cum laude.

 You always present the most ethically challenging what ifers

Which would be my cue. Thank you.

It wouldn�t look good on my resum�.

You�re getting kinda bold in your old age, Clarence?

Well... that presents a slightly bigger challenge.

Obladi, c�est la vie, sacre bleu..

Dark and scary places with enchanted creatures?

My boss. Pitbull with a lipstick.

Everyone seems to have citizenship too.

Great, hope those work out well for you, just like they did Icarus.

I�ll make sure to look away so you can do what needs to be done.

Shakespeare in the water doesn�t seem like your cup of tea.

They�re still taking Ambien like health vitamins?

--Cutler squeaked and then coughed to hopefully cover up the squeak. He was just
really excited to see Hal, and if his heart could still beat it would have started
to beat a little faster. He coughed again, and sniffed, trying to compose himself
and his words into something coherent.
--��Dead? Ha. That�s hilarious.� He contemplated slapping his knee for comedic
effect, but it wouldn�t have fitted the tone of the conversation.
�Hal, I�ve been dead for 85 years.�
--�That? That was nothing. Took a while, but I recovered, found somebody that owed
me a favour. They got me what I needed and in time I got to where I am now;
definitely not dead. Not permanently at least.� It was a really long story, and he
knew it had probably broken a few rules but all that really mattered was that he
hadn�t died. That was always a positive on his list of� positives.
--�I�m busy. I�ve got a thing on.� Cutler sniffed and hunched over, thrusting his
hands into his pockets. He frowned, his gaze falling on the Domino. �Are you okay?
Have you always done that?�
He knew the air was still thick and the feelings between them were still bitter.
Especially after he�d torn Alex�s throat out, but after all, that made them even.
At least that�s how Cutler thought of it: He didn�t regret it for a moment, it was
payback for when Harry had taken Rachel from him all those years ago. It still
stung, even near forty years on. That�s why he did it.
--�Huh. Good idea.� Cutler raised his brow in approval, he watched the domino turn
a few times in Hal�s hand before opening his mouth to add, ��I�m thinking I might
get a cat.� Not to get him off blood or anything, Cutler just liked cats.
--�I guess you could call it some sort of experiment.� Cutler was disappointed the
domino had been put away, but didn�t express it. He shifted his gaze to look Hal in
the eye; having forgotten how awkward their eye contact would be. He dropped his
line of sight to rest on Hal�s nose, so it looked like he was looking in his eyes
but he could avoid Hal�s direct gaze.
He swallowed and lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head, �I�m investigating
how humans react to the idea of us. And then there�s the usual lawyer bullshit, of
course. But that�s boring.� He said, his hand dropping from his head and waving
about to show it wasn�t too important, �had someone in about a stolen lawnmower the
other day, though. Interesting case� if a waste of time. Turns out they just had
identical lawnmowers, who�d have thought?!� He raised his eyebrows to show mock-
enthusiasm at the case�s subject, rolling his eyes as he told it.
--�I� I don�t�� Cutler didn�t think his tongue would be much use to Hal then, as it
felt so incredibly dry where it sat in his mouth. His jaw hung open slightly, his
breathing heavy with shock as he thudded against the wall. �I don�t think that�s
such a good idea��
�Get your hands off me.� He breathed, exhaling deeply as he struggled to push Hal
off of him. �I�m not exposing us. How much of a dick do you think I am?! Let me go!
� Cutler grunted, trying to calculate a way out of this.
--�If you think it�s to piss you off, then I hate to be a disappointment but that�s
not why I�m here.�
He stopped to straighten out his suit, frowning at the creases and fixing the
collar of his coat. �I�ve told you, I�ve got a thing. You asked what it was and I
told you. How dare you threaten me for trying to be a History Maker - you inspired
the fucking idea! I�m finally taking your advice. I thought you�d be proud.�
--�How wrong you were?! You turned me into this,� Cutler sneered, gesturing to
himself, ��killed my wife and took away everything I had. I don�t think �wrong�
even begins to cover it. The least I could do was take your advice after you left
me with in gutter with nothing.� It would take a lot to forgive Hal, and the
easiest way for Cutler to cope at times was to go along with it, become a history
maker and become the inevitable monster inside of him.
--Nothing Hal could say made it any easier, or eased the pain. �You were a monster
back then? You�re a monster now. We both are. I couldn�t care less why you did it,
it doesn�t change anything.�
All those years of hatred and bitterness had built up to this moment and like a pan
full of boiling water, they were starting to bubble over. �Do you think your regret
and �Oh, I didn�t want to turn you� makes this life any easier?!�
--�I� I guess I just never� got over how you just disappeared.� Cutler shrugged,
scuffing the ground with his shoe and leaning against the wall. Although he hated
to admit it, he was needy too.
--It took him a moment of silence, and a struggle to ignore the lump in his throat
and the tears that stung in his eyes before he could look up at Hal again.
��Was it worth it?� Cutler asked his maker, �Did you change� for the better?�
--He thought about what had been said and gave a gruff reply, �I could have tried.�
Cutler could feel the hand on his shoulder and made a point not to move in response
to it, and simply let it rest there. He didn�t feel ready to welcome Hal�s touch
yet.
�You never gave me the chance to understand. You swanned off to Vampires Anonymous,
and where did that leave me? Left for Dead.�
A complete understatement, of course. He was calming a little and his usual
sarcastic tone had re-appeared, yet his defenses were still up.
--�I�ve learned to adapt, but I�m not learning to stop.� He jerked his shoulder and
shrugged off Hal�s hand.
�The thing I�m doing, it�s not to try and make us and them exist in harmony, that�s
ridiculous, but it�s to see if we could at least tolerate each other. People set
things up�� Cutler finally glanced at Hal, �It�s crazy, but it might mean we don�t
have to hide anymore.�
--Cutler groaned, �What else can I do? We didn�t choose this, why don�t we deserve
a life? It�s the 60�s all over again except we�re the ones being segregated from
the precious, perfect humans��
His tone was bitter, he hated the species almost as much as he hated what he was.
�This world�s adapted. They�re too worried about the results of the X Factor than
killing vampires.�
--�Sometimes I wonder if I could have made things work�� He let himself drop,
sliding against the wall and sitting down, leaning his back against it. His head
fell into his hands, ran through his hair and made the strands stick up where his
fingers had been. ��with Rachel.�
�I didn�t exactly get the chance to try, though. Did I?�
--If he were alive, his heart would have stopped hearing the words he had waited to
hear for the past forty years. Finally, he thought. He hadn�t realized before how
badly he�d needed them until they had been said.
�Doesn�t matter now.� Cutler jumped up, almost himself again. He pulled his phone
out of his pocket and checked it for any new notifications. �You didn�t have a
choice.�
--Funnily enough Cutler had been taking the piss, and he wondered if Hal was doing
something similar. He scoffed a bit, glancing up from his phone�s screen.
�Potential? Like some sort of wing-man?�
--�I�ve got to go.� Cutler said, locking his phone and sliding it into his trouser
pocket.
He kept his hand in his pocket and fiddled with the inside hem, �I�ve got something
I need to sort out. But, er� we should go for coffee. If� if you wanted to? Later?�
--

^^

The light flashes on Mitchell�s phone; the little icon showing up and telling
him he has a new answer phone message. When he selects the option to hear it,
Cutler�s voice sings out at him.

"Hellllooooo, Mitchell! Mitchell! Why didn�t you come? I�ve missed you, they�re
all making plans about when the old ones turn up and I just keep laughing - why?
Because Iiiiii�ve got an Old One of my own - who? I hear you asking - You! Of
course. [mutters] And Harry, but he�s not really mine anymore� Which is really
quite rude. I mean, really, who converts somebody and then disappears? I am really
quite offended - No! Regus, what the fuck? You can�t just eat a cat - No, look,
he�s got a collar on and everything - Noooo, no, what are you - S�orry, Mitchell,
Regus is being a dick like always� Can you� What if I take the collar off? Shhh,
don�t tell anyone� I�ll catch you later, see you Thursday for the Focus Group! LOVE
YOU, BYE.�

-click-
^^

I'm not going to get into a Vietnam off about who had it worse, all right?

starter-
-Avoid the shops at all costs. (they are full of humans.)
They�re all Christmas shopping. It�s like a battle field.imageSome old woman
elbowed me in the ribs!
Not that bad? I got abused by a pensioner!
You know, I think I might actually end up with a bruise.
Yeah. I might throw oranges at her when she�s waiting for a bus.
�then I�ll change the Bingo numbers.
Nothing�s completely random.
What? No. It�s just nothing�s completely random when you look at things
mathematica- [sighs, starts to mumble] D�sn�t matter.
Want me to strip off so you can have a look? [He�s flirting a bit.]
Are you sure you don�t want a look? [He�s undoing his top button, not breaking eye
contact.]
Alright. No need to be rude.

starter-
*emerges from under his desk looking an absolute state, has some stapled paperwork
carelessly flopped over his shoulder and his hair�s all sticking up* And the moral
of the story is - Don�t agree when Griffin asks you out for drinks. I think I�ve
got a bit of a student stuck behind my left fang.
*Mitchell� I don�t� *groans, trying to sit up* What day is it?
*I don�t know, I think I blacked out� Oh Christ, I think I skinned a cat on my way
home *notices fur all over his suit*� I can�t take this to the dry cleaners. I
think I�m dead� *lifts a hand to his forehead, starts to chuckle* �wait. I am dead.
Hahahahahahaha - Ow.
*Wouldn�t invite you anyway. *hiccups* What fun�s a night out without a midnight
snack-? Oh! *roars with laughter as a corpse topples out of the cupboard* I made
sure I had breakfast, how sweet of me.
*Shut up, of course I�m living the dream. I�ll be getting the iPhone 5 soon. *leans
over and helps himself to the corpse�s remains, smearing blood all over his face
and suit�* *speaks with his mouthful* Th�s�ll b� ma b�ch t� cl�n
**stops for a moment and stares at him* � *wipes his face on his sleeve* �Little
bit. It was this or a McDonald�s breakfast.
**sighs, realizing Mitchell�s right* Alright, alright. *gets up* I�m going to clean
myself up, afterwards, d�you fancy a bacon roll and a coffee?^
*

My focus group.. uh. Yep, yep, good... They... uh, they ran away.
Yes, that's a point. I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to hand out the
surveys before they legged it out the door. This whole scheme's a bit of a cock up,
if you ask me. Except no cocks are going up, it's not that - that kind of group.
Uh... *awkward chuckle*
I've been busy with other..things.
I had to sort something out, nothing for you to worry yourself about. *slaps a hand
on Mitchell�s shoulder� takes it off again, clears his throat* I�m not keeping
secrets. *almost definitely lying, like usual*
*scoffs* I don�t know what you�re talking about? *throws Mitchell the innocent
puppy look*
*groans* Yes. They�re still alive! I�ve moved the venue so they don�t end up as a
midday snack again. It�s all fine. Nothing for you to worry about, like I mentioned
before.
Other end of town, none of the others even know it�s there. See, I�m not a complete
idiot. I do come up with some sensible ideas believe it or not.
Well� yeah. Hopefully it�s later.
Wow. You�re really optimistic today. [Not.] Did you want to help, or are you just
going to sit there and tell me how shit my ideas are?
[It took him a moment before he finally muttered,] �Someone to talk to.
He's mad at me. Again.
Yup. [rubs his eyes in frustration with his palm] I told him what my plans were, he
threw me against the wall and threatened me. Nothing more than some light flirting�
Sh�t up. [frowns] He hates me that much� He�s scared I�ll expose us. Something I
don�t want, in case you�re wondering.
In a way, I want to see if humans and us could live alongside each other - not
having to hide. [He shrugs,] It�s naive, I know. It�s just if there were things set
up� [waves his hand about vaguely] and they were more understanding� Maybe it would
be easier for the both of us.
[Huffs, knowing Mitchell�s right but not quite willing to admit it]�In an ideal
world, hey?

-
�Business partners? Is that what we�re calling it?�
�I guess �acquaintances� covers it.�
�The ones I like, yeah.� ��You�re the one that said we weren�t exactly friends.�
He thought about it for a while, with careful consideration. �Partners?� Cutler
almost regretted the suggestion as soon as he had said it. His last partnership
didn�t exactly go to plan, but he really could use Mitchell�s help.
Nowadays, it was often hard for Cutler to get close to somebody or open up enough
to let them in, but he trusted Mitchell to an extent, �Alright, well that�s
fantastic.� his tone made it a little hard to tell whether he was being sarcastic
or not, but he was secretly pleased.He straightened up and considered the
agreement; wondering exactly how much he would have to share with Mitchell now they
were partners.He muttered, almost to himself, �Mitchell and Cutler, against the
world. History makers.�
�First off,� He said as he leaned back in his chair, smiling up at Mitchell.�Are
you familiar with social mediums such as Twitter, Facebook�� it pained him to ask,
�Myspace, perhaps?�
�That�s not it.� Cutler said, shaking his head. �Though feel free, I�d follow
you.��I�m using them to my advantage, trying to make humans used to the idea of
supernaturals like ourselves� Slowly integrating the idea into their natural lives,
without being too obstructing. If they get a bit weirded out, they can just
unfollow, or unlike, see? That�s what the focus groups are for too, they see how
people feel about the idea of us, and if anyone actually believes in it, or just
thinks it�s all proper rubbish. Once the research has been carried out, I can begin
to integrate our lives into theirs.�He sniffed and span a little on his chair.
�Perhaps it will mean the end of lives lived in the dark. Eventually, of course��
Cutler nodded agreeably. �Yes, of course. Always possible,� He cleared his throat,
�It wouldn�t just be on twitter, I�m trying to get people involved so I can get�
possibly some footage� of werewolves, perhaps, then post about it and see how long
it takes them to suspect it�s all just special effects, and who might actually
believe it.��In time I�ll� say� do the old no reflection trick at a focus group,
and choose those who look the most scared to interview� I need you because you�ve
seemed to integrate yourself into a fairly human lifestyle quite well. You know how
to talk to them. Tea and biscuits, or whatever.�
��It needs work.� Cutler realized how it sounded. �That�s why I need you. I�m not
the first to admit that I need help, or to change my tactics, but nothing�s going
to plan at the moment and��He really hated to admit it, �two heads are better than
one.�
Surprised with Mitchell�s apparent willingness to help; Cutler very nearly sprayed
the remains of his coffee over his desk, and all over Mitchell. Instead, he choked
a little and looked across the desk with watery, post-choke eyes.�Is-isn�t that a
little risqu�?�
Considering he was a bit of a wimp, he hadn�t quite wanted to consider branching
out any further. If it all went wrong, as it had previously, it was easier to clear
up something small than something big.Cutler glanced over at his address book, and
then thought about the contacts he had stored in his phone. �Yes,� He was still
choking a little, still very surprised �Yes, ye- I love it, but� What do we tell
them? Oh, by the way; Vampires exist.��They�ll laugh at us, tell us to lay off the
alcohol.�
��then they ask for the address and we direct them to the place where we�ve got the
dog?�Cutler was a little apprehensive, and reluctantly a little jealous and bitter
that it hadn�t been his idea. Either way, he was extremely impressed.He fiddled
with his pen and bounced the tip on the paper in front of him, leaving a dot of ink
behind before he reached for a notepad to scribble down the words �plan a: breaking
and entering� at the top of the lined page.
�Mhm. I was thinking exactly that,� Cutler agreed, writing down a few more notes as
he spoke. He put a question mark after a few of the names he�d listed down - names
of werewolves. Having met a few in his time, he had some contacts. The question
marks were mainly because werewolves moved about a bit, and those with the symbol
aside their names were possibly harder to locate.��should we hold auditions?� he
joked.
�If you ask me, Barry needs an exciting competition. It�d liven the place up.� He
chuckled, before turning back to a serious tone. �He does? Alright - Then he�s no
longer an option�� He reached over and crossed out the last name on the list.�Do
you know where the third transforms? He beat me in a poker game once, I wouldn�t
mind getting even.�
��Well, that provides us with a back story at least.� He looked a little smug,
smirking to himself as he rubbed his hands together.�We say we�ve rented the
containers for storage, and had reports they had been broken into and are very
concerned� etc etc� Cutler trailed off, waving his hands about, being vague on the
details.
A little taken aback by the interruption and Mitchell�s concern, Cutler responded
with a slightly defensive yet calm tone. �Of course. It�ll be easy.� He already had
his mobile in hand, unlocked, and ready to make a few inquisitive phone calls to
those in the know.
[skip]

-[�1 week later�]

[14 days until the full moon]
Cutler found himself by the docks, searching through the rows of storage
containers. He wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with here. Chattering
over the phone to a contact as he walked, he thrust the hand not holding his phone
to his ear carelessly into his trouser pocket.
�Alright, thanks for your help. Bye.�
On ending the conversation, he noticed a notification telling him he�d missed a
call from Mitchell. Cutler pressed his finger down on the green phone icon, and
lifted it to his ear, moving to lean against one of the containers as it started to
ring; the familiar dial tone, dull, a repetitive digital ringing sound�
brrp-brrp, brrp-brrp� brrp-brrp�
-Bit rude. �Hello to you, too.��I�m there now,� He continued, and turned to check
nobody was around, ��I think I�ve found the one. Scratches all over the inside.�
-�Only if you�re not busy.� the words caught in his throat, and it was almost
strained. Cutler wasn�t good at being polite.He cleared his throat, as if the
phrase had choked him. �I need a second opinion.�
-Cutler straightened up, replying with a smirk, �You give great advice, ever
thought about starting your own Agony Aunt column?� he snarked, readying to end the
call. �I�ll try my best.�He gave the warning, �Don�t be long,� and pressed the icon
to hang up.
-Cutler hadn�t managed to get himself killed. He lifted an eyebrow.�Could�ve been
faster. C�mon, I need your opinion,� and with that he ushered Mitchell over to the
entrance of the container.
-Cutler flashed him a side glance, frowning,��You�re going to give me it anyway,
even if I don�t. Go on.�
-�Mm, you�re right.� he thought about it, now frowning at the container,��How do we
do that?�
-�That way they won�t all end up the dog�s dinner -� Cutler laughed pathetically as
he realized what he�d just said.He stopped his laughter quickly as he noticed
Mitchell�s obviously unenthusiastic expression.
-�I�m done, you can go if you want, or stay and� hang out, or whatever.�He sniffed,
hunching over and quite frankly disappointed in his bad joke and Mitchell�s lack of
interest in not only his humor, but in him. His expression became a little more
solemn, �� th-thanks, though. For - y�know��
-Cutler shrugged a little, he hadn�t thought as far as Mitchell showing interest in
spending time with him. He mused over it, and checked the watch on his wrist before
turning his coat�s collar up against the wind, �Is it too early to go for a drink?�
-�There�s a bar not far from here, we could go check it out?�Cutler felt as if they
were flirting, and their romance would soon blossom into a �will they, won�t they�
filled with hedging and awkward moments. He shuddered at the thought of the subtle
touching.It was starting to rain, and by now he didn�t care where they went or what
they did, he just wanted to be somewhere with central heating and a roof.
-�That sounds reasonable,� he uttered and climbed into the car grateful to escape
the downpour. He tutted, peering out the window as it pissed it down�Wales, eh?
It�s like living in a wet room.�
-�Perfect weather for ducks.� He remarked, still watching out the window as they
drove. He was distracted by something that had caught his eye���Hm?� Cutler snapped
back to reality and looked back out the glass of the windscreen. �Oh! Take a left
here.��He was sure he�d seen something in the bushes move�
-Whilst concerned, Cutler just shrugged as if it were nothing �Saw something move.
In the bushes. I didn�t get a great look but it didn�t strike me as an animal, or
human.���I doubt it�s anything important.� He was lying. And he really wanted to
investigate.
-Cutler brushed the comment off, having not thought it was a wolf in the first
place, �It�s the middle of the day�� - Although thinking about it, what time was
it? And it was overcast� - �I� I doubt it�s a wolf.� He said, but he didn�t sound
so sure.�The full moon�s not for another week or so.� He tried not to sound
panicked, but he was admittedly just a little bit worried. If it wasn�t a wolf,
what was it? And if it was, how the hell was it there�?
-He nodded once in response, and kept his eyes on the road. He smiled a
little.��Can we?� The question came past his lips like it was said by a small,
curious boy. Cutler looked really excited.
-�Hate to have to remind you but �m already dead.� He said with a raised
brow.��You� coming with?� Cutler said nonchalantly, adding a �please� silently. He
didn�t want to go alone.
-�You�re older than I am.� He pointed out, but it didn�t have much depth or point
to it. Cutler reluctantly obliged and started to lead the way into the bushes,
squinting past the leaves.�Have you got a torch?�
-�Er, a not-human-not-animal-thing� Cutler said, being vague as he let his eyes do
the same as Mitchell�s. �That�s probably not a dog.� He added as an after-thought.
He almost tripped, and scrambled to keep upright, cursing as he stubbed his toe on
a tree root. �Ow! Fuck! Jesus Chri-� and with that he fell over another root and
ended up with his fangs sunk into the damp soil.
-The rain and the soil had fused together to cover the knees of his suit trousers,
and completely ruin his shoes.
�By that do you mean werewolf -?� Cutler asked, brushing himself off and spitting
out the soil. �Oh for -� he sighed as he noticed his muddy knees �it�s all over me.
I�m all messy now.�
-��Sorry. Of course.� He quietened down, ignoring the mud on his clothes.
�Found anything?� he whispered, moving to stand next to Mitchell.
-�Is that a� No�� Cutler had some difficulty too as he peered in the same direction
as Mitchell. He was so focused on making out a shape that he jumped and nearly left
the floor as he heard a rustling behind him.
He let out a quiet, pathetic, and scared squeak. ��Did you hear that?�
-�Something just touched my leg.�
He didn�t want to make it obvious; but he was a little freaked out.
-�Yeah� Probably nothing.� He nodded, starting to turn - The rustling happened
again, and then a growl deep within the bushes rumbled in their direction. Cutler�s
defenses flared up, his eyes turning dark.
��That sounded like a wolf to me.�
-�It can�t be�� Cutler was muttering. But what else could it be? All the signs led
toward �werewolf�. �How far�s the car from here?� He whispered, getting ready to
move quickly if he needed to.
The most disconcerting thing was just how little they could actually see. Even if
the car wasn�t a great distance away from them, there was every chance of them
running in the wrong direction.
-�Right, right. Don�t panic. Just answer me this�� Cutler started, a shiver running
up his spine out of fear and due to the cold. He heard pacing start and gulped as
he heard a snarl and the famous wolf�s howl.
��are we going to die?�
-Cutler found himself laying on top of Mitchell, his elbows in the mud. They kept
mum, listening out for the wolf as they clung to one another there on the muddy
ground, consumed by darkness. Orphan makers, indeed. And terrified of werewolves.
The wolf�s sounds seemed to quieten as if it were getting further and further away.
He gulped, trying to swallow the lump in his throat; breathing heavy as he kept
listening closely, opening his mouth to whisper, �You alright?�
-�Cheers.� He muttered - if a little sarcastically - wiping the mud from his hands
onto his trousers and squinting into the darkness.
�Yup. Question is� which way?�
-�Straight ahead? Gotcha.� He started to move forward but, terrified, he reached
back to take Mitchell�s hand in the darkness, �- just - shut up. It�s so we don�t
lose each other.� His hands were muddy and slippery because of the rain, but it was
this or nothing.
Cutler felt the other vampire was reluctant, but hoped he would warm to the idea if
it lead to them getting out of here safely. After all, they never had to talk about
it again. He had led them into this, and so the younger vampire realized it was his
duty to lead them out - and away from his stupid mistake.
-�To the car, I hope.� Cutler thought he could see headlights through the rainfall
and trees. He listened out for the werewolf as they walked, hearing scratching and
snarls to their left, and he made the decision to lead them towards the right of
the bushes.
��I think this is the right way.� he whispered, squeezing Mitchell�s hand with his
for encouragement and reassurance.
-�See. I�m not just a pretty face.� said Cutler a little smugly, but only once they
were safe in the car. �Let�s go back to my office. I�ve got some clean clothes you
can borrow so your housemates don�t ask questions.�
�It�s not far from here� He sniffed, looking down at his drenched and mud-ridden
suit, �few miles away.�
-�Take a left here�� He sensed Mitchell was on edge, directing him toward his
office as they drove. Cutler realized what the problem was, sitting up a little in
defense after hearing Mitchell�s tone. �I�ll have your car cleaned for you, too.
Don�t worry.�
He sighed, and an awkward silence fell around them before he reluctantly
apologized, ��I�m sorry about us nearly getting killed. Next time we�ll just go
straight to the pub.�
-He knew Mitchell was lying, but went with it. Once they got there, Cutler reached
into his pocket for the key to his office and unlocked it. He led Mitchell in,
said, �Have a seat.� then �I won�t be a moment,� and disappeared into a side room.
He came back a few moments later holding two towels, a packet of wet wipes and two
sets of clean clothes. �Here. I�ll step outside whilst you change.�
-Cutler knocked on the door of his own office. He was now dressed in clean jeans
and a purple shirt, as clean as he could be for now. Some mud had dried in the
small, knotted curls at the back of his hair. He waited for the response from
Mitchell, not sure whether or not he was decent.
�All done?� He called through the pine door frame; leaning against the wall and
beginning to mull over the evening�s events. His head fell into his hands, and he
used his palms to rub at his eyes - Cutler felt frustrated, and so stupid. He had
essentially led them into their death. He groaned, rubbing at his eyes and let out
a sigh, muttering quietly to himself about how he was an idiot.
-Cutler�s response initially came out like he was throwing it up; forced; all the
words tied together; tongue-tied. He swallowed, nervously, and tried again.
�The best explanation I have� is, er� we - sorry - I mis-calculated the full moon.�
He looked guilty, a little like a puppy being scolded as he tried to explain and
apologize to Mitchell. �the more complicated explanation being that we faced a
whole other type of werewolf in there.�
�Whatever it was�� his hand lifted to his nose and he pinched at the bridge of it
before letting out a sigh, trying to keep calm. �We�re alive (ish). I�m sorry. I�m
really truly sorry. We should have just left it. My adventurous instincts got to
me.�
-�Today wasn�t part of the plan!� he looked desperate, and tiny where he stood �Do
you think I planned to almost get killed?!� his eyes were big, and he almost looked
like he were pleading with the other vampire. Cutler groaned with frustration as he
hadn�t meant to snap. He just felt like nothing he�d said was good enough.
�If the wolf we found today somehow tricked his transformation cycle then there�s
nothing wrong with the old plan. We really need to do more research before anything
else happens�� but of course he had no real choice here, he was desperate. He
needed Mitchell�s help because nobody else had ever gone this far.
��what if we used a public place?�
-�Somewhere like a night club, or a shopping centre. We trap a werewolf in there on
a full moon, let them loose. It will be a pandemic. People will have their phones,
too and most probably record it - we�ll go viral! A little while in we open up the
doors to let some people out� don�t want them all to die.� It sounded ridiculous,
and he knew it.
But he was desperate.
�Or we wait� and we look into this other thing a bit more. The old plan�s less
risky.� By now, Cutler had composed himself a little. Despite not needing to
breathe his breath had been shallow and he had almost been forcing himself to
hyperventilate with slight panic. He pushed out a deep exhale, and ran his hands
across his brow, scratching at his eyebrows with nervous anticipation as he waited
for Mitchell�s response.
-�Yes. Of course. I�ll� I�ll look into it. No problem. I wouldn�t put you into that
sort of position again.� He looked like he�d been dragged through a hedge
backwards, but Cutler was reassured by Mitchell�s response.
Whilst much calmer by then, he was hesitant to ask ��Can I make it up to you? How
about that drink?�
-�Werewolf free. Got it.� He nodded, a little too eagerly and gestured at the door.
�Shall we?�
-�Shit, yeah�� his eyes flicked down at the too-short trousers on Mitchell�s legs,
and Cutler found himself trying not to laugh �We can�t exactly go out like this.
Don�t want to scare the locals into thinking a couple of lunatics live in the
area.�
��Tomorrow?�
-[skip time]
-(((((Mitchell had hurriedly left Cutler�s office with a bitter thanks as he�d let
the door slam in the lawyer�s face. Now, after a night�s rest that he didn�t really
need, he felt much calmer and a little less against the idea of meeting Cutler
again. That just didn�t mean he�d forgiven the other vampire.

He stepped out of the house a little after seven, making some excuse to George
about where he was going and lying entirely about who he was meeting. Somehow he
doubted the werewolf would appreciate knowing what Mitchell had planned with
Cutler. Even though the only good thing that had come out of the plan so far had
been the man that Cutler had sent around that afternoon; his car was now cleaner
than it had been in decades.)))
-Cutler was waiting a way down the hill, he didn�t like to draw attention to the
places he visited and appreciated Mitchell�s want for his friends to know as little
as possible. He looked up at the sky, thankful for the lack of rain on this
occasion even if it was a little overcast. After all, he had learned not to expect
much else from living in Wales.
His wrist lifted so he could check his watch and he licked his lips nervously as he
waited. Cutler was anxious after yesterday, and a little on edge as he stood there
jumpy and jittery. He had spent most of the night researching. All-nighters had
become all too familiar to him by then, especially in his line of work.
-�There�s a caf� just round the corner, we�re going there.� Cutler half-yawned, a
force of habit.
�Nope. I was up all night doing this -� And with that he thrust papers into
Mitchell�s hands that showed all the information somebody could possibly want to
know about a) werewolves b) types of werewolves and c) what they had encountered
last night. He chose not to be smug in the slightest, even if he might have been
right about what had happened the night before. �I said I wouldn�t let you down
again, didn�t I? Hopefully this will make things a little easier to understand for
the both of us.�
-�These are just theories, had to trawl through a lot of those strange websites,
and watch quite a few videos before I got more of a proper grip on what we dealt
with yesterday.� As they got closer to the caf�, Cutler was so desperate for coffee
he had to make his eyes extra wide just to keep them from closing. �Some of them
turn into other weird things, not just wolves. There was something about bears in
there.�
He led the way through the door, swinging it open and wincing at the small bell
above the door�s chime. His hearing was ever more sensitive after his late night,
and the usually pleasant tinkling sounded horrific. ��I also like to think they�re
not as intelligent as us, but it�s more than possible they know some things even we
don�t.�
-Cutler took a seat opposite Mitchell, taking a moment to look around at all the
people sat nearby - the caf� was far from busy but a few tables had been claimed -
all eyes had fallen on the vampires as they had entered, much to his annoyance. The
day�s busy schedule had been almost too much and his response was blunt as he felt
himself begin to fight the urge� �They like to think they�re better than us. Thing
is, don�t half of them out there have no idea about any of this? Most of them don�t
understand their condition.� His attention diverted, and he glared over at a bloke
in the corner who had caught his eye, and wouldn�t stop staring at them.
Cutler slumped across the table, hands slipping into his hair as his attention went
back to Mitchell, �From the way it reacted to us, I�d say a forced transformation.�
He unhooked the menu from its stand and started flick through it, blinking heavily
to get his eyes to focus on the words.
-�Good point -� Cutler nodded in agreement, �Or it forces the transformation
without knowing - blackouts, waking up in the middle of a forest, no clothes -
sounds like a regular night out in Barry, doesn�t it? Nobody would ever question
it. Some might even put it down to a sleeping condition,� He swallowed, glancing
over at the man in the corner who was still staring at them. He kept speaking
quietly, just in case anyone had dared to listen in.
�I don�t assume those who can force a transformation are in sync with the lunar
cycle, so it�s very possible they�re not as in tune with it as they�d like to be.�
His eyes had stayed fixed on the man, his gaze unbroken until Cutler noticed him
scramble up out of his seat, collect his things and leave. A slight frown fixed on
Cutler�s mouth as he looked back at Mitchell, the bell on the door tinkling as the
man took his anxious exit.
-�I might have licked my lips by accident.� He was joking, of course. Cutler kept
nonchalant, his eyes scanning the menu again until he heard Mitchell�s suggestion.
He wondered why he hadn�t thought of it, and how he had missed a bright idea.
Cutler let it go this time, mentally awarding Mitchell another point for creativity
and cleverness on his part. His eyes flicked up from the menu quickly,
��The hospital? Can you get us in there?�
The image was hilarious because of just how ridiculous it all seemed; two men that
looked worse for wear with their dark eyes, and their chatter in a hushed tone. Up
to something. An undead, male, less-cool version of Thelma and Louise.
-�Of course you do. I�m not sure how I forgot.�
Cutler started to get up from his seat, �I�m getting myself a coffee, do you want
anything?� he asked, slipping his hand into the inside pocket of his jacket to grab
at his wallet.
He felt the eyes on him as he stood up, and felt their pulses surround him.
Cutler�s senses were heightened, and he tensed up, pinching at the bridge of his
nose with his free hand to try and refocus his thoughts. Coffee. That�s what he
wanted. That�s what he kept telling himself Even if he did want to tear apart
every human in the room, he felt it a shame. After all, this was a really nice
caf�.
Thankfully, to anyone other than Mitchell he�d look like he was suffering from a
headache.
-He gave a quick nod and crossed to the counter, his hand falling onto the bell.
Ding. He waited, making sure he didn�t look around once. Nobody came. His brow
creased and he pressed it again. Ding. Ding. Nothing again. Cutler thought it
curious, and he turned to look around at the others in the room with them. Most of
the tables had cleared by now, all apart from one about four tables away from where
Mitchell and Cutler were seated - a blonde, her nose in a book, a now cold cup of
tea on the table in front of her.
He looked back past the counter, squinting through the doorway of the kitchen andit
was then that he noticed� The unmistakable metallic smell traveled past his flared
nostrils, and he recognized the signs from the times he�d killed before. Whoever
had been working the graveyard shift that night had met an unfortunate end; coming
closer to a graveyard than Cutler imagined they had originally intended as he
realized their dead body lay in the kitchen. How on Earth hadn�t they noticed
before then?! He couldn�t help but wonder how long it had been there, unnoticed.
Fairly composed, he crossed back to the table; his eyes flicking back and forth to
check the blonde�s nose was still in her book. He slipped into the seat next to the
other vampire, talking very slowly and quietly, careful of what he said.
�Can you smell what�s in the kitchen?�
-�Shit. That�s disgusting.� The sight and smell was overwhelming, and Cutler felt
the urge to vomit; the body was completely mutilated and the face had been torn
off. �This - this isn�t the work of vampires, is it? We�re tidier.�
A wave of fear fell over him, noticing scratches on the torso of the body. ��and
less you know - scratchy. Fuck. I hate to say it, but I think that wolf�s following
us.� Now wasn�t the time to panic, or completely reschedule their plans, or run
away. No matter how badly they wanted to. They couldn�t just leave it here,
especially if they�d been seen in the kitchen, and looking shifty previously.
�We�ve got to get that girl out of here and then phone the morgue or something, we
can�t just leave it here. I�ll� er, put on one of these aprons -� Cutler said,
starting to hurriedly remove his jacket and roll up his sleeves, �and pretend I
work here, give her a complimentary cuppa to go and� tell her we�re sorry but we�re
closing early.�
�Stay here.� He instructed, throwing the apron over his head and heading out to the
serving area to fix a cup of tea for the girl.
-���scuse me, love.� He said, crossing the caf�. �We�ve got to shut up early, we�ve
a delivery coming in tonight, I�m sorry� This is for y - �
The girl put down her book, and looked up at Cutler. That was when he realized. He
noticed the red and white striped apron over her clothes and the long, blonde hair
that fell past her shoulders. He dropped the cup filled with tea in shock and it
splashed over his shoes and the hem of his trousers; the resemblance was hard to
miss. The ghost of the woman who lay dead in the kitchen was sat on the table in
front of him.
�Mitchell! We�ve got a problem!�
-Cutler was completely dumbfounded; almost speechless.
��We� we� I don�t know!�
Trying to find something to take his mind away from the situation, he moved to
switch the sign on the door to closed, and hit his head against the door, thudding
against it a few times. �I really don�t know. Plan A�s gone out the window. Do you
reckon she knows?� They continued talking as if the woman wasn�t there, and like
she couldn�t hear all of their conversation. She sat watching them, lifting an
eyebrow curiously as they spoke; waiting for them to stop arguing back and forth.
-�I can bloody well hear you, you know!� The girl tried to pipe up, clearly a local
from her thick accent. Her words caused Cutler to jump and look as if he might
suddenly have a panic attack any moment. His voice was getting squeaky, high-
pitched and anxious and he kept trying to speak, and failing soon after these
attempts.
�No. You - Shh! I�m thinking!� He flapped his arms at the girl, holding a finger up
to his lips. �Shush. Just. Just shh.� Keeping his words as short as possible, he
worried at his lip trying to ignore the situation; the girl; and the stench from
the kitchen which was steadily becoming overpowering. Amongst the panic and
blunder, the urge to kill somebody was getting almost unbearable.
He looked a little helpless as he looked at Mitchell, �Is there any way we could
just - ?� he tried, and gestured to the door by flicking his head in that
direction.
-The blonde thought about it, and decided finally to respond, �Well, you see� I was
just cleaning up after my shift, and I saw some sort of� giant shadow -� she
frowned, trying to remember the details, �it�s a bit fuzzy you see, but I turned to
see what it was and got struck down. I don�t remember much after that, it sort of
hit me so hard that I blacked out a bit. Back of me head.�
She paused and looked up at the two vampires �I remember it proper stung, too. Next
thing I know, I�m sittin� here with me book and nobody seems to notice me.�
��except us.� Cutler chimed in after finally calming down enough to speak properly.
�You�re a ghost. So that means you�ve got some sort of unfinished business before
you can �pass over�. We can see you because we�re� Uh, psychics.� He lied - trying
to reassure her; he forced a toothless smile, barely parting his lips.
-�A little while, yeah. I�ve got through quite a few chapters.� The ghost shrugged
her shoulders, �Haven�t really noticed how long it�s been.�
Cutler�s smile was as equally in-genuine, as he moved in on the seat next to
Mitchell. He fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers, glancing out the window to
distract his mind. �It�s gonna rain.� he sniffed, keeping up the psychic persona;
his gaze not moving from the darkness past the glass. �I can sense it.�
He cleared his throat, turning to glance between them. �Anyway, it makes me wonder
how come nobody�s noticed until now� Maybe fate brought us here?� Bullshit, of
course. But he�d added the jumble about �fate� to make their act more convincing.
-Surprisingly enough, she believed it and went along with it. �Not surprised, to be
honest. It�s been overcast and miserable all day.� The ghost looked up at Mitchell
and shook her head in response to his question, �Nah. There�s a flat overhead, I�ve
got shifts for a few days. We all work in patterns and stay there when we�re done.
Next shift change is� tomorrow, I thinks.�+
Cutler jumped as thunder rumbled outside. His jolt knocked over pepper shaker he�d
been holding. �Shit. I didn�t sense that coming.�
The ghost looked confused, and Cutler added, �- the thunder, not the shift thing.
Though that is weird. New business schemes, I gather.�
-�Why not? Just a bit of rain.� Cutler was already standing, reaching to get his
coat ready for the weather outside. He felt Mitchell�s cold stare burn through him,
and knew they really should stay but this really wasn�t their problem. He sighed as
his arms slipped past the silky interior of the sleeves, �Mitchell, can I have a
word? Maybe in the kitchen?�
��See if we can, er, sense anything that might help our friend pass over?�
Come on. He was thinking. He wanted to leave as soon as he could; they were far too
involved by now.
-�Of course it�s not in here. We�re not actually psychic� but we are leaving as
soon as possible. By any means. She�s lovely, someone will find her tomorrow.
That�s cool. That�s fine. She�s not our problem and jesus -� He�d caught sight of
the corpse again, noticing her blue eye dangling from its socket. ��We need to get
out of here. Before the Subway I had for lunch makes an appearance.�
Cutler wasn�t the most terrifying of vampires. The very idea of killing unless he
had to made him feel sick, and even now he fought against the instincts that came
with the curse.
He looked Mitchell directly in the eye, �What do we do?�
-�Exactly. Someone else�s problem,� Cutler frowned with the realization, �If we
just go, isn�t there every chance of her following us? We need to take her with us.
Can�t just leave her to haunt this caf� forever more. You take her home tonight,
say you�ve� I don�t know, pulled. And� we�ll leave the body.�
He was nodding, trying to convince himself at least some part of this was a good
idea. He waited for a sign of approval from Mitchell, before leading the way back
out past the counter to talk to their new acquired friendly ghost. What he was
faced with next was more than unexpected�
��Fuck me.�
-(skip)
-They had waited for the rain to ease before leaving the caf� and heading back up
the hill to the Bed & Breakfast. As they walked, Cutler couldn�t help but think
about the blonde and how her passing had struck him. He hadn�t really seen it
before, and it shocked him more than he�d expected it to. As he hunched against the
wind, he wondered if a similar fate ever waited for him. If he had a door.
�What do you reckon lays beyond? Y�know� the after-life and such.� The question
slipped past his lips, his childlike curiosity taking control. He felt stupid for
asking, but once he realized he had said it, it was too late.
-Cutler was unimpressed, but still interested as he listened to Mitchell�s answer,
�You say that like you�ve been there.�
He hoped when his time came, one of the doors in his afterlife would be opened and
he would see his wife standing there behind it. He often imagined her
disappointment and just how unbearable it would be. In a way, he knew in the
greater beyond she would either forgive him, or be his own personal hell. His faith
had faded long ago, and so knowing a greater being didn�t lay beyond was quite
frankly a relief. He had abandoned any religious beliefs he once had.
�This isn�t the kind of place I�d imagine you�d live in, if I�m honest.� He
commented as he stepped inside the house without setting on fire this time,
beginning to look around.
-�A drink would be lovely,� Cutler remembered a time when he wanted similar decor
in his house all those years ago. It was cool back then, and he still thought it
cool even now. Out of embarrassment, he hid how impressed he was behind a small,
approving smile. �Have you any biscuits?�
He sat himself down on a bar stool, �Lovely set up, really. I wanted a place like
this once. W-we wanted our own business�� Cutler�s words drifted off sadly with the
realization of what he�d said. He cleared his throat, and decided to change the
subject all together.
�Are we home alone, then?�
-�Thanks,� he muttered, taking the glass in his hand and raising it to his mouth to
drink from it. �Not quite O positive, but it�ll do.� Cutler joked.
��It probably sounds stupid, but yeah.� It pained him to say it, but he had opened
up too far to stop now. After all, the pair had almost shared the fate of a
werewolf attack. A little more sharing wouldn�t be too bad, would it? He made a
mental note not to get too personal, but decided to retell the memory.
�My� w-wife and I. Wanted a family business. We didn�t quite care what it was, but
we found a little place and bought it. We saved for months to get that little
place, it was gonna be proper nice, too. We were going to make it ours. It could�ve
been anything. I even wondered about getting some ridiculous wallpaper, jazz up the
place a bit and make it, you know, �quirky�. The papers were in my office waiting
to be signed when�� he winced a little, �L-let�s just say we woke up from the
dream.�
-Mitchell was right, and Cutler regretted opening the door when he had. There
wasn�t an easy way to pull it closed again now. He swallowed his misery and saw the
memories in the form of flashbacks pass his eyes. The blank stare in his wife�s
eyes on that table� He watched as the other vampire moved to sit next to him and
shifted in his seat, a little uneasy.
Cutler finished the rest of his drink quickly, feeling the sting in his throat.
�No, no. She was murdered.�
-�Yeah. Um. They�d hooked her up to this� this machine. With tubes pumping out her
blood into containers like some sick experiment.� Cutler�s voice quavered somewhat
as he told the story like something he�d read in the paper, or watched on the TV.
He avoided Mitchell�s gaze, focusing on something in the distance as he stayed
silent for a moment; the memory tearing him apart once more. Any blood he had in
him from the last time he�d fed had drained from his face, making his cheeks white.

��They decided to show me this after letting me drink her blood.�

-Cutler felt himself crumbling, reaching out for the glass with slightly trembling
fingers. He smiled sadly in return to Mitchell�s attempt at a sympathetic smile and
nodded his head. �Yeah.�
�To Rachel,� he said, lifting his glass solemnly and proceeding to down the liquid
inside it in one go. ��even if toasting to her doesn�t bring me forgiveness.�
-Cutler�s back straightened and he frowned, �No, of course not!�
He was hurt that Mitchell had even questioned it. Cutler had been helpless; a
desperate newborn vampire; a slave to the curse. In the first few months he drank
any blood he could get.
�They said I�d be able to tell�� he realized how naive he sounded as he said it,
but kept going, ��I�d know it was hers. That�s stupid, isn�t it? Completely
impossible, right?�
-He felt a little reassured by Mitchell�s response despite the tone and started to
relax more.
�To take away the tiny part of humanity I had left. They wanted me to do it at
first, but I couldn�t. How could I kill my wife?� Cutler realized he was getting
emotional; a fate that couldn�t have been avoided by now. He knew there was a
reason why he rarely brought up his wife�s death. �They wanted me to have nothing
left, so I had no choice but join them and do what they wanted.�
-�Mmm,� Cutler nodded and eagerly downed the third drink Mitchell had handed to
him, getting used to the feel of it in his throat by now. He hadn�t checked the
bottle but whatever he�d been given was strong, and he peeked over the bar subtly
to see what else they had in. �Did all this come with the house or is this to your
taste?�
Drinks said a lot about a person, and they said even more about a vampire.
Especially a dry one.
-�No, no. I�m fine with this. Cheers. I just shouldn�t have much more�� He trailed
off, eyes darting about the room. �I was concerned you�d picked out that
wallpaper.� Cutler laughed, standing up to observe it closer. He pulled his phone
from his pocket to snap a picture of the decor to show an office friend when they
met next.
He looked up at Mitchell with a curious look on his face, �George and� Nina? Is she
anything supernatural? I dunno, a witch, maybe? It would just seem bizarre if you
had a human staying here considering everything.�
-�A couple actually.� He said, eyes lingering across the room. �Very nice.
Completely batshit crazy.� He quickly nosed through the doors of the kitchen,
waving a hand about as he spoke. �That�s funny�� he remarked as he turned to peer
at Mitchell with a curious smile. �You live with two werewolves?�
-�Curiouser and curiouser.� Cutler�s smile had got a little too wide. He closed his
mouth and pulled a face, lifting a brow, �Hm. Each to their own.�
�You�re badder than I thought, Big Bad John.� His tone mocked slightly; even if he
was still impressed. He�d been shocked more than anything to learn how close the
other vampire seemed to be with the species. Cutler had heard so many stories back
in the old days which made this hard to grasp at first.
�You�re not going to sell them out, I assume. You�d have done that already if that
were your plan. It just strikes me as odd that you�re helping me capture a
werewolf, and yet you live with two of them� Like a happy little family; playing
Human. Which is just such a strange concept if you ask me - you didn�t exactly
strike me as a dog lover.�
-Cutler felt it best to stay stood where he was; feeling as if he wasn�t welcome to
sit back at the bar with Mitchell after noticing his jaw clench and his expression
change. �Good point. All the same, it�s curious.�
�And no, of course, I wouldn�t understand. Stupid me. Stupid Cutler. A vampire and
a werewolf? It�s like fucking � Romeo and Juliet. Sworn enemies from the start.
It�s unheard of!� You could almost see the sarcasm over-spilling and dripping on
the floor as it coated his words, �It probably won�t end well. But you know that, I
can tell.� He was bitter, and eager to leave or get back to their business plans.
Mitchell�s friendliness with the species made him admittedly nervous and he felt
out of control; an experience that made him agitated and flighty.
�You�re jumpy around dogs.�
-Years ago, Cutler would have felt nothing but fear when faced with a threat such
as somebody�s wrath. Especially another vampire. He would do anything to keep them
from killing him back then and now it was normal everyday stuff for him to piss
somebody off; and he was far from surprised that it had happened again in this
situation. He stayed surprisingly calm, his eyes looking Mitchell up and down as he
noticed the thought of an attack glaze the other vampire�s eyes. He even dared to
arch his eyebrow, and let a small smirk fall on his lips. �There�s nothing to keep
to myself��
Straightening up, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and made sure
to keep his eyes level with Mitchell�s.
�I don�t have a problem.�
-Cutler rubbed his face in the moments where Mitchell�s back was turned; reassuring
himself that he was okay by running his fingers across his slightly stubbly, but
thankfully unbruised cheek.
He lowered his hands, furrowing his brow and frowning. �What�?�
The moment had been so tense before that Cutler had briefly forgotten the events
previous. As reality came back to him and became more calm, less manic he realized
what the other vampire was referring to. �At the caf�?�
-�I saw a dead body today.� The words slipped out of Cutler�s mouth like a boy
returning from his first trip to the zoo; or in this case - a morgue.
�What do you reckon her unfinished business was in the end?�
-�It�s possible that either�s the right answer. I don�t know, Mitchell.� He threw
his hands in the air, and shrugged his shoulders. �I really don�t know.�
�All that I know is she was definitely killed by an animal. It�s not full moon yet,
so whatever it was isn�t the type of werewolf we�re used to. Or possibly a serial
killer - thankfully we�ve got experience in that field.� Cutler had crossed the
room to peer past the curtains and out of the window. �The others aren�t scheduled
back tonight, are they?�
-�That�s good. That means no questions and no interruptions.� He smiled at
Mitchell, rubbing his hands together with a scheme in the works, �We need to make a
plan.�
Cutler�s eyes flicked back to glance at the sky outside, his fingers falling from
an outstretched peak to interlock one another. He tapped on his right thumb with
his left briefly, the motion mimicking the rapid change of thoughts running through
his head as he kept an eye on the moon. His index fingers outstretched and he
tapped the point formed by the tips against his mouth.
�Hmm�� As the thoughts ceased, his hands dropped and one fell to rub at his chin
with anxiety. As always, it was risky and unavoidable. ��Then we can find out a
little more about our shape-shifting werewolf.�
-�I don�t. No.� He looked up, dropping the curtain from his grasp. �Hospital?�
Cutler started to smile; he wondered how he had forgotten the idea. The only
problem would be how he got in. There was the possibility of feigning injury but
that meant others getting involved. Of course he could pull the lawyer card, or
just sneak in�
�That�s perfect. Are you working tonight?�
-Ugh. Great.
�They�re clean, I hope.� Cutler knew that clean or not they would still stink to
high heaven of dog. Still, stinking or not, it would grant him the access needed.
If he wasn�t so eager to get on with it, he would�ve spent the night moaning about
having to borrow something from a werewolf.
Instead, he kept quiet. For once.
-Cutler knew Mitchell had been expecting a complaint and enjoyed the surprise so
much, he decided to keep it going� even if �Fine� wasn�t the answer he�d been
hoping for when he�d asked about the scrubs.
�Of course, no problem.� He said as he followed Mitchell quickly up the stairs.
�Have we got time for a quick tour?�
-�Pencil me in for another day then. I�m still interested.�
Cutler waited by the door frame of the bedroom, peeking in but choosing to stay in
the hallway as long as possible. He caught the scrubs as they were carelessly
thrust at him, and held them against his chest. He would have blushed if he could.
��A little privacy would be nice.�
-Times like this, Cutler was grateful to lack a reflection. He felt like an idiot
as he followed Mitchell down the hallways of the Hospital with his head down;
trying not to be noticed, or breathe in the wolf scent hanging to his clothing.
His hands were thrust carelessly into the pockets of the scrub trousers, �I think I
came here once, broke my thumb. Some kids were messing around and tripped me, I
fell at a funny angle and yeah. It�s changed a bit.�
�Of course it�s been about� Oh, 70 or so years since then.�
-Cutler straightened up, �Sure.�
He put on a persona of knowing where he was going even if that was far from the
truth. He stopped looking like he was following Mitchell, and went to one of the
(conveniently unoccupied) reception desks of a ward where he picked up a set of
paperwork and patient files to carry in his arms as an accessory to his act. He
opened the file, glancing down at the page.
�Better?� He asked, jogging a bit to keep up with the other vampire who had kept
walking when Cutler had disappeared, �I�ve got a patient with worms.�
-�Someone with a pretty heavy sleeping and/or sleep walking condition, blackouts,
waking up in the middle of nowhere�� Cutler thought about it as he followed
Mitchell into the office after dropping the patient files in his arms onto a
wheelchair abandoned in the corridor so it wouldn�t float into the office on the
CCTV cameras.
��Possibly prone to nosebleeds, I guess.�
-�Yeah, or so it says. They�ll wake up with blood on their faces, usually.�
�It�s mainly going to be an excuse. Of course it�s because they�re a werewolf, not
because of the nosebleeds.� Cutler noticed a file on the desk and sat at it,
flicking open the folder. He raised an eyebrow, smirked and glanced over at
Mitchell�s frantic search. ��Try the filing cabinet to the left. They�re sorted by
disorder. Says it here.�
-Cutler did as he was instructed and picked up the files from the wheelchair just
after. �Did you get everything we need?� he asked, following Mitchell down the
corridor.
�I�m going to pop into the prison tomorrow, see if there�s anything dodgy. Maybe we
can make a list of the possible werewolves in the area?� he queried, careful to
keep his voice down to stop anybody overhearing; although the corridors were pretty
empty, or filled with sleeping patients.
-He decided not to ask who exactly Herrick was, though he had a faint idea of what
he was considering the old police uniforms in his possession, and the term �stash�.
��If you fancy tagging along?� Cutler shrugged, reaching to help gather the files
together out of the cart. There was no real need for Mitchell to tag along but he
wouldn�t say no to the company. �I�ll have no problem getting in there considering
my job but it�s up to you. Feel free if you�re up for a game of dress up.�
He kept his eye on the corridor they had just passed through, listening to the
occasional sound of sirens as they came and went. The sound jogged his memory, and
he looked back at Mitchell. �Do you reckon our bookworm�s been found yet?�
-In complete honesty in that moment, Cutler wanted to be in his bed but he couldn�t
resist asking �How far away is the morgue?�
The night was going to be a long one anyway and it saved making another trip to
poke their noses into business that wasn�t their�s. Whilst they were there, they
might as well. Or at least that�s what Cutler was telling himself as he tried to
convince himself that visiting the morgue was a good idea.
Truthfully, he was curious. Even if he might have to sneak a drink from the blood
stock soon.
-Cutler kept the files in his hands, holding them close to his chest. He continued
to check that the corridors were clear as they were hurriedly walking through them.
Amongst the bleach and antiseptic that the floors and halls stank of; the smell of
dull and musty blood wafted through the air as they approached the morgue.
Cutler�s nostrils flared, and he inhaled through his nose,
�If she is, I hope she�s been cleaned up a bit.�
-�That�s an ironic choice of words, Mitchell.� Cutler smirked with a laugh that was
short-lived. The smell of the mortuary was near too much for him, and his eyes
watered as they walked through the green double doors. If anything, the smell of
blood would have been so much more palatable than the smell of bleach that hung in
the air around them. Thankfully, no corpses lay on the empty examination tables,
and the space was cold, dark and silent.
He searched in the dark for a light switch so they could search better for some
sort of document to tell them where the recent corpses were stored.
-�Probably. But it�s weird, isn�t it? How did nobody notice� the customers for
example; they all had food and drinks with them. They were still being served.
Somebody would�ve noticed, surely?�
He hopped onto one of the examination tables to sit there as he spoke, �It�s just
the most bizarre of things.� he looked around the room, squinting in the light and
wondering just why it needed to be so bright. After all, the majority of the people
in this room day to day were dead.
�Is there some sort of storage for corpses with unexplained circumstances, I
wonder�� Cutler jumped down, his feet hitting the floor with a light smack before
going to look for any other doors or storage areas.
-Cutler was already on his way through a door he�d found, lifting sheets and
allowing his eyes to adjust to the light. It was horrific to see the various types
of death that surrounded him and how battered all the bodies looked. He moved past
a burns victim to have a corpse in the corner catch his eye. �How did that happen?�
He muttered to himself, moving over to get a closer look.
�This isn�t her,� he told Mitchell, �but one of us is responsible for this one.
Look.�
His hand moved to gesture near the neck and the familiar gashes around the throat
that he had made a few times as a rookie mistake. �Whoever did this, they�re
clever. This could easily pass as an accident involving a balcony, or some stairs.
The neck�s been snapped.�
-Cutler watched as Mitchell looked closer at the body. As he looked over the tears
of skin and exposed dead flesh near the victim�s throat. He knew exactly what the
other vampire was thinking from where he�d chosen to look. Mitchell was right. The
messy tactics were a sign of a vampire not-long-recruited � but there was something
that stopped it from being just a messy, clumsy death caused by the hunger that
plagued new recruits.
�They did have help,� he sniffed, putting his hands into his pockets. Nonchalant,
as always. Perhaps he said it too casually to look like he hadn�t been involved�
�There�s a new group of vampires, the majority are newborns� they�re clever,
though, because they�re modern. They know exactly how to cover things up.�
Cutler kept quiet for a moment, bending down and expecting the corpse�s wounds once
more. Then he said, �I�d know. They came to me.�
�he hadn�t done the killing, at least�
-�Quit sulking, will you? I�d forgotten about it until now. Sorry.� He had added
the �sorry� for good measure. He didn�t need Mitchell to quit on him now, or for a
fight to start in the middle of a cool room in a morgue.
It was clear how jealous Mitchell was that he hadn�t been the one to share this
information, or be involved. It was hard for Cutler to be unaware of Mitchell�s
bitterness because he hadn�t been the one the young vampires came to, however there
were things that he hadn�t thought to, or wanted to share; they were partners but
that didn�t mean knowing one another�s secrets. He had business he preferred to
keep people out of. Cutler stood up straight, moved away from the body and found
himself frowning at Mitchell�s question,
�The vampires? Nobody important � or anyone to worry about. They just know a good
solicitor when they see one.�
-�They came to me because I learnt my tricks from an Old One�� he muttered, just
loud enough for Mitchell to hear it briefly.
�I was recruited to cover things up for vampires. It�s my job.� Cutler followed him
past the row of beds, still frowning. �She never asked ours, why would we ask hers?
I wasn�t going to sit and make small talk with a ghost. I wanted to get out of
there as soon as possible. I�m sure you felt the same.�
Chances were that the girl�s body hadn�t even been found yet. Nobody was expected
back at the caf� until the morning, just like she had explained to them. He knew
best bet would be checking up tomorrow night, or hoping a story would appear in the
papers.
-�Not the only reason. Look, I get your point about my recruitment not being due to
me being anything special; but I don�t see why that�s relevant. No need to be a
dick about it.� Cutler sulked slightly, heading out of the room and back into the
examination room, the lights flickering on as he made his way in.
�And you�re right.� He reached to pick up the files and folders from the desk he�d
put them down on earlier, �We�d better leave, corpses aren�t the best company
inside a morgue.� He concluded with a smirk, referencing how the pair of them were
essentially walking, talking corpses. The irony would have made him laugh if he
wasn�t so insulted by Mitchell�s words, or disappointed they hadn�t come across the
bookworm ghost�s body.
Unanswered questions made him horribly uneasy.
-�Well, the conversation�s probably not much better.� He was still a little upset,
hence the short tone he took with Mitchell.
Cutler being Hal�s puppet never did wonders for his self esteem. It tore him apart
that his existence was simply so he could cover up illegal gambling scandals, and
other times that vampires got themselves in trouble. Now he was left with a
condition he had never asked for that he tried to manage so he could live a fairly
normal life.
�Tomorrow sounds good to me. Although, I need to be in court until late��
-�This is hardly the time to get intimate, Mitchell.� It was then that he heard the
footsteps,
�� AH. Gotcha.�
Cutler dumped the files quickly and then flailed about a bit looking for somewhere
to hide himself. He noticed the cover not fully over Mitchell�s head and completed
the job before diving onto the table and covering himself.
Play dead. He thought, stifling a chuckle as he stopped breathing and the door to
the morgue swung open.
-Cutler saw the shadowed hand hover over the covering that lay over his body. He
kept his eyes wide and vacant, whilst silently judging the hand and trying to place
a face to it. As the sheet lifted, the hand came into focus, disappeared and then
returned. He felt the scrubs on his torso be lifted, and a hand warmer than his own
touch his lower stomach.
Hello. He thought as the hand caressed his bare skin.
Had he not been playing the part of a corpse, he would have sworn or lifted an
eyebrow at this moment. He heard a chink from the side of him and realized just
what was happening as the coroner lifted a scalpel to start a late night
examination. It took everything he had to not tense up.
Fuck. No thank you. Not today� I�m not interested.
-Cutler sat up and blinked at Mitchell who was now covered in the coroner�s blood.
He blinked in shock, looking from the vampire to the dead body on the floor, and
back. When they agreed to visit the morgue he didn�t think about adding to its
collection of bodies. This was just what they needed; yet another unexplained
death. However, all that barely mattered. Mitchell had saved him. Even after
everything.
He looked at the blood soaked scrubs that Mitchell wore, and he fought against the
urge to drink the coroner�s blood as it poured out across the sterilized floor. At
least If Cutler had fancied a bite; he wouldn�t have got food poisoning.
��Now who�s gonna write up the death report?�
-�Don�t panic. We�ve both done this before loads of times.� Cutler reminded the
older vampire, a little concerned by his response to the murder. Was Mitchell
panicked? Really? Then wasn�t the time to tease, or mock. �Just think about it
logically. If the coroner�s dead; nobody�s likely to walk in on us� So��
He thought about it for a moment, his sentence trailing off with his thoughts. So
many options traveled through his head, and he couldn�t focus on a single one
because of how strong the metallic smell had got. It made his focus fuzzy and all
he wanted to do was feed. If he did though, any decision made afterwards was likely
to be irrational, rushed and not thought through. Cutler strained to keep his
focus, his eyes fixed on the body that lay between them.
�We could drink the blood, strip him, and shove the body in the freezer?�
It was a completely genuine and reasonable suggestion, right?
-�I�ll be as quick as I can.� He said, �Don�t do anything stupid.�
Cutler headed down the hallway, deciding to take a left at the door and hoping he
was going in the right direction. His walk was fast-paced, his feet moving quicker
than the rest of his body; careful not to draw any attention to his rush as he
hurried down to the storage room Mitchell had told him about.
The further away from the morgue he got, the easier it was to ignore the cravings.
He spotted the sign he had been looking for and slipped inside the room, glancing
around for the products they�d need. He breathed an exasperated sigh, throwing
himself against the wall. He needed to take a moment out from the night�s actions
and come to terms with that had happened, before moving to grab at what he needed.
He loaded a cleaning cart with bleach and a mop bucket he had filled with some
fresh, warm water; cloth; and a set of new, clean scrubs for the pair of them.
Cutler headed back down the hallway, checking the corridor was clear before
slipping back into the morgue to rejoin Mitchell.
-Cutler could tell something was up with Mitchell; he felt it too. By some miracle,
he�d forgotten about the situation and how bad it was by leaving. Going back into
the room was like suicide.
�S-sure��
As he came closer to the coroner he felt it again. It stung and burned from the
inside; the deep hunger. It had been almost twelve hours by now since he had fed,
and he felt the curse clinging to his limbs like quicksand. It pulled him down,
willing him to succumb to it. He kept his eyes on anything but the corpse, stopping
his breathing to stop the smell from willing him on. He just wanted a taste� one
bite� The addiction consumed every thought and movement of his.
Cutler gulped, slipping his hands and securing them around the man�s ankles as he
tried to ignore the puddle of blood as it squelched around his feet, flooding into
his shoes.
He dropped the legs not longer after lifting them, stepping back and holding his
hands to the back of his head. �I can�t do it. Mitchell, I�m too hungry. I can�t do
it.� Cutler said desperately, looking the other vampire in the eye, �There�s so
much blood. It�s too much.�
-He stayed silent, mouth flapping in an attempt to convince Mitchell to run with
him. He knew it wasn�t an option, and no matter how desperately he tried to find
the words: they never came. The vampire looked visibly pained as he resisted the
instincts he had battled for near fifty five years. Similar to most things it never
got easier - all you managed was to find and work ways around it to stop the
addiction taking a hold on you completely.
Cutler certainly wasn�t going to make any promises in this moment and whilst he
hated his condition, he gave into it in moments when it was so much easier to let
it take over than to let his almost forgotten humanity peek through. Mitchell was
right; and it might have pained him even more to admit that to himself than the
pain he felt burning inside.
He sighed and then drew in an unnecessary breath only to reply,
�You get the head, I�ll get the legs.�
-With newly bloody hands, Cutler crossed the room to get the bleach. He stared down
at his hands as he picked up the bottle, coating the handle in blood as it was
lifted. �I�ll fetch the mop�� he said, passing the bottle of bleach over to the
other vampire. He knew the smell of blood would linger on his hands for days.
Cutler picked up the mop, dipping it in the water and wringing it out unable to
stop glancing at the corpse on the gurney as he did so. His expression was blank
and characterless as he just stared at the dead body. He bit down on his own lip
and then subtly licked them with desperate hunger. He swallowed again, willing the
urge to piss off and leave him alone.
The sooner, the better.
-�So what�re we going to do with him?� Cutler asked, gesturing at the corpse on the
gurney once the floor was clear. It was slightly stained, but he was sure the floor
must have seen worse in its day - especially seeing as it were the floor of the
morgue. It was likely to be mostly impossible to make a hospital floor completely
spotless.
He wiped his brow with his arm, careful to not get blood on his face and put the
mop back into the bucket then moved to use the nearest sink to try and wash the
nearly dried blood from his hands. Stunned that nobody had walked in on them yet,
he turned on the tap to wash the excess off before reaching up to squirt the soap
onto his hands.
�I�d love to just leave him there, or drink his blood until he turns bluer than he
already is but I don�t think that�s on the cards. The stink of bleach has somewhat
dulled my appetite. Maybe I should carry around a bottle of Cillit Bang to have a
whiff of whenever I fancy a bite.� Cutler waffled, furrowing his brow as he
scrubbed at his hands, ��Thanks, by the way. You saved my life back there.�
-Cutler lifted both eyebrows in response, �Mm. True.� He stood and watched
Mitchell�s pitiful attempts to clean his face for a moment before his expression
fell into a deeper, sympathetic frown.
�Oh fuck�s sake, Mitchell. Let me�� Without a second thought, he dipped a cloth
into the warm water coming from the taps and wrung it out before lifting it to help
Mitchell clean his face. �It�s easier when you can actually see the blood you�re
trying to get off.�
-�Don�t mention it.� Cutler dipped the cloth into the water once more to rinse it
off. He tried but realized they would have to get rid of that too, along with the
bleach and the scrubs they were currently wearing.
{�}
They had decided to make the death look like suicide; a clever tactic even if it
wasn�t an original one. After cleaning up themselves, Mitchell and Cutler had
lifted the body over to the desk (after moving the hidden files very nearly
forgotten about since that evening�s previous events) and made a larger gash in the
coroner�s throat; placing the scalpel and other examination utensils in their tray
next to where his head and shoulders now lay, collapsed over a scribbled note on
the back of an envelope as a cover up.
Cutler�s experience with paperwork and forgery was great, and so forging the
handwriting after glancing over a few death reports was easy enough. After cleaning
up the gurney and spraying some of the blood onto the desk for effect they changed
from their blood-soaked uniform into the clean sets. Everything they needed to
dispose of was shoved into a plastic bag and thrown under some sheets in the
cleaning cart before they set off trying to leave with the files they had
originally intended to acquire when they first arrived at the hospital.
-�And you look good covered in blood.� Cutler knew Mitchell�s words weren�t likely
to be complimentary but threw a compliment his way regardless; trying to hedge an
argument. �Doubt you know that.�
�Stop looking so shifty. You�ll look like you�re up to something.�
-(skipsss)
-�Right. Sorry.� Cutler splashed through the puddles, ignoring the liquid as it
seeped up the scrub bottoms on his legs. He had walked through much worse whenever
he dumped bodies in forests, with all the Welsh rain, the forests were a sticky
brown canvas he waded through to dispose of his latest kill.
�Hey, Mitchell?�
�Check the weather forecast before coming out with me again.� Smirking annoyingly
wide at his stupidly timed reminder, Cutler glanced briefly at the other vampire as
they walked, who understandably, wasn�t that impressed.-
The pair turned into an alleyway, and he let his eyes roll, �I don�t know what else
you�re going to expect, we�re in Wales in the middle of Winter. It�s not Brazil.�
-�A bad penny?� He scoffed at Mitchell, �No more a bad penny than you.�
Listening to the voices behind them; Cutler was distracted for a short while. The
humans behind them were certainly drunk, and an easy target were either of the
vampires to choose to attack them. They were shouting and singing in the street
being terribly annoying. One of them would get arrested for assault or indecent
exposure by morning he assumed as he listened to a group of guys cooing over some
girls as they spilled out of the pub. He had little doubt that he�d be needed down
the station soon enough.
Cutler sighed, �I�ll have the results ready for you tomorrow morning.�
-Cutler�s response was blunt, and matter of fact. �You�d be at home laying low and
pretending to be something you�re not and pretending you enjoyed it.�
He shrugged his shoulders in a �it�s that or nothing� way. Take it or leave it, he
thought. Completely aware of the life Mitchell had resorted to. Cutler was all for
laying low and trying to fit in with the humans (as despicable a species as they
might be), but there were no excuse to be so miserable. Not ever.
�Why not? It�s not like I need the sleep.�
-That wasn�t exactly necessary, Cuter felt, but he was more amused than hurt. �Huh,
probably not a lot. My life consists of divorces, assault and various other cases
of people hating one another.�
��So you�re right ��
One of the drunken males from earlier pushed through the two vampires, bashing them
in the shoulder with little consideration for the fact that they were walking
there, or walking together. Despite being in an alleyway, it was still as well lit
as it could be. Cutler scowled, watching the male swagger past and further up the
alleyway.
�Prick.� He muttered, loud enough to attract unwanted attention.
-Cutler wished the man had just walked on, he sighed, tutted and proceeded to pull
a face reserved for when he played defense in Court.
�I�m not sure why that attempt of a question matters; or similarly why the answer
matters. If I say it was me I�ll end up with you hitting me - or trying to before
you fall over - and if I say it was the gentleman next to me then he�s likely to be
the one hitting me in the face. So I�m not going to waste my time telling you who
called you a prick� it�s not worth the black eye.�
He cleared his throat, looking the pathetic excuse for a man up and down.
�Even if you are one.�
-�I don�t think it quite counts as an insult, more of a statement.� Cutler said,
agreeing with Mitchell and confusing the drunk even more. �And you�re definitely
right�� he turned to look the man square in the face, keeping his face as straight
as he could, �You really should just walk away.�
��Wha� if I don�t?� The drunk was staggering forward now, trying to get closer and
attempting to square up to the lawyer, tripping over his own toes as he walked. A
hiccup interrupted by a burp escaped his mouth. �Wha� are you gonna do?�
�What if you don�t? Then I�m afraid you�d be making the most stupid mistake of your
meaningless little life.� he smirked. This man hadn�t a clue what he was dealing
with.
-Swiftly, whilst the drunk was off balance, he moved in; wrapping his palm around
the man�s scrawny neck and forcing his body against the wall of the alleyway. �Why
do they never listen?� Cutler wondered out-loud, glancing at Mitchell for
reassurance that he was okay before turning back to the drunken man in his grasp.
�We gave you a warning. A warning that you were stupid enough to not listen to. I
was prepared to let you go until you hit my friend.�
�I don� know wha� you�re talkin� about, mate.� The drunk was clearly scared, and
Cutler felt him shake in his hands as he spoke. �You ain�t got nothin� under your
sleeve. Lemme go.�
�Don�t you see, mate? You had that as an option all along. Until now.� His eyes
turned black, glazing over as he was overcome with hunger. Cutler�s condition took
over, throwing the small amount of humanity he had left into the far depths of his
mind as he bared his fangs and sank them deep into the man�s neck; a hand over the
human�s mouth to keep the screams and cries of pain muffled.
-Everything Cutler had craved throughout the evening was relieved by his kill as he
drained the man�s blood, not leaving a drop untouched. He was a desperate addict:
not only addicted to drinking the blood but the metallic taste that coated the
inside of his mouth as he drank. Each kill felt like his first and the thrill never
got old.
He drew back from the pale, empty body he had just drank dry and released the
corpse from his grasp, reaching to wipe at his mouth with his hand and then
proceeding to lick any remaining blood from his fingertips. It took him a moment to
realize that Mitchell was killing too - he watched the other vampire, admiring his
technique whilst he made sure his hands were clean.
�Hungry?� He heard himself say, still there for the moment only in body and not in
spirit.
-With the buzz still rushing through their bodies, the two vampires left the bodies
in the dark alleyway and walked. Neither of them were really sure where they were
going as they walked, and walked, and walked� It got later, and darker, and harder
to ignore their slight impulses of humanity; even as the effects of the blood ran
through their veins.
They had wanted to kill again on the way home, and the only thing stopping them was
the emptying streets. It seemed like they were the only ones left in the world -
the only two left alive and wow, did they feel alive.
Eventually, they emerged at the bottom of the hill near Honolulu Heights. Cutler
looked up at Mitchell, a little concerned yet not concerned enough to really care�
�What if Annie�s in?� He asked half-heartedly.
-�I don�t think it�s a good idea�� he didn�t want to go anywhere else, and knew the
tasks that lay in front of him once he reached his own home,
�But I need my clothes. I won�t stay long, I�ll just change and go.�
He watched anxiously as Mitchell lifted the door key to the lock and slipped past
the lock a little, fumbling with it, disorientated as an effect of the kill. Cutler
realized then just how long it had been before that night for Mitchell, it all
became clear how he had avoided kills and blood since the night of the box tunnel
massacre.
-�In a bed and breakfast? I�d never have guessed��
It wasn�t that believable that Mitchell actually wanted him to stay and it was
convincing that it was just out of politeness. His sarcasm mirrored his doubts of
the other vampire�s genuineness� Cutler was a bad influence after all, and
everything seemed to be his fault. Why would he be offered a bed in Mitchell�s
home?
He considered it, not quite sure himself what he wanted to do. His head pounding
with the effect of the blood travelling around his body tenfold, Cutler stood
sheepishly in the doorway near the bar. �Won�t the others mind?�
-�I�m house trained,� He said as he walked to follow Mitchell along the hallway,
�if that helps?�
Cutler held the hospital files close to him as he walked and he tried to ignore how
badly the pair stunk of second-hand blood. If his movement and research didn�t wake
the others, the musky smell of flesh that rested on their clothes and skin was
likely to do the honors for them. They would need to clean themselves up, but the
smell would still linger and George and Nina�s enhanced sense of smell would always
give their actions away.
�You won�t even know I�m here.�
-The vampire made a note of all the bedrooms, additionally making a mental note to
avoid them all. He just nodded, head down and keeping his clothes and the files
close to his chest.
�Thanks for the offer,� he said, eyes in the general direction of room 3. �but I�m
a bit of a rusty spoon.�
It was light-hearted; a joke. When he had said Mitchell wouldn�t even know he was
there it wasn�t a half hearted remark � Cutler was used to keeping his head down
and staying in the shadows where he wasn�t wanted. Where he didn�t have control,
the polite nature of his once human self often shined through. The megalomania
tended to show up when there was something to sort, or things were urgent. Vampire
stuff. Nothing was urgent in that moment and Cutler was content that Mitchell had
them covered, there was nothing to sort.
-He flinched as he was clapped on the shoulder, and hunched slightly before heading
into his assigned bedroom - the twin room. The door was swung shut behind him and
Cutler strolled across to peek out of the window and analyse the view once he�d
dropped the papers and clothes onto the bed nearest the door. The view was nothing
special. Garages, not much else.
He could see why the B&B hadn�t been so successful.
Cutler allowed the curtain to drop, masking the darkness past the glass and
crossing the room to sit himself down on a bed. He flopped backwards, resting his
head on the hands he�d placed behind.
And this is why I never stay anywhere less than five stars�
Although it wasn�t exactly star treatment, it felt homely. The atmosphere in the
building made the vampire uncomfortable and he found himself realizing and
remembering a feeling that had been long forgotten until now.
Home.
-Silence. There was no response from the depths of the twin bedroom where on the
bed, Cutler lay across the hospital files they had found last night. He�d
collapsed, exhausted halfway through flicking through them and been passed out
since then. The time he had spent researching over the past couple of days had
finally got to him. Sleep wasn�t giving him up without a fight.
A light snore came from mouth and nose, and he continued his slumber undisturbed by
Mitchell knocking on the door. A puddle of drool with a reddish tinge from his feed
the night before had formed on the sheets beside him.
His phone was buzzing over on the bedside table for the fourth time; bringing in
the call he�d anticipated since the night before - but little disturbed the vampire
as he lay passed out amongst the open files and a piece of paper: covered in
scrawls of notes having narrowed it down to a few possible candidates that fit the
description.
-Mitchell was greeted with a grunt as Cutler squinted at him through half closed
eyes. The lawyer muttered something that sounded like �What time is it?� as he
reached to stretch out. �Hm? Oh.� He moved over away from the hospital files;
careful not to crease them or tear any of the pages. He was still wearing the
scrubs he had borrowed last night, and dried patches of blood covered his clothing.
Falling asleep was a distant memory, and he had been undisturbed in a deep sleep
since he had drifted off. So undisturbed in fact that he could barely remember his
eyes closing.
Cutler still hadn�t noticed the gentle buzzing of his phone. In his disorientated
state it took him a couple of minutes to remember exactly where he was.
-"There�s no need to doubt me so much, Mitchell.�
He sat up on the bed, rubbing at his eyes with his palm and blinking at the sun as
it crept inside the room.
�I�ve found a few leads. Uh, they�re�� he reached over for the folders and his
notes, �written on this bit of paper.� he said as he gestured vaguely. He started
to remember then the files he hadn�t read yet and sorted them into piles of those
he had looked over, and those he hadn�t. �But I haven�t finished looking.�
-Cutler just scowled back at the vampire�s �joke�, unimpressed and still half
asleep. It was far too early for Mitchell�s antics.
�We�ve got two males and, surprisingly, a female. They�re local. The female and one
of the males� they suffer from a form of Post-traumatic Hypersomnia. Both cases
were caused from a �trauma� - so, an accident. There are some details in there;
animal attack in one case. They�re asleep a lot of the time because of the
condition� so their memory�s probably pretty shoddy.�
He opened the files he was talking about to show Mitchell as he spoke, �Which means
they think they�re leading a regular life, and wouldn�t remember anything weird
happening�� He moved his finger over to tap on the female�s file, �This one. She�s
got Cataplexy� which, erm, it�s to do with the muscles. She collapses at random
points in the day and sometimes the evening.�
�They all have some sort of sleep-walking disorder, too. Either they�ve just got
really bad luck - or - 2 out of 3 are lycos.
-"A pack?� The thought hadn�t crossed his mind yet it was completely plausible.
There was certainly something that connected the three he had picked out of the
collection. Cutler had heard talk about werewolves living in packs before and
whilst it seemed silly and ridiculous; a plea to make them feel less alone -
Mitchell was on to something.
�And what? They know about us and they�re following us? �Or I suppose it�s
completely random and a coincidence.� he laughed nervously.
�Who would want to follow us?�
-Cutler didn�t want to accept the idea. The idea that somebody else could be making
plans touched a nerve, and he was starting to worry. Who else would be making plans
and why? It wasn�t impossible that anybody else in their world would want the same
as him, or even to come up with a scheme of their own.
After meeting Mitchell and his friends: he found it much easier to accept the idea
of their kind wanting to live comfortably with humans if at times they weren�t the
easiest species to get on with.
He stood up, crossing over to stand at the window before glancing briefly back,
�What kind of plans would werewolves be making?�
-He took the scrap of paper and stared at it like he was trying to read cryptic
runes. The same words caught his eye, and he furrowed his brow at the page.
Clinical Lycanthropy. A delusional belief that the individual has or will transform
into an animal; most commonly a wolf. Delusional, ha. Stupid, stupid humans, Cutler
thought. Of course it was completely impossible to shape-shift into a wolf.
Vampires only existed in the Twilight saga, and ghosts were stuff of horror films.
The idiots.
Cutler was smirking, looking up at the vampire who stood opposite him.
�Maybe it�s time we took the dog for a walk?�
-�I don�t know, I�m stumped�� Cutler looked around the room as if the obscene decor
would spark up inspiration. His eyes fell on his feet and he remembered the blood
stained scrubs he was wearing.
�I need to clean myself up, anyway. And I need to eat something.� He rubbed at his
eyes with his palms, his head thumping with the withdrawal from yesterday�s kill.
All he could think about was blood, deep crimson blood with the pungent, coppery,
comforting tang as it was taken into his body. He could smell his victim�s salty
skin as the odor hung in his nostrils. Now he was fully awake, it began to hurt
again. The urge was strong.
�I hope you�ve got cornflakes.�
-Once he had cleaned himself up and changed into yesterday�s clothes, Cutler rather
apprehensively headed downstairs preparing himself of the possibility of being
greeted by werewolves, and a ghost. The stairs creaked as he walked down them, and
he winced as each step creaked louder than the one before.
He saw the lounge area was empty, and heard chatter from the kitchen and instantly
regretted every decision he had made the night before. For all he knew he was
entering somebody else�s kitchen with dried blood still behind his ears. He had
scrubbed his skin several times and washed until the water ran clear, but as always
he feared there was something he�d missed.
Cutler reached up to push open the kitchen door�
-"N-no� You haven�t shown me the house yet, Mitchell -� Cutler was spun on his heel
before he had even walked through the Kitchen�s doorframe; the other vampire
swooping in and turning him around instantly, oozing with guilty conscience. �Ah,
we�re going now? Right��
He had barely managed to mumble a hurried �Hello!� to the unimpressed George and
Annie in the kitchen. He briefly saw Annie leaning against the counter, muttering
something to the werewolf about Mitchell bringing people home.
-"If it�s not too much trouble,� Cutler�s facial expression had fallen into a
confused frown of sorts and he shifted about where he stood, trying to make sense
of being swept out of the kitchen. �But first, Mitchell��
He had noticed just how guilty the other vampire was acting, and wasn�t surprised
in the slightest how his friends perceived it. The act was far from believable and
if anything, it was mostly hilarious. The lawyer was smirking a little, amused by
the older one�s inability, even now, to shift a guilty conscience. So much for the
suave, nonchalant appearance learned in his days even before Cutler had been
recruited. As time went on, it appeared that the mask fixed on John Mitchell�s face
was beginning to crack.
��What was that all about?�
-"Unsurprising. I�d be wary, too, if I were in their position.�
Judging from the smell in the house, George had slipped out of the back door and
headed off to work after deciding the argument wasn�t worth it. Cutler agreed with
him, and decided against going to get some breakfast even if he only had to face
Annie now.
�Not entirely sure it�s worth the hassle�� He glanced at the kitchen door, deciding
against the attempt. �I�ll fetch the files from the spare bedroom and head off. I�m
needed at the office.� After all, his phone had been ringing all morning.
...Something about a murder case, which of course Cutler didn�t know anything
about�
-"Another day at the Office, Mitchell. I won�t be leaving those four walls most of
the morning,� He raised his shoulders slightly to shrug and let them drop again,
�Kinda my own fault, though.�
Cutler was surprised by the other vampire�s words, and felt their agreement to be
partners fizzle and float out of the nearest window. They were well past that now.
He would have smiled but there wasn�t enough time to get sentimental; nor was it
the right time. However, they were almost friends.
He looked back from the doorframe of the twin bedroom; swinging his suit jacket
around to slip it onto his shoulders. �We probably should.�
�We�ll need some sort of ridiculous cover, though. She sounds like a lu� the
condition has affected her pretty badly -� Reaching over to pick them all up, he
glanced briefly over the woman�s file again, �- doubt she�ll talk about it to a
couple of strangers. The condition�s pretty personal.�
-(skip mitchell
It wasn�t long after Cutler had made his hurried exit, and Mitchell found that he
had the bed and breakfast to himself, that he stumbled across something interesting
in the paper. Something other than train massacres and break-ins at the hospital.
It was hardly front page news, but there was an article further into the paper
about a Gemma Howell. 20-something. Found ripped to pieces in the back of a local
caf�. Grieving family. The sort of thing Mitchell would overlook had he not already
been there himself.

And then it hit him.

Abandoning breakfast and ripping out the aforementioned page, Mitchell bundled out
of the front door. Only just remembering to grab his keys and jacket before the
door slammed shut. He was already in his car and heading for Cutler�s office when
he thought it might be a good idea to warn the lawyer before he got there. Holding
the phone between ear and shoulder, he listened to the faint ringing from the other
end as he tried to remember the way off the top of his head.)))
-The masses of papers in-front of him made Nick Cutler almost regret what happened
last night. Since getting to the office he had been handed stacks of paperwork and
evidence to flick through. It was a busy, busy morning.
Mornings like these always reminded him that actions had consequences, and his
victims had families and lovers, and friends. It never got any easier.
Grateful for a distraction from his paperwork and guilty conscience, Cutler reached
immediately to answer his phone. However, his greeting didn�t make him sound too
grateful at all. �I�m busy.� He uttered, reaching to sign another piece of
paperwork regarding the case. �Is it important?�
-"Casper? I don�t think watching films about a friendly ghost is going to help
right now�� He was still distracted by the papers in front of him. �Besides. I
doubt your plan�s any more important than man-slaughter.�
Cutler dropped his pen, reaching a hand to rub his eye in frustration.
-"Oh.� Cutler leaned back on his chair, finally giving Mitchell his undivided
attention. �Suspected animal attack? We were right then. So� you reckon that lyco
woman�s got something to do with it?�
He heard noises from the road on Mitchell�s end. �Are you driving?�
-"Oh.� Cutler leaned back on his chair, finally giving Mitchell his undivided
attention. �Suspected animal attack? We were right then. So� you reckon that lyco
woman�s got something to do with it?�
He heard noises from the road on Mitchell�s end. �Are you driving?�
-Whilst he may have seemed easily convinced, it really was that Cutler was so
desperate to get out of his office for whatever ridiculous plan that would be
thrown at him next. Anything was better than the consequences of the night before�s
actions, �My lunch break�s not that far off now, how long until you get he ��
� � Fuuuuuuuuuuck � �
He had been leaning so far back on his chair, and so distracted by the conversation
he was having that the chair tipped and the vampire ended up scrambling to grab at
something to steady himself; catching the papers he had been flicking through and
pulling the pile from the top of his desk; ending up with his chair on its side, a
bruise arse where he�d fallen under his desk with the papers on top of him.
-"Shut up.� Cutler hissed, still hearing the amusement in Mitchell�s voice despite
the attempts for it to be hidden. It was admittedly a little funny but it hurt a
lot. Cutler really hoped their plan was worth it in the long run, he�d be nursing a
sore arse all afternoon. �I�m fine.�
He pulled himself up onto his knees, holding his phone between his ear and shoulder
as he pulled his leather chair back to an upright position.
�How long will you be?�
-"Why would I need a first aid kit? Stop being ridiculous. I�ll see you when you
get here.� With that he huffed, rather childishly, and hung up the phone.
It was slipped into his pocket and he made a start on collecting the paperwork he
had unintentionally spread across the room.
-He was sitting behind his desk on his now upright chair, feet up and rested on the
edge. He shrugged, holding up his hands with a crease in his brow. �It�s not as if
the Vampire Mafia came in. I fell off my chair.�
Cutler was holding a paper airplane he had made earlier that morning, which he
swiftly sent soaring in Mitchell�s direction with a swift flick of his wrist. �Yup.
Still alive. Even if the term�s a bit of a loose one considering the
circumstances.�
-"I a-� Cutler tried, frowning and closing his mouth again to let Mitchell finish
the sentence he had been rudely cut off for. His eyes looked over the torn out
newspaper page, and he glanced quickly from under his lids up at the vampire, �Take
a seat.� he muttered, reaching to grab the page.
�So, right - Animal attack. We�ll need something to link her to the attack, though.
We can�t just turn up, ask her to switch the kettle on and if she�s transformed
into a wolf to murder any waitresses lately. Can we?�
-Cutler had noticed a change in his partner�s attitude recently and could see
excitement in Mitchell�s eyes when he spoke - Cutler very nearly allowed himself to
feel like a bad influence.
�Yes. Yes. It�s all well and good, but�� His face was in his hands; palms rubbing
at his tired eyes as he groaned, �can I please just cover - sort out this murder
case first?�
It was a reasonable plan and he remembered something about about easy access to
Police uniforms that had been said last night. It wouldn�t be difficult, that was
for certain.
�Then I�m all yours. This just really needs sorting.�
-It took a minute or two for Cutler to even acknowledge that Mitchell had been
talking. He was so transfixed by the page in front of him, eyes glued to the
printed letters as he skimmed the words, looking for the dotted lines that needed
his signature. He kept muttering under his breath, reading some of the sentences
out loud, tutting and then shaking his head at them.
After a moment, he looked relieved and finally looked up to respond, even if the
moment had long passed. �According to this, you saw a mugging case get out of hand
and result in two very messy deaths� No time to think about a tidy murder when
you�re at risk of being caught with stolen goods.�
-"The new coroner won�t be a problem.� He said without lifting his gaze from the
papers, adding his signature to another section of it. �Met him this morning. Nice
enough chap, looks like he needs to sleep a bit more, could do with a little more
sunshine��
�He knows the truth, I told him. Of course he already knew the second he saw the
bodies�� Cutler enjoyed a quick glance at Mitchell for a moment to see panic flush
in his cheeks, �But it won�t take anything less than a bottle of fresh blood
changing hands to make him fix the death report.�
-He had noticed the admiration in Mitchell�s voice, despite the attempts to hide it
and Cutler made a note not to let the comment go to his head. Not immediately,
anyway. He stacked the papers together once he had finished looking through them
and put them to the side, moving to get up from where he was sat.
�Yep. We�re done. I�m starving� lunch?�
-"Oh yeah, aren�t you? I proper fancy a bite of a pensioner on the way down to the
Walston Castle.� He shot a side-glare at Mitchell, clearly taking the piss. �Nah.
Not that kind of hungry. My mind just drifted a bit as the papers were so boring,
fancy some sort of steak.�
He checked for his keys and phone in his pockets and then swung his jacket to slip
over his arms and shoulders. He left it unbuttoned. ��Course I�m buying. You
couldn�t afford it. It was my idea.�
-"Oh don�t worry, I know.� He mused as he slipped through the door to his office
and locked it once Mitchell had pushed it closed. Cutler watched as others in the
building looked up to watch the men walk out, and he listened as they muttered.
Two women at the water cooler giggled, swooning after catching sight of Mitchell
and Cutler felt his eyes rolling. The vampire ignored the temptation to snake an
arm around the other�s waist, to wind the girls up. It was thought best not to.
After all he would just create a rumour that was bound to circulate for weeks. He�d
rather not cause a chorus of �I knew it� in his workplace. Or a black eye on
Mitchell�s part.
-�What? I�m allowed a lunch break.�
Cutler was looking at Mitchell as if he had asked the most stupid question in the
history of forever. Most of the time, they never even noticed he was there. Once
they were inside the car and out of ear shot he tugged at his seat-belt to fasten
it and added, �Your work okay with you slaughtering their coroner, are they?�
-Cutler kept quiet but a smile began as he heard the song on the radio. It was
familiar. Hell, he�d danced to it at his prom. That�s how familiar it was. He knew
every damn word.
He glanced subtly at Mitchell, mumbling along with the words quietly. The irony of
the moment and that track being played was too much. �Ooh. Ouch. I can taste the
irony.�
�Go Go� Go Johnny Go�
-Cutler resisted the urge to sing and instead kept his eyes on the view outside the
window. He sniffed, feeling the awkward tension between them and biting his tongue
to not say something stupid which of course, he usually did. His eyes watched the
humans wandering the streets of Barry Island as they drove. The cheerful tune
played; running through his ears as he held on to every note, bittersweet memories
from the 1960�s filling his head. �-When it�s cold outsideeeee� I�ve got the month
of May
-They turned into the car park of the restaurant and with a nostalgic spring in his
step, Cutler climbed out of the car pushing his hands past the hem of his jacket to
thrust into the pockets of his jeans.
Quite irritatingly, he was still humming the old, familiar melody as he watched
Mitchell locking the car door. He smiled at the other vampire, attempting to ease
the awkward tension experienced on their journey. His mouth flapped in a speechless
attempt to say something, for once lost for words, or a witty comment. ��So��
Cutler tried, hoping for anything but silence. He realized he�d drifted off for a
moment during the drive; distracted by old memories.
Snapping back to reality, he glanced up at the building a short walk from where
they had parked.
-"We�re doing nicknames now, then?�
Hands in pockets and a smile fixed on his face, Cutler led the way up to the
entrance of the restaurant. He didn�t want to seem smug or too pleased by
Mitchell�s comment, but he was rather enjoying it before the moment passed.
-"Are nicknames reserved for when we�re BFFs?� He teased. The vampires were far
from that milestone. Not even close. Partners, strictly that and nothing else. They
were here on a business lunch. Nothing else. Even if it was Cutler�s treat� He was
in denial, they both were - stuck treading on egg shells; not sure how the other
felt.
�There�s so much raw meat back there anyway, I doubt you�d be able to pick out the
smell of a corpse rather than a prime rib.� Cutler said just before they slipped
through the doors, smiling sweetly at the waiting staff member standing to greet
them.
�Hello. Table for two, please.�
-"You seem far too concerned about me sometimes. It�s kinda sweet.� He muttered in
return as they followed in the direction of their table.
Completely ignorantly of course, Cutler chose to reach over and browse the menu
once seated rather than listening to the young man�s suggestions of what soup was
today�s special. Yawn. He began skim-reading the titles of the meals and their
descriptions without looking up at Mitchell, or the Waiter, only glancing up to
utter a quick �Thanks� and force a polite smile once the man had finally stopped
speaking.
�He�s annoying, I�ll grant you that but he�s paid for it. And I�m paying for lunch
- don�t make me pay you to have a good time � or at least pretend you�re having
one.� Cutler was smiling, but he kept his eyes fixed on the leather bound menu in
his hand so he wouldn�t have to exchange an awkward glance with the other vampire.
-"Well you�re still here, so you�re clearly getting something from it.� Cutler
conferred, �Don�t ask me what.�
Mitchell was taking an awful long time looking over the menu he had rudely snatched
from Cutler�s hands before he had finished with it. He bit his tongue, relaxing on
his chair and keeping his expression blank, �You can have whatever you want. I
really don�t mind.� He said in complete honesty. Money wasn�t an issue here, and he
did in a way owe Mitchell.
However, he knew he was playing and Cutler didn�t feel much like playing back. His
head was still thumping from the morning�s hard work and whilst he had suggested
lunch to take his mind off things, it hadn�t wiped yet. Nor had the guilt from
yesterday�s kill. He let a small toothless smile form on his lips, half-hearted and
too tired to give the other vampire the exact reaction he was after.
-"Good choice, I�ll probably have the same.� Cutler had noticed the lack of
sympathy on Mitchell�s part and decided to say nothing in his defense. The effort
wasn�t worth the worsening effects it would have on the tension above his brow.
�Yeah?� He said, looking about the room for a member of waiting staff to come and
take their orders, �Well we did drink a lot last night.�
The stress of the case he was working on and the fresh blood he had consumed last
night were working together to make him feel like shit, and Cutler felt as bad as
he apparently looked.
-"Mm, �course.� The guilt that Mitchell felt was clear. He was shifty and looked
smaller than usual. The only reason he was out of the house was to stop him being
interrogated by Annie all day. It was a good plan, but Cutler could see it wasn�t
really helping.
The waitress caught him by surprise - her dark hair was tied in a tight bun, a few
loose bits falling down either side of her face; streaks of pink coloured her
cheeks; her skin was lightly perfumed with a mixture of fruity musk; and the vein
in her neck looked absolutely � �Hi.� Cutler said, flicking back to reality,
breaking the eye contact between him and her throat and quickly looking up at her.
He gulped, trying to forget the taste of salty skin and coppery blood still
lingering on his taste-buds from his kill the night before, �Yeah, thanks. I�ll
have the uh��
Once the waitress had finally left he exhaled with relief and glanced at the
vampire sat opposite him, ��Don�t� Just don�t.�
-Sitting up in his chair as he glared across at Mitchell, Cutler was muttering
something mainly to put himself at ease, ��probably thought I was staring at her
tits�� He hoped. It probably came off as �Creepy Psycho-killer� although he had
never really managed to look terrifying. The eyes did it. But in that moment he
desperately hoped the waitress had just thought him a Perv.
He avoided women. He avoided killing for that matter, but he avoided the women the
most. In the last 60 years, he killed when he had to; killing males usually or
finding other methods to acquire some blood - hospitals, blood banks etc. The
memory of his wife prevented him from craving a female�s blood, which after all
this time he remembered was sweeter in taste, setting aside from any other blood. A
pretty woman, however, shoved him off his guard. The curse seemed to control his
actions and wills; overpowering his psychological state of compassion and bitter
regret to remind him that it just tasted so, so, sweet�
Despite the taunts and Mitchell�s attempts not to laugh; it still concerned him
that even now that he could be swept off his feet and taken over by his condition.
Cutler wondered if he could ever manage to give it up. Not that he wanted to. Not
really. He just wanted it to be a lot easier to go about his daily life; rather
than nearly murdering a waitress in his lunch hour.
-He frowned in return to Mitchell�s idiotic grin, �Thanks for the tip.�
Half the people at tables had turned to listen in on their conversation and were
staring over at their table which just happened to be in the middle of the room;
just their luck. Cutler sighed, dropping his voice as he leaned across the table to
query,
�Can we be a little more normal now and, I don�t know, talk about work and taxes�?�
-"I think so. That�s when they�re not talking about the weather; or last night�s
Eastenders episode�� He remarked, watching as the plates of food were placed down
on the table in-front of them; making sure to not stare too much at the waitress
again.
Cutler thanked her, still without looking for her for too long, and making sure he
spoke on an outward-breath rather than inhaling the scent of her skin again.
Thankfully he found the smell of the food somewhat masked the human�s smell and
didn�t have to try that hard to appear a lot less psychotic than before. Once she�d
left, he looked back over at Mitchell who had been watching with a very eager eye;
careful not to speak until the woman had left.
�So, tell me more about Laura?�
-At least now they had a way in. However, she wouldn�t just talk to anyone. They
both knew as much and what they had to figure out now was how they�d make
themselves approachable; and undetectable. The best outcome would be her telling
them everything but that outcome was also the least likely.
��Because she�ll bark when we ring the doorbell, right?� Cutler said with his
mouthful as the joke simply couldn�t wait. The younger vampire had woken up a bit
now and he�d started to smirk, slowly becoming his usual self.
-How had this been overlooked? The pair had been so quick to assume the woman knew
nothing about her own condition, or theirs. What a stupid, reckless mistake. A
cocky one, too. They had both simply assumed that their lyco would be completely
oblivious: forgetting their encounter with the wolf in the bushes the other night.
Whilst it hadn�t torn them apart it could undoubtedly sense they weren�t supposed
to get on. There was a high chance that the lone wolf from the other day, and the
wolf from the caf� were the same - or at least somehow linked. She could notice
them, recognize them even, the second she opened the door and know exactly what
they were after.
Their whole plan could be ruined.
Cutler nearly choked on his mouthful. He reached out for his drink, eyes watering
and a worried look on his face. ��W-what happens then?�
-"This just became much more of a risk, Mitchell.� he was leaning across the table,
talking in a hushed tone and completely ignoring everyone else in the restaurant.
�Their blood�s toxic to us. If she knows what we are, she could easily do something
to attack.�
Cutler leaned back, picking up his fork to play with his food. He wanted a
distraction from the panic flaring through his head in that moment. However, the
thing most worthy of panic then was just how calmly he said, �This is turning into
a suicide mission.�
-"No� �course not. Yeah,� the prospects still looked extremely daunting to him as
he finished off his food, �it�ll be easy.�
[�]
He jumped out of the car, waiting for the taller vampire to climb out before they
made their way into the warehouse. Most of the others had been destroyed or trashed
by now. It had been so long since Cutler had last visited that he wasn�t entirely
reassured that this one hadn�t met the same fate as the others.
�Come on, you.� He said, thumping on the bonnet of the car (gently).
-Ever the gentleman. Mitchell was showing his age.
�Is that so you can clean up after me?� Cutler asked, smirking as he slipped
through the door to the dark warehouse. He blinked blearily against the dark, open
space. A metallic odor hung in the air, the only clue that bodies had once been
kept here by the ones before them.
�Wow, it�s eerie in here. Really does remind you most of us aren�t around anymore.�
He started looking for a light switch. There had to be one somewhere� �We might
have to repopulate.�
-It was daunting to think just how low the numbers had got. The pair of them were
of few vampires still around. Not wanting to get sentimental, Cutler ignored the
fact that they at least had each other. At times, he�d wanted to recruit; make him
a little less lonely. But he�d never been told how. All his victims simply ended up
dead.
�Which one are we after, then?� Cutler asked, watching as Mitchell walked towards
the lockers. He followed as the older vampire stalked behind a row of lockers;
disappearing out of sight.
-He frowned at the clothes in Mitchell�s hands, glaring at them and then at the
vampire standing opposite him. �You�re fucking kidding me, there�s gotta be some
more in there��
So easy to tip off the edge, Cutler was really concerned. Freaking out over a
stupid joke. Still feeling hungover from the busy morning and the night before, he
hadn�t realized the lack of seriousness in Mitchell�s words. If one thing was
wrong, the whole plan was going to go tits up.
He stared in horror as the older vampire started to laugh, �Mitchell! We can�t� I
can�t show up at this lyco�s house looking like -� he sighed, finally grasping onto
the joke and banging his head against the locker�s side, which by no odds helped
his headache.
-He came back a moment later a little nervously, but he strode across to meet
Mitchell in his new costume. He was hoping the reaction would be a positive one.
The vest and shirt had fitted with the trousers he was already wearing quite
nicely, and whilst he strode out like a nervous boy shopping for prom suits, he
felt quite comfortable in his uniform.
�So?� He asked, looking up. �What do you think?�
-He hadn�t thought about Mitchell�s hair. He wouldn�t, would he? But now all he
could wonder is if he fit the part. It was smoothed back in an attempt at looking
neat but part of it still made him look like he had only just rolled out of bed not
long ago. Eyebrows arched, he looked at the other vampire and wondered if either of
their costumes would do to get the information they needed.
It could go one of two ways; he hoped it would go down the route that went in their
favour. �Yeah,� Cutler broke into a smile, actually a little excited about this.
�let�s go. I�ll make a call in a minute, get us a van.�
-Sat in the driver�s seat of the police vehicle they had borrowed, Cutler fiddled
with the tie and uniform. He felt uncomfortable, shifty and like the clothes didn�t
fit his skin. They made his skin crawl and all he could think was how their plan
could go wrong.
He glanced across to the passenger seat, noticing Mitchell staring out the window
with a blank expression.
��Nervous?�
-No. He hadn�t thought that far yet. It would end up being improvised if he didn�t
think of anything quick. �I was thinking we�d knock on a few doors, as well as
Laura�s. Make it look less suspicious, so it doesn�t make it seem we�re singling
her out.� He explained as he fiddled with the hook above the driver�s side window.
Quiet for a few moments, Cutler was squinting over in the same direction as
Mitchell, �That�s her place, isn�t it? he asked, flicking his eyes back to glance
at other properties nearby.
-Cutler was suspicious at the compliment, he never got complimented. Especially by
Mitchell. He was wary to accept it, and chose to just ignore it for now.
He was ever aware of the amount of time they were wasting here, and saw the clock
ticking as their time began. The longer they stood on the street by their van, the
longer people would stare out of their windows in suspicion. He noticed an old man
peering out from behind his curtains and considered it, thinking over their first
move. Across from the man�s house, Cutler was distracted by a cat that jumped onto
the outside wall of the house three doors down from their lyco, and chose to head
that way despite holding his gaze on the old man previously.
�Follow me,� he sniffed, keeping himself as upright as possible as he put on the
mask the police uniform granted him.
-A small blonde boy, probably around the age of six, opened the door and Cutler
quickly hid his confusion at the almost mini-me of himself with an attempted smile.
�Hi, is mum or dad in?� He queried, hoping they weren�t related.
The boy gave a timid nod, nervous of the two officers, but you could see the
excitement in his eyes as he turned to call for his parents. That encounter was
brief, and they soon moved, two cups of tea, a digestive, and a promised police car
trip for the boy later, to the next few houses. They�d done four by now and rather
than completely wasting their time, found these people either knew nothing - or
some things that were very helpful. One couple even referred them over to Laura
Moon�s house with a mutter of �she�s weird, that one�. A promising start.
�What do we say?� Cutler muttered to Mitchell, barely moving his lips as they
walked to go and visit their objective in the first place. Usually he wouldn�t
panic but he�d sunk so far into the role that he had only just remembered why they
were even here, and that he and Mitchell were a lawyer, and cleaner, not real
policemen.
-"I said what�s this about?� Laura looked ready to slam the door in their faces.
Oh god, please don�t be difficult. Cutler swallowed ready to speak, hoping she had
no idea what they were. �We�re asking everybody local about eye witness accounts.
I�m not sure if you�re aware, Ms Moon, but I�m afraid a waitress was recently found
murdered at the Cafe on the Corner�� He felt himself trailing off and remembered
Mitchell�s words were good, and he decided to use them. �It really won�t take
long.�
He put on his most genuine smile, �Please. Can we come in?�
-Cutler was doing the same with the mirrors, glancing around in the room for their
location. It was a natural reaction, better to look a little shifty than have their
cover blown almost immediately.
��Well, you�re better off asking somebody else in my opinion. I�m never sure what�s
real�� instead of explaining herself, Laura trailed off and looked back at them
from where she stood in the kitchen doorway, �Tea?�
Cutler�s tensions eased with her offer, and he felt less clammy and worried.
Relaxing more, a more relaxed smile perched on his mouth as he gave his reply.
�Love one.�
-"I was in the area, yeah. I think so.� Laura chatted away, busying herself as she
filled the kettle. Her previous closed door attitude had faded and she was verging
on being friendly with them. What they were didn�t bother her - or she still didn�t
know. Most likely the latter, werewolves weren�t usually so openly friendly with
vampires. ��it�s the local caf�, I must go there a lot.�
The way she hedged the facts caused Cutler to quirk an eyebrow, she didn�t seem
sure of anything. Presumably her �blackouts� caused random memory loss; or the wolf
completely took over when she transformed. Cutler sat down on an armchair opposite
Mitchell, and glanced over at him, mouthing the word �interesting.�
-He hadn�t noticed it at first. It took him a couple of moments to even notice if
was him. After nearly seventy years, Cutler had quite forgotten what he looked
like. Staring in the mirror in shock, he blinked and rubbed at his eyes, moving to
pinch himself on the upper arm. �Ow.�
This was far from a dream.
�This doesn�t make any sense,� he croaked at his double.
-"Not really�� She fumbled with the sugar jar, taking her time about it �Not well��
Laura joined them in the lounge a couple of minutes later with the drinks
accompanied by some bourbon biscuits on a tray. As she sat down on the sofa, tea in
hand, it was as if a light had been switched on in her head.
Cutler took a sip from the mug he�d been elected; opting to take the flowery one so
Mitchell�s manly ego wouldn�t end up hurt. He didn�t take his eyes off Laura as she
seemed to brighten, eager to hear what she had to say.
�I remember hearing screams.�
-"�You hear loads o� screams here in Barry��
You didn�t, she was lying. Whilst the crime rate was up, and quite a number of
vampires and werewolves lived in the area screaming wasn�t a common occurrence -
especially not the scream of a waitress being murdered.
She fingered the rim of her mug, avoiding their stares, �I didn�t think to report
it, no officer.�
Cutler hadn�t been expecting this, and he was a little shocked and extremely
stumped. What did you say in this situation? He cast Mitchell a glance, hoping the
other vampire had an idea of what they could do next. They couldn�t technically
arrest her, could they? There was an astounding lack of proof that she�d
transformed into a wolf and killed the woman� even if she had heard her scream.
-"I� didn�t� I didn�t think anythin� of it.� She attempted, hiding her face with
the mug as she sipped the tea inside it. Laura seemed really shifty and
uncomfortable; eager to look anywhere but at the two vampires masquerading as
police officers.
�You didn�t think anything of it?� losing character slightly, Cutler wondered how
sane this woman was. Anybody in their right mind would report it and both he and
Mitchell knew the body hadn�t been found for a long time.
�There were others in the restaurant according to witness statements we�ve
collected today - and they didn�t notice, either. Funny, isn�t it? How a corpse
stayed undetected?� It was rhetoric, mainly and he asked again, �Why didn�t you
report the scream, Ms Moon?�
-"No�� Laura confirmed, slightly more aware that this was a police interview and
they were getting suspicious. Her answers were bollocks, frankly and it had only
just dawned on her that this was the case.
Clearly the blackouts were a problem, but you�d think even in her werewolf form
she�d know whether or now she�d committed a murder.
Cutler glanced across to Mitchell, �Can I have a quick word� in the kitchen, maybe?
�
-Still with the flowery mug in his hand Cutler leaned against the kitchen side,
speaking as quietly as he could, secretly wishing they had some means of
communicating telepathically.
�I think she did it. But we can�t arrest her, can we?�
He clearly hadn�t thought this far into their plan; neither of them had thought
into any of this in detail and now Laura had essentially confessed to the murder it
was difficult to know what to do next. Part of him had expected this to be a
massive waste of time, but their afternoon had been spent finding out much more
than they�d expected.
-They could technically arrest her, it�s just it would end up as more of a kidnap
if they did so. Besides, they had nowhere to take her. Laura�s lack of awareness of
her condition made her dangerous, but it also made it harder to harm her or even
capture the woman.
�I don�t actually have a cage.� Cutler hissed, concerned Mitchell actually believed
he had one in the first place. �I mean, there are some in an old hideout, but the
police don�t put people in cages.� Well, technically they did. Cells had bars on
them, at least.
He took another sip from his tea and groaned out of frustration and regret, �I wish
we�d never come here. I don�t know what we do now.�
-"We�ll send someone else,� he said once he�d finished his tea and headed out of
the kitchen, without looking at Mitchell. He stood in the doorway of the lounge and
smiled at the unsuspecting werewolf sat on her white leather sofa, fiddling with
the tassels of a cushion. �Ms Moon, we�ve got everything we can. Thank you very
much for your time; and the tea.�
Laura made a start to get up and argue, as if she wanted them to stay and for the
interrogation to continue. It was clearly guilt, making her want to solve this.
Whilst she obviously didn�t remember what had been done, killing sat a certain way
in a heart.
�No, no, don�t get up. It�s alright, we�ll show ourselves out.�
-

(222)(((He wasn�t reading what was set in front of him now. The files and reports
from Laura�s death were littered across the attic floor in front of him. It was in
some twisted, final attempt to bring back his conscience that Mitchell read all of
the details of the murder over and over. How the vampire in question had gained
access into her home. The fact that he�d used the telephone wire as instructed to
avoid being exposed to the lyco�s blood. Every detail of the struggle was recorded.
He was surprised to read that she�d put up such a valiant fight.
None of it mattered, though. No matter how hard he focused, Mitchell couldn�t bring
himself to really care that the werewolf was dead, and because of him. All he cared
about was keeping it from everyone else. No amount of paperwork could fix this.
And, learning from past mistakes, he gathered the sheets together with the
intention of burning them as soon as he could. If only there hadn�t been a knock at
the door to halt that final part of his plan.
Scrunching up the files into a messy pile, Mitchell pushed them under the bed and
hurried downstairs. He probably looked a mess, in fact he knew he looked a mess,
and it wasn�t until he was about to answer the door that he realised the time.
Midday. He squinted against the sun as he opened the door.))))
-"Ask me in, then.� A smiling, rather perky looking vampire stood outside Honolulu
Heights. Cutler was joking, of course. He only needed the invitation once and it
smelt like nobody else was in. Though judging on Mitchell�s current state it was
hard to tell. ��Have you been ill? You look terrible.� He commented, making his way
into the building.
�Anyway�� Frowning, and visually contemplating something he swung the front door
closed.
The last time either of them had seen one another was their little� event involving
pretending to be police men. �I�ll sort it� Mitchell had said and then everything
had gone dead quiet. Cutler was busy, he hadn�t needed the company, but he�d missed
Mitchell and his mysterious, brooding company. There had been several cases for him
to sign off on, but he hadn�t seen a single paper concerning Laura Moon. Out of
curiosity, mainly, he wanted to know what had gone on. �I haven�t seen you in
weeks. Everything� okay?�
-'Everything�s fine�. That was lie number one, Cutler still knew something was up.
And the darting looks at the bar didn�t help his case either.
He didn�t want to pry, and just let Mitchell carry on with what he was doing as he
sat down on the sofa. The smile which he�d barely caught sight of caused an
unexpected chill � his eyes had been blank, no emotion resided there at all. Cutler
had never been unnerved by Mitchell before; at least not for a long time and his
concerns grew as each moment passed. Not for his safety, or well-being, but for
Mitchell�s.
�Yeah,� he said, hiding the worry behind a smile. �Everything�s fine.�
-Rather bemused at Mitchell�s unsuccessful search, Cutler was peering over and
watching him. He was disappointed when the entertainment stopped, and didn�t
mention the lack of an invitation where a drink was concerned. It was nice to be
thought of, he felt, and so didn�t find it to be a bother.
�Nothing, no�� He said, taking the glass from the older vampire�s hands. His words
sounded entirely innocent, childlike. �I expected to have to sign some papers,
but�� his words trailed off as the glass was lifted to his mouth to take a drink,
swallowing the mouthful with a gulp.
�Things have been pretty quiet lately,� The lawyer shrugged.
-"No�� He had wanted to find out more, discover what had happened to Laura. That
was why he�d come round in the first place but now it was becoming clearer how
unlikely him getting a decent response would be.
�Just a visit. Like I said, it�s been ages. We�re mates. I thought I�d check up on
you.� A motive originally intended for good, however as time went on it seemed much
more obvious that his nosy nature took a lead. Admittedly, Cutler worried about
Mitchell and he had a greater cause for concern after weeks of silence.
-cutler�s face scrunched into a frown, a complete contrast to the tone taken by
Mitchell despite the paranoia that danced in his eyes; a festival of darkness, a
gathering of secrets. He was obviously twitchy and Cutler had noticed the off body
language from the second he had walked in the door of Honolulu Heights.
�I�ve had a lot on,� he started, attention caught by movement behind the glass of
the living room�s window. �You said you�d deal with it, ergo, I let you be.�
His attention flickered back up to look across at the vampire who still wouldn�t
look him in the eye. Even when the pair�s gaze crossed, by chance, Mitchell�s focus
was so dull; the expression so blank. ��besides, shape shifting werewolves are
sooooo yesterday. It�d been so long, she was becoming a bit of a shadow��
-

((starter: [half an hour later, cutler wakes up from being flopped out cold on his
desk]
What�?
-[He just glares at him, mainly]
Who puts tranquilizers in their friends tea?
-I�d already drank it by the time I read the text.
On my toes? I was almost on the floor.
-Thanks babe.
[swings his coat over his shoulders and pushes in his arms]
-glances at his watch]
�an hour.
-

((starter: I don�t really like killing that much if I�m honest, I�d much rather a
good yoghurt
-Do you want one? *holds out a muller corner*
-H�w about a Frube? [has a wide selection of yoghurts, clearly]
-[wipes around at the corners of his mouth] Age is just a number. Frubes are the
work of genius.
-�I keep to myself?
-I�m sorry? Do you want a frube or not, Mitchell?
-Alright. [opens the mini fridge of dairy snack produce] Here you go.
-I get hungry in here. The nights are long, I have lots of work to do, so no,
Mitchell. I don�t think I�m overdoing it.
-Come on, then. [gets up, grabs his coat]
-Probably something I�ll like, you�re good at this kinda stuff. I�ll drive. [he
never drives]
-Yeah, �course I do.
-

(human)It was pot luck that he was covered up before the door burst open. Cutler
was shirtless, sure. But he wasn�t completely exposed in the bathroom of Honolulu
Heights with Mitchell standing in front of him.
Not moving his gaze from his once forgotten reflection, he couldn�t help but make a
joke. None of this could be serious,
�Any word in particular?�
(human)"That�s me.� Cutler�s hands lifted to touch his face. A face he�d touched
many times but hadn�t seen for so many decades. His fingers brushed over his nose,
eyes, cheeks.
�� And you. How�?� Finally looking at themselves in the mirror sprung the
realization of what they must look like out and about in public - together. Not a
bad pair.
Without permission, he leaned a hand forward to touch at Mitchell�s neck and it
looked as if he was trying to kiss him.
(human)He was only planning to check for a pulse, and instead, reached up to subtly
attempt to check for his own.
�Weird?� He said; unsure whether or not he felt real.
Whilst he�d managed to look away from the mirror for a moment Cutler couldn�t
resist glancing back once, twice� He tried not to stare, but it was hard to shake
the shock. ��-You?�
And behind his fingers he felt the beautiful rhythm of a heartbeat and nearly fell
back into the bathtub.
(human)"Hwua?� He couldn�t get his words together as he fumbled to stand up rather
than slip into the bath, the mat catching at his feet on his old man style loafer
slippers, �Hu� hu� hu��
It sounded like Cutler needed to sneeze, and it all dawned on him the things they
wouldn�t have do remember to do now - for however long this thing would last. It
was too weird; admittedly he was freaking out. And he just had to get out of the
bathroom, away from mirrors.
�Can we please just have a cup of tea?� He asked, now perched on the edge of the
bath with a hand in his hair.
(human)Once downstairs, Cutler was grateful that the house was empty. Mitchell�s
housemates were difficult at the best of times but he felt so much more at risk now
they were human - if that was the truth of it. They could hardly test for this,
could they? They would seem mad if they turned up at the doctors demanding proof of
their humanity. All hell would break loose when it was discovered their birth dates
weren�t from the right century, anyway.
Having flicked on the kettle, he stretched and reached for the cupboard to pick out
the mugs they both usually used.
�So�� He was trying, frowning at loss over at Mitchell.
(human) "What�s just us?�
Now, he had taken to pretending nothing had happened. It was only possible to
ignore it for so long, however. But for now this helped. They weren�t human. It was
impossible for them to suddenly be human, this was ridiculous. And impossible.
Ridiculously impossible. Impossibly ridiculous.
�Where the fuck�s the sugar?� Cutler muttered quietly to himself, lost in the
various cupboards in Mitchell�s kitchen. He was confused, angry, and scared.
Nothing made sense.
(human)"Probably not, no.� Having found the sugar finally, he dropped an aggressive
three scoops into his tea and stirred it; sloshing the tan liquid around all over
the counter. Cutler gave up trying to pretend things were normal, or even ignore
what had happened. It only worked for so long.
��What now, though? What if we start aging really quickly like in that film where
the pilot�s frozen and then he ends up being like 80 in three days?! I can�t go
grey, Mitchell - Oh god, I might go bald.�
(human) "And how exactly do we do that?� He asked, slamming his mug down on the
kitchen side and looking at Mitchell, completely baffled. What could they do? �Go
see a vampire psychic?�
Cutler couldn�t get a grip on what had happened, and there was still part of him
that was in disbelief. It wasn�t possible for them to suddenly be human. The night
before they�d been out. They�d murdered, drank the blood of their victims and came
back to crash out once they�d cleaned up.
It suddenly dawned on him just how sick he felt and he raised his hand to his mouth
as he tried to resist the urge to gag and retch. Blood didn�t sit well in a human�s
stomach.
(human)From his silent and very still composition, Cutler suddenly burst.
��I�m� I�m gonna heave.�
He didn�t even know if he could make it to the bathroom and instead thrust open the
backdoor of the B&B before stepping outside to throw up on the grass. His vomit was
dark with a reddish tinge as all the blood he�d consumed the night before
splattered out of his body violently onto the ground. He was shaking, a hand on the
wall to keep himself upright as it seemed like the nausea wouldn�t ever stop.
(human)It seemed to take forever for him to stop throwing up, and it felt like the
contents of his stomach and throat were on fire.
�What� what do we do, though?� he choked, looking up at Mitchell with bleary eyes.
He lifted his sleeve to wipe around his face and began to struggle to stand upright
again; having been bent over for what felt like a lifetime. �I�m gonna be sick
again in a minute, I can feel it.� Cutler announced in despair with obvious fear in
his voice. He wanted the pain to stop and for things to finally make sense.
�There�s too much blood inside me.�
(human)

*Why are you so intent on hurting my feelings?*

((starter: There is actually nothing to do on a Wednesday night.

-I don�t want a party. I want to not be bored right now. [actually hanging upside-
down on the sofa]
-[side-eyed glance at him] �Pizza?
-No, no - Mitchell, I meant we should get pizza. [reaches for his phone, lifts it
to find the number and� drops his phone on his face] �Ow.
-)))

*-
-Huh? Yeah, I know. I�ve got a thing for � curls *stares at Mitchell�s hair,
feeling a little awkward now*
-Is this were you parade around all smug announcing �been there, done that, got the
blood-stained t shirt��? [His smile�s far from genuine.]
-Then what is it? Are you worried about me, or something?
-Sorry. Ugh. Sorry. You�re right.
-Why are you always right?
-Just because you�re older than me doesn�t mean you can act like bloody Gandalf
with your wisdom bullshit.
-

*-

--It�s you, it�s really you.

--Probably not, no. We�ve never actually met�But the stories, you�re a legend.
[lets out a manly giggle]
--[Racks his brain for a moment, blurting out gibberish as he tries to recall a
story.] Well, there are so many it�s hard to put my finger on just one in
particular bu- Oh. Box Tunnel 20, that was you, wasn�t it? I had the documents sent
to me - I�m a lawyer. I had to look them over, sign a few things. It�s� half my
fault the case was dropped. When I heard you were involved, I was admittedly too
impressed to be professional. [Breaks into a nervous fan boy smile.] I�m Cutler by
the way, Nick Cutler.
--I was a lawyer before - you know� It worked out as an advantage, so I stuck with
it. [Shrugs his shoulders] Oh, it�s nothing. Really. It�s sort of what they use me
for.
--�Oh, no. I was recruited because they couldn�t afford a dog�� Cutler�s eyes
rolled and he laughed, a little uncomfortable that his sarcasm would be received
badly. �It was back in the 50�s when he found me. Said I was destined to become a
history maker. Little far from that at the moment but it takes time, doesn�t it?
I�m getting there� Over 200 Twitter followers.�
--�Ha, it gets the word out. I�ve got some big ideas for us all, things were going
well until the dicks had my focus group as a mid-morning snack.� Cutler huffed,
�Mm? Well, he used to have a fair bit of ambition, now I haven�t seen him in years.
Just packed up and left.� He said, shrugging his shoulders and reaching into his
pocket to check his phone. He could�ve sworn it�d rumbled but his suspicions were
wrong, �Ah.� He scowled at the thing, and slipped it back into his trouser pocket.
--�Huh? Oh, no. Phantom vibrate.� He frowned, thrusting his hands into the pockets
of his suit trousers. �I�m not that busy today for once, so you�re not keeping me
from anything.� Cutler started to rock on his heels, and then his gaze met
Mitchell�s, �You could probably help me, come to think of it, so I�m not in any
sort of rush to go anywhere.�
--A little vexed by the accusation, he realized that now would be an excellent time
to explain, �I said I�d heard stories, and I know you�re all trying to -� he
paused, searching for a word that wouldn�t offend or sound patronizing, �- blend in
- with the humans. I�m interested in introducing the two: supernaturals, and
humans. It�s an experiment, I know, and most of �us� are pricks when it comes to
being helpful, but, I know you�re dry and perhaps it would be safer were you to get
involved in my experiments?�
--�I mentioned the focus groups, yes?� Cutler could feel that Mitchell was
preoccupied by something, and resistant to get involved. Quite right too, he
thought, they had only just met. He was good at talking to strangers, considering
that his job involved that on a daily basis this was always beneficial seemingly
until now. Cutler didn�t feel his words were coming out the right way - after all,
nobody had wanted to hear about his ideas before. He was always swept under the
carpet.
�They involve showing footage of - well, werewolves mainly at the moment - to
civilians and I ask them about how they�d feel if creatures like that existed,
which of course you and I know they do, but it�s all fun and games for humans. The
element of �what if?� gets them all riled up.� He sniffed, and rubbed his nose
before glancing briefly down at his feet and then back at Mitchell. �I feel that
having a real-life vampire in to talk to the humans would be incredibly
interesting. Now I wouldn�t expect you to harm them, of course, unless they�re
being a problem. Believe me, it happens.�
--Cutler was hunched, hands in his pockets and admittedly, a little embarrassed.
�I�m� real enough, yes, but I�m a Duty Solicitor. I can�t go about telling people
I�m a vampire, that puts my job on the line.�
He imagined the scenario in his mind: Hello, I�m Nick Cutler. I�ll be representing
you in Court and FYI, I�m a vampire. Now, shall we get start- and they�d hotfoot it
out of the room, and he�d be out of pocket. He straightened up, the almost funny
thought disappearing. �I�m pleased to know you wouldn�t hurt them. I doubt I could
trust myself not to if they got out of hand.� Cutler said with a nervous chuckle,
he never killed them unless it were absolutely necessary; or he fancied a bite.
�Makes for very slow progress.�
--�I was thinking maybe you could talk to them, tell them some experiences, and
then do that eye trick, and I�ll hand out some paperwork - just a survey, standard
questions, and we�ll go from there�?� he sniffed, looking up at Mitchell, �or
whatever you can think of, really. I just really could use your help. None of the
others are interested.�
In all honesty, this was the last straw as Cutler was still apprehensive about
introducing a vampire other than himself to a group of humans. Seeing as Mitchell
and his �friends� were living together, trying to blend in with humanity; he didn�t
see anyone else fit the role better. He just hoped it made as much sense to
Mitchell as it did to him.
--
** I could've sworn my ears were burning... Not literally, of course. Being dead
and all.
** Very possible, Mr Mitchell. I think for the moment though I am quite safe.
** Well then, Mitchell. Is Mitchell fine? I don't want to be crossing any
boundaries or treading in deep water, or however that saying goes. It's too late to
remember.
** Ooh, I love it when you say my name like that. Coffee?
** Heh, 'experiments' makes it sound like I'm some sort of fancy pants scientist.
Well, if I ever fancy a career change I might just consider. *licks his lips*
Excellent. I know a great place not too far from here.
** Indeed. *walks down the path, leading Mitchell... after a short walk, his pace
slows and he turns to the right and heads down an alley* C'mon.

Yeah, well, I had an Old One. But he sort of disappeared on me so I was back to
being a nobody.

Cutler sniggers. �On what grounds? I�m not breaking any laws here.�

�No, wait!� he blurts out. The mask finally slips. He looks terrified. �I�m clean,
Hal! I�ve been clean for almost two weeks already. It�s horrible. How can you stand
it?� Plaintive notes crop up in his voice. He�s choking on words, like he is trying
to hold back but cannot help himself. �I�m seeing red. I can�t control myself. I
need� something. I need help!�

�Please, hit me over the head hard enough to black out this memory,� Cutler
comments. Talk about stupid locks.

�You wouldn�t understand,� Cutler says in a shaky voice. �You�ve never been
abandoned. You never had the centre of your universe walk away from you.�

�Peace offering,� says Cutler, and shrugs awkwardly.

�I get it,� he says, with a weak smile. �You�re some kind of a hero now. Well,
let�s go be heroes!� He raises his fist like he�s Superman ready for take-off.

�Oh, we�re going to see Tom? That�s great. I can apologise.� He doesn�t know where
this sudden enthusiasm is coming from. Hal looks thoroughly unimpressed. �What? You
apologised to me, and what you did was much worse.�

�You don�t know me,� he says through gritted teeth. �You don�t know what makes me
happy.� Exorcising her to the ninth circle of hell would definitely produce some
endorphins. �Rest assured, his death is not on my happy list.�

�I can smell your bullshit � and I haven�t even got the sense of smell anymore.�

�No,� he says. �Not like you. I�m going to find another person, drag them here and
force-feed them to Hal. So technically, Hal will be killing them.� The look she
gives him makes him feel strangely uncomfortable. �Whatever I am, he made me!�

�You�re up and about, so no harm done.�

�I don�t give a shit about those delusions Annie has about the future,� Cutler
says. �What she thinks you�re going to become. Feel free to turn into a Pok�mon for
all I care. You can�t die. You hear me? You can�t die.�

�We should have at least tried to look for weapons or something. You know, to,� he
air-quotes, �help us on our quest.� Hal knits his eyebrows. Half of what Cutler
says obviously flies right over his head. Cutler snorts. �Wow, you�ve got an
extreme case of genre blindness, haven�t you? It�s okay.� He pats Hal�s shoulder
condescendingly. �It�s just old age.�

�I�m actually screaming internally. This is just my defense mechanism. You should
try it.�

�You�re some kind of an expert now?�

�My God, I�m surrounded by non-genre-savvy people,� he mutters dejectedly and trots
after Tom and Annie.

�No need to exaggerate,� Cutler says, feigning nonchalance. He is pretty sure his
heart isn�t supposed to beat that fast. �It�s just a little vampire invasion.�

�Okay, first of all, stop talking like the bloody Oracle!� snaps Cutler. This is
the new level of mental. Not to mention really unnerving, coming from his dead
wife. �Look, I�d love to help, but� Shall we say, my plans tend to go to the dogs a
bit too often these days. Besides, I�m trying to stay on the straight and narrow,
and Hal�.�

�Er� myself.� He smiles. �You all hate me so much that I figured I�d join the club
and give myself a piece of mind.�

�I was wondering if maybe you could put in a good word for me. If we all have to
work together, I�d rather not deal with her eternal PMT.�

�Given the nature of our relationship, I sincerely doubt my word would count for
anything.�

�He�s gonna eat the PM on telly?� Cutler repeats, dumbstruck. That�s actually� not
such a bad idea. He snorts. �What�s next? Summoning Satan?�

�You�re not seriously suggesting we loaf about a big city, loaded with bombs and
stakes and whatnot!� Cutler says. �The last thing we need is to be mistaken for
terrorists.�

Oh God. The sky must be falling.

�Sure you can,� Cutler says dismissively. �You heard Tom. He�s got you. You�re
gonna be like Butch and Sundance.�

If Cutler had enough time, he could make a proper joke out of this material: Tom is
the dog, but Hal is the one who has to be kept on a leash. This is golden.

�He�s not that scary,� Cutler says cautiously. �I�ve met him, remember? He should
just get his teeth bleached and perhaps think of using some skincare product.�

�No,� Cutler says, meeting his eyes. �But I am. You may laugh.�

�But I chose not to. And afterwards, I chose to stay with you. Everything I did,
everything I�m doing now is my choice. I kept telling myself that you wouldn�t have
had it any other way.� His lips twist into an almost painful smile. Revelations can
be as damnific as they can be cathartic. �But that�s not true, is it? If I wanted
to make a different choice� well, there�s plenty of wood around.�

�Could be worse,� Annie comments distantly. �He could be massacring dozens of

innocent people on a train. Or he could be recruiting.�
�Oh, please,� Cutler mutters. He should really do something about that chatty
tongue of his. �Just because your vampire flew off the handle and had to be put
down, it doesn�t mean�.�

�Looks like I�m taking this whole going dry thing a bit better than you. I guess my
lack of appreciation for brutal and creative killings has finally come in handy.�
Cutler grins; Hal predictably doesn�t. �What I�m trying to say is� You�ve got this
huge support network. Take it from someone who�s got the first-hand experience in
disappointing people: you don�t want to let them down.�

�What do you mean why? Look at this place! It�s like a James Bond film but with a
crappy low budget. I wonder if there�s a panic room. Or a secret torture dungeon.�
Hal cringes. �Come on, everybody loves a dungeon!� Cutler winks slyly. �I know you
did.�

�I don�t care about their trust!� But she didn�t see Hal�s face. And now Cutler
doesn�t want to think about Rook�s proposal because for all he knows, that might
have been a cruel joke too. �I want people to remember my name. I don�t care if I
go down in history as a hero or a villain as long as I make it.�

�Fuck Hal! He�s a dick. And why should I want him off the blood anyway? He�s even
more insufferable this way! Sanctimonious bastard. He almost killed someone, but
it�s totally okay because he�s their fwiend! Hypocrites, the whole bunch of them.�

�Hey,� he says weakly, �just remembered a cool joke I saw on the Internet. Opera is
when you stab a bloke in the back and instead of bleeding, he sings.�

�Oh God, you�re one fucking suicidal bitch,� he says, and laughs nervously. �I am
done helping you! Look what you�ve made me do. Leave me alone, or I swear, I�ll�.�

�Losing My Religion.� Hal�s blank face speaks for itself. �Don�t tell me� Everybody
knows that song!�

�I wanted to,� he admits. �Not that I seriously thought I could have a career in
music. It was a fancy of sorts.�

�Rachel. As soon as I knew I�d marry her, I reckoned I should have a proper income.
Besides, I�m good at my job. Bloody great at it, actually.� He shakes his head in
disbelief. �Have you really never heard Losing My Religion?�

�Hal, taking her with us tomorrow is like entrusting an Alzheimer patient with a�
well, a home-made bomb!�

�Hal,� he says. Hal�s name is something people have been known to choke on. �Where
do you think our victims go after death?� Hal knits his eyebrows, surprised. Cutler
amends: �Is it� nice there? Or do they suffer because� of us?�

�Adam is so zen about being on the wagon because of you, isn�t he?�

Yeah... That's my ringtone for vampire bullshit.

�I�ve got nowhere else to be,� Cutler replies with a huffish snort.

�Pipe down, Hazel the McWitch!�

�Wait! What�?� They shove him into the guest bedroom and attempt to close the door
in his face. He grips it and stops it from moving. �What is going on? For heaven�s
sake, it was an accident! If you�re afraid that I might� She�s not my type! I�m not
even that hungry! Hal!�
�Oh. Yeah. Absolutely. But I feel fine now. No desire to massacre all five and a
half humans on this godforsaken scrap of land in order to prove my feelings if
that�s what you�re worried about.�

�I think I could play percussion with the fragments of my ribs,� Cutler croaks.

�How can you stand it?� he whispers. �Mouth like sandpaper. This feeling that
something is clawing at your gut.� Nausea makes his head spin. �Why would anyone
inflict this on themselves voluntarily?�

�Are you really doing this out of some weird respect for humanity or is there
another reason?�

�That touching pitch about this being their world and not ours.� Cutler scoffs.
�All very nice, but it�s bullshit.�

�Yeah! We�ve got as much right to be here as anyone else. I mean, look at Tom. Look
at what he turns into every month. Yet you view him as a victim. You don�t deny him
his place in this beloved world of yours even though he�s a part-time monster.�

�Some of us didn�t have a choice either!� Cutler snaps. �Like maybe their makers
forgot to ask them.�

--Let�s be mates, Casper. I don�t bite� Oh, awkward.

--Alex, can we have one conversation where you don�t bring that up? Hal would�ve
done it if I hadn�t.
--Nope, I�ve moved on to something much more substantial.
--What makes you think murder�s something I consider to be substantial?
--Why, d�you want to help?
--Well it�s not saving the world, I�m afraid. But I�ve got a� problem, I suppose.
How much do you know about werewolves?
--You might want to find out a bit more. Let�s just say they�re slightly more
integrated in our society than you might realize, Alex.
--Yeah, but he�s a specific type of werewolf. There are others.
--Shapeshifters.
--Why would I joke about Shapeshifting Lycos?
--Vampires aren�t the worst things out there, my god�Most of these Lycos aren�t
even aware of their conditions: they can�t control it.
--It sounds like a stereotype, but they�re probably hairy� Tom�s eyebrows for
example. Uh, the one�s I�m talking about: they�re jittery, twitchy, pass out in
random places, visit hospitals a lot, increased sense of smell, temporary amnesia�
--I dunno, just maybe find out if it�s possible to treat their condition. Or get a
really big cage.
--Sorry for the shocker.Believe it or not, I actually have feelings.
--Keep an eye out, I suppose. Let me know if you see any weird hairy people about
or hear any howling when there�s not a full moon�Don�t suppose you could get me
some police records, could you?
--Those, and anyone arrested in a forest
--Why�re you so interested in helping me?
--Maybe I should�ve recruited you,We might make a good team you and I.!!
--Hal would�ve beat you to it.
--I�ll try not to piss you off, then.
--Pr-proper dead?
--I prefer being undead. Thanks.
--You could technically call yourself partially deceased.I mean you�re still here.
--I� I think you missed the part where I said �partially�
Kill me now. Someone get the stake. Oh, god. I'll break a chair.

--He�s under a pile of paperwork, and he�s barely seen sunlight all day but he
takes the moment to answer her, �If I needed to sleep, I�d be tired. How are you?�
--�I can only imagine.� the pen in Cutler�s hand taps on the desk. Tap. Tap. Tap.
�So, just come here for a chat� or is there something in particular I can help you
with? Do, er, enchant-ry people need lawyers?�
--�No,� there�s a slight hint of a lie in his words, but he�s grateful for the
distraction. ��We� erm� help people out when they�re too stupid to simply agree
about something. Provide all the evidence to help someone get out of trouble, too.
I guess you could say we�re back up, or just there to do all the paperwork.�
--��Mm. Vampires would self-govern but then there�d be no humans left.� It should
be morbid, but he keeps his expression deadpan.
--�Drink blood, visit IKEA, hunt for werewolves�� Usual stuff, really.
--�Oh! I don�t mean �hunt� like that. I don�t want to kill them or anything�� He
likes werewolves, he just wants to catch one and film it.
--�Yeah? It doesn�t get any less confusing. Near-90 years later I�m still spending
most of my time confused; or wanting to hit somebody.�
--Personal question. �A bit, maybe, yeah. It was a simpler time.�
--He�s curious, she seems like she�s actually feeling guilty. Like he�s hurt by her
words yet he�s fine and he�s smiling. �Don�t worry about it. Really.�
--�I need to buy some milk, but otherwise, no�� He brushes off the compliment by
pretending he hasn�t heard it, �Why?�

++
Rose? By any other name would smell as sweet�Cutler. Nick Cutler. It�s a pleasure.
Partner, actually. We have some business together.

**�Hi? You look worried. Don�t worry, I don�t bite. much

**Ah. I don�t believe we�ve met, Alice�?
**�Promise you won�t freak out?
**Always good to hear, I�m a vampire.
**I hope you won�t be disappointed when I tell you my name isn�t Dracula� [smirk]
I�m Cutler.
**Bit of a nightmare to get fixed on Deed Poll. A cheap thrill, though. Maybe I�ll
put it in as my middle name�?
**Cutler�s my last name. But I was being sarcastic.
**No need to look so embarrassed, m�name�s Nick.
**�It does? Hm. *he wonders if they have any mutual friends* Fascinating? Ha, not
really. I�m a lawyer.
**Ensuring the law, I suppose? Uh, it�s mostly signing things and writing up
contracts. Bit of a drag. *feigns a yawn*
**Nothing a little photoshop won�t fix every decade or so.
**�Nearly ninety years old.
**Oh, thank you. *manly giggle* I often wonder if I actually did show my age,
whether or not I�d still have all my hair. It was never anything I worried about
when I was young.
**Good to hear. *smiles* So, Alice. Personal question, I know, forgive me? but
judging by what you�re wearing� You�re older than me?
**Ouch. That�s a really long time.
**You must�ve read all the books in the world by now, though.
**Seeing as you�re such an avid reader, I wouldn�t call that unfortunate
**I� don�t have a hobby, actually.
**Watch films, I guess, murder, occasional baking�
**Hm? Ah, so I did.
**Well I am a vampire. It�s what we do.
**I don�t do it often. It�s an infrequent hobby, as it happens.
**�Yeah. I don�t ice my cakes with blood if that�s what you�re thinking.
***laughs* I�m really not the vampire Sweeney Todd.
**I�m not that nice, Alice.
**You don�t have a reason to think I am nice, either?
**You see the world in such an innocent way, even considering� *he frowns* I�m
assuming you were murdered?
**Then you�re well aware that we�re monsters.
**Anyone I know?
***splutters* Well. Shit.
**Know him? Yeah. We go way back�
**Pretty far back. Since the beginning, technically� Well. My beginning.
**Then we�ve got something else in common. *rubs the back of his neck* He recruited
me.
**I didn�t resent him until he killed my wife, really.
**Yeah. Then he took me under his wing as his proteg�. So as I said, we go pretty
far back.
**He provided me with blood. At the start, you�re so desperate that�s all you want.
Nothing else matters. I was horrified, naturally. And I�ve finally got my revenge
but� No, I didn�t want to stake him. If I�d tried, he would�ve done the same to me.
***sniffs* Killed his girlfriend.
** No, no� she�s still around *sighs*
**I don�t think she�s specifically still here to haunt me. More of a case of
unfinished business.
**Yes� on occasion. Not as much as I used to, however.
**I, uh, I kill for� to cover stuff up, mainly. I avoid it unless people are being
difficult. I get blood other ways. So.
***frowns a bit* �If I told you, it�d be somewhat counter-productive.
**Even so, ghosts have more access to the law than I think you realize.
**Well, ghosts can go anywhere they like. It figures that they�d hack into a few
things.
**Why would you want to hack into things in the first place? *curious smile*
**Yes. Reasons are the root of all evil� Uh, there�s always some sort of reason.
***lifts an eyebrow* Nice try, Alice. I�m not enabling you in this. I�m sorry but
I�ll just get into all sorts of trouble.
**I�You can read minds?!
**Yeah, I know that much but mind reading� Really?
**Eww, sounds messy. Please don�t rifle through my thoughts.
**What question? *returns the smile with an innocent one*
**Well, say something�s happened and somebody�s threatening to expose you for what
you are - you�d kill �em.

--- *topples off desk-chair with a loud bang*

---How is tea going to help in this situation?

Beware, I�m not a yoga novice. My fingers haven�t stretched to my does for decades,
either.

People only really eat pigeon at gourmet restaurants. [and no, they�re not going to
one of those.] Or in the Middle Ages

So, much fancier than pizza hut. And the Middle Ages were awesome � a time of Kings
and Queens, Knights of the round table.

No, Mitchell�s not from the Middle Ages. He just has a ridiculous haircut.

I really don�t think Mitchell would suit a haircut like Hal�s.

He�s got a style� Leather jacket, boots, long hair.

Fair enough, and I think his hair�s natural.

I�d look stupid, Dirk. I don�t suit long hair.

I�ll have to take your word for it.

Anything you want, my treat.

I�m sure that�s not a problem, but my friend�s might be busy� Pizza hut or
dominoes?

Are you sure all of that won�t make you feel sick?

�They�re all jumpy, and all �MAAAAAAH�, you know. Bit off-putting.

[stares for a couple of minutes wondering what the actual fuck he just witnessed]
�Anyway, like I said, I might go on a cruise.

Cutler broke out into a grin, �Over your dead body, hm?�

His human mask slipped back over his face and he appeared nonchalant once more.
�Dirk� I just think maybe it�s a bit far fetched to say �over my dead body� about a
holiday.� Cutler shrugged, but the childish, excited spark was still there.

�I take it you took the offer of the goat cargo bonding experience, then?� Cutler
shoved his hands into his pockets, a bemused and judgemental smile on his lips.
Shrugging, he let his gaze meet Dirk�s. �It never tickled my fancy.�

�Hm? Nah. Nothing in particular,� Replied Cutler with a casual shrug to meet Dirk�s
interrogative tone. His smile didn�t quite reach his eyes, the friendly charisma
forced. �Just one thing: I hope you brought me back a souvenir?�

He wasn�t surprised about the mention of his credit card, Dirk wouldn�t possibly
have got him anything from his own pocket, but something that surprised him was the
purchase at all� Cutler didn�t consider the pair to be friends. In his eyes, he
tolerated Dirk and he knew that their relationship of sorts was very one sided with
the Detective taking more interest in the Vampire, than vice versa. Naturally, of
course. The pair of them were both curious about the world.But the line had been
light-hearted, a joke. His face fell into an expression that struggled to hide his
surprise, and reluctant sentiment.�Not a problem, what did you get me?�

He didn�t believe it. No, really. It wasn�t shock that prevented him from taking in
the detective�s words. Well, a little. But he was surprised it was even possible to
get a car like that for such a low price.�Who did you kill to manage that?� From
anybody else, this was a perfectly demotic phrase. From a vampire, it certainly
held a double meaning.��Really now, Dirk? You got� Seriousl� Are you pulling my
leg?�

--Cutler looked up as he heard somebody speak, scanning the street until his gaze
fell on Oliver.
�Hey. Do I know you?�
--He returned the handshake, and then let his hand fall and slip back into his
pocket. �Cutler. Nick Cutler.�
�What brings you to Barry Island?�
--�It�s a shit hole.� Cutler shrugged, �I�ve never really moved about. Traveled,
sure, but I�ve always tried to stick in the same place.�
--�There�s a funfair, arcade� The people are � verging on nice. But it�s familiar.�

Look, sorry about the singing. It was a gesture of sorts but nevermind. Doesn't
matter now.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done... Nothing you can sing that can't be
sung.

Hey, Rina. Serious question... If I'd been out 'til quarter to 3, would you lock
the door? Will you still be buying me a Valentine? Birthday greeting? Bottle of
wine?

-�What?� He glared at her with eyes red from crying.

-�Are you here to moan about being a ghost again? because I�m sorry, but I�m not in
the mood.� Cutler hopes she�s there for another reason, because he doesn�t exactly
fancy being alone right now.
-He feels guilty and sighs and just looks up at her, �No. Please, stay.�
-There was no easy way to have this conversation, but then again, there was no easy
way out. He choked on his answer, �No.� Surprise, surprise, no doubt.�Hal killed
her. Hooked her up to this machine, and he made me drink her blood before I knew it
was her.�
-It was hard to look the ghost in the eye, and even harder to admit how little he
regretted taking her life as an act of revenge. He regretted it being her, but the
revenge would never sit in his heart as something he wished he�d never done. Cutler
only hoped she understood a bit more why he�d done it.��I�m sorry it was you.�
-�It�s this again, is it? You can shout about it for as long as you like, but the
point still stands that you probably won�t pass over until you actually accept that
you�re dead.�Cutler�s head fell into his hands and he groaned in frustration. �Like
I said, go if you�re going to be like this, because whether I tell you I care or
not, it doesn�t help.�

Have you tried Wickes? -- �Do you want me to go to Wickes for you? I�ve got
the day off tomorrow.

I know the feeling. It often helps to just take a step back, review your
surroundings and look at the task in hand with fresh eyes. Lucky for you, I�m not
busy for a while, so I can keep you company. I�m also completely sure. I want to
help.

**He�d heard him the first time. There was no doubt about that, and he rolls his
eyes as he listens to Dirk trying to explain himself - whilst simply digging a
deeper hole.
�I know what a tab is. I don�t see why you would set one up - I don�t even like it
here,� Cutler sighs, the moment�s passed but he has to ask one more thing. The
table between them�s cluttered with plates and mugs, presumably all Dirk�s. �How
much have you bought, exactly?�
**�I�m not hungry,� He was. Just not for proper food.
Cutler just sighed, hoping they could get to the point as soon as possible. He
ignored the long list of food and drinks layering up the tab he�d never set up in
the first place, and at some point would get a bill for, pushing it aside to get
annoyed about later.
�What did you ask me here for?�
**��How can he drink so much coffee?� he asked himself, watching Dirk talk to the
barista. It figured, though. Dirk was on something, even if it was just caffeine -
it explained the bouncing off the walls. The annoyance of his tab being built up
again got to him briefly, but he let it slide.
�What exactly� supposedly happened in 1967?� He asked, ignoring the comment about
pizza. Cutler was a busy man and the pair of them had a job to do, he didn�t mind
paying for a few coffees but pizza? This wasn�t a date.
**Seeing Dirk freeze at the question, Cutler sighed and reached to pinch the bridge
of his nose in frustration. He kept his elbow on his knee and looked past his
fingers at the apparent detective as he began to lose his patience. �I didn�t come
here for a history lesson, Dirk,� he said and began to rise from his seat. �I payed
attention in school.�
This guy was a time waster, asking questions about nothing in particular. Come to
think of it, how was this man even qualified?
�You�ll be hearing from my law- Ah. I�ll be in touch� about the tab here, you can
pay it. I think that�s only fair?� But he thought he wouldn�t be too hasty, Dirk
needed help, and he needed information. Desperate and needy, he reminded Cutler a
little of himself back on an old case when he�d first started. �Unless you want to
improve your interviewing techniques, and tell me exactly what it is you�re asking
into.�
**