The Man Who Would Be D

Chapter 4 Restless Slumber


She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep, but two things she was sure On One, it was still dark out, for the window was cold, and the village sounds were way too quiet. Two, D was still out. Slowly she made her way around the room. Feeling where the lav door was, where the table and bench rest along the floor, where the wing chair was, the texture of the chest of drawers with its electric lamps on the top, and finally where the door was. She remembered then how far away the bed was.

It was then she heard the voices next door. “Oh no,” she huffed aloud. “Not another two.” She then heard the tired protests of three other girls, and a man’s demands for them to wake. “Wonderful. The energizer bunny!” She returned to bed, trying to ignore the mild stinging of her eyes, though not having much success, and the voices were getting louder too. “Oh please…”

“D!!” one woman screamed. “Oh! GOD D!! YES!!!”

“D?” she made her way across the room and pressed her ear to the wall. “Can’t be. She said something else. She had to.” But she heard properly as the woman, or more than one, called out D’s name again and again. Kale sat down. There had to be a reasonable explanation. D would never cheat on her. But…how can one ignore, or mistake, a word – a syllable – a LETTER – so simple as D? Kale could feel her bandages becoming damp as tears escaped her eyes. Fighting hard not to cry, she pulled her arms around her drawn up knees. “I’ll ask him,” she shakily whispered. “D never lies to me. Or anyone. He’ll tell me the truth. I know he will.”

“Now that was bright!” stated the sym.

“Quiet.”

“You really think she wont figure it out. She’s not stupid you know. She heard the voices.”

“I said quiet!”

“Or what? You’ll slice me off? I got news for you, bub, we can’t live without one another, so that threat is totally empty. Now what are you going to tell Kale?”

“The truth.”

“Oh. That stinks.” D opened the door to their rented room to find an empty bed. Quickly scanning the small dwelling, he found his woman huddled in the wing chair in the corner.

“Kale? You alright?”

“D? Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you in pain?” he asked, seeing her face and bandages wet. “You’ve been crying.”

“No, no pain. D. I have to ask you something. I don’t want to. But. I need to.”

“You can ask me anything, you know that.”

“You won’t like it,” for a moment she was silent, theawinawing closer to him, she could smell it on his clothes. “D, what the hey have you been into? You stink worse than a cow barn.”

“I found the wolf. It’s dead, but during the battle, we fell into a stagnant pond.”

She felt so relieved, and ashamed at the same time. D had been out hunting down their quarry from earlier, just as he’d said. “Thank you.” She laughed, wiping her hands of some unseen scum from his clothes.

“What did you want to ask me?”

“Nothing love. It doesn’t matter anymore.” She tried to kiss him, but the smell was just too much. “D, please, don’t get too excited when I say this, but, strip, and then get a shower. Please. You really stink.”

D couldn’t help but agree. With his vampiric sense of smell, though not as sensitive as a full blood vampire’s, he could still smell the fungus in his clothes and skin, stronger than even Kale could. He could barely tolerate it himself.

Discovering the showerhead & pipe leaked worse than a siv, D found himself standing in as much water as the tub would hold. With Kale stripped to her underwear, washing his skin with gentle hands. Blind though she may be for now, she knew her way around his body, finding the little places that he loved to have touched, and she knew just how much pressure to apply for the best affect.

Finally, his hair washed and rinsed, he leaned closer to her from his watery perch. “Now it’s your turn,” he purred.

“D, I’d love to really, but there’s something you really should know.” He carefully kissed her lips, wanting his darker desires to stay berried. “Last night…mmm…I heard people in the next room…”

“Mmm…Leave them to their antics.”

“But D…the girls called out…your name.”

“What?”

“They kept calling out for you.”

“Is that what yhoughought when I came in?”

“I knew you wouldn’t lie to me. But when I smelled that stench, I knew it wasn’t you. They were still at it till about an hour before you came in…I’m sorry. I didn’t want to make you angry.”

“You could never anger me my sweet. Some one is just playing some cruel joke.”

“Someone?…D. Do you think it could be the vampire?”

“Why would the vampire wish for you to distrust me?”
“Well, maybe he didn’t know this was our room, or that I’d be here. Remember what the wolf said last year. He uses his powers to hide his true self, even from his servants. What if…the form he chose for everyone to see is that of you?” It wIt would explain a few odd things.”

“The whores yesterday.”

“Yes, and how the barman, his patrons, and the kitchen woman seemed to know me.”

“But why you? And how would he know what you look like?”

“My likeness is well known in the Vampire circles, though only a select few know my name.”

“Than this one knows you.”

“Yes, but which one?” D reached out their room window and pulled his clothes in off the line, now dry from the warm morning breeze.

“Stagail! She called him Lord Stagail.”

“I don’t recall any Stagail from my past,” he said as he dressed.

“Maybe it’s an alias. Or maybe a vampire who knew you, told this one; who only knew what you looked like, what your name is.”

“Possible. I’ll figure it out later. Right now, I need to rest.”

“Well you wont be alone. Come on. I’ll tuck you in.” He was amazed that she could confidently walk from the lav to the bed, then again around the room to collect her discarded clothes and dress, in the same amount of time she would normally.

“Kale? Had you been blind before?”

“Hum? No. But I lived in the country, and worked a lot at night. So to not disturb my dad or the dogs, I’d get ready in the dark. There weren’t a lot of streetlights around either. So I quickly learned how to get around in the dark, even outside.”

“Impressive.”

“Here. We can do the regenerator treatment, and then get some rest.”

“Agreed, but you don’t have to go to bed because of me.”

“Yes I do. I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Alright. Ready?”

“Ready.” The treatment given and both settled, sleep wasn’t long in taking them to their dreams. Though D’s were more and more restless each night. Hours seemed like minutes, and nearing nightfall, D turned over to find that she was no longer next to him.

Slowly his conscious mind pulled him from his slumber. He looked around in the darkening room to find her once again sitting in the chair. “You all right?” he asked, but she didn’t answer. ‘Still sleeping,’ he thought. He took a light blanket and strode over to her, drawing it over her shoulders, kneeling beside her. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, threading stray strands of hair behind her ears. He felt something scratch at his chin and wiped at it. He was shocked to find a small amount of blood along his fingers. He wiped his face again to find more blood. “What…?” At once he turned Kale’s chin and moved back her hair. “NO!”

Two small puncture wounds graced her once scarless neck. A small trickle of blood ran down her neck. “NO!!” he checked her pulse but felt nothing. “KALE! NO! PLEASE!! NO!!!”

“NO!!!”

“D! Calm down! It’s ok. I’m right here.”

Quickly he checked her neck, the taste of blood some how still in his mouth. But there were no wounds. Desperately trying to reassure himself, he clutched her to him, feeling her warmth, her body full of life. “It was a dream,” he muttered into her hair. “Only a dream.”

“A nightmare, by the sounds of it,” she eased as he let her go. “You kept calling me. What was it about?”

“Nothing important. It’s all right. I’m alright.”

“Try telling that to my ear drums.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Even I’ve had night mares,” she turned at a soft knock at the door.

“It’s nearing nightfall. It’s the doctor most likely.”

“Well better let him in,” she settled herself more respectfully on the bed as she heard D move across the creaky floor, avoiding the loud squeaky board, and opened the door.

“Good evening,” she heard the old dr grr greet.ow iow is she?”

“She’s better. She heals quickly,” D returned, not wanting to mention the re why why Kale healed so quickly.

“Good. Oh, you’re awake. Sorry.”

“That’s ok”

“Lets have a look at your eyes shall we.” She heard D close the door, and as the doctor pulled off the bandages, she felt the mattress next to her sag under D’s weight, as he sat down. “There. Now slowly open your eyes. My you were right sir. The smaller wounds are nearly gone.”

“I can see a little more light, and a shadow.” She turned to D as she found the source of the soft amber glow. “D, raise your hand.” He did, passing it through the light. “Yeah, it’s you.”

“That’s good. Now look over here please.” Again the man hummed to himself, looking into her eyes through his spe gla glasses. “Better. Not perfect, but better. I’m going to shine a light, try not to look away or close your eyes.”

“Ah! That’s bright!”

“I know, I know. But your eyes are dilating. Not fully yet, but better than yesterday. I’d say… another 3 or 4 days, you’ll be fine again.”

“Thanks. How much?”

“Come see me before you leave town, I’ll have the bill drawn up by then. Also, I took the liberty of replacing the lenses inr glr glasses, quite a common prescription. I had the glass on hand.”

“Thank you. I was worried where I’d go to get that done.”

The two jumped as someone pounded on their door. “D! You Prick! Get your ASS OUT HERE! NOW!!”

“Who the hey is that?” she asked, as the doctor fixed a regular blindfold over her eyes.“D!”“D!”

“One moment please,” called the doctor. “I’ll leave you to your guest. See me before you go.”

D opened the door for the healer, and a large burly man barged in, throwing D across the bed. “Good Day,” called the healer, seeing D was alright, and quickly closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief.

“D? Are you alright?”

“Fine.”

“Where is she?! What have you done with her!!?”

“Ah, excuse me, mind readers we are not. Please tell us who you are, and who this girl is.”

“You know me lady,” he snapped, then saw the blindfold. “Oh. I’m Gin. My sister is one of the whores your man here has gone off with.”

“I rber ber you. D isn’t the one you’re looking for.”

“BULL SHIT! I’ve talked to the barman, and the other whores. They all said the same thing. He’s the one’s been screwing them! Now what have you done with my sister!!”

“Nothing. But I know who has her.”

“Gin, he’s telling you the truth. Your sister has been taken by a vampire, a particularly tricky one.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“SHUT UP! Park your butt and listen!” she commanded. Even D was compelled to sit down. Never had he heard such a commanding tone from her. Once both men were settled, she calmly told Gin what they believed was going on with the women, though she deliberately left out the information on the scientist. “So see see,” she concluded, “He’s taken another four girls to his bed last night, while D here, the real one, was slaying a wolf in a swamp. And if all holds true to pattern, those girls will disappear tonight.”

“Then I’m following them,” Gin declared.

Kale shook hea head. “No,” said D quietly. “You’ve never hunted Vampires before. You’ll only be in the way.”

“She’s my sister! She’s…”

“…Most likely dead,” D finished. “If not, she’s turned. Either way you will not follow.”

“But…”

“Besides,” Kale continued. “There’s something you can do for D, that’s very important.”

“And what is that!?”

“Stay with me.” D nodded. “This room is above a bar of less than honorable patrons. They know I’m blind right now. Need I say muche?” e?”

“Baby-sit! You’ve got to be kidding!”

“No. Body guard, and guide. The maid keeps moving things around in here.”

“Please sir,” D asked, playing along with Kale’s ruse. “She is dear to me.”

“Swear you will find my sister! No matter what!”

“You have my word.”

“Alright,” he huffed. “I’ll watch her. Just find my sister.”

“D. You better get going. You may be able to catch up to you know who, before she causes much more trouble.” D quickly kisser brr brow, and left.

“I can’t believe I’m reduced to this,” Gin muttered.

“Oh, don’t worry gin. I’ve no intention of letting D have all the fun. Now get up. You’re on my cloak.”

“I thought…”

“Hey. I’m blind, NOT helpless. I hope you brought a horse.” She pulled her cloak around her shoulders and searched through the dresser drawers for her crossbow and dagger. “According to the events told by the barman. This guy comes in for nearly two weeks then the night after the last time he’s in, the girls all go missing. I figure he’s gone now, and the girls are about to be called. That’s where you come in.”

“Oh?”

“When I hear them go down the hall, you guide me to the barn, my horse can take it from there.”

“If you think I’m letting you out of my sight, you’re nuts.”

“Thanks, I’m flattered. But you’re coming anyway. I need someone to watch my back.”

“Good enough.”