Blood Letting

Vlad woke well before dawn. It had been many hours since he had fed and the hunger now pained him. Drawing in a deep breath he felt the dryness in his mouth, he was thirsty too. Carefully folding back the satin bed linens he climbed from his bed, walked to the window and lifted the blackout shade to peek outside. Beneath some distant clouds he saw the horizon as a silhouette against a faint light. He was glad to be safely inside.

He was the first one to awaken so he took a moment to enjoy the quiet. There was quiet but not silence. Closing his eyes he could hear the sounds of his slumbering guests, a groan here, some snoring there, perhaps even a few words spoken from dreams. Stepping onto the embroidered throw rug he walked over to a chair and grabbed the clothes he had laid out the night before.

To avoid disturbing any of the sleepers he dressed as quietly as possible putting on everything except his boots. He then grabbed his watch from the dark oak night table and glanced at the time. It was five forty-five am.

Stretching his arms he yawned, bent over to grab his boots and then moved slowly through the door. His growling stomach reminded him he had to attend to something very soon. He silently crept down the dark hallway in his stocking feet. As he moved he felt his senses heighten. The quiet sleepers seemed so much louder now as he moved.

He paused at several of the large doors to listen closer, making sure everyone inside were still asleep before continuing down the hall. A floorboard suddenly creaked loudly and he froze. Vlad waited for nearly two minutes listening intently for any sound before moving again.

Finally reaching the door he had chosen earlier he paused again, listening for any sign of movement inside. He then grabbed the ornate door knob and carefully turned listening to the slight clicking as the hardware meshed and the door eased open. In a hushed flash he slipped inside and then closed the door behind him. After pausing once again he reached up and turned the lock feeling it inaudibly click.

Standing still he closed his eyes and counted to fifty. When he opened them again he could see much better. The faint light from the window was enough for him to do what he needed to do.

Taking a deep breath he carefully placed his boots on the floor and then grabbed a small pouch. After opening the pouch he moved into the room and prepared himself. As quietly as possible he lightly ran his fingers over the tender flesh and then leaned over to get a closer look.

Suddenly he heard a high pitched creaking sound from behind him. Stepping back he turned toward the source of the sound and saw movement outside through the window. Taking several steps as he looked harder he noticed that it was only the branch of a tree scratching against the window in the morning breeze.

His growling stomach reminded him to return to the task at hand. Turning and then moving back he once again ran his fingers over the supple skin in preparation. Leaning slightly forward he took a breath and then listened to hear the distinctive snap as the skin was quickly pierced.

The warm blood pooled at the wound drawing Vlad closer and closer as he hungrily reached out squeezing the flesh around the wound drawing more blood. He then dipped the test strip into the red fluid watching it quickly run up the strip. An hourglass appeared in the backlit meter. After a short wait the hourglass disappeared and a large 101 flashed up on the small screen. Grabbing a pen from the counter and carefully wrote the number into a small booklet. He then glanced at his watch and entered the time in the booklet directly above the 101 he had just written.

After packing the small equipment back into the pouch Vlad quietly unlocked the lock and then grabbed the ornate doorknob. Slowly turning the knob he listened once again to the clicking of the hardware as the door unlatched. Picking his boots up from the floor he then opened the bathroom door and slipped back into the hallway. Pausing once again to listen for a moment, he began to tiptoe down the stairs and head to the kitchen to fix some breakfast. He was famished.