The Bloodlust

   
                                                      *

    The frigid January wind blew furiously, freezing all it met. It had been declared the coldest winter in history, yet it didn't stop the millions of faceless people who scrambled through the streets in the eight o'clock traffic on their morning commute to work. Cars honked, in the bumper to bumper traffic throughout the large city and people pushed and shoved their way through the crowded sidewalks.

    A tall man dressed in a long eggshell colored trench-coat pushed his way through the crowd; carelessly pushing aside anyone in his way. The man placed his hands upon a young woman's shoulder and quickly shoved her away from his path.

    The girl; caught off guard, stumbled and struck the brick wall shoulder first. Pain shot down her arm. She shrieked and winced in pain and rubbed her sore shoulder to ease the pain. Glancing over the crowd she desperatly looked for the man but he was long gone.

    Then she tightly pulled her worn coat closed again; tucked her chin into the opening and continued down the sidewalk.

    She had once been considered pretty or even gorgeous at one time; but no one would be calling her anything of the sort today. Her long dark hair was tousled. Her lips were cracked, dry and bleeding from the biting wind. A single tear escaped her eye and began to descend her cheek, only to freeze half way down.

    The wind blew harder and colder than before. Her only defense from the wind was her thinning coat, which on a normal day would have sufficed. However, today the wind still managed to seep through the fabric and sting her body. Pulling the coat tighter around herself, she continued down the congested sidewalk until she reached the corner of fifty-third and Main where she made a right and followed down along a string of small department stores. As she walked, she glanced into the windows at the elaborate window displays.

    Half way down the street, a window display caught her eye and she had to stop and admire it. A gorgeous pair of shiny, black pants paired with a beautiful red silky top and the nicest pair of black boots she had ever seen. She fished around in her coat pockets for a moment and pulled her hands out to find only an old gum wrapper, a recipt for bread, a couple of quarters and some pocket lint. Disgusted, she shoved the contents back into her pockets and reluctantly turned away from the window and continued on her way.

    Four blocks down, she turned down an old filthy alley. A black cat scowled and jumped out of a filled dumpster and crossed in front of her startling her. Catching her breath, she followed the cat with her eyes, watching it disappear farther into the alley. She wasn't a superstitious person by any means and if she were, it wouldn't have bothered her anyway. She had enough bad luck in her life, what was a little more. But still something about that cat gave her chills.

    She walked closer to the left wall, pulled her hands out of her pockets, looked up at the fire escape ladder above and sighed. Mustering all her available strength, she reached up toward it and jumped to grab the bottom rung. Dangling for a moment, she had to push the pain in her shoulder out of her mind and pull herself up until she was able to perch on the ladder. Holding tightly with one hand she rotated her sore shoulder and grimmaced in pain.

    It was mornings like this that she was amazed at her strength. After mroe than four days without a meal, most people would not be strong enough to jump let alone do what she had just done. After sitting there for a few minutes, she felt she could continue the climb to her fifth floor apartment window.

    Three exhaustive minutes later she arrived at her apartment window, climbed inside, and fell onto her makeshift bed of discarded blankets. 'Home sweet home' she said while trying to regain her breath.

    Her apartment wasn't much, just four walls and her few treasures; but it was her home. Sitting there, she glanced around herself and almost smiled. The peeling wallpaper, the musty air, and the dull light emerging from the lighting fixtures; it was all she had and she worked damn hard to get it. She had come a long way from sleeping on a park bench, she was just grateful to have a roof over her head again.

    It hasn't been easy being seventeen and on her own but somehow she had to survive. Unsure of why, yet only having the feeling that there was a higher purpose to her life, she pressed on and somehow managed to live on from day to day. Everyday a new challenge, every moment a life or death situation and eating whenever food was found. She knew that normal teens her age didn't live this way; but then again she wasn't a normal teen.

    While looking around her apartment, something caught her eye on the floor by the door. A deep sickening feeling emerged from her empty stomach as it turned over in her belly as she stood up. Just the sight of the envelope made her feel wretched. She let out a deep- pitted scowl and cursed repeatedly until she got to the door and bent down to pick up the envelope. She didn't have to read it to know what it said, yet she read it anyway.

Dear Cat,

  It's rent time again... I need your payment... TONIGHT! Pay up or you're back out on the streets where I found you!
Carlos

    After a year, he still couldn't get her name spelled right. However, that wasn't what upset her most. It was what shw was going to have to do that made her feel disgusted. Another growl followed by more cursing.

    Katherine walked to the mirror and picked up her comb, looked at her image and paused. Her green eyes were puffy and encircled by heavy dark bags from lack of sleep and mal-nutrition. By the looks of her, others would think she was a hopeless drug addict, only she knew better.

    Putting down the comb, she decided to go and try to get some sleep. It had been a very long night with no profit and no enjoyment.

    Katherine walked over to her 'bed' and layed down. Closing her eyes she reviewed the events of her night. The darkness, the couples walking hand in hand, the street lights flickering. Her bloodlust needing fed, she had walked miles last night trying desperatly to find what she needed. However, she had been unable to find a suitable victim.

    Pushing these disappointing thoughts from her mind, she soon fell asleep. Five hours later, she awoke with hunger pains. Groaning, she rolled over onto her back and lay there for a moment listening to the familiar sounds of her grumbling stomach. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was now one in the afternoon, she sat up. The lunch rush was now over, the local bistro would be tossing out fresh left overs soon. Getting up, she tried to calm her stomach by saying "Okay, we are going to go eat." and stuffed a plastic bag from her kitchen drawer into her coat pocket.

    Before climbing back out her window, she closed up her coat the best she could, the zipper broken long before her use made it difficult but it would make due till she could find another. Taking the fire escape down the five floors, she had to repeatedly stop and hit her stomach to shut it up. She felt better since she had finally gotten some sleep. At the bottom of the ladder, she paused and braced herself; she hated jumping down to ground level. Should anything happen, she would not be able to recover easily.

    Taking a leap of faith; she dangled from the bottom rung, closed her eyes and let go. Her feet landed safely on the hard concrete below. Relieved, she opened her eyes and pulled her coat back tight and headed to the bistro three blocks away.

    Turning down the alley behind the bistro, she hurried quietly towards the dumpsters behind it. She couldn't afford to get caught, not now, not when she was in such dire need. Hidden behind the dumpster, she crowched and waited. Looking at her watch, she checked the time. It was a quarter after, the food would be coming out any time now.

    Several moments later, the back door to the bistro opened up. Out came a young man pushing large trash can. Katherine ducked back further behind the dumpster out of the man's sight. The man opened the top to the dumpster and tied up the bag of trash before heaving it into the dumpster. Absentmindedly leaving the top of the dumpster open, he turned and went back into the bistro closing the door behind him.

    When all was clear, Katherine came out from behind the dumpster. Pulling the plastic bag out of her pocket she circled to the front and pulled herself up on the dumpster where she could easily hold herself steady and fill her bag up with food.
Once she was up on top of the dumpster, she opened the bag of food the man had just tossed in and began to pull out item after item of still warm left overs people had left behind. She filled up her bag and closed it. Holding tight to her precious food, she climbed down off the dumpster trying not to make any noise. Once back on the ground, she looked to make sure that nobody had spotted her. Not being seen only insured that she would be able to gather food here again.

    Walking back to her apartment, she spotted the man in the trench coat that had pushed her into the wall. He seemed to be in a hurry again and not paying attention to his surroundings, so she followed him. The man rushed for about five blocks before slowing down, Katherine had kept up with him the whole way. Not wanting to be spotted, she slowed down as well and watched as he turned and entered a building.

    Katherine continued walking at a slowed pace even as she passed by the building. She was able to read the writing on the door he walked through. 'Langley and Barnaby Attorneys at Law' So he was either a lawyer or a client... Katherine thought to herself.

    This man, wether he was a lawyer or not would be a difficult victim, yet very deserving of the fate she planned.

    Reaching into her pocket, Katherine found her two quarters and headed for the nearest pay phone a block away. Looking through the phone book, she found the number for the law firm. Inserting the two quarters, she dialed the number. It rang twice.

  "Langley and Barnaby, how may i direct your call?" a sweet sounding female voice inquired.

  "Good Afternoon, mame. I was walking down the sidewalk a few minutes ago and noticed a man wearing a trench coat had dropped something. I tried to catch up with him but he entered into your office and I was in a terrible hurry for an appointment and was unable to stop in. Would you be able to tell me who he is and how i may be able to return his lost belonging to him?" Katherine asked in her calmest most genuine sounding voice.

    "Oh, thank you Miss. There aren't very many nice people like you these days that are willing to return something that was lost. That would be Mr. Larry Barnaby. He was just in a moment ago to check his messages before leaving. He is scheduled to be on vacation starting tomorrow and will be gone for two weeks. I can give you his home number and address if you like. Maybe you can catch him there this evening before he leaves." the polite lady said.

  "That would be wonderful. Thank you." Katherine replied sweetly with a smile. So far this has been easier than she had thought it would be.

  "Okay, here it is... his address is 1259 W. Plank St. and his number is..." the lady informed.

    Kathering hung up. She had all the info she needed.

    Happily, she walked back towards her apartment with her food bag in her hand. Finally she had found a suitable victim to cure her bloodlust and she had a nice meal to enjoy. With the exception of the envelope on her floor, today had been good.

    Back at her apartment, Katherine decided against using the fire escape. It was pointless now. Carlos had already demanded his payment as due so it was pointless to put herself through the agony of using the fire escape. Walking up the stairs, Katherine held the bag of food close to her. The smell of the food made her stomach growl even more.

    Inside the apartment, she took the bag with her and sat down on her bed. Opening the bag, she dug through the contents to find a barely eaten sandwhich. Hungrily, she bit into the sandwhich. Toasted rye bread with mayo, lettuce, tomato and a grilled chicken breast. Katherine wasn't a fan of rye bread but the taste was wonderful and it was better than nothing. When you are broke and hungry, anything is better than nothing at all.

  Once her stomach was full, she lay back on her bed and let it digest for awhile. Suddenly, she let out a good healthy burp. Her stomach's way of thanking her for the food. Feeling better, she got up and gathered her left overs and put them in her otherwise empty fridge for later. The only thing better than having a full stomach is a nice hot shower with a full stomach.

    The bathroom, just off the living area was plain and in just as bad of shape as the rest of her apartment. She looked into her bathroom mirror and sighed. "Kat, we have to get into a better situation." she said to herself under her breath.

    Turning to her shower, she turned on the water and adjusted the temperature. Steam flowed up from the tub as it heated. Quickly, Katherine undressed and climbed into the steamy shower. She had to hurry, the hot water would run out quickly.

  In the shower, she let the hot water run over her body. It felt wonderful on her sore shoulder as the heat eased the pain and discomfort. Once her body was thoroughly wet, she grabbed her soap and washed her face clean and rinsed the grime down the drain. Next she washed her long dark hair with the soap; shampoo was a luxury she could not yet afford. After rinsing her hair, she turned her attention to her body. Rubbing and caressing every inch with the bar of soap, she watched as the lather turned from white to a dark and disgusting brown. Rinsing off, the water began to turn cold. "SHIT!" she cursed hurrying to turn off the water.

    Stepping out, she shivered slightly as the cool air seeping in from under the door hit her damp skin. Grabbing a plush towel she had taken from the home of a previous victim, she dried off and wrapped the soft fabric around her body and breathed in the beautiful aroma. The fragrance of the towel was the same as the woman's blonde hair had been. Katherine had gotten a good whiff of the woman's hair as she came up from behind her and grabbed the woman from behind and slit her throat.

    Remembering the events of that night that she had spent in that house creating her crime scene made her smile. It was undoubtably one of her favorite kills. She had taken the bath towel as a constant reminder of that night. Still thinking about the kill, she made her way to her closet on the far wall of the bathroom.

    Figuring out what to wear was easy, she only had three outfits. Grabbing a pair of denim jeans and a black t- shirt, she quickly dressed. Returning to the main living area she grabbed her comb off the dresser and combed her long hair, removing all the knots and tangels. When all the tangles were removed, she looked at her watch. It was a quarter to four, she had enough time to catch a quick nap before beginning her busy horror filled night.

                                                    *          *

    Katherine's eyes suddenly shot wide open. "ugh, not again." she murmured to herself. She had been having the same recurring dream of a 'normal' life for quite some time now; only to awaken in her run down apartment. "Dreams are such a tease!" she wailed, punching the bed beneath her. Laying there for a moment to allow reality to set back in, she stared up at her ceiling. Even in the dimly lit room, she could still see the large darkened spot from where the blood had soaked through and stained the wood.

    The murder had happened shortly after she moved in. The man was about fifty years old and lived there alone in the apartment directly above hers. There was no sign of forced entry and no clues as to who it was that commited the crime. All that was left behind was a mangled and bloody corpse. It was quoted as "A brutal eastside murder". Katherine only wished she could take the credit for such a blood-bath; but that was one of the few of the cities murders that she didn't commit. Though, she felt she could learn alot from the mastermind with the guts of steel.

    Looking at her watch, she realized that she has slept longer than she had wanted to. It was now seven o'clock! Katherine jumped up and rushed to get her shoes and coat on. She really hated to rush but she had alot to do tonight; but first she had to go see Carlos.

    Without even stopping to check her reflection, she quickly left her apartment and headed down the hall to Carlos' apartment. She lifted her hand to knock, and hesitated. 'Kat, you have to do this. It's not pleasant but you have to pay somehow and money is not an option. Just knock and get it over with!' She said to herself as a pep talk.

    Biting her lower lip, she knocked and took a step back.

    A few seconds later, Carlos opened the door wearing only his briefs. "Hey Cat, you look good baby. Been missing you real bad, girl." He said grabbing his crotch through his yellowed briefs.

    The  sickening feeling in her stomach returned. It always did, month after month. Katherine smiled her practiced toothless smile and stepped into the apartment. His apartment was bigger but she gained satisfaction knowing that hers was cleaner. Every time she came to 'pay' the rent, it seemed that his apartment was even filthier than the previous month.

    Carlos closed the door behind her and came closer to her; looking her up and down with a grin that showed his horribly rotten teeth. He reached out an began to rub his grimey hands from her lower back to her rounded bottom. Stepping even closer, he leaned in to kiss her chapped lips. His breath reeked of alcohol, rotten food, and cigarettes. As he kissed her, she could feel her stomach convulsing inside of her and she had to resist the urge to throw up.

    'Just go with it, it won't take long. Don't make him mad. Don't get angry. Don't do anything stupid, just do it and leave. Do it and leave. Remember if you kill him you won't have a place to live.' Katherine repeated these thoughts over and over again in her mind and smiled. Carlos leaned in for another kiss, pulling her head to his and kissed her long and hard as he pressed his pelvis against her. "It's been awhile, so I am glad you brought me the 'rent' tonight. I think about it all month long, wishing it was always the first of the month." Carlos said grinding his pelvis against Katherine and grabbing her firm, taught ass.

    Katherine's stomach churned again. Nausea swept over her again but that was not her biggest worry. Now she had to fight the urge to kill the sick bastard!

    Her mind said "Just get it over with and leave!'

    Reluctantly, Katherine said "Oh Carlos, take me!" Trying to say it in her best seductive voice without sounding too sarcastic was difficult for her.

    Carlos did not reply, he hastily began to strip Katherine of her clothing until she was bare. Her eyes darted around trying to keep track of where her clothing landed for an easy escape.

    Grabbing her by the arm, Carlos pulled her into his bedroom and threw her down on the bed. Five minutes later, Katherine emerged from the bedroom and wandered around the apartment gathering her clothes. Carlos had barely made it through the motions and quickly passed out drunk on top of her. She could still feel his hands on her naked body, her skin crawled and her eyes watered. Of all the horrible things she had done in her life, she never felt guilty except when it came to this.

    While searching the apartment for her only bra as she got dressed, she discovered where Carlos kept his rent moneys. A genuine smile swept across her face. Evil thoughts came to mind then quickly faded. Katherine undid the rubberband from around the bills and unrolled them hastily.

    Sitting on the edge of the old broken recliner near the busted coffee table, Katherine fanned out the cash finding the larger bills in the center of the wad. Another smile.

    Tonight there would not be any regrets for what she did. It was weird; tonight she was actually glad she came to see Carlos. The sex had stunk almost as bad as he had, but finding the money was worth everything she had gone through.

    Katherine picked through the money and separated three hundred dollars from the wad; that would be sufficient for Carlos. It would surely allow him to stay drunk for the month, if he was careful.

    Getting up, she shoved the rest of the money into her pocket and walked out of the apartment making sure not to lock the door on her way out. Without looking back, she walked down the hall to the stairs and decended to the street below.

    On the cold, dark street below; Katherine hailed a passing cab. The cab pulled up and she climbed in. "Where to?" the cabbie asked in a foreign accent.

    "West Plank St." Katherine replied.

    "What number?" the cabbie asked curiously.

    "Just West Plank St. Anywhere on the street is fine." Katherine said beginning to get slightly irritated.

    "Okie dokie." the cabbie said as he pulled away from the curb.

    It wasn't often that she was able to ride anywhere. Over the last two years, most of her traveling has been by foot. Katherine relaxed in the back seat and enjoyed the ride to her victim's house.

    About ten minutes passed and finally the cab came to a stop. "Here you go Miss." the cabbie said. "that will be twenty five dollar." he added.

    Katherine pulled the money out of her pocket and fished out a hundred. Leaning forward and handing the cabbie the bill, she said. "Thank you. And here is some extra to forget that you saw me. Okay?"     

    "Yes Miss. Thank you. I don't remember a thing." the cabbie said gratefully.

    "Good." Katherine said as she climbed out of the cab and discovered that the cabbie had actually driven her half way down West Plank St so she would be able to choose which direction to go. Well worth the tip.

    Looking at her watch she saw that it was almost nine o'clock. Her victim was likely to be asleep since he was scheduled to be leaving out in the morning. 'This is going to be so easy!' Katherine thought happily.

    Checking the house numbers, Katherine saw that she was closer to her victim's house than she had thought. 1259 was only a couple houses away.

    Stopping in front of the large beige two-story stucko house with the golden numbers 1259, she stood and studied the home watching the dark windows for any movement. Once she was satisfied that all the rooms were dark and still, she headed for the rear of the house to find an entrance.

    Katherine wasn't worried about a possibility of guard dogs, not in this upscale neighborhood. If there had been a dog, it would already be asleep in a kennel somewhere since the owner was leaving in the morning. However, as hurried as Mr. Barnaby was he probably didn't own a dog cause he would forget to feed it during his haste.

    Rounding the back of the house, she found herself in an empty well manacured yard with no dog house in sight confirming her previous thoughts.

                                                                      (to be continued)