Читать книгу Creatures of the night - Viktoria Koshkina - Страница 3

It happened that I came back home at two a.m. In a drawing room I met the sister Christina. She as usual stays a sofa reading the book.

I leaned to a doorway with a smile looking at my little sister. Christina doesn’t see me so far, doesn’t hear, and I with impunity watch this charming picture: the girl – the brain learns the next “unpretentious” book, thickness in a floor of ten centimeters. It touches deeply: the involuntarily feeling of affection. And after all I am a vampire, and has to rejoice only at the sight of blood, and killing. Silly stereotype, isn’t that so!?

There is no wish to interrupt this harmony, there is no wish to raise noise by talk. I see the sister, and again and again I scroll shots of last life that becomes warm inside.

Only twenty years we enjoyed wonderful human life, without blood and murders. But then, at once, that fatal, late evening not simply changed our life, it changed a way of existence, we changed. And on one wave with this event, there was one more, not less awful for me and Christina: our parents died. About the father I can precisely tell, but mother, she simply disappeared, and since then noone didn’t see her, she didn’t call anybody, and we couldn’t contact it. It was only to think that she is dead, how heavy it was to cope with. After all parents for me and sister were the most Saint and dear people. They made me and Christina happy, provided light childhood. They carried out with us a leisure hours of the time. I remember as I with father and with our favourite dog Elvi, the main family member, played pulling of a rope. There was one more game about which our dog was crazy. I could throw a stick to a such distance that Elvi ran away and didn’t come back for ten minutes. But all the same the dog found and brought her back. Joyful there was that time. We had a model Soviet family. We have no time to live dreams and imaginations, everything occurred “here and now”. It was cheerful.

If I only knew how I could find those bastards because of whom I lost my parents, they would be overtaken by the most terrible fate about which they didn’t even think. But passed so many years, and to look for murderers is equivalently to look for a needle in a haystack. I with Christina grieve for parents. Despite the past, from iridescent, turned to black and blood-stained, I still have the reason of what there is a wish to stay in this world so far. Christina – the only loved one who remained with me. Until she loses forces and taste to life, I won’t cease to exist.

Now Christina looks as well as in the “last” day. The girl was twenty years old when she was bitten by a vampire. But no one knows that she is already fifty (I’m still older her for two years). She is an eternal book reader. But despite a syndrome of “the honors pupil’s girl”, Christina looks fantastic as looked always (in usual representation so-called girls – botanists look absolutely in a different way). My sister the attractive girl herself, with congenital leanness, thus isn’t deprived of symmetry. The long, red hair sometimes turning into any pretty hairdress hanging down. The pale, nice face with ruddy cheeks is decorated by big, brown eyes, always the kind, expressing various emotions.

I am older than my sister for two imperceptible years. Being the boy, I was always a madcap with the soiled face and the broken knees. I was encouraged for courage and ability to protect Christina. Parents constantly said, that me with my sister are very similar, and now we ask a question “how?”. Comparing to photos of last years, I think that I got the main lines from mother, at my order her thin structure of the face and high cheekbones, plus to it eyes.. How I remembered my mother, she always was very beautiful. I received darkly fair hair from the father. He only carried too short hairstyle, my fashion – “Grunge”, with the shaved temples. But it is not everything, after all dark dense eyebrows over my blue eyes is his “gift” too. In the white color face skin got as soon as I began “to hate the sun”. My height was higher than the sister’s for ten centimeters, but it was not a noticeable difference if to remember that mother was higher than the father approximately so. Despite the thin constitution I never was sickly. On the contrary, in early years work “molded” from me the real man and the love to physical culture consolidated effect. The defender – my main status since early years. At first I fought with Christina’s offenders, then, under my protection got Liouba. In eighteen years I met the soul mate who bore this beautiful name. We were age-mates and met two years, even planned to get married. It’s impossible to express what I felt in simple words; it is simpler to feel for me. Liouba was my first and true love; she forced my heart to fight for excitement, and to rejoice at each meeting. When we knocked on twenty, the end to the happiness came, how to be told. This is old story, and somehow I will tell it, maybe.

Our house is designed so that entering a street door, at once you come across a drawing room with conveniently placed furniture. It at us is very old-fashioned, I admit even antiquarian. Those years parents had very immodest prosperity thanks to which we often traveled. The furniture devolved in our family, and to this day truly serves us with Christina. The soft corner had to be replaced on new, suitable to an interior. There is a TV, in a corner is farther from a fireplace, there is a record player on a bedside table, in it below, on the shelf lies the pile of vinyl records. But the most demanded element of our drawing room – steam of bookcases. We try not to lag behind therefore got the computer, the washing machine, well and still something from small equipment, plus, bought brand new Lexus a year ago. The drawing room is followed by wide, most usual kitchen where there is a round wooden table from the eightieth laid by the white cloth which is skillfully embroidered by a gold lacy pattern. Under the ladder conducting upward the small closet where we store some things from our childhood (generally toys). On the second floor we have personal rooms, only three, mine, sisters, and parents. Directly along the corridor, right at the end bathroom: two small rooms – a bathroom and a toilet. By the way, from bedrooms, our with Christina, balconies, thus in our house we got only two.

Still silently, I hear as slowly the small heart of Christina taps, the breast rises and falls, thin fingers leaf through one page for another. It began since the earliest years as soon as the girl for the first time saw the alphabet and learned to read. Christina reached such achievements that, ask her about anything, she will answer any question, the level of her erudition is high. And I on her background simply the fool and simpletons. I don’t know what will be thirty or fifty years later when all books on the planet Earth end.

– You were on a hunting? – Sister unexpected asked, that I became puzzled.

– Yes, – I answered. I passed in a drawing room and I sat down on a sofa, having leaned on a back, completely relaxed, having spread out hands in the parties.

Neglecting my state which eloquently spoke “I was tired, don’t disturb me”, Christina closed the book, and put aside. I completely won interest of sister.

– You won’t tell? – With a call the sister asked.

– What? – I said, having wrinkled a forehead in misunderstanding.

– Come on, tell me, – Christina forcedly asked.

– What to tell you?! – With irritation I grumbled.

– I didn’t understand perhaps…?

– Stop. Is it so interesting to you? – I cut Christina who opened a talkative mouth to repeat the question.

The girl heatedly began to nod the red head, in a story anticipation. Having taken seat more conveniently in a chair, she crossed feet in front of herself and was going to listen. On what she hopes?! To hear something unusual, fabulous?! She probably gets up such things herself, but after all I don’t stick with questions.

– It was the ordinary man. Wait, not absolutely usual, it was the bum. It’s all. Are you happy? – I told a short story, wishing to get rid of Christina.

– And that’s all?

– Yes. – I slightly rubbed a chin with finger-tips, having opened my eyes as wide as it is possible.

– Yeah, not densely…

– And what you wanted? Sorry, but I never asked you about this.

– Yes please. Ask, I will answer. I too by the way was today on hunting. I killed, I drank blood… Yum-yum. I can tell you too. Well, if you want.

– Dismiss. Mine is enough for me.

– As we began, I will share with you today’s history. It was the local maniac. I know, you rarely read newspapers, but in recent release article was published about it, with the photo. Long time the police couldn’t catch this type. He tortured five children, and some even found dead.

I carefully listened Christina. Meanwhile she inspirable continued to tell.

– I alone walked on a stone footpath of park. Unexpectedly to me I met this maniac. I pretended to be the got lost teenage girl. He started asking what am I doing alone on the street in such darkness. He spoke with me so politely, but at the same time to nausea busily. I continued to play a role. I stopped, and he approached everything closer and pulled to me the wool over the eyes. Then, when the distance between us made only one of his step, he sharply seized me, having clamped the dirty palm to my mouth, and dragged in bushes. – Telling the last offer, Christina frowned.

I was shaken a little by bravery of my sister. Of course she is a vampire, and she can kill and win. However, whom was this vampire earlier? The little cowardly young lady who was afraid to slam a fly. And what was, if Christina swung her hand to a fly swatter over an unfortunate insect?! It wouldn’t get on the purpose. And in general, no one in our family forced to kill flies with own hand, special aerosols and various poisons were engaged in this business. We needed only to buy simply them in shop. Christina was ideal “Greenpeace member”, the truth she didn’t consist in this club of security guards of the nature. Now it absolutely different.

– I am proud of you! – I said with affectedness.

– Thanks! This phrase was pertinent the half of the century back.

– Better late than never.

– All right. I understood everything, you simply can’t still get used that I don’t need your protection any more. Tell that I am not right.

– I am very glad, – I spoke; in my voice tone of small offense and disappointment was heard. It is the truth, I didn’t probably understood that I live not with the crystal little man, and with the blood-thirsty vampire what too itself, in fact, I am.

– How many years already passed…

– You are right.

– If you need to protect someone, let’s take the child from a shelter, – with a frivolous snicker, allegedly offered Christina.

– Are you serious?!

– No, I’m kidding.

– It is a cruel joke, – I spoke. My look ran on a floor to and fro, all the time coming back to the same places. There came the unpleasant feeling of emptiness. As if something was taken away, but long ago, irrevocably.

Having understood my mood, Christina stopped. It is familiar to her, she is a woman. It is known of that vampires can’t have children, give birth. Also it is one more awful part of our damnation. Our organisms are dead, and don’t function. That moves the only thing them, these are our souls ground in our bodies. Only two organs work for us at vampires: heart and brain. The first, eternally demands blood; the second doesn’t allow to lose mind and sensible mind, maintains memory and doesn’t allow it to escape in a subconsciousness chasm. And together, heart and a brain grant us feelings of love, hatred, pleasure, grief.

– Let’s stop all this, – I uttered, and rose to go to the room.

– I made a mistake, – the sister said.

– What? – I didn’t understand, and turned in Christina. She looked at me with eyes that usually happen at the pupil who didn’t pass examination.

– I forgot to hide a corpse.

– And where is it now?

– There where I killed him, on the same place, in park.

– It is good that now only two o’clock in the morning. We can manage to return there. And you were silent?!

– I just remembered.

– Get ready, I’ll wait for you in the car.

– OK, – the sister nodded and dashed away in the bedroom.

While she was changing clothes, I got our brand new car from garage. I bought it on the money earned with me (it is better for you not to know which way) a year ago. For purchase of a car I had to apply forces and patience. But I waited when there came cloudy weather: gray sky, absence of the sun. Of course, this is a main obstacle. Leonid accompanied me. We walked on all cars, the selling assistant, and it was a woman, told us about advantages of each car, but I already foreknew what is necessary to me. As a result I chose Lexus, the new model “G35X Infiniti” of 2008, a novelty. The attractive, plump, but nice girl in a white blouse with the blue, tied in not hard knot silk scarf on a neck listed me all advantages of the chosen car, showed an interior of salon and other trifles. The ideal car about which, it is possible to tell, I dreamed. Black color, strictly look four-wheel transport, with the brilliant case. At windows dark brown blinds with an electric drive, leather sitting with ventilation (but it has bigger value for people than for me, the vampire), beautiful illumination inside and outside, dynamics of dispersal in the sports mode (it is cheerful), etc. The truth, a front bumper is low, but a problem isn’t great, this insignificant shortcoming is compensated by a high suspension bracket which allows to go bravely on stony roads. Having turned all necessary actions for acquisition of the car at last, I took the wheel as the full owner, drove Lexus to the house and tired out in garage.

Leonid is my old friend. We got acquainted twenty three years ago. Now the young man is twenty nine years old. You, probably, guessed that he isn’t immortal as me, he is an ordinary person. Both, day and night works in the auto repair shop which he got from his late father. Our acquaintance with Lionya, happened in 1986, when the kid Lionka was six years old. But earlier per day I got acquainted with his father Alexey. Everything occurred quite unexpectedly. I hunted in that part of the city, everything went silently, peacefully, as usual speak. I noticed then one men’s company. When I went to bank to withdraw some sum, at a cash desk I was faced by the stout man with a bald patch, in a leather jacket, years of forty. The stranger cheerfully communicated with someone by phone, sometimes laughed. He agreed with the interlocutor to gather by cars in one place, where no one will prevent to spend time, far away from a civilization. He called exact coordinates of the meeting place. I suggested to meet in cafe, and all together to take off from there. I overheard how you already understood, this conversation and decided to use. By the necessary time I drove up to the suburb where the necessary forest originated. I won’t paint everything in details, I will tell that through the forest it was necessary to walk. With my abilities it was easy. Three men appeared, they sat round a fire on the earth. One held a guitar in hand and played slow pleasant music, singing words. One of them went to a toilet, on what I actually counted. He warned that wants to depart for a while on “affairs” and walk through the thick plants. I crept to him and clamped a mouth hands. In a minute his corpse already lay before my feet. But then I wasn’t alone in the forest, the smell of blood was guessed by the werewolf. It got the remained two (the death occurred quickly therefore shouts were little). After, he noticed me, and decided that I deprived him having selected even the most part of “his” dinner. I managed to look in his big wolf eyes which shone gloss of rage, and paws touched one by one to me on a meeting. He looked at blood on my chin with rage of a mad, greedy predator. I rushed off to the city. The wolf pursued me with persistence of the psychopath. It became feel ill at ease, but soon, after some minutes of “jog” he wonderfully lagged behind. It came true, hardly I reached the street on which there was Alexey’s house. It stood most closer, detached, “independently” from all brisk street. Uncertain in the safety, I dropped in to garage. Over an entrance some sign hung, but I didn’t manage to sort words. Inside I saw old “Lada”, the dragged machine, isn’t known what year. The cover of a cowl was lifted, and from under the transport male feet in camouflage trousers and rubber slippers of black color stuck out. In a corner of the room there was a chair on which I without deliberating, and without asking permission sat down. Having remembered that I’m soiled by blood, I wiped and told.

– Hi, owner.

The muffled knocks on metal stopped, the man stood. Passed two seconds after from under Lada crept out a man forty five years, and with astonishment stared at me, sitting on the earth with a wrench in hands.

– I am busy today, drive the can tomorrow.

– Tomorrow? – unnaturally I was surprised.

– Late, I now will pick an hour or so more and…

– I can repair my can by myself, – I was lop-sided.

– You understand? – the owner took an interest.

– Well, and not bad enough, – I answered with enthusiasm.

– And here with what destinies?

– Robbers attacked, eight people, – I blurted out the first that turned up.

– Robbed? – having believed, he began to fuss.

– Weren’t in time, I got away from them.

– They won’t find you here?

– No, – I told, and added myself, – I hope.

– Perfect, – the man exhaled. – And how to call you?

– Kolya.

– Me Leha, – the owner was presented and got up from a floor to reap my hand.

That evening I showed the abilities and knowledge in mechanics area. Alexey offered a job at himself in auto repair shop. I agreed, but only out of politeness, and because of the attractive temper of this person. Next day, in the evening, I returned again to this workshop, repaired pair of cars, got acquainted with the young man Leonid. It appeared that Leha was the father of the little boy, the clever little son Lenya. Their workshop settled down in garage of the house, and on the second floor – housing, small apartments, with rather small bedroom, kitchen with one refrigerator, a sink, the shelf with ware and a lunch little table at a wall. Plus, bathroom: the combined bathroom, a toilet bowl on one square meter from a bathroom.

I repaired cars in a workshop not long, year, maybe one and a half, definitely I don’t remember. I was engaged in it not as the obliged person, but the amateur. Naturally, the salary was out of speech. After “dismissal” I came over to Alexey and Lionka, as the friend. In a year I became closer to them, learned something about their life. Alexey was a widower, his wife died when to the little son was without four days three years. What served as the reason of death of the spouse, the new friend was silent. After death of the wife Alexey didn’t marry, the boy was brought up by Alexey. They had no relatives, and except the father, Lionka had nobody. To support the “family duet” Alexey “stirred up” the small business, and proved tiny auto repair shop in the garage. Daily there come cars with some breakages, the master repairs one for another and receives cash for the done work. In general, not bad earnings!

So I had two new friends. Later, in a couple of years after our first meeting, I acquainted Alexey with Christina.