Coffee’ at Midnight

Chapter 1.

My name is Andrea James; I’m 24 and work as a bar tender at a club on Thirty-Second Street. It’s a cool place to work; the outside simple, unimpressive red brick but it’s awesome on the inside, blue neon and black lights make the whole place look insanely cool.

I pulled my bag up higher on my shoulder and looked around. It was dark, after midnight, and I was in some back alley of New York City. This was not good. I should have gotten a cab home but no, I had to pay rent instead.

I was wearing my favorite pair of faded hip huggers and a jean jacket over a white tank top, my four inch heeled boots thudded solidly against the damp pavement as I walked. I don’t think it rains while I was work every night; the pavement just always seemed to be wet when I get out, go figure.

Heading home from work shouldn’t be a complicated thing, but I didn’t recognize any of the buildings around me, that’s not good. What in the hell? I’ve been living in this city for three years and I’m still getting lost on my way home. Ok, so it’s not my fault. I just changed my jobs only two months ago and I get turned around at night. It’s a wonder I haven’t been stabbed by some gangster wanna-be.

I was playing with the idea of turning around, you know, to retrace my steps and find out were I’d gone wrong, but at the moment I’d deiced to do it I heard the scuff of feet behind me. It was probably no one to be worried about, but just in case I kept going forward. No sense asking for trouble, right?

The feet got closer behind me and I quickened my pace. Where the hell was I? Where was my apartment? Ok stay calm, no need to get panicky. I told myself taking a breath.

I walked past an open door way. Two guys were leaning against the doorframe. Both looked dirty, and both had multiple piercing. One had a cigarette in his mouth and the other grinned at me and step forward. My steps faltered, my brain was screaming run but my legs must have gone on break because they weren’t moving.

“Hey, chicky. You lost?…” The non-cigarette guy said to me. “Chicky”…was that even a word?

I really didn’t like the leer on his face, or the smell coming off him. Damn… he looked and sounded like a gangster wanna-be.

“No, I’m just taking a short cut home tonight.” Not the most impressive lie but give me a break; I’m a little jittery at the moment. I glanced behind me, there was no one there, odd, I could have swore there been a guy behind me while I’d been walking. The guy with the cigarette grabbed my bag, jerking me back.

“Hey!” I snapped at him and a third guy came into my line of vision. Not good and this was an alley! Were the hell did the third guy come from. I really have to start being more aware of my surroundings.

This one looked very T.V Italian with his dark hair slicked back and a silver jacket on.

“Well, well…what do we have here?” The Italian asked and he touched my cheek. I jerked away from him, putting the brick wall at my back. If a look could kill, they’d all be dead right now…alone with a lot of other people I’d glared at since I’d move to this city, but looks can’t kill so I’m in trouble.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped at him but my voice was weaker then I would have liked it to be. The silver jacket guy flashed a malevolent grin at me and put his hands on either side of my shoulders, pinning me to the wall. In the back of my mind flashed a mental image of spider man swing to my rescue. Now’s not the time of super hero fantasy’s. I told myself.

The Italian leaned closer to me and smiled wide. I froze, and then I gasped. The dude had fangs! Like a fucking vampire!

“Holy s-shit,” I breathed. I was scarred, but less then I probably should have been. Maybe it was the shock. The guy laughed softly and leaned closer to whisper into my ear. “You’re going to taste excellent…” A shiver ran up my spine as his breather stirred the hair by my ear. If I hadn’t been so scarred I would have questioned his choice of words, they were rather…cliché. Instead all I could think was; was this really happening? Was a vampire really attacking me?

He grabbed my face and turned it sideway, exposing my neck. I tried to fight him off but he had his body pressed against mine and I couldn’t move. I felt his breath on my neck and squeezed my eyes shut. I was dead. And what was worse, I was going to die like I was in a bad Hollywood horror flick.

“What’s going on here?” said a new, calm, voice. The breath left my neck and I cracked open one of my eyes in spite of myself. The silver jacket guy was looking at another, forth, guy.

The new guy was tall, with Hispanic facial features and matching accent. He was dressed in a skintight black tee tucked into dark blue jeans and a long black leather jacket. His black hair was tied back in a ponytail and his posture was relaxed. He wasn’t Peter Parker, but he’d do.

“We’re just having a little fun here Reeve,” said the silver guy, he suddenly looked nervous but rebellious. Like a teenager telling their parents that they tried alcohol at last’s weekends party.

The new guy, Reeve, raised an eyebrow. “Really…” his gaze flicked over me and I froze. Not because he was giving me any kind of look, but because this guy was completely detached from any kind emotion while a vampire stood here intimated by him. Reeve must be one scary guy.

“Back off Reeve, She’s mine.” snapped the silver guy defensively, apparently Silver thought there was more to Reeve’s look then I did.

Reeve gave him a dark look. The Italian was in trouble

“No,” Reeve said, “This one belongs to me.” Then, in a movement to quick for me to follow, Reeve grabbed the silver guy and threw him into the opposite wall. HE slumped down onto the pavement and after a second he groaned. Reeve glared down at him for a moment. The other two took off running.

“Remember your place.” Reeve growled, then he turned to me and bowed his head gracefully. I had plastered myself to the wall and reeve’s complete change of character threw me. Reeve offered me his arm, like a gentlemen out of a movie.

“Shall we?” He asked and for some unknown reason I took his arm, letting him lead me away from the vampire, and into the night.