"Oh hell!"  But the phone kept on ringing.  Eliza rolled over and finally awakened enough to find the damn thing.  "Hello," she groaned.  She sat upright and listened intently.  "Are you sure?"  She nodded and chewed her lower lip.  "Look, you call the cops right away and don't open that door for anyone but a cop or me, ok?"  I'll be there as quickly as I can."

She got up and dressed at full speed.  She left the house within  minutes of the phone call.  It was early Saturday evening.  Fortunately the sun had set and the weather was mild for April.  Eliza blurred and traveled at almost full speed to Vicki's apartment.  She had beaten the cops and Vicki had been correct.  There was blood all over her door and on the floor.  It was fresh and it was human.  Her first thoughts were an uncharitable, "What a damn waste," and then she realized someone was dead and it was probably an innocent someone.  "Vicki," she called, "it's me, open up."  She heard the chain being removed and the dead bolt shot open.

"Oh, Damn, I'm so glad to see you.  I've called the cops but they aren't here yet."  Eliza stepped into her apartment.  It was surprisingly neat.  Eliza had figured all hookers were junkies and slobs, but Vicki didn't seem to be a user and she was impeccably neat.  Neater than Eliza, who had slobbish tendencies that she had to be careful to control.  Vicki closed the door and engaged the dead bolt.  She grabbed Eliza and hugged tight enough to make her grunt.  "I can't believe it!  What sort of sick weird-o would do such a thing? They have got to be crazy!"

Eliza untangled herself from the not unwelcome embrace.  "No argument there, girl, and it's got to be the slasher that we've been reading about.  He seems to be stalking working girls.  This is no joke.  There is some really heavy duty crap going on here."  They heard the sound of foot steps climbing to the third floor, where they were.

"DAMN!" they hear a voice exclaim.  "Alright!  In the apartment, come out with your hands up.  This is the police.  Vicki's eyes got big and she seemed about to panic.

"Officer, we're opening the door and we're unarmed," Eliza yelled.  "We called you, remember?"  She turned the deadbolt lock and opened the door raising her hands.  She was working very hard projecting innocense and it seemed to be helping.  The officer saw two pretty ladies who were looking very scared and innocent.  He looked a little embarrassed as he peered into the room and holstered his weapon.

The next half hour was decidedly unpleasant.  The officer was simply doing his job but the repetition of questions and the detail he requested; and he was followed by detectives who had more questions.  The fact that Eliza had a "real" job as a research assistant helped a lot.  The mention of the Library and Dr. Rolf seemed to confer an air of credibility to Eliza, and by default, to Vicki. The told their story and then retold it and then they told it five more times.  Finally the last detective was gone with the advice that cold water was the best way to get blood off of things.

When he closed the door, they fell into each other's arms and collapsed onto the couch.  "I don't believe what we've just been through," Vicki whispered.

"Me too.  What an ordeal."  Eliza stood.  I'll help you clean this mess up."  She kicked her boots off and hiked her skirt up.  Squatting at the door, she dipped a sponge in cold water and rubbed on the door. "Well, it does come off easier than I thought."  She observed.  "And I've got to keep my fang in my face," she thought to herself.  "I am gross!  The smell is making me hungry . . . or is it thirsty?"

"What are you grinning at?  You're on you hands and knees in blood and you're looking like a canary swallowing cat," Vicki observed putting down a fresh bucket of cold water.

"Grin or cry, grinning's more fun," she replied.  "Damn fangs," she muttered.

The walk to the Bristo was uneventful, but both girls where hyper alert.  Eliza had the .380 in her purse and she was carrying it in a quick draw position.  She hoped no cops would notice or at least not hassle them.  She wasn't sure what she would do, but she figured jail time would not be a nice experience.  It was not on her list of things to do tonight.

Stepping into the bar was like stepping into a different world.  Cool, ever present music, musty smell, and the buzz of low conversation with the occasional clink of glass.  Eliza realized that she felt more at home, here, than at the library lately.  Sitting in the back booth, she sipped the drink Vicki had set in front of her, lost in thought.  Leaning forward so she could speak low enough to allow the music mask her voice, "What do you bet that the guy that cut you is the slasher?  What do you bet he's stalking you now and playing with your head? "

Vicki's eyes widened and she nodded.  "Makes sense and if that's true, it'll be you he's really pissed at us.  He  knows just where I live and I'm the bait for you.  Bet he's watching."  She wrinkled her brow.  "Wondered why he hasn't followed you home?"  Eliza knew why he hadn't followed her home.  "No human can follow a vampire that is being careful and from Vicki's to her apartment, she'd always been careful.

"Maybe he figures he'd be too obvious in my neighborhood.  Or maybe he's just too lazy.  Whatever!"  Eliza waved as dismissing that concern.  "You know that he's going to continue till he gets one or both of us."  Vicki nodded in agreement, a look of concern on her face."  Eliza slid her handbag on the table, and checking to make sure no one could see, allowed Vicki to see her gun.  "I decked that sucker once and maybe I shouldn't have let him live, but I was worried about you.  I say we set him up and take him down.  Are you game?"  She closed her purse and put it back on the seat next to her.

The jazz tune played and the sounds of Saturday evening night life continue unabated. Vicki's eyes were large and scared in the dim light.  She took a sip of her drink and set it down.  "The cops sure won't help me . . . us," she amended.  "He's really hurt me once, I don't know if I can do it."

"We did it once and we weren't ready.  We can do it again.  He thinks he's hunting us and he thinks we're scared and running.  Ok, let him think that.  Let him think that right up to the moment we have his nuts in a vice!" Eliza hissed her eyes flashing.

"Oh," Vicki whispered.  "Your eyes are doing that glow thing again!  You really look spooky!"

Looking down, Eliza had to hide her face, she knew her eyes and the hint of fang would give her away.  Vicki was scared enough at this point, she didn’t need this too.

“My eyes always do this when I’m angry, and BOY AM I ANGRY NOW!”  Eliza almost yelled.

Lowering her voice, she told Vicki that they needed to come up with a plan that was easy enough to follow through with and not forget if they got excited or scared.

“Laughing to herself, Vicki thought, “no way will I forget.  Your blood is mine, sumbag!”

“There they go again, a hint of fang and Vicki looking straight at me,” Eliza sensed.  Hopefully she’d think it was just a flash of light on teeth.  Feeling the fangs recede again, Eliza looked up and smiled.  “There, see, I’m calm, no more flashing eyes,” she said to Vicki.

Grinning back, whatever Vicki was about to say was quieted by the approach of another woman. Glancing up quickly as the woman’s shadow fell across the table, Vicki smiled a welcome.  “Hi June, Eliza this is another friend of mine.  June meet Eliza.  Sit, sit, we were just talking about the killings going on.  Its not safe to be a “working girl” right now.”

June sat with a frightened look on her face.  “That’s what I wanted to warn you about, Vicki.  Seems we can’t walk the streets safely.  There was another killing. “

Looking at Eliza, Vicki said they’d heard about it already.  Shaking her head, she looked at June, “how are you getting by, has it changed anything?”

“Not really, ya know.  Still gotta work, just look around more often than before and a little more careful of the guys I hook up with,” June replied.  “It’s so hard to tell though.  The guy might look ok and be a kinky s.o.b., and a guy who looks like a weirdo is an alright joe.”

Speaking for the first time, Eliza commented that this killer was sure a weirdo.  “He has a pure hatred going.  Look at the way he hacks at his victims.  Has a thing about, not to be insulting, prostitutes, both male and female.”

“Well it seems the cops ain’t doin much to catch this loser, so I guess we have to be extra careful until he trips himself up and is caught,” June said.

“Boy this place sure could use some live music for a change,” Eliza commented.

June replied that they’d had a jazz group in here once and the place was filled to the rafters, but that after several fights, the owners decided to stick to the canned music they now used.

Hearing loud voices, the girls looked up in time to duck as a bottle came flying their way.

“Speaking of fights, duck, it looks like one is about to begin,” June cried.

Dropping to the floor, the three of them watched as more and more of the guys took sides with the original two combatants.  All the women either dropped to the floor like the three of them or scurried away to the far corners of the room.  Although there were two right in the midst of things.

Eliza watched, with a laugh on her lips.  Flicking her tongue quickly across her lips as the scent of blood hit her.  Knowing she couldn’t do anything about it, she didn’t fight it as the fangs slowly came down.  Concentrating on projecting calm, she watched as the fighting slowly died down.

Suddenly the bartender came around the end of the bar with a baseball bat in his hands.  Standing at the end of the bar, he put his hands on his hips and yelled, “Alright you, break it up or I’m gonna wade in there and break heads.  Then I call the cops and tell them I have no idea how the heads got broke.”

“Yeah, yeah, you go Mike,” someone yelled from the back of the bar.

Knowing that calm was returning, he laughed and told them to pick up the chairs that were still usable, he’d prepare a bill for everyone involved.

Calmly standing up, the three gals looked at each other and laughed.

Another fun night at the Blood Bristo.  Who needs excitement when you can come here?

Mike brought up the lights to signal last call, there was a rush to the bar for the last drinks. He presented the two original fighters with a bill for the damages they had caused.  Trying to talk their way out of it, they said they hadn’t caused it all.  “No but you started it and you will finish it by paying your bills, or I will call the police.”  Looking at the big bruiser, they quietly closed their mouths and paid.

Signaling Mike, Eliza motioned for three Plum Brandies.  Making her way to the bar, she took the drinks from Mike and made her way back to the table.

“Now ladies, a toast to getting this pig caught,” Eliza toasted.

Laughing, both June and Vicki raised their glasses and quickly joined the toast.

Sputtering slightly, June said she hadn’t know that the Plum Brandy had such a kick.   Warmed me to me toes it does.

Saying goodnight to June, Vicki and Eliza made their way to the door and quickly slipped outside.

Taking a deep breath of the cool early morning air, Eliza said it was sure quieter out here.  “They were in rare form tonight Vicki,” Eliza commented.  “In all the times I’ve been there, this is the first knockdown, drag out, fight I’ve seen.  Must be the spring air, all the guys are randy.”

Listening intently, but continuing to carry on the conversation with Vicki, Eliza listened to the footsteps that followed them.  Heavy, not stumbling like a drunks, very purposeful.  May be our stalker she thought.

Suddenly a voice asked them what they thought they were doing, walking alone at this time of night?

“Geez Jimmy, you scared me!” Vicki screamed.

With a slight laugh, Jimmy replied he’d seen them leave the Bristo and wanted to make sure they got home safe.  Two, “little girls like them needed the protection of a big bad dude like me,” he replied.

“Eliza meet Jimmy, Jimmy meet Eliza,” Vicki said.  “Jimmy lives downstairs one floor in my building.  But you didn’t need to scare us half to death, Jimmy,” Vicki said.

“I just didn’t want to see anything happen to you Vicki, Jimmy replied.  I saw the cops at the building tonight and I saw them leaving your apartment.  What was that all about?” he asked.

“We were told not to say anything Jimmy,” Eliza and Vicki said at the same time.

“Ok, ok, but I know something happened. As long as you’re ok, Vicki, that’s all I care about,” he said.

“I’ll leave you now,” Jimmy said.

Looking up they, realized they had arrived at Vicki’s apartment building.  Entering the doorway, they all started walking up, Jimmy leaving them at the second floor and they continuing on up.

Eliza noticed that Vicki became more nervous as they reached the third floor, but everything seemed to be ok.  Arriving at her door, they saw a note pinned to it.

“I KNOW WHERE YA LIVE, BITCH.  YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOURS!!!!!!!!!!!”