Into the Dark - Chapter 2

I still had a good deal of recovery time left, before I would be back to my full health, a month at the most from the way Daniel estimated. This was both a relief and a burden to me. My eldest brother had decided to stay with me at my apartment on a extended holiday in order to see that I recovered properly. Between him constantly hovering over me, Collins frequent check ins, and Emily making sure I had three meals a day (even though neither Daniel or I required it), I was never left to my own thoughts. Perhaps this was best, considering I had much to think about and none of it was very good thinking material. Nonetheless, I was more than happy to finally return to my home when they deemed me sturdy enough for the trip across town; by night of course.

Daniel had seen to it that I was heavily medicated so that I was able to recover faster. It was nearly a week before he stopped the medication and I was able to move around on my own. I stumbled out of my bedroom feeling so weak on my knees that I might fall, but knowing I was now to sturdy and graceful for my legs to actually buckle beneath me.

“Good to see you up and roaming around, brother.” Daniel looked up from my kitchen table that was now overcrowded in papers, documents and legal books.

“Do you ever take a day off from work, even on holiday?” I laughed hoarsely, my throat parched and aching.

“Old habits die hard. But it does help when you no longer need sleep.” I cleared my throat and he must have realized what I needed. “Aye, you’re probably thirsty?”

I nodded.

“Well come on then, I’ll show you how your going to survive for the next,” he paused thoughtfully “well, for however long we live. Which is quite some time, mind you.”

My brother joyfully jumped up and brought me to my refrigerator and like a magician who has saved his most attractive and daring trick for last, opened the door to show me what it held inside. Bags upon bags, of red liquid were stuffed into every available space in the fridge. It had never been so full before now. Daniels face gleamed like a proud father providing for his family in a time of crisis. My stomach churned in desire, and I was equally as repulsed as I was attracted to what the bags held.

“And they say that the Red Cross has no purpose these days.” Daniel laughed.

“Danny, I don’t know.” But I did know. I knew what I thirsted for, and even though I hated it with every fiber in my being, I wanted it more than I wanted to live. The smile and pride Daniel carried on his face just moments ago faded into mixed emotions.

“Jonah, I get it. You don’t think I felt the same way when this happened to me? I didn’t just wake up the next day and return to being who I was before I died. I wish I could have. I wish I would have had someone explain all of this to me, to make sense of everything.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” he muttered. “The first year of this is, difficult, to say the least. But this is what we need now. We have to drink. Believe me, its much better to do it this way, to drink out of bags and retain some part of our humanity than to go out at night killing anything with a pulse.”

There was so much of all this that I still didn’t understand. I wasn’t sure who, or what, I really was. I knew that I had died, and that somehow I am now living again. I realized that my body had undergone such a serious and lethal transformation that it had taken me two weeks to even begin to recover, but the most important thing I knew is that above all things, my body craved something new. The most taboo thing one could ever thirst for: blood. I knew the American word for what I was, but that didn’t mean I had to make myself believe it.

I took a bag from the fridge, ice cold to the touch, and thought on how silly it looked in my hands. I couldn’t imagine any other man in New York City taking a bag of blood out of his fridge and preparing to drink it as I was. It almost seemed like some cruel prank, a twisted trick being played on me. That part of your brain that forces you to realize the truth, no matter how difficult, spoke to me again and let me know this wasn’t just a joke.

It took me just a few seconds to drain the bag of its contents. Some new instinct had overridden my basic human etiquette on how to properly consume a liquid. I had punctured the bag and more or less inhaled the contents as though it was air. My gums pinched and my mouth felt heavier, but I wasn’t quite sure why. I felt content and dizzy. It was like my body was reacting to the blood in a way I had never felt before. It was bliss. I had never done any illicit drugs until the night that I overdosed but this must be what the perfect high felt like. Everything my body craved was now satisfied. Power surged through my muscles, which was a high in itself.

“I think its best if you lie back down, brother. You need to take it easy.” Daniel said, placing his hands on my shoulders and steering me back into my bedroom.

I was tempted to break his grip but I could feel how much stronger he was than me. “I feel fine, Danny. Better than fine, great even.”

“Oh I have no doubt you do, my boy. I just don’t want you to overwhelm yourself. We still have much to talk about.”

Like magic, as soon as he said the words my body started to ache again. The effects of the first drink were beginning to wear off and exhaustion was taking over me. I wanted more than anything to relax. I lay back down gingerly on my bed, feeling all my body ache and tear.

“I think its best you know a few things first, Jonah, so that what is going on, makes more sense to you.” He paused, perhaps wondering where to begin.

“It takes several weeks for our bodies to completely change and heal. Its painful, as I’m sure you know by now. That is why I’ve kept you medicated for the last week, to spare you the worst of it. I think you’re well enough along now to start healing on your own. In a week or so, you should be back to your old self, only better.”

“What about the blood?”

“Ah, yes. You’ll have to drink regularly, several times a day at first but as the years go on your initial thirst will decrease and tamper off to a more suitable level.”

“And I can’t go out in the sun?”

“You’re perfectly capable of going out and enjoying the sunshine. For the first few years, our skin is so sensitive that it will burn, not fatally mind you, but burn nonetheless. Wear a jacket, hat, and a good pair of sunglasses and you’ll be just fine. I suppose you’d like some of the other myths debunked?”

I nodded silently.

“Well, lets see. You’re stronger, much stronger, than you used to be. Expect to be much more agile, yet you’re no faster but your endurance cannot be measure on a human scale. We can consume food, as you’ve seen before, and all the rest of that Hollywood nonsense is just rubbish.” Daniel counted off the list on his fingers. “Frankly, I have yet to see anything that can kill us nor have I ever heard tell of anyone like us dying.”

“They’re more like us?”

“Tons, brother. How many, I will never really know but they really do exist all over Ireland like in Da’s stories. I’ve met those like us all over Europe, Asia, and especially here in North America. I hear it’s rather easy to blend in here. Fairy tales just don’t exist here anymore and no one knows what to look for, I suppose.”

“How did you learn all this, Danny?” I was overwhelmed by all the new information, but still had so many questions.

“I’m a lawyer by profession and curious by nature, Jonah. I make it my business to know things. But I’ll spare you the gritty details until you’re feeling up to it. Oh, and as far as I know, I have no particular aversion to garlic, except for the foul odor it leaves on your breathe, which is of no help with the ladies.” A sudden look of remembrance lit up his face. “Speaking of ladies, brother, there was one who called for you while you were out of it. Shes called several times in fact, driving me mad, she has.”

Molly. Oh no. How long has it been since I spoke to her? Dammit, the letter. By now, shes definitely gotten my letter to her. “Danny, whens the last time she called?”

“Lets see, yesterday or the day before that. One of the two. Hasn’t called today, though, I think she finally gave up.”

“Daniel, what did you tell her?” Urgency was evident in my voice.

“To be honest, I don’t really remember. Shes called about a dozen times, driving me right mad. She asked if you were alive, and said something about a letter?”

“And what did you say?”

“I said you were alive as you could be expected to be, but you were in no condition to return her calls at the moment.” he grinned at his own cleverness. I relaxed back into my bed and groaned. “This lady, she your girlfriend or something?”

“We were engaged.”

“Jonah! Engaged?” he boomed. The volume making my limbs ache even worse.

“Why haven’t you told me?”

“Shes my ex, Danny. She broke it off a day after I proposed.” I closed my eyes

and cringed, although I’m not sure if from the pain or the words I spoke aloud.

“Is that why you, well, that whole overdosing business?” he asked tenderly.

“Most of it, yea.” I sighed. “I don’t really like to talk about it, if that’s okay, Danny.”

“Sure, sure thing.” he stood. “I suppose I should call Emily, she’ll want to know that

you’re up and at it. Worries far to much, she does.”

There was a pain within me that hurt too much for me to understand. It ached so bad that I became numb, and I knew I would never recover from that numbness. I would be able to adapt, but at what price? I, the old me, had passed on. Dead. I was now something that wasn’t human, something of a monster. I have forsaken my humanity.

And just like that, everything changed...

I no longer needed sleep and I was tired from all the bodily transformation, yet I did not slumber. I sat up, engulfed in my pain, thinking, contemplating, and planning. Before I had realized it, the nighttime had passed. My bedside clock informed it it was after noon on the next day before I snapped out of my perpetual calculating. I was a new man now.

I heard her heartbeat from down the hall, and I could smell the food she was bringing to me. Of course, I could smell the blood coursing, swirling in her veins, yet it smelled more like Daniels than it did the blood in the bags I fed on. It must have been part of the curse, our blood was already contaminated before we ever even knew.

“Morning, Jonah.” Emily smiled warmly.

“Morning.” My voice was colder than I had intended. It startled me to hear it so dark, but I felt that I should get used to that change as well.

“Thought you might be getting a bit hungry.” she sat a large tray down stacked with food that she must had been at work preparing all morning. “I know you don’t really need any of this, but I thought it might make you feel a little better.”

The genuine concern in her voice momentarily broke through the dark shield that clouded my mind. “I’m sure it will. Thank you. Is, is Daniel around?”

Recognition lit her face. “Oh, no. He said he had to step out for a bit on business. But I, well your..” she didn’t seem to know how to say the words with out it sounding as taboo as it was. “If you’re thirsty, I can go get you something. I wasn’t sure if you would be or not.”

“I am, actually. If you don’t mind.” All I can think about is this thirst.

It took her only seconds to bring me a bag from the fridge. Had I been listening, and not so preoccupied on the bag, my ears not so eager to hear the sloshing of the glorious red liquid I would have heard the footsteps up to the apartment door. I would have at least recognized them, and then perhaps prepared myself for what was to come.

Ironically, I was enthralled that someone had started to knock. Emily left in order to tend to the postman, or complaining neighbor, whoever it may be, and I was left alone with my drink. No sooner had my sister left my room, I felt the pinch of my gums and the bag was swiftly cut open. I didn’t question how, I simply drank. I inhaled the bliss of my new found sweet nectar. Strength and pure adrenaline flowed through me like I had never experienced. Such glory, such bliss. Pure satisfaction. As soon as I had started devouring the blood, it was gone. Gone too soon, yet I was content. That’s when I heard your voice.

“Emily, please. I just want to know what’s going on.”

“Every things fine, Molly. He’s fine. He’s just a bit under the weather, is all.” my sister lied. I had never heard my sister lie.

“I know there is more than that, Em. Its been weeks.” Your voice was as sweet as ever, and your heartbeat so unique and beautiful. I would never forget the sound of that steady, wonderful rhythm. “I get this letter from him, saying that hes going to kill himself, every time I call I get these cryptic responses from some guy, and now you’re telling me that Jonahs here but I can’t see him because he has a cold?”

I could almost hear the unspoken heartbreak between them both.

“I can’t say much now.” my sister sighed. “I promise you he is okay. Our brother Daniel is here taking care of him for a bit.”

“He did try and kill himself, didn’t he?”

“That he did.”

“Can I just see him? Just for a minute.” Molly was pleading now. I had never heard the fear, the urgency in her voice before. She was too strong, to certain and structured for that tone, yet it rang so clear in her voice now. “I just have to see him.”

“Molly, I’m so sorry. I just can’t.” she sounded close to tears. “Please just be patient. I swear to you that Jonah is okay.”

“I understand if he doesn’t want to see me.” Now Molly sounded close to tears.

“Oh, dear. I’m positive that he wants to see you, hes just not in any condition to see you right now.” a vague lie. “Call me tonight, okay?”

I was so close, so very close everything that made up my old life, but knew I could never have that past life. This was my new life. I was not a man, nor was I ghost, I was simply a Dreach-Fhoula.