The Human Condition

Two

It had been two weeks since we had witnessed the low point of what our society had come to and we didn't speak of it again. But it weighed on my mind. The mob had been as blood hungry as the vampires but it would be naïve to think they didn't have similar underground dealings occurring with us and I imagined them to be worse.

The clouds seemed to touch the rooftops as they raced through the city, the snow was knee deep by the time the first storm finished and our city had stopped. No one wanted to go out, not even the vampires lingered in the street. Our heating was non-existent at home and our boss had no intention of opening the store until the weather had passed. We had all the blankets in our house piled around our lounge, a cocoon warmed by what heat our bodies could muster.

"And the hell that is our planet is freezing over to rid us of the vampire scum" The debate that followed on Jerry Springer had the vampires arguing back, no different to the rednecks that sat beside them. I miss the days of women fighting for cheating men who then reveal to be transsexual or sleeping with their mothers too. The racist division between the undead and living was not entertaining and usually ended with someone walking around with a stake in their chest or on the floor as a bloodied corpse. As the next lot of guests came out the gothic woman told her fiancé she was pregnant with a vampire's child, the audience was nearing riot stage and said vampire denied it all. Vampires and humans can't procreate and Jerry's writers still tried to keep the storylines of the glory days alive.

It didn't work.

Changing the channel the only thing we could find to watch was Milo and Otis and the story of the cat and the dog on their grand adventure warmed us with our memories or gave one of us an idea.

"I think we should get a cat. I think vampires don't like them" Mandy mused as the movie neared its end.

"I think its cats who don't like vampires"

"Either way, can we get one?" I didn't have the heart to tell her no. Since my attack I was the adult, the sensible one. While we were best friends and roommates, I had taken the place of carer too. I still had my parents; they kept safe and followed the rules. When the war started Mandy's Dad ran off to join Humanity, her Mother became an alcoholic and her carelessness left her an easy target. When the treaty was signed, Mandy's Dad never came home.

"Let's wait and see how this winter turns out" She nodded, pulling the blanket up so only her blue eyes and tangled mess of blonde hair was visible.

The next day we were called back in to work. Mr. Sloan only employed us and Owen. It made it hard but having work was better than nothing and because of the low staffing costs, he could afford to pay us a little more. Despite the snow disappearing, Owen picked us up. My car didn't like the cold and it was too risky to drive it on the slippery roads and pulling up into the car park, no one was around. After being closed for three days, I was expecting a crowd and as we stood by the door the silence was deafening.

"This is creepy" Mandy took a couple of steps away from the building, the hollow echo of the icy wind surrounding us in the empty parking lot and shivering I hugged myself as Owen disarmed the alarm.

"It's early, wait till mid-morning" Owen smiled at us trying to offer some comfort and going inside we set up and got ready. He was right, as soon as the sun became clearer and the clouds seemed to disappear from the sky people started to come in. It was two thirty when I finally got a break, leaving Mandy to serve I tidied up the store and got some lunch. Sitting in the back, I flicked through the paper idly and giving up on finding some good news, cut my break short and went back out.

It was by the washing detergent that I first saw him. He wasn't anything spectacular, a regular guy with a hand basket yet as I walked past our eyes met. They were the most intense sapphire colour, a shade that would rival my fathers own blue eyes. I knew without a doubt he was one of them, my gut instinct was never wrong but they had needs and things to buy too. I shouldn't be so close minded, I wanted the peace to be genuine and being suspicious wouldn't help anything.