Maxim Darko: The Greatest Gift of Evil. A Vampire Chronicle

CHAPTER FIFTEEN LUXEMBOURG CITY

Maxim's truck picked up speed on the autobahn and was soon cruising along at 80 miles per hour. When the truck occasionally hit a large bump, his scales scraped on the hard pavement of the high-speed highway. The impact caused him only minor pain. During the journey, his mind stayed fully alert, due to his long coma on the flight, and recent feeding. A few hours after leaving the airport, the truck pulled into a parking lot near Luxembourg City. Maxim heard the driver shift gears, and back into a loading dock. The driver got out of his cab and handed some paperwork over to a waiting worker. Maxim knew this may be his only chance for escape. He willed his hard scales to withdraw into his body. As his scales loosened their grip on the truck, Maxim's body landed with a loud thump on the pavement.

The two men looked at the source of the noise. "Hey you! Get out of here! No trespassing!"

Maxim rolled out from under the truck and for a moment, was completely dis-oriented. Spotting some railroad tracks, he fled towards them. He ran across several sets of tracks, before leaping over a high fence.

After watching Maxim leap over the fence. The truck driver shook his head. "Will we ever be rid of the druggies who infest our city?"

The other man had a different idea. "Did you see him jump that fence? He is too fit for a druggy. Maybe I should call the police."

Not eager to extend their workday by chasing a piece of scum, the truck driver said, "Why bother. He didn't do any harm."

"You're right." They went back to their paperwork.

After dashing out from behind a billboard on the other side of the fence, Maxim bumped into an elderly lady. "Watch where you are going!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry ma'am," Maxim apologized, and then calmly slowed his pace to match the late morning rush of commuters. With the ease of practice, he melted into the crowd departing the train station. He crossed the street with the largest crowd to the Rue de Strasbourg. Maxim couldn't believe his luck; the Rue de Strasbourg was the busiest street in the . The once elegant avenue was now interspersed with drug dealers, half-naked junkies shooting up in the streets, and gangs of young men who were heavily drinking. The perfect place to hide. A part of the city forgotten, or ignored by the police.

As he walked, Maxim thought about his most pressing problem. He was penniless and lacked any sort of identification. Once he had money, he could easily find a flophouse where the desk clerk wouldn't ask for his identification.

Hoping to look like a junkie, he started shuffling down the street, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. With his peripheral vision, he searched for a target who looked like him. As he neared an alley, a blonde-haired young man stuck his head out of a doorway, and asked, "Need a fix my man?"

Maxim shakily nodded his head. I can pass for him, he thought. He kept his head down and shuffled over to the man. With evident desperation, he asked, "You gotta fix?"

The drug dealer smiled, he knew the signs. This junkie was an easy target, a new customer who would return twice a day to buy a fix. "Yeah mate. Follow me." He led Maxim a short way deeper into the alley. He stopped at the entrance to a dark stairwell, where the stench of stale urine was overwhelming. The dealer slid a small packet of white powder out from a special pocket sewn into his sleeve. "Today is your lucky day. Twenty-Euros starter price."

No. It's your luck day. Maxim thought. With still shaking hands, he tried to take the packet. The dealer snatched it away, before Maxim could touch the packet. "Money first..."

The dealer didn't finish the sentence. Maxim had distracted him just long enough to launch his attack. His hand covered the dealer's mouth, as he buried four claws into the dealer's stomach. The delicious smell of blood pouring out of the dealer's stomach vanquished his self-control. Unable to contain his desire, Maxim sunk his teeth into the dealer's neck, quickening his demise. He held the dealer until his life, fully drained from his body.