Naked Came the Vampire (Hypernaturals 1)

Get Me to the Church On Time

The day of reckoning.

There was no band playing a dirge or other cautionary music. It felt like there should be.

We checked into a 'nearby' hotel. Nearby to what I did not know.

We got up early and cleaned up. Then we cleaned up again after the cleaning up led to other things. It did not completely feel like this would be our last time together, but it could be, which made it less satisfying than it usually is. Stress does that, I suppose. That led to me hating the idea that our possible last time was less than spectacular.

On the other hand, the least good time with Jessica exceeds any other experience I have ever had before her, so I should not complain.

I dressed in the Jessica-selected-and-approved suit, and we left for the meeting place. If there is ever any doubt that males are the lesser sex, even among humans, suits prove it. Jessica asked me if I thought high heels and pantyhose are fun, and I agreed each sex has its challenges in the clothing department. At least a woman looks like someone unique. Men look like clones.

"Pantyhose are no longer in style, you know." I pointed out.

"Because, like ties, women kept strangling their boy-toys with them." Came her retort.

Where we arrived is not what I expected. No castles and dungeons. No dark side alley, with basement access to the Vampire den.

We were at a standard-issue middle-sized church. From the design of the building, I guessed something in a protestant type denomination. Not ornately fancy. No gold foil covered spires. No bell tower. Stone colored brick, a typical high roof over the sanctuary, small windows of stained glass up high just under the roofline, small iron looking cross up top. Even if it is not an overtly decorated, in your face church with crosses and statues of various saints in every sightline, it is not the kind of place I imagined Vampires would congregate. Things like holy water and crosses are meaningless to us, in terms of causing pain or repelling. Still: it seemed od.

It is also odd to include myself in that 'us'.

The parking lot empty and the front door unlocked. Abandoned Vampire church... We entered a standard issue church foyer, complete with the table holding the guest sign-in book. There were wood double doors into the sanctuary, and halls both left and right. There were also restrooms and coatrooms in alcoves on either side of the foyer. I assumed the halls went all the way around to the back of the sanctuary, and then along to the lower one-story building behind it. The meeting rooms and kitchen that churches like this always have would be back there.

I tried not to inhale deeply. All churches I have ever been in, regardless of denomination or affiliation, including a Jewish temple, have this particular smell. I wonder if it is that churches the nation over are all cleaned using the same chemicals, or built from supplies provided by only one supplier? Smelling it now, on judgment day is not adding to the experience.

I am far too nervous to appreciate the irony of the term 'Judgment Day' in a church.

A young woman popped out of the sanctuary doors. She looked to be about 25, slender with shoulder length blonde hair.

"Maria!" she exclaimed and hurried over to give Jessica a hug.

'Maria'? Hmmm.

"Helen!" Jessica greeted happily, returning the hug in full measure. I pondered the fact that this young woman is over five hundred years of age. Surreal. She not only did not look it. She moved and acted so young, I half expected her to squeal in delight.

They looked at each other from arm's length and said things like "Oh you look great! It's been too long!" and similar.

Helen looked at me next. "You must be Adrian." There was a hint of an upper-class British accent. The accent faded by years of being other places I guessed.