This Is Not a Tragedy

13 | The World is Crazy

The Strangest Day of My Life, 2007

Sergius sets down his teacup and leans back.

A biology lesson? I don't see where this is going, but I have nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing better to do or think. "Okay," I agree.

"Do you know what the Hayflick limit is?"

"No."

"It's the number of times a cell can divide. It's what makes humans mortal. You know your blood contains DNA which contains chromosomes, correct?"

"Yeah." I'm already tired of this lecture.

"At the end of chromosomes, there's a region that protects it from deteriorating. Every time a cell divides, it gets shorter." Sergius demonstrates with his fingers. "But there's a substance that replenishes them. It's like in cancer cells."

This literally is a biology lesson. Is there a point to this?

"Don't worry; I'm going somewhere with this. So, when you run out, you age and die. When you have too much, you get cancer. So when you're in the middle..." He raises his eyebrows and looks at me expectantly.

You die when you run out, and you die when you have too much? "You're immortal?" I guess.

"Yes! So, you know cannibalism? Of course, you do. There's also hematophagy, which is feeding on blood."

I narrow my eyes. Immortality... blood drinking... "Are you―"

He smiles again. "Wait, wait. Thousands of years ago, some humans practiced this. Mutations and natural selection happened, blah blah. Then you get people who are naturally born with extra of all that good stuff in their DNA. They have significantly extended the Hayflick limit!" He swings his bent arm across his chest, fist balled.

Blood drinkers who aren't immortal but live a very long time? What is he talking about? Is this some book? Is he pitching a book idea?

"Well, the catch is that their enhanced bodies now require that blood to survive. Not a lot, but it's a necessary supplement. These people are what we know as Nativus Vampires. 'Nativus' because they are born that way."

Wow. He is actually talking about vampires. Why? "Who is 'we'?" I ask, thinking the question will provide some clarity.

Sergius pauses then says, "The vampires."

I stare at him blankly.

"When Nativus feed on a live human, there's a virus-like enzyme that's deadly. But during the Middle Ages, there was a Nativus who changed everything. We call him Patient Zero."

There's that disturbing 'we' again.

"He bit someone who then seemingly died. They were buried, and that seemed to be that. But surprise!" He leans forward and points at nothing in particular. "They came back to the village alive! It turns out that this Nativus and his descendants have a mutation. Rather than the enzyme being deadly, it's... transformative. The bitten seem dead for a few days, or less—it varies—then they come back to life—partly. And they want blood too. These are known as Transformatis Vampires. They feed exclusively on blood and are even less human-like. They don't age at all. These are what people commonly know as vampires. The Nativus can more easily blend in with humans, so they don't know we exist."

Again, that 'we.'

"When Transformatis bite a human, the human becomes one of them. And there are still Nativus descendants of Patient Zero, but they're very few." Sergius crosses his ankle over his knee. I haven't moved an inch as he goes on and on with his story. He gestures a lot, and I watch his hands flit around as he continues. "As long as a vampire has had enough blood—aren't blood-hungry—they have no craving for it. However, there are two cases where a Nativus has bloodlust, regardless of whether they're full or not, and that is when they experience powerful lust or powerful romantic love."