NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 8: Complications and Nuisances – Part 7.
Vivienne relaxed as the wintry air rustled through her tiny black wings during the short ten minute flight to the hospital. A very real part of the ancient vampire wanted to turn doctor Smith into chunks of quivering flesh like she’d done to the entirety of ‘The Flying Cannibals’. It was only the thought of Faye’s hand on her cheek calming her down, then asking her to come back, that kept Vivienne from following through with the impulse to destroy the nuisance.
-The dead can’t speak- She thought as she circled the building looking for a quiet place to land and change. Landing on a dark branch, Vivienne waited until a few groups of people hurried by in the vain attempt to avoid getting too cold. Once the area was clear, the vampiress quickly hopped down and changed seamlessly into her normal shapely form, adjusted her nearly useless purse over her chest and pinned her badge to her lapel before walking into the hospital.
Deep gray and white walls decorated the main part of the building, with winding stairs that led up to massive tinted windows for guests to look over the man-made lake and fountain that had been put in during the hospital's design. The walls had the current staff in little picture frames denoting where they worked and what they did. Vivienne passed a few people and nodded in response to their smiles as she followed the signs to ‘administration’ at the back of the building. Winding her way through the closed offices, Vivienne stopped at the door labeled ‘Doctor Christopher Smith’ with windows on both sides of the frame. Peeking in one of the windows, she noticed that the room was empty but had an open soda and a half eaten sandwich on the desk. Testing the door handle, Vivienne was shocked to find it unlocked. She let herself inside and initially sat down in the chair across from where her colleague would naturally sit. “Hummm.” She murmured to herself before standing up and walking around to his terminal. Shaking her head, Vivienne pulled doctor Smith’s access card from the tiny reader and watched it lock his computer screen. “Almost too eas-'' Vivenne stopped talking, and shoved the card into her purse and blurrily bolted back to her seat.
Doctor Smith walked through his office door and saw the beautiful brunette sitting in one of his chairs with her legs crossed and expertly painted red nails shining up from their position on her sculpted leg. “I didn’t expect you so soon, Doctor Moreau.”
“What pray tell is so urgent that you interrupted time with my family?” Vivienne asked politely, her French accent making her roll her “r’s” as she spoke to the man in front of her.
“Getting right to the point I see.” Chris retorted, “Very well.” He pulled out a form and handed it to Vivienne. “You can keep that one, I have other copies.”
“A release form. I imagine you have lots of these, given that doctors use them constantly.” Vivienne laughed and tossed the paper back on the administrators desk.
“This one is a bit more unusual, because the police want it rather badly.” He pointed at the name. “You see, this says that you released one, Karen Collins, to your care.”
“She is my patient, yes. I am not going any further as it doesn’t concern you or this hospital in any way.” Vivienne calmly answered.
Wiggling his finger, Doctor Smith shook his head. “Well, not really. You see, the police are looking for this woman and I told them that I didn’t know anything about it.” He paused to get a small breath, “So, I did a bit of digging and found nothing but the ambulance crew’s notes and your release.” He turned on the television on the other side of his office. “Would you look at that? That same crew is now dead.” He tossed the remote back on his desk. “What do you think of that, Doctor Moreau?”
“If you are thinking about what I think you are, you might want to reconsider your options.” Vivienne flipped her long black hair over one of her shoulders. “I encourage you to forget that you ever saw any of this.”
“Everyone tells me you are the brightest cardiologist in the hospital.” Chris smiled and perked one eyebrow before holding up the release form. “Oh, You know what I am about to say, don’t you … Vivienne.” He said her name like a dare to the modelesque woman in the seat across from him.
“If you are like every other human I have seen try this, you are somehow thinking to blackmail me for sexual favors.” Vivienne rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Predictable. Your kind are always so predictable, and typically cowards.”
Clapping briefly, Doctor Smith nodded his head. “Amazing. It is this simple. You do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you and for as long as I tell you, and this paper disappears. Along with any video that has been caught of you here, ahem, bribing me.”
Vivienne was on the man before he could blink and slipped the knot on his tie so that his airway was partly cut off. She focused the turmoil of her blue eyes on the man, “I could kill you now, erase you so that you were never found in a thousand years of looking.” She lightly blew the hair from her face, “However, I am a generous woman and will give you one chance to use that brain for more than a petty threat.” She flipped out his keycard, “What is the pin?”
“F..fu…” Chris gasped and tried to draw more air into his lungs.
“Don’t complete that word, Christopher. You will not like what happens next.” Vivienne warned. “Just the pin.”
Gathering enough air to fuel one swing, Doctor Smith brought his fist to slam against Vivienne’s cheek, shattering the bones in his hand. Vivienne smiled and winked at him with one of her blood rimmed, hostile blue eyes as he started screaming in pain. “Intellectually you are inferior. I gave you fair warning, Chris.” Giggling softly, Vivienne whispered into his ear. “Stop screaming, You don’t feel a thing. When I loosen your tie you will tell me the pin and you will be right as rain, won’t you?”
The pain and fear dissipated from the look on Doctor Smith's face and he nodded slowly. “I…I am s..so..sorry.” He gasped.
Vivienne loosened his tie and gave him time to catch his breath, “Now then. That pin would be wonderful.”
“3971.” the administrator complied.
Vivienne shoved the card into the reader and tested the number provided and smiled when it worked. “Very good, Christopher.” She pulled the card free and stuffed it back into her purse. Vivienne blew lightly over the man’s face releasing him from her minor charm.
Doctor Smith fell out of his chair and onto the floor holding his hand and screaming “Help! Someone help me!” Stumble-crawling, Doctor Smith slammed himself into his office door frantically trying to turn the knob and escape. An icy feeling numbed his feet and calves just as he’d managed to partly open the door. The cold chill crept up his spine, and he heard the soft tears of his cashmere jacket just before an elongated claw clasped his jugular.
Vivienne slowly reformed from the black mist she’d become and held the man effortlessly in her grip. “Come now our fun isn’t over yet, Chris.” Vivienne growled and bit into his neck before refueling herself on his blood. Licking his neck closed she started dragging the injured man by the neck through the small office space, and into the stairwell. “Even your blood tastes like the little arrogant shit you are.” She climbed the stairwell and reached the emergency exit to the roof. Looking at the alarmed door, she quickly ripped the press bar from the door and squashed it under her foot, destroying the device. “That should keep everything quiet.” She looked at the doctor now limp in her grip and slapped him awake. “None of that, Chris. I thought you wanted to have fun with me.”
Chris blinked awake and spit out the teeth he’d almost swallowed from the slap. The man started having flashes of his past, the things he did to bully people, cheating on his wife, emotionally torturing his children. Doing things that he thought would bring him joy, toying with the feeling of power and anger to control everyone and everything around him. He knew that ego and pride caused it all. Fear suddenly gripped him. He saw those blue crystal eyes. Those dark blood hazed eyes. Those soulless ice blue eyes. Those eyes that hid a literal demon inside. Those eyes, “P..please…” Chris begged for his life.
Reaching the edge of the roof, Vivienne held the man over by his throat with ease. She watched him flail his legs and begin crying. “Please what, Christopher?”
“P-p-p-please don’t kill me.” Chris finally exclaimed and held onto Vivienne’s arm the best he could with his good hand. “I-I-sorry, so very sorry. I will make su-sure that it’s all gone…I won’t tell them anything, just let me live.”
Vivienne tilted her head and showed her fangs to the scared man. “Very well, I will not kill you.” She waited a moment. “However, since I can’t have you talking to anyone either…” Vivienne dropped the man from her grip and watched him fall four stories to the ground, hit with a hard thud and witnessed blood slowly flowing onto the sidewalk. Leaping down, Vivienne heard the shallow rasps from Doctor Smith indicating he was still alive. Looking over his broken body, Vivienne leaned in and whispered into the quivering man’s ear. “No. You don’t die today. You get to live in fear and in pain. Every possible wobbled step you take, every time you breathe, every time you close your hand, will remind you of this night.” Searching his jacket pocket, Vivienne found his phone and pressed the emergency button before placing it into his good hand, leaving the administrator to his fate.