Chapter 32

The room was flooded with absolute silence. Jon’s head was still turned, his eyes focused on Richie’s face.

Terror and concentration distorted his handsome face, if he bit down harder his lips would be split in two as Richie’s eyes turned towards him with a shocked expression he turned his attention towards his hand.

“You don’t feel anything?!” Richie gasped.

That’s when he saw the hand and the blinding light focusing on a patch of skin.

“Damn! Sheltering his eyes with his free hand, he scrunched his eyes, forcing himself to see what the hell was going on.

“This is incredible! Unbelievable!”, professor muttered, his eyes huge orbs in his face.

“Ok, so now it’s itching…yeah definitely itching!” Pulling his hand back, he scratched like a deranged dog with fleas.

An irritated patch of skin appeared, and Jon grimaced.

“I told you I was no good with sun!”

“Tsk, tsk, you don’t understand this, do you? Your reaction is mild, the worst cases literally caught fire.” He was talking but not to them, his hand flew across the paper, a jumble of Russian accompanied a few coherent English. “ With the potion you will be completely cured from even this mild reaction. You are changing the way of the vampires as we know it! You will be able to live a normal life, besides the feeding, of course, and you will never have to fear discovery! This is an evolution!”

“Ok calm down old man, we still need this potion of yours to work.”

A wrinkly hands clasp Jon’s naked shoulder.

“You are the best specimen I’ve met. You are strong and display characteristics no one had ever shown! This is going to work, you are the answer to years and years of hard work and research.”

“So you telling me the vampires that had died under your hands didn’t die in vain?” Richie’s sarcasm was dripping venom.

“There are always the martyrs Richie. That’s how it has always been, the unavoidable sacrifices.”

Richie shrugged his shoulders. “ I call it murder and mutilation, you call it sacrifices.”

“Tomato , tomatoe, that’s how you Americans call it, huh?”

Long fingers balled into white knuckled fists.

“Play nice boys. We need to finish this remember?”

Jon’s cool eyes rested on each man in turn.

A few silent minutes followed as the professor did a few routine checks.

Richie was leaning in a corner, he felt like a caged lion. Scared shitless for what the crazy old man could do to Jon and his mind screaming at him to go in search of Ksenia. Somehow he knew the professor won’t let him explore on his own. How they were going to get to Ksenia was uncertain but sadly, it had to wait…

The professor stepped back after the fourth vile was filled with blood.

“We are done here for now. I’ll make the necessary adjustments to the potion. You can return tomorrow morning and we will administer the first course.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Jon wasn’t so sure.

“Just wear a protective coat , cover your eyes, seen as your eyes are much more sensitive and don’t forget to cover your head. You will be just fine.”

A stirring inside Jon had him force down a smile. Was he getting his life back? He didn’t have to hide out in the dark anymore like a night crawling beast.

“Tomorrow then.”

He led them towards the front door, his thoughts obviously racing as he closed the door behind them without so much as a good night.

“Well shit this was fruitful.” Richie’s malevolent voice invaded his mind.

“Thanks for the enthusiasm asshole.” Jon took the steps two by two until he sagged into the softness of the snow.

“The bastard knows everything about you. He can kill you if he chooses and I STILL haven’t seen Ksenia. DAMMIT!”

“He wont kill me. The fucker is too excited about my…uniqueness, if I can call it that. I’m going to play on that. Use him just as he uses me. As for Ksenia. She is alive and in the house. We don’t want to raise any suspicion by asking for her. We will get her out there soon. Trust me ok?”

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s go. I need a stiff whiskey.”

~~~

The icy wind brushing across his cheek went almost unnoticed. All he felt was the slight warmth of the sun seeping into the jacket, uniting with the material of his jeans.

Glorious sun! He ached to turn his face towards the fire ball, but the thought of an itching face or worse made him decide otherwise.

Richie watched as Jon underwent an almost spiritual experience. He himself, was shaking so hard from the chilly breeze, he though he might crack a bone or two. The sun was too meager to bring any scrap of warmth but somehow Jon’s sensitive senses marveled in it and he stayed behind, wanting to dash for the warmth of the professor’s house but he tolerated it, waiting for Jon to come out of his stupor.

“Bro’….not to rush you but  my ass is frozen to my jeans….”

Blue eyes snapped open, a self-conscious smile bared his perfect row of teeth.

“Yeah..ok lets go in.”

~~~

“Hot damn! It burns like heeeellllllllllllllllllllllll!!!” Jon hunched over, cradling his arms he visibly panted, a growl growing in his throat.

“What the fuck did you inject?! Is it suppose to hurt like this?!” Richie had the professor a few inches off the floor, his hands gripping the lab coat firmly.

“Wait a minute! Richie…Richie now calm down! The potion hurts, did I forget to mention it? I apologize!”

“Yeah you forgot…or was it that psycho inside you? Like seeing vamps suffer huh?”

Jon was only vaguely aware of Richie’s spitting anger. The shit the old man injected was burning like a wildfire in his veins, moving as fast too. He bit down and snarled as his fangs sliced into his lips.

Was it poison? Holy fuck! It felt like it!

Tiny pulses of pain ripped like barbed wire through his nerves, the burning and pulsing was getting too much…waaayyyy too much! Jon blinked once…twice, the lab was swimming in front of his eyes, his body felt heavy…

Richie saw Jon sagged towards the floor and dropped the old man unceremoniously.

“JON!!!”

He hit the floor with a loud thump.

“That’s why I suggested, he lay down on the bed.” The professor was next to Richie, helping the dead weight onto the bed.

“We don’t trust you.”

“That I have ascertained Richie, yet you trust me enough to take a chance with my potion or is it desperation?”

“Shut your fucking trap or I’ll shut it for you! You better hope he comes out of this, or your ass is dead.” Richie gritted his teeth, emphasizing every word as he spoke.

“Give him an hour. His body isn’t used to the foreign bodies invading it, with time it will get better.”

“He must be crazy to try this shit again after he had gone through it the first time!” Richie shook his head disbelievingly but deep inside he knew….yeah..Jon was desperate..desperate as hell to gain control of himself again. He would even die trying. The thought had him stop pacing and bouncing back towards the bed.

Jon was still breathing, a bit erratic, he had to admit, and the fangs where still there…but he was breathing.

The hour felt like a long, torturous century and when Jon’s groan reached his ears he was so ready to kiss his brother right there and then.

“OOhhh God! My muscles are stiff as hell!” He struggled to get up and accepted Richie’s outstretched hand.

The professor came walking in, a grin on his face.

“Aaahh! I see you are up! How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve just been hit by a steamtrain, over and over..and aaahhh…damn!”

His feet hit the ground and he sucked in his breath.

“The first few courses always prove the worst of the treatment. It’s painful and you might suffer from some discomfort.”

“Some? Hell don’t be shy, tell me about it!” Jon’s sarcasm hissed in the air.

“Muscle aches, tiredness, listlessness,  maybe some loss of appetite….”

“So you are going to starve me and THEN kill me?! Fucking great!” His painful moan snapped from his lips as he threw his hands wildly into the air