The Blood Clock

He was so distracted that he didn't know when they reached their destination.

He pulled over, and Lisa finally left his hand alone, "Brenda's!" She read out loud.

This was a crowded hotel front, an old school hotel, more like a bar, with a wooden signboard hanging by it, this was the liveliest place Lisa had ever been to.

Edgar whispered in her ear "The person you are going to meet will act mad, but stay calm, I got this" Edgar clasped her hand and took her inside.

Upon entering the bar he heard a voice "Look who's here!" There were people everywhere, he didn't know where this voice came from.

Until two hands pushed their way out from the middle of two men standing side by side "Move you elephants!" She said and pushed them both away.

From behind the crowd came out a 30-year-old woman or older, a 50's blond bob cut, winged eyeliner, and dark red lipstick, she was beautiful.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" She flashed a grin at him.

"I may have been away for a little longer!" He peered at her with embarrassment.

"Little longer? You call this a little longer?" Her smile had now vanished and a deep frown took over "It was two years ago!" She was still angry and was yelling loud enough to catch everyone's attention until Lisa opened her mouth, at first Brenda didn't hear what she said so she shifted her head to Lisa's direction.

"I'm sorry what?" She asked.

"You are so beautiful, I said!" Lisa repeated with a smile on her face.

"Oh… Thank you!" She smiled back and all her anger flushed away.

"You are free to leave!" She yelled and the entire room which was crowded before was now completely empty, it was only Brenda, Lisa, and Edgar.

Brenda offered them whatever she had, which meant loads of food, meat, vegetables, whatever they wanted.

"You can abandon your best friend, your aunt but I'd never forget my nephew!" Brenda pulled his cheek.

"He's your nephew?" Lisa looked surprised.

"Why are you so surprised?" She clasped both her hands together and then stared at Edgar "You have a girlfriend and you told her nothing about me?" She seemed upset.

"Uh!" Edgar scratched the back of his neck "She is not my girlfriend!" He clarified.

"A friend then… still you should have told her something about me?" She had tears in her eyes, it wasn't a drama anymore.

"Should I try?" Lisa spread out her hand on one of the burgers and Edgar nodded.

They thought now that she had tasted the blood maybe things would be easier for her but as soon as she bit it, it still tasted worse, it felt like she had just tasted something rusty, and not food.

She covered her mouth with the tissue paper and spat the bite in it.

"Oh!" Brenda glanced at her and then at Edgar "An under-transit vampire!" She slowly nodded taking the food platter away from her.

"You are here because she refuses to feed on a human" She sipped from her glass of wine.

Lisa wanted to say yes but before she was heckled by Edgar "I refuse to let her feed!" This was weird because Lisa was not expecting this.

"Phfft! You're funny!" Brenda ridiculed him.

"You don't understand, Brenda! Her life is at stake, it is a matter of life and death! I can't let her feed on a human!" Edgar's words made her realize what he was talking about.

"Do you know anything about this?" He sat the hourglass in front of her.

"This can't be! This is a warning from the freak, Lunarian!" She stared at the hourglass.

"Warning? What kind of warning?" Lisa asked, "Who is Lunarian?" She was confused.

"For now knowing this doesn't matter, let me study this hourglass and I will get to you in the morning, for now, take the top left room" She handed over a bunch of keys to Lisa.

"How would I know where to go?" She asked.

"You will know sweetie!" Brenda smiled "I like her so much!" She glanced at Edgar.

"Uh, okay?" Lisa was clueless until she climbed up those stairs beside the bar counter, she saw two corridors going against each other, as Brenda said she took the left corridor, and there she saw only one door had a lock that wasn't broken.

She entered it and saw a single bed right under the window, a punctured couch at a little distance, a wooden floor squeaking under her feet, there was a wooden stand where you could change clothes, and beside that stand was a door to the bathroom.

Edgar was still downstairs talking to Brenda, meanwhile, Lisa was tired, she sat on the bed and gently slid her hand on the bed, she shattered on the bed horizontally, with her arms open.

Her eyelids got heavier until she fell asleep, a few hours passed, and Edgar came in, he wouldn't leave her alone knowing her life was in danger, he smiled as he saw her sleeping like a baby, he gently changed her position and placed a pillow under her head.

She shifted her side and cuddled her knees, A few of her hair strands slipped down on her face, Edgar had already turned off the light.

Her face was gleaming under the moonlight, he approached and moved her hair away from her face, "People say eyes can talk but can sleeping eyes also talk?" He thought as he looked at her.

The innocence on her face was attracting him, her sleeping eyes and relaxed eyebrows were telling him that she was having a beautiful, peaceful dream.

A dream that she'd never want to be over, he didn't want to look away, all his life had been bloodshed and gore, and her pretty eyes were like bringing wonders into his life.

A small sigh pulled him out of his thoughts and he realized that she wasn't comfortable, he touched her cheek which was cold.

He looked around and saw a sheet made of thick fabric, as soon as he unfolded it and spread it all over her, she quickly wrapped herself in the sheet.

His eyes fell on her feet that were out of the sheet, he pulled the sheet down and covered her feet, but as soon as he reached the couch he saw her kicks moving like a baby's until she had her feet out of the sheet again.

"Thank you!" She whispered in her sleep.

Edgar sat on the couch, he didn't want to lose sight of her, so he could keep her safe, so he decided to watch her sleep peacefully the rest of the night until he himself fell asleep.

"You have to kill her eventually, so why don't you do it now?" A whisper echoed in the darkness, "She will be your downfall, she's just a human after all, she can never be one of us!" There was one whisper after another.

Faces from the past appeared in front of him, a face with a dark black crescent-shaped scar covering one of the eyes, the eye that was glazed white, unlike the other one, it was a hooded man passing disturbing laughter.

Edgar squirmed in his sleep and woke up gasping for air, upon catching back his senses, he realized Lisa was not in the room, and the sun was already up.

"Lisa!" Edgar rushed down the stairs and emitted a deep breath upon watching her smiling with Brenda on the same table they were sitting on tomorrow.

The bar was all crowded like the last evening, there was no space to step a toe on the ground, but he somehow managed to get to them.

Brenda had been up all night studying about the hourglass, she was wearing a wide smile on her face, and judging by her smile, he knew she had good news.

He approached the table and sat beside Lisa, "You look like a mess!" Brenda giggled.

He knew why she was saying this, he was blushing, and Lisa was also not looking at him.

He seemed wrecked up just because he couldn't find her in time, "Your smile tells me it holds a piece of good news?" He poured water into his glass and sipped it.

"Actually I have two pieces of news, good and bad news!" Brenda smiled, "Which one would you wanna hear first?" She asked.

"I've to learn both of them eventually, tell me in the correct order!" Edgar clasped his hands resting them on the table.

"Okay! Lunarian has left a message for you, this hourglass is connected to Lisa, it's more like a timer that will last a month, she has to resist every temptation for human blood, and she has to control her thirst.

Once she manages to defeat her vampire side from taking over, she will be back to normal, like she was before." She kept staring at him to observe his expressions.

He seemed relieved but then her "But" didn't let him rejoice for any longer.

"But… this hourglass is also a warning, a timer for you to surrender within a month.

His man will hunt you down because they have spread everywhere like a fire in the forest" She stood up with drops of sweat slipping down her forehead "As a matter of fact, they are here!" She held them both by their shoulders and sent them upstairs "Go! Get out through the window!" She said.