Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 22:49:48 -0700
From: Daniel Lund <rimshotsplanet@hotmail.com>
Subject: All God's creatures Part 2

	I tried to have this ready for Halloween, and I apologize for the
delay.  There's been a lot of mail for this story, and I honestly didn't
know if I was going to continue it or not.  Thanks to Ben and Curtis for
their suggestions.

Daniel

rimshotsplanet@hotmail.com



All God's creatures 2:


	Kyle fought his way through a nightmare of images and fear, clawing his way
towards the light.  There was a brightness before him, comforting him, and
he willed himself towards it, but something pulled him back to the darkness.
  It was like a film all over his body, an oily darkness that was alive yet
dead.  He knew he had died, and yet couldn't die.  He screamed in
pain........

	......And sat up in bed gasping for breath and covered in a cold sweat.
Only it wasn't sweat.  The sheets were tangled around his legs and he pulled
at the covers, trying to slow his heartbeat down.  Kyle knew this room
fairly well.  He had made love with Kelly here twice.  He looked around for
Kelly, easily seeing clear detail in the dark, but he was alone.

	Kyle slid to the side of the bed and stood up, slightly dizzy, and steadied
him self on the nightstand.  There was a note and a glass of juice, and he
picked up the paper and read it.

Ky,

Drink this.  It'll get rid of the shakiness.
Have a shower and come down stairs.
We're the same size, wear what you want
In the closet, or nothing at all. (wink, wink)

Kelly

	Without realizing he'd done it, Kyle drained the glass and set it down.  It
had a sharp almost electric flavor, like something he couldn't identify but
was familiar with.  He closed his eyes briefly as a tingling sensation
crawled up his spine, spreading warmth throughout his limbs and body.  He
wadded the note up and moved towards the bathroom, rubbing his still muzzy
head.

	The shower came on and was left to warm up as Kyle went to the sink and
found his toothbrush.  He'd bought it a few nights ago and left it here in
case he needed it.  A mighty yawn caused him to shiver and he leaned on the
counter, scrubbing his teeth with his eyes closed, not really wanting to be
awake yet.  He spat in the sink and winced as something sharp pierced his
lip.

	"Son of a bitch!"  He hissed, touching his lip and looking into the mirror.
  He pulled his lips back to find out what happened, and suddenly lost track
of what he was thinking.  In his smile, the same smile that had greeted him
every morning for seventeen years, there were now four very sharp teeth
where they weren't before.

	"Fuck me."  He mumbled, shocked.  He touched one of the two longer ones on
top, which now hung down a quarter of an inch longer than his old canine
incisors had.  A cold shiver ran down his spine, and Kyle sagged against the
counter.  The two on the bottom were not as long, but were just as sharp as
he touched them, fascinated and repelled at the same time.

	"Oh my god."  He whispered.  The memory of Kelly draining him on the beach
was suddenly very vivid in his mind, and so were the other two instances
when Kelly had bitten him.  The room seemed to spin, and Kyle sat down
heavily on the floor, the full ramifications finally setting in.

	"The juice was blood."  He mumbled thickly, yet another realization coming
through.  His mind desperately wanted to be sick, to throw up, but his
stomach betrayed him, obviously quite content with its contents.  Numbly, he
stood up and got in the shower, his eyes and thoughts a million miles away.
He couldn't accept the truth, no matter how hard he tried, that there really
might be vampires, and that maybe, just maybe, he was one.

	As he washed, it dawned on him that he looked different somehow, like his
skin was tighter, or that he'd suddenly gotten very buff.  Kyle pulled at
the skin on his stomach, and could feel the muscle cords very easily, like
there was no fat layer.  Being a gymnast, he had been in very good shape to
begin with, but now it was like he was ultra-cut or something.  He shook his
head and turned off the water.  That was strange, only the hot water was on,
but it hadn't burned.  With a ragged sigh he stepped out and toweled off.
His mood darkened as he sorted through Kelly's clothes for something to
wear.

	Kelly sat with his legs curled under him on the couch, typing on a laptop
computer.  He glanced up as Kyle came down the stairs, dressed in nylon
jogging shorts and a loose tank top.  He smiled and set the computer aside
as Kyle walked into the den.

	"Wow, you look great!"  He said enthusiastically, patting the couch beside
him.  "Well rested and positively glowing."

	Kyle sat down, carefully keeping his mouth closed to hide his teeth.  When
he spoke, it was in a murmur.  "I, uh, feel okay, I guess."  For a spanking
new vampire, he thought to himself.

	Kelly laughed, a lighthearted honest sound, and clapped his hands together.
  "That's good.  New vampires need their rest."

	Kyle felt numb as he looked at Kelly.  Did he just have his mind read?
"You heard that?"  He asked.

	'Yes.'  The word floated into his mind.  He knew immediately that it had
come from Kelly, and that it felt like Kelly, but he had no idea how it
happened.

	"You have a lot of new discoveries to make, Kyle."  Kelly took his hand.
"I enjoyed your escapade with your teeth in the mirror.  I wish you'd smile,
though.  Your fangs are beautiful."  Kelly grinned, and for the first time
Kyle saw Kelly's vampire fangs.  It was true, they were beautiful, but also
caused fear.

	"I bit my lip."  Kyle smiled half-heartedly.

	"I think everyone does at first.  It's kind of a new arrangement, isn't
it?"  Kelly soothed.  "Are you hungry?"

	Kyle thought for a second.  "I'm not sure.  How does it feel?"

	"Like a strong urge, or a drawing you can't resist.  Kind of like
chocolate."  Kelly stood up and held out his hand.  "C'mon, I'll show you a
sure fire way to find out."

	Kyle stood and took his hand, feeling uneasy as he followed Kelly out into
the hallway and towards the stairs.  They descended into a clean
well-decorated basement, which itself was unusual in Florida.  No one had
basements here.

	Kelly switched on a light and led Kyle to a door.  "You're going to be
shocked.  Expect that.  But also realize that you have to survive, and
survival goes to the fittest."  He opened the door, and Kyle found himself
staring at a woman lying on a bed, appearing to be asleep.

	"She's a killer."  Kelly said, as if conducting a briefing.  "She's the one
on the news that the cops have been after.  I found her, and she confessed.
Most of my prey are the scum of the earth."

	Kyle stepped next to the bed and looked down at the woman's peaceful face.
He could smell her blood, and her pulse literally echoed off his skin.  He
closed his eyes and swayed slightly, almost intoxicated.  Somewhere deep in
the recesses of his consciousness, he knew what was going to happen, and he
knew it was wrong.

	"Wonderful sensation, isn't it?"  Kelly said quietly, folding his arms.

	"It makes me almost slobber."  Kyle grinned and inhaled through his nose.
"Like thinking about your favorite food."

	"Exactly."  Kelly chuckled.  "They are food."  He watched in satisfaction
as Kyle moved towards the woman and tilted her head, stroking her neck.

	Kyle felt totally focused on the softness of her skin.  He could feel the
electrical impulses running through her nerves, the blood rushing through
her veins.  He could hear he pulse, and it drew him down towards her, his
lips pulling back without him realizing it.

	Kelly watched silently as his pupil and lover made his first kill,
awakening long dormant feelings of pride.  Actually, Kelly hadn't felt much
of anything for a long time.  For decades, boredom had ruled his mind, and
the mundane was the order of the day.  When he'd accidentally found Kyle at
a late night beach party all that had changed.  It had taken the greatest of
patience to let Kyle mature before he was turned.

	"Leave a little blood, Kyle, or the virus will turn her."  Kelly gently
pulled him back.

	Kyle wobbled and sat heavily on the bed.  His mind was in sensory overload,
and he could feel white-hot fire course into his system.  He shivered as a
new level of energy swept through him.  "Holy shit."  He whispered.

	"Good, yeah?"  Kelly laughed.  "You'll always remember her, Kyle.  She was
your first."  He leaned over and used a fingertip to wipe a single drop of
blood from Kyle's lip, then licked it off.  "I know you have a lot of
questions.  Lets go back up stairs."

	Kyle looked down at the woman and felt his chest tighten.  She was dead,
and he had done it.  Bile rose in his throat, and he swallowed hard.  "Do I
have to kill everyone to live now?"  He asked quietly, unable to look at
Kelly.

	Kelly put his hands on Kyle's cheeks and gently turned his face.  Their
eyes met, and Kelly kissed him lightly on the lips.  "Kyle, she was a
murderer, not Sister Teresa.  We do the world a favor."

	"I don't want to be a killer."  Murmured and squared his shoulders,
standing straighter.  "Isn't there another way?"

	"Yes, there is.  We have several blood banks and labs in the world, all
owned by feeders like us.  If you can't kill, you can get whatever you need
from them, but it's not the same."  Kelly was obviously repulsed by the
idea.  "C'mon.  There are lots of answers, but not down here."  He put his
arm around Kyle's shoulders and guided him towards the stairs.

	"I don't want to do that again."  Kyle said quietly on the steps.  He
followed Kelly into the den.  Kelly sat down and patted the couch, and Kyle
sat down and leaned back into Kelly's lap.

	"I think you'll change your mind.  Most do."  Kelly stroked the top of
Kyle's head and smiled.  "The images that keep going through your head are
Hollywood images, not reality."

	"I'm having a little trouble with reality right now."  Kyle snapped.
"Until last night, I thought vampires were fairy tales."

	"Of course you did.  We like it that way.  If you wave the truth in front
of people's faces, they ignore it for the most part."  Kelly rubbed Kyle's
temples to help him relax.  "The Hollywood version is complete crap, of
course.  I've been out in the sun several times to get a tan, and I sat in a
church three weeks ago to see a friend get married.  A mortal friend."

	"So what's true and what's not?"  Kyle asked, breathing deeply and allowing
himself to loosen up.

	"Long story, but you'll enjoy it.  For one, we really don't like garlic.
The microorganism that causes the change reacts poorly to garlic, making you
feel sick and nauseous.  It's not lethal, but I'd avoid it."  Kelly
chuckled.  "The church deal is all bogus.  I believe in god, but I don't buy
into the whole organized thing.  None of us do.  There are several of us old
enough to know the truth."

	"How many vampires are there?"

	Kelly cocked his head for a second before answering.  "About ten thousand
worldwide, but you won't see many family reunions.  We're mostly loners, but
some, like me, prefer to have a companion."

	Kyle forced a smile, feeling uneasy and trapped.  There was more here than
he was getting, he knew that, but he forced himself to remain calm and
listen.  "What was this organism you mentioned?"

	"It's what makes us what we are.  No one's sure, but we think that a meteor
brought the one-celled things to earth around six thousand years ago.  They
had to have a host to survive, and they kind of have a group mentality, but
real basic, you know?  They leave us to run things, and they survive.  It's
a good deal."

	"I liked the deal I had."  Kyle said quietly, and then looked up into
Kelly's eyes.  "Why did you do this to me?"  His eyes watered up.

	"You may not know it yet, but I gave you gift, Ky.  You'll have to get used
to it, that's all."  Kelly's features melted into a compassionate gaze.  "To
tell you the truth, I fell in love with you over three years ago, and I've
been watching you ever since.  You are the most beautiful person I've ever
seen."

	"Thanks."

	"C'mon.  I want to cheer you up."  Kelly pushed Kyle up and stood, holding
out his hand.  "I need to change first, though."  He indicated the light
silk robe he wore.  They went up the stairs, and Kelly changed into shorts
and a t-shirt.  "Put on some sandals or something."  He threw a pair over to
Kyle.

	Kelly adjusted his shoes, and then opened the French doors that led out
onto a patio.  Kelly walked to the stone pillared rail and looked out before
turning to Kyle.  "Ever have dreams of flying?"  He grinned, flashing his
teeth.

	"We can fly?"  Kyle chuckled in disbelief.

	"The organisms have a sort of metal in their structure that can bend
gravity.  Watch."  Kelly raised his arms and slowly lifted off the ground a
few inches.  Kyle gasped and laughed.  "Try it.  It's easier than it looks.
Just will yourself to raise up."

	"This is nuts."  Kyle laughed and hesitantly held up his hands.  He
couldn't believe it, but the proof was right in front of him.  Slowly, his
mind embraced the idea, and he felt the deck slide under his feet.  "Oh,
shit!"  He giggled, feeling himself rocking into a more natural position.
Kelly reached out and took his hand, pulling him up in the air.

	"This is way fucking huge!"  Kyle screamed, laughing.  The lights of the
city spread out before them, and Kelly led them higher.  "This is
incredible!"

	"Just one of the side effects.  I told you they weren't all bad."  Kelly
jerked on Kyle's hand and let go, slingshoting him ahead.  "Steer yourself,
Ky!"  He laughed and followed slightly behind the slipping and cart wheeling
Kyle.  "Hold your arms out."

	"Oh, shit!"  Kyle tumbled through the air and collided with a palm tree,
wrapping his arms around it.  He glanced up at Kelly who was cackling as he
glided past, and his brows came together in determination.  He pursed his
lips and pushed off, willing himself to follow Kelly.

	Kelly looked back and grinned, arcing in a slow turn so that Kyle could
follow and heading out over the ocean.  He slowed until Kyle could reach out
and take his hand, then pulled him higher until they could make out light
but not detail from the city.

	"Look."  Kelly slid behind Kyle and wrapped one arm around his middle and
pointed with the other.  "That's our empire.  Anywhere we want to go,
anything we want to see."

	Kyle put his arm over Kelly's.  "It's almost perfect."  He said quietly.

	"What's not perfect?  I have everything I ever wanted now that you're
here."  Kelly kissed Kyle's neck with tiny kisses.

	"Oh god that's good."  Kyle purred.  He opened his eyes and looked down at
the city, feeling the tension leave his mind.  He found that with little
effort he could zoom his vision in on particular details, and he scanned the
beach absent-mindedly, distracted by Kelly's roaming hands.

	"Wanna go home and fool around?"  Kelly whispered in his ear.  Kyle grinned
and nodded.  Kelly took his hand and led him down through the thin clouds
towards the ground.  Kyle pulled free and stopped momentarily, an errant
whiff passing his nose.  His eyes narrowed, and Kelly turned to him.  "What
is it?"

	"I think I'm hungry again.  I can smell them.  It's like it's over
powering."

	Kelly nodded.  "That's pretty normal at first.  Reach out with your mind.
You'll be able to tell what people are really like in their heads.  Look for
the blackest heart you can find, then go to it."

	"Like a killer or something?"  Kyle asked as he closed his eyes.  It was
almost automatic as his mind expanded and began its search.  Immediately he
came in contact with a young couple, close to his age, in the throws of very
passionate sex.  He chuckled and passed them by.

	He found a little girl that was watching TV, a surfer sitting on the beach
alone, and a girl about twelve that was baby-sitting.  He chuckled from time
to time, thrilled with this newfound ability.  Then he found what he was
after.

	Near the baby sitter, something dark hid outside the house and looked in
the window.  Kyle could tell at once that this man in his late thirties
wanted to rape the girl, and he was disturbed by what the man was thinking,
angered.

	"Very good."  Kelly said quietly.  "Now you understand why I don't mind
killing, don't you?"

	Kyle instinctively bared his teeth and nearly growled.  "He'll kill her,
just for fucking jollies."

	"What're you going to do?"  Kelly asked.

	Kyle reacted instantly, veering down in an arc towards the city with Kelly
hot on his heels.  As Kyle watched in the man's head, the pervert started to
form the plan he would use to get to the girl, and even what he would do
with her after.

	It was like having used motor oil spilled over his consciousness, with shit
and stagnant water thrown in.  Kyle was infuriated by what he could feel,
and by the time he neared the man, he was nearly snarling like an animal.

	In the quiet neighborhood, a small white house stood surrounded by hedges.
Three houses down, the street lamp shown, its light not reaching the shadows
where the man squatted, watching in the window as the girl tucked in two
small boys.

	He never heard Kyle coming.  Kyle slowed hard as he neared the ground, the
first sound he made being the touching of his feet to the grass.  The man
whirled around, brandishing a knife, and Kyle slapped it out of his hand.

	"Bye bye, you fucking sicko!"  Kyle hissed and moved in, slamming his fangs
into the man's throat.  He drew hard, feeling the blood flow into him, and
the man's fists pounded on his back, a minor nuisance.  Just before he had
drained too much away, Kyle remembered not to accidentally turn the man into
a feeder and pulled back, dropping the limp form to the ground.

	He knelt next to his victim and narrowed his eyes, meeting the eyes of a
rapist as they died.  "Say hello to God for me, asshole."  He watched as the
terrified eyes glazed over and the man quit breathing.  Kyle wiped the back
of his hand across his chin and looked up.

	Kelly held up a thumb, and then motioned for Kyle to follow, lifting into
the air and heading for home.  They flew in silence, and Kyle used the time
to digest what had happened.  He was surprised to find that he felt hollow
about his first solo feeding.  It was like his emotions had totally shut
down.  By the time they landed on the patio outside Kelly's bedroom, it was
like he'd forgotten it, or at least wasn't able to deal with it anymore.
All in all, he thought he'd handled it pretty well, but it bothered him.

	"Feel like a shower?"  Kelly smiled and pointed at the mirror over the
dresser, and Kyle glanced into it, and then nearly fell down in shock.  He
was covered in blood.  His clothes, his skin, his hair, all of it.  "You
were a bit messy on that one.  Might want to work on that."

	"Huh."  Kyle made a short grunting noise and started to shake.  "Jesus
Christ."  He held up his hand in front of his face and could not stop it.
He sank to his knees, keeping his eyes on his hand.

	Kelly sighed and knelt down and took a hold of Kyle's wrists.  "That's
enough.  Calm down."

	Kyle's face contorted into a grimace.  "Look at me!  I'm covered in fucking
blood, man! This is not my blood, and I'm fucking covered in it!"

	Kelly smiled slightly.  "Would you rather've left him to do what he was
thinking about, and had done to others?"

	"I am not a goddamned judge!"  Kyle shouted.  "I had no right to do that!"

	"You had every right!"  Kelly thundered.  "We have the right to exist just
like everyone else!  That filth you did the world a favor dispatching was
going to RAPE THAT KID!  Now knock this off and get over it!"
	"Get over it!"  Kyle jumped to his feet and advanced towards Kelly, balling
his fists up.  "You arrogant asshole, you've totally fucked me over!  How
the hell am I supposed to go home and face my family?  Did you even think
about that?"

	"Do you really want your mother to see you now?"  Kelly sneered.  "Do you
think she'll appreciate the changes?  Mommy, I missed you, and oh, by the
way, I'm a vampire now.  That would be perfect, wouldn't it?"  He pointed a
finger at Kyle chest and poked him hard, forcing him to stagger backwards.
"You better wake up, child.  I'm all you've got now!"

	"Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven, is that it?"  Kyle snarled.
He pulled off the blood soaked shirt and threw it at Kelly's feet.  "If
you're what I'm supposed to become, I'd rather die."  He spun around and
dodged for the sliding glass door, throwing it open.  He felt the deck fall
away as he arced up into the air.

	"Get back here!"  Kelly's voice thundered in his head.  Kyle faltered for a
second, plummeting down.  He held his head, concentrating on clearing it.
It throbbed, and he was barely able to keep himself from crashing into the
ground.  He landed hard on the beach, falling into a roll and ending up with
a mouthful of sand.

	Kelly stood on the deck outside his bedroom and glanced towards the east.
The first twilights of dawn were forming.  He looked out towards the beach
and smiled.  "Reject me, will you?  You're about to get the picture."  He
projected, watching Kyle in his mind as he scrambled across the sand, not
far from where he'd died the night before.  "See you tonight, if you make
it."

	Kyle looked towards the house and waited for Kelly to follow him.  His skin
began to tingle, sort of like an itch, and shifted uncomfortably.  "Why did
you do this to me?"  He sent through his mind.  "What right did you have?"
There was only silence, and Kyle turned and squinted towards the ocean.

	The tingling on his skin was becoming painful.  "Oh, shit, the sun."  He
mumbled and raised his hand up to shield his eyes.  He began to look
frantically for a place to get out of the light, dodging down the beach
towards the pier.

	A shadow flashed over him and he crashed headlong into a figure.  It
stopped him cold, and he looked into a pair of artic blue eyes.  A pair of
slightly up turned brown eyebrows knitted together, and an insanely strong
set of hands caught him harshly by the arms, lifting him of his feet.

	"So, he's spawned another one."  The figure said, his fangs flashing in the
growing light.  "Pity he left you die."