Life's a bitch.

They refused to see daylight.

They refused all water and food and one began screaming and screaming when a nurse came in to adjust their dressing and tried to open the windows. One was pale and shaking, hands twisting at some unseen enemy each time he closed his eyes while the other just lay still.

They were both men. They were both ill. And they were both in Doctor Birkin's care.

Officers Bowman and Hall had survived an apparent mauling by a ten year old girl who'd been previously diagnosed with lukemia. While he didn't buy it for a second, when one looked at a man who'd had his throat opened and another who'd been almost drained of blood.

He was a practical man. He was a sane man who knew that ten year olds (apart from certain movies that he found distasteful) did not eat people. The fact that their mauling might have been connected to the super flu was more troublesome. One didn't go from being attacked to being sick, yet the fatigue, the sensitivity, they were all there.

Something else too. Officer Bowman was complaining of unusual ocular sensitivity. He made sure to note that in his medical journal before rising from his chair and leaving his musings behind. Bowman and Hall were a small part of a larger problem. They were both human beings in his care...but with the super flu, hospitals were always busy.

And he had alot more people to care about.

--------------

He howled in his dreams. They were filled with blood and sweat and vomit and horrors. Something inside him was changing, curling in his chest like fire. Officer David Bowman was changing and what was worse out of all of it as he lay there in the dark was that...

He liked it.

--------------

Doctor James Birkin hit Bowman and Hall's room last on a long round of flu patients and vaccines. Administrating it would be hell, but if it could work it could easily cure the two...

He knocked, "Mr. Bowman? Mr. Hall?"

He frowned, opening the door a notch, "Mr. Bowman? Mr-"

The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was a flash of teeth and a pair of what looked like glowing yellow eyes.

---------------

The corpse of the doctor was at his feet. David Bowman stared down dispassionately as he strode through the door. Everything was sharper, details clearer and sights and sounds and smells...

He knew two things about himself.

No heart beat in his chest. He'd reached up to feel it after Hall had gone for the Doctor's throat. He'd moved to the mirror next and stared dispassionately at his reflection.

Or lack thereof. Something was wrong but his senses, the feeling of coiled strength in his muscles...He could take on the world.

And he would. Once he had taken care of a few other needs. Hall had been weak, useless., but there was no reason to be weak about it. Hall was always weak. He could be annoying.

He was just so thirsty, but it was an emotion. It could easily be controlled.
No

They were in effect, a world at war.

A war where the fracas of the past had dissolved into an us versus them story with the US being mankind in bold capital letters and the THEM being green and vibrant forests, bold and dark rivers and streams and animals without count and number. The problem was, the US-mankind in bold dark letters-had an edge and an upper hand. Specifically? Two hands and a few thumbs and a viral like way of reproducing. The Them were outrageous, the them were outraged, and the Them worked hard and fought and the battled continued to rage until-

They found a way to strike back.

-------------------

World Health Organization
Washington DC

"Thanks for coming back on such short notice Jeremy."

"I expected it to tell you the truth." He slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, "And I was more then happy to do so honestly. Gimme some fucking credit Mark, just because I live for my work doesn't mean that I'm a complete and total recluse."

"I'm sure your girlfriend is glad to hear that."

Jeremy Stone shot his friend a look, "Don't get smart with me." he rubbed his head and squeezed at his neck slightly, "How's the Weather?"

"Here or in Texas?"

Jeremy Stone reached for his back pack and unzipped it. Mark Hall found himself the unlikely recipient of the man's duffel bag as the opposing Doctor pulled out the file, "She's in Texas? Why's this say California?"

"Rush back earlier thinking you'd catch some sun while you rest?" Hall laughed, "No, it's a farm kid. The boss is thrilled you're agreeing to this by the way. He's become a real press hound and the idea that a World Health Organization worker is donating to a poor little farm kid."

"You should sign up. Easiest way to help people man."

Mark snorts, "No thank you." he paused, "No disrespect, but you were always the humanitarian."

Jeremy rubbed his neck again, prompting Mark to stare at him, "You all right?"

Truth be told, Jeremy didn't know. The last few weeks in El Salvador had been a haze of the common cold, "Getting over a cold." A cold that left a deep ache in his bones, chills in his chest, "It shouldn't be a problem."

"Nothing serious right?"

"Of course not."

---------------------------------

There are pictures in the small town paper. Little Katie King and her "savior", the shy doctor hiding his gaze behind a thick pair of glasses. It made a picture so pretty the head of the Atlanta CDC put the picture in the newsletter.

The newsletter.

And the website.

--------------------------------

The aches and the chills came first. The doctors assured her parents it was normal, Katie was perhaps experiencing some kind of side effect. Sometimes people had reactions. The fatigue was normal too but it subsided and in a few weeks she went home-along with the dormant retrovirus unwittingly traveled from El Salvador to Crawford Texas.

As they drove home, she waved weakly at the cattle, watching the winds blow, "Daddy, can we visit Excalibur when we go home?"

Her father scratched his chin, "...Your cow's pretty dangerous honey, I don't know if I want you goin' outside so much-"

"Please? She missed me. I know she did. I drew her a picture and I wanted her to see." The wind blew from the open front window and made her shiver, "I still feel a little sick too-"

"All the more reason not to visit the cow."

"Daddy-"

"...we'll see what Mommy says. How about that?"
----------------

Her chest hurt a little, running out to the barn. And even while a man in Atlanta was weakening a little girl was growing stronger as she pulled open the door and squeezed through the gap. Excalibur lay asleep, a large black and white lump. "Exie!"

She named the cow after her daddy's favorite toy up above the mantel place. Sometimes he made more of them, a sideways sort of business in addition to the farm, but he said fanboys bought them. And nerds. She didn't know what a nerd was, but if it let her keep Exie..

"Exie I missed you-" She reached for the cow and wrapped her arms around it's neck, "Exie, I-Exie?"

The cow stirred as something skittered under the straw. Outside the light was dimming, "...Is it a rat?"

She knew better then to mess with rats, but mommy always said they were more afraid of you then angry and the rat...the rat..."

"Shoo." She waved a hand at the hay, "Go away and leave me and Exie alone."

The hay stirred.

"Exie?" She backed up and reached for her, "Exie?..." She backed up a step just as something small and furry leapt for her.

-----------------------

Jim King was listening to the wind chimes blow across the deck as he blew a long lazy smoke trail across the heavens when he heard the screaming.

Katie came bursting out of the night holding her arm and shrieking in terror. Grabbing her wrist. Sobbing, she flung herself into his arms and whimpered, shaking her head back and forth. "Dad-Dad-Daddy-" She sniffled, "Daddy.."

"What is it baby? what?-" He put a hand to her wrist, "Katie?"

"Oh daddy! The bat Daddy! The bat BIT ME!"

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Angst filled vampire movies?

I think I know which ones you're talking about. Those are the ones with the kids right? Kids who sparkle-somehow only manage to drink animal blood and survive. I used to hate those.

Not out of disrespect for the story! No, don't get me wrong. I mean it, the story was okay-it just wasn't my thing. No, it was the idea-the image that they sold...or tried to sell.

It was an image alot of people were comfortable with...be young forever, beautiful. They didn't take anything else into account. They only saw Robert Pattinson, they didn'tlisten to what his character had to say.

It's funny, he came out as one of the major anti-vamp supporters, even after the studio turned him. He used to say that he couldn't deal with forcing people to make a decision. Wasn't like that mattered anyway.

Damage was done.

Ed Note: Munagement normally doesn't like to make a list without tracks that can be downloaded, but since mun is between computers at the moment this'll haveta do til one can actually be created. Meantime. If you have a yen to know what I'm listening to whilst I write Ed, these are for you.

In progression

"The sun. You're human because of the sun."
-Edward Dalton. "Daybreakers"

( Some like to worship on the moon, others are worshipping the sun.. )

Sometime in Early 2009


Sometimes the devil likes to drive you from the neighborhood.

They lined the walkways on opposite sides.

Democrats, Republicans, Pro Life and Choice, the opposite ends of mankind divided into-to be perfectly frank-the final battle. The living or the Dead. The only difference was the vampire protesters came out at night.

That apparently made them far easier to listen to. When you had both sides screaming at you for an opinion it was difficult to make a choice. He walked to work listening to both sides of the argument- politicians and pundits on the radio in dark secluded rooms who'd "made" the change and human beings standing on sidewalks. "Life for the Living" "Only Jesus rose from the Dead" "Resistance is Human"

It was all anybody was talking about at work.

( Some like to worship the Moon, others the sun... )

And there ain't no man righteous, no not one.

Around the neighborhood they were the Dalton boys.

Edward was quiet and studious and the complete antethesis of Edward Senior, former Football Coach-the complete opposite of the people you'd normally find in the city. He lived like he'd belonged in a southwestern town-the sort of place you'd expect posse's to form. His son (his firstborn for chrissakes) liked to read and played in the garden and spent too much time with Mrs. Haverson and her damned cat next door.

He'd said thank god for Frankie. Franklin Dalton who liked to do battle and play with firecrackers. Edward and Frankie. Ed's boys, the Dalton boys. It was funny only when the neighborhood switched their sides. Frankie was a star athelete and popular right until Ed got into Johns Hopkins and suddenly the reverence of the community was on the oldest boy who-born of years in his younger brother's shadow shunned the spotlight. That's what the nieghborhood saw.

What they didn't see was Ed getting interested in sport's medicine and arranging for his brother to sneak out. Frankie looking the other way as his brother brought home Mary Beth Parker and Ed covering for Jaqueline, Susan, and the rest of them.

They didn't see Frankie snapping under the presssure to be the good son and Ed bailing him out of jail. Drunken fights,brawls, the two developed a relationship based on Edward Jr. being more of a caring parental figure then Edward Sr who regarded his children as a status symbol.

The boys were close. Different as the son and the moon, but close. And you needed allies.

Ed walked home to his apartment, slipping out of his coat and ignoring the pro vampire propaganda hanging on sidewalks and billboards.

Are you looking for a thrill?

Would you like to live forever?


Night was falling, and he did his best to skirt Officer Ramirez, his neighbor, who was adjusting his sunglasses outside his apartment. He nodded to the former human who smiled as he left the building, the fading light glinting off his fangs. The cops turned awful quick...

He'd wondered about that. If that were a choice or a requirement.

Turning, that was what they'd called it. Turning. Some people were starting to call it evolving.

Ed entered his apartment and locked the door in front of him only to stop and listen for just a moment. "...goddamnit-"

The electronics in his apartment were always half a step too slow. The lights roared to life and the TV clicked on.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Sprieg has announced his intent to turn, making the majority of the American Political System Homo Sapiens Nocturnus. Special measures have been put into place to ensure that the government can continue to operate. In other news, the vampire rights group Evolution into Night have pushed for the construction of special walkways beneath the city that would allow citizens infected with the disease to continue to function in society...

Ed turned the TV off, whirling at the sound of the front door opening, "...Y'know, you don't have to break in to houses just to prove you can Frankie."

He set his briefcase down. Carefully.

Write about something you've outlived


The short and sweet answer would be About three billion people. It might be more then that, I haven't checked the latest report and I really don't care to.

( But it's a multi-layered question. In a world like mine you end up outliving alot when you can't. fucking. die. )


The longer answer would be Humanity, mine, society's, whatever collective entity you want to call it, but my brother says I brood too much so I'll be succinct and to the point and leave it at Three Billion Humans and growing and let you accept that.