Laying on the cement floor was a young girl. Her upper body pulled apart. Her rib bones seemed scattered about her body. On closer inspection the placement of the bones had a definite pattern to them. Her flesh was already marbled with black and blue veins.
"They made it look like a group of Satanists killed her," Christov said faintly, "Crude, but effective."
"Look what else I found," Henri said, pointing to a large, dead potted evergreen. Guts made for the macabre decorations hanging on its brittle and breaking branches.
"A bunch of tree hugging Satanists," Christov deduced.
"Christov this is the coven you want to make a formal introduction of Pete to?"
"A kill is a kill," Christov said defensively, "I've taken some gruesome measures myself to hide a body."
"Christov look at her face, the measure of pain on it. The way her fingers are curled and digging into the palms. The amount of blood wasted," Henri said patiently, "There are finger length grooves in the flesh indicating something very strong and forceful dug into her chest and ripped her open with his or her bare hands. "
"Henri it more than likely," Christov bent down to sniff around the body for tell tale scents of a human being's sweat on her other than the girl's particular sweat and decay, "This was probably down by an ancient", he said confused, "Wait, I smell another mortal's blood on her, and another mortals' body odor. You could be mistaken about grooves being made immortal's hands. I smell the scent of another mortal having been here."
"She might have recently been with a lover and his or her scent may still be on her clothing," Henri said, doubtfully, "The young ones in the coven could have done it for sport, perhaps they spread open her chest with a tool or knife of some sort. It's a very clean wound. Nothing jagged about it. It does seem she was quickly torn open."
"If it was the youngsters Pete would be a good influence on them," Christov challenged Henri. Look," he closed her jelly runny eyes, "It's a shame when a kill becomes as violent as this, but you know how young ones love to show off. Most night walking vampire who are made from the meat of adolescents always have a hard time with self control. That's why it's best to use only adult mortals when making a fledging. Remember when Andre was a young vampire and his little slop of horrors? How he loved to bring mortals into his lair and make a spectacular out of their death. It's a pity. After some years of life the young ones learn what adults already had when they entered our world, self control, then when they lived too long, and become ancients they go into a second childhood, and go back to their violent tastes."
"Even those of us who were made night walkers in the stage of being an adult have been known when we become ancients to become savages," Henri said thoughtfully, "I think it is a matter of the heart becoming jaded, the ancient seek thrills and excitement out of boredom, the young out of sheer need to whet they energy out."
I say we respectful keep our distance from these charmers, and if Pete happens to meet them we'll let Pete deal with them, "Christov said, "Why were you poking your nose in here anyway?"
"I found a rather lovely caretaker of the cemetery," Henri said, "He was paying his respects to his wife's grave. He used to do it every night, presently he's sharing that lovely bronze coffin with its occupant."
"I should be so lucky, "Christov sighed, "Good hunting."
A rat crept up to the body it had been dining on and off on. Grabbing it by its naked tail Christov brought its squealing body to his hungry lips, crushing it's spinal cord between his long elegant fingers. He drank from the paralyzed creature. Throwing it over his shoulder, he wiped his mouth, "That will do for me tonight. Let's wait for Pete."
"Oui, let's," Henir said removing his coat, draping it over the girl's body.
"You're going to miss that coat," Christov scolded him
"No matter,' Henri said.
"A vampire showing gallantry to the dead," Christov moaned as he left. Henri following behind him, rubbing his arms in his thin cotton shirr to warm his flesh which was already starting to sting.
"Find a way to keep me warm?" Henri teased hopefully.
Christov shook his head, always naked from the waist up he was used to feeling the cold.
Opening up the bronze coffin Christov pulled the coat off of Henri's victim. A thin old man with heavily veined hands and a moist with spit mouth under his gold mustache lay on top of a corpse which had discolored skin puffed and bloated up from its skeleton.
Christov noted Henri's kill was still pretty pliant, and it didn't seem to show any signs of shock or a struggle. "You must have taken him fast," Christov said approvingly, If your so cold why didn't you open his coffin and take off his coat?"
"Because," Henri said, "I detest parkas. I detest anything made of synthetic material."
Mincemeat, Christov moaned to himself.. "Wear it," he ordered, taking it off the corpse and putting it over Henri's shoulders. Zipping up Henri's new-to-him parka, Chrisov's hands fell off the zipper touching Henri's throat.
Swallowing, Christov quickly took his hands away, saying, "You want to get laid?"
"Here?" Henri said laughing, his face twisting in distaste, "Non, Beside my dear friend, I haven't any change."
"You never do," Christov said huskily, "Sure no twenties in his coat?"
"Non," Henry lied, longing for Christov to kiss him. Hoping he would give him the slightest hint he wanted to be kissed.
Henri glanced at the copse feeling ashamed and humbled.
He could see the fear in Chrisov's brown eyes all decorated with mascara and eyes liner.
You poor fool. You'd cheerfully slap around anyone you felt deserved it. Yet you're petrified of me. I'm the only one in the world you're incapable of not being afraid of, Henri thought
"Oh well. Too bad you haven't any change. You should carry some cash around with you," Christov said pretending boldness. Feeling relived and grateful towards Henri in never having change.
"Let's go wait for Pete," Henri said, following Christov out.
Josh nervously knocked at the door of an ancient Victorian house right in the middle of down town Chicago.
"Here's our last roommate!" yelled a young black man opening the door wide, holding his hand out for Josh to pump.
Josh' s face went into automatic smiles as he was greeted by his other five roommates.
"I'm Paul," said the young man who opened the door.
Josh decided he was gong to like stocky, athletic Paul who had a grin which was warm and inviting,
"I'm Joanie," said a perfectly shaped, small blond with a face which had a tasteful application of make up showing off her natural beauty. Clear gray eyes and health gave her a sweet kind of female perfection.
Another splendid female specimen a long, model-thin black girl with Japanese slanted eyes and magnificently high cheek bones presented herself as Marcia.
The boys of course were more delectable in their own way.
"Thomas," said a long well built boy with the looks of a movie star type who played in teen movies," "I'm the gay one."
"Pleased to meet you," Josh said his on automatic smile becoming a tiny bit more real, "What a way to break the ice," Josh teased, subtly looking Thomas over.
"And I'm Joe, said a boisterous face belonging to a ravishing boy with a wild mop of brown hair, and the most disturbing, fantastic green eyes Josh had ever seen on a seductive, mortal male, "I'm the straight guy. Whose team are you on?" Joey said licking his thick lips. He had a clear complexion and a tasty choir boy mouth.
"I'm a fence sitter," Josh joked, not even trying to be subtle about looking Joey straight in the face. Josh quickly looked down from Joey's face when he saw Joey admiration of him was just as frank.
"I'm Amy," giggled a perky girl with breasts too big on her small frame. Her breasts had to be doctored. Josh backed away from her a little. She threw her arms around him. Her body pressing a little too intimately to his. He would have sworn if she were a guy, she'd be sporting a hard-on and it would be digging into his thigh.
Her brown eyes met his blue heartbreaker eyes, and her eyes turned moist and hungry, "I think we're going to get along fabulously," she said emphasizing the word fabulously with such heated significance she caused Josh to feel both flattered and annoyed, knowing he was going to be chased.
An attractive oriental girl introduced herself as Tan. Josh shook hands with her appreciating her polite reserve.
"It looks like you and I are going to be sharing a room," Joey said pleasantly while a camera man wired a mike on Josh's shirt.
"Cool," Josh said admiring Joe's sloppy sweat shirt and baggy shorts. Glad he wasn't sharing his room with someone who didn't appear to a neat freak.
"We thought we'd talk about ourselves while we all unwound the hot tub," Amy said, tucking her arm into Josh's. "Then we'd go to the House of Blues and talk about stuff we were too sober to talk about."
You all already seemed pretty bombed, Josh thought to himself surprised.
"Just a minute kids," one of the camera men said, going to door to let in whoever was knocking on it.
In came Mr. Link, one of the producers who conducted the interviews to get on to the show.
"Glad you all made it safely here," Mr. Links said in his booming voice looking directly at Josh.