Pure Blood: The Vampire's Fate

Alexis sat in the back seat of the bus. Right by the window. She looked contemplative while leaning her head right on the window of the bus there. She hated long boring bus trips just like right now. Unfortunately, since a month ago she had to take the bus to go anywhere. It was because her pedal bike was broken, and of course, she couldn't directly repair or even buy a new one. Her salary as a waiter in a restaurant would not be enough to meet his daily needs. Moreover, Alexis is still a student at a university using a scholarship.

"Discharge 25." Alexis immediately got up from her seat, and took the bag and things that she was already carrying. Then slowly walked out of the bus, after paying the fare at the payment box near the bus driver. Alexis let out a slow breath, and resumed walking on her two feet to the restaurant where she worked, which was still three blocks from the 25th bus stop. Alexis looked at the small watch on her left wrist. Exactly seven o'clock. That meant that Alexis now only had thirty minutes left to get to the restaurant and get ready for her shift there.

Alexis quickened her footsteps there. It didn't matter how he looked at the moment, and how other people looked at her at the moment. Alexis couldn't be late anymore. She's been late twice this week. And if she was late one more again, then there would be no bonus in her salary this month. It also meant that she couldn't immediately make up for the cost of repairing her bicycle at the repair shop. But Alexis always liked the atmosphere of the evening. Colorful lights always accompany her steps when going to work and coming home from work activities. She always wanted to take it easy and enjoy it. Though it seemed like she wouldn't be able to do it this time. Work and college is his daily life.

Alexis stopped her footsteps right at the back door of the restaurant where Alexis worked. Trying to regulate her breath that feels ragged, and fix the appearance of her hair that feels messy at this time. Then slowly, Alexis opened the door, and went inside. Alexis walked into the dressing room and the clerk's locker. "Gosh, you've finally come too, Alexis. Look at the buyers up front with Abel." said Zoe who was in the room as well.

"Well... in the end, I'm no longer late again. The bus was moving very slowly earlier. But it seems today is still a lucky day for me." Alexis replied in a tone of voice that sounded very relaxed there as she started to quickly change into her work uniform.

"Hey, can't you ask your friends at the dorm to help you drop or pick you up? At least once in a while or whatever..." Zoe asked once more. Zoe was seen straightening her makeup in the mirror right next to Alexis at this time.

Alexis looked at Zoe and started to smile a little. Looks a little pushy there. "You may have forgotten, that I don't have roommates in the college dormitory. After all, no one would want to enter a scholarship student's room, let alone become close friends. I guess that's something that will never happen to me in this life." Alexis answered with a mumble.

Zoe let out a slow breath, and hugged Alexis' sides tightly. "No problem. After all, it's a good idea to get one dorm room all to yourself. Does it, right?" Zoe put on a cheerful and comforting face.

That succeeded in making Alexis chuckle, nodding her head a few times. "Yes, that is one of the advantages. I can sleep in peace, and lock the bedroom door. And no worried about anything." Alexis replied calmly. What she said was true. And during the two years living in campus dorms, Alexis really enjoyed it.

Shortly after, Zoe let go of her embrace. "Alright, come on, now we have to get to work. If not Mr. Joseph will bring out those terrible horns." Zoe spoke by holding her hands up to shoulder level, with a horrifying expression on her face.

Alexis laughed. "Come on, don't mock Mr. Joseph is like that. Or he will really show his horns." Alexis laughed again with Zoe. After that they together walked out of the dressing room, and started doing their work in the restaurant, until their shift was over. This has become Alexis' routine for the past four years. Since the death of his parents in a fatal car accident.

***

"Alexis, please throw away the trash bag, okay? After that, you can go home, it's past our usual closing hours." Mr. Joseph entered the kitchen area and immediately said that when he saw Alexis who was still wiping the kitchen area there. Mr. Joseph glanced for a moment at the watch on his left wrist which showed half past one that morning.

Alexis lifted her head and looked at Mr. Joseph. "Okay, I'll do it later. But I have to finish this first." Alexis answered while still wiping the kitchen area.

"Yes alright. And tell Zoe that she has to do the restock the goods in the warehouse." Mr. Joseph quickly walked away from there.

Alexis sped up her movement wiping the kitchen area, and when she was done, she also washed the cloth she used earlier, then put it back. Alexis walked into the warehouse and found Zoe who was still there restocking things. "Mr. Joseph told me to remind you to restock items. I thought you already did right now. Is there anything I can help you with?" Alexis was getting closer and closer to the warehouse there.

Zoe, who was currently sitting on a chair with a book and pen there, suddenly lifted her head and looked at Alexis. Then shook his head in a swift motion. "No need, Alexis. After all, I'm used to doing this restock. And, you told me that this afternoon, you had exams and other things at your campus. So go home now, otherwise you will wake up late." Zoe replied with a small smile on her face.

Alexis took a deep breath. "In that case, okay. I'll be home soon. And yes, I'll take the trash out, so don't worry about it." Alexis explained.

"Okay. Be careful on the way, okay." Zoe answered briefly and refocused on recording the stock of goods in the warehouse.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Zoe." After that, Alexis walked out of the warehouse, and into the changing room, and took her luggage that was in the locker. Before long, Alexis came out of there, and went back into the kitchen area to pick up a fairly large garbage bag there, and carry it out through the back door. Alexis had a little trouble carrying the big bag in both hands, carrying her carry-on bag. Alexis stepped out first before picking up the trash bag again. "Oh my gosh this is so heavy..." Alexis mumbled.

Before long, Alexis was right next to the big trash can in the hallway beside the restaurant. Alexis opened the lid of the trash can, then began to lift and throw the garbage bag into the tub quite hard. Alexis closed the lid back on the trash can. Then Alexis clapped her palms together, trying to brush off the dust that felt on her palms at this moment.

"Help! Please, help me!!"

Alexis immediately looked curiously at the darkness in front of her. Alexis squinted her eyes because she couldn't see very clearly in the darkness in the hallway. And the dim light in the middle of the hall didn't even help Alexis see what was at the deepest end of the hall. But when Alexis' eyes began to focus, she widened her eyes wide. There was a helpless woman standing weakly against the wall, with a man which Alexis couldn't describe in more detail. Alexis instantly hid her body behind the trash can. And tried to peek in the small gap between the trash can and the wall nearby right now.

Alexis now can only see the man tilted his face in the gap in the neck of the woman who began to wobble with his breathless. Alexis felt her body tremble with fear. And when the man moved his face away from the gap in the woman's neck, Alexis could see a bright glint in the man's eyes. And how the man easily dropped the woman's body onto the road and didn't move at all there. Alexis gripped her clothes to muffle her fear, unfortunately Alexis couldn't see the man's face clearly. The man didn't say anything, just stayed silent and looked coldly at the body of the woman who might have died there. Alexis covered her mouth with her palms when she saw the man wiping his red stained lips. Alexis felt nauseous with her eyes starting to well up with tears. When she realized what the red stain was visible on the man's lips. Blood stains. With a quick movement, Alexis saw the man running away from the dark alley. And just disappeared without a trace.

He was a vampire... Alexis believed that she might be in big trouble right now.

Alexis entered her dorm room with hasty steps. It was two in the morning, and she had just arrived at her college dormitory. Locked the door to his room and turned on the small orange lamp that was on her study table there. Alexis was lucky to have a taxi on duty in the morning. She couldn't think of going home by bus earlier. After what she saw in the hallway, Alexis wasn't sure if she could truly feel at ease this time. Alexis changed into her pajamas, then rolled her body tightly into her blanket. Trying to get rid of all the shadows of what happened earlier.

"Shit, why should I see it all? W-what if he sees me? W-what if I become his next target? Not. No..." Alexis mumbled with all her worries at the moment.

Alexis got up and leaned her body against the headboard. And bent his knees and hugged her tightly. Alexis hid her face between her knees and her hands there. "I think... I won't be able to sleep this morning. Remembering how that woman fell straight to the ground..." Alexis' body shuddered for a moment. "I'm sure that she's already dead...." And Alexis felt a rumble in her stomach, and an instant nausea.

Alexis raised her head and rubbed her face with her palms roughly. "Shit... gosh..." Alexis muttered afterward.

Alexis took a deep breath and got up from the bed. Then slowly walked closer to the water dispenser near his study table, and took the water in his favorite black and white polka dot glass. Alexis drank it slowly. Her throat felt dry, making her feel sore inside. After finishing the drinking water, Alexis placed the glass on her study table. Alexis tried to calm herself down even though it seemed almost impossible to do. Before long, Alexis turned her body and walked slowly closer to her bedroom window which was closed with curtains.

Srak

Alexis parted the curtains, and opened one side of the window. Let the fresh air of the early morning into the room. Alexis tried to refresh her mind by enjoying the fresh air that filled her surroundings. The drowsiness she had felt even Alexis no longer felt at all. There was still a vestige of tension in her body at this very moment. Alexis closed her eyes slowly. And during that time, Alexis didn't even notice that someone was watching her from afar. Hidden in the dark and behind the trees. With both sharp metallic colored eyes towards Alexis.

***

"Hey, have you heard that this morning the lecturer didn't come to take the exam."

A student who had just entered the class directly asked with a loud voice to her friends in the classroom. What he was talking about instantly made the atmosphere of the class into an uproar. "Is it true? Wow... luckily. Because I didn't study at all!!" The other friends cheered in agreement.

"Alexis, is what they said is true?" Another student who had just arrived, named Liliana, sat right next to Alexis who was hiding her face on her desk right in the folds of her hands.

Alexis raised her head slowly. Now he looks very sleepy. Then looked at Liliana who was looking at Alexis curiously. Alexis frowned slightly, then shook her head slowly. "Not. I don't know at all. But I think it could happen. Because at least I can sleep..." Alexis answered slowly. There was absolutely no way to hide that she was feeling very sleepy right now that was there.

Liliana just nodded her head slowly. "Okay. Gosh, I really wasn't prepared for this test today. And... how sleepy you are this morning." Liliana spoke again while taking out her cell phone from her bag.

Alexis widened her eyes slightly. I couldn't possibly say that I saw a vampire and was now scared to death. Alexis' mind spoke. Warned herself right now there that too. "Well... just my job at the restaurant. Last night we got a lot of customers. So, we had to close after the supposed hour. So that I become short of time to sleep and rest. That's all..." Alexis answered with a half lie. At least, Alexis hoped that would be enough to cover up another lie.

"You worked really hard. At least, get out once in a while for fun. You know... like going to a club, or some other entertainment venue. You've been such a geek all along..." Liliana spoke with her concerned tone over there.

Alexis shook her head with a faint motion. "That's not my lifestyle... I'm not used to enjoying leisure time in places like that. And also I'm comfortable with my daily routine..." Alexis replied casually. After all, she and Liliana had never been very close. They are just friends to talk to in class. And that's all.

Alexis doesn't really like hanging out with the nightlife like the rest of her college friends. She just tries to enjoy her daily life in peace and full of serenity. That alone was enough for Alexis to feel right now. Alexis finally hid her face again in her arms that were still on the table, closing her eyes. The noise in the classroom had made him feel a little dizzy. But not long after, the boisterous voice that had been heard for a long time began to turn into calm and only murmurs were there a lot. Alexis was curious about it, but the drowsiness she was feeling right now really seemed to overpower herself.

Tak

Something that slowly hit Alexis' head and made everyone in the class laugh. Alexis immediately raised her head and saw a Mr. Jolyon, her lecturer who is now standing tall beside her. Looking up at her with an annoyed look. Alexis was surprised and started to straighten herself. She looked so confused, surprised, and embarrassed all mixed into one right here and there. The atmosphere in the class had calmed down again, and there was no laughter there. "Sleeping in the morning in my class Mrs. Calder?" Mr. Jolyon asked in a soft tone of voice. Not at all matched by the look in his eyes that were bored there.

Alexis stuttered for a moment. "I-I... no... i-I mean." Alexis lowered her head slightly, and closed her eyelids for a moment, before looking up again and looking at Mr. Alexis. Jolyon who was still standing right next to him. "Forgive me. I really didn't mean it sir..." Alexis finally answered with a small mumble.

Mr. Jolyon didn't answer immediately and just watched Alexis. "Next time, don't sleep in the morning class again, Mrs. Calder. Otherwise, I don't know how I'm going to score you on this mythology course." He said after that as he walked away leaving Alexis' side there. Heading forward.

Which instantly made Alexis open her mouth in surprise. Surprised by what Mr. Jolyon to himself, which seemed to threaten the sustainability of her scholarship at the campus. Alexis slowly tried to focus herself, and looked ahead. Where is Mr. The Jolyon is now located. "Good morning all. This morning we have to postpone the exam, because we have a new student. Come on, come on in." said Mr. Jolyon who directs someone outside the classroom to immediately enter there.

A man walked straight into the classroom. The women in the class, immediately muttered and admired the man. How not, the man looks very handsome. With a solid jaw, the line of the face starts from the eyebrows, both eyes, and lips that are perfectly sculpted. And the rest, the shape of the man's body is sculpted like an ancient Greek god. Absolutely perfect. And when the man stopped right beside Mr. Jolyon, his blue-sliced eyes began to stare intently. It was as if whoever he looked at with those two eyes would pierce his soul with a charm that had not even been consciously emanating from there.

"Please introduce yourself to everyone in here." said Mr. Jolyon finally let the man go.

"Hello, my name is Adrian Harrison. You guys can call me as Adrian. And I am a new student in this collage. I really hope we can all work well together." The man introduced himself in front of everyone in the class. And Alexis subconsciously looked at the man with a frown on her forehead.

Lectures with Mr. Jolyon was over, and Alexis decided to go to the campus cafeteria. Bought some food and drinks for her to take to her dorm room. She has also filled out a membership card which is usually used to buy necessities on campus. And Alexis no longer had to worry about her needs. Although of course he had experienced a delay in refilling her balance, and required her to have lunch outside of campus. But Alexis can handle it so well. Alexis is now standing in line right at the fast food stand.

It was time for Alexis to arrive, she ordered a few things and started handing over the cards. Not much, but at least it's enough.

"Hey, have you all seen and heard the news this morning?"

Alexis sharpened her ears there. While occasionally glancing at a group of students and female students sitting at the table in the cafeteria. Then walked slowly, looking for a seat that was near the group there. While placing the food and drinks he bought right on the table. "Not. What news are you talking about?" One of them asked his friend who had asked first.

"Oh God. You all must have missed the news. I heard last night there was a murder near the Grill and Mac Restaurant. Right down the hall next to the building." The man answered loudly.

"Hey is that right? It was horrific." A woman joined in commenting with fear clearly visible on her face at this time.

Murder? Alexis asked herself. Subconsciously, she began to grip the sling bag that she was using right now. Her face was pale, with her lips tightly pressed against them. "Yes. And the police were confused because there was no trace of DNA or fingerprints on the woman's body. The police only said that the woman was bleeding, and all that was left on the body was a wound that even the police still needed to investigate further about the wound. Because it doesn't seem like the wounds of the beasts around this area." The man continued to explain in more detail to his friends.

Instantly the atmosphere in the cafeteria became noisy. Some said that they saw the process of evacuating the body this morning from the aisle of the Grill and Mac Restaurant. "Hey. I also heard that this afternoon, the police found CCTV footage of the surveillance camera located on the side of the Grill and Mac Restaurant. They said they could definitely find whatever it was through the CCTV footage." Another woman spoke.

CCTV? Gosh... w-what if on the CCTV footage I was seen? What if the police might suspect me? Shit. How could I forget that the restaurant has CCTV located right at the side of the building to monitor the customer parking lot which is right near the hallway? Alexis' mind was getting more and more restless and scared, about all the possibilities that could happen right now. Especially for his safety.

"Alexis!!" Call someone who just surprised Alexis right there. Then immediately Alexis turned her head and looked at the group of people who were nearby at this time.

"Yes?" Alexis asked and tried to normalize her facial expression there.

"You work at the Grill and Mac Restaurant, don't you?" A man who had called her earlier began to ask. It instantly made almost everyone stare at her right now.

"Yes. I work there... what's the matter?" Alexis asked and hoped that there weren't any strange questions that would make her slip up on what she knew.

"Didn't you see something weird and strange happened last night? When you working at the restaurant?" The man asked again.

"Not. Of course not. I worked late because there were a lot of customers coming. And when the closing hours of the restaurant came, I went straight home. Maybe, I missed that horrible incident when it happened. So, I don't know anything about it." Alexis replied immediately. Which is almost in part a lie. She certainly couldn't say out loud that the murder was caused by a vampire. There is even the possibility that she will be considered crazy by everyone on campus.

***

"Excuse me, we would like to speak to Mrs. Alexis Calder. Is it true that he works here?"

Alexis could hear a man talking about herself from her direction who had just finished delivering orders to customers. There, Alexis could see Zoe standing opposite two police officers. Unlucky. Alexis cursed inwardly. Then slowly, she began to walk more closer to Zoe and the two police officers there. Zoe who saw Alexis' presence immediately smiled a little. "Right, Alexis works here. And she is Alexis." Zoe replied while pointing at Alexis who had stopped walking right next to the two cops there.

Immediately, the two policemen turned and looked at Alexis. Alexis tried to smile a little there. "Yes? Is there anything I can help you with, sir?" Alexis asked politely.

"Yeah, actually we wanted to ask about something. Can we talk to you for a moment?" One of the police officers asked slowly.

Alexis looked at Zoe. As if understanding, Zoe nodded her head slowly. "I will ask permission from Mr. Joseph. You just talk to the officer. Okay?" Zoe said as she walked away to Mr. Joseph.

"Then let's sit over there..." Alexis directed the two police officers to follow her to a table that was slightly behind the tables of the other customers. Inwardly, Alexis hoped anxiously about what the two policemen would ask her.

Soon, the three of them sat right at the table. And immediately a police officer took out a cell phone from his pocket. Another police officer took out a small notebook and a pen. Alexis tried to muffle and regulate her breathing and heartbeat. She had to act normal. She should be able to do it. "We would like to ask about the murder that occurred last night. We found CCTV footage of where you, Mrs. Calder, was near the passage and running. What do you avoid? And what were you doing there?" The officer asked while showing the video where Alexis ran quickly away from the hallway area.

"Last night was closing time for the restaurant. We missed our closing hours due to more customers coming than usual. Mr. Joseph assigned me to dispose of the trash bags that were in the kitchen area. And when I threw the trash bag into the trash can in the hallway next to the restaurant. I saw something big in the hallway. I didn't dare to find out about it. Other than that, I didn't see anything else. Because I've been running to get home by using a taxi. Moreover, I also just found out that last night something terrible like that happened in the hallway."

Alexis answered quite a bit. And everything he said was recorded by the other police officers. Then when the police officer finished taking notes, he turned to his friend who was holding the cell phone, and shook his head slowly. As if understanding, the other police officers immediately put the cellphone back in his pocket. "Mrs. Calder, we warn you to be careful from now on. We still don't know who and what killed the woman last night. If you saw something last night, you could be the next target. And you are the main witness in this case. So we don't want anything to be happen to you. As much as possible you ask for work shifts in the morning to avoid terrible things from happening. Of course you already know what if you come home at night. How dangerous that is." The police officer explained at length with a serious look on his face.

Alexis nodded her head slowly. "Certain. I will try to discuss this with Mr. Joseph." Alexis answered in the end.

"In that case, okay." The two police officers rose to their feet. Followed by Alexis who also stood there. In turn, the police officer extended his right palm to shake hands with Alexis there. "Mrs. Calder, thank you for your statement on this case." they said in turn. And Alexis took turns shaking hands with the two police officers there. Then quickly the two police officers left the restaurant.

Alexis was stunned and silent after all the things the police officer had said to her. Every word said by the police officer seemed to continue to fill Alexis's mind at this time. How dangerous it would be if she came home at night after yesterday's incident. And how about Alexis who is likely to be the next target.