Alright, the process is complete, and by all accounts, everything went just fine. Yep, I've been reborn and now I'm a creature of the dark. Irene and I are about to start a new life. She's gonna lose her mind with the desert experience; she's always wanted to see and touch whatever comes after death. And yeah, I already told her about Hell, but she doesn't care one bit, because let's be real, who gives a fuck about that crap when you're about to become a vampire? Soon it'll be Irene, Agnes, and me. Three young vampires. Three beautiful vampires. I want Agnes to be the one to turn Irene, because let's be honest, I really don't wanna go overboard with the blood and kill her. Hell no, of course I don't want to kill her. But I know Agnes won't do it. And in the end, she's right. Nené's not her business, it's mine. Before dying, I kept telling myself I'd do a good job turning Irene. Come on, how hard could it be? I wasn't gonna kill her. I thought: "This is gonna be fucking awesome. Nené and I, both vampires. Hell yeah, this is gonna be wild."
I'm lying in bed. I've just opened my eyes. Agnes's face is just a few inches from mine. Fuck, she's gorgeous. She smiles at me, part playful, part wicked, and kisses me. Her mouth tastes like glory and divine redemption. I feel something extra in her kiss, sweet and addictive, and I savor it, buzzing with excitement. Suddenly, because I'm a sharp guy (and now that I'm a vampire, even sharper), I just know what it is. She doesn't need to say it. It's blood. Human blood. Blood from someone who, if angels were real, would totally be one of them. Of course, I have no clue who that poor soul might've been, the one Agnes drained. And I'm not about to use my sharp senses to figure it out either. I think, "If blood tastes this good and makes me feel this amazing, I'm never gonna be able to quench my thirst. Oh shit, I'm gonna be addicted to this stuff."
Agnes stops kissing me and then licks my lips. God, she's so sexy. But now I focus on myself; I feel fully alive, like being here, now, actually being a vampire and no longer a human, is the best gift ever. Like this is the true essence of existence. Damn, I don't remember ever feeling this full of energy. This new life, no doubt, is gonna be beyond satisfying. I stare at Agnes. I smile. She knows what I'm feeling. She knows I'm flying high. I get up from the bed. We both stand. Fuck, I swear to everything holy, I feel like I could break through a wall and launch myself into infinity. Like I could leave Earth, scoop it up in my hands like a ball of clay, squash it, mold it, toss it from hand to hand a few times and then hurl it at full force sending it millions of light-years away out of the Milky Way. Agnes says:
"You never imagined it'd be this incredible, right?"
I look at her with absolute approval.
When my heart stopped beating, it wasn't completely night yet. Now it is. I'd spent the entire holy day suffering like a terminal patient without morphine. Irene saw it all, but never once got scared. It didn't make her question wanting to become a vampire. She never left my side. She stayed with me, showing me how much she loved me. I think, "Irene. You were the woman I wanted next to me in my human life, and now I want you with me in my vampire life. My beautiful Nené. I need to see you now. Where the hell is Irene?" I think, "How long have I been dead?" Agnes hears my thoughts. She answers:
"Just a few minutes."
"You weren't there when I died."
"I was."
"Right. You can be anywhere."
"You want to know where your little girlfriend is, don't you?"
And now my sharp instincts kick in. I don't want to believe what I already know deep down. Oh no. Fuck, don't do this to me. Please, no.
Agnes says:
"Go to the living room and you'll see her, my love. Though she's not exactly alive. Poor thing's gone. She fulfilled the fate she was meant for. Then again, after tasting her blood when you kissed me, I think you already figured that out."
I head to the living room, and I realize I'm moving at insane speed. Literally, I just blink and I'm there. And holy shit, there's Irene's body. Lying on the rug like a fucking banana peel. Agnes killed her. My Irene. It can't be. It's not fair. That fucking bitch fed on her. Drank her dry. Sucked the life out of her. Why the fuck did she do it? Rotten whore! Nené. Oh God. Fuck this life. I curse everything that exists. I curse the universe, all its worlds, all its stupid stars. I go to Irene's body. I hug her. Then I stop. Then I hug her again. I think about her being by my side all day. I think I should've let her hold me, even if every inch of me hurt.
I look at Agnes, consumed by rage but also feeling shattered. Heartbroken as hell. She says:
"One of the best bloods I've ever tasted, my love. No doubt. The blood of humans who eat well and work out, humans who care for their bodies just to look as beautiful as possible, that's the kind of blood that feeds a vampire properly. A vampire with sybaritic habits, a refined superior being who loves nothing more than the most exquisite flavors this world has to offer."