ANDREA'S OVERLORD by Michelle Marquis Page A

fight to survive.”
    “You’re welcome to try. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
    Mikel opened his mind up to the subtleties of the space: the frenzied rush of his victim’s blood as it thundered through his veins and arteries, the stink of nervous sweat, the tang of horror. It all aroused and excited him. He rose from the chair taking great care in doing so as if any quick movement might make his prey take flight.
    “Help me understand this. What have I done?” the man said.
    His voice had taken on a whiny quality that Mikel found very distasteful.
    Why was death such a terrifying thing to those who lived in its dark shadow every day? One should learn to embrace and surrender to that which was inevitable. How else could perfection be reached?
    The man took an almost imperceptible step back from the doorway. “Have mercy. You could say you never found me.”
    “Now why would I do that? You mean nothing to me.”
    “Perhaps just give me a few minutes to ready myself.”
    Mikel stepped forward. His leather boots creaked in the strain of his movement. “There is no more time.”
    “This must be a mistake! You’re making a mistake!”
    “No. No error.”
    The man gasped. “I don’t want to die.”
    Mikel stopped. He cocked his head to the left. “What a fool you are. I have news for you, Jamie. You’re already dead.”
    “Don’t toy with me. You understand what I’m saying.”
    Mikel smiled and nodded. “I do. I surely do.”
    “For the love of God, have mercy.”
    “There is no god that would hear your prayers. And as for mercy, I’m afraid I have none to give. But perhaps you are one of the many believers who find comfort from the old ways. If that’s the case, I can give you a second to call upon your god and ask for his forgiveness.”
    Anger flared in Jamie’s eyes. “I’ll fight and kill you if I have to.”
    Mikel continued to advance. “I’m beginning to wonder if you have it in you. Maybe all you are is a bunch of talk.” Before Jamie could bolt for the door, the vampire seized him. Mikel had moved across the room in a fraction of a second and now had both hands on his victim’s shoulders. Predictably, the musk of panic grew stronger and more pronounced. It sickened him.
    “I have to admit, Jamie,” Mikel said, “it’s hard to imagine you as a predator. Can’t you own up to the mistakes you’ve made? Are you blind to your shortcomings? Let this calling overtake you and the pain will be minimal. Why put yourself through so much terror? Surrender to me.”
    Jamie slammed his hands into the vampire’s chest. “I won’t surrender! I can’t do it. Don’t you understand that I want to live? Damn you!”
    Mikel bared his fangs in a wicked smile. “I’m sorry, Jamie. I’m afraid that is no longer an option.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 1
     
    The instructor prowled the class casting a critical eye on each student as he passed. “How does one stop bleeding from an arterial wound?”
    Andrea Quill knew the answer but stayed quiet. She’d been attracting way too much attention lately and the other students were starting to see her as a show-off. Sometimes it was hard being smart. She wanted to raise her hand but busied it by doodling circles on the last page of her notebook instead. The instructor walked behind her chair with quiet, measured steps. He was waiting for her to shoot her hand up like she usually did. She wasn’t going to though. He’d be disappointed this time. Andrea was determined to let someone else take this hopelessly easy question.
    The instructor stopped and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Come, come now. You mean to tell me no one knows the answer to this basic question?”
    A blond man in front of her raised his hand.
    The instructor peered over the top of his horn-rimmed glasses. “Yes, Greg?”
    “Place pressure directly on the wound.”
    The instructor nodded. “Very good. And then?”
    “Hold for several seconds