FULL NOVELXO Chapter CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ABBEY HELD HANDS WITH THE SHERIF as they watched the polar bear at the Central Park Zoo. Gus was swimming and seemed to be having a great time in the 90,000 gallons of freshwater. The bear pawed and moved a chunk of ice around. Gus, spotting his ball, grabbed it and swam on his back. Alexander remembered a photo of polar bears awhile back that had been checking out the fast attack submarine USS Honolulu about three hundred miles from the North Pole. The polar bears had examined the boat for about two hours before finally wandering off. He would have liked to have been there to see that.
“Did you know that polar bears have been seen swimming as far as two hundred miles from land?” Abbey waited for his response. She hoped that he wasn’t a know-it-all that didn’t, as she found that very unattractive in a man.
“No, I didn’t know that. They are incredible animals. Nature is fascinating. ”
“I know. Wish I had a cub for a pet. It would have to be a cub that would stay a cub.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.” Alexander looked down at her, waiting for the right time for the first kiss. “Did you know that only the female polar bears hibernate in the winter when they birth the cubs?”
“I didn’t know that. What a harsh environment to live in, I mean in the wild. It’s a good thing they have that fur coat. You wouldn’t think that anything could survive in such cold.”
He kissed her, and she happily returned the affection. She wasn’t sure if it was wise to get involved with a vampire, but what the hell. They kissed for a little too long and discovered that people were staring, so they headed for the penguin exhibit. Some penguins were standing so still that they didn’t look real. She stared at the four King penguins; seeing them in the flesh was different from seeing them on television. She counted over 30 Chinstrap penguins but then lost count; their names originated from the narrow black lines under their heads, making them look like they were wearing black helmets, one of the most easily identified penguins. The zoo had long-tailed Gentoo penguins as well.
And then it happened. A vampire was attacking a man right beside them. Alexander pulled his gun and shot; the vampire blurred but ended up right in the line of the bullet. He fell as people screamed; Alexander drew his sword and decapitated the attacker as Abbey watched him turn to bones. It had been a frightening experience for all.
Alexander pressed his badge on his left chest. “This is Sheriff Alexander at the Central Park Zoo near the penguin exhibit. I have bones ready for extraction at this location. Video upload is to follow.”
The voice exited from his red badge was female. “Roger that.”
People clapped. They knew that without the sheriff’s presence, some would likely not be going home this day. The protection of a red sheriff was much appreciated.
“Sorry, you had to see that, Abbey. It was certainly not an image I wanted you to have on our first date.”
Abbey looked down at the attacker’s bones; she was impressed at how quickly he responded. His counter-attack had been so rapid that it had been blurry. “Don’t apologize. We both know what would have happened had you not been here. Evil gets enough attention it doesn’t need anymore. Let’s go have lunch.”
They both had burgers at the Central Park Zoo Café and talked. Alexander sprinkled blood flakes on his burger as Abbey added more ketchup to hers. The sheriff continued to love the taste of food, like a hug at the end of a rough day.
“Abbey, I’m surprised you weren’t more upset at what happened.”
She swallowed her hamburger and a mouthful of her delicious Coke. Abbey had always had a thing for Coke. “When that vampire killed my husband, it changed me. I’d kill all the bad vampires if I could. I’d have killed that bastard myself.”
Alexander noticed a young redheaded woman was staring, apparently attracted to him. Abbey also saw but said nothing. There was nothing wrong with looking. “You got some passion in you, Abbey.”
“Can I ask you a strange question?”
“Ask away.”
“Is it true that vampires don’t go to the washroom? And if so, what happens to the food?”
“The food gets absorbed so fast that I guess it doesn’t have time to turn into anything.”
Abbey thought about what she wanted to bring up, but they were so new as a couple if they were indeed a couple. A single kiss didn’t make them a couple. It was probably not the time or place, and he might think differently of her if she brought it up, but it was what was in her heart, and so she went with it. She tried to imagine their roles reversed. How would she respond? No matter how hard she tried, she wasn’t a vampire and, therefore, could not even guess it with any amount of correctness. She finished her hamburger and wiped the ketchup off her mouth.
“Abbey, you look like you want to say something? I understand if you’re considering this before it becomes bigger. That’s okay; the truth is best served first. It is so important, to be honest. Don’t ignore your feelings.”
Abbey wiped her mouth. “No, it’s not that at all. I was just wondering. I don’t know how to say it. I don’t want you to think less of me.”
“What?”
“Well, Alexander, if I asked you to turn me, would you?”
Alexander was surprised at the request. The sheriff was not expecting that. “No, I would have to think long and hard on that, as would you. There’s actually a book, So You Want to be a Vampire? It lists all the pros and cons of life as one of us. You should read it, but I don’t know if I could do that to you. I would certainly have to know you a lot better.”
“Do you think less of me for asking?”
“Not at all. After all, I am a vampire. Why don’t you at least wait and see how your daughter handles it. I think that it would be a good way for you to judge. Your family would not be happy.”
“I know.”
“What would you like to do now?”
She thought about it. “We could go back to my place and watch a movie?”
“How about my place? I have an 80-inch big screen.”
“I’d like to see that.”