Ernie Biggs, Part 2
Another long one. What can I say, I got that feedback!

Ernie walked along the city easily. He had no destination in mind, and wandered carelessly through town, a vaguely bemused expression on his face. He jumped from one rooftop to another without bothering to look below. If something interesting was happening below, he'd know. He always did. His vampiric senses were far superior to the normal human ones, even his hearing. Nothing much was happening now. Just some cats having dinner. He thought about using his powers to pounce down and rescue the mouse, but then decided not to.

Ernie liked cats. Cats were interesting. Mice rarely were, even if you broke their tail off, one bone at a time.

No, what he wanted was some fun. Something would turn up. It always did. He went on to the next rooftop, then smiled. It wasn't a particularly nice smile. Every part of his face smiled when he did this, but not his eyes. The result was slightly disconcerting.

There was a small boy down below, with a box of chocolates in his hand. Children were fun.

Ernie jumped down and landed noiselessly behind the boy. "Hello," he said in a timid voice. It was a voice you trusted. The little boy looked at him and smiled. It was an equally vague smile, and he also said hello. Ernie's smile grew broader, and his eyes suddenly focused. The effect was a little disconcerting. The little boy didn't know words like disconcerting though, and just wondered if this was one of those strangers his parents used to warn him about.

They'd never warned him about each other though. His father was an alcoholic, and used to beat his mother. That always made him cry, but if he cried too loudly, his father would hit him too. That's what finally drove his mother over the edge, and one night, when he was six, she stuck a knife in his father's neck. She buried his father in the yard. It took all night, and he watched. He helped plant saplings over the grave. She'd planned this for some time. He hated the garden now.

That had been four years ago.

Ernie said, "So what's your name? And where are you taking those chocolates? Can't I have one please?" Ernie was one of those people who failed to realise that children weren't all retards. The boy looked at him, and replied, "I'm Andrew. Who're you?" Andrew wasn't much of a talker. Ten year old boys usually aren't. Despite the disarming smile, Ernie found himself being stared at, suspiciously.

"I'm Ernie. I'm a vampire." Few people believed that, and it usually broke the ice. Andrew though, believed him. "Are you going to eat me?" he asked seriously. Ernie's smile flickered, but then he said, "No, that's trolls. Ogres in some places. Vampires suck blood, I'm quite sure about it."

Andrew just shrugged, so Ernie went on, "Anyway, I'm not going to suck your blood either. I'm probably the world's only anaemic vampire you see. Because I don't drink blood. I think it's gross." Andrew shrugged again. He understood gross. Like when he went into his parent's bedroom one night, and at first it looked like his father was hitting his mother again, but then realised that it was something different.

Ernie was looking at Andrew oddly. People normally didn't react like this. He said, "Listen, I'm a vampire. We're big scary monsters who kill people and drink their blood, you're supposed to be scared." Andrew looked at him with milky eyes and said accusingly, "But you just said you don't drink blood. Were you lying to me?"

Again, Ernie was at a loss. He smiled. This conversation was really interesting. When you're an immortal creature that can't eat or drink or have sex, it's the weird things that become interesting. He said, "Of course not. It's just that when I normally tell people that I'm a vampire, they get scared. I don't understand it either." Andrew just shrugged. People never understood anything. "You want chocolate?"

Ernie nodded. "I can't eat it you see, because that makes me sick, but I like the taste, so please will you give me a little that I can taste?"

Andrew seemed to debate this, as if hoping that a little might be enough to make Ernie sick. After a long pause, he handed a bar of chocolate to Ernie. Ernie smiled and opened his mouth. Andrew saw the fangs, and for the first time became interested. "That's cool", he said, and asked,"Can I get those too?"

Ernie smiled, and said, "Maybe someday. For now though, I think you should go home to your Mommy. I'm starting to get bored." Then he turned, and smiled at Andrew. He smiled eerily, with the tips of his fangs showing.

Andrew dropped the rest of the chocolate and ran. Ernie laughed, then tasted the chocolate. "Too bitter," he said disapprovingly, then loped off after the boy. The night had just gotten interesting.

I'm getting bored of Ernie, but can't end the story like this. Maybe I'll kill him off in the next one...