A Matter of Conscience: Part 1.

This was a story I began last year about Malkavian Chriss and posted to
"alt.vampyres". I had no idea how to continue it or why I wanted to write it,
so at the time it never got finished.
But now I think I can finish it. It will be crude, cos it is a
difficult story......

Oh, for those of you who require a warning about violence and sex
and that lot. Although there isn't much in this to offend, it does contain
references, which may offend......

Chriss.

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A Matter of Conscience.
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"We're going down to Danny's, you coming Kate?"
The young man shouted from the doorway, his arm around a young red-head hgirl.

"I'll be along shortly." came the reply.

Alone, Kate sat in the dirty bedroom of the squat, ignoring the squallor
that was her 'home'.
It was all she had.
It had been less than a year since she ran away from home and since then she had
merely survived.
She earns money on the streets, but her teenage looks were aging fast from the
abuse her body received.

She failed to see the youth sitting in the shadows.

Slowly she open a drawer and removed a sachet of white powder.
She looked down at the bruise on her arm and the tiny pin-pricks.

Chriss sat there watching as she administered the drug.
As the euphoric haze swept over her, she became aware of his presence.
"What are you looking at?"
"You." he replied. Slowly he came out of the shadows.
"Chriss, I wish you wouldn't creep around, you scares me."
"erm, yeh sorry, erm, you shoun't u u use that stuff you know."

She stepped towards him and observed his obvious discomfort.
"You were quite funny tonight." the effects of the drugs were taking
held of her.
"erm, thank y y you."
"Well Chriss, what I take is none of your business,
 besides, I can stop whenever I want to."
"So why not stop?"
"cos I don't want to, thats why."
"can't o o or won't?"
"You're kidda cute, you know that don't ya?"
She siddled round behind Chriss and put her hand on his shoulders.

"erm, thank you." the nervousness in his voice apparent.
She slid her hands down his back and gently rested her fingers at the top of
his jeans, and fumbled gently with the leather belt.
"Who are you really?
 You don't belong anywhere and yet you look after yourself.
 How do you make money?"
"I I I, er, would rather not answer that."

She quickly moved her hands around to his front, ran her finger over the belt
buckle and slightly over his crotch, trying to tease him.
"I know the old geezers of this town,
 if they won't go for a girl like me, they go for the good looking boys.
 You a rent-boy then?"
"Kate, please stop it."
He slowly turn to face her, he looked into her dilated eyes and saw the
emptiness within. No life, no soul, no hope.
"What's wrong Chriss? All the others have tried it on with me, but not you.
 Don't you like me?"
"yeh, cos I I I do, but ...... I can't explain."

He continued to look at her, still a teenager, but already her life was a ruin.
He wanted to help her, but if she wouldn't be helped?
"Kiss me then." She demanded.
Chriss put his arms around her, kissed her gently on the lips, then gently on
her the side of the neck.
"I'm sorry." he whispered.
He hesitated and then sank his teeth into her neck.

Her eyes were wide open in terror, but she was unable to fight as he drank
from her.

Finally, Chriss lowered the body to the ground.
She was not fully drained, but in her weakened state it was not long before
her life slipped away.
The energised blood surged through his veins.
Sometimes the presence of drugs in the blood did strange things to his mad
psyche, sometimes his madness was applified or he was plagued by hideous
nightmares, but occasionaly, his mind cleared.
And as Chriss looked down at the body of his friend, almost wishing for the
wave of madness to sweep over him so that he could forget, his thoughts cleared
and came into focus.

He hurried away from the boarded up house, and ran for 2 more blocks before
slowing down.
His mind and thoughts were clear, but at what cost?
The cost was his friend.
The sence of guilt welled up in him and he remembered the betrayed look on
her face.
He crossed the road to a pay phone and dialed.
He waited until the answering machine responded.
"Hello Marjean,
 Look I I I don't know if you're busy tonight, but I could really do with a
 talk. I'll be down at that tacky goth bar, you know the new one near St. Lukes.
 See you then."

He hung up and hurried away.