by Jason Rodarte
I remember my old life, though it was not that long ago. My new life is very similar to my old life. I was changed yet enhanced. As the sun begins to rise over the mountains, I make myself to my place of rest and there I begin to dream of what once was and never shall be again.
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My name is Santos Fuentes, also known as “El Lobo”. I grew up in a bad part of this city, a ghetto of sorts for the Latino community. The city had over a million people but offered nothing to people who lived in the ghetto. No jobs, no opportunity, no hope and no money. That is, if you did everything by the book and I threw that book out years ago. If one wants to live high on life, well, didn’t I deserve good things? Selling drugs and trafficking in people and other commodities, well the misfortunes of others were things I learned to ignore as their bad luck brought great fortune, houses, cars, money, and above all respect. All of this before the age of 33, not too shabby, eh?
I am smart and good looking. I can lift about 350 and my hair is coal black hair and my eyes hazel eyes. I am a little over 6’ tall and have a mocha-colored complexion. People admired my dimples and my smile, especially the ladies. People say I have a killer smile. Sometimes those people are right! Sometimes this killer smile is one of the last things some who cross me or get in my way ever see. Unlike some other people in my position, I don’t really mind getting my hands dirty. Whether through a fist, a knife, or a gun, or in one case a baseball bat, people learned respect. I made sure of that!
This is how I got my name, El Lobo, The Wolf. I even had my namesake tattooed on my forearm, the mouth encircling my wrist. I think it looks pretty good, real intimidating. It was a reminder of people to show respect to me and those I was with.
A few days ago, I was working out at the local gym. The gym is not the most impressive, but it has some of the basics. It has a weight machine area and few weightlifting benches. There are a few elliptical machines and a treadmill or two. I think that there is a stationary bike, but I tend not to use that. It reminds me of growing up in the barrio where to get anywhere we either walked or rode a bike. I was with my bodyguard, Lorenzo. Lorenzo was not bad looking at all. He was bald and built. He was light skinned and often would work out with me. He didn’t work out that night with me though, he just watched and spotted if I needed a spotter.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed this one punk kid, he was tall, maybe 6’2 and looked to be about 125 pounds soaking wet. The kid had to be at the oldest 20. No biggie but this kid kept staring at me, eyeing me up and down. I felt like a side of beef being examined. Who could blame him but nope, I wasn’t into guys. Every time I moved to another station; there he was behind me. Having enough of it, I went to the showers. Lorenzo followed. As I showered that damn kid followed me into the shower area. He acted like he was changing but I enough was enough. I gave Lorenzo the look, dried myself off and left and waited in the back seat of the car.
About twenty minutes later, Lorenzo came back to the car, the kid in tow. Lorenzo opened the door and threw the kid in and got in to drive. Turning on the ignition we started off. The kid looked scared.
“What’s your name kid?”, I asked.
“Phillip”, he replied.
“Tell me Phillip, you like staring at good looking guys in the gym and the showers, don’t you?”
He shook his head, no.
“Then why were you following me and checking me out in the showers? You think I am some kind of joto?”, I demanded slamming my hand on the side of the car.
“No,o-o”, Phillip said. He looked like he wanted to cry. Slamming my hand on the side of the car really scared him.
“Please, just let me go, I didn’t mean anything…” he began. You could almost feel his fear.
“Shut the fuck up, you little shit”, I interrupted him, “You disrespected me, and it is going to cost you, cost you a lot. It might cost you everything.”
“I won’t tell anyone, I am sorry,”
We were approaching the river.
“Lorenzo, pull over. Let’s have some fun”.
Lorenzo replied, “You’re the boss” and pulled over to the local river.
Lorenzo pulled over near a place that was often used for fishing. There were picnic tables where families came to recreate and have fun fishing. The river was calm, just a few ripples on it from a slight breeze. There was no one at the river when we drove up.
Lorenzo got out from the driver’s side of the car and went to the back of the car. Opening the door, Lorenzo pulled Phillip out of the car by the collar of his shirt and threw him on the cold ground and began to kick and stomp at him.
Phillip instinctively covered his head with his arms and assumed the fetal position.
You could hear Lorenzo’s kicks connecting to Phillip’s scrawny body and Phillip’s muffled grunts of pain.
I got out and began to join in. We beat the kid into an inch of life. We left him bloody, broken and unconscious in the cold and drove off. Wiping my hands of blood on a handkerchief, “Ya, Phillip you are sorry, and you won’t do that again”. “Lorenzo, you feel like eating Italian tonight”, I asked as we drove off. Beating people up always makes me hungry.
A few nights later, I was back at the gym with Lorenzo. The night was cold, and it was beginning to snow. The full moon was visible. It was beautiful to say the least. I was pumping iron and doing cardio. No bike though, remember?
Lorenzo joined me. We were halfway through our first hour of working out when the tv at the gym began telling the story of the twenty-two-year-old that had been found earlier in the week beat up near the river.
No one knew who had beat him up, but it was being reported as a hate crime. The victim, Philip Martinez, was a leader at the local college’s LGBQT+ organization. The news reported that Philip had to be placed in a healing coma due to the severity of his wounds. The report was the doctors were not sure if he was going to make it.
Lorenzo was spotting me on the bench press. “Maybe he will learn”, I smirked with a slight laugh. Lorenzo shrugged and nodded.
About 20 minutes later, as were working on some cardio, in comes a man who looked pale, he needed to eat some meat or something. He definitely needed to spend some time in the sun tanning. Was he anemic? He had shiny black hair, darker than mine. He was about 6’3 and was dressed very well. Too well to be in a gym. He had a long trench coat a collard white shirt with s fancy looking tie, not quite a bow tie and not a traditional tie that businessmen often wore. He was almost regal in his appearance and his composure. Maybe he wanted to join the gym? As he went to the woman at the front desk, I didn’t pay more attention to him and kept using the elliptical machine.
Lorenzo and I were in the t showers when the regal looking guy approached us. He did not enter the wet area but spoke to us at the entrance.
“Santos Fuentes, also known as “El Lobo”? he asked in a thick Spanish accent.
“Who wants to know”, Lorenzo asked. H took on a defensive position.
“We have some business to attend to, matters of great importance.”, the Spaniard replied.
“Well, if you want to talk business you will have to make an appointment”, Lorenzo stated.
The man smiled. “Yes, later sounds better” and he left.
“Can you belief that shit?”, Lorenzo stated after the door to the shower area swung closed.
“Some people have no sense and lack so much respect it isn’t funny”, I replied. “Let’s get Mexican after we get out of here.”
Lorenzo nodded. “You’re the boss”, he responded.
We finished getting dressed and left. Enchiladas sounded really good.
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Later that night after a few beers and too much food we were driving back to my place. It was well after midnight. We took the backroads since it was a peaceful night and the moon was shining in the starlight sky. The snow had stopped falling and the moon reflected the snow in a beautiful way. The scenery reminded me about what Christmas was supposed to look like every year. We were near an area that had many trees, almost a forest. There was no one else on the backroads, no lights from nearby houses. It was an almost desolate area of town.
From out of nowhere Lorenzo slammed on the breaks. “Holy shit!” he yelled as he slammed on the breaks, the snow making the car skid to the side. “There is someone in the road.”
I looked up as the car screeched to a stop. Sure enough there was a man standing in the middle of the road. I looked at Lorenzo who got his pistol out of the glove compartment.
The person in the middle of the road was wearing a familiar trench coat.
“Santos Fuentes, also known as “El Lobo, I think it is time that we have our appointment”, the Spanish accent was undeniable and mocking at the same time.
Lorenzo and I got out of the car, his pistol at the ready.
“What do you want and who are you,” I demanded.
“How rude, I did forget to introduce myself at the gymnasium, didn’t I but then again you were in no condition to do business with. My name is Amador Gonzalez y Martinez. I have something of a concern that must be addressed immediately, and recompense must be made.” Amador’s voice was smooth. Mocking.
“Well Amador Gonzalez y Martinez, when we do business here, we don’t do it in the middle of the road. Lorenzo, take this pompous ass out.”
Lorenzo nodded and lifted the gun. “You’re the boss,” he replied as he took aim at Amador.
Amador gave a freaky smile, “Guns, how predictable if uncivilized. They are so primitive.” he smirked, and his eyes began to glow a deep blue. Amador looked squarely at Lorenzo. The light began to reflect in Lorenzo’s eyes and Lorenzo got a goofy and relaxed look on his face. His entire body relaxed causing his arms to drop at his sides.
“Lorenzo, be a good boy for me and toss your gun away, strip to your underwear and start doing push ups until I tell you to stop. Oh, and count them out for me”, Amador commanded.
Lorenzo nodded his stare blank and focused on something only he could see, “You’re the boss” he said flatly throwing the gun away into some bushes and began to disrobe.
“Lorenzo, what the hell are you doing?” I demanded.
Faster than my mind and eye could register, Amador was upon me. He grabbed me by the neck and in one movement pushed me up against the side of the car
I looked at Amador while trying to break his grip. He still looked regal but also feral at the same time. He looked like an animal on the hunt and I, I Santos Fuentes, El Lobo, was his prey.
“One”, Lorenzo was counting as he began his pushups.
With a strength that belied his stature and build, Amador lifted me up by the throat. His hands were cold, too cold.
“What, what do you want?” I asked hoarsely, being choked made it difficult to talk.
“I told you, Lobito, that I needed to talk to you about recompense and satisfaction. You see, you and your friend over there, hurt someone who was under my protection”
“Two”
“Who?” I asked.
“Three”.
“Phillip Martinez. You beat him into an inch of his life for the crime of looking at you.” Amador stated, almost growling.
“What’s it to you?” I asked, as his anger increased Amador’s grip around my neck tightened.
“Phillip Martinez was under my protection, and you have caused damage to my property. I believe in what you call, an eye for an eye.” He chuckled.
“Four”
“Maybe we can cut a deal” I choked, and he loosened his grip. “I can give you money, drugs, whatever you want”.
“Five”
“You are in a position to negotiate nothing Lobito. You are dealing with powers that were old when the world was young.” He laughed and looking back, “Lorenzo, fall asleep until I have need of you again.”
“You’re the boss,” Lorenzo stated as he lifted himself up into his next push up and fell asleep, body spread eagle in the middle of the cold and snowy road. He began to snore.
“What do you mean?” I asked. I was beginning to be afraid.
“I am what you call a vampiro, nosferatu, blood demon. We have our secret conclaves and cabals that most of the time go undetected in your human world that is until some stupid human brings about our attention. This is something that you do not want to do is incur our wrath. This is something that you and your snoring friend over there did a few evenings ago. You were both stupid. You attacked one who was under my protection, a descendent and because of you he may not live. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, “Amador said and with his smile he showed me his fangs.
“A descendent of yours?,”, I said though it was difficult to do so, being choked and all. “He didn’t look like no vampire to me and he didn’t act like one either. He was almost…”
“Human,” Amador interrupted me, a sly grin on his face. “Why yes, Phillip Martinez is a descendant of mine born from a union before I was turned into what you see before me. His great-great-great, I often forget how many greats grandmother was my wife who escaped the fate that befell me all those many years ago. I was able to find his grandfather in this country and have been their benefactor, protector, liege and patriarch, without their awareness.” He looked proud of himself.
Off in the distance of the park, the howling of wolves began.
“Wait”, I thought, “there aren’t any wolves this close to the city.
Amador threw me against the car and I slide down from the impact trying to catch my breath. As if reading my thoughts, Amador replied, “The children of the night heed my command and respond to my presence.” That mocking voice, that terrible voice responded.
What was I going to do? Lorenzo was no help, snoring away, ass up in the air. I didn’t have a gun. A fucking vampire, those things are not supposed to exist. Thinking back an idea struck me. My hand went to my throat to the necklace I was wearing. A gold crucifix that my grandmother had given me for my Confirmation. I pulled it out and held it before me the moon catching the gold. This should help me or at least buy me sometime to figure out what to do.
Amador gave a deep ridiculing laugh. “A crucifix,” he asked through his laughter. His voice became sinister. “The ploy of the cross is useless unless the bearer truly beliefs and the sins that you have on your soul, Santos Fuentes, also known as “El Lobo”, make mine look like I was newly baptized. He stomped his foot, and the crucifix began to burn in my hand.
I yanked the chain off my neck and threw the burning metal away. The crucifix melted into a pool of molten gold. The corpus becoming disfigured as it melted into the molten metal, pooling on the ground where it landed.
Without realizing it as I pulled the chain of the necklace away from my neck, it drew blood.
Instantly, Amador was upon me. This time taking in the scent of blood, relishing it. Amador’s nostrils grew larger as he smelled me. His eyes glinted. Amador licked my neck. Was he savoring me, tasting me? Often, I had seen that same look in Lorenzo’s eyes while enjoying green chile enchiladas or tacos. I felt dirty, used, more like an object than a person.
Amador whispered in my ear, “This will hurt only for a bit, then you will feel extasy like you have never felt before. Then nothing. You will rise on the third day, though no one will know you were gone. Your family will not weep for you. Your entire purpose in undeath will be to work for the cabal, making me rich with your dealings and business transactions. Lorenzo, attend me.” Amador’s voice was almost seductive and yet matter of fact.
Lorenzo, mid snore, stood up and walked to Amador. His face had a far-off look to it. He looked ready to obey.
Now I was really scared. “” I don’t want that, let me go, I promise I won’t tell anyone about you or vampires or nothing.” I was able to stand up, my back resting on the car.
Amador laughed, “Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Lorenzo, punish him for his insolence”
“You’re the boss” was all I heard before Lorenzo kicked me in the crotch. I fell. He was pulling no kicks, striking me as if I was most hated enemy. I threw up as I hit the ground. I looked up, Lorenzo had that faraway look as if nothing out of the ordinary was taking place.
“Lorenzo, c’mon snap out of it.” I begged.
Amador responded. “He can’t hear you.” Amador walked back to me and lifted me up by the neck and drug me across the side of the car to the trunk. My back felt like it was getting pretty scraped up. My butt rested on the trunk. Amador was playing with me. He knew it and I knew it.
“The sun rises soon,” he stated, “and I tire of this game.” Amador came in closer. Amador looked at me in the eyes but his eyes did not give off that freaky glow, the glow that was still in Lorenzo’s eyes.
“I condemn you, Santos Fuentes, also known as “El Lobo” to eternal damnation, to forever thirst for human blood and to serve me as a thrall. You see, free will is such a wasted gift on one like you. Lobito, you cannot possibly know how to use this gift. You do not know how to use this gift. That will matter no longer. You disrespected a power beyond your ken, and it is time to, as they say, pay the piper”.
He growled as he came in, biting my neck. Biting on to the jugular. Pain unlike any I had ever felt before wracked my body. I tried to cry out. I looked for help to my bodyguard to Lorenzo. I tried reaching out to him, desperate to catch his attention, to break the hold that Amador had on him.
Lorenzo stood at attention looking at nothing. That dopey grin still on his face as if he hadn’t a care in this world.
The wolves broke from the forest, surrounding the entranced Lorenzo and the gorging Amador.
Then the pain I was feeling stopped and extasy filled my body. It was like Amador had foretold, that extasy filled my body from the top of my head to my toes, like something I had never felt before. Like something I would never feel again.
Suddenly after what felt like forever and yet not long enough, the extasy stopped and then..
Cold…
Nothing.
As my eyes closed, the alpha wolf came to Amador’s side. Petting the wolf on the head, both wolf and vampire looked down at me. The last thing I saw with my mortal eyes was Amador’s contented smile.
I awoke from my place of rest. The sun had set and it was time to make sure Amador’s goals and plans would bear fruition. It was time to make him money and whatever else he commanded.
Leonardo Magazine 