Free Vampire Dreams by J. R. Rain Page B

ability, had grown stronger.
    But so far, I had never been able to predict the future. Or even see the future.
    Until now.
    So, as I sat in my minivan, I was beginning to get a very bad feeling. I suspected things were about to go very, very badly for the young lady sitting on the bus bench.
    Unless, of course, I helped.
    I drummed my fingers some more, watching the girl through the windshield. She was now leaning back on the bench, looking down at her cell phone. As comfortable as could be. As peaceful as could be. She was cute and petite. Maybe even smaller than me, although I had her by a few pounds. Normally this would be cause for some minor jealousy, but I wasn’t feeling any jealously now.
    No, I was worried sick.
    Interestingly, I have warning bells that alert me to danger…but danger only to myself. Not to others. Presently, my inner alarm was quiet as the grave.
    Maybe my dream was wrong.
    Maybe.
    Except everything looked the same. The same girl. Same bus bench. Same street. Same surrounding bushes. The only thing that was missing was the out-of-control bus.
    It’s coming, I thought. And it’s coming soon.
    The girl on the bench suddenly laughed and appeared to text something rapidly on her phone. It was a similar laugh I had heard in my dream. I had seen all this before. Three different times, in fact.
    And it was not going to end well for this young girl.
    No, it was going to end very, very badly.
    And soon.
    Unless I did something about it.
    I stepped out of my van.
     
    5.
     
    The sun had set minutes earlier and I felt like a million bucks. Or, more accurately, I felt like a freaky, nearly invincible, bloodsucking creature of the night who will probably never sniff a million bucks.
    Potatoes, po tat oes.
    I inhaled the evening air—the sunless air—supercharging my undead body. Feeling stronger than I ever had, I beeped my minivan locked out of instinct, shoved the keys in my front pocket, and headed across the street.
     
    6.
     
    Like a good pedestrian, I waited for the light to turn green before I crossed Harbor going east. As I did so, I kept my eyes on the young girl, who was currently digging in her handbag for something. That something turned out to be a black e-book reader. My guess was a Kindle. Then again, I’d only just gotten a Kindle this Christmas, so what the hell did I know?
    She turned it on and sat back and crossed her legs. Her left foot kicked up and down. I watched all of this as I continued across the street.
    She was still south of me; Amerige Street still separated us.
    Now, as I waited for this light to turn green, I watched her suddenly look up and frown. She turned and looked behind her. I looked, too. There was no sign of a bus anywhere. She frowned some more and almost reluctantly went back to her Kindle.
    As I waited for the light, frowning myself, I reflected that people were more psychic than they realized. Had she sensed some impending doom? Had her body given her its own warning bell, and she chose to ignore it?
    I didn’t know, but it was something to think about as my light finally turned green, and I crossed Amerige street, heading south on Harbor.
    I suddenly felt foolish.
    It was just a dream, after all. Granted, a very freaky dream. But a dream nonetheless. And yet…
    And yet…all the pieces of the puzzle were here. Everything. From the girl, to the bench, to the hedge behind her. Everything except the runaway bus.
    And one thing was certain: a bus was coming.
    Yes, I felt foolish, but if I’ve learned anything over these past seven years, it’s to expect the unexpected. A prophetic dream seemed strange as hell, sure. But no stranger than drinking blood and changing into a giant vampire bat.
    God, I’m such a freak.
    So, I moved toward her a little more confidently, even picking up my pace. I passed a few pedestrians, couples mostly, no doubt on their way to one of the many downtown restaurants. No one paid me any mind, and no one paid the girl any mind,