The chubby hausfrau wriggled and moaned in Alec’s arms. Then her heart stopped and Alec was no longer interested. He dropped her by the door and set off to explore the rest of the house. Maybe she had kids, he hoped.

The TV chattering away in the living room caught his attention. Breaking news reports of fires, outbreaks of violence, near riots. It’d been the same story all day, but as the night progressed, it was getting worse. “Been back in Chicago less than a week,” he muttered bitterly as he took a seat on the couch, “and all hell’s breaking loose. Again.”

Alec nodded, suddenly becoming very tired. The cow must have taken a Valium, he thought, that explains the funny aftertaste. Alec tried to stand, but his limbs wouldn’t obey, and he ended up face up on the floor in a paralyzed heap. Barely conscious, he heard footsteps.

A man in a dark suit and dark glasses looked down at Alec, smiling. “The vampire is sedated,” the Man in Black said to someone Alec couldn’t see.

“Take him,” someone answered.