恶魔麦诺克（英文原著 Memnoch the Devil）

　　He was a good victim to follow flashy, greedy, at times good,and always amusing.

　　Back to David. And how this strapping immortal opposite me musthave loved the vampire Jesse, and become the pupil of Maharet. Whydidn't I have any respect for the old ones anymore? What did I want,for the love of heaven? No, that was not the question. The questiont me right now? Was I running from it?

　　He was politely waiting for me to look at him again. I did. But Ididn't speak. I didn't begin. And so he did what polite people oftendo, he talked slowly on as if I were not staring at him through theviolet glasses like one with an ominous secret.

　　"No one has tried to hurt me," he said again in the lovely calmBritish manner, "no one has questioned that you made me, all havetreated me with respect and kindness, though everyone of coursewanted to know all the details firsthand of how you survived the BodyThief. And I don't think you know quite how you alarmed them, andhow much they love you."This was a kindly reference to the last adventure which hadbrought us together, and driven me to make him one of us. At thetime, he had not sung my praises to Heaven for any part of it.

　　"They love me, do they?" I said of the others, the remnants of ourrevenant species around the world. "I know they didn't try to helpme." I thought of the defeated Body Thief.

　　Without David's help, I might never have won that battle. I couldnot think of something that terrible. But I certainly didn't want tothink of all my brilliant and gifted vampiric cohorts and how they'dwatched from afar and done nothing.

　　The Body Thief himself was in Hell. And the body in questionwas opposite me with David inside it.

　　"All right, I'm glad to hear I had them a little worried," I said.

　　"But the point is, I'm being followed again, and this time it's noscheming mortal who knows the trick of astral projection and how totake possession of someone else's body. I'm being stalked."He studied me, not so much incredulous as striving perhaps tograsp the implications.

　　"Being stalked," he repeated thoughtfully.

　　"Absolutely." I nodded. "David, I'm frightened. I'm actuallyfrightened. If I told you what I think this thing is, this thing that'sstalking me, you'd laugh.""Would I?"The waiter had set down the hot drinks, and the steam did feelglorious. The piano played Satie ever so softly. Life was almost worthliving, even for a son of a bitch of a monster like myself. Somethingcrossed my mind.

　　In this very bar, I'd heard my victim say to his daughter two nightsago, "You know I sold my soul for places just like this."I'd been yards away, quite beyond mortal hearing, yet hearingevery word that fell from my Victim's lips, and I was enthralled withthe daughter. Dora, that was her name. Dora. She was the one thingthis strange and succulently alluring Victim truly loved, his onlychild, his daughter.

　　I realized David was watching me.

　　"Just thinking about the victim who brought me here," I said.

　　"And his daughter. They're not going out tonight. The snow's toodeep and the wind too cruel. He'll take her back up to their suite, andshe'll look down on the towers of St. Patrick's. I want to keep myvictim in my sights, you know.""Good heavens, have you fallen in love with a couple of mortals?""No. Not at all. Just a new way of hunting. The man's unique, ablaze of individual traits. I adore him. I was going to feed on him thefirst time I saw him, but he continues to surprise me. I've beenfollowing him around for half a year."I flashed back on them. Yes, they were going upstairs, just as Ithought. They had just left their table in the restaurant. The nightwas too wretched even for Dora, though she wanted to go to thechurch and to pray for her father, and beg him to stay there and praytoo. Some memory played between them, in their thoughts andfragmentary words. Dora had been a little girl when my Victim had firstbrought her to that cathedral.

　　He didn't believe in anything. She was some sort of religiousleader. Theodora. She preached to television audiences on theseriousness of values and nourishment of the soul. And her father? Ah,well, I'd kill him before I learnt too much more, or end up losing thisbig trophy buck just for Dora's sake.

　　I looked back at David, who was watching me eagerly, shoulderresting against the dark satin-covered wall. In this light, no one couldhave known he wasn't human. Even one of us might have missed it.

　　As for me, I probably looked like a mad rock star who wanted all theworld's attention to crush him slowly to death.