Thriving But Not Necessarily Alive

Sales pitches can be deadly

Thriving But Not Necessarily Alive

“Thrive Alive,” Raven muttered as she looked at the can doubtfully.

“Whatever possessed you to buy this, and a case of it at that,” she asked herself irritably.

Bright lights and colors and all those delicious looking dishes that the main pitchman whipped up right in front of the crowd she was part of. Although none of the food samples ever made it as far as her, Raven knew she just had to have some ‘Thrive Alive’.

When she found out that they only sold it by the case, she almost turned on her heel and left without it.
But in the end, Raven couldn’t resist the smiles and cordial words of all of the salespeople. Besides, she’d skipped lunch and was starving!
So here she stood in her cozy kitchen with a case of fifty cans.

The recipe book had turned out to be extra, so she never got that. But mostly because she emptied her wallet just buying the case of product!
“If it’s so good, why can’t I just drink it?” she asked herself reasonably.
So the next morning when she made her usual breakfast smoothie, Raven added the contents of one can. In spite of a Pepto pink color and a slightly metallic taste, it wasn’t half-bad. The more she used the stuff the more she came to want it.

Curiously, Raven began to crave raw meat, the bloodier the better. Since she’d always been an extra-well done, no pink please meat eater, this concerned her. But it was the day after she finished the last can in the case that she became truly alarmed.

All through that day, anything red-blooded she came across, from live chickens in the market to random people on the street caused Raven to salivate and eye the area where she could see the pulse beating in the neck. By the end of the day, she was extremely afraid. So much so, she went into the first walk-in clinic she came to.

The doctor did a thorough exam, then she told him her story.
“There seems to be a lot of this strange condition going around. You’re the fifth person I’ve seen with these symptoms today,” the doctor told her.
“What do you mean?” she asked anxiously even as she hungrily eyed his jugular vein.

“Let me get this straight. You say the only thing you’ve been doing differently lately is ingesting this food supplement you purchased. It’s called ‘Thrive Alive’, right?”

Raven nodded, distracted by the pulsing in his neck. The doctor picked up his cell and punched in a number.
“I have another case for you, Professor,” he said quietly.
He had barely disconnected the call when a knock came on the closed office door.

“Come in please!” the doctor called out from his chair.
A tall, gaunt man walked in. When his piercing blue eyes fell on Raven, he looked her over intently and thoroughly. Unaccountably, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise like hackles in fear.
“Raven Turner, may I introduce Doctor Siegfried Van Helsing,” the medical doctor said.
She felt a snarl rise in her throat.

“Unfortunately, she seems to have almost made the full transition that comes from using a full case of that evil liquid,” the cursed Van Helsing pronounced.
Without hesitation, she lunged for him, blood fangs bared. He swiftly held up a large cross. The sight of it made her cringe and whimper as she rapidly backed off. Nodding at the medical doctor, Van Helsing produced manacles, which he quickly fastened on her wrists. Whatever they were made of they stopped her in her tracks, making her docile and biddable.

“Come my dear, speed is of the essence if I am to have any success in reversing your problem,” the hated man told her in a matter-of-fact manner as he led her out of the office. She bared her teeth and hissed, but there was no heat in it. Van Helsing smiled coldly.
“The process of bringing you back to normal requires that I drain your whole body of its blood and replace it with untainted amounts at almost the same time. I see from the slip the medical doctor gave me that you list your blood type as O+. That’s good from your perspective and mine as it is easily available so I can order it from the blood bank today.

“Since the blood in a person’s body makes up seven percent of their weight. And again, from the doctor’s information, I see you weigh 150 pounds. That means I will have to requisition 4.7 liters, I better make it 6 just in case,” the despised Van Helsing continued.
Raven pondered on the treatment as he had described it.
‘Can you begin it in about an hour? It appears I have some personal business that needs to be attended to immediately. Please remove the shackles as I fully intend to return,” she told him.

Not waiting for a reply after Van Helsing removed the restraints, she left. Ignoring her car, Raven sped to the mall. As she expected, the Thrive Alive people were still there. Approaching the main pitchman, she convinced him to talk to her privately, mostly through veiled threats.
The short man with the dirty blonde long hair unlocked a door in the back and directed her through it with a flourish. Indicating a padded chair near the desk that sat in this sleazy and very makeshift office, he took a seat in the executive chair behind the massive desk. He tilted back in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug grin on his face.

“What can I help you with, ma’am?” he asked complacently.
Without answering, Raven sprang over the desk and grabbed him by the shirt collar. He started to laugh, revealing a full set of blood fangs. Reluctantly, she loosened her hold slightly.
“As you can see, we have a no refund policy for a reason. We can supply you with more of our incredible supplement at a significant discount if you are willing to join ‘our little family’,” he went on.
“You want me to sell your poison?” she growled, tightening her hold again and lifting him out of his chair with one hand.
Someone slapped something solid into her other hand. Raven grasped it reflexively and raised it over her head. With a single thrust she drove the stake into his heart.

In a daze, she looked up to see Doctor Van Helsing beside her.
“Time to go and start your treatment, Ms. Turner he said with icy calm as he loosened her grip on the body.
“This way,” he told her indicating a small door behind the desk chair she hadn’t noticed earlier.
They slipped out through a larger second door into an alley behind the mall where a car waited.

“When you wanted to put off your vital treatment, I knew at once what you planned to do, so I followed you,” the doctor told Raven as he started the car and backed it deftly out of the alley.
“What happens when they find the body,” Raven whispered harshly.
“They won’t. I treated the stake with my own special formulae. The body will disintegrate in ten minutes into common household dust, something that public places like a mall find very hard to keep up with when it comes to cleaning,” Van Helsing explained.

Raven heaved a sigh of relief.
“Can we start my treatment tonight?”
“Of course, in fact we must!” Van Helsing replied.
They drove in silence for a while. Finally, the doctor cleared his throat.
“You’re a natural as a vampire slayer, Ms. Raven. Would you consider assisting me with that?” he asked tentatively.
“Let’s see how well the treatment works first, okay?” she murmured.
Van Helsing gave her a speculative look.
“Do you fear that the treatment might fail, or do you welcome the prospect?”
Unable to answer him, Raven stared out the window in silence.

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