CHAPTER SIX

SIX
The blood hunger began to rise once I was on
the street. I avoided Times Square and headed east.
Sometimes I stroll through the new Times Square
pedestrian mall and walk north just to see the
dazzling spectacle of light, even though it now has
almost nothing to do with theater. Tonight, though,
the thought of throngs of human beings did nothing
but whet my appetite. The saloons on the block were
lit up and crowded. I ignored them, knowing the
blood lust would get more intense, more demanding,
should I mingle and press against warm flesh.
It was too early to feed and too early to go to
Elaine’s. Graydon Carter’s Monkey Bar is three blocks
east and ten blocks uptown from the theater. I decided
to walk there. Madison Avenue was nearly deserted.
Some shop windows in the Forties were still lit up
behind metal gates and grates that protected shoes,
suits, shirts, electronics, and dresses. There were a few
humans walking on that stretch of the avenue at that
hour.