Blood Princess

When I knocked on the door to Shizuka’s room, she wasn’t pleased. Her hair was tangled and she was still bleary eyed from being woken up at three AM, but as soon as she saw me that look of annoyance was replaced by one of concern.

“You look like you’ve come back from the dead,” she murmurs, scanning me from head to toe.

You should have seen me when I just got home.

Covered from head to toe in dried river water, my bloodstained clothes reduced to rags, it took the stealth of a panther to sneak through the house and take a shower. I threw out my clothes on the way back to dispose of the evidence, and the contact lenses are once again sitting comfortably in my eyes.

There’s no way I could sleep after what just happened in the woods, so I decided to come here straight away to claim my prize. It’s actually the first time I’ve seen her without makeup or a cigarette in her mouth, and in fluffy pink pajamas too. I’m not surprised at all that she can see the mental tiredness in my eyes.

“Come in,” she yawns. “You’re lucky I’m in charge of you, any sensible person would tell you to come back in the morning.”

“It is the morning.”

“No it’s not, it’s the middle of the night.”

She heads back into the living room, flipping on the light switch. “Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Or do you plan to go back to sleep later?”

“I’ll take tea,” I decide. I’m definitely not feeling sleepy – the excitement of the battle, the thoughts going through my head concerning my decision with the baby, the anticipation of my prize… I’ll probably be sleeping for a whole day once it all dies down, but for now I can’t stop my heart from racing.

The soothing sound of a kettle hissing calms my nerves, if only slightly. Now that I think about it, the air here is surprisingly fresh. Maybe I should come more often at night.

“So what happened?” Shizuka asks, stifling a yawn. “Something big, I’ll wager.”

“I killed it,” I say. “The feral vampire.”

I don’t hear anything. Concerned that she nodded off, I pivot my head from the couch and see a rare sight.

She’s surprised.

I’ve seen her happy, angry and sad (usually after a date gone wrong)… but never surprised.

“…Wow.”

She stands there stupidly as the kettle pings to signal the completion of its task.

“Don’t you want to see proof?” I ask, slightly unsettled.

She shakes her head. “I believe you. It feels like the battle really shook you… something’s changed.”

Well… the hardest part was after the fight itself.

I bring out my phone and the picture of the lower half of the vampire. I deliberately took it from a position where she wouldn’t be able to tell that half the forest had been cleared, and a new canyon formed. If ANGEL found out about the cost of our victory… I have no idea what would happen, but it wouldn’t be good. For now, I’ll sit back and let the conspiracy theorists do the work for me.

“You completely destroyed it,” she marvels, handing me a mug of tea. “Are you sure you’re not taking the credit for someone else’s work?”

“Nope. If I weren’t there, that thing would still be alive.”

Well, that’s not a lie. Alice would have died if I didn’t give her a chance to fire off that beam.

“You’ve really gotten stronger,” she says. “When I first met you I thought you were just an arrogant brat. But here you are now, taking on A level threats. Guess I didn’t need to call in aid from the Thirteenth District after all.”

It’s rare to be praised by my superior, so I take it in like a puppy being rewarded by its master. “Aw, it was nothing. I was always this strong, you just never gave me a chance to prove myself.”

“Hah, I guess you’re still an arrogant brat – but at least your arrogance is well founded now.”

I’m not sure whether that was a compliment or not.

Shizuka comes around and sits on the sofa beside me. “I’ll have the money transferred to your account. Take a break for a few days – you’ve earned it.”

***

I ended up skipping school that day, because I felt like it.

It’s Wednesday now and even though it was only two nights ago that the feral vampire was killed, it feels like everything’s changed. A sense of nostalgia overcomes me as I sit down in class, ready to begin lessons.

Two days ago I walked through those gates as a demon for the first time. Today, I walk through as a feral vampire slayer, and the proud owner of ten thousand dollars.

As my eyes wander over to Alice’s empty seat, I wonder what will become of her. Will she still continue to attend Fifth Hill High? Or will she disappear, never to be seen again?

“You look terrible,” Dennis remarks from beside me.

“Really?” I feign ignorance. “I guess I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Huh. Could it be that the aliens did something to you?”

“Aliens?” I ask. I’m already beginning to see where this is heading.

“Yeah. Didn’t you see the news this morning? There were strange lights reported from the woods around Ashbrook, and a huge section of the trees were cleared. That’s not the strangest thing though – something blasted through the ridge and created a small canyon right in the middle.”

I feign surprise. “Wow. But aliens… really?”

News sure does travel fast.

Dennis shrugs. “There’s no natural explanation for the incident, so people are going crazy with the theories.”

It’s not too far from the truth, really. Demons and Divine Edges are pretty much just different words for aliens and high tech weapons.

With that said, the door opens and Mrs. Kuksal strides in. I guess Alice really won’t be coming in today.

As she begins to read off the names in alphabetical order by surname, I become increasingly aware of a sharp gaze on my neck. I turn my head just in time to come face to face with a crumpled ball of paper, inches away from my face. Before I can register this I’ve caught the ball, surprising both myself and the sender.

Leo’s scowling face glares at me from across the room. Bringing the paper under my desk, I unfold it.

We need to talk.

Well, this is unlike Leo. If he wanted to say something he’d usually just single me out during class or a break and confront me, rather than give me prior warning.

Just as I’m contemplating whether or not to accept his request, the door opens.

“Oh, Alice! There you are, you’re just in time to avoid being late.”

Mrs. Kuksal cheerily sends out a greeting and sends her off to her seat.

“Sorry, Miss. I got caught up in traffic.”

Liar. You live close enough to walk here.

I don’t even realize I’m smiling to myself as she goes and takes her seat, shortly before the first period begins.

***

“So what’s the problem?” I grumpily ask as Leo confronts me during lunch. I’d intended to ask Alice about her current plans, but I can’t exactly ignore him now.

“Our school got knocked out in the quarter finals yesterday,” he grumbles.

“Quarter finals? For what?”

“Karate, what else?”

Huh… what’s the big deal?

“Quarter finals is pretty good,” I say, unsure of where this is going. “For such an unknown school, at least.”

Leo nods in agreement. “We did our best, and all that practicing paid off. But… Ashley’s really been beating herself up over our loss.”

“Hmm… it’s not her fault though, is it?”

“It’s not. But she still feels somewhat responsible for the loss… and she seems really depressed. I can’t stress to her enough that she did everything she could, but still…”

“So what’s this got to do with me?”

Leo pauses for a moment, before shakily lowering his head.

“I need you to cheer her up. I feel like you’re the only one who could do it.”

Well, well… I never would have thought the day would come.

“So… you’re asking me for a favour now? After all the shit I’ve had to take from you?”

I hear his breath catch in his throat. “Pl… please. I’ve never seen her like this… do it for her, if not for me.”

I revel in this newfound sense of power. “What’s in it for me? Why would I suddenly help one of my enemies?”

Leo keeps his eyes fixed to the ground. “I’ll pay you money. I’ll stop picking on you. I’ll…”

“I don’t need your money,” I smirk.

I’ve already made up my mind about helping her out – after all, I can’t say no to someone who’s been so nice to me. I just need to keep up this act to get Leo on his knees and begging for mercy.

“Please,” he begs again. “I’m sorry for being an asshole to you, and I know saying it doesn’t really do anything but I’m apologizing anyway.”

“Are you really though?” I sneer. “Look me in the eye and say it.”

Leo slowly raises his head and holds onto my gaze… before cursing.

“Godamnit…”

“I thought so.”

I let out a heavy sigh. I suppose I’m still in a good mood from the recent turn of events.

“Alright, I’ll help her out. I seriously hope things change between us from here on.”

“Thank you,” he bows again. “I won’t forget this.”

Next thing you know, a night’s rest will have him picking on me again.

Leo keeps his head bowed as I turn and stride away. I might as well get started now – I don’t like seeing Ashley down in the dumps just as much as Leo doesn’t.

***

This is the first time I’ve stepped into Ashley’s class. She’s actually in the top class for most of her subjects that are ranked, so a commoner like me intruding is a rare sight. I hate to say it, but lots of the geniuses in these classes are either loners or elitists.

Ignoring the curious and condescending gazes from the superiors in the room, I head towards Ashley’s lone desk. There’s a depressing aura around her, probably the reason why everyone including her friends are nowhere to be seen. They probably think she needs some time to herself. I’m going to hope that Leo’s plan of having me cheer her up works.

“Yo,” I greet, slumping down in front of her. “Mind if I have lunch with you?”

At first, she seems not to have heard. Then, slowly, she lifts her head and looks at me from behind her bangs. There are shadows under her eyes, clear signs that she hasn’t slept well. This was probably how I looked yesterday morning.

“Okay,” she says quietly, pulling the lid off her lunch. Well, it’s a start.

“I heard about what happened,” I decide to begin. “You shouldn’t dwell too much on it. You trained pretty hard, I’m sure everyone’s proud of how far you guys came.”

I’ve never really had to comfort anyone before, so I hope I’m not just making things worse.

“Everyone had such high hopes,” she murmurs. “We were going to make it to the finals… maybe even qualify for the nationals. But we didn’t even make it to the semis…”

“Well, of course it’s not going to be easy,” I reply. “I mean, you are going up against some of the toughest schools in the district. Some of them are schools specialized in sports, they have far superior equipment and facilities, as well as coaches. It’s not really your fault.”

“We trained so hard, but we still didn’t stand a chance…”

Oh boy… I’m starting to get a bit sick of her defeatist attitude.

“Look,” I say, my voice slightly rising in volume. “That just means you need to train more, improve, evolve. It’s not the end of the world – there’s still next-“

Oh shit.

“This was my last year,” she whispers. “And the last for a lot of other seniors too.”

“W-well, I’m sure you just got the juniors and freshmen fired up for next year,” I say. “I mean… there’s still university and stuff, right? I’m sure they have clubs and tournaments there.”

She sighs and doesn’t say anything. What am I supposed to do now?

“Be proud of what you achieved,” I say. “You’re a martial artist. You can defend yourself if anyone tries to beat you up – that’s already more than what I can do. Hold on a sec.”

I turn my back to her and whip out my phone, doing a quick Google search.

“Here’s something that Bruce Lee, one of the greatest martial artists in the world once said. †˜A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.’ It’s not about the destination, but about the journey. You were aiming for the top – you didn’t reach it, but you came close. You inspired the school, raised the bar for everyone else. You made friends and enemies. You became strong.”

I’ve unconsciously stood up. “Martial arts aren’t about winning or losing. They’re about a way of life, about sets of values which you uphold and keep with you forever. Sure you lost, and it’s good to feel frustrated. Isn’t it so much more exciting to know that you’ve still got a ways to go? That there are still so many strong opponents to beat? I’m sure you’ll run into them again in university. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to fight again. Do you think they’re not afraid of you? While you’re here, sulking in the corner, they’ll be training to widen the gap. Do you want that? Or do you want to look up, stop looking back, and take one step forward? The journey’s not over yet, Ashley. That goal isn’t going anywhere, even if you graduate, even if you die.”

I stop, panting. Around me, everyone suddenly breaks into a massive round of applause.

“Bravo!”

“Well said!”

“That was so motivational it almost made me cry…”

C-crap… I just made a fool of myself in front of the geniuses…

Ashley gives a small smile before hastily covering her mouth. “You’re so embarrassingly corny,” she says.

I quickly sit down, searching for a hole to hide in. But I can see the usual glint in her eyes again, the glint that was missing before.

Thanks, Bruce. I owe you one – and it seems like my bullshitting skills are still on point. I literally picked the first quote from the Google search.

“Leo put you up to this, didn’t he?” she asks, beginning to eat.

“Uh… well…”

“You don’t have to lie. He’s such a good brother, only he’d think of this.”

Yeah, whatever you say…

“You’re right, though. I got so caught up with winning that I forgot the reason I tried out karate for the first time – just in case any scary men tried to force themselves on me, I could defend myself.”

“W-well… that’s one way to put it.”

“Although if it were you… I wouldn’t mind,” she says, a suggestive look in her eyes.

“A-Anyway,” I say, quickly looking away. “My work here is –“

“Not so fast. The match is still fresh on my mind, Bran. I need you to overwrite those memories with something happy.”

I’m not sure I like where this is going. “Like what?”

Ashley grins, leaning over to whisper in my ear. “Go on a date with me.”

The shopping centre is packed, typical of a Saturday morning. Even though there are couples everywhere, I can’t help but feel a little self-conscious.

Nothing eventful’s happened in the past few days. I’m a bit relieved and bored by this recent turn of events – none of my patrols have yielded anything, and Shizuka’s received no reports about demon threats. It was pretty much just an ordinary school week, albeit one filled with growing apprehension regarding this †˜date’.

“Come on, Bran! Let’s go, let’s go!”

The thing is, Ashley didn’t come here to shop. Dragging my hand and pulling me through the mall, we’re one of the first to reach the ice rink as the previous session ends. Seeing her like this puts me at ease though. It looks like she truly has recovered from her slump.

“You should have worn a jacket,” she says to me. “It’s pretty cold, unless you skate a lot.”

“I would’ve,” I begin. “But I lost it.”

I almost said †˜but Alice lost it,’ which would have been bad. Most of the people are wrapped up in winter wear, and I’m one of the only ones only wearing a single layer. Maybe I should pretend to be a little cold, just to try and fit in.

Ashley is the first to step onto the ice, adapting to the rental skates in a matter of seconds. She’s already moving smoothly around, skating as if it’s second nature to her. I can’t help but be a little nervous in anticipation of when it’s my turn.

I’ve actually never skated before in my life.

Just as I think this, a whiff of something pleasant passes me. Turning my head instinctively, I realize that it’s a family of two parents and their small child. They must have O type blood, or I wouldn’t have reacted as strongly.

I sure am glad I filled up on Alice’s animal blood yesterday.

“Come on, Bran!” Ashely urges. “Don’t just sit there, you have to skate with me! This is a date, you got it? D – A – T-“

“Yeah yeah,” I say, cutting her off. I don’t want her drawing any more attention than she already is.

Putting on the skates and strapping them on firmly, I take one step onto the ice… and my foot immediately comes out from under me. A sharp pain hits my behind as I slip backwards.

Ashley giggles. “You suck! Don’t tell me you’ve never skated before?”

“H-Hey, it’s not that uncommon is it?”

She extends a hand which I grab onto and pulls me up. I immediately hug the barrier at the edge of the rink to prevent another fall.

“I guess I’ll have to be the man this time,” she sighs. “Usually the guy is meant to teach the girl, not the other way around.”

She snatches my hand and slowly moves forward, keeping me in tow. I focus on maintaining my balance, but quickly realize how much harder it is than it looks.

“I give up,” I say. “This is too hard.”

“You’re pathetic,” Ashely shakes her head. “Look at that little boy. He’s learning faster than you are.”

She points to an infant in the distance, skimming over the ice as if he weighs nothing. My morale immediately plummets even lower.

“Maybe you should go do a bit of your own skating for a while,” I say. “It must be pretty frustrating for you to teach amateurs like me.”

Ashley sighs. “You’re right. If you still can’t last ten seconds without falling over we’re going to do this every week until you can.”

…I’m not sure how to feel at this.

As she disappears off into the distance, I propel myself forward a tiny bit. Wobbling unsteadily, I quickly return to the solace of the barrier before I lose control.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter. “If only I could just run normally without these things… I’m sure I’d be faster too.”

A group of kids skate past casually as if it were the simplest thing in the world. One of them is even moving backwards.

Alright, that does it.

I push off from the wall, gradually building up speed. Using every inch of my focus, I manoeuvre my body to maintain a low centre of gravity. The cool air blows against me as I gradually pick up speed, one firm stroke at a time.

Maybe this isn’t so bad after all-

Just as I think this, I realize there’s a problem – the other end of the barrier is coming up at a dangerously fast speed, and I don’t know how to brake or turn.

And then I collide with a huge bang, drawing the attention of everyone in the rink. Pain streaks through my body like a lightning bolt and I go tumbling onto the ground. As the throbbing in my body slowly subsides, a few faces pop in above my vision.

“You alright there?”

“I’m fine,” I yelp, my face turning red. I pull myself up and reassure the people around me, who reluctantly leave. I think I’m going to take it slowly from now on.

“Crikey! Who woulda thought you’d be here of all places!”

A heavy hand slaps me on the back, knocking the wind out of my already battered ribcage. I turn to the direction of the gruff voice and see a familiar face.

“Baz?”

A huge figure looms over me. His form-fitting shirt barely holds back his rippling muscles, and he has a childish grin plastered over his face. We used to call him Ginger because of his shaggy red mane back at ANGEL, but after he shaved it to a buzz cut we started calling him Bazza. Now I just call him Baz because it’s one syllable less.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Mate, you do realize this place is close to the Fourteenth District, don’t you?”

Hmm… now that he mentions it, he’s got a point. There’s a bit of overlap between the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Districts, and it’s not uncommon to find fellow demon hunters from neighbouring areas at the place.

Bazza wraps his arm around my shoulder and grinds my head with the knuckles of his other hand. I push him away before I get crushed to a pulp.

“So what are you doing here?” I ask.

“Oh, ya know. I was just helpin’ my brother Byron ice skate; there’s a chick in his class he’s got his eye on.”

He points behind him to where a younger, smaller and less ripped version of himself is skating – a little shakily, but still miles better than me. The boy grunts and salutes at me in the distance.

“Bran! Are you alright?” another voice cries out.

Someone stops beside me and grips both my shoulders before I can react. I find myself uncomfortably close to Ashley’s face.

“That sounded painful,” she frets.

She checks my shoulder and stomach tentatively, before bending down to probe my bruised knee.

“I – I’m fine,” I stammer. I see Bazza’s face slowly break into a sly grin.

“Ohoho, who’s this?” he smirks. “I always knew you were a fair bugger, but I never thought you were actually keen for women.”

What? Why does everyone think I’m gay!?

“She’s just a friend,” I quickly say.

“Really?”

“For now,” Ashley adds, throwing me a glare.

Baz quickly pulls me aside, almost yanking my arm off with his strength. Turning so Ashley can’t hear us, he frantically whispers into my ear.

“Bloody oath mate, she’s smokin’! Where do ya find these chicks? Help a bloke out!”

“Dude, I didn’t ask for any of this,” I shoot back.

I suddenly realize that the whole ice rink’s gone quiet, thrown into a buzz of hushed whispering. Pushing Baz away from me, we turn around to see what the source of the commotion is.

“Oh god no,” I whisper.

Three people have just stepped onto the ice rink and are skating smoothly and efficiently towards us. One of them is my sister, Judith. Another is Ashley’s brother, Leo.

And the third… gliding along like a professional figure skater is a certain blonde girl in a white summer frock. Over that is a familiar black jacket, one that was torn and bloodstained last time I saw it but is now patched up and stitched together neatly.

I curse to myself, causing disdainful glances from a nearby family.

Alice, Judith and Leo approach us casually, waving.

“What a coincidence,” Leo says. “Who would’ve thought we’d bump into each other here of all places?”

You bloody… coincidence my ass!

“What are you all doing here?” Ashley pouts. “I wanted some time alone with Bran, too…”

“My, my,” Judith muses. “You’re quite the womanizer aren’t you?”

Alice remains silent. Her frock is brand new – there are no signs of the damages from the previous battle, or at least none that I can see. She must have a whole wardrobe of them. The jacket on the other hand…

“Why are you wearing that?” I ask.

“Because it’s cold,” she snaps.

I thought vampires weren’t supposed to feel the cold?

As Judith, Alice and Ashley start off with their girl talk, I yank Leo aside. “What is the meaning of this?”

Leo shrugs. “Just need to make sure you don’t try anything creepy on my sister. As love-struck as she is.”

“What about them?” I gesture to Judith and Alice. “Did you really have to bring them? Mum’s going to roast my ass about this!”

Leo shrugs. “Believe it or not, they were already tailing you before I bumped into them. From there, following you became easy. Nice ice skating skills, by the way.”

I scowl at his smirk. “Well, now I know you’re following me, so what’s the point?”

Leo jerks his thumb to the side. “I got worried when I saw the big guy, just in case he was going to help you abduct her or something.”

I want to hit this guy, but forcefully restrain myself.

“When Ashley started getting all touchy feely with you after the fall, Judith and Alice both stepped on at once so I figured I’d come too.”

The sound of laughter redirects our heads. Both our gazes turn to where Baz is staring, mesmerized at the three girls as they become acquainted with each other at an unnervingly fast speed. You’d think they were lifelong friends from a glance.

“Oi, stop looking so hungrily at my sister,” I say, snapping my fingers in front of Bazza’s face.

He turns with a distant look on his face. “Fair dinkum… you’re one lucky bastard, ya know? Surrounded by all these lovely sheilas…”

He shakes himself as if waking up from a dream. “I have to do it while this image is fresh in my mind…”

“Do what?”

“I’ll be right back – needa use the shitter for an hour or two…”

Before he can skate away both Leo and I grasp on his shirt and pull, yanking him back.

“You’re not going anywhere,” we both say simultaneously.

Barry sighs, slowly getting to his feet. “Alright, alright… geez, don’t get your knickers in a knot.”

***

“Still feeling up for more?” I ask Ashley as we sit outside McDonalds, eating lunch. Our date for two somehow turned out to be a group outing.

Ashley turns her head. “Of course. I’m not going to let them ruin it for us.”

Everyone else casually looks away.

“Nothin’ like some Maccas after some hard yakka,” Barry says. “Eh, Byron?”

“Hard yakka my butt, you didn’t do anything except try to hit on girls,” his brother retorts.

“Hey, can’t blame a man for followin’ his instincts.”

Ashley and Judith were a bit hesitant at first, but in the end Bazza’s down to earth and honest personality won them over. If it’s one thing I admired about that guy, it’s his charisma. You can’t help but admire his straight-forwardness.

As the Samson brothers and Leo make idle conversation with Ashley and Judith, I lean over to Alice and speak in a soft tone. “Be careful around him. He’s from ANGEL.”

She wordlessly nods, and I notice her posture stiffen.

I suppose the day wasn’t that bad - it could have gone a lot worse. I think Ashley was originally intending to wander around for a bit and shop after lunch, but with more people than intended our plans will probably change.

It’s actually been so long since I’ve last just had an ordinary day out with friends just walking around, chatting, laughing, eating, hanging out in general. I’ve been so caught up in the other half of my life lately that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be an ordinary high schooler. If we replaced Leo with Dennis, it would be perfect.

This isn’t bad at all, I think to myself.

“Bran, can I try some of your smoothie?”

Before I can answer, Ashley reaches out and grabs the cup from out of my hands.

“Oi, hold on a second,” I begin, but she’s already latched her lips around the straw. She looks incredibly happy at this small action.

Bazza, Leo and Judith watch with disgusted faces. “Just get a room already,” Bazza says.

Ashley shoots a victorious glance at Alice, who turns away. After what seems like a moment of consideration, Alice clumsily drops her half-eaten burger onto the floor.

“Oops.”

That didn’t sound convincing at all.

Eyeing my own half-eaten one, she looks at me expectantly. “Do you mind if I have some of yours? You look like you’re full already.”

“Hold on,” Ashley protests. “Bran’s a growing boy. You can take mine!”

“Yours has meat.”

“Tch…!”

I’m starting to get sick of this.

“Just take my stuff,” I growl, thrusting the remains of my meal in front of me. “I’ll go buy some more.”

Without waiting for a response, I excuse myself from the table and head back to the fast food restaurants. I’ve never really understood the concept of indirect kisses – it’s just sharing food and drink, there’s nothing more to it.

Just as I take my place at the back of a queue, watching Ashley steal most of my food from Alice, a blaring alarm begins to sound.

Surprised at first, it isn’t long before an announcement rings across the shopping centre and sends everyone into a state of unease.

“Attention, all shoppers. Attention, all shoppers. This is an emergency. Please evacuate the shopping centre in a calm and orderly fashion via your nearest exit. I repeat, please evacuate via your nearest exit. This is an emergency.”

All thoughts of food immediately leave my mind as I see people beginning to stand up and head off. They clearly don’t think too much of it, however I’ve already noticed a few security guards closing in around the edges of the food court.

This is real.

Hurrying back to our table, I gesture for everyone to get up.

“Let’s go guys,” I say. “We don’t want to stay around here when the crowds really start moving.”

“It’s probably just a drill,” Leo dismisses. “I mean, what are the chances-“

Just as those words leave his mouth, something breaks down the fire exit in the distance and leaps into view.

It’s a pale humanoid, dressed in tatters with long uncut nails and dirty blond hair. Even though I’ve only seen one of them before, I immediately know what it is – and I’m sure Alice does too.

A feral vampire.

“Attention, all shoppers. Attention, all shoppers. This is an emergency. Please evacuate the shopping centre in a calm and orderly fashion via your nearest exit. I repeat, please evacuate via your nearest exit. This is an emergency.”

The announcer’s voice blares over the food court yet again. Some customers still haven’t caught sight of the feral vampire and are moving along as if they have all the time in the world, but that’s about to change.

The vampire moves quickly and pounces on an overweight woman, tackling her to the ground. She lets out a scream before her chest explodes in a mist of red. This sound finally seems to draw some attention, and that’s when the real panic begins.

Barry looks out at me from the corner of his eye, his mouth twisted in a snarl. “Demons,” he mutters under his breath.

I nod in response. Beside me, Alice’s fists are balled up so tightly that her palms must be bleeding.

The vampire continues to feed on the corpse with no regard to the chaos ensuing around it. A few moments later another one leaps in through the broken fire exit, followed by a third. They shiver with excitement like small children in a confectionary factory.

“Shit,” I curse. “We need to leave. Now!”

Grabbing Ashley and Judith’s hands, I haul them with me as fast as possible to where the crowd has begun to merge into one giant stampede. Screams are thrown everywhere as people are caught and killed – I think the vampires have long since stopped killing for food, and are rather doing so out of enjoyment or some other factor.

As someone right next to me is taken down and slaughtered, I clench my fist and sock the vampire right in the face. It goes sprawling back into a table, splintering it before collapsing in a heap.

“We have to stay back,” I say to Barry. Alice looks like she’s about to leap into battle at any second so I place an arm firmly on her shoulder.

“Get everyone to safety,” I growl.

“You can’t fight them on your own-“

I move in towards her so that Barry doesn’t hear. “Don’t give yourself away yet. He still doesn’t know.”

Alice matches my gaze before finally nodding. “Fine. I’ll be back.”

Judith, Leo and Ashley don’t seem to notice that we’ve been separated in the midst of the crowd. Byron appears to know what’s going on from the resolute nod he throws in our direction.

Bang! Bang!

The sound of gunshots going off only serves to heighten the sense of alarm. The crowd becomes an unstoppable force, trampling everything in its path in order to squeeze through to the lower floors. A quick look behind me almost causes me to throw up – there are already several dozen victims lying scattered about like ragdolls, painting the food court in a nauseating shade of red. The three vampires have surrounded two security guards who are frantically firing off rounds. Even though they hit their targets squarely, all it takes is a few moments before the holes in their flesh begin to close.

“There’s more of those buggers over there,” Barry growls.

On the opposite side of the centre two vampires have appeared from the fire stairs. In the blink of an eye, two more people have been slaughtered.

“You take care of these guys,” I say. “I’ll handle those.”

Without waiting for a response I race towards the other two vampires. More screams arise from the crowd – it seems like the demons are swarming in from all the emergency exits at once. Shoppers have started jumping off the railings to avoid the congested escalators, some of them landing successfully while others land with sickening thuds. I don’t even want to think about how many people have been trampled underfoot by the crowd already.

So this is what it looks like when all hell breaks loose.

I have to somehow contain them so ANGEL gets enough time to send backup. A pale blur of jagged nails and bony fingers comes flying towards my chest, but I step backwards and draw Nightfall in an instant. The vampire hesitates as it tries to regain its footing, allowing me to separate its head from its body.

They don’t seem as powerful as the vampire with the bounty, so Barry and I may just be able to hold them off for a while. However, the more pressing issue on my mind is… where did all these vampires come from?

I swiftly dodge another clumsy swipe and lop off the second vampire’s head as well. They have the exact same look as the one Alice and I killed a few nights ago – an insane expression, driven only by instinct. Could they be under the influence of drugs too?

With the vampires in this section cleared, I risk a glance backwards. Baz wasn’t able to save any of the guards, but the three vampires lay decapitated by the blade of his giant fiery battle-axe.

We nod simultaneously and rush towards the other exits, all of which are spewing out the monsters in groups of one and two. The ground is littered with corpses and blood – it’s all I can do to avoid falling or slipping on any of the obstacles on the ground.

“I’ll go up,” Barry grunts, his Divine Edge cleaving through a vampire in a haze of embers. “You go down. Save as many as you can.”

“That goes without saying.”

Nodding together, we part ways by the escalators.

***

“Where’s Bran?”

Ashley, Leo, Judith and Byron have already made it outside when she realizes. She tries to turn her head and get a look, but the force of the panicking crowd is too great.

“Bran! Barry!”

They scream out for the two, but their calls are lost in the crowd.

“I’ll go look for them,” Alice says.

“Wait…”

Ashley is about to tell Alice that it’s too dangerous, but for some reason seeing the determined look on the other’s face removes her ability to speak.

“Good luck,” she says instead. Alice turns around, shoving her way through the crowd and back through the doors.

It’s deathly quiet as she wanders the ground floor, taking care not to disturb any of the corpses. She doesn’t know why, but a particularly unsettling feeling has wormed its way into her. Who caused these attacks? How did they do it? Why did they do it?

The attack is too organized. And the timing… just when they’d taken care of that feral vampire, a whole swarm arrives…

The stench of blood is thick in the air. Alice pauses and hears the sound of teeth ripping into flesh, of blood being guzzled down. Preparing herself for the worst, she steps out from around the corner.

Two vampires raise their heads like animals caught in a headlamp. Blood drips from their mouths in long sticky strands.

Both parties move at once. Alice dashes forward and weaves around an incoming attack, bringing her weapon up to completely cleave the vampire in half. The second vampire has already moved in to follow up, but she crouches low and tumbles out of the way. Her feet touch the ground for a fraction of a second before she’s in the air again, using the momentum of her jump to slash across the vampire’s midsection before it can react. Both demons collapse onto the ground, their upper bodies separated from their lower ones.

Before she can catch her breath, the sound of snarling and bare feet padding across the ground reaches her ears. Slowly turning around, she sees more vampires appear from the corners of her vision, creeping in from the walls, the floor above, even the ventilation ducts.

Even though she isn’t a human, they eye her hungrily. Alice stands with her back against the wall, thoughts of how to escape desperately racing through her head.

***

One of the feral vampires is scratching at the closed doors of the elevator. It doesn’t look like it knows what the buttons do, so it’s trying to open it by brute force. There are no sounds coming from within, but I can almost smell the fear from those trapped inside.

I crouch low, moving as quietly as I can. By the time the vampire notices, Nightfall has already travelled through its neck. I can see the flesh closing around the wound as the vampire’s head rolls to the ground, but with no brain all the regeneration in the world won’t save it.

“Go!” I yell, slamming the button to open the doors. The terrified people within are huddled in one corner, but the moment they realize I’m not an enemy they bolt off as fast as their legs can carry them.

With this section clear, that should be the whole floor. Barry’s taking care of the upper floors, so I’ll head down and see if there’s anything else I can do.

Placing one wrist on the railing I carefully jump down to the level beneath, landing cleanly on the carpet.

***

Barry wrenches his axe from the skull of a dead vampire and pants. The top floor has been completely cleared. There were only three to be found, compared to the five on the floor below. The amount of dead bodies has also drastically decreased from lower floors, due to the direction in flow of the crowd.

The big man clears the sweat from his brow and heads towards the fire exit. The one thing he noticed was that a majority of the vampires had flooded into the shopping centre through the fire stairs – maybe he will find the answer if he takes them all the way to the top.

Taking one last look at the near empty place behind him, he pushes open the door and heads into the stairwell.

The cold grey concrete of the steps spirals downwards in a dizzying descent. Barry grips the edge of the railing and shakes his head – he doesn’t need to look down; his destination is above him. Taking them steps two at a time, it isn’t long before he reaches the door to the rooftop. It’s been battered open and is swaying in the wind.

Taking a deep breath, Barry steps out into the open. Around him the high-rise buildings of Ashbrook stretch out as far as the eye can see. However, his attention is caught by the person that leans against the fence right in the centre of his vision. An ornate set of blood-red armour protects his body and hides his face. It’s nothing like he’s ever seen before – the style and material that comprises the suit is alien in nature, something that cannot be the work of man.

“Who are you?” Barry yells.

The armoured being turns around. Raising its visor, Barry sees two gleaming red eyes.

“None of your business,” it growls.

The figure slowly walks forward. Despite being the taller of the two, Barry can’t help but take a few steps back. For some reason, the thing in front of him commands a presence that reminds him of lord looking down upon his subjects.

“Are you behind this?” he cries. “Why? Answer me now!”

A low rattling sound emerges from the helmet, which gradually grows louder. Barry realizes that the stranger is laughing at him.

“You are an interesting human,” it muses, its voice muffled from the armour. “However, I cannot forgive you for murdering so many of my servants. Because of you, I will personally have to dip my hand into this affair.”

Before Barry can answer, the man raises his arm and draws a blood-red spear from midair. Although crude in design, the spear screams of age and power. Just by looking at it, he can almost hear the screams of all its past victims in his mind. There can be no doubt – this is a Divine Edge, wielded by an incredibly powerful demon.

“It feels like a shame to waste my strength on you,” the figure sighs. “But I have to be down there in person now, since you killed all of my minions.”

The wind blows, and the figure is gone.

“Where did the cunt go?” Barry grunts. There’s a whir of movement behind him, and he turns just in time to face the incoming tip of the spear.

Barry raises his axe and blocks it, losing his balance as he does so. Before he can comprehend what just happened, the figure is gone again.

“Fast bugger,” he curses. It seems like the armour doesn’t encumber his opponent at all.

He hears the low whistling of the spear again, and turns – but it’s too late. His side opens up in pain as the barb pierces through, barely missing his vital organs.

Barry is speechless. He’s never faced such a strong or powerful opponent in all his years of service. There can be no doubt… this armoured knight is an S ranked demon, one of the strongest to ever walk the land. Compared to it, the A rank demons he’s defeated cannot even hold a candle to this monster.

“If you stop struggling that would make things so much easier.”

Barry leaps backwards from the voice that spoke right beside him. The scarlet knight stands casually with its massive spear on its shoulder, watching in interest.

“No way,” Baz grunts through the pain. “I won’t lose to the likes of you.”

He drops one end of his battle-axe to the ground and makes the decision. It takes a fraction of a second to synchronize his soul with Firebrand – if he can’t beat him with this, he can’t beat him at all.

His Divine Edge flickers with golden flames as it slowly rises off the ground. Barry picks it up and swings it in a massive arc, sending a wave of hungry conflagration towards the being. It hesitates for a moment as if briefly stunned before leaping out of the way. Barry thrusts his burning axe before him, watching his enemy’s reaction.

“You’re a vamp, aren’t ya?” he grunts, as more of his blood spills to the ground. “But not a feral one.”

“So even you’ve figured it out,” the knight replies. “I didn’t expect one like you to have such a sharp mind.”

Barry swings the axe again, sending another burst of fire into the air. The rooftop is scorching hot now – even with no fuel, the flames will continue to burn until Barry runs out of energy.

“You’re making this incredibly hard for me,” the figure grunts. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this…”

“Shut ya trap,” Barry roars, lunging forward. His cry ends in a grunt of pain as more blood spills from the wound in his side. Despite the labyrinth of flames the knight is unscathed.

Panting, Barry tries to attack again – but his opponent has already disappeared. Looking around in bewilderment, it’s only when he hears the screeching above him that he realizes where.

One millisecond passes before the point of the red spear plunges into Barry’s shoulder from directly above – and continues downward. His knees buckle beneath him as the armoured being continues to drive its spear down, forcing Barry onto his back, further down until the tip hits the ground… and further still. A huge tremor emerges from the point of impact, almost ripping his body apart from within before the entire rooftop collapses. Clouds of dust, rocks and debris fly into the air as the knight continues to head down, pushing through the ceiling into the highest floor.

Barry hits the bottom of the top floor, but doesn’t stop there. He sees the berserk gleam of red through the visor as his assailant continues to dive, destroying this floor too.

Weightlessness takes him once more as he falls again, only to be stopped on the next level beneath.

And this continues floor by floor as the demon spirals further and further towards the bottom, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

***

The vampires have no idea how to work as a pack. Pushing in front of each other like animals fighting over a scrap of meat, the only reason Alice is still alive is because of their lack of cooperation.

Two snarls come from behind her belonging to two vampires closing in too quickly for her comfort. One of them bumps into the other and sends it off course – however, it manages to rake Alice’s arm before she can push it away. There are cuts and bruises all over her body; just as she evades this attack, something else barrels into her from behind and sends her crashing through the window of a clothing shop.

Frantically trying to free herself from the tangle of clothing, she steps across the glass and stumbles back out of the store. Pain begins to take over her body as the clear edges open new wounds.

Why are they after her?

She almost falls over. Her head feels incredibly airy – she’s lost too much blood. Her eyes dart to the ground where there are an endless supply of corpses to feed on and regain strength, but she forcefully pries her gaze away. She will never drink human blood again, not for as long as she lives.

Another of the figures tackles her to the ground, trying to clamp its jaw over her neck. Alice weakly struggles against it, trying to pull away its iron grip. She knees it in the stomach and opens its throat with Moonlight; however the vampire’s grip still hasn’t loosened. Another one rams into her, taking her breath away and causing a part of her body to crunch. It takes a few moments before she can register the pain, but once it does she almost faints from the shock.

Agony takes over her mind and paralyzes her body. With two of the things on top of her, there’s no way she can push them off with one hand. Her left arm still hasn’t completely recovered and now it’s just been broken again. A voice is screaming nearby, a distorted and bestial cry of pain. She quickly realizes that the voice belongs to her.

The feeling of hard, rotten nails pressing against her chest is almost lost amongst the intense throbbing of her left arm. She feels her skin tearing open as the hand forces itself deeper, aiming for her heart.

Why?

Her blood is worthless to them…

Just as she’s about to completely fade out, she hears more voices in the distance. Snippets and phrases catch her ears – a welcome change from the incomprehensible growls of the feral vampires.

The weight on her chest is lifted, and light enters her vision once again. Someone is shaking her, and all around her she can hear the sounds of fighting and skirmishing. What happened?

“Alice! Are you alright?”

Before she can recognize whose voice that is, the darkness finally swallows her.

***

I’ve made my way to the bottom floor. The building should now be completely cleared except this level, if Barry did his job right.

I can hear the sound of fighting up ahead. It seems like the majority of the feral vampires have found their way to the bottom. The question of why this is all happening is still on my mind, but I’ve pushed it away to make room for more important things.

It looks like a massive struggle happened here. The windows of a few shops have been shattered and there are several headless vampires strewn about the floor. But who could have-

Alice.

“Damnit… everyone else had better be safe,” I mutter.

As soon as I say this, a bloodcurdling scream rips through the air from around the corner. I know whose voice that is…

“Alice…!”

I tear across the ground with all my strength. I’ve never heard her cry out like that – she must be in incredible pain.

The seconds tick on as I draw closer and closer to the source. Almost slipping on a puddle of blood, I skid to a halt – just in time to witness the end of the battle.

In front of me is a legion of men dressed in ordinary looking clothes – and at their head is a man I’ve seen before, his slick white hair combed neatly back. His suit is stained with blood and scratches along it reveal a layer of tough leather hide beneath. He wipes the length of his thin rapier on the body of a dead vampire and looks at me.

“Ia - My lord,” I tip my head.

“I see you remembered your manners, half-blood.”

Ian Vancratt gestures to his men. At once, their bloodstained weapons disappear.

“What happened?” I ask. “Is Alice alright?”

The Blood Lord points behind him to where a few of his covern are bent over an unmoving body. “She’s heavily injured, but should live. More importantly… what the blazes happened here?”

He gestures at the mass of feral vampire corpses around.

“The hell if I know,” I mutter. “We killed the one that was causing you trouble before, and that should have been that…”

Ian prods the dead body by his feet. “There’s no way they would massacre so many. Even wild vampires have more sense than to mindlessly slaughter. No, I’m willing to bet that someone planned this.”

Just as things start to quieten down, the entire building shudders. I fall to my knees and look up – dust is falling from the ceiling.

“What’s going on?” I cry.

The ground continues to shake like an earthquake. I try to stand up, but fall back down onto the ground. The other vampires are also trying to maintain their balance, but to no avail.

The shaking slowly builds up in intensity until there is one final shudder – and the roof explodes.

Dust and debris spout from the hole and a red blur breaks through, colliding with the ground. A heavy force pushes everyone away from the point of impact, knocking us off our feet. The shaking stops, but small tremors still rack the building in various places.

I cough and spit the dust away from my eyes and nose, struggling to see. A glint of crimson catches my eyes, and only when the cloud completely dissipates do I realize it’s armour.

There’s a sickening wrench of something being pulled out of flesh, and the armoured figure steps away from the crater. My eyes tentatively wander over to that spot – and feel my heart stop.

It’s Barry – the red hair is unmistakable. A gaping red hole lies in place of his right shoulder, and the first few inches of skin and flesh immediately surrounding it has been blown away entirely. Blood and burn marks streak his body and I can see the soft fizzle of his fiery soul around his skin.

He shudders weakly, but his chest continues to rise and fall. He should be dead. There’s no way someone can survive from such a wound –

No. Perhaps Barry is the only person who could survive such an attack. The area around his shoulder is raw and red, but isn’t bleeding.

He must have cauterized it with his Divine Edge, Firebrand. But even so, how did he survive a fall from all the way up there?

My eyes wander to the armoured figure, and the smoking tip of its spear. It’s only a guess, but if that thing destroyed the ground as they fell, it would mean he didn’t collide with anything until the final floor. The rubble and debris created instantaneously by the spear could have even provided cushioning for the big man.

A Divine Edge capable of such power… what is that thing?

“Who are you?” Ian asks, voicing the question on all our minds.

Tremors continue to pass as the building settles after having a hole punched through it. The red knight turns… and its helmet sublimates in a similar way a Divine Edge would.

Underneath the helmet is a middle aged man, his long blond hair streaked with grey. Rough stubble lines his chin, and his eyes glow a malevolent red.

“No way…” Ian drops to the ground, his face a deathly pale.

“What’s going on?” I cry.

The faces of the Blood Lord’s men have also paled.

“Impossible…”

“After all this time…”

“The tales were true…”

Ian takes a step back. “What do you want with us? Why are you here now of all times??”

The armoured man takes a deep breath and speaks, his voice booming with a quiet confidence and arrogance. “It feels good to breathe again after all these years. It’s just a shame things had to be like this.”

“What do you want with me?” Ian cries.

The man whirls his spear. “This is pathetic. I can’t believe we’ve been reduced to hiding underground, our clan that was once the strongest in the land. What have you been doing all this time?”

“Times have changed,” Ian shoots back. “You can’t possibly know. You’ve disappeared off the face of the earth for centuries now. We’re not what we once were.”

The man shoots me a look. “Look at you. Hiding in fear of the hunters, the humans, society. We would never have stood for this. You’re clearly too weak to be a leader.”

At the mention of this, Ian seems to realize something. “You… you were behind all of this?”

The armoured demon nods. “It was the only way to bring you and your daughter out in the open. I already knew that there would be no way you’d willingly hand over what I wanted.”

“Those feral vampires…”

“Drugged to insanity. I’ll admit I was surprised your daughter dealt with the first one – I was expecting you to step in and make my job easier. Instead, I had to resort to this.”

“What do you want with my daughter? What business do you have?”

There’s a long silence before the crimson knight finally responds. “Your family still shares the blood of Dracula, after all this time… but it has been tainted by outsiders. Only you and your daughter are still pure – ideally I would have taken your wife, but she is dead. The only suitable bride for me now is Alice Vancratt.”

I’m on my feet before I can even think. “What the fuck? That’s sick! She’s just a girl!”

The man turns around at the sound of my voice. “What do you want, scum? Filthy half-bloods like you have no right to address me!”

“I won’t let you anywhere near my daughter,” Ian growls.

The man turns his back to me, fueling my rage even more. “That’s fine. I’d expected that answer anyway.”

He suddenly reaches out his spear arm and before anyone can react, it’s extended to nearly five times its length. Ian lets out a choking sound as he looks down and sees the tip buried deep in his chest.

“Weakling,” the man spits. “A strong Blood Lord would never have fallen so quickly.”

As if broken out of a trance, the Vancratt clan kicks into action. As one, they rush forward to support their leader – but the spear suddenly bends sharply, forming a makeshift hook. As soon as the impaled man is firmly in place, it retracts and shrinks back to its normal size, pulling the Blood Lord along with it.

As if they know what’s about to happen, Ian’s followers desperately scramble for their leader – but it’s too late.

The armoured man bends down and sinks his teeth into Ian’s neck, drinking down the vampire’s blood. It only takes a few moments before he removes his face from the Blood Lord and tosses him aside.

“Disgusting,” he says, wiping his lips of the red. “The blood of a weakling.”

The vampires hesitate, before resuming their attack. The man raises his hand without blinking.

“Obey.”

His eyes flash red, and I feel a stiffness take over the atmosphere. The group of vampires who had already moved forward to attack are frozen, desperately struggling to overcome the command. I can see them quivering in their spots, rooted to the ground.

“Bow.”

They’re struggling against the order, but the power of the Blood Lord is too strong. One by one, they fall to their knees.

“I am Vladimir Dracula III, the Prince of Wallachia and the first vampire to reach these lands. Without me, you would all still be stuck in Hell having never known this wondrous place. I have awakened from my slumber, and hereby reclaim my title as Blood Lord.”

A deadly silence takes over as the vampires are forced to acknowledge their leader.

“I will salvage the land that has been taken from us by these humans, one acre at a time, and you will follow me as destined by your blood. As my first act, I will have you take the girl to safety and ensure she stays alive. I care not for her condition, as long as she can sire healthy children.”

The vampires stand up as one, unable to resist their commands. Moving over to Alice, one of them gently lifts her onto their back. Dracula scans the place one more time before his eyes rest on me.

I can’t move. I know I need to save her, but I also know that if I try to fight now… I will die.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Don’t jump in without a ninety percent chance of survival…

“Let’s go,” the new Blood Lord says. “This boy is a weakling. He is not worthy of my spear.”

The men nod and head off towards the back exit, taking Alice with them. Dracula smirks one last time at me before following them, leaving me alone in a graveyard of bleeding corpses.

“Boy…”

I quickly rush over to where Ian lies on the ground. The wound in his neck has closed, but his chest is still bleeding.

“Alice… you have to save her…”

“Hold on,” I mutter. “We’ll talk this through later. Wait for your wound to regenerate-“

“No, boy. That spear… it negates vampiric regeneration. I want you to listen carefully before I die.”

He speaks calmly, as if he has all the time in the world.

“You are the only one who can fight him. Only two people outside of Alice and I share his blood – and you are one of them. The other one is lost, and was never a fighter.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Your existence is a mistake, and a convenient one at that.” Ian clears his throat. “He cannot control you because of Alice’s blood in your veins. You are also strong, and possess the vampiric reflexes necessary to fight him head on. No human hunter can hope to fight a demon of his caliber. If he is allowed to continue his path of conquest, all that we’ve built up… it will be destroyed. ANGEL will erase us.”

I nod. “I’ll kill him.”

“Save Alice. Defeat him, and become the Blood Lord.”

At the mention of this, I immediately balk.

“No,” I firmly say. “I couldn’t care less about your clan. I’m going to get revenge for Bazza, and repay Alice. You’ll be lucky if I don’t wipe out your clan myself, demon.”

The hint of a smile touches Ian’s lips. “Haah… I knew there was something different about you the moment I first set eyes on you. You were already part demon before you met Alice, weren’t you?”

“You…!”

“Only a demon could be so uncompassionate towards others. I’m surprised you haven’t killed Alice already with that hatred you hold for us.”

Something inside of me breaks.

Nightfall is in my hands in a flash as I plunge it straight through his eye and into his brain.

The sound of police sirens in the distance signals the arrival of the emergency services, as well as ANGEL. Barry seems to be in a stable condition – they’ll find him soon enough and nurse him back to full health. For now I have to escape, and find Alice.

I killed him. I killed Ian, just as I promised to myself. But why do I feel so shaken?

Only a demon could be so uncompassionate towards others.

No. I’m a human. I may have demon blood and my soul may be tainted by demons, but I’m a human. I feel remorse when I kill demons who aren’t necessarily harmful. I felt remorse killing that innocent vampire girl back in the sewers.

I only kill them if they’re a threat to humanity… if I’m forced to… only because ANGEL tells me to… as long as there’s the smallest possibility that a demon can harm society, I have to kill it…

No.

I can’t do it anymore.

I can’t keep making excuses for what I do.

There was never such a rule.

The fan rotates slowly above my head. I can’t help but get the feeling it could fall off its perch at any moment.

“What do you want?” I ask my visitor, not moving at all. Even the slightest stirring causes discomfort with the amount of tubes stuck inside my body. I have no idea what’s going on, but I know that this is more than an ordinary hospital ward.

The people who share the room with me are all scarred – not physically, but mentally. It’s only been half a day since I’ve been here, but I’m already sick of it.

A man’s face pops into the edge of my vision – a stern-faced man with greying hair and a square jaw, dressed in a meticulous grey suit. However, the features that catch the bulk of my attention are his cool grey eyes, eyes that seem to peer into my very soul. I’ve seen those eyes before.

He was there last night. He knows what I did, he saw what I saw.

“Bran Lietmann,” the man says. “You’re been through a lot, haven’t you? At such a young age, too.”

“Who are you?” I ask.

The man takes a seat beside me. The other people in the ward look away as he pulls the curtains across, obscuring us from view.

“Phillip Dumonet, a thirty-seven year old truck driver was found dead on Ashbrook Bridge last night. No visible wounds were discovered on his body, and his cause of death is believed to be internal. Doctors are still looking into the case.”

I remain silent.

“He was reported to suffer from depression, schizophrenia and hallucinations. Just a few weeks prior to his death, he was arrested on charges of drink-driving and manslaughter of Mr. David Lietmann. He continued to insist that this was caused by his hallucinations, that they had deliberately misled him and tormented him for a long time leading up to this moment.”

The man looks up from the file he was reading from and stares intently into my eyes. I can feel his all-seeing gaze scrutinizing my every movement. I want to turn away, but it feels like I’ve lost all control of my body.

“Forty-five soul eaters were found dead at the scene. You killed them, didn’t you?”

“Is that what they’re called?”

“Yes. Demon spirits who feed on souls, especially potent ones. They are known to plague individuals and lead them down a path of misery, only to devour them when their depression reaches a certain level.”

“Who are you?” I ask again.

This time, the man answers. “Hector. James Hector. I’m the director of ANGEL – an underground government organization that protects unknowing civilians from demon threats.”

Naturally, being only ten years of age half of that comes out as incomprehensible jargon to my ears. Hector knows this and rephrases it in layman’s terms.

“Bran, we want you to help us kill demons.”

“Kill… demons?”

He has my attention now.

“Yes. Of course, we only kill demons that are a direct threat to society. Naturally gifted demon hunters are scarce, and no matter how you did it, the fact is that you single handedly dispatched forty-five E ranked demons. You definitely have potential.”

“If I join you… I can kill them?”

Hector nods. “You’ll even be paid for it. You can avenge your father’s death by making sure things like this never happen again. Think of all the lives you can save-“

I don’t need to hear any more.

“I want to kill them. Kill them all.”

Hector’s eyes narrow as I say this, but his surprise only lasts for a second before he recovers. “You’ve made the right decision, Bran. After you get cleared from the hospital, I’ll take you down to our head office and take care of the specifics.”

“Where do I find them? When do I get to start killing them?”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll take care of the intel – all you need to do is just follow our orders.”

***

Hector knew from the moment he met me. I had already changed back then, the seed for my hatred of demons planted on that day. Most of those demons I’d killed could have been left alive, but I showed no mercy. I didn’t think twice about eliminating them, not until I myself became one.

Mercy and compassion is what sets humans apart from animals… and demons. If I possess none of those, I’m no better than they are.

I burst out of the back door to the mall, just barely catching the back end of two small trucks as they speed off into the distance. There’s no doubt that Alice is on one of them – but she won’t be alone.

I quickly scan the carpark for my options – I could steal a car, but I wouldn’t be able to drive without a key. I could run, but I wouldn’t be able to keep up for more than few minutes – not to mention ANGEL would be on my trail faster than I could blink.

My eye lands on a bicycle chained up to a street pole. I guess this is my only option.

Running over, I crush the lock effortlessly in my hand and mount it. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden a bike, but it’s one of those skills that once you learn you can never forget.

“Let’s see how fast we can go,” I mutter, cranking all the gears to the highest possible speed.

My legs strain for a bit, but once I start moving forward the speed begins to rack up. I quickly zip around the bend, keeping the two trucks in view.

Due to emergency services blocking up routes, the roads here are busier than usual. I can see the hefty vehicles struggling to manoeuvre amongst the traffic, making risky shortcuts and crossing red lights in order to make their getaway. Cars honk and drivers swear as I follow them, making equally reckless moves along the footpath. I'm panting and drenched with sweat, but it feels like my body has a mind of its own as I continue the pursuit.

Dracula’s men finally notice me. I see a few heads pop out from one of the trucks, speaking to each other across the roar of the traffic. They dismiss me before apparently receiving orders from the driver - that’s when they pull out the long black guns and take aim.

Oh god…

The flash of a muzzle with no resultant sound tells me they're using silenced arms. They're already causing enough of a clamour as it is; it's just as well that they don't draw even more attention to themselves. I'm just about to give up all hope when I realize something’s wrong.

The bullets are moving slower than usual. No, it's not that - I'm perceiving them more quickly than I should be able to. I can see the small rounds in midair as they travel towards me, predict their paths of motion, even judge their times of arrival.

Of course… this must be what it means to be a demon.

Three of them are on the wrong course so I ignore them completely. The fourth one looks to be on a collision course with my head so I lurch to the side. The fifth one is heading towards the frame of my bike, so I swerve left sharply to avoid it.

But the sixth one… there’s no way I'll be able to dodge this, or one of the others will hit me. What do I do…?

Thud.

My left forearm flies off the handlebars from the recoil. A sharp, red-hot pain bites into my arm - but quickly fades to a dull throbbing. Taking my eyes off the road for a fraction of a second I see the wound already knitting itself back together, still smoking from the impact of the bullet.

Vampires are truly formidable beings.

There’re a few shouts of triumph and another spray of bullets. This time, both of Ian’s - no, Dracula’s men fired. There’s a much wider cone of bullets, and the way they’ve been aimed means I won't be able to avoid all of them.

Damn it!

I'm already thinking of which parts of my body to sacrifice in order to protect the bicycle, but suddenly I get a flash of inspiration. Will it work? Am I capable of this?

No time to think. Just do it.

Whipping my right arm around the handlebars, Nightfall appears in my hand as if he knows what I’m thinking. I watch the bullets closely and allow instinct to guide my hands.

Clang! Clang!

The bullets ricochet off to the side, bouncing cleanly off Nightfall’s blade. It was no harder than hitting a fast baseball pitch, but with a sword instead of a baseball bat - and a ball several times smaller; nothing vampiric reflexes can't handle.

I can’t help but feel exhilarated at having pulled off such a feat. This is truly the stuff of legends - it may be a trick of the light, but I swear even my attackers couldn’t help but look relieved. Maybe they’re still resisting Dracula, even now.

We speed across another red light. A sign up ahead tells me that we’ll be reaching the highway soon - if that happens, Alice is as good as gone.

I have to save her, no matter what. No one deserves a fate like this. Dracula doesn't even care about her welfare - all he wants is her blood, and her genes. I still can’t believe he’d simply manoeuvre all those feral vampires like chess pieces, only to discard them for his purposes.

The trucks swerve sharply around the bend, tyres screeching along the bitumen. As I follow them I realize that there's someone leaning out of the driver’s window, a massive bow rippling with spiritual energy in his hands. As soon as I see it, I know it’s a Divine Edge.

Crap. Well, it makes sense - after all, it is the logical step to take if human weapons don't work.

As soon as the bolt appears in the bow, I know I won't be able to shrug this off. The vampire takes aim, looking down an imaginary scope at me. Are they really going to do this? Firing off something like that would be akin to setting off a small bomb – in broad daylight, and on a busy road too.

Another incoherent order is barked, and the vampire releases the bowstring of light. There’s a crackle in the air as the bolt goes flying towards me. In that instant I make up my mind, and leap as far as I can from the bicycle.

I feel the heat and intensity of the projectile as it sails past me and strikes the small vehicle with a deafening boom. The world pitches around me as I tumble to the ground, catching a glimpse of the hellfire behind me. A section of the road has been blown apart, charred black by the destructive power of the arrow.

In my mind, I apologize to the owner of the bike for destroying it, before quickly pulling myself to my feet.

The truck is still moving, but it’s slowed down after briefly shuddering due to the recoil of the attack. I feel a giant wave of heat push into me from behind, giving me a gentle push forward. If I’m going to do anything… it has to be now.

Alice. I have to save her.

Allowing the thermal to propel me, I launch myself off the ground into a sprint. Each footstep makes contact with the road for no more than a millisecond as I almost fly forwards, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I can. The distance between me and the truck is rapidly closing – the conditions are just right for me to be able to overtake it.

I can already feel my body beginning to reach its limit – I’ve just about held my top speed for as long as I can and my form is slipping. Just a few metres more…

The truck in front of me swerves to avoid another car, and in that moment it decelerates.

This is my chance. The path couldn’t have been clearer before my eyes.

Channeling all my energy into my legs, I leap forward and slam into the back of the trailer. My hands slide along the surface until they sink into some handholds, and I stay in that position for a few moments trying to catch my breath.

A few frantic voices from inside tell me that I’ve been discovered… shortly before the doors go flying open. I almost lose my balance, one hand slipping from its position on the door. My feet fall dangerously close to the ground.

The truck speeds through the city towards its outskirts, swerving left and right in an attempt to shake me off. I hang on for dear life, struggling to maintain a solid grip as the surrounding urban landscape gives way to a tall cliff face.

We’ve reached the highway.

The open doors slam against the rock and I go flying back towards the centre, taking this opportunity to grab on to the truck with both hands again. Nothing separates me from the broad Ashbrook River on my left except for a low metal barrier.

“-cut the damn doors!”

“Send him off the edge-“

They may appear to be doing this because they have no choice, but they’re definitely not holding back. The steel in front of me suddenly screeches as a rusty blade tears through it like paper. I manoeuvre myself to the side as the Divine Edge cuts down, making a sawing motion along the edge of the door. I quickly realize that the piece of metal I’m hanging onto is about to become detached from the rest of the truck.

Before I can reconsider my options a spray of bullets fly through the door, riddling it with holes like a slice of Swiss cheese. A few pellets cut through my chest, but thankfully miss my vitals. Cringing from the pain, I can only hang on tight as the door finally breaks away from the truck with a snap and hits the ground in a flurry of sparks.

I somehow manage to maintain my balance on the severed plate of metal, riding it as if it were a skateboard, but it’s rapidly slowing down. Gathering my resolve, I force my legs to move once again as I leap onto the metal barrier along the edge of the road, breaking into a sprint.

Balancing on this thin strip of metal is nothing compared to the pains of ice skating. I dig deep and accelerate, once again closing in on the door-less truck. I can see three of Dracula’s men watching me with grudging admiration – and no one else.

Alice must be on the first truck.

At the thought of her in the new Blood Lord’s hands, I somehow gain a second wind. The blood in my veins surge in fury, thumping in my ears as my legs propel my body along the metal barrier.

I’m close enough now.

I leap forward, drawing Nightfall and rocketing past a spray of bullets. My right foot hits the interior of the truck, and I follow up on it by cleaving one of the vampire’s bodies in half. The second one barely has time to cry out as I twist around and decapitate it, before ramming the third one off the truck and onto the road. He tumbles for a while before disappearing from sight.

Panting, I clutch at my wounds in an attempt to catch my breath… but those inside the truck itself are refusing to allow me to recover. The storage unit I’m in trembles before shuddering violently – and as I fall to my knees, I realize that I’m losing speed.

Springing to my feet, I cut a hole through the end of the container – only to find myself face to face with the back of the truck, moving further and further away from me. A vampire stands with his back facing the driver’s compartment, a short-sword in his hands. He must have undone the clasp connecting the actual truck to the storage container behind it.

This time, I don’t even need to think. I spring forward, cutting the underling in two before he can react and then swing around the side of the truck towards the front doors. My hands grasp onto the rear view mirror as I firmly hold myself in place, hanging precariously close to the long drop on the left. Three looks of surprise turn to face me, right before I thrust Nightfall through the frail glass window and all three of their skulls at once. Glass goes flying onto the ground like a fine crystal rain.

Opening the door, I throw the first vampire onto the road as he tries to recover from my attack. Now fully inside the truck, I haul the second one out too before kicking the driver’s head through the opposite window. The truck accelerates as his foot instinctively presses downward, and I’m forced to grab the steering wheel with one hand to keep it on course.

The driver slowly tries to pull his head back in but I yank on the steering wheel sharply, bringing the truck skidding into the cliff-face – and pulverizing the driver’s head along with it. Finally allowed a breather, I focus on steering the vehicle. The truck continues to accelerate, the dead vampire’s foot jammed firmly in place. We’re probably going at double the speed limit at the moment.

I can see the second truck up ahead – but it’s already a good four or five hundred metres in front. They’ve noticed the carnage in this one and have increased their speed to match.

Alice is on that truck… along with Dracula and more men, probably.

There’s a sharp bend in the road up ahead. I have to slow down if I’m going to make it – it curves around in the shape of question mark. I can see the second truck as it disappears around the bend before reappearing, travelling perpendicular to the direction in which I’m going.

I should slow down... but I can’t. I can’t slow down, or I’ll lose her forever.

Taking my hands off the wheel, I smash the windscreen and step onto the dashboard. The wind almost sends me back into the driver’s compartment, but I manage to keep my balance.

The barrier up ahead is approaching at a blindingly fast speed. Preparing myself, I mentally count down to the moment of impact.

Three…

Two…

One…

The entire truck quakes as it breaks cleanly through the metal strip, entering freefall. A long drop lies below me, right into the river. However, my eyes are solely focused on the truck right in front of me, on the opposite side of the bend.

Now!

At the peak of the truck’s flight, I dive off and hurtle towards the other truck at full speed. A few moments later, I hear a loud splash behind me as the truck plummets into the river.

Getting closer… closer… just about there…

Thwack!

I land on the top of the truck’s trailer, almost flying cleanly off from the momentum. I dig my nails into the top, carving my way to a halt along the steel.

I did it.

Taking a breath to steady myself, I bring out Nightfall and stab straight down into the roof. Light floods the dark interior, briefly stunning the three vampires within. They open fire recklessly, aiming at the roof – but some bullets go astray and pierce through the floor instead. I hear the phwoosh of tyres losing air, followed by the truck beginning to lose control.

Taking advantage of this, I leap down through the hole I created and sever two of them in one stroke. The third one finally recovers and points his gun at me, but I charge him and wrestle for control of it. Pointing it at approximately where I think the fuel tank is, I fire repeatedly until I’m only met with blank clicks. There’s a shudder and the smell of burning petrol, and I know that I’ve hit my mark.

The surprised vampire throws me off his body and materializes a halberd, but it’s too late. With the last remains of my adrenaline I haul Nightfall through the air and towards its neck, cleanly splitting the vampire’s head from its spine. The sword disappears and the head goes rolling to the ground.

The light of day above us flickers as we pass beneath a canopy of trees. Lying on the far end of the container, bound with incredibly thick steel wire is Alice.

She looks at me with weary, pained eyes. Her broken arm is still twisted behind her at an odd angle – probably deliberately held in place to prevent her natural regeneration. The wounds she suffered from the incident at the mall are healing incredibly slowly, most likely due to her current condition. Her white skin is streaked with blood, dirt and dark bruises.

“Bran… is that you?” she asks, squinting past the light.

As I approach her, she realizes and makes a face as if she’s about to cry.

“Have you come for me?”

She asked me this once before, what seems like a lifetime ago. However, this time I am able to answer her.

“Yes.”

With that, I quickly kneel down and scoop her up in my arms. I hear the sound of flames ahead – we’re running out of time.

The truck’s about to go up in flames, and so are we – unless I act now.

With my last vestiges of strength I tackle the back doors and force them open, tumbling onto the hard asphalt with Alice cradled in my arms. No sooner do I hit the ground, my body shuddering from the impact, does the entire truck fly off the edge of the precipice and explode in fireworks of rubber and steel.

She was always the strongest. From the moment she was born, expectations the weight of the world were placed upon her fragile shoulders. A direct descendent of the original line of vampires, the successor of the Vancratt line – there was no doubt she would grow up to become strong.

However, when she first drew the pure longsword that was her Divine Edge… that was when the expectations shot through the roof.

Her soul was one of the purest, and with that purity came power. She didn’t enjoy killing, but she had to obey her father’s wishes. Her father told her what was right and wrong, and that wrongdoers deserved to be punished. If she refused, she herself would be punished – and despite her power, she was no match for a fully grown vampire lord who shared her ancestry.

The friends she grew up alongside with playing in the park, the sewers, at school… they slowly drifted away from her as their levels in power became apparent, or as she shut herself away from the outside world. She never lost a battle – she would always be the last one standing, her blade of pure silver the bane of her enemies. There were none stronger than her – her father wielded her like a weapon, and used her as he saw fit. She didn’t have many friends; only people who either feared or admired her, or both. The human friends she had at school eventually grew tired of standing in her perfect shadow and spurned her, envying her looks, intelligence and physical ability.

They called her the Blood Princess – the daughter of the Blood Lord who would eventually surpass her father and the title of Lord. A future queen, but not quite there yet, so a princess. There was also the matter of finding another pure-blooded descendant of Dracula’s from another clan to become her partner, but that could wait.

She was alone.

When others failed, she would be sent and she would succeed. There was never a time when she needed help, when she needed to be saved. If she was ever in trouble, she was expected to be able to escape or turn the situation around on her own – because if she was the strongest and she couldn’t do it, then no one could. No one came to her aid; every single time she had to pray to God and hope she’d be able to prevail.

Her only weakness, if any, was her desire to save people. She didn’t like lives to be meaninglessly tossed away, and she would do anything to protect them – even if it meant breaking the rules of her covern, and facing severe punishment from her father. Even if she had to charge into a mall riddled with feral vampires to save two demon hunters – two of her mortal enemies – she would do it, because they had done nothing wrong to her.

And so, when she paid for her naivety and was overpowered and captured – she knew no one was coming to save her. She was the strongest, and no one would bother coming to her aid because they knew she would prevail… even if she couldn’t.

That was why… when the shadow of that person who looked like he’d been through Hell and back appeared… when he dropped through the roof, when he mercilessly slaughtered her captors with a monstrous snarl on his face… when he turned and their eyes met…

He had saved her once, stumbling his way through a forest of broken trees to reach her despite his injuries. Now he had come for her again, doing twice what no one had ever done.

That was why her chest felt warm… as warm as the liquid that rolled down her cheeks.

***

When I finally wake up, the morning sun is streaming through the trees and onto the dirt-covered ground.

Wait… morning sun?

I look around, and come face to face with Alice. She’s in just as sorry a state as I last saw her in, except her broken arm seems to have set in place again. However, it’s far from completely healed. I finally remember what happened.

After leaping from the truck, I hoisted her onto my back and trudged as far as I could from the explosion. I had no idea where I was going – all I knew was that I had to put as much distance between her and Dracula as possible. There was no way a simple explosion and a fall would kill such a monster – he would be back, and he had already proved that he would go to extreme measures for his goals. One of them had been attained; all that remained was for him to capture Alice.

After travelling for the remainder of the day, I had somehow lost consciousness and fainted – and now here I am.

“Are you alright?” I immediately ask.

Alice nods quietly. She seems a little… different to her usual self. Her shoulders are hunched up, a change from her usual relaxed posture.

I look around, and realize that my throat is incredibly dry. It’s not thirst for blood – I won’t be feeling that for a few days at least – but rather water. I rack my brain for options, before something vibrates in my pocket.

Pulling out my phone, I’m shocked to find out that it’s still functional even after all I’ve been through. I must have the luck of a god.

There’s a total of forty-nine missed calls – a combined number from Ashley, Judith, Mum, Barry, Dennis, Shizuka… and even Leo. There are also several messages – mainly asking where I am, whether or not I’m alright. I decide to start with the one who would probably be the most understanding and listen to my requests – Ashley.

“I’m going to try and get help,” I tell Alice as I hold the phone to my ear. “Just stay here and don’t move. We’ll find a way to safety.”

She nods again, still quietly looking at me like a cornered animal. I ignore her and listen to the tone ring – a single time before Ashley answers.

“Bran! Are you alright? What happened-“

“Hold on,” I say, in an attempt to stop her onslaught. “Just relax. I’m fine, and Alice is with me.”

“Thank God! I was so worried… the ambulance and the police didn’t find you, and we were worried that you got caught up in the terrorist attacks-“

“Wait,” I interrupt. “Terrorists?”

Is that how ANGEL’s going to sweep it under the rug?

“Yeah,” Ashley replies, a little slower now that she knows we’re fine. “They sent suicide bombers and machete wielders into the shopping centre, set off a bomb on the rooftop… even on one of the roads nearby. There are still no survivors in the shopping centre after the evacuation except for Barry… so we don’t know what went on inside.”

“Is Barry alright?” I ask.

“He’s fine, I saw him getting carried into an ambulance on a stretcher. I haven’t visited him yet, but he seemed stable.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. I still feel guilty that I couldn’t haul him to safety, but him being alive makes me feel slightly better.

“You need to come back quickly,” she gushes. “The government’s locking down the city – they’re stationing people at all the exits to check cars, buses, trains for terrorists. If you don’t come back soon, they might suspect you-“

“Wait… they’re locking down the city?” I ask. “How? Why?”

“It doesn’t matter, Bran. Just come back, and it’ll be fine-“

“Ashley. Tell me, please. This is important.”

There’s a brief pause. Ashley is no fool – she suspects something.

“You’re not one of them, are you?”

I saw this coming. I guess now is the best time to do it.

“No, I’m not. Ashley, I want you to believe me when I say this, and don’t tell anyone at all. Is there anyone around you at the moment?”

“N-no. I’m the only person in the house right now. Bran, what’s happening-“

“Listen very carefully.”

Alice and I exchange a look. She seems to know where the conversation is going.

“I’m not part of the terrorists. I’m actually fighting them – I went back in and tried to stop them. It’s complicated but… to put it in simple terms, they may have framed me. I need to know the specifics of the security around Ashbrook, because Alice and I may be detained because of this.”

“Wait… Alice is involved?”

“Unfortunately… yes. Please believe me, Ashley. Don’t tell anyone at all, unless I allow you. I know I have no proof…. But-“

“It’s okay, Bran. I trust you.”

She says it with such conviction that I know she isn’t lying.

“They found DNA samples at the scene of the crime, and are searching for the culprits. They’re taking samples of hair, cheek tissue, even pupil scans everywhere – shops, houses, high schools, you name it. All those above junior high are getting checked.”

“Pupil scans?”

I reach up to my eyes before realizing my contact lenses are gone. I took them off during the massacre – they would only slow down the speed of my perception. Alice’s red eyes stare back at mine, and I understand.

ANGEL knows there were vampires involved – and now they’ve thrown a net across the whole city in an attempt to flush them out. The DNA… it’s all an excuse, just to examine people’s eyes. Little do they know that the vampires have done nothing wrong – it’s all the work of one demon, one demon who if defeated will release them all from their obligations.

The first thing we need to do is to regroup, find a place to recover, and plan it all out from there. However, returning to Ashbrook is out of the question. As much as I want to… it would be like walking into a cage after narrowly escaping it.

“Damnit… we need a place…”

I realize that I just spoke out loud.

“You need a place to stay?” Ashley’s voice responds.

I nod, before realizing she can’t see me. “We can’t come back to Ashbrook… not yet at least. We’re somewhere in the wilderness next to the highway, and we need a place to regroup and recover. Do you have any ideas?”

If this doesn’t work… I’ll have to call Dennis. If that doesn’t work, I’ll be out of options. There’s no one else I can trust. I know for sure my Mum would bring me back by force, and that Judith wouldn’t be able to keep a secret from her.

Luckily, I don’t have to do any of that.

“My grandparents live out in the country,” Ashley says slowly. “They might let you board for a while… but I’d have to do some serious begging. Not to mention you’d need to make your way to the nearest train station outside of Ashbrook to get there...”

I almost swear, but hold back. “Leo can drive, can’t he?”

There’s another pause. “He can.”

“Then…”

“I’m not sure if he would though…”

“Tell him that he owes me a favour, and now’s his chance to prove his word. But before that, please do anything you can to get your grandparents to help us.”

“Al-alright.”

“Thanks, Ashley. I’m really sorry I had to put you through all this… but please bear with it. And don’t tell anyone – make up something convincing to Leo and your grandparents. Say your friends ran away from home and needed a place to stay or something.”

“Okay.”

“I guess that’s that then-“

“Wait,” she says.

I hesitate, listening to the quiet breathing on the other end of the line.

“When will you be back, Bran?”

And at this moment, my heart sinks a little.

“I don’t know.”

There’s a long silence between us, before she finally speaks.

“Alright then. Stay safe.”

“Bye.”

I hang up. Alice looks at me with a questioning gaze, but still remains silent.

“I guess we wait now,” I say. “Try to conserve energy – there’s no telling how long we’ll be here, and I don’t want to have to go down to the river to get water.”

“Okay.”

I’m about to move closer towards her and into the shade, when my phone rings again. It’s from Shizuka.

I’m about to pick up... until I realize that it might not be the best idea. After a few long moments of vibrating, the phone finally falls quiet. There’s around 50% battery left – I’ll have to hope Ashley gets back to me before it runs dry.

In my mind, I’m already going through all the available options that remain.

***

The phone finally rings again past midday, just after the sun’s passed the halfway point. I pick up on the first ring but don’t say anything.

“Hello? Bran?”

Once I confirm it’s her, I speak up. “It’s me.”

“My grandparents agreed to let you board for a little while. I told them you and Alice decided to run away from home because your parents were disapproving of you two being together.”

I can feel my face reddening. “Wh-what? Was that really necessary?”

I turn away so Alice doesn’t see me.

“My brother also agreed to pick you up and drive you to the nearest city. You’ll have to take the train from there; it’s a long way to the countryside. Leo wants you to know that this is only because you helped him out earlier, and after this you’re both even.”

The corners of my mouth twitch. It’s almost like he’s forgotten what he’s done to me for the past few years… Well I suppose I can forgive him, since he is helping me in my time of need.

“Tell him I said thanks.”

“So where are you guys right now?”

I take a quick look around. “I’m not quite sure. If you tell Leo to just keep driving out from the highway in the direction of the Ashbrook River, you should see us. We’ll be waiting on the side of the road.”

“Okay then. I guess I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Thanks, Ashley. Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hm?”

“Bring lots of food and water, please. Vegetarian food. I’ll pay you back.”

“Alright. Anything else?”

“Nope, that should be fine. Thanks again.”

She hangs up, and I turn back to Alice.

“Come on. Leo’s coming to give us a ride to Edenheim, we should wait for them by the side of the road.”

I reach out and grab Alice’s hand – and she pulls back as if she just made contact with a red-hot poker.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

She stares as if dazed, before shaking her head. “Sorry.”

She reaches out again and, eyeing my hand as if it could disappear at any moment, grabs onto it. I haul her up and we start heading back to the side of the road.

***

Leo and Ashley arrive in his second-hand car two hours later. The moment we’re close enough to see them, we gesture and wave on the side of the road until they pull over.

“Thanks for doing this, Leo,” I say.

Leo looks away. “I just needed an excuse to skip school. Now we’re even.”

“For sure.”

Alice and I step into the back seat, where two large bags of food and water have been supplied for us.

“Ashley, you didn’t have to come too,” I say as I stuff it into my mouth. I’m ravenous and I have to make a conscious effort not to accidentally send bits of half-chewed food flying into Leo’s precious car.

“What are you talking about? Of course I did. You’re leaving, Bran… and for all we know, you could never be coming back.”

“Don’t be silly,” I say. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

There’s a brief silence in the car, only broken by the sounds of Alice and I eating in a very sloppy manner.

“Sounds like a death flag to me,” Leo jokes.

“Shut up,” Ashley shoots.

The car continues to zoom across the countryside, leaving Ashbrook and its river further and further behind. Before long, I can’t even make out the high rise buildings of the city on the horizon. It’s only then that I realize I’m leaving behind the home I’ve grown up in for the past seventeen years.

“So, just how far away do your grandparents live?” I ask, sipping on water to help the food go down. I don’t want to dwell on depressing thoughts – the more I think about this, the more I’ll be convinced that going back and turning myself in will be a better option.

“It’s a place called Port McAubourne, right on the edge of the ocean.”

“The ocean? But that’s…”

“It’s going to take several hours by train to get there,” Ashley explains. “You’ll have to switch lines as well. Needless to say, it’ll be hard to find you once you’re that far out.”

In theory, it’s almost the perfect hiding place. However, reality is hitting me hard – I’ve never had to stay this far away from home, and I’ll be breaking off contact from almost everyone I’ve ever known in this period of time.

Is this really the only way?

I glance at Alice out of the corner of my eye.

No. I won’t run for the rest of my life – it’s only long enough until things die down and we can formulate a plan.

“You look down,” Ashley says.

I don’t respond. Every second we draw further away from home is a second I’m questioning my actions.

“Hey.”

Two hands suddenly slap my cheeks. Ashley brings them away, and I’m sure there are red marks left on my skin.

“You’re thinking too much, Bran,” she scolds. “You’re doing the right thing. Always trust your gut.”

“How can you be sure of that?” I mutter. “Does it even make a difference if we run away?”

No matter who wins – ANGEL or Dracula – we’ve drawn the short end of the stick.

“Bran, remember what you told me a few days ago? It’s not about the destination, but the journey. Even if you don’t think what you’re doing is the right thing, it shouldn’t stop you from trying.”

At the sound of this I let out a light chuckle. “You interpreted it completely differently to how I did it.”

“It’s a versatile concept.”

I touch my stinging cheeks. I really do think too much – I should just sit back and go with the flow for once.

“Thanks Ashley.”

And that was how I left home for the first time.

“Come on, Ashley! Let’s go home already, class finished ages ago!”

Her friend grabs her arm and tries to move her.

“Huh? O-Oh, I didn’t notice the time. Sorry!”

She whips her head from the window and hastily apologizes. The other girl leans over her and curiously looks outside.

“Hm? Who’s that?”

Ashley feigns ignorance. “Who’s what?”

“That boy down there. He looks really serious.”

The boy in question is running intervals of four hundred metres on the school oval, collapsing onto the ground after each lap. However, the moment ninety seconds pass between each lap, he gets back on his feet no matter how tired he is. Sweat pours down his back and onto the grass. With the way he gasps and pants for air, hunched over on his knees, there can be no doubt that he’s running with everything he has.

“Is he an athlete or something?” her friend asks.

“No,” Ashley replies. “He’s trying so hard because he failed the fitness test.”

“Huh? No way!”

“He’s been doing this every day for a year now. I’m sure he’ll make it this time.”

Her friend shakes her head. “That dedication… every day, you say?”

“Yep. I’ve seen him doing it in the rain, the blazing heat, even the snow. I don’t think he’s going to stop until he passes this year’s test.”

The boy’s small legs finally give way beneath him and he lies on the oval, chest heaving. It’s a pain watching him struggle to stand up.

“You admire him, don’t you?” her friend declares.

Ashley doesn’t respond.

***

“It’s starting to get dark,” Ashley says as she approaches his lifeless form.

The boy turns his head, just as she dangles a bottle of water in front of him. It disappears from her hand in a second and he downs its contents in one breath.

“Why do you try so hard?” she asks, curious. “What lies at the end of your path?”

The boy sits up and shrugs. “There’s nothing else to do,” he says simply. “Mum needs some time alone. Dad’s gone, and my sis is in hospital. Running just helps take my mind off things, I guess.”

There’s something else he’s not telling her, but she doesn’t know it.

“But you do it with so much dedication. If you run, why not run at an enjoyable pace? It would be easier too.”

The look he returns her is a completely blank look, one that tells her he’s never even considered this possibility. She almost takes a step back at the words he says.

“If I’m going to do something, why wouldn’t I try my hardest? I started this because I failed the fitness test last year, and I’m going to do my best until the very end. I don’t want to live with regrets.”

With that, he picks himself back up and slowly begins to head back into the school. Ashley watches as his already small back disappears into the distance.

A few days later, right after passing the fitness test, that boy stopped running – and he began to turn up to class with cuts and bruises along various parts of his body. It was also around the time he began to lose focus and sleep at school.

***

“I guess this is it,” I say as the train begins to pull in. Alice still has my jacket wrapped around her, even though the underground subway is far from cold.

“Take care of yourself,” Leo says.

Ashley stands in front of us, just watching as the carriage doors open. People begin to flood out, heading home from work. The sound of their footsteps, chatter and the announcements ringing across the platforms seem strangely disconnected, as if I’m still in denial at our departure.

“I’ll miss you,” she says. “Make sure you come back.”

I firmly nod. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.”

She moves in and her arms wrap arms tightly around me. I try not to make eye contact with any of the passersby, or Leo’s smoldering gaze.

“Bran, I…”

I already know what she’s about to say.

“It’s okay,” I cut her off. “I know.”

I gently nudge her away. It pains me to do this, but there’s no other way.

“I’m sorry.”

With that, I board the train with Alice. There’s a look of total despair on Ashley’s face as the doors close.

I’m sorry, Ashley. I just can’t return those feelings.

Leo nods at me as his sister turns around to hide her face. The whistle blows and the train begins to move. The fluorescent lights of the station give way to the darkness of the tunnel walls, and the sounds of civilization are swallowed as well.

“You turned her down,” Alice says.

“Yeah. I just don’t think she belongs in the world that I live in.”

“Do I belong in that world?”

I half snort, drawing the attention of the passengers around me.

“Alice… you pulled me into that world.”

***

It was a long ride. The first half was almost completely in the darkness of the underground, with no sights or sounds to distinguish whether we were even moving or not. There was only the soft lulling of the carriage, which eventually drew me into a half sleep. I would blearily open my eyes every so often only to see the same carriage, with maybe a few different passengers. At some point, Alice also fell asleep and her head eventually found itself onto my shoulder. She desperately needed the rest, so I left her be.

At the end of the line, I reluctantly woke her up. We switched to a different platform, one which quickly led to the over-world and a completely rural landscape.

The sun’s almost completely down by now, and I find myself mindlessly staring as the fields pass by. The rail line has literally been planted down in the middle of acres of farmland and there’s nothing to see except crops, rice paddies and the occasional herd of farm animals. The sunset makes for a great view though – without the tall spires of the city or the dark haze of light pollution, there’s nothing obstructing the red orb of light in the sky. It’s such a beautiful object, yet so disadvantageous to us.

At some point I become aware of breathing close to my ear, and realize that Alice is staring out the window past me. She seems mesmerized at our surroundings.

“Where are we?” she asks.

I shrug. “Somewhere in the countryside. We’ve still got quite a ways to go.”

She continues to stare, watching the animals in the distance feed and go about their daily – or nightly – business.

“What’s the matter? Never seen a farm before?”

She nods.

“Want to swap seats then?”

Another nod. I stand up and give up my window seat to her, before heading out into the main aisle. Taking this opportunity to stretch my legs, I head down the train checking out the passengers.

Barely any people are on the train – most of them are tourists or travelers, loaded with massive bags of luggage. There’s a family of foreigners sleeping, and what looks like a homeless person passed out on one of the seats. I don’t go too far away, mostly because there aren’t that many carriages in the first place.

How easy it would be to feed on these people. I could incapacitate them, drink a bit of their blood, dispose of their bodies…

I shake my head. What am I thinking?

This does pose a problem, though. I guess we’ll have to feed on farm animals or something at night, to quench our thirst. I’m just beginning to realize how many more details we have to go through, due to our non-existent planning. Where will we get money for living expenses? Ashley’s grandparents wouldn’t go as far as to feed and clothe us – letting us board for free is enough as it is. We’ll probably have to work.

But where are we headed? Not physically, but in the grand scheme of things? Will we just be hiding here, living day by day until Dracula finds us? Are we going to save up more money and then run elsewhere?

So many questions. My head is already pounding from overthinking.

By the time I get back, Alice has fallen asleep again. That was fast… I’d expected her to get bored of the countryside, but not this quickly.

She looks so much younger and unburdened when she’s asleep. It strikes me that this must be her face if she had grown up as a normal girl. When she’s awake she always has a cold, distant expression plastered across her features. In fact, I can’t even recall if I’ve ever seen her smile or laugh, or show any emotion at all.

What does Alice look like when she’s happy?

This is what I think before I close my eyes and drift off.

***

“Bran.”

I awaken to Alice’s gentle shaking. It’s bright outside again – I must have slept through the entire night.

“I think we’re here.”

I rub my eyes and look outside. We’ve stopped by a small two platform station in the middle of nowhere – literally. There’s a single road leading from the railway which curves off into the distance, and nothing but long grass for miles around. A worn, faded out sign next to one of the benches reads †˜Port McAubourne.’

“Let’s go then,” I mutter, prying myself from the leather seat.

We step onto the platform – aside from us, only two other people get off. They both quickly disappear into two cars waiting by the side of the road and are driven off. The train behind us leaves at the blow of a whistle, chugging off into the distance.

“I thought this was supposed to be a port,” I say to the conductor, who’s eyeing us out of curiousity.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asks.

“Nope.”

The weathered man takes the whistle from his lips and lets out a heavy sigh. “We used to be a port, maybe a couple decades ago. Then the big industries moved further south, abandoning us. If you go down to the coast you might still see some remains of the old docks and ships.”

He points out into the distance. I can detect the faint smell of salt in the air.

“I see. We’re actually here to visit our grandparents,” I lie. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to get to this address, would you?”

I take out a scrap of paper with the address written on it. The man squints at it before jerking his thumb along the road.

“Head in that direction and you’ll eventually reach it,” he says. “The bus comes every hour and passes right by; it’s hard to miss. Their farm is one of the most famous ones around here. If you see the town, you’ve gone too far.”

I nod. “Thanks.”

The man tips his head in return. “Take care, boy. You too, young missus.”

With that, he heads back into his office. We make our way around to the rusty bus stop, and I scan the timetable plastered to its side.

“It left ten minutes ago,” I sigh. “Guess we’ll be here for another fifty minutes.”

“How about we walk?” Alice suggests.

I look into the distance. “Alright. Might as well.”

We set foot along the beaten path. The morning sun hasn’t reached its peak, so the conditions are fair. Just as well; I don’t think there’s enough water amongst the basic supplies hastily packed by Ashley.

The unchanging landscape continues to pass, but it might as well be stationary. With no landmarks or change in scenery, it feels like we’re walking on one long treadmill. We might as well be navigating a desert, with long grass reeds instead of sand.

“Let’s play a game,” I say, in an attempt to stave off boredom.

“What game?”

“Ever heard of †˜I Spy?’”

“What’s that?”

Hm. Ordinarily I’d be astonished at anyone who’d never heard of this game – you’d have to have been living under a rock for your whole life to not have heard of it – but then I have to remind myself that Alice has practically been doing just that.

“I spy, with my little eye… something beginning with G,” I chant. “So now you have to find something around us you can see that begins with the letter G.”

“Like grass?”

“That’s right!”

Alice nods. “I think I get it. My turn, then.”

She looks around and seemingly spots something interesting.

“I spy, with my little eye… something beginning with S.”

“That’s easy,” I say. “Sky.”

“No.”

My footsteps falter. “Stone?”

“No.”

I look around. What possibilities are there?

“Shoe? Shoelace? Shirt? Snail? Sock?”

“No.”

I scratch my head.

“Alright, I give up. What is it?”

“Snake,” she points, just as something small and scaly pokes its head onto the path from the grass. I yelp and skirt to the side, steering clear from it.

“That’s cheating,” I cry. “You have to see it, not hear or smell it.”

“I did see it,” she says. “You just weren’t looking hard enough. It’s a snake’s job to be hard to spot anyway.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “Alright you win. This game sucks.”

With my failed attempt at livening things up, we fall into a monotonous trudging. The sun steadily grows higher and at one point the bus we should have waited for passes us.

A few minutes later, the long grass gives way to farmland, and a large house in the distance rolls up from across the horizon.

This must be it – our new home.