weapon jammed, or God forbid, exploded in my hand, it might be the last thing I ever did.
There were better places in the house to clean the weapon, especially so close to dawn, but I liked it there. It was relaxing in its own way. I stared out into the backyard, wishing the light illuminating the patio was more than just the moonlight. I wished I could stand at that door, look out over the sunlit trees, and bask in the warm sunny glow.
But that was only a pipe dream, one I could never realize. My life revolved around the moon and stars now. In its own way, it had a poetic beauty about it. No one could deny the beauty of the night. But sometimes, it would be nice to trade the darkness for a glimpse of the light.
Of course, I had never been much of a day person, even before becoming a vampire. Both my parents had known life by the day, having lived before the Uprising. They could walk down the street at night without worrying that something might be lurking in the dark recesses of the night, hungry for their blood. Back then, wolves and vamps were just legends, tales told to children to scare them into their beds at night.
My brother, Thomas, had been born before me and had a few years of a normal life, though he wouldn’t have remembered it. His first few years of life had been like any other child’s before him.
But before he was three, the world changed: The vampires rose and took control of the night. Nothing would be the same ever again.
I was born the following year. Born to the dark, some would say. My parents hadn’t wanted me, which I found out one evening by accident. I never blamed them. Who would want to bring a child into a world of nightmares and demons?
But they had me anyway. Maybe they hoped I would have a normal life somehow. Maybe they thought they could protect me from the night. After the initial shock of the Uprising, people moved on with their lives, lived their days as if nothing had happened. Only during the night did they allow the reality of monsters walking the streets next to them affect them.
They had no choice. To forget the nightmares lurking outside was to invite those nightmares into your life. Those who tried to pretend vampires didn’t exist, that werewolves lived only in fairy tales, ended up dead pretty damn quick.
The basement door opened and closed, bringing me out of my thoughts. A moment later, Ethan stepped into the dining room, his face weary.
“I made a few more dust packets,” he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. I could see traces of silver beneath his fingernails. “You should have told me you were getting low.”
“It slipped my mind,” I said, setting down my gun. “It tends to happen when I come home to find someone stalking through my house.”
Ethan smiled. “I guess it might.” He sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck, wincing. “Well, the knives are done, but the sword will need some more work.” He yawned. “I can finish that tomorrow night. It seems your last run was pretty productive.”
“You could say that,” I said, clenching my fists. The thought of those Purebloods locked in cages brought a surge of anger with it. The worst part of my job was the memories.
Ethan yawned again and leaned against the wall. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he looked far too tired to think straight.
“You should get some sleep,” I said. “I have more than enough weapons to last. You don’t have to kill yourself fixing them. Slow down a bit, relax.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I know. I just like making sure things are done in a timely manner.”
I returned his smile. “Still, I don’t like seeing you so tired. Someday, I might need you at your best. You don’t have to sleep during the day. You aren’t restricted to the night like I am.”
“Yeah, but when would we have these little chats?” He laughed. “I like the night just fine. There are fewer distractions when it’s dark.”
I wasn’t so sure
There were better places in the house to clean the weapon, especially so close to dawn, but I liked it there. It was relaxing in its own way. I stared out into the backyard, wishing the light illuminating the patio was more than just the moonlight. I wished I could stand at that door, look out over the sunlit trees, and bask in the warm sunny glow.
But that was only a pipe dream, one I could never realize. My life revolved around the moon and stars now. In its own way, it had a poetic beauty about it. No one could deny the beauty of the night. But sometimes, it would be nice to trade the darkness for a glimpse of the light.
Of course, I had never been much of a day person, even before becoming a vampire. Both my parents had known life by the day, having lived before the Uprising. They could walk down the street at night without worrying that something might be lurking in the dark recesses of the night, hungry for their blood. Back then, wolves and vamps were just legends, tales told to children to scare them into their beds at night.
My brother, Thomas, had been born before me and had a few years of a normal life, though he wouldn’t have remembered it. His first few years of life had been like any other child’s before him.
But before he was three, the world changed: The vampires rose and took control of the night. Nothing would be the same ever again.
I was born the following year. Born to the dark, some would say. My parents hadn’t wanted me, which I found out one evening by accident. I never blamed them. Who would want to bring a child into a world of nightmares and demons?
But they had me anyway. Maybe they hoped I would have a normal life somehow. Maybe they thought they could protect me from the night. After the initial shock of the Uprising, people moved on with their lives, lived their days as if nothing had happened. Only during the night did they allow the reality of monsters walking the streets next to them affect them.
They had no choice. To forget the nightmares lurking outside was to invite those nightmares into your life. Those who tried to pretend vampires didn’t exist, that werewolves lived only in fairy tales, ended up dead pretty damn quick.
The basement door opened and closed, bringing me out of my thoughts. A moment later, Ethan stepped into the dining room, his face weary.
“I made a few more dust packets,” he said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. I could see traces of silver beneath his fingernails. “You should have told me you were getting low.”
“It slipped my mind,” I said, setting down my gun. “It tends to happen when I come home to find someone stalking through my house.”
Ethan smiled. “I guess it might.” He sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck, wincing. “Well, the knives are done, but the sword will need some more work.” He yawned. “I can finish that tomorrow night. It seems your last run was pretty productive.”
“You could say that,” I said, clenching my fists. The thought of those Purebloods locked in cages brought a surge of anger with it. The worst part of my job was the memories.
Ethan yawned again and leaned against the wall. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he looked far too tired to think straight.
“You should get some sleep,” I said. “I have more than enough weapons to last. You don’t have to kill yourself fixing them. Slow down a bit, relax.”
He smiled and shrugged. “I know. I just like making sure things are done in a timely manner.”
I returned his smile. “Still, I don’t like seeing you so tired. Someday, I might need you at your best. You don’t have to sleep during the day. You aren’t restricted to the night like I am.”
“Yeah, but when would we have these little chats?” He laughed. “I like the night just fine. There are fewer distractions when it’s dark.”
I wasn’t so sure
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