Our first stop was a crumbling brick husk of a building, barely worthy of being called a shithole. Tucked away on the north side of town, near Florissant, it was the kind of place that reeked of decay and bad intentions. This was the first vampire den Alex had been keeping tabs on. A few weeks ago, she’d already taken out one of them; some bloodsucker who tried to bring a college girl back for the den to slowly feast on. That kill seemed to satisfy her for a while, if what Martin told me was true. She didn’t need to feed as often.

We slipped through the night like shadows, the city quiet and dark, probably around ten o’clock. No one saw us. No one could. Alex and Martin moved with a speed so inhuman, it blurred the line between reality and nightmare. To the human eye, they would appear as nothing more than a fleeting shadow—a dark smear across the periphery, gone before the mind could even process movement. A person might catch the flicker of something in the corner of their vision, a phantom presence that vanished in an instant, leaving only the unsettling feeling of being watched. Their pace was mesmerizing, as though propelled by some unseen force, a momentum that defied gravity, time, and logic.

I kept up, but where my steps were grounded in sheer power, theirs were effortless, ghostlike. They moved with the kind of speed that made it seem as if the ground barely touched them, as if they were gliding just above the pavement. Alex, always in the lead, was the faster of the two, her movements a seamless blur of grace and precision. Martin, though swift, couldn’t match her fluidity. They looked like they had rockets strapped to their backs, but it wasn’t machinery that drove them—it was something far more primal, far more dangerous.

I lacked their years of experience and moved the only way I knew how. I was not some hulking idiot stomping around, but when you compared me to those two… that’s what I felt like. My movements weren’t the effortless glide of shadows Alex and Martin embodied. My stride was raw, powerful, more like the relentless churn of a machine forcing itself forward. Every step was heavy, and deliberate, pounding the ground with a force they simply didn’t need. They moved like phantoms, fluid and silent, but I was a force of nature, a storm building beneath the surface. If I wanted to, I could leave them both in the dust. My power was untapped, a surge I could unleash at any moment. But I kept it hidden. There was no reason for them to know just how fast I could be, no need to tip my hand. Sometimes, mystery was the sharpest weapon I had, and I wasn’t ready to show it. Not yet.

Once we reached the crumbling stack of bricks these vampires called home, Alex took the lead without hesitation. It surprised me. Martin fell in beside her, the two of them adopting the posture of desperate travelers, like they would be in need of shelter from the rising sun. As they approached the door, Alex glanced over her shoulder at me.

“Wait outside,” she said in a low voice, barely above a whisper. “Listen in. Don’t let them see you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

Martin shot me a quick grin. “You’ll spook them. They might sense you’re not one of them. Or worse, think you’re human. Then there’d be no talking, just bloodshed.”

"Right," I muttered, rolling my shoulders. "So, I’m just supposed to hang back and let you two do the talking?"

“For now,” Alex added, her eyes sharp. “If things go wrong, you’ll know.”

I watched as they approached the door, their movements seamless, like they belonged to this decaying world. They slipped inside, leaving me to stand near the side of the building. There was an old, warped window embedded in a large section of the brick wall; a relic from a time long past. The glass had that sagging look, thicker at the bottom where years of gravity had taken its toll.

I crept closer, peering through the distorted pane. The building had seen better days, its structure old and worn, but it gave me a clear view inside. Alex and Martin were already at work, engaging in a conversation I couldn’t hear yet.

Inside, the scene unfolded with an almost casual ease. The three male vampires on the ground level didn’t look like predators at first glance. They could’ve passed for anyone at first glance. Just a few guys hanging around, talking in low voices. There was no obvious malice, no telltale signs of danger. But, I suppose this was normal for vampires interacting amongst themselves. Their eyes flickered toward Alex and Martin as they entered, a silent assessment, a brief flash of curiosity. It passed just as quickly once they sensed their nature.

Alex slid into their circle as if she belonged there, her movements effortless, her demeanor relaxed. Within minutes, the conversation flowed smoothly. The vampires warmed to her quickly, drawn in by the subtle charm she exuded. They weren't overt in their interest, but you could see it in the way their attention shifted toward her. A casual glance here, a quiet smile there. They started letting their guards down, and I could see how they subtly gravitated toward Alex.

She knew exactly how to play the part. Her tone was light, her words easy, but she had them wrapped around her finger without them even realizing it. At one point, she let her hand trail down the arm of the one who appeared to be in charge; just a fleeting touch, barely noticeable. He stiffened, his attention shifting fully to her, though he tried to play it off. The gesture was so subtle, so natural, that it seemed like nothing more than casual familiarity. With my enhanced senses, however, I could see the minute reactions in those below. She was in full control… and they didn’t even know it.

Martin kept things moving smoothly, engaging the other two in quiet conversation. This was when the questions began. Subtly at first, entering their private world. What were they doing in the area? Any need for more bodies in their inner workings? Martin had to be careful, but he found it to be easier than expected; he wasn’t the focus. Alex was. She didn’t need to dominate the room; her presence was enough to command attention. There was no show of power, no obvious seduction—just a quiet, unspoken understanding that she held the reins. Martin’s prods for information were answered and forgotten immediately as they vied for Alex’s attention.

I watched from outside, observing the delicate balance she struck. To anyone else, it would’ve looked like a normal encounter, a casual exchange of words. But beneath the surface, there was a silent game being played, one they were losing without even knowing it. Alex had the situation under control, and they didn’t even realize they were being led like sheep into the jaws of a wolf.

After a few minutes, the conversation began to shift into more serious territory. The vampires casually discussed where the safer places to hunt were, what to avoid, and who else lurked in the shadows of the city. I saw Martin smirk as a young vampire told them of a supposed bar or restaurant that was run by a very old and powerful vampire. They didn’t frequent that place, but a friend of theirs did, and he was dead.

Alex’s kill. They spoke about not being able to feel him in their blood connection. I remember Martin talking about that before. Vampires that were generationally close, turned by the same person, or line of people could feel each other through the blood. Another strangeness I would never fully understand about their kind.

The guy who seemed in charge, the one taking lead in the current situation, had a devilish grin on his face as he spoke and observed Alex and Martin. Once he saw that they were not romantically involved he had only one goal. He wanted to take her down into the lower levels of their den. He wanted to have sex with her, and in his mind… he was going to. Nothing would stop him. I saw him cut glances at Martin, eyeing him and sizing him up just in case he had to fight him. It was subtle but I could read his face from outside like it was written across his forehead. I’m sure Martin and Alex could see it as well.

As I stood outside the decrepit building, letting Alex and Martin work their way toward the questions we really needed answered, I found myself smiling in the dark. I couldn’t explain it; it didn’t even fully make sense to me. But there I was, leaning against the cold wall, a quiet satisfaction spreading through me. Watching the two of them slip into the den like it was just another night, I realized something unexpected: I was having fun.

There was something exhilarating about moving through the shadows, running across the city with these two vampires by my side, searching for answers in the dark. It stirred something inside me, something I hadn’t felt in years. Not even with the Chasse family. What was it? Freedom?

I was finally letting the monster inside, out, not fighting it back or forcing it into submission. I wasn’t hiding. I was using it. And maybe that’s why it felt so good, because I was embracing that power; that raw, unexplainable thing within me as we tore through the night. For the first time in a long time, I felt… natural. I felt more myself than I had in ages. There was no holding back. I wasn’t trying to shield anything from Alex or Martin. Maybe it was because they had their own demons, their own darkness to contend with. It made me feel comfortable like I belonged with them.

I started seeing things the way Martin did. At first, I hated his perspective and resented his philosophy. That it wasn't something else, just me inside of my own head. But now… maybe he was right. There was freedom in being what I was without hiding, without secrecy, without the fear of losing control. I felt powerful. The grin on my face said it all. For the first time, I understood that maybe control wasn’t about suppression; it was about accepting it in a way I never had.

But then, as always, the memory surfaced. The man from the alley. The murder.

My smile faded as confusion swept in, cold and sharp. If Martin’s theory was right, why had I been completely shut out? If it wasn’t a separate entity… then how had it taken over and given me the back seat? Why had it taken over and killed that man so quickly, so ruthlessly? I didn’t know him. He wasn’t familiar to me. And if he had been someone I was meant to deal with, why hadn’t I gotten a sign? A name? A vision, something?

The doubt gnawed at me, as it always did now. Ever since that night, it lingered in the back of my mind, poisoning every thought, every moment I felt at peace with the monster inside. Something didn’t add up, and it left me questioning everything I thought I was beginning to understand about myself.

The questioning inside the building ended abruptly as unexpected arrivals cracked the foundation they were building. Alex and Martin were met by a few new figures coming up from a lower level within the building. Everything shifted in a moment's notice.

“You guys hungry?” the thoughtful vampire asked as he brought his meal ticket up to share. He seemed to be a nice guy, unfortunately.

The girl hung limply in his grasp, not moving much, but still alive. She was young, probably nineteen. She must have been in the first year or so of college before finding herself in an inescapable situation. She had black hair and wore clothes that looked like she had just come from a nightclub. Scrapes and bruises littered her extremities, while a few bite marks were on her throat, trailing blood. I felt my blood start to boil, and the beast began to rise.

Alex registered what was happening in an instant, and her demeanor changed viciously. Her face shifted from flirtatious to murderous. She didn’t want to pretend anymore. She took the girl's presence as the switch to go into kill mode. There was no warning, only the silent shift in her facial bones as her visage shifted to one of inhuman rage with bleeding red eyes.

Martin did not have the same reaction, but he was prepared to fight. The four vampires were thrown off by the confusion of the abrupt change in these two strangers.

The leading vampire didn’t even have time to react. One second, Alex was standing there, calm and composed, and the next, she was on him like a bullet, her body a blur of violence. His arms flew up in a futile attempt to block her, but she slammed into him with enough force to crack bones instantly. The sickening sound echoed as she hurled him into the brick wall behind them, sending a shower of red chips and dust into the air. The impact blew a hole in the crumbling wall, revealing a jagged void to the outside.

Before the dust could even settle, Martin was already moving, his steel short sword flashing in the dim light. The two other vampires barely had time to process what was happening before their heads hit the floor, eyes wide with confusion. The clean arcs of the sword left no room for mercy or hesitation. Blood sprayed in thick arcs, splattering the already ruined walls.

But Alex… Alex was a different kind of brutal. She was consumed by it, her bloodlust taking full control. Before her first victim could even slump to the ground, she was on top of him, her fangs extending in a monstrous snarl. She latched onto him with a force that made the very air tremble.

“No!” he screamed, terror cutting through his voice. “What are you doing…” His words were drowned out by a gurgling cry as Alex sank her teeth deep into his neck. The snarl that came from her was animalistic, primal. The man beneath her thrashed, but he was nothing compared to her overwhelming rage. She was no longer just a vampire; she was a beast, a force of pure violence.

Blood sprayed everywhere, coating her face, her clothes, splashing the walls as she tore into him. I could hear the wet crunch of his bones snapping from where I stood, each crack a chilling reminder of her strength. He struggled beneath her, but his power was nothing compared to her unrelenting fury. His body gave out first, his bones crushed under the weight of her feral strength. In mere seconds, he was dead, a drained husk, and Alex stood over him, drenched in blood, her breath heaving, eyes wild.

It was over in moments, but the brutality of it lingered, thick in the air.

There was one problem. The vampire with his actual grasp over the human girl was still in control of her. Alex was taken over by thirst and rage while Martin tried to determine the best course of action. He didn’t want to get the poor human girl killed in his attempt at rescuing her; if she would survive at all.

“What the fuck are you?” the captor said with fearful astonishment. He couldn’t believe what he had seen, but he was also scared. He had probably never seen a vampire feed off another, never even heard of something like that.

Alex stood from her kill, face twisted and fanged as she stepped carefully towards the vampire that hid behind the limp human girl.

He could tell quickly that the two strangers wanted to stop his den and protect the girl, no matter how crazy that seemed in his mind. He couldn’t wrap his small mind around it, but he knew it was the situation. So, he hung onto the girl by the neck, extending his claws to ward off his oncoming attackers.

The girl hung loosely, with no change in her vitals, but it was going to damage her the way he handled her body so recklessly.

“Just back up, unless you want her blood on your hands,” he played their fears.

Alex was intent on getting to the girl, but he had her by her jugular. The human’s life force would drain across the grungy floor before Alex could catch him if decided to do it. He could end it in an instant. He looked like he might just do it out of spite since he didn’t think he could get out of the situation.

Martin had already stopped his advances, and I saw a falter in Alex’s footsteps. She didn’t know what to do. I could hear the flurry of heartbeats in Alex’s chest rapidly surging from the bloodlust. She wasn’t thinking clearly. For a moment, my two friends stood among a room of corpses, opposite the last vampire and his captive.

I knew what to do. I had already picked up a metal pipe that was leaning against the wall of a small storage building just to the side of the main structure. It was probably about four feet in length and coated in rust. It fit nicely in my hand, and it would sail even nicer through the air as a spear. So, I hurled it with all my force from. It ripped through the void between me and the building, shattering the old window as it broke the pane that separated the inside from the outside. The rusty spear was barreling towards the unaware vampire’s head. He never knew it was coming, neither did the girl, nor Alex. I did see Martin’s ears shift and his head turn right before the old pipe broke the pane of glass. Alex was too wrapped up in her bloodlust to hear it coming. Martin was more honed from years of practice at taming himself, and the power within.

The pipe met its mark, as I knew it would, and forced itself into the wall next to them; still holding the weight of the creature on its length. When the pipe pinned the vampire to the bricks, it dropped the girl with the motion of the vampire’s death blow. Otherwise, she was unharmed any further.

The surprising interruption of my pipe spear jolted my two friends from their positions, even Martin who I thought saw it coming. Once the glass settled at their feet, and the girl fell to the ground beneath the lifeless vampire, they looked back through the shattered window to my watching presence. I just stood there while they figured out how to pick up the pieces.

About half an hour had passed before Martin managed to arrange for an acquaintance to come pick up the girl. He had learned her name… Claire; but that was all she had managed to tell him before the fear took over. We had retreated from the scene of the chaos and death, putting a safe distance between ourselves and the carnage of the vampire den. We stationed ourselves in a cluster of trees about two miles from where the nightmare had unfolded, away from prying eyes.

Claire was terrified, her fear palpable as she huddled close to Martin, who was trying to comfort her and assure her of her safety. The sight of Alex still covered in blood had left a mark on her mind. The young girl’s eyes darted nervously between us, her body trembling slightly as she clung to Martin for support. Every so often, she would glance toward me, but the fear in her eyes was unmistakable. It was as if she could sense the darkness lurking within me, and she avoided meeting my gaze whenever she could.

She seemed to draw some comfort from Martin’s presence as if his attempts to help her were a lifeline in the midst of her terror. But whenever her gaze wandered to me, her fear deepened, her eyes widening slightly before she quickly looked away, as if afraid of what she might see. I remained a shadow in her vision, deliberately keeping my distance, my form blending into the darkness. The fear radiating from Claire was almost tangible, a stark reminder of the terror that we, in our way, had inflicted upon her. Alex and I backed off even further as we waited.

“Well, that was certainly not what I was expecting,” Martin said as he paced back through the darkness to where I stood. Alex was there in the shadows too, only a couple of yards away.

“I’m sorry, Martin…” Alex apologized, her face still covered in blood. Though her human features returned to her face, she still looked monstrous with all that blood soaking her face and clothes. She had tried wiping it off, but it only smeared around. “Once I saw the girl I couldn’t stop. She reminded me of…” she trailed off.

“It’s okay Alex. You don’t have to apologize. We had to do something, and I don’t think they had any information we could have used. These seemed young, and on a very long leash from whoever created them,” Martin suggested.

I wanted to know what she was going to say. Why had she reacted so violently at the sight of the girl? I wanted to ask but, I didn’t think now was the time. I stayed quiet.

“Well, only one place left to go I suppose,” Martin said. “Are you two still up for it?”

I nodded, “I am. I want to hit anywhere you two might think will lead us to answers.”

“Alex?” Martin asked her.

She was still wiping the blood from her face and trying to look human again; I think she wanted to feel human too. She didn’t answer Martin, only continuing to feverishly scrub the blood from her clothes and skin. Why was this time different, specifically?

“I can smell water,” I told her.

Alex looked up at me, her frantic look fading.

“It’s close. You can clean up,” I offered, glancing at Martin.

“We have more than enough time,” he assured.

Alex nodded, making sure her face didn’t reveal an ounce of gratitude to me.

It was a small pond on the edge of a residential property. It was close to some woods, so we stayed hidden. The darkness of the night cloaked us from sight. Aside from the dark and sleepy house, nothing was around, especially at this hour. A few passing cars on a nearby road was the only motion.

Martin and I were silent until Alex was done scooping and rinsing the blood off with the fresh water. It only took a minute or two of standing and waiting. She came back to us in the dark, face clean and clothes wet. Her shirt was still obviously stained pretty heavily with the crimson fluid.

I started thinking about Alex differently again. She seemed rough and distant in the beginning. But I was learning there was more to her than what she showed the world. I think Martin knew what Alex was like, the real Alex. I was seeing glimpses of her through the past day. Ever since I saw her bedroom. That picture and the way it was positioned in the secrecy of her lair. I was starting to see her better. Standing there, seeing her reaction to the blood covering her face and clothes, the shame of what she had done at the den, and even the way she slept away from her home, it made me feel… sorry for her. One thing was certain, Alex was a lot more than she let people see.

As Alex approached us, I took off the jacket that doubled over my black hoodie. I offered it out to her with an extended arm. She looked at me curiously for a moment.

“I don’t need your help,” she said unforgivingly.

“Your clothes are covered in blood. You’re helping us if you take this. We’re still going someplace after this… and we still need you,” I said what I thought would motivate her to take it.

I saw Martin nod to her out of my peripheral vision. Alex stared at me for a moment but then snatched it out of my hands.

“Let’s go,” Martin began walking away from the pond.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I followed them at a distance. I could hear them talking about fifty yards in front of me, and I tried to listen in. Mostly murmurs about what happened back there. I maintained my distance the rest of the time until we made it to a small house across the river on the east side of St. Louis. This house was situated directly on the river just south of the Gateway Arch. There was only one vehicle parked beside the house in the muddied tire paths. It was an older model, single-cab truck. It looked like it had seen better days.

I was still a distance behind Alex and Martin when we arrived. But when Martin and Alex reached the front porch of the place, the front light came on, and a person stepped out. They began talking to each other, and it seemed strained.

I pushed my hearing out to further distances after they were already talking, “…only you Martin.” It was the voice of an older man. His accent sounded foreign to anything I knew of St. Louis. It was more akin to something I heard down in Louisiana from my trips there as a kid. As kids, my brother and I would laugh at the accents of our family down there. We thought our cousins sounded funny every time we went to see them when we were a lot younger.

As I arrived beside Alex, Martin was already inside the house, “Who is this?”

Alex was silent for a moment before answering me. It seemed like she was trying to figure out how to treat me.

“His name’s Abel,” was all she said.

“I’ve never heard Martin talk about him,” I said out loud, unsure if Alex would speak to me. She seemed pretty affected by everything that had happened.

“Why would he?” Alex asked bluntly. “I’ve never even spoken with him.”

She was going through something, so I’d give her some slack. I didn’t say anything else to her. She obviously needed space. I walked away from her, into the shadows beside Abel’s ramshackle house. I leaned against a tree and waited for Martin to return. After only a minute of listening to the constant hum of the rushing current of the river, I realized I couldn’t hear inside the house. Not for lack of trying, because I was. I couldn’t penetrate the barriers of the home. It was odd.

As I stood against the solid tree, I heard Alex speak under her breath, “Shit…” She slowly paced over to me in the cover of trees.

“What?” I asked as she was standing in front of me, yet she froze as she got there.

“I‘m… sorry. Thank you for this coat. Abel won’t invite me in if I looked the way I did,” Alex said honestly.

“You’re welcome,” I responded. After another few moments of silence between us, I asked, “Are you alright? I don’t know what happened back there, but it seemed to affect you more than usual.”

Alex nodded, “Yes. I’ll be alright.” She looked up at the stars through the small gaps in the trees. The smog wasn’t covering the area like it usually did in the city. “It was the girl. Seeing her… it brought back some memories. When I saw her there with those fucking leeches… those bloodsucking pieces of shit…” her fury started to spill over again. She shook her head, “I just reacted. I felt myself moving on instinct. I lost control.”

I just nodded. I didn’t want to pry even though I was very interested in what she would say.

“Thank you for killing the last one. I was so drunk on the anger, and the blood, that I couldn’t think strategically. Everything was so overwhelming. I’m usually not like that. I can maintain myself better than that,” Alex said, slightly ashamed again.

“I have my times, too. Certain things… things that remind me of before… it makes it harder to control,” I tried opening up a little bit.

I found that Alex and I had a lot in common. We shared feelings about our experiences as monsters of the night.

“The girl…” I started, hoping I wouldn’t piss her off. “Did she remind you of… you?” I asked, and then prayed I didn’t make the wrong choice.

She was silent. Staring into the muddy riverbank at our feet.

“Yes.” She finally answered.

We stayed silent again. I could tell that my prying was freshening the wound again. I’ll stop for now. Even though this new version of Alex was intriguing me more by the minute, I didn’t want to push too hard and lose the little bit of peace between us. She reminded me of myself, and if any part of that was real, I knew she’d need space in her hard moments. I knew this because that’s what I needed when my memories began to surface.

Alex and I sat quietly at the base of two close trees as we waited in the dark for Martin. It was not as awkward with her at that moment as it was before. I felt close to her in a way. For a brief second through talking in the dark, I felt like she trusted me. It was small, and I’m not sure it would last, but it was due to realizing we had similar struggles. She saw the beast trying to escape me before, and now I saw hers lash out in a violent display of death. We were both fighting for control, hating the thing we had become.

The creaky screen door spoke out into the night is Martin stepped out onto the front porch. The light above his head cast a shadow into the muddy grass of the front yard.

“Alex… Sam,” Martin called for us.

As soon as we heard the words, we were up and speeding around the side of the house. We met Martin at the base of the porch steps. He was alone. The old man named Abel was nowhere in sight.

“He’ll see us now. But I must warn you two; especially you Sam.” Martin seemed very serious as he continued, “You must remain very calm here. If Abel senses anything he considers a threat, he’ll kick us out.”

“I’m not going to do anything,” I assured Martin. I wasn’t sure why he thought he needed to say this to me.

“I know. I just felt like I had to reiterate it. Able could feel death on us as we approached. The fighting at the den must have left a mark that he can sense. He was extremely apprehensive about seeing us, so we need to be careful… stay calm around him. Abel is one of my oldest living contacts here in the city. His knowledge is invaluable, and I would hate to lose him as a friend,” Martin said.

Alex and I both nodded, watching our movements and attitudes as we entered the low-lit house. We all three stepped slowly through the living room. The old, crooked floor creaked under our steps as we followed Martin into the kitchen. I could tell it was the kitchen since the light that was on revealed a circular metal table with only two chairs. The wallpaper was illuminated as well, really pronouncing the yellow stain of time that was present across every wall.

As we entered the kitchen, Martin sat down across the table from an old grey-haired black man. He was a skinny gentleman who wore silver, rectangular glasses over his weathered eyes. I saw him take a deep breath as Alex and I entered the room. He did not look fearful, only increasingly aware of our presence.

“Hello Alex, how ya’ doing,” he spoke to the red-haired vampire in a seasoned voice, very welcoming to her. “Sam,” he then looked directly at me, very firm and observant.

“Hello, Abel. It’s nice to finally meet you,” Alex greeted. “Martin speaks of you often.”

“Likewise,” he assured with a quick glance and a smile. Then he turned his steely gaze back to me.

I just looked at him with a nod. I felt underprepared for whatever this was.

“I’ve heard a lot about you too,” Abel stated. The old man stared into me. Then he spoke in a different language, barely a whisper, “Main de la Mort…” he eyed me with a questioning look like he was searching for something. There was a slight look of fear in his eyes as he pondered me. Not fear of me directly… but of something else. Something in a memory.

What did he say? It sounded almost like French or something. The tone of it reminded me of my time over there searching for Allen.

“Do you know something about me?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he emphasized, “I do. You’ve had your grip around this city for a while now.”

I cocked my head to the side. “What are you talking about?”

“Surely you know the effect you’ve had on the city. Men and beasts alike fleeing the area. Anything sensitive enough to feel your presence. People I’ve known for years, abandoning everything… to get out before it’s too late,” he spoke theatrically like he was telling a story, waiving his hands in mock fear.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, or what you mean…” I was honestly at a loss.

Martin didn’t look like he was on the same page as Abel. This was a new conversation he hadn’t had with the old man. I could see in his face, Martin was intrigued.

“No… no I don’t think ya’ would.” He leaned back in his metal chair, relaxing further. “Let me put it to ya’ different.” He sipped from a steaming cup of coffee, then continued. “This city is a jungle, and it has all manner of creatures within, human and everything else that calls this place home. Every jungle has an ecosystem. There’s a food chain, and there are groups of animals trying to survive; some together, some alone. Now, when a new predator enters an established ecosystem, things start to change. When the alpha predator starts becoming the prey, things really take a turn. Whole ecosystems can crash and burn if something that doesn’t belong takes root. When an invasive species overruns an ecosystem… you could see a collapse.”

I was hesitant to respond, “You’re saying I don’t belong in the city?”

“No son, that’s not what I mean,” he readjusted himself. “You’re carrying something around this city that doesn’t belong in our world. I knew that from the first time you killed here. I felt something out there in the jungle, killing to kill. I felt something dark, I felt anger… pain… vengeance by a hand of wrath that can’t be stopped by those it falls on,” Abel was wrapped up in his thoughts. He was more than just an ordinary human man.

“What are you?’ I asked him, a slight edge in my voice. I wanted answers… I always had, ever since I was turned into this. I could feel the beast down in its cage, rattling the bars. It wanted to know. Or, if Martin was right, it was all me, and I wanted to know.

Martin cut his eyes to me quickly, warning me with a glance. I hoped I wouldn’t do anything against what Martin wanted, but this guy knew something. I could feel it.

I felt Alex adjust herself behind me, like she thought she might need to respond if I made a move or something. I guess our quick bond was out the window.

“Me… I’m just an old man, Sam. I know a few tricks my Mama taught me as a boy. I know things, stories passed down through my family. Things that happened out in the swamps where I grew up…” Abel explained. “I think the question you’ve been looking for is about yourself, Sam. You’ve been searching for something for a long time, haven’t you? Sometimes you feel like you’re about to figure something out, only to be back to square one.”

I cut him off quickly. “How do you know any of this? What am I?” I asked bluntly, anger spilling out of my words. He knew something about me. I took a half step forward to the skinny, elderly man as the darkness within me gripped my mind. I felt the worst thoughts piling up to squeeze this old motherfucker for the things I wanted for so long. I needed to know.

I felt Alex put her hand on my back. It was a warning. I glanced back quickly over my shoulder, giving her my own warning; to back the fuck off. She eyed me seriously from behind, showing no sign of leniency from Martin’s request. Her eyes slowly began to pulse a brighter red as she threatened me silently.

I stepped forward.

“Sam,” Martin barked, standing from his seat. He too pulsed the blood in his system to activate his own vampiric traits. “Stop what you are doing,” his dark hair twisted around out of place as he moved violently in front of me, placing his strong grip on my left shoulder.

It all happened so fast that Abel was still sitting there almost unaware of what was going on. He didn’t look angry. He did look curious about how Alex and Martin would react to me since we all approached his house as friends. At least, that’s what I thought.

Abel started talking while Martin and Alex were in a standoff against me. “There is a lot I can tell you son, but that isn’t what you came here for tonight. You came here about Peter Grimwood.” The name coming out of his mouth snapped me out of my anger that bubbled up from the darkness of my monster. “However, I’ll give you the option; do you want to know about the one you’re looking for, or do you want to know about yourself? You only get one from me tonight,” Abel added.

Fury raged in my mind at the old man’s words. Why could I only have one? He reminded me of Jon. Why couldn’t I just be told what I was, and then be done with it? Then, I wondered, did this old man even know anything real about me? Maybe he only knew stories; myths that were just bullshit. It could be nothing real.

I decided on what we came for pretty quickly as soon as I calmed down. But I had no intention of leaving it at that once this was over.

“Tell me about Peter, and the kidnappings,” I said coldly.

“Hmm… interesting,” Abel was surprised at my response. Then, he actually began telling me what he knew and acted like my quick outburst of anger never happened.

Martin and Alex stayed right beside me, not trusting me in the presence of the frail looking Abel. That really pissed me off. Although their human faces returned, I knew they were still prepared to move on me.

“Well it started with you, Sam,” Abel began. “You grabbed the attention of some old ones down below ground. They sent up three of their strongest to deal with you. Only one returned. Now, I don’t know the specifics about how you hoodwinked them, but they think you’re dead. Even still, they lost two of their strongest against you. They haven’t felt threatened in years, decades maybe. The kidnappings are a part of something greater than little Peter Grimwood. He’s a tool… a means to an end. Them people being taken now are for a ritual of some kind. The only thing I can assume is to strengthen the Elders. If they felt threatened, even if the threat was dealt with, they’ll want to feel secure.”

“How does Peter fit into this? And how is he coming back from the dead?” I asked, not expecting any of this.

“That Grimwood is here for his own reasons. Probably using the Elders to his own ends, thinking he’ll get away with it. If my guess is right, he’s siphoning power from their rituals in his own way. But he is distinctly different from what’s going on below the city. He is… corrupted.” Abel shook his head as he spoke. Almost like he felt something unnatural about Peter as he spoke. “He probably followed you back with that Chasse boy I’d wager. Now that’s a story I know like the back of my hand. The Grimwoods’ banishment from the Collective.”

“The Collective?” Alex actually asked from behind me.

“The union of families: Wicklows, Talbots, Chasses, and Grimwoods. The families joined together way back when to fight off creatures such as yourselves. The Grimwoods got the boot for puttin’ a curse on the Talbots. It’s all ancient history, but you’d be a fool to live in this city and not hold on to that one,” Abel spoke about them like he had first-hand knowledge somehow.

“How is Peter alive?” I asked, trying to get us back on track. “Annabelle Wicklow said they killed him once. I killed him already. If he comes back… how am I supposed to stop something like that?” I asked the strangely knowledgeable man.

Abel repositioned his squared glasses and stroked his beard, “Peter has to be tied in with something… someone else that keeps him alive. He isn’t dying, not truly. Even after facing your wrath, Sam, he could still return if someone can keep him alive until he’s restored. It would take someone far past powerful for that,” he assured. “Something… from somewhere else…”

I thought about his words as we all spoke. This ended up being… a lot more than anything I expected. We didn’t just have one enemy, we had Peter and whoever was keeping him alive. Plus, we had to figure out a way to stop people from being taken.

“So if we find Peter again, we won’t be able to kill him until we kill whoever is keeping him alive?” I repeated.

“You’d be correct,” Abel answered. “However, he may prove to be even more elusive now that he’s met you once.”

“How do you mean?” Martin’s voice held a note of uncertainty, a reluctance to delve deeper into whatever unsettling truth was waiting to be revealed.

Abel's response came, his words carrying a simple explanation he expected Martin to understand. “No one just stands there and lets you kill them, Martin. Even if they know they'll come back.” He shook his head at the older vampire, but at that moment, he seemed like the adult, Martin the child. “If Peter's tied into what I think he is... he might have ways to move himself, or others.”

“Move?” I asked, feeling a strange tension coil inside me.

“Yeah. Portal, slip between dimensions, teleport; call it whatever you want. The youngbloods prefer the term ‘teleport.’ It’s more new age… catchier.” Abel let out a soft, humorless laugh. “One minute, he could be standing right in front of you, and the next... he’s gone. But the reality’s a lot darker. The ties to something that can afford the power it takes for that is something you don’t want to have on you.”

The room seemed to grow colder as he continued, “Only the truly ancient beings, those older than civilization itself, possess the kind of knowledge and power to make that possible. Some of the elders deep in the pits can do it, granted their power by extension from Ancients.”

Martin started to ask something, his voice trembling slightly. “Where exactly are these ancients you’re…”

But my thoughts had already begun to drift, pulled into the shadows of my own memories. My mind unraveled, replaying the moments of my cursed existence. I, too, had been “moved.” Dragged to places beyond the real world, ripped from reality itself. Abel’s words carried a chilling resonance I knew all too well, though none of them could understand the weight they held for me. Martin and Alex were focused on Peter, locked in on the threat he posed. But I was on a different path, one that traced back to my own fate. The pieces were falling into place, lines connecting in the dark.

I interrupted, unable to hold back any longer. “When you say he’s corrupted, that he’s drawing power from something else... you’re sure it’s one of these… Ancients? “

Abel’s gaze sharpened, meeting mine with sudden clarity. He knew I wasn’t just asking about Peter. I was fishing for something more, something personal. He realized I had latched onto a darker undercurrent in his explanation; one that hit closer to my own wretched reality.

“Martin... Alex, I need you to step outside for a moment,” Abel requested quietly.

Alex looked like she wanted to protest, her face twisted with defiance, but Martin’s hand on her shoulder stilled her. He gave Abel a quick nod of agreement before turning to leave, his footsteps heavy with dread. The screen door slammed shut behind them, the sound a sharp crack in the stillness of the night.

Now it was just Abel and me, alone in the cramped kitchen, the shadows thickening around us like a silent warning. We sat silently as Abel cleaned his glasses with a paper napkin from the table.

“Follow me,” Able stood from the table and entered the tiny living room. There were two old recliners sitting in front of a fireplace. A small TV perched above the mantle but it was off. Able leaned forward in his chair as we sat, warming his hands on a small fire he had going inside his fireplace.

The fire crackled softly, casting faint, flickering shadows that danced along the walls. Abel sat across from me, his face half-hidden in the dim light, eyes staring off as if seeing something far beyond the room. There was a heaviness in the air, a tension that grew in the silence between us. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost distant.

“Before everything… before we had words for it… things were different. This world wasn’t always ours. It belonged to them.”

I frowned, leaning in. “Them?”

Abel’s gaze shifted, locking onto mine with an intensity that sent a chill through me. “There were... things,” he said, voice low, careful. “Things that roamed free, things beyond what we can understand. They were huge, not just in size but in... presence. The kind of things that ruled before anything resembling humanity walked the earth. Beasts, creatures, call them what you want, but they weren’t like anything we know. Not really.”

He paused, and the fire popped softly, filling the gap in the conversation with its eerie crackle. I waited, uneasy, as he continued, his voice even softer now, almost like he didn’t want to say too much.

“Most of them are gone now. Or... not gone. Hidden. Some are here, still... tucked away in places people don’t go. Others... well, they slipped through. To places that aren’t here, not quite. Other worlds, other... layers, if that makes sense.”

It didn’t, not fully, but something about the way he said it made my skin prickle. “Are they... still a threat?” I asked, feeling the question weigh heavier than I expected.

Abel’s eyes flickered in the firelight, his expression unreadable. “That’s the thing,” he murmured, his tone cryptic, almost evasive. “They don’t need to be here to matter. Some of them... they have power that stretches beyond where they are. They leave traces. Echoes. And some... well, some can still touch this world, in ways you don’t see coming.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “And Peter...?”

Abel leaned back, his expression darkening further. “If he’s gotten mixed up with that kind of power, if he’s reached something... something old, something still stirring beneath the surface... then we’re standing too close to something we don’t understand. He’s playing with forces that no one controls. Not really.”

“And why would something so powerful waste its time on us? Why dip into this world when it is beyond it?” I asked.

“They were solitary in their day, keeping to their section of the world. Once they started to fall, blame was cast. Now… they seek blood. No ancient allies with another. They use our world as a medium for enacting their will.”

The fire flickered again, casting longer, twisting shadows along the walls. Abel fell silent, his eyes distant once more, as though whatever he wasn’t saying loomed far larger than the words he’d given me. I felt it, too, the sense that what he’d hinted at, the vague enormity of it, was only the surface of something much darker, something ancient that remained just out of reach, waiting.

"But how do we stop the kidnappings? How do we stop what Peter is doing? How do I save my friends when he won't stay dead?" I asked, the weight of it all pressing down on me. "If Peter’s just a side note in something bigger, how do we stop the real problem?"

Abel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knobby knees. He seemed to wrestle with his thoughts, shaking his head slowly as he searched for the right words. When he finally spoke, his voice was like iron, each word solid and unyielding, carved from some hard-earned wisdom I knew he’d carry out himself if he could.

"Unleash that thing inside you," he said, his tone dark, almost commanding. "Turn it loose. Tear this place, and all the evil in it, to the ground. Go below, into the pits. You go down there, and you raze those pits into the earth. Kill anything you find. Go as deep as you can. Collapse those tunnels and purge the city of the Elders' hold. That's how you stop them. If you want to kill the ancient, you kill everything they have amassed in our world. Then… they’re paralyzed."

His words landed like a blow, staggering me. What he was suggesting was beyond reason, something no rational person would ever consider. The sheer scope of it… the destruction, the violence… it would have been impossible for anyone to pull off, let alone attempt. And besides, I couldn’t even find the entrance to the pits.

I tried to ground the conversation. "What about the ecosystem?" I asked, almost grasping at straws, trying to challenge his previous statements.

Abel didn’t hesitate. "Burn it to the ground," he said, the words cold and final.

Moments later, I found myself outside his shack, the weight of his proposal still heavy in my mind. The night was thick with silence, but inside me, everything was buzzing; his ominous words, the weight of the task, the darkness he wanted me to unleash. I knew we had to stop the kidnappings. Families were still suffering, some of them torn apart with no idea if their loved ones would ever come back. Some... it might already be too late for them.

Even with all my strength, and all the power of the monster that lurked inside me, the enormity of the task felt crushing. How could I possibly descend into those cursed pits and take on everything waiting below? It seemed beyond what I could manage. But then, the thought of letting the beast loose, of tearing through the dark, unseen depths, began to stir something in me.

I could feel it; an unfamiliar sensation rising from the cage where the monster had long been kept. It wasn’t anger or frustration this time. It was something else, something unsettling. It was almost… excitement.

Martin and Alex were saying their goodbyes to the old man as I was already standing in the mud outside. As they all stepped out onto the porch, Abel spoke to me one last time.

“When you find him, when you finish Peter, come back and see me, Sam. I may have some more advice for you… when the time comes. Remember that…” he urged. “It may help you if you decide to go down below,” Abel suggested.

I nodded.

Then, in a quick decision, I bolted away from the house on the river. I’m sure Alex and Martin would soon give chase, but I wanted to be alone. After everything that had happened throughout the night, and all that I had learned, I wanted time to myself. I knew that if I stayed with Martin and Alex, we would probably end up having an awkward conversation about what happened in there between the three of us when I got riled up. Surely, they’d have questions about what Abel had said to me alone. I couldn’t head back to the safe house either since I knew they would probably be heading there also, especially if they were looking for me.

So, in a quick moment I decided to go somewhere I never thought I’d go again. I followed the river north, back towards the city. I sprinted through trees and bounded into the branches of much larger growths as I hopped between them, clearing massive distances like some kind of superpowered monkey. I dove out of a tree and into the Mississippi River once I got to the end of the expanse of trees on the riverbank. I felt the cold rushing water push past my ears as I swam against the current, fighting my way across the river. As soon as I found dry land on the other side, I kept moving. In only a short while longer, I was standing outside of a familiar structure.

I looked at all the overgrown nature and almost smiled in the darkness of the early morning hours. I used to hate this place. It was like my prison in the first few years of my life. Towering in front of me was the old, abandoned factory. The place I swore to myself I would never return to live in. I decided I was going to live differently after everything that happened with the Chasses. I wanted to have a life… but now… I didn’t know what I wanted.

I started having doubts about what I was meant for, and what I could truly have. I had so much with my friends now that I almost felt like I had died, and this was all just my fantasies come to life. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t start to think about Vicky. I pictured myself standing in front of her all the time, explaining what happened to me and praying she’d understand. Trying to convince her that it was still me. I had a lot going on inside that I was trying to ignore for a while now.

Once I found myself with the Chasses, I latched on hard. I think grabbing onto them, and everything I felt, was keeping me… sedated in a way. I only felt this because of how free I felt with Martin and Alex. I hadn’t felt like that since I had become this creature of the shadows. But then the question was, was I supposed to feel free? Was I supposed to feel good when I had the urges and intent to maim and kill at a moment’s notice? Why did I feel guilty while with the Chasses, but free and untroubled when I was around others who shared my plight?

I had a lot to think about. So, I walked in through an opening that was half-covered with ivy. I pushed it over my head as I passed, swallowed up by the familiar shadows of my original lair. I would also be lying if I didn’t admit I felt something comforting about stepping foot back in my old haunt. Once inside, I decided to pace every inch of the place.

No one would find me there; I knew for certain. Martin and Alex would lose my trail at the water. Even though I forced myself to stay here for so long, it grew on me in a way. It was funny how being back there was a small comfort.

A new question burned in my brain. Was my being… entity… was it an Ancient of some kind?