I watched a man commit suicide when I was young. It was in the city when I was walking with my father. Kana was home being watched by our grandmother, and our mom, of course, was out working. My dad and I were walking across a large bridge overlooking a river underneath it. It was a long way down too. On the other side of the bridge was a man, no older than 30, standing on the railing, looking down. I didn’t know what he was doing, and my father didn’t say a word. However, I couldn't help but stare at him. The man didn’t look back; he didn’t say anything; he took a step forward into the emptiness before him and disappeared. I could hear the splash underneath us as he hit the water. I understood, even as a kid, that he was dead. Shortly after, my father explained that death is just a part of life, but humanity will continue moving. People worldwide continued their day, despite the awful tragedy that unfolded. I didn’t think much of it either, but I took what my father said to heart. ‘Death is just a part of life, and humanity will continue moving forward.’’ A week later, my dad passed away.

Chapter 12

Like a Dog Chasing Cars

A new chapter in Haru’s life had opened up, and a new world of mysteries had unveiled itself. The SRC, the mysterious organization, had Haru captive in a strange white room in an unknown location. But yet, Haru felt at ease. Roxanne was a sweetheart to him, letting him know what was happening. Haru was in the middle of his orientation as Ryu, the man who changed his life forever, snickered in the background as a lady continued to work on the computer nearby. Who knew what would happen to him and how the SRC would affect his life? But Haru must wait until after his orientation to learn everything he needed.

Roxanne took in a deep breath before continuing with her speech.

“The SRC is a secret organization whose job is to keep the Supernaturals hidden from the public. As you may already know, SRC is an acronym. It stands for Supernatural Regulatory Corps.”

“The C should stand for Cocksuckers!” Ryu quipped with a laugh.

Roxanne kept her forced smile as she ignored the crude comment. But judging by the twitching on her face, she struggled to keep on the facade. Nevertheless, she continued.

“So….. The SRC’s job is to keep the Supernaturals a secret from the public. The methods depend on each different Supernatural. They regulate all of us to ensure we don’t cause any issues to their goal.”

“Why?” Pondered Haru. “Why do they need so much control over us?”

“Because,” Roxanne replied with a solemn look. “Most supernaturals don’t have the same self-autonomy as humans. They need someone to step in and control them; otherwise, they might expose their existence and, in some cases, kill innocent people.”

Haru sat back to reflect on her answer. He remembered what the soldier had said to him at the office building. His life is now in their hands. He suddenly felt like a prisoner after hearing such a depressing answer.

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“You’re lucky to be a Vampire, Haru,” Ryu said, breaking the silence. “For starters, we live for a long time! I’m over eighty years old!”

“What!?” Haru exclaimed, unable to resist the excitement in his voice. “ We live for that long? That’s awesome!”

What was amazing to Haru was that Ryu looked not a day older than twenty-one. Infinite youth? Indefinite childhood? Haru was ecstatic. Perhaps becoming a Vampire was the best thing to happen to Haru. Even if the SRC were to take complete control over his life, the extended lifespan would more than makeup for it.

“Well….” Roxanne expressed somberly. “Most Vampires don’t live that long. Ryu is lucky, but most aren’t. For example, Vampires have this irresistible urge to find and kill Werewolves. It's Innate. Most Vampires underestimate the power of Werewolves, and most are killed by them.”

Haru knew exactly what Roxanne spoke about. Despite the known risk to his life, Haru wanted nothing more than to hunt down the Werewolf. He was unusually drawn to it, like a dog unusually drawn to chasing cars.

“Not just that,” Ryu added. “Some Vampires are hunted and killed by the SRC if they don’t follow their guidelines. These assholes had killed Vampires I knew personally, and there wasn’t much I could do about it.”

It was not exactly comforting news to Haru. It felt as if there was now a target on his back. Werewolves are incredibly powerful. If it weren’t for the SRC killing the beast, Haru would most certainly be dead. But who would have known that the SRC would go to such extreme lengths to keep Supernaturals a secret from the public? But now, what had bothered Haru the most was the fact Ryu most likely knew all of this and decided to keep his damn mouth shut.

It was enough to make the ordinarily timid Haru fume with anger.

“Damit!” Haru loudly snapped at Ryu, who flinched in surprise at his sudden reaction. “Why keep all this from me? You knew I would want to fight that Werewolf. I almost died! How could you do this?!”

This was the same feeling of anger when he attempted to retaliate against Raiden in school. Haru never snapped or got very angry. But he now struggled to keep his emotions in check. Roxanne rose quickly, got in between Haru and Ryu, and gently motioned her hands to calm Haru’s sudden rage as Ryu got up and stuck his finger in his face.

“Hey, moron!” He shot back. “You heard what she said! Vampires have an uncontrollable need to hunt down those beasts. Next time you’re not prepared, you’ll unknowingly march off to your death! You'll die if you don’t know how to fight a Werewolf!”

“Can you two please calm down!?” Roxanne begged, trying to separate the boys. “You damn Vampires and your anger issues!”

Haru was still heated but understood that Ryu was right. He knew nothing about Werewolves and how to combat them. If Haru were to get dragged into a fight with a Werewolf again, he would not survive. He needed Ryu, and Ryu knew it too.

“Listen, Haru. We, Vampires, got it great on the surface. We heal fast and live for a long time, but there are downsides. We have urges to fight dangerous Werewolves, we have anger issues, and we need human blood to survive, something the SRC doesn’t take lightly. You are not a human anymore. You are a monster with little control over your actions.”

Monster? That idea never popped into Haru’s head. If he was to look in the mirror, what would he see? The same timid boy or a creature that sucked human blood? Haru internally panicked as he thought about it more. The SRC was ready to kill him if anything went wrong.

He was a monster with no self-control. No way to restrain its behavior.

Just like a dog chasing cars.