The night wind howled by the tree fortress; the windows carved into the rooms seemingly rattling to their core. One would be scared they would fall out and the creatures of the moon would crawl inside and drag one unto the depths of hell.

Eve lay restless in his bed. It’s not that the mattress was uncomfortable- the plush fabric reached up and caressed every groove of his body. It was rather pleasant really, but alas thoughts were swimming against the tidal wave in his mind. Nightmares plagued his every waking moment and he was rather frightened to close his eyes to rest.

He tossed and turned, clutching the blankets close to his body.

Tidal waves of heat crashed through his body but he still clung onto that blanket like a lifeline: sweat pooling below him.

His mouth ached, searing pain cutting into his gums and his vision blurred even through his glasses.

Eve’s heavy panting filled the room, echoing off the wooden walls.

It hurt

Hunger clawed at him

An animalistic hunger

Just one little taste

Just-

A brisk knock at the door interrupted him from his thoughts, and he sat up, his vision clearing for a moment. He pushed his glasses up and slid his legs off the bed before pushing himself onto his feet, a bit unsteady. He wobbled over to the door and leaned against it, opening it just a crack and peering out.

Justin stood in the hallway, holding a cup of dark red liquid. A complicated expression was on his face

“Uhm… I brought you something… the first few nights are always the hardest.”

The man spoke softly: his voice was quiet, near a whisper.

Justin held out the cup to him. Eve frowned

“What is this?”

The other man sighes and averted his gaze, “I’m… sure you could guess?”

“Where did you get it from?” Eve questioned.

“We get ours from prisoners on death row, or some hospitals… it’s all… ethically sourced… ahaha-” he tried to joke.

Eve hesitantly took the cup and brought it closer for inspection. Moonlight from the window reflected against the crimson liquid, and its strong metallic scent suffocated his nostrils.

Disgust flashed across his face.

“Ah… I don’t know if I can do this.”

Justin gave an awkward smile, “I understand, but you must. For yourself and everyone else. Trust me… it’s just better this way.”

Eve looked up at him, “It would be better if this never happened at all.”

The man nodded, “I agree… but I didn’t have a choice

Eve went silent and Justin looked to the floor.

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“Eve… I’m really sorry. Truly. I wish things could be different… for both me and you.”

The red-head didnt reply and looked into the glass once more, then he stepped out of the doorway and retreated into his room.

“You can come in if you want. I still have a few questions.”

Justin gave a small nod and stepped inside, shutting the door quietly behind him.

He walked over and sat on the wooden stool tucked into the corner.

“Well… what do you want to know?”

Eve sat down on his bed and brought the cup to his lips, tipping it up and swallowing the bitter metallic liquid inside.

His face scrunched up in mild disgust, but his mind cleared quiet a bit.

He brought the cup back down and starred into the last bit of blood pooling at the bottom.

“How bad was it? Your first time that is.”

Justin shifted uncomfortably, “Ah… I wasn’t expecting that. A bit of a personal question, dont you think?”

Eve looked up at him, “It’s only fair. You made me like this, so you should at least warn me what im in for.”

Justin sighed, “That’s… I supposed that’s fair. My first night huh? As much as I try to forget it, it sticks. It was the worst night of my life. My family and loved ones almost all perished, and I watched… some of them even died under my hand. I killed a lot of people because I didn’t have control of myself, all that I could see was red.”

A small frown flashed on Eve’s face, “Oh…”

Justin gave him a reassuring smile, “That was a long time ago, though. And no need to worry, you won’t loose control like I did because of that cup right there, and the fact that im here now.”

“How long is a long time to you?” Asked Eve, going back to the man’s original statement

He sighed once more, “The night I died, I was 27. That was about… 75 years ago.”

Eve blanked for a moment, “You’re… 102 years old?!”

Justin nodded, “Yeah, though in all terms except literal I’m still 27. Hah… eternal youth. The thing sultans and cultivators strive for, yet it is a curse, not a blessing. Near immortality isnt want the storybooks make it out to be, You out-live those you love, you hurt and die, but you’re never truly dead.”

Eve and Justin sat in silence for a moment. Just a short time as reality settled over the men.

“I guess you really can’t trust story books huh? I’m… stuck like you now aren’t I?” Eve spoke, looking down at the floor.

Justin sighed again, “I’m afraid so. I am so sorry, Eve, I truly am so very sorry.”

Eve waved him off.

“Apologies can’t change what’s already happened. It’s not like I really had anyone worth caring about back home, aside from Alex. My mother won’t care and my brother is long dead, and I didn’t really make friends in college.” he looked down at the university uniform he still wore, and fiddled with the brass pin bearing the logo.

Justin gave him a empathetic look, “I lost my brother too, so I can kind of understand how you feel on that part. What was yours like? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Eve looked back up at him, his hands dropping onto his lap, a little surprised at the inquiry.

“Oh, uhm… Adam was a kind person from what I can remember. He always protected me and gave me solace when my mother went on her rampages. When he died we were actually driving in his car to clear out heads. He didn’t see the oncoming truck and we crashed. He didn’t make it out, his soul emtombed in a metal box. I blame myself for it everyday. If I had been a bit more stronger. If my mother had been a bit more nicer. Things wouldn’t have happened the that way. I would still have my brother. The world would be a little bit better…”

Justin listened to the story intently, a complicated expression on his face. His brows knit together and furrowed, “Your brother sounds like he was a lovely man, but don’t blame yourself for his death. He did it because of your mothers actions, not you… don’t blame yourself for someones death if you didn’t do it. It’s foolish.”

Eve frowned, “But he wouldn’t have been on the road if not for me

Justin shook his head, “Did he like driving? I’m sure there’s more to it. I can’t really say much as I wasn’t there and didn’t know your brother personally. What happened that night was an accident though. It’s not like you were behind the wheel of the car or the truck. You’re the victim of that story, not the perpitrator.”

Eve gave a sad smile,”You really think so?” Justin nodded, “Trust me, I know the difference of a killer and someone in an unfortunate accident you had no control over.”

The red-head gave a soft chuckle, “Maybe you aren’t such a bad guy… thank you for listening, Justin”

The other man gave a smile, “I’m always here to listen if you need to talk.

One thing these ears are good for is hearing.”

Eve let out a quiet laugh, “Is that so? Well, I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

Justin nodded, “Good, good- I’m happy to hear that.” He stood up and stretched a little, “You should get some rest. Finish that off and lay down.” He walked towards the door, then stopped and looked over his shoulder, back to the man, “Sleep well, I’ll see you tommorow.” Then he walked out.

Eve tilted up the cup in his hands and quickly forced down the contents.

“Mn, goodnight Justin.”

Chapter 7 end