Midnight Falls

20: Victor

We continued searching for hours and hours after we got out of the burning store of vampires. There was no sign of Carl anywhere. I tried my damned hardest to read the minds of everyone there to spot him, but as I thought earlier, all I got was a headache and no answers. 

Everybody left. 

We were still there. 

But Arianne soon became tired, so I called up a taxi from a local payphone and carried her home. I figured I could take care of her uncle, either making him see reason or the more likely option- run as soon as possible and go find Carl myself. But when we got there he was nowhere to be found. Carl and Arianne both said that when he got home, he usually stayed until he had to work.

I laid Arianne down in her bed and then went to give the apartment a onceover. I found no signs of a struggle, no scents to indicate that anyone else had been there but their uncle. Even my night vision didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary. It looked just how it was the last time I was here. Maybe he was called out on a hunt.

But then I saw that on the counter, a single crumpled piece of paper that passed for a note lay. I read it:

Carl,

I have to go on a mission. I’m not disclosed to say where to most, but since it pertains to your parents, the Higher Ups told me I should tell you.

Your mother has been captured by The High Coven. As did your father, I guess. The talk went sour, as you’d expect dealing with those leeches. Our Higher Ups didn’t like the fact I was going, but they decided to condone my trip since I was going with or without their permission. 

I hoped they would be open to trying to help her, but they wouldn’t. Only gave me the bare necessities for the trip. 

Anyway, don’t destroy the apartment while I’m gone and keep up your training and job. If I find out you’re doing anything wrong, when I come back, you’ll be out of that house faster than a leech runs.

God, I hate their uncle. If I didn’t respect Carl or Arianne, I would have killed him a month ago. Now he’s gone to wherever the High Coven is, Carl’s missing, and Arianne…

Despite myself, I go to her room and peek in. She’s still sleeping soundly, no care in the world at the moment. That’ll change in the morning. She’ll wake up, look for Carl and find only me. Memories from today will rush back to her. I don’t know what I’m going to do, what I’ll say.

But I do know one thing-

Her scent has a sort of vampirish undertone. I didn’t notice when I first met her, but when I actually looked for the off bit about her smell, I found it, plain as day. Something strange is going on, but it doesn’t matter.

I won’t leave her alone. I will protect her until I no longer can’t. I owe that to him, after all I brought on him. I never should have dealt with humans again. 

After all, they always get hurt in the end.

~ ~ ~

I had gotten a power. I had made it fifty years. No hunters came and killed me. I had gotten away with it.

I could turn into anyone. Who should I turn into? Who should I kill?

… 

Why was I so excited about that?

“Help me!” A woman screamed. A house buried in the woods is where it was coming from. Away from the main village I was hiding in. I didn’t think. I ran. 

And what I saw through the window made my nonexistent blood boil. Three men surrounded this young woman, in her early twenties. I had to do something.

I saw this woman about to get raped and beaten, possibly killed. I could hardly control myself. I beat all three of them to death, and I made sure to drain at least one of them completely. 

“Thank you,” she had said before running off to safety. I should have followed her, for she knew everything. Or she would have soon figured it out. But I couldn’t. She shouldn’t have thanked me. I had blood dripping down my lips, my hair was a mess. I looked like a monster… 

~ ~ ~

The next day that very same woman was found sprawled across the town square. Each bit of her body was drained, looking like nothing more than thin, wet parchment. Another vamp came up to me, handed me a parchment rolled up, and left. I read it and began to cry tears that couldn’t come. 

My own kind had killed her because I couldn’t. Because I saved her.

And I vowed I would never do that again.

I never learn…