Here there are no good byes

9

Days passed, raids kept coming but also reinforcements. The days were quiet, the nights disastrous. I kept my allies close and my enemies, who were the same, closer. Alessandro disappeared into the nothingness again. I didn't even try to find him. I didn't want to go into the woods again and run into a trap or something. The war was moving fast on us. I was confident still because we were making the right moves. But I feared the execution would not be enough. These Germans were fast and strong.

This night, this night, in particular, I wanted to relax. To take a break. To look at the sky and remember old days; better days.

"You are going wary," I heard from my rear.

As I turned, I saw Alessandro again.

"Did you say tired?" I asked, trying to be funny; god knows why.

"We are so near Moscow, have you heard?" he said arrogantly.

"Yes, I have," as I said this, I noticed something different in him; something similar.

He started to smile at me.

"Yes," he said.

"They turned you into..."

"Yes. I have been promoted."

"Well, I am glad they reward their best soldiers. You guys are building a fearsome army."

"You can't bring me down, you know? I am like you now. Only on the right side of history."

"Winning doesn't mean you are right, you know?"

"Whatever."

"What do you want?"

"We are not bad rulers, you know?"

"Are you saying I am a bad follower?"

"We are nothing without rules, Federica."

"This war is atrocious."

"Somebody has to rule. It will not be the humans."

"Your boss has allied with humans. Why?"

"No. We are using them. And some, the best, will be rewarded with eternity."

"Oh, that's so kind."

"We give everything to the people wherever we rule. Freedom of speech, freedom to travel, and freedom to believe whatever stupidity they want to believe. We don't care."

"You give the illusion of freedom. You give out the choices, and those who don't like them, you eat."

"Well, some order must be established. You know that."

"Your ways are cruel. And you know it."

"Our ways are necessary; you ought to know that, Federica. What do you want? People living randomly, doing whatever they want? They will just start killing each other."

"They are killing each other now!"

"But for a greater good!"

"A greater good for whom?"

"You are jealous. You want the power for yourself."

"I really don't."

"I hear your last good meal was quite a while, Federica."

"What is your point?"

"You are living off rats and cats and dogs. You are a disgrace to our kind. The father would have been a much better vampire than you!"

"What do you know about our kind?"

"I know we are the owners of this world. We have the right to take whatever we want, whenever we want."