Walking In The Shadows

Prologue

Days pass in total darkness. Power is in complete control. Promises are made only to be broken and filled with vengeance. For centuries, the world has been locked in war filled with bloodshed and complete chaos.

Ariyah

Ka-shh. My hand shook as shards shimmied their way into the depths of my hands. Tink. Tink. Tink. The pieces flew about against the cold tile floor. Ice cubes created a wet trail that my feet accidentally stepped in, which resulted in my legs flying up in the air and my head crashing to the floor. Ugh. The sound that escaped my lips as my body groaned in pain from the unexpected impact of the fall, was one of surprise.

"Ariyah, sweetie. Can you come to the living room please, I need your help. Bring the medical supplies."

"Coming Luka!" I shouted, hiding the slight discomfort of my current condition from the fall.

Quickly and carefully, I scurried back to an upright position and began cleaning the shards. I needed to at least pick up the large chunks. Afterwards, I was able to sweep up the tiny fragments. Then, taking the mop, I cleaned the liquid state that was once solid. Once finished, I made a hasty path to the bathroom in order to retrieve the requested items.

Inside the large room was a white toilet that sat beside an oval shaped sink. Across was not only a deep tub with edges covered in the necessities: shampoo, conditioner, soap, and etc., but also a separate shower, which had a towel rack between the two. Instinctively, I grabbed a five gallon bucket to let it fill with hot water in the tub. While waiting, I gathered the medical kit that contained: gloves, tweezers, scissors, gauze, wipes, band aids, and some pain medication. Usually when Luka returns he is in terrible situations, so we stock up constantly. Turning the knob so the water would quit, I made a course to the living room. On the way, I grabbed a couple rags, so that I could also clean my hand and the wounds.

 Upon arriving in the room, my first glance was at the fire place that always had a calming feeling. The warm colors that flared to life just gave me a sense of sleepiness and protection. However, I felt the flames dancing to a point that they were physically watching my every move. Then, as I began to head towards my destination where Luka was sitting on the floor, a feeling of shock hit me. Someone foreign and blonde sat in a chair where Luka should be. His posture from behind was straight, but slightly leaning forward.Instantly, I felt irritation. Looking left and right, the room was empty. As the two males looked out the window, simply breathing, all I could hear was the ticking of the clock.

As I inched my way around their still bodies to see their faces, I once again was filled with annoyance. Only this time, it was because Luka was not careful. However, there was dread and peace when I looked at the other victim. He seemed to have went through so much in one day and was left with emptiness. Though, there was something that made you smile to see that he was still breathing. I realized that the reason for the slight slouch was due to the gash across his shoulder and chest.

Immediately, I moved closer setting everything down. The world of pain was slightly fascinating when someone is injured for two reasons. One, I get to detail their injury to determine what is needed to have a safe and complete process of healing. Second, I get to learn how parts of the body react to certain treatment and what can become more efficient, as well as how it is composed. Although,when I began to take his shirt off, I felt a smack to the same hand that still homed the glass shards and a yelp escaped my lips.

"Daemon." Luka had a high level authority in his voice, which might have reason to do with his age.

"She is one of them."

"No, she is different. Now hush and allow her to clean up your wound."

Just like that, he was at my command. I was clueless to what they were talking about, but once again just ignored the situation and set a course to cleaning his injuries. This time, the boy allowed me to progress farther than his ragged shirt. Yet, the entire time he stared right at my face. It was as if he were trying to get a reading. Yet, his green eyes darkened with hatred and disgust.

Compared to this boy, Luka had the shimmery crimson red liquid dribbling down his body. His skin was pale and cold. He was enjoying himself. He had grown used to this method about 50 years earlier. Luka became a vampire when he was 26, so he looks very young. When he first changed, he went on rampages killing anything with a heart. Now that he is in human years 79, he has adapted.

At first, I used one rag to wipe the pool of blood, before going to the cotton balls for closer cleaning. As the peroxide disinfected the abrasion, the white bubbles faded to a brown tint. There was a foul aroma that was burning my nose hairs and stinging my skin. Finally deciding on it being cleaned enough, I began to stitch him up. After about twenty loops, I used a couple pieces of gauze to keep it clean by taping it to his skin.

Once I finished, I grabbed everything and moved closer to the fire place. Luka had left when he finished his meal. Therefore, I was left alone with someone who hated me before he even met me. Before I began on my hand, I took the bloody items and threw for the fire to eat. It licked them up one by one. As I pulled shards out, I felt eyes on my back. Though what I was not expecting was for fingers to appear in my line of sight. The air was thick with tension. Silence hovered between us as he cleaned my wound as I did with his. One by one, he gently released the glass from my skin and eventually set out to clean and bandage the wound. When he was done, we sat there staring at the fire. Little did I know, I would be accepted by acquiring an injury.

As my eyes fluttered close and my body leaned, I felt a soft cushion against my head. With the little strength I had left, I opened my eyes and saw a couple white bandages and heard him speak before I fell asleep.

"Thank you."

AN:
#EDITED