Children of the Night

Chapter 1

The clock ticked by, the world went around and he lived the same old boring routine that came with it. The door was locked and the manager was cashing up, and as usual he was sweeping the hair up from the floor so it would be nice and clean for the next day of business. He sighed as he put on his coat, finally, and glanced at his reflection in one of the many mirrors lining the wall, the empty chairs before them giving the place a slightly creepy feel.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of job he’d thought he would have when he’d been a kid. An astronaut would have been better, but oh well, life was unfair. There was only a couple of days each month where people were asked to volunteer to let the juniors cut their hair for free so they could get some practice. In between those times all he did was wash people’s hair and sweep the floor when the hairdressers were done with someone.

For some reason he really liked cutting people’s hair, he did it for his best friend Lisa all the time and she always said how good he was at it, but his patience was quickly fading with his workplace. He just couldn’t believe he’d been there two years and was still practicing. His manager seemed to think it was quite amusing when he asked her how long it would be until he could be a full-time hairdresser, after all, hadn’t every person he’d practiced on said how much they’d loved the style he’d cut for them? She just didn’t want to pay him more money, and though he looked at other places that he could get to by bus, none of them wanted to take on any more juniors to teach. He’d also gotten so used to the place now he was finding it hard wanting to go anywhere else.

Mitch Anderson hurried outside into the heavy rain, shivering and zipping up his jacket before quickly making his way down the high street to his bus stop. As usual, every bus under the sun came and he was still standing there waiting, glaring at the stream of traffic as people sat warm and comfortable in their cars. Many times he’d tried taking his test and failed, and had finally given up on trying, he was doomed to ride the bus forever.

When it arrived, he flashed his bus pass to the miserable driver and took the only seat left on the downstairs level, his clothes dripping a puddle onto the floor causing the others on the bus to send him disapproving looks even though it wasn’t his fault it had rained.

The wind had begun to howl outside and he could see people walking through the darkening streets with their heads bowed but struggling to keep up their umbrellas as the wind threatened to whisk them away. Mitch pressed the stop button and was careful to avoid the rain puddle on the floor as he made his way to the front of the bus, clutching the metal pole until it crawled to a stop. “Thanks” he muttered to the driver, who closed the doors just as Mitch’s foot came off the step, and pulled away so suddenly that as the bus went by Mitch it drove through a huge puddle which splashed up and soaked Mitch from head to foot.

Cursing under his breath Mitch wiped water out of his eyes and let out a little startled noise when he bumped into someone, looking up into dark violet eyes that stared down at him with undisguised loathing. “S-sorry…” Mitch murmured and hurried around him, not daring to glance back and take a better look at the man who had seemed ready to punch him one just for accidentally bumping into him.

The man watched him for a moment, gaze softening as it followed the mortal crossing the road and hurrying into the block of flats across from him. He had been so slight and small, with big green eyes and hair darkened by the rain. When he disappeared inside the stranger walked over and stood outside the doors, peering in through the glass to see the young man was just going into the lift, turning around as the doors slid shut. The stranger watched the digital screen above the doors, until it remained on a number. Seventh floor.

The stranger, who went by the name of Antonio Carlos, went unhurriedly around to the back of the flats, glancing around to make sure no one was around, and then let himself be lifted by the wind as if he weighed nothing, hovering between the windows and peering in on every floor to try and find the young man who had so intrigued him.