Dawn of the Vampires

Sword clenched tightly, Harley spun around just in time to block an incoming attack from another vampire. She swung the weapon, slicing through the skin of the vampire’s chest, and brought her hands to cover her ears as the bloodsucker shrieked at the black blood that poured from its open wound. Harley swerved to the side, dodging another blow, and swung her sword once more, this time slicing the vampire’s throat. As they fell to their knees, giving her the advantage, she sheathed her sword and retrieved the wooden stake that had been dropped earlier in the fight. Her eyes held their stone cold glare as she brought her knee up and struck them in the face. The vampire fell flat on their back, and as soon as they hit the ground, she knelt down and swiftly jammed the stake into their heart. With one final, deafening shriek, the vampire burst into flames and writhed before burning to ashes.

Adrenaline pulsed through her and she felt exhilarated from the kill as she took off down the path. Another long night of hunting was over and the only thing left to do was return home and report her progress. Harley pulled her jacket over to cover her chest, trying to keep from shivering as the frost nipped at her face. The colder months were always better for hunting, since less people roamed so late due to the harsh bite of winter, making it easier to strike when needed. At such hours of night, all she had to worry about were the odd drunks, and they weren’t much of a threat since by morning light, anything they’d seen was usually forgotten.

Dawn had almost completely broken by the time she reached home, illuminating the city in the chilly glow of the winter sun, and Harley pressed her hand to the latch to muffle the clicking sound as she closed the front door behind her. Usually, by the time she came home, her entire family was still asleep. Her father, in particular, had not long returned from his own hunt as she could tell by the strong stench of fresh cigar smoke and coffee; a sign that his routine before bed had been completed.

She tiptoed down the narrow hallway towards her room, and breathed a sigh of relief when she made it all the way without waking anyone up. It took only minutes, once she laid down, for her to fall into a deep sleep.

The rich smell of smoked bacon, eggs and coffee is what eventually pulled her from slumber, and with a bleary-eyed glance at the clock on her nightstand, she realized that it was lunch time already. Harley sat up with a skyward stretch and rubbed her eyes free of the dust as the sound of conversation came from the kitchen, followed by a chorus of laughter. Eager to grab some food, she threw back the covers and wasted no time in leaving the bedroom.

As she entered the open space, everyone’s laughter ceased and was replaced by an uncomfortable silence. It was her step-sister, Kiara, that gestured first for her to join them at the table. A small smile flashed across Harley’s face as she took her seat next to the younger girl. The two girls had gotten off to a rocky start, when her father had moved them in, a little over two years ago, but over the course of time things had improved. Though Zander had made her promise never to utter a word about their job to her, stating that he would do so when he saw fit.

“Afternoon again?” Kiara arched an eyebrow. “What did you do, stay up all night watching cheesy TV romances?” She added playfully.

Harley faked a laugh and rolled her eyes, with her head propped up by her hands. By now, she was used to the routine of hunting at night and sleeping through the mornings that even if she wanted to, she couldn’t change it.

“Rough night?” Zander inquired, lowering his newspaper so that his eyes met hers.

“No. Just the usual.” She answered sharply, and averted her eyes to the wall behind him.

Zander opened his mouth, but his response was cut short when a mug filled with coffee was placed in front of him, and another in front of Harley, before her step-mother, Lydia, sat back down. She nodded a quick thank-you and clasped the handle with her left hand and brought the mug to her lips. The steaming hot liquid slid down her throat and with each sip, she felt more awake. Once the mug was empty, she placed it back down on the table and brushed a loose strand of raven hair behind her ear, and when she looked up again, her eyes met Zander’s cold stare.

“Is something the matter?” She asked, taking her lower lip between her teeth as she awaited his answer.

“Actually…” Zander hummed, running a hand over his rough stubble. “You should get dressed, there’s something I need to speak with you about.”

Harley drew a silent breath and wiped her sticky hands on her knees. “Oh?”

“Not here though. We should take a walk.”

“But I need-”

“Do I need to go over that again?” He cut in.

“No.” She answered, and got up from the table, cutting the conversation short before it could escalate.

Harley avoided his eyes as she trailed off back into her bedroom. She threw on the first set of fresh clothes that she came across as she opened the closet; a pair of plain black leggings, a black, off the shoulder top, accompanied by boots that cut off just below her knees and a black leather jacket. Dragging a brush through her disheveled hair, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and slipped it inside her pocket, then discarded the brush on her bed and left the room once more.

“Ready?” Zander questioned.

“Mm-hm.” She nodded.

Though nothing could have been further from the truth as he placed his hand in the middle of her back and ushered her through the front door. She could never fully prepare herself for the times he needed to talk to her. They weren’t really going for a walk, that much she already knew as he led her down two flights of stairs and then down a smaller flight that led to the basement of the apartment block. Harley watched with bated breath as he twisted the lock on the door and peered in every corner of the musty-smelling room to ensure there were no peepers, and bunched her top in her fists when he finally turned his full attention to her.

“Last night’s hunt.” He prompted. “Report.”

“There’s really not much to say. I mean, nineteen kills in total, and the usual vampire trickery.” She shrugged.

Zander grunted and stared down his nose at her. His hand was already raised before he took a couple of steps towards her. Harley’s shoulders tensed, and she held her head high, but to her surprise, it was only his finger that was shoved in her face.

“That’s not good enough. You should be averaging at least thirty a night.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But I don’t-”

“You wouldn’t happen to be slacking, would you?” He asked.

Harley swallowed, and her eyes didn’t leave his hand in her face. All at once, the air in the room seemed to thicken and she licked at her lips to try and rid them of the dryness.

“Because you know what will happen if you are, don’t you?”

Although his tone wasn’t harsh, his warning was clear, and for a second, Harley stood still. She knew that no matter what she said, he would find a reason to be angry, and so instead returned his question with silence.

“Do better tonight, or else you will find out.”

“I will.” She agreed.

Zander’s eyes lingered on hers for a moment longer and then his hand dropped back down by his side before he turned and stalked up the steps and through the door, leaving her alone in the basement. Harley made no move to follow him, and crouched to the floor as several knots formed in her stomach. Her hand clutched at her chest, and she choked as unshed tears obstructed her vision. Several blinks prevented them from falling, and she gathered the strength to stand up again. With two deep breaths, she hurried up the steps and out of the basement, though instead of following him up stairs, she headed for the front entrance of the block and made a swift exit.

A shiver ran up her spine as the bitter air nipped at her skin. It was only the beginning of November, but it was already cold enough to snow. Frost glazed the grass and the leaves that had fallen from the trees, and the paths were all but completely iced over. Harley hugged herself in a feeble attempt to stay warm as she kept walking until the apartment blocks had disappeared from sight. She didn’t need to stop and think about where she was going, she already knew.

It was a short walk to the old cemetery, which had remained completely abandoned since the development of the new less than a year ago, but by the time she got there, her fingers and face were numb. She moved vastly through the archway, which was decorated with roses that’d wilted long ago, and towards the third headstone of the second row on the left hand side. Kneeling in front of the headstone, Harley ignored the cold that assaulted her body as soon as her knees touched the ground. A heavy sigh breezed past her lips, and she reached out, wiping away the gathered frost from the gold inscription engraved in the marble stone.

R.I.P.

Marie Anne Lawrence

1980 - 2020

Beloved wife, mother and sister

Harley swallowed. Her chest felt tight with breaths that she didn’t quite take as her eyes lingered on the gold letters. Seeing her mother’s name written on one of these had been the worst fear she’d carried as a child, but now that she was older and it was a reality, the pain was like no other. It had happened only two years earlier, at a time when she had thought things were looking up. She wasn’t even eighteen at the time, and she’d happily seen her parents off on yet another of their nightly hunts, not knowing it would be the last time she’d see her mother alive. Early hours the following morning, Zander had returned home alone, covered in blood that was not his own. He hadn’t even made a good effort to save her.

It was only a few months later that he had introduced her to his other, secret family. Harley had learned a lot about her parents that night; two years after she was born, they had hit a rough patch in their marriage and during one argument, Zander had stormed out of the apartment. As it turned out, he had gone to a sleazy bar in downtown New York and hooked up with a woman he’d met there. A few weeks later, she came back to him with news of her pregnancy and Zander had given her hush money and the promise that he would make sure they were taken care of on the condition that his wife never found out. The day Harley had met Lydia and Kiara was the same day he had moved them in, and since then, the memory of her mother had been forgotten by all… except herself.

She could never forget the woman who’d taught her to be as strong as she was. Revenge had crossed her mind more than a few times, but Harley wasn’t stupid. She knew that it would be a suicide mission to attempt to track down the vampire responsible. Her pain lessened whenever she was out hunting, and that would have to do.

“Oh, mom…” She mourned. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.” Her eyes drifted down to the dirt beneath her and she drew in a breath before fixing her gaze back upon the headstone. “I love saving lives, I do… but is it really so wrong for me to want more? That’s what Zander seems to think, at least. I could never express the longing for a friend, someone who I can confide in without the fear of being punished for it, and the need to feel loved and wanted in front of him, it wouldn’t end well if I did. His behaviour towards me is worse with each passing day, and he scares me sometimes. It’s to the point now where I no longer feel safe at home, and I-” Harley paused, letting go of the breath she’d been holding and forced a smile. “I just wish you were here.”

These fleeting moments, talking to a headstone, was the only outlet she’d had lately. Even if no one could hear her, it helped just to say the things on her mind aloud. After having gotten her latest worries off her chest, Harley felt a little lighter, and as she walked away, she stole a glance back over her shoulder.

She hadn’t eaten all day, but still she wasn’t hungry. Though she knew she had to eat at least a little something before her upcoming shift, and with her eyes glued to the pavement, she continued to trudge her way back to the apartment at a pace slower than usual. Going home was something she had come to dread over the last two years. The thought of Zander finding any little reason to get angry with her sent pain shooting through her stomach. Harley ignored the discomfort and kept on moving, passing many different people from all walks of life; shady business men yelling down the phone, homeless folks with their hands cupped together in silent pleas for money, and mothers with their little girls on the way home from school.

Memories of her own mother surfaced and tears burned her eyes as she remembered all of the bedtime stories, the goodnight kisses, the cheering at her middle-school music recitals, and the flawless advice given as she struggled through the changes from child to teenager. The times that she missed the most out of everything. Just the thought that those were all the memories she had, and were the only ones she’d ever have sent the tears streaming down her cheeks. All the moments in her life that her mother wouldn’t be there for made her heart hurt almost as badly as the moment Zander had walked through the door alone.

Upon reaching the block, Harley slid through the main entrance and sauntered up the two flights of stairs to the third-storey apartment. Neither Kiara nor her step-mother were anywhere to be seen, only Zander and her grandfather were home, sitting in front of the TV, with their eyes attached to the screen like two mindless zombies. Harley couldn’t help but laugh at the image of zombie Zander that popped into her head at the thought, and as the stench of thick cigar smoke wafted up her nose, she started to cough, bringing the latter’s attention to her at once.

Zander heaved a sigh and crossed the room to greet her, his black combat boots coming down heavy on the wooden floor with each step he took. His face was red and his jaw clenched as he straightened his shirt out before folding his arms across his chest. Harley stood taller and wrung her hands together in anticipation of what she knew was coming.

“What is it?” She asked, fighting to keep her voice even.

“I was just watching the afternoon news with my father.”

“Yeah, so…?” She hissed, raising an eyebrow.

Zander’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared as a tight-lipped smile flashed across his face. “Three people were killed last night. Police have ruled that the cause was a drug deal gone horribly wrong… but bite marks on the victims necks and bodies drained of blood can only mean one thing.”

“Vampires.” She finished for him.

“On your shift!” He sneered. “I didn’t raise you to be weak and clueless as you have been. You’re not supposed to miss one or two, you’re meant to kill them all!”

Harley’s mouth hung open, with venomous words on the tip of her tongue. She brought a hand up to her neck, feeling for the phantom of bruises long healed and swallowed, forcing the words back down.

“Y- you’re really gonna blame me for that?” She trembled. “I did my job properly, I slayed all that I saw and covered my tracks. I even did an extra round before I came home.”

“Clearly not, else there would be no fatalities. You screwed up and cost people their lives and you’re not strong enough to even admit it.” Zander growled, and inched closer to her. “Logic tells me I should strip you of your weapons and duties, since there’s little hope for you… but still, you need to be taught a lesson.”

Harley took a step back and dug her nails into her palms. She averted her eyes down to her hands, unable to think under his angry glare. There were many things that his words could mean, and her heart beat harder in chest as she waited for the bottom line.

“So, instead I’m going to extend your shift. You are to stay out until sunrise every night.” He said at last.

“Okay.” She squeaked. “If that’s what you want, Zander then I’ll do it.”

“Excuse me?” He growled.

“If you’re expecting me to call you dad, it’s not going to happen.”

Zander stepped forward again and grabbed hold of her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. “You should watch what you say to me, girl. Mommy isn’t around to protect you anymore.”

Harley waited until he’d returned to the couch, and then stalked through the hall and into her bedroom. Tired of crying, she bit down hard on her lower lip while she dug through the closet, and pulled out a fresh set of clothes for her shift; a black tank top, elasticated black leggings with pockets, and a belt that held several weapons, including two stakes, a small handgun, three daggers of different lengths, and a sheath that held her personal rhinestone studded dagger, inherited from her mother. Finishing off by pulling her raven hair into a high ponytail, she dragged herself back into the open space, stole a couple of leftovers of last night’s dinner from the fridge, and left before any conversations could start. It was earlier than usual, and she was in for a long night, but even roaming the city in the freezing cold was better than staying and arguing with Zander.