The Midnight Hour

We started this journey so long ago. The cold mountain top in the darkness, and a white rose staring down at the world below. The fear of death and the pain of becoming that which you hate. Learning to let go of hatred and prejudice so that you can see what’s real. Forgiveness and survival…

For me, that was the beginning. For Aiyana this started so much longer ago. I can’t even imagine how she felt in those 10 years staring down at the world, knowing the scene you live in is pure loneliness.

As soon as those cells changed I saw it on her face, everything she has had to live through flew past her. Every loss, every fear, every silence. All those years wanting to just live without having the chance to even ask for it… all of it was over… she looked so empty. She held onto so much and right as the sun kissed her skin, it all released. Tears flooded out and she looked pale as a ghost.

I wonder if she looked like this when she was younger, when she stood on the cliff side debating whether to jump or not. It hurt for some reason, it had been hurting for a while now. Seeing her in pain made me feel horrible, like my heart would explode. Before I even knew it I was crying, wrapping my arms around her and burying her head into my shoulder.

“You did it.” I whispered. “You did it.”

*-*-*

“There’s just enough for two, I think. If I’ve measured it out right at least.”

It didn’t seem real. When I look back on it, I hadn’t even been a vampire for a full year. And, throughout it all not a drop of human blood passed my lips. It was like a sort of bad dream, but the only things anchoring me to reality was Aiyana and the “cure” in my hand.

Funny how such a small thing would completely change our lives…

“Aster?” Aiyana called. She watched me stop in place and lose myself in my own mind.

“It’s not what I expected.” I said, reminiscing. “Any of it. Not you, not me. Not even how it’s all played out.” I played with the bottles in my hand, spinning them around playfully. “Now, it’ll go back to how it used to be. Right?”

Aiyana grabbed my hand and gripped it tightly. “No. It’ll never be the same as it was but, we can make it better. We WILL make it better. Because of you, this curse comes to an end. You fought for it, and figured out what countless others couldn’t. Now we have our second chance.”

It got me thinking about my life. About what I was like before coming to this mountain. I always cherished my time with gramps and Myra, they were my everything. In our village, there was always the expectation that one day you leave your family behind and make your own path. I hated that, I didn’t want to think of a future without my family, so I stuck close. But then things changed and I ended up leaving them behind. And now I realise that it was less about giving up what I had, it was about reaching out and finding other people that would be precious to me. Without even noticing I had done just that. I met a white rose frozen in place at the mountain’s peak all alone. I met a monster that was more kind and understanding than my own father. It was only in those last few days that I discovered just how much she meant to me.

When I did, I felt like such an idiot. How couldn’t I have seen it until now? I chuckled to myself and covered my face, leant against the wall confusing Aiyana. “Did I say something funny?” She asked, blushing ever so slightly. I laughed a little more. “No no… it’s just…”

She waited for the next part. “…just?”

“After all of this, I’ve got the words to say. I know how I feel.” I replied.

She looked even more confused. “About the cure?”

“About you.”

She jolted back quickly. The response was so far out of left field for her she couldn’t speak properly, only managing a few murmurs, hand twitches, and an even bigger blush…

“Aiyana…”

I got closer, and pulled her in, holding her tightly.

No words. No movements. No machines buzzing and no wind blowing. The only sound was heartbeats and breathing so close you could feel the warmth…

Then we heard the sound of something scraping against the wall outside. And while we were used to the curious elk coming too close, this was not the same. There was no sound of hooves clacking against the ground, no loud breathing or grunting. In fact, there was no sound at all. It was, eerily quiet.

All we had to do was ignore it, drink the cure and investigate afterwards. I remember feeling the warmth from the room leave, it felt like spirits gathered around us and cursed us. I remember putting the vial on the table to get a better look.

I remember seeing something deathly slow start to come through the gap in the door. So slowly it almost didn’t move at all. Even then, the silence continued as it kept coming. By the time I could see what it was, it completely stopped.

My heart didn’t skip a beat, it stopped completely. I felt every hair on my body stand and shiver. Sweat so cold it could have crystallised fell from my brow. For the thing I saw in the door, it was a blade.

Everything was slow motion for what seemed like an eternity. Until the blade moved again.

In a flash it turned on its side and shot up through the bolts and further so quick I could barely follow it. All the motion in the room returned with it. But the silence remained up until the door caved in and slammed down on the ground, revealing a shadow in the sunlight.

Black, tattered robe. Shadowed face. Bloodshot eyes. String like hair.

The nightmare that haunted us. The beast that hunted us. The Headhunter, Lucian Hawthorne.

He spoke so quietly, carried by his breath, sounding almost like a ghost’s whisper. “Found you.”