The world is unfair. The realization broke me over the course of the last few days. My life before this wasn’t glamorous, but I still had my friends, my family. As for what remains, I have my sister. She is shivering in this cage with me, wearing the same hopeless expression I feel on my face. It was only a matter of time.

No one is coming to help.

It’s been five days since the vampires laid siege to my home. My father, foolishly, tried to protect us. The image of his shrivled corpse is fresh in my mind. Even an ex Monk trained in Solar arts, stood no chance. How could he? 

The world is unfair. 

I am startled by the loud bang of a door opening down the hall. It is too dark to see who entered the jailhouse, but it didn’t matter anyway. I can’t control what happens. All I can see is my sister, curled up on the floor. She is all that matters now. 

Footsteps Echo in the hall outside of our cell. 

Who will they take?

I know I’m going to die eventually, but my heart is still pounding like a drum. I don’t want to die, but what can I do?

The footsteps grow closer.

My sister stirs at the sound of the footsteps and sits up. “Marcus—” She rasps. “ — get behind me.” She grabs my arm with a weakened grip. “Let them take me first.”

Impossible.

I grit my teeth. There is no way I’d let that happen. Even if I’m weak, I will never let them take her first. “No.” My voice came out just as raspy. Days with little water did that to a person. 

She doesn’t protest, probably because she didn’t have the strength to. I edge closer to the cell door. The footsteps are close. 

I draw a deep breath through my nose, then out through my mouth. My cold arms grow warmer. It is a simple breathing technique my father taught me. Steel my mind and breathe. I feel nothing. My father always said it is meant to build ki, but my body can’t produce a drop of it. It’s like drawing from a dry well. 

The world is unfair.

The footsteps have arrived.

“Get to the back of the cell, cattle.” The voice barks. 

I stay put, ushering my sister to hide behind me.

His fist slams the cage, making me nearly jump out of my skin. 

“Back of the cage now.” He barks a second time.

Why us?

I scramble to the back wall. The world is unfair, but I still want to know why. Why is any of this happening? I have another feeling now. My heart is clenching, my muscles grow tighter. I’m angry.

“Good boy.” Sounds of jingling keys signal that the door will open soon.

I try again to draw deep breaths, grasping for some sort of hidden reserves. I don’t know why I’m even trying. Even if I can kill him we would never make it out of the village. 

“You’d better calm down brat, I can smell your bloodthirst through the cage.” His voice was brash.

I feel like I have to listen to his commands, and that angers me more. His words strike more than fear. The feeling is unnatural. Like he is using some sort of magic.

The voice’s chuckles rumble the cell walls. “You still have a little fire under your arse?” 

I struggle to think of a response. 

“I was only going to take your sister, but I think you need to watch.” His chuckles progress into an evil wheezy laugh. The door clicks.

No. NO!

Even without the ki I must do something. She can’t die. With every bit of enegy I have left I push against the cell floor.

“I won’t—” Before I even leave the ground the air is pushed out of my lungs with a painful blow to the stomach. He is fast. Coughing and wheezing I crumple to the ground. It was painful and almost impossible to get my lungs working properly again.

“Don’t worry that blow won’t kill ya’ yet.” The voice clamps an iron collar around my neck. 

“I wouldn’t want you to miss what comes nex—” He stops abruptly with a loud grunt.

“Leave him alone!” Its my sister’s broken voice that pleads for mercy.

No. Don’t do this!

I try to force my lungs to work but, I’m still recovering. I force myself to glance up and see the moment he slaps my sister away.

“Get off of me bitch!”

He turns back to me, while I’m trying to get up. 

“Still some fight left?” He raises his foot.

“How about a little nap?” 

My vision went blurry and then—

///

Where?

My head hurts. I blink but my vision is dark. Ringing is all I can hear…

Wait… I can hear voices. They sound like they are having fun. Laughing, talking, telling jokes— Why were they doing that? 

My sense of smell returns. The scent of Blood and wine assaults my nostrils. It’s sickening. 

Vampires?

Something warm comes up my throat and a dull pain erupts from my stomach. My taste returns. I’m vomiting, which only makes me feel more sick. I push through the feeling. The feeling is a good sign. 

I can see light now, chairs, tables, people. 

People? No…

Vampires.

I am mostly awake and with that, comes the pain. My head is pounding and I can barely make out my surroundings. I’m in the tavern. A familiar boar’s head stared down at me from above the door. Well more like two of them. My vision is doubled, but its better than nothing at all. 

My sister?

I don’t see her near me.

“Oh, the brat’s awake.” A voice booms, Sending waves of pain through my head. 

“Thought he might miss the feast.” They all chuckle at his remarks.

Again with the head splitting noise. I try to stand up but I am yanked back down by my iron collar. I look down and see it’s attached to the cage I’m in. My sister isn’t with me and that can only mean.

My heart sinks into my stomach. My sister is on the table, deep puncture wounds up and down her arms. My blood boils. The pain in my skull is a distant worry. 

“‘l’ll fucking kill you!” I screech. Pain shot through my abdomen, from the effort of my scream.

They laugh as one sinks his fangs into my sister’s pale neck. Blood runs from his chin. I have never felt this deep hatred before. I clamp my hands around my collar and tug. My muscles strain. I have found it, the little bit of power I need to do something.

The door swings open and in steps through a man clad in dark leather armor. He draws his massive blade. It glows with an eerie intensity, reflecting the dancing candlelight. 

Their lively conversation freezes. A chilling gust of wind extinguishes the candles near the door, filling the entrance with an ominous darkness. His cape billows like a phantom’s shadow. The only sound in the room is the steady, deliberate steps of his black leather boots against the creaking floorboards. 

Could this be?

I glance around to count how many are in the room. One behind the bar and ten at the table. The stranger is outnumbered, but the expression on his bearded face looks unaffected.  

"You better have a good reason for your intrusion!" The barkeep hisses. He bares his fangs in a twisted smile.

The stranger just calmly approaches the bar, ignoring the barkeep’s question. 

"You just forfeited your life." The barkeep lunges over the bar, claws outstretched aiming for his jugular. A decisive blow that no one could have dodged. I wince at what’s fixing to happen. The man swung his sword with one arm effortlessly, slicing the vampire in two and demolishing the section of the bar at the end of its swing.

Gore from the attack splatters everywhere. I have a strange feeling. It feels like something I forgot. It’s hope. I hate blood but the sight of their spilled guts fills me with satisfaction. Satisfaction that justice is coming to these monsters.

Five of the vampires at the table jump up and and lunge, much faster than the barkeep did. My heart is racing.

Amazing.

With another satisfying swing the sword's weight is a devastating force obliterating the attackers. Their entrails paint their dinner partners in foul blood.

The rotten stench of their freshly spilled guts make the remaining vampires vomit. I revel in the bloodshed as a wicked grin destroys the hopeless expression I usually wear. 

A fist slams the table. "Enough!" The Vampire who speaks is larger than the rest, his arms as big as tree trunks. 

 

The man flicks the gore off his blade. “I’m supposed to heed the threat of a spawn?”

The big one laughs “Strong words coming from one man.” He licks his fangs, practically drooling. “Just because you killed some weaklings doesn't give you the right to act so cocky." 

I need to help him.

I grip the collar with both my hands and try to breathe.

Somewhere deep within I feel a spark.