by Hunter Blain
“I looked down at the whimpering child whose warm tears had melted the snow around his eyes. Drool spilled from his mouth as he sobbed with complete abandon. I knew what I had to do.”
My chest grew tighter and I adjusted in my seat, all of a sudden uncomfortable. My mouth hung open as wide eyes watched Depweg prepare himself to tell me his darkest secret.
“I opened my jaws, took the boy’s entire neck into my mouth as carefully as I could—he was just so small—and then…I-I…”
My heart sank into my stomach and my eyes began to flutter as I looked around, searching for a way out of this nightmare.
“I released his lifeless, limp body and licked from his forehead to his cheek on both eyes, closing them forever. I whined in regret before the Nazi began tittering again. My eyes shot up to latch onto him, and I charged. That’s when he pulled out the silver kukri and slashed at me as he dodged out of the way of my attack. I had never been cut by silver, and I was surprised at how much it hurt. I stumbled and collapsed to the ground as several Nazi soldiers emerged from doorways while others held out long muzzles through open windows. I chuffed as I got back on my feet, not fearing the bullets from those weapons. Then one of them shot me in the chest, aiming for my heart.” Depweg lifted his shirt and ran his fingers over a long scar that ran across his massive right pec. I recognized it as one of the wounds I had had to burn closed the night we met.
“My instincts told me to save the knife-wielding man for last, so I exploded into one of the open doorways and tore a Nazi’s throat clean out. I made my way upstairs and ripped out the spine of a man standing by an open window.
“The werwolf hunter chased after me, cursing in German. I think he was expecting me to try and stand toe to toe with him as the riflemen picked me off, foolish man.
“I was always one step ahead of him as I made him watch as his soldiers fell by my hand. I burst through walls, leaped into second- and third-story windows, and killed every last one of his men. All that was left was him.
“I leaped from the open window I was at and stood by the flagpole. One of the boy’s hands had fallen from the fierce wind that had begun to blow. I howled in both anger and challenge at the werwolf hunter, who returned the call with his own, twisted cry. It was clear to me that he had fought several of my kind, and won.
“Snow had begun to fall, using the wind as a battering ram to beat down the small town. The piles of burning bodies started to extinguish as the wind and snow began their onslaught.
“The hunter stepped out of the doorway that was attached to the building I had jumped from. His chest was heaving from effort. Part of me respected his dedication while the other wondered what his heart tasted like.
“We squared off. Me with my claws and teeth, and him with his silver blade. Neither of us would be able to heal from our wounds before the battle was over. The fairness of the battle excited me. Then I saw the boy out of the corner of my eye and excitement turned to blinding rage. I leaped straight at him, but lower than before, aiming for his legs. He had clearly been expecting me to go for his throat like most wolves would out of instinct, so I caught him by surprise and took him to the ground.
“His blade sliced into my flesh, spilling hot blood on top of him while my claws dug into his torso in wide, deep gashes. I cut through his shirt and flesh like running a finger through fresh snow.
“After we had cut each other several times, I began to win the blood loss battle, as I had more of it to give. His flesh became as white as the falling snow as he lifted his blade like it weighed as much as a gravestone. I swiped at his arm and took it off at the elbow. The werwolf hunter didn’t even cry out as his arm and weapon tumbled away. I brought my jaws to his face and bit down on his skull, crushing his face in from chin to forehead before tearing the meat free and eating my prize.
“After I defeated the werwolf hunter, the adrenaline began wearing off, and I became light-headed. I fell to my side and began to change back into a man, unable to stop the transformation.
“As I finished, I lay naked in the blood-drenched slush we had created with our battle. I began to shiver from both the cold and blood loss, and began stripping the hunter of his clothes. That’s when I heard the cry of men coming from the distance. I couldn’t see them in the blizzard, but I could make out their shouts. I quickly put on the man’s shirt and pants before unbuckling his sheath and picking up the arm still attached to the weapon. I ran, then, as the first group of soldiers entered the town behind me.
“I ran for as long as I could before the loss of blood took its toll and sapped me of my strength. While deep in the woods, I collapsed against a tree and tried to catch my breath. I realized I was still holding the arm and decided to try and eat with the hope that I would regain my strength. I pried the kukri from its grasp and sheathed it before looping the blade to my belt on my lower back.”
“I think I know the rest of the story,” I said, remembering our first meeting. “You sure as shit didn’t seem weak to me then, brother. You gave me a run for my money!”
“When I smelled you downwind, my adrenaline shot back up. That and the meat I had eaten helped. But if I recall correctly, you had to help me walk afterward because I used the rest of my tanks on your bitch ass,” Depweg said with a dry smile. I took that as a sign that he was coming back from the dark pit his story had thrown him in.
“Thank you for sharing, brother. I’m sorry you were tricked; however, that wasn’t your fault. That hunter knew exactly how to get you. But you didn’t let him, Jonathan. You took out an entire squad of Nazis who had just murdered an entire town even after they had set up the perfect trap! You avenged those people and probably saved countless of your own kind from that, dude. You,” I placed a hand on his shoulder to emphasize my point, “are a fucking hero.”
“Thank you, John,” Depweg said as he looked me in the eyes. There was an immense strength to him, even when he was at his most vulnerable. I smiled, placed my hands back on the steering wheel, let off the brake, and we continued toward our hunting grounds. We sat in silence as the bond between us grew. I knew how it felt to reveal your deepest secrets to those you trusted and who knew you. I could also recall how Depweg had been the only person who had understood what I’d gone through after I killed that woman at the cemetery and almost ate her young son as well. The thought of him holding up his action figure in defense still made me shudder in shame. Thank Lilith for Da.
Another question I had struggled with personally sprang to my mind. “Did you ever find out his name?”
Depweg let his chin drop to his chest in shame as he wiped his eyes and said, “No. It haunts me to this day. Everytime I shut my eyes at night, I see him broken on the ground and hear him shrieking…I-I never even found out his name.”
I understood all too well what something as simple as knowing a name could mean. Da refused to tell me the boy’s name from the cemetery, and it somehow prevented me from having the closure I so desperately wanted—needed. At least I had the comfort of knowing Da had taken care of him afterward. Depweg—my brother with the bleeding heart of gold—had no such comfort.
10
Here we are,” I segued as we continued down the road where city officials didn’t see the need to fix the numerous potholes or lighting.
I parked Mortis in a mom-and-pop chicken shop parking lot (say that five times fast), and we got out. I stretched dramatically, like an Olympic athlete about to break a world record, while saying to myself, “Mom-and-pop chicken shop parking lot. Mom-and-pop chicken shop parking lot.” It was my mantra at the moment.
“What?” Depweg asked, clearly confused.
“Hmm? Oh, nothing. You wouldn’t understand. Anyway, ready to eat?” I gestured at his clothing.
“Not shifting yet. Don’t want to scare them away.”
“Oh, right!” I said while palming my forehead. “Forgot these.” As I finished my thought, I opened the trunk and handed Depweg a cane.
“What’s this for?�
� he asked, hefting it like a weapon.
“Predators are attracted to weak and dying prey, right?”
“Got ya,” Depweg said while letting the cane slip through his grasp from a battering stance to a battered old man stance.
We began walking down the street. I pretended to have a gimp leg while Depweg walked normally with just a cane added to every other step.
“Come on, Mr. Clooney. Put some of those acting chops into it.” I motioned at my superb method acting. Rolling his eyes, Depweg leaned into the cane with his alternate steps.
“There we go!” I approved.
We walked for a half mile, which took forever, before Depweg asked, “How long does this normally take?”
“If it’s just me, not long at all,” I said as I thought. “Maybe I’ve cleared all the riffraff out of Houston?”
As if I had said, “Can things get any worse?” to which the universe always responded, “Oh yes, they can,” before dumping crap on you, that’s when two gentlemen wearing pantyhose on their heads leaped out from behind a large bush that overlapped the sidewalk. Each meal wielded comically large knives that rivaled Depweg’s epic silver kukri.
Turning to Depweg, I said, “See, this is what happens when we let a law pass letting anyone carry as big a knife, or even a sword, as they want.” I turned my gaze to the two men who were twitching slightly. “Great,” I told Depweg, “They’re druggies. This meal is going to be the equivalent to eating 3:00 a.m. fast food.”
“Yeah,” Depweg said, “I’m not eating that.” At that, he straightened his posture and turned to walk back toward the car.
“Hey! Where the fuck do you think you’re going, man? Give us the cash!” one of the tweakers said as his friend lunged at Depweg’s back. I shot my hand out, palm open, and a rope snaked out and wrapped around his neck before he got to Depweg. He gurgled and fought as I lifted him off the ground, turning my head back to see his companion’s wide-eyed expression, which was hilarious through the pantyhose headwear. As he looked at me in frozen terror, I started to will spikes down the length of the rope. Just as they were about to pierce the neck of the first tweaker, his buddy told me, “Please don’t. We weren’t going to hurt you. We just need some money for another fix. I-I won’t ever touch the stuff again, I swear to God!”
Putting on my best Christian Bale’s Batman voice, I yelled, “Swear to me!” as I made my eyes turn from purple to a glowing red. I could audibly hear the man shit his pants over his gasps of terror.
I stopped the spikes and relaxed the rope, letting the first man drop to the ground clutching his throat while coughing up a fit.
“This isn’t any fun,” I sighed to myself, barely above a whisper.
“We’re sorry! Don’t hurt us!”
“Pathetic,” I said as I let my red eyes fade out. “Get clean, mortal. You only get one life, don’t waste it. You never know when you’ll take your last breath.”
“Than-thank you!” said the man with shit in his pants as he picked up his friend, who I noticed was actually a woman. I was proud of myself for not seeing gender then; equal rights and all. Never mind the fact that the pantyhose skewed their faces and plastered their hair down flat.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here,” he said as they stumbled down the road and to some assumingly abandoned garage that had a lone dirty mattress as their only furniture. It was only a guess, but one I would bet on.
I turned toward Depweg, who had already made it a few blocks, and bounded after him. After a few leaps, I was standing at his side.
“You did the right thing, John,” Depweg declared. “I could smell the fear on them before they even jumped from their bush. They were scared. Their addiction forced them to act with the simplest of goals: get money. I don’t think they had it in them to do anything except try and scare us.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “Maybe we did a good thing tonight. But I’m still hungry.” My metaphorical stomach rumbled in agitation at the tease of a meal.
“I might have an idea,” Depweg said as we approached Mortis. He put the cane back in the trunk and climbed into the passenger seat.
“You mean a plan?” I joked as I sat down. Depweg punched my arm, but with a smile on his face. It actually hurt, even though he had pulled the playful punch. I sometimes forgot how strong he was, even in his man-suit. “Head downtown,” he said as I pulled out of the mom-and-pop chicken shop parking lot and onto the service road.
As we drove in silence, I had time to reflect on what had just happened.
“I could have drained them and never think twice about it. They matched my criteria. We were walking; they jumped out with weapons. What more could I ask for?”
“You’re growing, John,” Depweg said, pride evident in his voice. “I believe the more your soul is cleaned, the easier it will be to make the right decisions, and the clearer those decisions will be.”
His words sat heavily on my mind, as if a cold piece of ice cream had been plopped on my brain and was slowly melting, filling in the cracks. I wasn’t sure if I liked the change. Seemed exhausting to be good all the time.
“Speaking of growing, what are we going to do about our new—ally,” I asked, spitting out the last word. It was bitter in my mouth, and I wanted it out.
“I’m honestly conflicted. Part of me wants to soak him in lighter fluid and light a match for what he did to the canines. They trusted me to watch over them, and I failed them.” Depweg took in a deep breath, held it, and released it while saying, “The other part of me knows we need all the help we can get against the greatest threat to our world. Locke…” He cocked his head to the side while briefly flashing teeth at the mention of his name before returning to normal. “Locke has information and insight that might help us save all of creation.” He looked at me then and asked with eyes desperately seeking confirmation, “We have to forgive him…right?”
It was unnerving to see the do-gooder golden boy struggle to take the high road. I felt closer to him as I saw his vulnerability. Ah, damn it—he was asking me for guidance. Where was my map and how the hell did I find the high road?
“I’m with you on both lines of thinking,” I admitted. Depweg looked back at the road, but I could see his eyes going unfocused as his brow furrowed. “But what you said is right—about saving the world and stuff. I want to hate him for everything he’s done, and I do. I keep thinking about my parents.” It was my turn to stare into the void while my mind battled between logic and emotion. “He killed them, brutally murdered them, and I ripped his head off and laughed into his blinking, surprised face as he died. Maybe that’s why it’s easier for me to say that we should consider forgiving him. I had my revenge.” I turned my head to Depweg, hesitant about what I was about to say. I knew my best friend and how he would react, and I was ashamed that I didn’t want either of us to forgive the bodyless bastard; but I didn’t want the world to end either. “How many innocents, like my parents and even your puppies, will suffer if we don’t win against the Devil?”
Depweg nodded slowly and I saw the corners of his eyes and brow soften as my words marinated in his brain. A part of me wanted to yell that Locke should suffer and pay by our hands for his transgressions. I fought that prideful urge before looking inward into my mind.
What do you think? I asked PS. He crossed his arms and turned away, exposing his back to me.
“So—” I began before being rudely interrupted by a giant blur slamming into Mortis, violently throwing us off the road and over the guardrail. We tumbled down an embankment, rolling toes over teeth repeatedly. I braced my hands against the roof and was vaguely aware of Depweg doing the same. As we came to a rocking stop on all four tires, I let my hands drop as I leaned forward, head resting on the steering wheel. The airbag deployed and punched me squarely in my beautiful face before deflating.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked the universe as I cupped my nose. “Could this possibly get any wor—?”
“Dude, get out. Now!” D
epweg commanded as he hastily unfastened his seat belt and pulled on the door handle. Nothing happened. After a few more pulls, Depweg threw his shoulder into the door, forcing it open with a shrill protest of steel on steel. Glass from the sunroof fell from his shoulders and onto the leather seat.
I was still tired from being hungry, but a vampire’s energy became permanent after feeding enough times. Much like how protein turned to muscle after being eaten, it took more than one missed meal to lose all the muscle you had gained, but you still needed constant sustenance to maintain and build. Enough missed meals meant your body would break down that muscle for fuel. For blood energy, it was similar. I had energy in reserves, but I hated using those unless it was absolutely necessary.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the rhinoceros charging down the embankment to where we were. Wait, rhino? I shook my head and did a double take. The rhino had black scales on it, like an alligator, and three massive jagged horns that grew in length from back to front. The foremost was nearly half its body length while the middle one was half of that. The one closest to its eyes was half the length of the middle one, reminding me of a bar graph of doubling sales over a three-year period for some reason. Each curved up and back slightly, and had what looked like horrifically sharp tips. Along their lengths, I noticed a haze that sizzled the air around them. I could see flames erupting like tiny geysers. Great, hellfire-infused. Totally awesome! Fuck.
Following the curve of the horns down, I saw two fierce red eyes glowing from their sockets. It was as if someone had thrown a red glow stick into a bucket in a dark room. Along its scaled body, there were three sets of legs propelling the huge monstrosity like a locomotive. As if on cue, pitch-black smoke shot out of its nostrils, billowing outward before its body created a perfect split, leaving behind chemtrails like a 747.
Heh, chemtrails, I thought before Depweg yelled out, “John! Little help!” as he removed his clothing.
