Bloody Night

Loyalty can enrich as much as it can limit.

Bloody Night

"Hello," I greeted the guys with a delightful grin.

One of them said hello in surprise, but the other had a suspicious look in his eyes and grunted a greeting. I turned to the easier victim.

"Can I copy your homework?", I asked casually.

"You always ask someone else to do your homework," said the other one, "You should really do it yourself."

"You won't give it to me?" I looked innocently at my victim.

The guy sighed. "You're beyond redemption."

I looked deep into his eyes, breaking the little resistance the other had in him.

"There is nothing to be done... I'll give it to you, but this is the last time."

"Really?", my eyes immediately lit up, "Thanks!"

I was about to take the notebook held out to me when I felt someone grab my collar from behind. There's only one person in the whole school who could do something so impertinent.

"Don't let his innocent face fool you," Coffee said.

I sent a piercing glance towards her desk.

"Don't spoil him too much or it will get worse," Alex sighed and pulled me over to our table.

"My homework!" I snapped, and even though I held out my hand to the precious notebook, the distance was only growing.

When Alex finally let me go, I slumped dramatically in my chair.

"It's unsightly to beg other people for their homework all the time," Alice remarked disapprovingly.

Coming from someone who sells the question of the tests all the time!

"The jealousy of losers is really amusing," I flashed him a wry half-smile, "Perhaps you're the one who'd like to give me your homework, Alice?"

Alex slapped me on the back of the head.

"By the way, where is Jo?" I asked

Alex shrugged.

"Never mind," I said and stood up, "I don't need your homework, I'll skip this class."

"What?" demanded Alex, "But Shay, it's group work!"

I winked. "I'm sure you'll manage my part, too."

With that, before the wolf could complain any more, I left the classroom and headed for the courtyard. As I expected, Jo was sitting on our secret bench. When she looked up at me, I realized she had been expecting my arrival. She smiled.

"So," I plopped down beside her, "why are we skipping classes?"

Jo chuckled. "I knew you'd come."

"Of course," I grinned back.

For a moment we just sat quietly side by side. Jo was staring at the sky and I was secretly looking at her.

"Remember when we talked about what if vampires and other creatures existed?" she asked softly.

There was something in her voice that made my muscles tense, but I didn't know what it was at the time.

"Yes," I replied, a little too quickly perhaps.

Jo slid her gaze over to me, and at that moment, a multitude of tiny sparks popped in her eyes. For a moment, I felt as if she could see into the very depths of my being with those mysterious green eyes. A soft smile curved on her lips, full of love, care and understanding, as if she were able to accept my every flaw. No one had ever looked at me like that before.

"If there were such beings in the world, which one would you be?" she asked.

For a moment the blood froze in my veins. Then I relaxed because Jo looked at me with the same love and care she always had. Her smile was as kind and devoted as always. For that reason, I easily convinced myself that it was a simple, foolish little question without any hidden motive.

I looked like someone deep in contemplation, then grinned.

"It's so hard to choose," I replied, "That's why, if I could, I would be several creatures and none of them at the same time."

Jo frowned. She didn't seem to be expecting that answer at all, and that reassured me even more.

"What do you mean?"

"I'd be a half-blood," I declared with pride, "A monster with two bloodlines mixed together."

"Like in the Underworld? she asked.

"Yes," I continued with an unchanging grin. "Like a werewolf and vampire half-blood. Sounds cool, doesn't it?"

Jo nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"And what would you be?" I asked back.

Jo smiled slightly and looked at her hands folded in her lap.

"I think I'd stay human," she said quietly.

Now that was a shocker. I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Why?"

She looked up at me shyly. "To be honest, I like reading stories where the human girl falls in love with a vampire or werewolf."

There was anticipation in her eyes, but then I thought she was just so embarrassed that I was going to laugh at her for her statement. I smiled, but I was sure it seemed as forced a smile as I thought it was.

"Still, if such creatures existed in reality, I don't think there would be a happy ending to such relationships."

Jo just shook his head at that. "Maybe yes, maybe no. You never know. I am writing something similar at the moment, that's why I asked this. I'm out of inspiration."

I wanted to just sigh. Jo then slipped her fingers between mine. I looked down at her and my heart tightened in my chest, which was both pleasant and uncomfortable. Jo's eyes flashed with the determined light of two fireflies in love.

I could tell she was about to say something, but still she pursed his lips together without a word. I was sure she wanted to confess her love again. I leaned closer to her and planted a light kiss on her forehead.

"As charmingly willful as you are, I'm sure you could wrap any monster around your finger," I chuckled. "So just write about that."

"I'm not willful," she protested, pulling away from me, "I just don't give up easily on the one I love."

"Let's go inside," I said, pulling her up from the bench, "You'll catch a cold."

Jo knew I had deliberately murdered the romantic atmosphere so cruelly, so she didn't try to convince me to stay any longer. We started walking back, side by side, in a very heavy and awkward silence. I didn't know then that this would be my last quiet conversation with Jo before all hell broke loose.

(...)

My phone vibrated and I squeezed the pint so tightly that a few cracks started to show on it. Hajnal's eyes lit up with anger, but I ignored her.

"Dear Client! You have a balance of 5295HUF1 overdue. In order to avoid restriction, please..." — with that I got rid of my phone.

Meanwhile, Hajnal was too close to me, so I was unable to avoid the attack. She locked my face between her palms, making me focus only on her. She made a grim face.

"Whatever you're doing, stop it!" she ordered without leaving way to protest.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said dryly.

"Whatever you're involved in, it's dangerous," she stated.

I couldn't tell her that I was most afraid of what would happen if Alice sent me a text when I was at work and I had to run away without a word. Hajnal would most certainly kill me when I returned...

"It's really none of your business what I do," I said, which managed to raise her blood pressure through the roof immediately.

"The hell it is! As long as you're my employee, it's my business," she snapped, eyes flashing.

I rolled my eyes. Always that employee thing. I took her little hands off of my face and let them go, then grinned menacingly.

I pointed my finger at her chest.

"You're human, Dawn," I leaned close, "A human can't stop me."

My closeness bothered her, but she would never back down.

"Yes?" she asked back mockingly.

She head-butted me. I would never have claimed Hajnal to be a paragon of femininity, but even I didn't expect that. Surprised, I straightened up and stroked my forehead. I was sure it hurt her more than it did me, but she still looked triumphant.

"Have you finally calmed down?" she asked me, and I nodded slowly.

I still couldn't believe it, but the red spot on Hajnal's forehead reminded me that the attack had really happened.

"You don't want to ice it or something?", I said, pointing at her forehead, "It might leave a mark for a while."

She waved me off.

"I'm nervous about the war too," she admitted, "But it's really not your job to stop it, Shay."

"If I don't do something, no one will," I retorted.

She sighed deeply.

"Take care of yourself," she asked quietly, "I'd have a problem finding a new employee."

I chuckled gently, and she smiled.

Hajnal stepped out into the cold of the night and took out her pack of cigarettes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, her gaze immediately flickering to the dark figure. The cigarette fell from her lips — a man held the barrel of a gun to her. He pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed unstoppably through the air, but instead of Hajnal's heart, it pierced my chest. A grimace pulled at my lips as I examined the hole in my upper body.

"This was my favourite shirt..."

The man looked surprised at first, then recognition flashed in his eyes.

"The watchdog."

I moved towards the cloaked figure and he fired two more shots. I didn't try to dodge the attack, for fear that the bullets would hit Hajnal. For a fleeting moment, I felt a burning pain in the area of my stomach, then the wound healed.

A look of stunned horror spread across the man's face as he stepped back with each shot fired. In an instant, I was in front of him, and I pushed him down. Kneeling over him, I pinned him to the concrete. He pressed the barrel of the gun to my belly and pulled the trigger.

I grinned cruelly, and it was the last grin the man would see before I sank my teeth into his neck. My victim cried out, but his scream quickly faded into a pained grunt until he was completely silent.

When I was done, I wiped my mouth sloppily, stood up, and grabbed his collar, pulling him after me.

Hajnal stood against the wall, shivering barely perceptibly. Her eyes were closed. Sometimes I forget that Hajnal is not nearly as strong as she makes herself out to be. It's not necessarily bad, just more human. A normal person gets upset and scared when someone is executed with brutal cruelty in front of their eyes.

"Are you all right?", I asked, with an unusual softness in my voice.

She opened her eyes and looked up at me. Her expression was quite alarmed. I sighed deeply, smoothed a stray lock of hair from her face and touched my forehead to hers.

"It's all right."

Since that didn't work either, I let go of the corpse and pulled her to me with one arm. She clung to my clothes but didn't cry. She would never have cried in front of me. When she got herself together, she stepped back.

"Come on, I'll make you a coffee," I offered.

So I left the corpse by the wall and set about getting my boss back to normal.

Hajnal sat down on one of the bar stools and waited quietly while I made the coffee. When I had finished the coffee, he blew a few times on it and sipped carefully.

"Thanks," she said finally.

I couldn't decide if it was for the coffee or if she thanked me for saving her life. Maybe both.

I nodded, then took my bronze box from its hiding place under the counter. I opened it. I rummaged through the tips, thick envelopes, and my cocoa bag. Finally, I found and removed the medical scalpel from the box, stepped over to one of the chairs, and sat down.

I hate firearms.

I forced myself to pull up the rest of my shirt and started to operate the bullets out. My wounds were gone by then, so I had to open them up again to get the bullets. This procedure is much more painful than getting shot. Plus, I have to work really fast so the wound doesn't close before I get the bullet.

By the time I was done, Hajnal was back to her old self and handed me a wet towel. She stared at the bloody bullets resting on the shiny lacquered table top and sighed.

"You take on too much for me," she remarked.

I furrowed my eyebrows. My boss had a look of discomfort on her face, and I could detect a trace of remorse on her features. She clenched her trembling hands into fists. I smiled softly and took her hand. I stroked my thumb over the back of her hand a few times before her clenched fingers relaxed. Then I brought her hand to my lips and blew a soft kiss on her knuckles. I led my eyes back to hers and whispered into her skin.

"I am your watchdog. I'll protect you no matter what happens."

She looked surprised and perhaps confused, but after only a few moments she regained her composure.

"I thought you hated being called that," she said.

I pulled away from her.

"I hate it," I said, and shrugged, "but it's the truth."

I stood up, and before I let go of Hajnal's hand, I squeezed it one last time.

"Next time you get a gun pointed at you, scream," I grinned.

Though my voice sounded light, there was a hint of worry in my touch. Hajnal rolled her eyes.

Then I started looking for a nice black bag and packed the body for transport. When I was done with that, I took the mop and humming, I cleaned up the bloodstains. I was wondering how much I could get for the guy when the phone in my pocket vibrated. I frowned.

"2 am, Human Affairs Courthouse, lots of vampires!"

I glanced at the time in the corner of the phone screen: 1:30. I immediately dialed Geri's number.

"The vampires attack in half an hour," I announced, "The target is the courthouse. Try to reach other hunters, there won't be enough of you."

"Understood," that's all he said before he hung up.

I decided that selling the corpse could wait, so I hid the bag in the pub, among the chilled drinks. After that, I got rid of what was left of my top and put on an armour shirt instead.

Hajnal chose that moment to step out of her office. Her eyes narrowed, but I ignored her, got my mask, and walked to the door.

"Take care," she said, even though I knew she would have liked to say something much more snappy.

I nodded and stepped out into the night.

(...)

There were too many of them. Geri couldn't get enough people together in time.

"Simon," I hissed, and almost immediately felt the otherworldly presence beside me.

"I want to ask a favour," I said, and the spirit nodded immediately.

He seemed to be waiting for just that.

"Stay inconspicuous," I added.

Simon's figure faded into smoke again, but for another moment I still felt his presence beside me.

I had not planned to get involved. I hadn't planned on moving even one finger myself to win.

One of the vampires sliced open Geri's stomach. The hunter fell to his knees before the three bloodsuckers. He was inattentive. I thought the thing that distracted him was the sword that was now held to Geri's neck. A hunter's sword. Then the blade was raised high, but it didn't strike.

The vampire's head was separated from his neck in an instant. Geri's form was coated in a spray of blood before the vampire's body fell to the dust beside him. The surprise of the other two bloodsuckers turned to animal rage. By the time I picked up the sword, they were barely an arm's length away. With a single swipe of the blade, I separated one of the bloodsuckers from his head. I dodged the other's claws, then drove the sword through his belly and pinned him to the ground.

I looked back at Geri's face. His mask had disappeared somewhere on the battlefield, and the hunter looked at me in disbelieving surprise.

"Shay," he breathed powerlessly.

In an instant I was beside him, clutching at his bloody clothes and crushing the pearl in my hand. I felt an uncomfortable tug as the magic sunk into my essence, pulling me through the delicate tapestry of space and time, only to push me mercilessly to the ground elsewhere.

The pub was empty. Or so I thought at first glance, then I heard the sound of a cup exploding on the floor.

Hajnal stood frozen, watching.

"Get some water and a towel," I ordered her.

My boss didn't ask any questions, she just disappeared somewhere towards the bathroom. Geri stroked my mask as if to make sure he wasn't just seeing things from blood loss.

"I never thought I'd see it again," he whispered.

I guided my gaze back to the hunter and removed it from my face.

Geri wanted to speak again, but I silenced him. "I'll tend to your wounds first."

I cut off what was left of his uniform. His muscular chest was covered in a series of scars, large and small. The fresh cut that ran down his side, from his ribs to his pelvic bone, was long and deep.

I sighed deeply — this was going to be exceptionally painful.

Hajnal returned with a bucket of water and some clothes. I immediately stuffed one into Geri's mouth and threw the other into the bucket.

"Get the first aid kit," I instructed, "Needle and thread!

Hajnal nodded and disappeared.

I smiled wryly. I had often dreamed of torturing Geri, but somehow I hadn't imagined it that way. With careful, gentle movements, I began to clean the wound. Geri groaned in pain from time to time.

By the time Hajnal returned, the water in the bucket had a reddish hue and Geri had turned alarmingly pale. I disinfected the area around the wound, then sterilized the needle with my lighter and, without a moment's pause for thought, set to work.

I nodded to Hajnal that she must hold Geri down while I patched him up. The hunter was writhing and twitching in pain, and that didn't really help us get it over with any sooner. Hajnal finally complied with my request, although she looked whiter than Geri himself. She consciously didn't look towards the wound, stubbornly gazing on the floor.

Sometimes Geri really wanted to scream, but the rag prevented him from doing so for the most part, and at least he didn't bite his tongue in pain. When I was done, I cleaned off the blood that had been spilled, then carefully picked him up and laid him on the pool table.

"Shay!" he shouted suddenly, grabbing my clothes, "The others! The squad!"

For Geri to think of others meant that his consciousness had been somewhat cleared.

"They'll be fine," I assured him.

Geri just nodded in relief.

"Thank you," he breathed.

"Don't get used to it," I pursed my lips. "I only saved you because I need you. For now, at least."

He laughed ruefully, but immediately regretted it. I pushed some pills into his mouth and he swallowed them willingly, without question.

"Sleep, asshole," I ordered.

Hajnal watched as I took the mop and started to clean Geri's blood from the floor.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"There weren't enough of them against the vampires," I expalined.

Hajnal looked worriedly towards the hunter.

"Did they lose?" she asked in a quieter than a whisper.

"No," I shrugged, "They will win."

Hajnal turned to me again with a look of disbelief.

My lips curled into a half smile. "Didn't I tell you that I already had everything arranged?"

As soon as I finished cleaning, I offered to walk Hajnal home.

"You want to leave him here alone?" she questioned me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "His body is fortified by magic, so his life is no longer in danger. Some wound fever is to be expected, but I gave him some antipyretics along with the painkillers, so I don't think it will be a problem."

"Shay," Hajnal reprimanded me. "He's seriously "hurt!

"Hunters can survive serious injuries like this," I yawned, "It's none of my business anyway."

She raised one of her arched eyebrows. "Then why did you bring him here?"

I shrugged. "I couldn't use him if he died."

She sighed deeply. "Shal I stay here with him?"

I shook my head. "No, he'll be fine, just let him out in the morning. Shall we go?"

Finally, she gave in and nodded.

Less than half an hour later I was on my way to the mages' black market with the black bag on my shoulder. I was standing on the sidewalk in front of the Centrum Department Store. As the traffic lights were out at this hour, I looked around cautiously and crossed the pavement — only to disappear into the night with a softly whispered word.

"Blood magic," I whispered.

I found myself in a musty, basement-like place. I started up the moss-covered steps and marched for a while in the darkness before I saw the end of the tunnel. The stairway led to the entrance of a bright little town.

The gatekeeper looked up at me and I gave him a charming smile. As always, there was a gleam of curiosity in his eyes, because he could never figure out who I always got the password from — he changed it daily, like a good gatekeeper. He beckoned me to go, and I did not hesitate to plunge into the lair. As I crossed the cave's boundary, I felt the magic barely perceptibly brush across my skin, checking my intentions.

Even though it was night on the surface, the dome of the underground city was a pattern of bright blue sky. The spell was so powerful that I could almost feel the sun's rays brushing across my skin and the fresh breeze ruffling my hair.

The small town was bustling with life, everything seemed friendly and ordinary — yet I didn't like coming here. Creatures that aren't mages don't necessarily leave the place alive when they come in. I approached the dark-painted building with a poison-green curtain dancing in the wind outside its door. I entered. The whole place was a single space, with rows of shelves running up to the ceiling, all-absorbing crates, cauldrons, and various viscera in glass jars.

From behind the counter, a grumpy old man looked up at me. He must have been taking inventory.

"How can I help you?" he spat.

He doesn't know what good service is either...

"I'm offering you a deal," I said, taking my bag off my shoulder and untieing it. The corpse's head popped out from behind the black nylon.

The old man got up from his chair and walked closer.

"Time of death?" he asked.

"About three hours ago," I guessed.

The old man took one look at the corpse."Twenty and no more."

I sighed and nodded. I didn't think the corpse was worth more than that.

The old man counted out the money for me, and I was soon out of the mage world.

When I got home, I decided to take a bath. I stepped into the shower stall and turned on the tap. I leaned my head against the cold tiles and sighed. I could almost feel the tension leaving my muscles. I had definitely had a rough day.

The door creaked open softly and Alex entered, a towel in his hand. He set the piece of material on the laundry rack and was about to leave when I spoke.

"Aren't you going to ask me anything?"

"Would you answer?" he asked without turning back.

He couldn't see me anyway, with all the steam, so there was no need.

"Not likely," I confessed, "But I didn't think so much would stop you."

He was silent for a moment and presumably just looked in front of him.

"I can guess what you're doing," he said, "I read about the incredible victory of the hunters on Kaleidoscope. You weren't home when the battle took place. I suppose I'll read about another battle tomorrow."

I shrugged. "Maybe."

He let out a deep sigh. "As long as you come home safe, everything will be fine."

(...)

There was mad knocking on the door. At first, I grumbled and clutched my pillow to my ear, then, realizing that my uninvited guest would not leave even if I ignored his existence, I got out of bed and shuffled to the door.

I opened it and found myself face to face with the anxious figure of Des. He immediately jumped on me and tried to squeeze the life out of me.

"I was so worried, little brother!"

I snorted needlessly as he ruffled my already-tangled hair and finally let me go.

"I'm not weak enough to get killed by a few vampires," I remarked, and finally let the poor thing in as he still showed no inclination to leave.

I made my way to the kitchen and started to make myself some cocoa. I heard Alex wake up too, but I knew that he wasn't going to leave the room while Des was in our house.

"What do you want?", I asked, still grumpy from the early wake-up.

What was that idiot thinking? Did he not consider when I went to bed?

"You saved Geri," he stated.

I nodded.

"If that's all you wanted, you can go now," I offered and sat down at the table with my cocoa.

However, no, I had no hope that my wretched brother had graced me with his unwanted presence for that reason alone.

"As a matter of fact," he sat down opposite, "my men won."

"Yay," I rolled my eyes.

"They were outnumbered more than twice over, yet somehow they managed to escape death," he explained, "Don't you happen to know anything about that?"

"No," I stated and sipped my cocoa.

"My people reported that the vampires fighting them always froze at the most critical moment, or their movements became slow and sloppy," he continued, "Do you have any explanation for that?"

I shrugged my shoulders, bored. "Nope."

Des narrowed his eyes suspiciously and scowled. "I know you're involved in somehow."

I grinned slyly. "I really didn't do anything. Besides, I was trying to bring Geri back to life around that time."

Des sighed deeply. "Right."

"As for Geri, the medics gave him some potions, so he's pretty much recovered," he added.

"Uh-uh," I replied, uninterested.