Hated

From the perspective of Narcissus Bianchi.

I never considered myself as a hero, or a villain. But today, I was definitely a villain.

Janice, naturally, didn't have much to say to me. We sat with our legs sprawled on the beach in Myrtle Beach, watching the brilliant sunrise over the horizon.

I did what I had to do. I thought to myself. Then again, I didn't have to do what I did today. I'm not going to get paid, anyway. The mission was a failure.

All of a sudden the cellphone in my right pants pocket vibrated. I grabbed the cellphone and I noticed the caller was none other than Jaeger. I accepted the call.

"I'm disappointed, Narcissus. I really am." I could tell by the tone of his voice that it was Khaal speaking, not Jaeger.

"I can't work for you," I countered. "You made me kill people today that I didn't have to kill. I have their blood on my hands because of you, with nothing to show for it."

"That comes with the profession."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not working for you anymore. From now on, it's just me, Janice and whoever else I want working with me."

"Fine. As you may very well be aware, you get nothing in return for your failed services. I will no longer contact you for work. If I see you again, I will kill you. And Janice will fade to dust. Goodbye, Narcissus."

The call ended. I sat, staring down at the phone, thinking of how screwed I was. If I meet Khaal again, he'll be the one to vanish. I'll be the one to take his soul.

"Isn't the sunrise just beautiful?" Janice asked, staring off into the distance, her eyes gleaming from the intense light of the sunrise.

I nodded. "Yes, very. It's almost magical," I said sarcastically. "Janice, I've got a plan for us."

"What kind of plan do you have in mind?"

"A plan so grand that would make even Khaal blush. You know Chase, the guy Khaal possessed back in East St. Louis?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna take his soul. And then I'm gonna present his soul to Khaal as a gift. Make him thank me. And then I'm gonna take Khaal's soul."

"And then?" Janice asked.

"And then I'll create an elite group of necromancers. I'll raise an army of undead and my elite group of necromancers will command them for me. Then I'll take the souls of all the important world leaders, if they don't join me. And then I'll take over the world. It will be the end of all vampires. And I will become the ultimate necromancer."

"Why do you hate vampires so much?" Janice asked.

I quietly pondered. There were two reasons why. But Janice couldn't read my mind, so I told her the truth. "Reason one: I always wanted to be a vampire as a kid, but I can't be a vampire myself. I tried, once, but I came back to life unchanged, as if nothing ever happened. As for reason two, well, I'd rather not say."

"Come on, tell me. I'll keep it a secret. You know you can trust me."

I hesitated. I didn't want Janice to pity me for my past, or think of me any differently than what she did, but I told her anyway. I told her every single detail.

After I told Janice, her jaw dropped in alarm and her eyes appeared distraught. She turned away, her eyes so wide they could have popped right out of her skull. "Narcissus. I wish I could sympathize with you. But nothing I have dealt with can come close to what you experienced."

"It's okay," I said, reaching my arm around her and pulling her close. "It's why I have to carry the burden of the memory alone."

The wind blew through Janice's black strands of hair. The sand felt amazing between my toes. The sun's rays warmed my skin. The scent of the ocean was in the air. I remembered back to that awful day that made me absolutely detest vampires.

"We'll make those vampires pay," I said. "You, and me, together. One by one. One day at a time."

I imagined a world without vampires. What a perfect world that would be.