2025-11-14 03:37:14The morning came, and Diego sat down, his thoughts still lingering on last night’s events.
He only had three days, three days to enjoy what he had always longed for: human life, freedom, family warmth. And now it was going to be over soon. “Uncle Liam!” Claire’s cheerful voice broke his thoughts as she bounded into his room. “You’re up! Wanna help me feed the birds later?” He forced a small smile. “Sure.” She then dragged him down to the living room. Mara glanced over her shoulder. “You look tired, dear. Did you sleep at all last night?” Diego shook his head lightly. “Not really. Just… needed some air.” Thomas poured coffee, giving him a curious look. “Still adjusting, huh? Don’t worry, it takes time.” Time. He wished he had more of it. “Mummy, Uncle Liam is going to follow me feed the birds later,” Claire said. “Okay, honey, but after that, then we’ll head to the market,” Mara replied. “Okay, Mummy,” Claire said. They sat at the dining table as breakfast was already set. Diego forced a small smile. The smell of toast and warm coffee filled the room. Claire was busy buttering her bread, humming an off-key tune, while Mara and Thomas chatted about errands for the day. It was an ordinary morning, painfully ordinary, and Diego found himself clinging to it, memorizing every sound, every flicker of sunlight across the table. He wanted to remember this. The sound of family. The feeling of belonging. When breakfast ended, Claire grabbed his hand. “Come on, Uncle Liam! The birds are waiting!” Her small fingers were warm in his. He let her lead him outside to the garden behind the house. The trees shimmered under the soft morning light, and the faint chirping of birds filled the air. Claire scattered crumbs across the grass, laughing as pigeons fluttered down. Diego stood beside her, watching her face, the innocence, the joy. It stirred something deep within him, something he hadn’t felt in centuries. “Do they always come like this?” he asked softly. “Mm-hmm,” she nodded proudly. “Mommy says they remember me. I think they like me.” He smiled faintly. “I think they do too.” A sparrow landed close to his boot, tilting its head. Diego crouched, holding out his hand. For a moment, he imagined what it would be like to live like this forever, not as a creature hiding from the sun, but as someone free. “Uncle Liam,” Claire said suddenly, her voice softer now. “You look sad again.” He blinked, caught off guard. “Do I?” She nodded. “You smile, but your eyes don’t.” He looked away, the corners of his mouth twitching with a sorrowful smile. “You’re too smart for your age.” Claire grinned. “Mommy says that too!” Her laughter eased the ache in his chest, even if only for a moment. --- Later that afternoon, they went to the market. The streets were alive, vendors shouting, the scent of roasted corn in the air, children weaving through the crowd. Mara bargained with a stall owner over vegetables while Thomas carried a basket full of fruit. Diego followed quietly, his eyes tracing every detail, the way Mara’s hair caught the light, the way Thomas smiled at Claire when she showed him a trinket. “Liam!” Mara called. “Could you grab some bread from that stall?” He nodded and went, trying to ignore the faint pulse that stirred beneath his skin, the echo of what he truly was. The warmth, the noise, the crowd, it all made him feel alive and uneasy at once. As he handed the money to the vendor, his fingers brushed against the man’s hand, and he felt it. The heartbeat. The rush of blood beneath the skin. He froze. For a split second, the world went quiet. The scent of human blood, warm and near, clouded his senses. His fangs pressed faintly against his lower lip, instinct clawing at the surface. But then... “Uncle Liam!” Claire called again, waving. Her voice pulled him back. He blinked hard, forcing the hunger away, shoving the dark part of himself deep down where it belonged. He turned and smiled. “Coming.” --- That evening, after dinner, he sat on the porch with Thomas. Fireflies flickered in the garden. “You’re quiet tonight,” Thomas said, sipping his drink. “Just thinking,” Diego murmured. “About?” “Time,” he said softly. “How fast it moves when you start to notice it.” Thomas nodded, his expression thoughtful. “That’s the curse of being human. We never realize how precious our days are until they start running out.” Diego’s throat tightened. He looked toward the trees, the same ones Claire had fed the birds under that morning. Three days. That’s all he had. He clenched his fists beneath the table and whispered, “Yeah… I’m starting to understand that.” --- Monday morning came soft and golden, sunlight streaming through the kitchen window. The scent of toast and freshly brewed coffee drifted in the air, wrapping the home in quiet warmth. Mara moved around the kitchen with her usual morning rhythm, while Thomas sipped from his mug, scrolling through the news. Claire sat at the table, swinging her legs, her backpack already packed and ready. Diego leaned against the doorway, watching them, a picture of simple human life, one he could never truly belong to, yet one he longed for all the same. “Big day for someone,” Thomas said, glancing at Claire’s beaming face. “Yup! We’re learning about planets today!” she announced proudly. Diego chuckled softly. “Planets, huh? Sounds like fun.” As Mara placed a plate in front of Claire, Diego spoke up suddenly, his voice quiet but sure. “I can take Claire to school today, if that’s all right.” Both Mara and Thomas looked up, a bit surprised. “You?” Mara asked, blinking. “Are you sure you know the way?” Before Diego could reply, Claire jumped in, her excitement bubbling over. “Don’t worry, Mummy! I’ll show Uncle Liam! I know every turn!” Thomas smiled, setting down his mug. “Well, if you’re up for it, Liam, that would be a big help. Mara’s got errands this morning, and I’m heading to work early.” Diego nodded, offering a small, reassuring smile. “I’d like to. It’ll give me a chance to see a bit more of the town.” Mara hesitated a moment, then returned the smile. “All right. Just make sure she gets there safely.” Claire was already tugging at Diego’s hand. “Come on, Uncle Liam! We’re gonna be late!” “Hold on,” Mara laughed. “At least finish your juice first!” --- A few minutes later, they stepped outside into the cool morning breeze. The streets were alive with chatter, neighbors greeting one another, children laughing, cars humming past. Claire walked a few steps ahead, pointing out everything with unfiltered enthusiasm. “That’s the bakery Daddy likes! And over there, that’s where we get ice cream after school!” Diego smiled faintly. Every step beside her felt like stepping deeper into a life that was never meant to be his, a fragile world of sunlight and laughter that burned and soothed in equal measure. When they reached the school gate, Claire turned to him, her little hands gripping the straps of her backpack. “Uncle Liam, will you come pick me up too?” He crouched slightly, meeting her bright eyes. “If you want me to.” She nodded eagerly. “Promise?” “I promise.” The school bell rang, and Claire waved one last time before darting through the gate, disappearing into the sea of children. For a long moment, Diego stood there, watching her go. The breeze brushed past him, carrying warmth, and something faint beneath it. A whisper of danger. He turned slightly, scanning the nearby rooftops, but saw nothing. Still, his instincts stirred. Someone was watching. He exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing. “So it begins again,” he murmured under his breath. The pulse of blood, faint, distant, brushed against his senses once more. Three days. And the first was already slipping away.
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QUIET THINGS THAT DON'T BREAK
The room was too clean.Diego sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting flat on his thighs, spine straight the way Dominic had taught him. Even alone, his body held the posture. Control first. Always.The walls were pale stone, unmarred by decoration. No windows, only a recessed panel that adjusted light according to schedules he hadn’t chosen. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and metal, a neutral scent meant to calm, to erase.It didn’t.Something inside him kept reaching—then stopping short, like fingers brushing glass.He closed his eyes.Breathing in. Counting. Breathing out.It worked. Mostly.But memory didn’t listen to discipline.The Evans’ kitchen came back to him without warning, the clatter of a spoon dropped into a sink, the hum of an old refrigerator that complained more than it cooled. The way the floor creaked near the back door. The smell of burnt toast on mornings when no one was really paying attention.Claire’s laugh. Too loud. Too sudden. The way it burst o
UNLEASHED, NOT UNBOUND
Lewis stood at the edge of the chamber.The Underworld did not resemble a city so much as a body—layered, pulsing, alive in ways the surface could never understand. Sound traveled differently here. So did fear.The feral vampires waited.They filled every level of the space, gathered on iron walkways and concrete ledges, crouched in shadows and open corridors alike. Hundreds of them. Some old enough to remember the Monaghan name before it meant domination. Others so recently turned that their hunger still outpaced their thoughts.None of them moved.Lewis had broken that instinct out of them months ago.“Dominic will respond,” the Unknown Man said. “He always does.”Lewis didn’t look at him. His attention remained fixed on the central display—a map not of streets, but of influence. Territory. Lines of obedience glowing faintly across the city.“Of course he will,” Lewis said. “That’s the point.”He stepped forward, boots echoing once. The ferals reacted instantly—backs straightening,
DEAD ZONES
The call came in just before sunrise.Detective Mira Alvarez was already awake, sitting at the small kitchen table in her apartment, coffee untouched, files spread out like a losing hand. She’d stopped pretending sleep was an option weeks ago. Not since the bodies started turning up wrong.Her phone buzzed.She didn’t look at the screen before answering.“Alvarez.”“We’ve got another one,” dispatch said. “Warehouse district. Dockside. You’re closest.”Mira closed her eyes for half a second.“On my way.”The warehouse smelled like iron and salt and something sour that didn’t belong near water.Police lights painted the corrugated metal walls red and blue, but the colors didn’t warm the place. They never did anymore. Too many scenes like this. Too many nights where the city felt hollowed out.Detective James Rowan ducked under the tape as Mira approached.“You’re late,” he said.“You’re early,” she replied.He handed her gloves. “You’re not going to like this one.”She put them on anyw
BLIND ANGLES
The city kept moving.People crossed streets. Trains ran on time. Screens flashed headlines that meant nothing to the ones who mattered. Routine wrapped itself around the city like armor, convincing everyone that structure meant safety.Dominic Monaghan returned to his study without a word to anyone. The door sealed behind him with a muted click, shutting out the rest of the mansion.Raphael’s voice still lingered in his mind—not loud, not threatening.Worse.Certain.Dominic set his phone down slowly as systems recalibrated around him. Security feeds shifted. Patrol routes updated. Surveillance priority lists reordered themselves in quiet obedience. Names surfaced on internal displays—old ones. Forgotten ones.Blood that believed it was owed something.“Find him,” Dominic said quietly into the room. “I don’t care where he’s been hiding.”The system acknowledged at once.Raphael had always been dangerous—not because he was reckless, but because he understood restraint. Because he kn
GATHERING PRESSURE
The city kept moving.People crossed streets. Trains ran on time. Screens flashed headlines that meant nothing to the ones who mattered.Dominic Monaghan returned to his study without a word to anyone.The door sealed behind him with a muted click.Raphael’s voice still lingered in his mind—not loud, not threatening. Worse.Certain.Dominic set his phone down slowly, eyes narrowing as systems recalibrated around him. Security feeds shifted. Patrol routes updated. Names surfaced on internal lists—old ones. Forgotten ones.Blood that believed it was owed something.“Find him,” Dominic said quietly into the room. “I don’t care where he’s been hiding.”The system acknowledged.Raphael had always been dangerous—not because he was reckless, but because he understood restraint. Because he knew when not to move.And now he had.Dominic’s jaw tightened.Too many pressure points were activating at once.That never happened by accident.Leo stood alone in the main hall long after Dominic disapp
PRESSURE POINTS
Morning crept into the city like a cautious intruder.Not sunlight—movement.Traffic resumed in careful waves. Office lights flickered on floor by floor. People stepped back into routines they trusted would protect them. The illusion of normalcy slid into place with practiced ease.From the upper level of the Monaghan mansion, Dominic Monaghan watched it all unfold.The glass walls of his private observation gallery reflected the city back at itself—orderly, structured, obedient. From here, the streets looked like arteries feeding a body he had built and maintained for decades.Alive because he allowed it to be.“Status,” Dominic said without turning.Behind him, screens adjusted instantly. Data flowed—security reports, financial movements, internal communications. Nothing alarming. Nothing obvious.That, more than anything, irritated him.“All systems operational,” a voice replied through the wall interface. “No breaches. No external threats detected.”Dominic clasped his hands beh
