Late Nights

The walkway was crowded with overgrown bushes and fallen timbers. I sighed and sat down on the bench, placing my elbows on my knees and watching the flickering street light. I breathed again and rolled my sleeves up and unbuttoned the top of my nice shirt to give me room to breathe. I stood back up and unsheathe my swords, twirling them around my wrists, and spinning causing flashes of light to bounce into the air from the flickering light pole just a few feet away. I sighed deeply, and let myself go, and the next couple of minutes were composed of flashes of light, and the hum of the blood in my ears, and then my arms prickling with the sweat on my arms, quick drying my arm hairs in rigid formations. I stopped with another deep breath and collapsed onto the support of my swords digging into the ground.

James strolled down a dark pathway nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets and a grin on his face. Rarely would you ever see him in a different state, the boy was a walking clown. Quietly, he hummed along to a song he had heard at the passing bar, where he had been unfortunately kicked out for being underage. You never know until you try, eh? Noticing the man further down the walkway, and his swords, James' steps slowed. Cautiously, he approached him and took notice of his staggered appearance. "Hey man, you alright?"

I spun around on spot my swords at the ready, now matter how tired I was my posture snapped to attention and hardened as I eyed the guy ahead of me. I gave a dimpled smile and stood up, my sheathing my swords at my sides, the blades pointing up as normal. I shrugged as a reply. My first cursory glance hadn't revealed much, so i gave a longer look. I could see he was about my height with medium length brown hair. In the flickering light of the street lamp I could tell he had green eyes, several tattoos. He was dressed in the casual style of most people, which outlined his muscular structure, of which my eye couldn't help but notice and trace. "I'm fine, just working off some steam. I'm Oliver, It's nice to meet you", I said with another smile and an out stretched hand.

James reached forward, relaxing at his friendly tone and shook his hand. "James," he replied, "the pleasure is mine." He took a step back after they had exchanged greetings and took a second to look him over. He had great style, and was definitely his type. James cracked a wicked grin, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Cool swords. What're you hunting?" he asked, running his teeth over his bottom lip. He wasn't a stranger to hunters, he knew one when he saw one. However, this guy didn't look like he was hunting him.

"I... I dont hunt. I Protect, you know? My parents were killed by Vampires, and then the Hunters that the banded with contacted me around the same time I was going to run away from the Orphanage. since I didnt have any place with warmth and food I went to them. Sure they taught me to hunt. To kill. but only experience taught me that Vampires aren't all bad. So I don't Hunt them because of Joe. He was the last vampire I ever killed for the banded order of my parents, they ordered me to do it, like I was just some pawn of theirs in a chess game. Anyways When I found Joe, I saw he was an 8 year old boy. But he only killed his kind, those who killed for no reason who were relentless. I asked the Order what to do, but they turned a blind eye on that fact. I let the kid go free, and found his murdered body on my doorstep the next dday. So I don't hunt them down, because they aren't monsters. But I protect everyone, me them, werewolves, I even have a halfway house for newbie vampires, so I can keep track of who they are, and who they feed on." I said shrugging my nice jacket over my blades in my back. I sat back down and gestured next to me for James to have a seat. "If you wanted the short answer, I hunt Vampires, but only the bad ones. but mostly the mindless Vampire hunters."

James nodded along to his story, his eyes lighting up at his strange explanation. "You are different." he finally said, taking a seat beside him. "I'm a werewolf, by the way. Don't worry, I don't bite." he joked. "Anyway, that's very noble of you. I admire your choices."

"You'd be the first. How did you become a werewolf? If you don't mind me asking. and thanks, its not always the easiest, especially when it comes to having to end one of the kids, it hurts me every time and I feel so sorry for them. But sometimes the impulse to kill while drinking is to strong for them to resist, and then I have to end them, most surrender themselves over in grief and regret. Others... others are more resistant" I say stroking a white line that starts between my thumb and fingers and disappears up my sleeve, "I've only had to kill few Wolves, most don't kill humans, but some do. It's like they have rabies or something, they don't even know who they are anymore." I stretch my arms, and pop my neck. I look over at James and smile. He just sat there relaxed, at ease. Even though I'm a killer, but I'm repenting for everyone's souls. I balance one hand on my knee the other on the back of the bench, and breathe through my nose keeping my heart rate under control. I know he can hear it, and it has been beating faster ever since he arrived. At first I blamed it on my exercise, but I know that's not it. Bu tI need to play it cool, keep my wits about me. I remember what happened last time anything of this sort happened to me, it ended in terrible pain for both of us. "but the sad thing is that I'm only human, and I'll die out before things change, and then everything will go back the way it was. But its really my fault, I've turned down several requests to be transformed into a vampire. The only reason I've only killed one other hunter is because he killed Joe. But no one comes around my area of town, and I'm one of the most notorious killers according to the Order, because everyone I help, has to end their previous life."

James exhaled through his nose and leaned back against the bench. "I was born into it." he said carefully, looking up at the night sky. "Both my parents were werewolves, and the transformations hit when I became mature. I know, we can be vicious at times. It really just depends on the upbringing and the personality." He glanced over at Oliver and smiled, his eyes glinting as he heard his heartbeat. However, he didn't say anything about it. Instead his eyes softened and he looked at him seriously. "You want to change the world, I'm guessing? Make an impact by protecting those who deserve to be?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Without waiting for an answer, James continued. "Why not take on apprentices? Perhaps teach them your thoughts and ways, that way someone can carry it on when you cannot."

I sighed "I could, but I have to keep the vampires separate from the werewolves because I tried that... it ended with a lot of graves, and then every hunter I bring over goes into automatic 'kill them all' thing. Which leaves me the only choice I have which is to kill them, so I don't have a war with the Order on my hands." I said looking over at James who wore a smile and soft green eyes. His tattoos were all tangled into one, yet had a separate simplicity that seemed to match his personality to the very core. "I'm not sure that I want to change the world, but just a life. If I can sit on my porch as an old man an know that I changed ones persons life then my mission was a success, and I could die happily. However, I don't see myself older and never know how to reply to those questions of 'where do you want to be in 10 years' because all I can really think of is Alive. Because in my line of work the future, hell... the tomorrow, isn't a promise. So I don't plan on wasting it on changing the world, but on living life. It just turns out that I live life to help others live theirs." I leaned forward resting my head in my hands and my elbows on my knees, trying to push away the human thoughts of insecurities because I didn't have time to be a normal teenage human.

James nodded. "I understand." he mumbled quietly, folding his arms in his lap. "You know, I've never met anyone quite like you, Oliver."

Oli watched as James folded his hands. His smiles looked like a dark hollow cut across his face in the flicker of the light from the lamp. "Welcome to the club" was all that Oliver replied with, and then he hung his head. For most of his life he was the only strange kid on the block, the only one who was... as complex, as he seemed to be. He pushed the tip of his shoe into the ground and twisted it back and forth watching as the dust and dirt accumulated in a circle the size of his toe.

Sensing his crestfallen state, James threw his arm around Oliver's shoulder and grinned. "Hey, I like it." he told him heartily, giving his shoulders a playful shake. Suddenly, he stood up and offered him his hand. "I got a motorcycle back near the bar, want to take a ride?" Not waiting for a reply, James pulled him up and dragged him back through the streets, grinning and laughing quietly until his hoped on his motorcycle, waited til Oliver's arms were around him, and drove off.