"I said I could stop doing this for him, but how can I let a vampire roam the streets freely?" Aiden asks to himself while looking at his reflected eyes on the silver dagger he's holding.
It's obvious that being with Graham makes him happy, but can that satisfaction be compared with taking the life of merciless beasts who do nothing but bring affliction to humanity?
Even though he thinks the answer is yes, he wants to prove it. This way he would have some peace of mind in the future, at least.
Aiden looks at his phone to make sure there's still time for his attack. It would be extremely bad if the sun hid in the horizon before he fulfilled his objective.
Concluding that there's no risk of that happening, he cuts the skin of his exposed torso just enough to let a few drops of blood spill over him. He hisses in pain but ignores it as he starts walking with his wound barely hidden behind his hand, under the dark coat he's wearing.
He has been spying on a very young mechanic assistant who crossed his path around a week ago. Aiden was just one block away from his workplace when he saw the black-haired man hovering over the engine of a car nearby.
There was something about him that made him look like he didn't belong to this city, which is what caught Aiden's interest in the first place.
Deciding it was better to confirm his suspicion, the chef walked by the scene casually, instead of going straight to work.
He has learnt that a good way to find a potential vampire is to squeeze a clove of garlic between his hands and keep them in his pockets, unexposed.
While humans may never notice the smell, those dangerous creatures can identify it very well. However, since they won't clearly see any sort of threat or menace, they will try their best to ignore it.
After all, it turns out that touching a small amount of garlic is as deadly for them as a mild allergic reaction would be to a human.
Another false myth that the chef has proven is that the sunlight doesn't burn the vampires' skin. Sunny days only make those creatures weaker, as if they were just a very strong human with good reflexes.
All of these characteristics are almost imperceptible to the human eye. What Aiden actually looked for when walking next to the mechanic was any kind of response to the smell of his hands and, surprisingly, he got it.
Thanks to the quietness of the street, he could hear a low groan from the suspect right before a wrench slipped from his hands. This could have been mistaken with a normal expression of discomfort or an accident if Millers hadn't become an expert in identifying inhuman sounds.
Experienced vampires don't give up on their human facade that easily, which meant that he could be taken down in a simpler way than usual. For old vampires, Aiden would have had to set multiple traps and lure the creatures directly to them. This would require a huge amount of time and work because of how hard it could be to trick skilled bloodsuckers.
Aiden was majorly injured the last time he killed a vampire like that, who happened to have more than 70 years of existence. That situation was especially difficult not only because of his opponent's inhuman nature, but also because Millers was the only one who could see through the image he displayed of a charismatic actor. This forced him to take way more measures than usual to ensure not getting caught.
Newly transformed vampires, on the other hand, are easily tempted with blood and can't really control their actions when they sense it nearby. It's as if they had a beast inside them that could make them lose their reason just for the sake of tasting that red liquid.
Henceforth, all Aiden had to do was to induce his thirst and attack when he is the most vulnerable, when the beast is too immersed in the blood that nothing else matters to it. Fortunately for the mechanic, that was not the best place nor time for his death.
There were too many curious eyes looking, too many possible victims.
Instead, Aiden opted to wait and follow the man at any moment he could to figure out the best place to confront him. He has already done this before with another suspect, not caring if he had to cancel his plans with Graham in the process.
Millers has wondered on many occasions if his victims ever suspect that someone is keeping an eye on them. Their senses should be aware that there's something suspicious in seeing the same person in different locations. However, they have never been the prey, which would explain why their instinct is never to look out for potential hunters.
After days of contemplating the attack, the red-haired man has finally decided to approach him today with an open wound to catch his attention and play with his inexperienced way to control himself. According to his experience, this vampire should be less conscious of his actions if he came across a vulnerable, bruised human.
The location wasn't hard to pick. During his investigation, Aiden found out that there is an alley just a few houses away from the vampire's home, and that these streets are deserted at this hour because of how dangerous the area can be.
This also makes his excuse to approach the mechanic extremely believable.
"Please, help me" Millers says out loud, easily getting the attention of the black-haired male.
"What can I do for you?" he asks while keeping his head low. The metallic smell of blood filled his lungs since the moment he walked outside his house, and he hasn't been able to sense anything else so far.
It's evident that his mind struggles to say anything.
His human eyes see an injured person walking straight towards him, yet his vampiric side darkens that vision and highlights only the veins inside Aiden's body. All he can see is that red liquid that gives him power. His eyes focus on his heart and follow the blood that it pumps all the way to the wound on his torso.
"I was attacked by someone."
"Let me help", he replies with a crooked smile, showing a trace of the hell he holds within his eyes.
Before the chef has an opportunity to reply, he feels his body being roughly carried by the vampire. Due to the speed, he pictured himself as a leaf whose fall is controlled by the wind.
A few seconds later, Aiden is being pushed against a wall of an alley he had already identified around the area.
His heart pounds with fear but he's too used to it now. It will never stop being frightening to provoke an inhuman monster to kill him. However, he has learnt and trained to act appropriately even in the worst circumstances.
The vampire keeps his victim's body in place with one hand while he uncovers the wound with the other.
"Your blood is so sweet", he mutters after licking some of the red liquid on his warm skin. "You should have asked someone else to help you."
Taking advantage of the distraction, Millers kicks the vampire away with his right foot, being careful to land without hurting himself.
"No, I think I chose the correct one", he replies with a smirk, provoking more anger in his opponent while sneakily getting ready for his next move.
"I see you're not as naive as the others." With that, he decides to use the power every vampire has to manipulate a human into doing whatever they please.
Unfortunately for him, the sun hasn't set yet and the energy in his body is draining quickly because he hasn't drunk enough blood in the last few days.
"You're right. Unlike the others, I don't easily fall in the games you play. So don't make this harder than it should be. You know I'll kill you eventually."
"Who are you to defy a vampire?" He asks, his conscience starting to lose the inner battle with his thirst.
"Does it matter?"
When he realizes that his vampiric charms won't work on this victim, the mechanic starts looking for another way to kill the human, or to at least gain some time until the sun hides in the horizon.
That's when his red eyes focus on the dagger that now rests between Aiden's fingers.
"If you think that will stop me…"
Before the creature finishes his sentence, Millers takes a step forward and stabs him with the same weapon he used to cut himself.
The immortal was ready for that attack, which made him react quickly. The silver blade barely penetrates his clothes all the way to his hard skin before he steps back, causing nothing but a superficial cut over his chest. Aiden, however, had expected him to evade that first strike and is already swinging a syringe in the air to inject its yellow content anywhere into the vampire's body.
"What is that?" The black-haired man asks between whines of pain, trying to place his hand over the syringe to take it off but failing. It's as if he was being paralyzed by a force he can't control.
He doesn't get any reply. There's no need to hear an answer to your doubts when you're about to die.
Aiden knows that the vampire won't remain like a statue for too long. Thus, he picks up the dagger that had fallen from his now injured hand and stabs the creature on his heart a couple of times, right around the area where he had ripped his clothes previously.
With quick hands, he takes out the syringe and leaves it on the floor next to him before looking around the alley.
He had planned that he would fight the vampire between these tight walls. He didn't think the vampire would drag him to that exact place, but he had hoped he would. Otherwise, Aiden would have struggled to find everything he needed to finish the process of killing the creature.
The missing steps are the easiest part of the work, actually. Aiden has to pour garlic oil and alcohol, or any other flammable substance, over the immobilized body. Then, he just has to wait until the fire he ignites turns the vampire to ashes.
He would like to stay there, making sure that the red flames consume the monster entirely. Sadly, he knows he should take care of the wound he inflicted himself, and the pain on his hand caused by the vampire´s reaction to the dagger.
Therefore, he takes his belongings, buttons up his coat, and flees the scene with the feeling of satisfaction flooding his body.
Of course his hidden lesions hurt. Nevertheless, knowing that he saves innocent lives with every vampire he takes down is more than enough compensation for tempting death.
Wounds will heal eventually, and he has never minded the scars that accumulate on his skin after each encounter he has with death. They just serve him as reminders that he's saving lives.
Adrenaline runs out completely when Aiden is a block away from his house. He has taken the least busy route to avoid getting unwanted attention.
The real reason he likes keeping an austere lifestyle is because not many people seem to care about their surroundings after a long day at work. Everyone around him is too busy trying to find solutions to their own personal and financial problems, which allows him to walk unnoticed.
The pain from his injuries intensifies as he rushes inside his apartment complex and takes the empty stairs all the way to the fourth floor.
Even though the dagger didn't cut too deep into his skin, he can feel his cold shirt soaked with blood. Aiden starts feeling dizzy yet manages to open the door to his home and lock himself inside before dragging his feet towards the bathroom.
As he gets undressed and disinfects his wounds, he remembers how it felt to stab the paralyzed vampire. For a brief moment he believed that there were no more evil beings on Earth, that he had completely eradicated the darkness in the world.
Sadly, this contentment never lasts and will never be enough for him.
As his red blood mixes with the water that falls from the shower, he's reminded of that pair of eyes that looked at him with burning desire.
It's disgusting to think that those creatures find pleasure in taking a human life, and that their nature helps them roam the streets freely. This discomfort is the reason why he wants to get rid of them all. Aiden Millers isn't willing to share his world with soulless monsters.