The moon hung high in the sky, but only a portion of it's light fell on the small town below, as a heavy cloud loomed over the sky.
In the eastern part of the town, a building could be seen.
Unlike the other buildings, it's interior was lit, indicating that the occupants had yet to fall to the sweet embrace of sleep.
Two figures were illuminated by the lamp that sat on an old desk. Several shelves stacked with books bordered the wall.
The air was filled with the relaxing scent of old books.
In the shelves, several books unbefitting of a small house in a no-name town. To any knowledgeable person, this was baffling.
Evan sat on a grey desk in the side of the room beside the lamp. The yellow light from the lamp cast a long shadow spanning across the other side of the room. Several books were opened in front of Evan, and a large notebook rested on his hand, where he occasionally scribbled a few things down.
An older man stood beside him. He had a few gray hair on the side of his head and a pair of monocle which gave him a scholarly air. It was the bookkeeper. Aaron Hall, Evan's father, sat in front of a strange contraption. The device was a brown rectangular metal box. It had strange markings all over it's surface.
Aaron pondered over a few things while making a few sketches on a note pad on his hand.
The worked on in silence. Aaron suddenly looked up from the notepad.
"Did you hear that just now?"
"What?"
"Shhh." Aaron placed his index finger above his lips as a gesture for Evan to keep his voice low.
Evan strained his ears, yet he heard nothing. Everywhere was quiet. Eerily so.
Evan kept the book he was holding aside and looked around. All he could he was shelves with books stacked on them. The dark corners of the room, where the lamp light doesn't illuminate now looked 'strange'.
Aside from that, it was quiet.
The silence was unnerving. It was so silent that he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
Aaron discreetly rubbed the side of his monocle, but the act was performed naturally as if he was simply adjusting it.
Beneath the house, at its very foundation, a light glow spread, and a faint translucent spherical barrier surrounded the small house and a second thicker one surrounded the reading room.
Less than a minute later, Evan could hear a scream. It was faint. But he was positive that he wasn't mistaken. Several seconds later, he started hearing more screams. This time... it was closer.
A lot closer than the last one.
Bang
He heard a sound. It was dull akin to someone dropping a heavy book. It was followed by a sizzling sound.
Ssss
The sound reminded Evan of someone roasting meat. It was even accompanied by the smell of roosted meat.
Things were getting stranger by the minute.
'Was someone cooking meat this late?' Evan's puzzled gaze was met with his father's stoic face. Seeing that, he reserved his question for later.
Thud... Thud... Thud.
Ssss
It repeated with increasing intensity.
'This...?'
Evan slowly approached the window. Before he opened it, hestole a glance at his father. Seeing that he had no reaction, he slightly open the window. It was dark outside. Despite the moon that hung above, only a small portion of the light passed through the thick cloud.
Thud... Thud...
The noise continued. His gaze followed the source of the noise. His man mouth parted and his eyes widened.
"The Night Stalkers" Evan whispered.
There was three of them outside, banging on an invisible wall. That seemed to envelope there house. It seemed that the noise from outside was a bit muted. It must be the result of this barrier.
The Night Stalkers were nocturnal creatures. They stalk their preys - humans - using the darkness as cover. And strike like a trained assassin.
They are part-vampire.
Vampires expand or increase their population by giving birth. But their birth rate was very low. So the sought an alternative. They started conducting research. In this part, their long lifespan worked to their advantage. After several trial and error, they achieved a breakthrough.
They found a way to turn a human into one of them. This was the starting point off their dominance, and the spark of the Great War.
But this method wasn't entirely perfect. There was a chance for the ritual to fail, and when that happens there are two options. The first one was death.
The second option was turning into one of these things. The Night Stalkers.
The second one wasn't too far off the first. The night Stalkers always hunger for blood - human blood. This perpetual hunger drives them crazy. And once the taste it for the first time, there is no turning back.
Their memories, emotions, and their very humanity would be suppressed by the ever-present hunger.
Evan recalled what he had read about these creatures.
'Poor things.'
Evan closed the window and shut it tightly. Turning to look at his father, he saw him open a drawer from a hidden compartment.
He'd probably figured something out.
That was how he simply was always seeming to have solution to every single problem.
-----
Kazen's POV
Since I came to be, I was special. Unlike others, I managed to retain my life and l sanity. I couldn't retain my memories, though.
All I knew was my name – Kazen. Given to me by my maker. That was the only thing I had.
For I was thrown out by him, labeled as just another failure. Every single day, I struggled with the Madness - the hunger.
'I'm not a failure.' I refuse to be a failure. I was different, yes.
And I am going to take full advantage of that.
A night stalker that could reason. Who could have thought of that?
I found out I could communicate with my brethren. I utilized my superior mind to subdue them.
I created a following. Something unprecedented in history. Creatures that were extremely individualistic banded as a group. I believed my legend was just starting.
For 7 months, everything proceeded smoothly. The humans were in the dark about our existence.
We thought we were doing a good job keeping a low profile. That was until, they found us.
Through 'him', they forced us to do their dirty work. I initially refused but when he showed a few demonstrations.
I saw how powerless we truly were. So we accepted to do their bid. We had no other choice.
Every mission was extremely important. Our very survival depended on it.
I never wish for an encounter again with that man.
That was why I was a bit worried when I heared that a group of strong humans were blasting through our ranks.
'And what was that about a mana barrier? Seems fishy.'