Ember’s POVNot all heroes wear a cape or a well-ironed uniform. Not every position should be praised and hailed as a champion. The true heroes of this country are those who fought for justice. Heroes that held their hearts tighter than their guns and bloody thirst for death. But there is little to no recognition for these heroes, just one day of grief then it’s back to cheers. I have seen men saluting for the death of the country’s soldiers, including my father.He served the nation with justice in his pockets and used it as his bullet. He was hungry for every bit of morality he can find… but, funny, he himself has committed a lot of sins I can’t deny. He killed men too on many battlefields. No matter the sins of these men, they are still men. Just like how I killed men, dangerous men, for my city. I have been thinking about the idea of killing before I entered the academy. The thought of doing good by killing is never good. No matter how dangerous that individual is, killing is agai
Ember's POV“Those are my father’s reports to your father’s troops. Perhaps, your father and my father are quite acquainted because of this mission,” Raverine said and turned back to find something again in the cabinet. I picked the first letter, opened it, and saw a lot of scribbles. Raverine must’ve examined these already. I exhaled and read it carefully, while questions were still crashing in my mind like big waves wanting to be calmed. The letter began:To whom it May concern,I had a Dangerous Dream; I built a ship to an icy land where snow could almost cover anything. However, I found the lock. All I need is the key. You know that students aren’t allowed to hold the key, it’s always the teacher who should keep it. Then, I went to my old school, meet my old pals… we talked. I asked why you weren’t there. They said you’ll come tomorrow at six—morning—to fetch your daughter’s TOR. I am writing this letter so I can inform you that I’ll be waiting inside with the teacher. Ps: Tell y
Beep. Beep. Beep. Painful it must be to fight the poison crawling in his veins. It has been days since Pox was confined in Raverine’s guest room. I kept pinching his pinky, trying to see if he reacted to the pain. Raverine told me not to do it but I still kept pinching his skin to make him flinch awake. I watched him breathe. Slowly. Sharp and slow ones are in sync with the heart monitor. Raverine allowed me to see Pox and check on his condition while he checked on something, looking for something he said.I let out a sigh, if only I knew better about the things and events that are happening under this city’s skin. I lifted my gaze and realized that there was no window in this room. Now that I noticed, I scanned the whole room.Raverine is filthy rich, I thought to myself.He got more hospital equipment in his house better than some public hospitals. Did he get a lot of degrees that he was able to learn medical shits? Dracula must be living his days on Earth learning a lot. But with t
We got inside, Nella was still wary of our presence but she kept her composure calm. She acted as if she was welcoming two acquainted visitors but staying close to the kitchen knives. She knew what Raverine was, for sure. Raverine showed her the inhuman abilities of a vampire earlier outside the house. Nella must’ve known Minly enough… now that I know that she married the suspect of her death.The house was the opposite of its façade and surroundings. The inside was quite modern—smart locks and appliances, automated lights, and the design is very tech punk. Nella walked to the kitchen and we followed while scanning the whole space. Although the house has a lot of advanced features, it was kept in a way that welcomes subtle colors of warm love and familial feeling—something close to home. This must be their dream house—Minly Young and Nella Jeggins.Nella sniffed made Raverine and I look at each other, she must be holding back her tears. Raverine looked away and inserted both his hands
Nella pulled a gun under the kitchen island and pointed it at Skoteinó. Nella shifted her stance and pointed the gun at me when I tried to approach her. She then pointed it back to Raverine who was focused on Skoteinó. Nella kept shifting her aim from Raverine to Skoteinó, indecisive and terrified of what the two would do. I was freaking helpless in this situation. I can’t move or else Nella will shoot me. I can’t butt in between Raverine and Skoteinó or it will get worse than their taunting.All I could do was try to calm down Nella, her sudden actions may cause more trouble. Especially since only the two of us are humans, stuck in the middle of vampires. I was about to tell Nella to put it down and give it to me but…“Oh, poor you,” Skoteinó said, “Nella loves her food this much?” He turned his gaze back to Raverine. “Agust, can we talk for a while outside? I don’t want to harm these animals with their survival instincts kicking in. Look at that one there, starting to growl at me.”
When I entered his car, the car radio was playing at a low volume.“Turn it up,” I said to him and he did so. Then the news channel came up at last.“Good day, folks. For the headlines! JJ’s dropping the Atomic Bomb on Music Fest this July. JJ’s newest single will be played after a short break so stay tuned. Meanwhile, a woman’s body was found dead in a private property built within the forest. Authorities have identified the two suspects on the run. Authorities are gathering more information about the two as of now and they are hunting them down. Next up is the hottest music that pops.”Raverine explained everything to me about why Vorkuta and why ran away now. And I understood it now as we listened to the radio news. But there are things I have to consider; these are his impulsive actions. I am not going by that in an instant either. He made this decision because he feels the threat now. I am not afraid of my inevitable death but I am threatened by the fact that these people could g
I dropped the call and went around the convenience store to grab some water, snacks, and soda cans. I went to the cashier to pay for it and saw some newspapers displayed near the counter. I checked the publication date and it was published yesterday so I picked one and paid for it. The cashier thanked me and gave me the paper bag. I said my thanks as well and flipped open the newspaper. The headlines were all about the upcoming elections, revealing who among the candidates has a higher chance of winning it. Like a gamble, elections can be tricked and all these candidates wants is to win. I caught my eye on the incident that got me into this mess but so far, there are no new reports about it.When I got out of the store, I bumped into a kid. He was holding a lollipop and a crumpled bill in his other hand. He apologized then rushed inside the convenience store. I walked back to the car and Raverine opened the door for me. I threw the paper bag on the backseat and settled down back in th
I woke up when the road got bumpy. I looked out and saw some sheep, cattle, and goats grazing on the open meadows. Grasses are greener in these pastures. Some of the animals raised their head to look at the car passing by their land. They look at us like some alien invaders trespassing on their peace.I stretched my body a little bit and combed my hair using my hands. I turned my head towards Raverine who was silently driving the car. I heaved out a sigh. I want to drive the car so he could take a nap but he hasn’t told me where we are headed to. I leaned my head on the car window and looked out to the road.Huh, this road looks familiar, or rather, the atmosphere that I am feeling, the shape of the trees, and the landscape—all of it seems like a blurred memory, fading into the deepest corner of my mind. No matter, it feels nostalgic to see this kind of view. I miss my hometown where I learned that simple things have greater value. The land where we usually play almost looks like the