"Shall we meet in Egypt?" I asked, watching Jane get dressed. She was pulling on a sweater and was already prepared to leave. I figured it was time for me to go too; the city was already greeting the dawn.
"Mhm," she nodded. "As we agreed. Abu Simbel, Paarm Hotel. I'll be waiting for you there the day after tomorrow."
Nodding and giving her one last glance, I slipped into speed and darted back to my place. Brightburn was waking up, and all I could do was try not to get spotted by people. Fortunately, my speed allowed me to be invisible to ordinary folks, and my thoughts kept drifting back to that night.
The price I was willing to pay to help this girl seemed steep at first glance, but when you considered her words about the danger of the Mist, it felt fair. At least, it seemed fair to me. Yes, it was fair…
Jane's explanation of all the intricacies lasted several hours, but I grasped the main points. The city was an anomalous place in modern-day Egypt, a literal underground city. I had no idea how that was possible, given it was buried under the sands, but it wasn't my place to ponder that. Why?
My thoughts blurred. What was I thinking about? Oh, right…
The key point was that the known danger lay in the terrifying creatures that inhabited the place. According to Jane, Helios had tried throughout its history to tame the City in the Mist but had never succeeded, and for the past hundred-plus years, they had abandoned attempts to eliminate the threat. The creatures that killed anyone who entered the city's territory always stayed within its borders, and the guards posted there stopped anyone who wandered in. This arrangement suited everyone. At least, it was supposed to, but Jane's father had somehow ended up there. She didn't explain how it happened, but I sensed some mystery and betrayal in it. Not pressing her further, I let the topic drop. Why?
All that mattered to me was the description of the threat and how dangerous it was to me. Judging by her words, it didn't seem that terrifying. Some dogs, upright-walking creatures, and spiders. Her account was brief and lacked detail, as those who survived encounters with the city's creatures didn't live long afterward, mysteriously going mad and taking their own lives.
Nothing special. Sure…
Thankfully, I was assured the trip would be short. One crucial aspect of our search was my new acquaintance's sense of smell. According to her, she had tracked me down solely because of my scent, which was strong on that plane. "How come others from Helios didn't find me then?" I had asked, to which she replied that she was special. Scents fade quickly, and only because of her racial trait was she able to hold onto my trail for so long.
Good grief, if there are different breeds of werewolves out there, I wouldn't be surprised, I thought at the time. She then told me a legend about werewolves and vampires, about two brothers, Abel and Cain. According to her, the legend wasn't to be taken too seriously, but it made for an interesting conversation topic. The legend said Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve, born after their expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Book of Genesis). The Bible states that when both brothers offered sacrifices to God, Abel's was accepted, while Cain's was rejected. Out of jealousy and envy, Cain killed his brother, becoming the first murderer in human history.
He became the first Vampire.
According to Jane, God was furious and cursed Adam's son, condemning him to live eternally, drinking the blood of his children and brothers while losing his mind. Meaning humans, as I understood it. As for his brother Abel, God resurrected him, turning him into a hunter of vampires.
A Werewolf.
According to Jane, werewolf lore held that their ancestor eternally chased his bloodsucking brother as he leapt from world to world, spawning new broods of vampires, just as Abel spawned packs of werewolves, killing Cain's children along the way. Once, Jane said, Abel visited our world in pursuit of his brother, leaving behind a few packs that became the founders of werewolf bloodlines in our world. Thus, since ancient times, there had been elder bloodlines, and Jane was the last of the Black Werewolf line, the last of the elder blood. Her, let's say, aristocratic lineage was one of the weakest, but it still existed; sadly, her entire family was dead, leaving her as the last of her kind.
The other werewolves were indeed creatures, as I had thought when I first heard of werewolves that devoured humans. But in the past, a thousand years ago, there were many elder bloodlines, noble and great, but unfortunately, a war in the 14th century caused them to degenerate into lesser creatures that couldn't control their hunger or behavior, or simply vanish. Full moons and silver killed them, weaknesses the elder lines didn't have, and mental instability was common. They were beasts, and Jane, by her own account, had already killed nearly a hundred of her kind worldwide. As the last of an elder bloodline, she felt responsible for her lesser kin and tried to help them somehow. But she wasn't always given a choice. She was far stronger than even the weakest of the lesser werewolves, who were themselves dozens of times stronger than humans, but even so, they attacked her, she said.
"What about vampires?" I asked, and the answer surprised me. According to her, Helios was more than half composed of blood-drinking creatures, but they, in her words, were like saintly dandelions compared to werewolves. They drank donor blood, ate regular food that somewhat satisfied their nutritional needs, and built families. Yes, as it turned out, vampires were a fully viable race, and they had children. Astonishing. She also told me, with a laugh, about a tale that circulated in Helios's training academies about the son of Cain, the last of the Tepes lineage. Surprisingly, he was an archivist for the organization and the last high vampire in this world, waking once every hundred years to record all the data from the past century before going back to sleep. This intrigued me, and I asked how long vampires lived, as Tori wasn't getting any younger, and the years were passing. I wanted to give her more than just one troubled kid.
Vampires, as it turned out, could live a long time, a very long time. The oldest one she knew of was about three thousand years old and spent his time merrily killing the creatures the organization hunted. He was the most effective hunter in the past five hundred years and, according to Jane, the kindest-hearted vampire. It was hard to believe, but fine. The conversation continued, and vampirism piqued my interest.
The werewolf hunter shared a lot and told me many fascinating things about the world. She also asked me gentle questions, and I didn't hide anything, admitting I didn't know where my powers came from or what race I was. We both understood I wasn't human, but my origins remained a mystery, which pleased me. According to her, Helios had so many theories about me and my powers that they could fill a hangar with all the papers written by their specialists. Scientists were tripping over themselves trying to find a way to deal with me, but alas, no one had any solid ideas. Magic, Jane said, had left our world hundreds of years ago, and the last Archmage died long ago, while the remaining lesser mages dwindled over time. Now, only charlatans and lunatics dabbled in anything magical. So magic was out of the question. Other means were barely effective even against the creatures on the planet, let alone stopping me.
The life energy used by operatives to eliminate creatures was merely an enhancer and far less effective. According to Jane, the strongest in Helios could flip a Boeing or kill an ordinary human with a flick of their finger, but everyone had seen what I was capable of. I knew they weren't my match, but I couldn't afford to relax. Interesting power, this life energy.
You shouldn't underestimate an unknown potential adversary. I hadn't had any direct run-ins with Helios, but with Jane's arrival, that might change, as they hadn't helped their operative, but I would. Perhaps this would be the tipping point that drives a wedge, but frankly, I didn't care. The price for this was worth it.
But what was it? I can't recall…
Oh well, pushing the thoughts aside, I'd analyze everything said that night later and looked around. Everything froze as usual. I left the hotel and immediately felt the fresh, slightly cold air, as if it hadn't yet warmed up. It was morning in Brightburn, and I knew the day would be as quiet as every day in this city. Hardly anyone was on the streets early in the morning, and if you did meet someone, they looked at you as if they'd seen you a hundred times before. They didn't really look, but it was like they knew you were there, that you belonged.
I stretched, breathing in the cold air and trying to focus. Breathing was easy, but my thoughts wouldn't let go. Brightburn was calm, almost too calm. Sometimes it felt like this city was more than just a place on a map. Everything here repeated, everything seemed to freeze in some strange, motionless harmony. The people, the houses, the streets—everything in this city was like it was on pause, refusing to allow change.
I stopped by the shop on the corner—it always smelled of old books and magazines, and sometimes fresh bread if you were lucky. It was a small toy shop where Caitlin was always trying to find something cool, but there was never anything interesting. It was all for little kids, yet she still found it fascinating. Everything in Brightburn was so… calm and unremarkable.
I passed by the school. It was probably empty now since classes hadn't started yet, but I couldn't help noticing it—the old building that always looked like it was frozen in time. It had been renovated, sure, but I'd seen it from the inside. I thought about going to meet some friends—after all, I'd lived here for years—but they were probably still asleep, as usual. We were all like that here, all the same—loved sleeping in and weren't shy about it. Everything in this city was like nothing ever changed. Sometimes it even got boring. Everyone here was so quiet, so old, so… calm. Even that guy who rode a skateboard—he was a teenager, but somehow seemed like an old man. I doubt other cities had guys like that.
I walked past the spot I remembered, the big tree in the center of the park—Caitlin and I always loved it because its branches were so thick you could hide under them from the rain. Though it didn't rain here often. Summers were hot, winters cold, but in a different way. The tree was like an old friend, quietly standing in the center of the park, watching everything happen. I approached it and immediately caught that familiar smell—a mix of bark and fresh air. Its branches, despite their age, were sturdy and reliable, ready to shield from rain or wind. There was always a secluded spot under it where you could be alone with your thoughts, like when I sat there with Caitlin sometimes. Everything was so measured that even if you didn't look at a clock, you knew time was moving slowly. Sometimes, sitting there with my friend, I'd look up and just not think about anything.
As I passed the old movie theater, I thought it looked odd. Completely abandoned. But when you were born and raised in a town like this, you started thinking that was normal. Even if something didn't work, it still felt like it belonged. We were all used to things like that—everything was ours, local. Even if everything around was old and not particularly pretty, it was still home. Maybe because in Brightburn, you saw the same faces, the same places. And when evening came, and the streets emptied, it felt like the city itself was alive, breathing with you as you walked home. I often returned home thinking I'd never leave this place. It was all mine. Sure, maybe boring, but I was used to it. In Brightburn, you were always part of something, even if no one really paid attention to you.
Oh well. Everything I needed in this city was always close by.
Melancholically peering through walls, I watched the city wake up. Some man was already putting on a suit, some grandma was making pancakes. Everything was so peaceful, so quiet. I liked it. This calm atmosphere, after a life like a war and more, was like fresh air after a stuffy room. It dazzled with its purity and freshness.
Strolling through the city, I calmly reached my house, jumped to the window, opened it, and, shedding my clothes, softly floated toward my bed. Ahh, delightful. Such softness.
Knock-knock.
"Brandon, sweetie, are you awake?" Tori's head peeking from behind the door made me smile.
"Yeah, Mom, I'll get dressed."
"I'm waiting for you, come down for breakfast." Blowing me a kiss, she headed to the kitchen.
I love this life.