The Dark Inheritance

The beasts are always lured to the pitch blackness which will conceal all their evil deeds. But that's also the perfect opportunity for hunters to lay out their baits. This moonless night was just the perfect opportunity. Asher Wilde was crouched behind a thick bush, unmoving but with all his senses on high alert. Every sound and movement, even from the rustling of leaves to the skittering of insects didn't escape his notice. From his experience, he could determine that the prey he had spotted at the bar some half an hour back would take this route. The guy had been cozying up to his victim for tonight… or more like his meal. From the bloodlust emanating from him, he assumed the guy wouldn't waste much time before luring the unsuspecting girl to her doom. His body tensed up in anticipation when he heard the scrunching of dried leaves beneath boots. A woman's giggle, slurry in her drunken state, floated over to him. He watched keenly as the couple came within view. The guy grabbed the woman and shoved her against a nearby tree, kissing her with abandon. To any onlooker, they would appear like a normal couple making out, but Asher could distinctly make out the way the guy's mouth steadily approached the woman's neck, his lips parting to reveal sharp fangs, poised at the ready to pierce his victim and drain her of all her blood. Vampires. Vile, evil creatures which lurked in the darkness of the night, injecting their lethal poison in unsuspecting victims. Just a single contact of their fangs with flesh and any human wouldn't be able to survive. Either they die or turn into a soulless, bloodsucking monster. Asher soundlessly rushed out of his hiding spot, his gun drawn. Within seconds he had already fired his specially prepared bullet straight into the bloodsucker's heart. The latter never knew what happened to him as he slowly crumbled to the ground. The woman blinked her hazy eyes at the fallen man, then slowly lifted her head to regard Asher. Her mouth opened to release a shriek, but he had already muffled all sounds from leaving her throat. The woman's terrified eyes glazed over, then she crumbled to the ground as well. The sleeping powder he had sprinkled on his glove before smothering her will also serve to erase her memories from before she lost consciousness. He glanced at the vampire's corpse which had already turned to ashes. All had been accomplished cleanly, without causing any disruptions… as per the rules laid out by the Vampire Hunters' Association. Then again, nothing less could be expected from one of their best fighters. After placing the woman on a bench in the park, he strolled off, finally letting himself relax as he enjoyed the cool night air. Instead of heading straight home, he veered towards the cemetery, a habit of his whenever he offed a vampire. He stood in front of the twin slabs of stone where his parents' names were inscribed. Yet another small revenge he had accomplished for their death. Even though the vampires who brutally slaughtered them had already been killed that same fateful night, it didn't feel enough. No matter how many more of those vile creatures he killed, it never satisfied him. He wouldn't rest until he had eradicated every single one of them. He pulled his hands into tight fists, firming his resolve. His efforts would need to be doubled from now on. No matter that he was incredibly strong right now, the foe's abilities far surpassed his. Especially those 'Elite' vampires who had mastered the art of perfectly blending in with humans. Pretending to be aristocrats when they were nothing but monsters! His hands shook with rage, but then a voice called out to him from behind, pulling him from his thoughts. "Asher! There you are!" Aria exclaimed as she rushed up to him. Her neck length brown hair billowed in the wind as she stopped a few feet from him. "What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded. "I'm here to see you, obviously! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" She chided, her thin lips pulled in a pout. "Luckily I know at least some of the usual places you hang out." He sighed in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you it's dangerous for you to be out on your own at this time. I know how to take care of myself so you don't need to look out for me every single time." He didn't want her to get hurt by one of his many enemies who also knew where to usually find him. Her pale green eyes displayed slight hurt at his words, but then she jutted up her chin in defiance. "If I don't look out for you, then who will? Because you obviously don't! My mother was also worried sick for you and asked me to look for you." He had been taking on more tasks for the Hunters' Association lately, so it's been getting more difficult to cover up his absence from Shelly, his foster mother. But if they kept inquiring into his whereabouts like they currently were, then it might cause a problem. Aria turned to look at my parents' tombstone, her expression morphing with sadness. "You still miss them a lot, huh?" "I always do." He replied curtly. "Come on, let's head back now." He then spun on his heels, briskly walking towards the cemetery's exit. "Wait for me!" She exclaimed, her boots scrunching against the gravel as she ran after him. "Seriously," she rambled on. "Why don't you ever open up? You're always doing your own stuff and I can never know what you're thinking. I'm worried about you, you know." He was only vaguely listening to her, but then something caught his eye and he halted his steps, his body freezing. "That's…" he mumbled, his gaze rapt on what appeared to be a woman lying unconscious on the ground. Immediately, his alert eyes darted around, but no matter how he scanned his surroundings, he couldn't detect the presence of anyone else. Aria gasped from next to him, mumbling a brief, "Oh my god," before darting to the woman's prone form. "Aria! Be careful!" He scolded, also rushing after her. He swore, this girl had no sense of danger whatsoever. As he approached the woman, his previously seemingly non-existent heart started stirring in his chest, confusing him. What the heck was going on. Then her face came into view and the organ thudded so strongly, he had to grip his chest. He blinked down at the exquisite face half hidden by wavy blonde hair. She appeared about his age, but there was no denying that she was extremely beautiful… maybe even the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. But it made no sense for him to react so strongly just for this reason. Aria had already kneeled down next to the girl and was closely examining her. "Be careful." he repeated as he also approached her. The closer he got, the more his heart went rampant in his chest, but he chose to ignore it. There was no telling if the girl was even still alive and the simple fact that she was lying unconscious in a cemetery was strange. "She's still alive." Aria rushed out. "But… I don't know if I'm doing this correctly, but I think her pulse is weak. Examining the girl closely, Asher determined that she was just a normal human. After learning about all the supernatural creatures which roamed this Earth, even those who weren't vampires, he could easily figure out if someone belonged to their category whenever he encountered him. But there were no such vibes coming from this girl. And she didn't seem to have been poisoned with vampire venom either. "We need to call an ambulance." Aria spoke on, immediately taking out her phone. Some ten minutes later, the graveyard was illuminated with the blinking ambulance lights. Asher watched closely as the frail-looking girl was placed on a stretcher and directed towards the vehicle. Every instinct inside him screamed for him to board the vehicle with her. It was like some part of him didn't want to be separated from her. But such a reaction made no sense, so he stamped down the desire. Besides, he was just a stranger. There was no way the paramedics would allow him to ride with her in the ambulance. Still, his heart quietly sizzled with longing as the vehicle rode off. "Should we head to the hospital as well to check if she makes it through?" Aria quietly asked from beside him. He glanced down at her. Normally he wouldn't bother checking on a stranger he had sent to the hospital. He'd done whatever he could and the rest wasn't of his concern. But he found himself mumbling his approval and heading towards the nearest public hospital. One hour later, he sat in the waiting room, a slight knot in his stomach as he waited for the girl's treatment to be over. Unexpectedly, her situation had turned critical and she was taken to the emergency room. He sighed wearily, wondering yet again what he was doing here, worrying about someone he didn't even know. His life mostly revolved around the Hunters' Association, so he normally tried to steer clear of other people. "You sure you don't wanna head home?" Aria asked as she appeared at the room's entrance. "I could remain behind and inform you if there are any changes in the girl's state." She was eyeing him closely, even curiously. It went without saying that she would notice his unusual behavior. "It's fine." He mumbled. "It's not like I have anything to do at home. I want to find out what the deal is with that girl. She's… suspicious." Aria huffed out a breath. "There's nothing strange about her situation. She has most probably been assaulted." Her eyes were tinged with sadness as she spoke on. "It's really heartbreaking to see this. And she's such a beautiful girl. The guys who did this to her are really the worst." He didn't share her opinion that the girl was a victim of an assault. She appeared mostly unscathed when they found her. Besides what was she doing in a graveyard of all places. All these made her extremely suspicious. It had to be for this reason he was so curious to hear her story. Aria sighed, then moved forward to sit next to him. "Here, I bought you some snacks." She said, handing him one of the bags she carried. "I'm sure you haven't even had dinner yet." He reluctantly reached for the item, but then the door to the emergency room opened and a doctor emerged from within. His eyes immediately landed on Asher and Aria. "Are you the patient's family?" He asked in a kind but professional voice. "We are the ones who found her unconscious and called an ambulance." Aria quickly replied, walking over to the middle-aged man. "We just wanted to know how she was doing." "I see…" the man replied with a small smile. "It is very kind of you." He then sighed wearily. "Unfortunately I do not have very good news." A small gasp escaped Aria's throat. "Don't tell that she's…" Asher also held his breath as he awaited the doctor's reply. "No," the man said reassuringly. "She's alive but her situation is still critical." "Her assault was that serious?" Aria asked. "We didn't find any injury on her when we saw her." The doctor gave her a strange look. "The young lady doesn't appear to have been assaulted. There weren't any bruises or physical shocks on her body." She frowned. "Then how come she's in danger?" "Well… it's a strange situation indeed, but no matter how we examined her, we couldn't find anything abnormal. Other than the fact that her heart rate is abnormally weak." "I see…" Aria mumbled pensively. "Then she fainted because she had a heart failure?" The doctor gave a helpless look. "Well, we couldn't detect any of the other usual symptoms of heart failure in her, but maybe her case is special." Asher's eyes had remained narrowed in suspicion as he listened to the explanation. As expected, there was something abnormal going on with that girl. "However," the doctor spoke on. "Because of her abnormal condition, there's nothing else we can do to help her. She's currently in a coma." "Oh my, that's terrible." Aria mumbled. "Can we see her?" "Of course. In the meantime, we'll contact the police so that we can find her family and inform them about the news." After mumbling their thanks to the doctor, Asher and Aria quietly entered the room where the girl lay strapped to several machines. Asher couldn't help once again marveling at her exquisite features. Full bright red lips which were a stark contrast against her pale skin and long thick lashes fanned out over her cheeks. He wondered what color her eyes would be. His eyes drifted to the faintly blinking monitor, a clear indication of her frail heart. Somehow, the thought of her dying unsettled him. He hoped she could make it through. Even though his always doubtful mind told him that he should be wary of this stranger who peculiarly appeared in front of of him.