Outlaws

Beginning of the End

Trey was a hawk. A scary one.

I had seen hawks before, how sharp their eyes were in the trees, and how easily they could catch prey. Trey was like that, a man who could kill the unthinkable.

Dad had called him to join us in his office, not too long after I accepted his offer to hunt down vampires. Two years of searching for my greatest desire had gone by and finally, the question arrived ever so gracefully to me. Why wouldn't I accept it?

Yet through the excitement pumping in my veins, a feeling of dread kept lurking around my stomach— making me feel sick as we waited for Trey to arrive.

Trey was James' Commander— the man who taught James how to kill a vampire, and how to act stronger than a bull in times of life or death. James was innocent before he met Trey and now he was a warrior ready to fend for his people.

Trey walked around me when he arrived— circling a few times— noticing every little thing about me. He was able to look inside and out, finding the deepest secrets that were locked in my mind— some of them I never wanted to find again.

"Have you seen vampires, Adam?" Trey asked, his voice deep like dad's but younger like James'.

"I have," I answered him— like I was a soldier about to go into battle.

"And you know how brutal they can be?"

"I do."

James stood in front of me, leaning up against the couch. His face was cold, which was not a huge surprise. He acted the same way whenever other soldiers were around.

"But have you really seen them, Adam?" Trey moved right in front of me, his eyes reaching into my soul. Like a true hawk.

"I saw them when they took my home from me and nearly killed my family."

My face wrinkled in disgust at my own answer. Trey was searching for the weak spots that would make me quiver. When I looked at dad, his head was to the ground. I sighed, wanting him to show some sign of care.

"He's not going to help you when you're bleeding out on the battlefield. So focus," Trey stated coldly, his body as still as stone. He was more of a statue than any of the other soldiers— he had been fighting for ages to protect the mighty castle grounds.

"What do you mean by that?" I demanded, Trey smiling at my concern.

"Grow up, kid. I'm not gonna let you cry if you get scared or want to go home. If anything happens to yourself or to the people you want to protect, that's on you. No one else."

Trey's smile was malicious as if the vampires had changed something inside of him. At first glance, Trey was simple. He was dirty and looked like he hadn't slept in years. And if he smiled, I thought it would be caring and sweet. But he was ruthless when you got to know him, and his smile was carved from a vampire's grin. A man hiding his true colors.

"I don't cry. And besides, I'm not a kid," I argued, wanting to take a step forward, but stopping myself when seeing James look to the ground.

Trey bumped my arm with his hand, chuckling to himself before mumbling, "You sure do look like one."

He began walking around me again. I glanced at James, his expression as I had guessed. Stone cold. The only sign he was alive was the sudden blinks he gave and the shrug of his shoulders. Other than that, he looked dead— with his breath light and silent in the small office.

I looked down at the arm Trey had bumped. The sleeve on my dark blue t-shirt wasn't long enough to cover my skinny limbs, allowing Trey to get an easy glimpse of me. I wasn't strong, but what did that matter? I could fire a gun if I needed to, and use any weapon if forced.