The Nightwalker

The Archives

 "*SNARL*"
"Loki, What the fuck is that thing?!" I stumbled backwards. Loki takes a defensive stance. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have thrown that stone.
"That would be a feral! Get back!" he puts his hand in front of me. Pushing me only slightly behind him.
"*SNARL*"
"Loki, We need to help that woman!" I grabbed Loki's arm, I tried to get past Loki but he held me in place "Come on, We have to save her from that thing"
"We might be too late" Loki spoke. The feral growls, Low and guttural as it drops the woman from its grasp and rushes at us.
"*SNARL*"
"That thing is fast as fuck!!" It moves with an impossible speed, bounding across the park and using the moment, It ends up knocking Loki a few feet away. I take my eye off the nasty-looking creature "Loki!" The creature jumps on me, Driving me down into the ground.
"Emily!" Loki yells out. The creature hunches over me, Its breath rank, Its mouth wide. Saliva drools from the side and fired a puddle next to my head. It smelt like my father's cooking. Or death. I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"*SNARL*" The creature tried to claw at me. I put my hand under its chin and clamp its mouth shut. I was taught to do that when I lived at my mother's. She ran a farm and we were regularly attacked by wolves.
"Dude, You need a mint" I tried to push the thing off but I was only human, I wasn't strong enough. Loki grabs it by the neck and jerks it off me.
"Get the fuck off her!" The feral spins on Loki, Slamming him into the ground! Its strength is so unreal. It snarls as it attacks Loki with pure rage "Emily, find a weapon!" Loki ordered as he punched it in the face. I quickly look around for anything that would be useful.
"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! What kills vamps?" I ran my hands over my head. Loki was struggling to hold the creature back. I then spot a large branch with a pointy end on the grass. I run to grab it "LOKI!" I toss the branch to Loki. His hand shoots out to catch it.
"Go to hell," He says as he drives the branch into the monster's chest, Impaling it deeply with the jagged point "Die!"
"Hhhhhhh!" The creature jerks back with a hideous screech. It sounds like a cat when its tail gets stood on. Its skin cracks and stiffens and turns a deathly grey. Its entire body crumbles into ash. Leaving nothing but silence and the beating of my racing heart. I dropped to the grass. Panting heavily. Loki leaps to his feet and rushed to my side.
"Emily? Are you okay?" his hands ran over my arms and my face.
"I'm fine. Are you?" I was remarkably calm. Even though my breathing was funny.
"Yes, no. Maybe. I don't know. Ask me when my heart calms down" I pant Loki pulls me into his arms and holds me close. he had one hand on my back and one in my hair. I leaned my head on his chest. I can feel the beating of his heart. I felt safe.
"How does a vampire have a heartbeat?" Vampires can be so confusing.
"You're okay. you're fine. You're alive" Loki whispered. It was like he was trying to convince himself. I can feel myself calming down, one breath at a time.
"Thank you, For what you did," I said as I pulled away.
"It was my pleasure" Loki nods. He lingers for a moment "We should check on that woman" I nod.

We hurry over to the woman on the park bench. She wasn't moving.
"Is she dead?" I gulped. Loki feels her neck for a pulse.
"She has just fainted. She will be okay" he finally speaks. I let out a breath.
"Thank god. We should call 911" I placed a hand on my chest. My heart felt as if it was gonna thump right out of my chest.
"Yes, we should" Loki makes no move to pull out his phone.
"Do you need me to call them?" I offered.
"It's probably best if you call them" Loki replied. I nod as I dialled 911.
"Yes, we need paramedics in central park. A woman was just attacked on the path near the bandshell. She's on a bench. please hurry" I hung up the phone and faced Loki.
"What the hell was that thing?" I pointed to the dust pile "Do I need to give Blade a call? I think I have his number?" I ran a hand over my hair. Loki sighed.
"You do know he hunts my kind?" Loki folded his arms. Oh, I knew alright. I knew more than what people thought. I once visited Blade at his lair when I was working at Stark Industries. He makes the best chocolate cupcakes. Besides, Melody is Nick Fury's niece after all. We've seen some shit.
"And you should know that he is also part of your kind. Well, More like half your kind" I put my hand on my hips "What was that thing?"
"I suppose I owe you a bit more information"
"No, You think so?" I said sarcastically.
"Your sarcasm was noted"
"What was that decaying, stinky ass thing?" I point to the ash pile.
"That was a feral" Loki put his hands in his pockets and we walk back over to the dust pile.
"I know their name. You said that bit earlier. Are they vampires?"
"Sort of" Loki sighed. He does that an awful lot "Becoming a vampire is a risk in itself. If it goes wrong, you can become feral"
"Right," I tilted my head "What happens if it goes right?" I wanted to slap myself. Why did I ask that? I should know what happens, the results are right in front of me.
"If it works and you become a vampire, You need to join a clan and get branded with a mark that protects you from becoming ferals"
"So if they become normal vampires and have no clan, They can turn into grey bones" I point to the ash pile. Loki nods sadly "What's the brand look like?" Loki takes his jacket off and rolls up his sleeve and shows me the insignia burned into his wrist.
"Each brand is infused with the blood of its maker. It's hard to explain why it works but it does" Loki put his jacket back on.
"So this tattoo keeps you from becoming chompers over there?" I pointed at the ash with my thumb. Loki nods as he rolls down his sleeve. He doesn't put his jacket on, he just flings it over his shoulder.
"The ferals are mindless beasts. Driven by only their desire to feed and kill" Loki clenched his fists, His black hair draped over his face "Their bites don't just kill humans. They can kill vampires too"
"So if it bit you, You would have turned into one of them?" I got even more worried. Loki could have been killed because I was so stupid "I nearly got my boss killed"
"And you would be dead" Loki added.
"Are they the ones responsible for the attacks all over the city?" I looked towards the city.
"Someone is turning humans into vampires without the approval of the council" Loki took a deep breath in and then let it out "Clan leaders can only create a new vampire if it is replacing a vampire that has been killed and only with the vote of the council"
"Wow," I then put a hand on Loki's arm "Are you sure you are okay? Now I know a little more, I feel like I should be more worried"
"Emily, It takes more than a feral to put me down" Loki smiles. I hear sirens and the flashing lights of an ambulance.
"Oh good, They are here" I start to wave them down but Loki puts a hand on my shoulder.
"We must go" he spoke.
"I just want to make sure they find her" I didn't flinch from Loki's touch. How can someone who is technically dead, be so warm and soft?
"We can wait until they get closer but once they we will go. But it's important that I keep a low profile" Loki replied, looking over his shoulder.
"Business or personal reasons?" I raised an eyebrow. Was Loki embarrassed to be seen with me?
"A bit of both. Besides, we need you to get you to debriefing" Loki takes my arm and we slip away into the darkness as soon as we saw the paramedics run towards the woman.

He leads us to the other side of the park and we head to the MET. I gaze up in wonder at its impressive facade, The wide steps leading up to the arched entrances.
"Why are we here? This place is closed at this time at night"
"Not for us" Loki smiles as we move to a side entrance with a keypad. His hand hesitates near it "Do you mind?" He raised an eyebrow, Waiting for me to look away.
"Of course not" I spin around. I do take a sneaky peek and I spot Loki input some numbers out of the corner of my eye. 2683. The door swings open with a hiss and I step inside a part of the museum that I have never seen before.

Together, we stroll through the shelves. And I, being the big old nerd that I am, was fascinated by all the dusty books.
"What is this place?" I run my hand over the books.
"This is the place where the true history of the world" Loki beamed. We go around the corner to find a man in 18th clothing, eyeing me curiously.
"Emily, I would like to introduce you to Tyr, Keeper of the Archives" Tyr extends a hand to me.
"Uh.. hi" I take his hand and eagerly shake it. He looks a little confused at first but then he raises it to his lips and kisses it.
"An acquaintance of Loki's is always welcome here" Tyr bowed. He seems to be quite the gentleman.
"What kind of collection is down here?" I ask. Tyr twiddles his fingers together and looks rather amused.
"As Loki said, The true history of the world, Or should I say the bloodier side of history" Tyr smiled. His fangs peeked over the top of his lip.
"Oh so. Vampire history" I looked around "I really wanna read some of these books"
"Not exclusively. More of a complete history. I could share some highlights" He looks at Loki and he nods "For instance, We possess the guillotine blade that was used in the execution of Marie Antoinette"
"Was she a vampire?"
"Oh, no no, My dear. The blade belonged to a vampire that had a deep affection for beheading people. Till his untimely death a few years ago" Loki coughed in the background. Tyr rolled his eyes "As much as I would discuss more of history with you, Sulky pants over there is in a rush. sunrise approaches"
"I take offence to sulky pants" Loki pouted. I giggledTyr looked at him over his small glasses.
"Loki, I presume that you have come for a debriefing?"
"We have indeed" Loki nodded. He didn't look right. It was like he didn't want to bring me here.
"All right then" Tyr puts his hands on either side of my head. His long fingers pressed against my temple.
"Urm, What the hell man?" I moved a little back but Tyr kept his hands firmly on my head. I could feel his fingertips warm up.
"No need fear, my dear, this is a simple process" Tyr closed his eyes. I yank my head away and take a step back.
"You won't feel a thing" Loki sighed. Tyr moves closer to me and I back away again.
"Before weirdo here touches me, Someone better fucking start explaining to me what the fuck is going on!" I moved again.
"A simple process of archiving your subconscious of the last 24 hours," Tyr spoke.
"You're going to wipe my memories?" My eyes went wide.
"Perceptive one, Aren't you? I can see my Loki picked you" Tyr smirked as Loki muttered something. I jerk away from Tyr's hands.
"I don't think so" I pushed the vampire's hands away as they reached for me.
"Give us a minute, Tyr" Loki spoke as he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side.

"Emily, You know my secret, our secrets. It's safer if you don't know"
"So you are doing this because wanna save your ass?" I folded my arms.
"We don't want to just protect our kind. It's also about protecting you" Loki hissed.
"So why share this evening with me, knowing it was only temporary?" I frowned.
"Mortality is temporary. One day, There will be nothing left but dust and bone, but you will still have lived you lived your life. And the act of living is what matters" Loki's face softened.
"It ain't that simple" I shook my head.
"Being part of my world is dangerous. What happened tonight was just the tip of the iceberg" Loki pinched his nose "Wiping your mind is my way of offering you the chance to go back to the life you lived before this. one that you were safe," Loki sighed. It was tempting. Very tempting "Do you consent?"
"Oh! So now you are asking for consent? you weren't going to beforehand" I glared at the stupid vampire. Loki looks at the ground. He mumbled something about saving my soul or something along those lines. As someone who doesn't give a damn about the afterlife, I don't care about my soul. Anyway, I am friends with Melody, my soul was corrupted long ago "Then no, I do not consent" I declined.
"I beg your pardon?" Loki looked confused. He looked at Tyr and Tyr shrugged. He then walked over to where Loki and I stood.
"Did I stutter?" I look at the vampires over my glasses.
"You surely cannot want to be part of my world"
"Okay, Ariel. Take a chill pill. I said no. I do not consent" I rolled my eyes as I took one step back. I knew what I wanted "This night is the most I have ever felt alive. Your world, Your kind. I'm excited to be a part of it. You asked me to let you know when I find that one moment when I'll just know what I am supposed to do. Where I need to be. This is my moment. I want to be your assistant" Loki raised an eyebrow. He seemed sceptical.
"Aren't you afraid?" Loki and Tyr both questioned. Again, I shook my head. Tyr crossed his arms.
"The only time, I have been afraid was when I first found out about you. When I thought you were gonna suck my blood" I rolled my eyes. I've worked for Tony Stark and SHIELD. It was on my resume, after all. I've met the HULK. Black Widow and her sister were scarier than these vampires "Loki, I want to help you figure out these feral attacks and how to stop them" Loki cocks his head to the side, his eyes seem to see right through me.
"Alright," Loki's shoulders drop. He seems to be relieved that I didn't want my memories altered.
"Really?" Tyr's hands drop to his side. I had the same thought "Why?"
"No one has ever chosen not to be debriefed before" Loki's lips twitched and he almost smiled "You can keep your memories" Tyr shakes his head.
"I fear this won't end well, my friend" Tyr replied.
"You could always debrief me at a later date. But it has to be on my terms" I raised my hand. Both of the vampires agreed "At least give me a chance. I won't let you down"
"Tyr, thank you for your help. We will see you soon" Loki shook Tyr's hand.
"A pleasure as always," Tyr said as he walked off. Bowing his head at me before the shadows consumed him. I waved him off.

"Time to go" Loki put his hands in his pockets.
"We gotta go already? This place is amazing!" I wave my hands around this place. Loki looks at his watch and then smiles at me.
"I could give you a small tour before the sun rises" Loki licked his lips "And I wouldn't say no to getting to know you better. Professionally, Or course"
"Let's go. I am not ready for this night to be over"
"You're not tired?" Loki led me down another corridor.
"Always was a night owl" I reminded him "Plus I am running on pure adrenaline, I couldn't sleep if I wanted to"
"Then we should get moving before it wears off" Loki offers me his arm and once I take it, We stroll deeper into the archives.

I follow Loki down an aisle and I stop in front of a display case which housed a long sword with a jewel-encrusted handle.
"Oooh shiny. What is it?" I tapped the glass.
"That would be the sword of Attila the Hun" Loki leant on the wall next to the glass case as he read of the plague.
"It's beautiful" I sighed.
"It is said that this sword gave Attila godly powers but it is just a sword. It's been tested a few times over history"
"Was he a vampire?"
"We are not entirely sure but Tyr believes he was some kind of other supernatural entity" Loki gestured to a mummified figure behind the case. It looked huge and almost wolf-like.
"What like a werewolf or something?" I wanted to put my hand on the thing. Loki looked impressed with my knowledge.
"Probably. There's no limit to what is out there when you look in the shadows" Loki winks at me before wandering off. I stumble after him.
"How do you know so much about this stuff?" I caught up with him.
"Being a creature of the night, I studied most of the artefacts here for decades. Not a lot to do at night. I can tell you about anything in this place" I raised an eyebrow at him and glance around.
"Let's test you out" I tapped my mouth with my finger. Loki leaned against the nearest bookcase "Tell me about... me?"
"You?" he tilted his head.
"you said anything in this place" Loki shakes his head but his lips turn into a smile "I'm in this place"
"You got me there. Alright, Let's see" Loki's eyes meet mine and we stare at each other for a moment "You're fierce and full of compassion and far braver than I ever expected" I could feel a blush on my face as I look away.
"You flatter me sir" I pretend to be caught off guard. When really, I wanted to turn into a puddle.
"Just telling you what I know"

We go down the next aisle, which is lined with bookshelves and I clear my throat.
"You know when you said that no one picked the other option, What about Hannah or the people in Hela's club" I ran my hand over the dusty shelves "Dusty. I think you should fire your maid"
"Those are people that we have chosen to be part of our circle. Ones that have been eased in the truth of our world" Loki explained "Normal people who find out the truth panic. Sometimes they beg for the release of forgetting"
"Is that what happened to your last assistant?" Loki stops walking. He glanced at me and sighs before looking away again.
"Not exactly. One of my rivals bribed her to break into my lap and steal some samples" Loki's aura changed. It was like he was feeling guilt or remorse "She stole a keycard to a lab out in Michigan. She had no idea what they were working on in there"
"What were they doing?" I had a bad feeling about this.
"Trying to find a cure for the feral" Loki looked at me. Okay not what I was expecting "She broke into the wrong lab. That one, Was the one where I kept the test subjects"
"A feral attacked her, didn't it?"
"She was saved but deeply traumatized" Loki looked a the ground "Debriefing her was... mercy" Loki falls silent as we started walking again.

"Loki, why did you let me keep my memories?" I asked as we got back to the man corridor. Loki was looking a little tired but it was getting closer to dawn so maybe that was what caused his tiredness "You could have made me lose them. Like, held me in place while Tyr did his thing.
"From the moment I saw you, I knew you were different" Loki just nodded. I smiled "And tonight you exceeded all my expectations"
"Not bad for my first day. I've seen things that would send most people running" I beamed.
"And yet you are still here. That would have been reason enough to give you a chance"
"Is there another reason?" I asked in a rather flirtatious manner. I lick my lips as Loki pauses. I tilt my head curiously. His eyes meet mine and he smiles. I put my hands behind my back.
"I also wasn't ready to say goodbye to you"
"Lucky me" I smiled as walked past Loki. I swear he sniffed my hair.

As we turn down another aisle, I catch sight of a dark, strange-looking coffin and it gives me an uneasy feeling. As if I was in a trance, I walk towards it but Loki stops me.
"Huh?" snapping out of my trance. Loki stares at the coffin, his jaw clenches "What is that thing?" A look of pain flashes across Loki's face before he looks away.
"That is none of our concern" He turns away. 

For a moment we walk in silence.
"Loki, Is everything all right?" I asked, picking up a round thing and then putting it back.
"Just a memory from the past. I supposed that I am still not quite ready to share my thoughts with someone" Loki shrugged.
"Loki, I want to be here for you" I put my hand on his forearm. I truly do mean what I say, I can't lie to this man, I feel like we have a connection.
"It's not even been 24 hours. You might not decide to stick around." Loki mumbles.
"And you were the one that said everything is temporary" Loki opens his mouth to retort but then decided not to.
"I suppose I did"
"I am here for you now. That's what matters" I nudge my boss's arm with my shoulder. Loki looks down at his watch and sighs.
"We should get going. It's almost sunrise"
"Thank you for showing me around"
"It was my pleasure" Loki offers me his arm with a grin before leading us out of the archives.

We step out of the sneaky entrance and out onto the quiet streets of New York City. Except for the occasional bird chirping and taxi speeding past. The sky glows as the sun is about to peek over the city.
"Dawn's breaking" Loki looked almost defeated.
"I can't believe I was up all night. Guess you're used to it" Finally, I fight back a yawn.
"I am. Not in the beginning. I hate nights. Tried all I could to stay up and watch the sun. Was always an early bird" Loki let out a yawn" And now I need sleep and must go and consider tonight's events" Loki rubs one of his eyes "Take care of yourself, Emily. Have a good weekend" I nod. I go to walk away. But Loki doesn't move. He just glances at the horizon, Wincing at the light.
"Do you wish you could stay?" I ask. Loki pauses, Thinking.
"I wish that we could go for a cup of coffee and feel the sun warming us. I wish I could walk with you through the park on a summer's day" He smiles sadly "I wish I could stay, But I can't" He takes a deep breath. Straightens up and shakes his head. He put a hand on my shoulder "Go home and rest up. I will see you at 8 pm on Monday"
"Night shifts from here on out?" I smirked. Loki offered me a half smile and tilted his head.
"Only if you want to be my assistant"
"8 pm Monday then" Loki smiles and then runs away with his vampiric speed. Disappearing around the corner.
"I wish I had that speed. Makes the commute to work a whole lot cheaper"

I finally made it back home. Melody was out cold on the sofa and would be till the afternoon. I drag my heavy body to my room and I change out of Hela's dress and into my lazy clothes. I fold the dress as carefully as I can.
"I will return this to Loki on Monday" I yawn. After I brush my teeth and put my phone on charge. I crawl into my bed and I crashed.

After god knows hours later, I was woken up by the sound of someone playing video games.
"So loud" I cover my head with my pillow. I look out the window. It was dark out "What time is it?" I grab my phone and see that it is 7:30 in the evening "Whoops, I slept all day"

I walk out of my room and saw that my roommate, Melody was killing zombies on ps5, her back to the sofa. Snacks were all around her and she was drinking vodka. Straight out of the bottle.
"Oh, I've got you now, You dumb fuck! Die, you son of bitch" Melody pressed the controller a bit too hard. I coughed "Hey Em"
"Hey, Are you okay Mel?" Melody doesn't look up. She just keeps killing zombies.
"Just die you walking ballsack!" she flicks her fingers loudly "Boom. Cockshot!"
"Mel! Is there a good fucking reason you need to have the volume all the way up?" I press my fingers to my temple. Melody finally looks up, Takes a swig of vodka. She looks sad.
"Want some?"
"No thanks. I still need breakfast" I declined as I walked to the kitchen, I was starving. I helped myself to a large bowl of cereal.
"I didn't mean to wake you. Blowing the zombie's heads off in surround sound makes me feel less depressed" Melody swigs the bottle as I sit next to her.
"Trouble with the Maria?" I say with a mouthful. I knew where this was going "Am I going to need to find my bat?"
"She broke up with me to get back together with her ex!" I put my bowl on the coffee table and hugged her. Forcing her head on my shoulder and she lets out a sniffle "Sorry, I'm a mess"
"Don't be. She's played you for some mug"
"I feel like a dam about to explode" Melody sighed deeply "I know she's a bitch but I liked her. A lot. She got me. It's not every day you meet someone who understands a good movie reference"
"I know" I nodded.
"Look, let me be a mopey cow and a zombie-killing mess tonight. I'll cheer up tomorrow"
"Maybe some sleep will help" I let Melody go and grab my food.
"Yeah, that makes sense" Melody wipes her nose on the back of her hand "Wanna kill some zombies with me?"
"Only if I can use the shotgun" I wolf down my food. 
"Yes! That's why you're my main girl!" Melody laughs as she grabs another controller.

The two of us laugh and kick back. Murdering zombie after zombie. We were having such fun that neither of us noticed that just across the street, On the fire escape, Burning in the darkness, Was a pair of glowing red eyes.