Beyond The Walls (NOW ON AMAZON!!!)

An Arrival

"Medic! I need a Medic!" Kitari's voice rang out in the hallway. She barged into the Clinic, although with Kitari it was a graceful action rather than a destructive one. "Hadley! Thank God it's you!"

Mileki followed behind her. In his arms was a young unconscious human, pale and with a chunk of his leg missing. Hadley directed Mileki to place the boy on the bed and began checking him over.

"Save him, please." Kitari implored.

Hadley looked at the wound on the boy's leg and then turned to Kitari.

"A vampire dog?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

She hadn't seen a vamp dog injury in decades.

"Thankfully it was just a dormant Norm, not a Venom or Hybrid," Kitari explained. "It must have gone dormant ages ago. Thelido was playing near some thick brush and didn't see it. He's usually careful. The most cautious of all my Progenies."

Hadley went back to the wound. It was a nasty bite and the dog had taken a lot of his blood, but the boy would live.

"The dog?" Hadley asked.

"I killed it," Mileki replied. "Again, Kitari, I'm so sorry. I was watching him the whole time, but I should have..."

Kitari cut him off. "Mileki, stop. I don't blame you. This was nothing but an unfortunate accident."

Kitari's voice was gentle, as it always was with her fledglings, especially Mileki, her first and the one who was almost always by her side. Hadley had grown to adore Kitari over the century. She was unlike any other vampire she knew. The most human. And the kindness of her fledglings was legendary. On Kitari's request, they had made it their business to be a constant presence at the Caves and the Compounds, ensuring the humans were always safe, usually from ghouls.

Hadley eventually found out that Kitari did this to keep a promise she'd made to Jamila a lifetime ago, which endeared Hadley to Kitari even more. In return, the humans protected the vampires during the day when they couldn't travel outside, making sure their homes and travel Waypoints weren't raided by ghouls so they could rest in peace until the sun set.

"At least it wasn't a Venom," Hadley commented.

"Venom dogs haven't been seen for close to a century," Kitari said. Her voice went an octave lower. "That still worries me. They disappeared into thin air, which I know is impossible. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for them to show up again, stronger and worse than before."

"Will Thelido be okay?" Mileki asked, bringing them back to the subject of the boy.

Hadley looked at him and smiled. She'd already closed the wound and administered a Hb booster and a little vampire blood – from Kitari's very own donated cache. He'd be up and running again in thick bushes in no time.

"I'll keep him for the night," Hadley said. "But he can come home as soon as tomorrow."

Mileki nodded, his eyes never leaving the boy. "I'll stay with him."

"Thank you, Hadley," Kitari said, before turning to Mileki and gently placing a hand on his arm. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

Hadley and Kitari walked out of the room.

"Hadley, how can I thank..." Kitari started saying before she was interrupted by a screech of excitement.

The six-year-old came racing down the hallway and launching herself at Hadley, who expertly grabbed her and hugged her close.

"Hello Tari," Hadley said, beaming at the little girl. She had iridescent blue eyes, like every other woman of Hadley's lineage. "You should be in bed."