Angels of the Land

Chapter 2- The Shadow

 A fire crackled in the fireplace, filling the cold room with a glowing warmth. Ever since Octavius had hit Alice, there had been tension in the air, so thick it could be cut with a butter knife. Ezra sat in front of the fire, worried. Octavius hadn't come home all day, and Ezra was nervous he'd gone out drinking again. He couldn't stay up too late tonight, he had school tomorrow. He cursed under his breath as he remembered it was Sunday, standing up from the fire and grabbing his jacket and scarf. It was quite cold out, with ice covering the sidewalks and roads, waiting for an unsuspecting driver to slide over it, or a pedestrian to step on it in just the wrong way and break their ankle. Deep down, Ezra hoped Octavius had slipped and broken his neck.

He shook the thought and found his mom in the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea. "Hey, Mom. You doing okay?"

She smiled at him sadly. "Yes. Thank you for being concerned." She paused. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Just to eat."

A sick look crossed Alice's face, but she swallowed her thoughts and smiled. "Alright. Be back soon. It's getting dark and I don't want you getting hurt."

He smiled and started for the door. "I will. I love you."

"I love you, too," she called from the kitchen.

The air outside was cold as ice— which makes sense since there was ice everywhere. The only thing Ezra hated about winter was the lack of people outside in Sturlden during this time. Most people were inside, sipping hot chocolate with their families, or doing something that didn't involve freezing everything off in the cold. Ezra himself loved the winter; the cool snow that powdered the ground in perfect sheets, the hot chocolate his mom only made around Christmas, and all the sledding and snow tubing and ice skating. It was all just so perfect to him.

But his favorite thing about winter was how the warmth of blood contrasted with the cold of the air around him. He loved how it warmed him up, more than the hot chocolate ever could. He licked his lips at the thought of that sweet, crimson warmth, his fangs starting to protrude at the image of food. Just as his fangs fully elongated, a tall, broad-shouldered man in a suit started to approach, talking on the phone with someone. Ezra narrowed his eyes, focusing on the man. The scent of his blood danced through the air, filling Ezra's nostrils with that faint, sweet smell.

As the man grew closer, Ezra readied himself to attack. He counted the steps. A few more seconds passed, and time seemed to slow as Ezra threw himself onto the man, sinking his pearly fangs into his neck immediately. The man yelped and dropped his phone, which landed quietly on the snow-covered sidewalk. As the slick blood slid down his throat, he shut his eyes, ignoring the struggles of the man. He shouted and tried to shove Ezra away but to no avail. Ezra drank quickly, starving and not wanting to give him the chance to escape. It felt like only a few seconds later the man was completely drained, and Ezra dropped him to the ground with a thud. On the other end of the phone, a worried voice called the man's name. "Vance? Are you still there? Is everything okay? Hello?"

Ezra sighed and grabbed the phone, hanging up the call with a shaking hand. It was freezing outside, and he was regretting not wearing gloves. He shoved his hands in his pockets, slowly making his way home, savoring the sweet flavor of blood in his mouth.

The wind blew hard outside as he sat in bed, reading a small book he found underneath his bed. He vaguely remembered the book, reading it in elementary school every chance he got. He was always known for being a smart kid. Every time you looked at him, you could find him at his desk with his nose in a book when he was at school. Across the room, his snakes slithered around in their cage, flicking their little tongues. Ezra simpered and walked over to the cage. "You guys must be hungry."