The Story of Midnight

Chapter 37

"The joy of killing! the joy of seeing killing done - these are traits of the human race at large."
― Mark Twain, Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World 

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Night. The sound and smell of death is always sweetest at night. Darkness is your friend, helping to cover you from unwanted eyes.

My first victim was a Shade Army soldier. He was the captain of a group that the Commander sent out yesterday. He was easy to capture since he was patrolling around Shade.

To say he was terrified was an understatement when I brought him to a dark alley and slammed him forcefully against a wall.

"I—it's you. The demon," He managed to stutter out in his fear.

I tipped my head to the side and narrowed my eyes in curiosity.

"Why are you afraid now when you were ready to spill my blood yesterday?" I asked and casually laid my dagger at the side of his throat.

"You took me by surprise." He seethed, his anxiousness dissolving into hostility.

The beating of his heart told the truth.

"Interesting. You're not lying." I said slowly.

The waves showed his shift in emotion.

"Oh, there's that fear again." I laughed.

"I'm not afraid of you, demon." He said, voice steady despite his increasing dread.

"And why not?" I asked, inquisitive.

"Your kind killed my father. I became a soldier to end the life of every last one of your cursed clan." He spat.

"Ah, revenge. Have you actually killed any of my kind? Have you actually taken a life?"

My second sight said differently.

"Oh, you poor kid; you've never plunged that blade of yours into someone else."

I heard him gulp.

"That's the thing about the Army. They don't teach you how to kill someone."

I shifted my blade from his throat to the underside of his jaw.

His heart started beating too quickly.

"L-let me go. I-I don't want to die." He stuttered, his despair mixing with his voice.

I raised a brow.

"Begging for mercy now?"

I slammed his body against the wall again, a sudden burst of anger igniting within me.

"What about my life? I don't want to die, but you're making that decision for me anyway!"

The sound of nocturnal animals filled the silence.

"Why do we fear death? We all die anyway." I said, pushing my blade a bit deeper. "I could let you live. You would dedicate your life to ending mine, but that takes too long."

"Then just do it!" He shouted. I would find amusement in his expression if I could see.

"That's more like it," A gleeful smile graced my lips. "Maybe you'll see me and your father in Hell."

I plunged the dagger upwards, his struggle to voice his pain made something flutter in my chest.

His warm blood flowed down the blade into my hands. The captain's body fell to the ground when I retracted Haze from his jaw.

I gazed in wonder at the liquid I couldn't see, rubbing my fingers together to get a better feel of this strange substance that somehow keeps us alive.