It was a cold winter's night in London. Snow was floating down onto the frigid concrete. The luminous street lights were casting their light, making the snow glisten and shimmer. The streets were busy. People buzzing about and conversing with each other as they shopped for Christmas gifts and toured the city.
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There was a small apartment building right next to a bakery. Every morning, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries filled the air and sent a pleasant vibe throughout the area.
In one of the apartments lived Mr. Arthur Ketch. He was a cheery businessman who worked at a billing company not too far away. He wasn't the biggest fan of his job, but nonetheless, always kept a good attitude. After all, he's doing it to care for his family.
Inside the apartment, Arthur and his family were sitting on the cozy couch.
His wife, Mrs. Madeline Ketch, was Arthur's most beloved person in the world, and together, their daughter, Laraine, was their pride and joy.
Madeline had short, curly, blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Laraine had darker hair, like her father. She was 5 years old at the time.
The entire family were all lounging on the couch, the TV casting flashing lights and playing quiet sounds in front of them in the dark room. Arthur laid facing forward, his feet crossed over the ottoman, and his arm around his wife, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. Laraine was laying on Madeline's lap, sound asleep.
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It was quiet. Relaxing. It was a moment in time that Arthur didn't get to enjoy often, as he was always busy with his profession. This was all he needed after a stressful day. This was perfect.
About 15 minutes later, at 12:26 am, Arthur's phone vibrated from his pocket. He shifted and slid his hand under himself to grab it. It was his boss. Steadily, he slid off of the couch, being as careful as he can to not disturb his sleeping daughter.
He gestured his wife that he'll be back soon, and tip-toed into the office. He picked up the phone.
"Arthur! I'm sorry it's so late." said the voice from the phone.
"That's alright. What do you need?" Arthur responded.
"Oh, I just wanted to check in and see if you got the information I sent you about the-"
The conversation didn't continue on for long. Arthur heard a scream. Without hesitation, he immediately dropped the phone and ran to the lounge.
There stood a mysterious man, wearing a long coat and leather gloves. he was firmly gripping onto Laraine's hair. Laraine was unconscious, and bleeding from her mouth. Madeline, on the other hand, was on the floor, her heart missing from her chest.
"Get the hell off of her!" Arthur screamed as he threw himself onto the intruder. He was on top of the figure, striking him again and again, but to no avail. The mysterious man then caught Arthur's right hand, and slowly bent it back into itself with some incredible unknown power. The man's mouth was open, and Arthur saw something he couldn't believe: Fangs.
He screamed in agony and fell to the floor, holding his weak and useless wrist and panting rapidly. He struggled and got to his feet. He looked up to see the man holding his daughter's head between his hands in a choke hold. He froze.
"Please..." He begged. "Let her go..."
There was no response from the intruder.
"I'll give you whatever you want. Just... Please." He pleaded.
All of a sudden, another person busts through the front door, wielding a gun, and wearing what looked like black tactical gear.
From then on, everything was in slow motion. Arthur panicked and frantically looked back and forth between the new stranger and his daughter.
Before the stranger could even lift a finger, the intruder flicked his wrists.
*crack*
He let go, and Laraine fell to the floor.
*thud*
Arthur screamed, his voice breaking, tears cascading down his face.
*BANG*
The stranger shot the intruder in the chest with a silenced gun, and he fell to the floor.
Arthur crawled towards his wife and daughter's lifeless bodies, sobbing. He held his daughter's head close to his face. Embracing it, moving her long, dark hair out of her face, and wiping the blood from her bottom lip.
The stranger slowly walked towards the intruder's body. Without saying a word, he began to drag it towards the door, ignoring the devastated husband and his deceased family.
Right before the stranger left with the body, he returned to where Arthur was kneeling. He placed a business card on the floor in front of him, and then left.
For hours, Arthur stayed in the lounge, rocking back and fourth, holding Laraine's head and singing. He was singing her favorite song, the one he would always sing to her when she had a nightmare:
"Hush now, don't cry" "Wipe away the teardrop from your eye" "You're lying safe in bed" "It was all a bad dream" "Spinning in your head" ... "I will be watching over you" "I am gonna help you see it through" "I will protect you in the night" "I am smiling next to you, in Silent Lucidity."
To them, it wasn't just a song. It was a promise. And Arthur felt as if he broke it.
He finished singing, and stayed there, silent. He raised his head, and stared at the card laying on the floor. It was now halfway soaked in blood. He reached and grabbed it, reading the print at the top.
"British Men of Letters. New Members Needed"
The fine print at the bottom read:
"Join us, and together, we can destroy those abominations. Once and for all."
That was enough. Arthur knew what he wanted to do now. He gripped the card tight, slowly stood up, picked up his phone from the office, and dialed the number on the card.
