Always Hate Me

1. A List of Names

Jordan stood with his back to the others, his feet on the edge of the roof. It was twilight and a hush had befallen the city. The vampires behind him were still as statues  – their intent gazes fixed on him.

"Everyone's holding their breath." Jordan commented - his voice devoid of feeling. He could feel it, the tension of an entire city as its populace struggled to fall asleep. There was a stir in the air and suddenly, Lucjan was standing at Jordan's side.

"We're in for a bloody night," Lucjan predicted.

"You have the list of names?" Jordan checked. Lucjan nodded. He handed Jordan a small leather book, the pages curled from having been stuffed inside a pocket.

"This is a long list."

Lucjan didn't reply. It was a long list. Yesterday, Jordan had killed General Seo – the leader of the resistance. They needed to complete the coup that Jordan had started. Any person of power in the city, who might try to prevent a vampire takeover, needed to be eliminated. "What shall we say their crimes are?"

"I've spun a good story. The names I've highlighted are to be kept alive. Give me a couple of days with them and I'll get them singing it. We'll execute them publicly afterwards."

Flakes of snow drifted down from the heavens. Jordan titled back his pale face and scanned the starless sky.

"What about Ryder?"

"Missing still, but we'll recapture him." Lucjan's lips curled unhappily. "I have a good idea of where he'll turn up."

            Chloe paced the room she'd been locked in, hugging her elbows. She wasn't alone. Two vampire guards watched over her, their heavy armour creaking when they moved. Chloe's hair was flat from grease and she ran her fingers through it. Her eyes kept flitting back to the locked door. Vampires running the city... they'd been heading towards this for a long time.

At first, the alliance between humans and vampires had been one of equals – joining to face a common enemy. But even before the first time she'd left Gomorrah, the scales had been slipping in the vampires' favour. What would a world ruled by vampires look like? A mental image of human farms made her shudder, repulsed. There was no way of knowing – and that was what terrified her most.

           Jordan leapt off the roof. He fell silently, landing with grace on the cobbles before melting into the night. Following his lead, the rest followed – vampires spilling out over the city with eyes glowing blood-red in the dark.

         Chaga walked down the corridor of his dormitory, his slippers thwacking against the cracked tiles. He shared his floor with twelve others and there was one toilet – found at the far end of the corridor. The people on this floor all worked different shifts, some were sound asleep, some just coming home and others getting ready to start their shifts. Chaga nodded his head in silent greeting to a housemate. She murmured 'salute' before moving on past him – headed for her room.

It was out of the corner of his eye, that Chaga caught sight of the flashing lights. He stopped and turned to look out the window. The unit opposite was built in mirror image of this one. Chaga frowned, watching as a set of bedroom lights flashed on and off. He counted the windows across. Was that coming from the bedroom he thought it was?

There was a knock on the door to their floor. Chaga's housemate went to answer it, her steps slow and heavy. Chaga's eyes widened. The flashing lights, they were coming from Rylan Grey's room. The two men had met up just hours before, to discuss the vampire threat. The flashing stopped and the light remained turned off. Instinct flooded Chaga's system. Telling him that something was very wrong. His housemate opened the front door, saying 'salute' in greeting to the vampire standing on the doormat.