Before Dark (rewriting)

1. The Blood Moon

C H A P T E R O N E
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There was always comfort in knowing that the deadliest most vicious creatures to ever walk the face of the earth would never get off their high horse to join the fight, but tonight, CrestHill had been stripped of that comfort.

It was only a matter of time, mere minutes to be exact before the Blood Moon would show. And when the sky turned its darkest and the moon blushed vermillion over the damned city, they would come. Every single last one of them would come.

I glanced about the assembling room. Tonight Highland Academy was brimming with more people than I'd seen before, all dressed in black and all armed to the hilt. They looked risky in the upscale academy, like bandits seeking to incite the night. But they were not petty criminals. Quite contrary. They were assailants, shadows of men, a horde of cold-blooded hunters who for centuries had kept order in the lawless city and they were, The Rebellion.

"Eden," a voice called and blew out a long tried breath, even the corner of the room couldn't hide me from him.

"Walk with me." He turned and begun down the narrow path. "Why do we fight Eden?"

A quiz? Seriously? Now? "We do it for the ones we've lost and the ones we can save."

"To atone and to aid." He nodded. "Never loose sight of that. Our proverbs guides us, it is what keeps us sane in the face of death. Like the elders used to say, 'rage disrupts a fire but purpose fuels it.'"

It really was true, Specter was indeed the best hunter in the city, but he was also the most insufferable.

"Wise words, can I go now?"

"Eden!"

"Dad!"

"Eden..." he took my hands, turning to face me. "I know you've heard it all before but I need you to listen to me even if it's this once."

"Fine. Stay behind, think before I act, never run in first... see, I have everything mapped out. It isn't my first time Dad."

"I know, but you know if your mother was still with us, she would have my head on a spike for letting you go tonight."

I smiled weakly. "And I wouldn't be safe either."

"Of course not, everyone always got their fair share with her." Specter chuckled, quickly growing somber. "Look, tonight won't be like the others—"

"I know—"

"Just..." He squeezed my hands, his brown eyes pleading. "Just remember that braveness only gets you killed."

It was the last thing he said before continuing  down the narrow path, leather boots hard against the marble as he walked up to the podium. When he stood facing the crowd, the room fell silent, I finally moved, hurrying to the empty seat between Midori and Alexis just as Specter begun.

"Tonight, they feast. Death will be lurking in every corner and there will be some like nothing you have ever encountered. Resilient, faster, stronger, more vicious with an unrelenting hunger and they will rip your heart out of your chest before you can even blink. So when you aim..." he paused, appraising the crowd. "Aim like your life depends on it, because tonight, it does."

Jaws clenched at the gruesome thought and people exchanged hard looks as he left the podium. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Usually the speech was given to encourage us, but tonight it did the opposite.

Alexis let out a humorless laugh. "So this is how it ends?"

"No," I hissed. "Tonight is nowhere near endgame. For all we know, they might not come and if they do, for centuries they haven't cared about the fight, so it won't be for us... plus Cresthill is so big, we probably won't even run into them."

"Might? Probably? Gee, thanks, really comforted us there." Lex scoffed, shaking her head. "Why do we even try?"

"Because Cresthill would be a graveyard without us," Midori answered.

"Well tonight we might lay with them for a change."

"Stop it Lex." I nudged her.

Then turned back to see Midori frozen in place. She was staring tensely into thin air, her hand trembling from how tight she was holding onto her pendant. I place my hand over hers, and the girl snapped out of it and threw me a forced smile. But I wasn't convinced.

"Are you scared about tonight?"

"No!" Midori frowned. "Are you?"

"Yes," I confessed. "My father is a very brave man but tonight I saw the look on his face. If he's worried, then I'm petrified. And that's fine Midori. It's okay to be scared sometimes."

"Yeah... I know. It's just... all this talk of it creeps me out. If it draws out the worst of them then he will come too." She grabbed me, her bottom lip quivering. "What if Vic—"

"If he comes, we'll be prepared for him, just like we will be for anyone else."  I cut her off.

Lex reached one hand over my lap to hold Midori and pulled out a revolver with the other. "If I see a glimpse of that son of a bitch... so help me, I will put a hundred bullets in him... or die trying."

"Exactly, you're not alone Midori, not anymore, and anyone that wants to get to you is going to have to go through us," I said.

Midori smiled weakly. "Thanks guys. I know. It's just a little nerves... that's all."

But it wasn't all. I knew her well enough to see that.