Chapter 1: Inhibitors

From the first day I was born, I've never known what my parents were like or who they were. All my life, I've been living with my Aunt. Mom and Dad? They died when I was young and since then, Kelly, my aunt has taken me in. I live with her in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It's a good place to live. The name's Angelo Sam Santiago.

I love my aunt, but she never tells me anything about my parents. Especially not about dad, her brother. I guess it brings back painful memories. Which is why I wonder why she keeps all their stuff in the basement? I've never really snooped but I'm turning sixteen today, I need to know something, anything about my parents.

Kelly says I have red hair just like my mom, but I don't seem to be as well built as either of them. They were borderline fit, which is kinda odd considering how short and shrimpy I am. Plus my eyes are a deep purple, which has always bothered me, but Kelly says it's sexy.

"I shouldn't be down here," I mumble to myself as the wooden stairs to the basement creak. "Ugh, cobwebs everywhere. How long has it been since anyone was down here?" At least the room has a window, so it ain't one of those horror bullshit scenarios.

Dust overwhelms the small space around old artefacts, and antiques gathered in the corner. The room is surprisingly very well organised. I hesitantly close the door behind me and proceed to rummage through my parents' old stuff. My parents were probably history buffs or something. I come across an article with their names after excavating some recently discovered Aztec ruins. Samuel Santiago and Kathryn Black.

I stumble on something else. A weird looking wooden dagger. It seems old, like an ancient old. "Ouch, Goddammit. What if I get tetanus or something of this thing?" I shriek when I accidentally prick my finger on the old dagger. I leave the basement to get a bandaid.

"Angelo! I need you to go to Carol's and drop off the pie I made for them. I'm a bit swamped at work here." Kelly calls out from the diner. Kelly owns a diner she manages every day. I sometimes help when I can, provide I don't have school. "Sure, Kelly. I'll get on that!" I respond loudly for her to hear me over all the chatter in the diner and leave immediately. I get on my bicycle and paddle my way there.

It's almost after dark when I get to Carol's, we've been friends since we were in kindergarten. I've always found her very attractive. Her green eyes, black hair. The way her smile always lights up my day, her jokes are always weird, but then she only does those with people she's comfortable with. I like her.

"Hey Carol, brought the pie Kelly made for your mom," I say as Kelly eyes me up on her doorstep. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, you look good tonight, did you get a new haircut?" she probes.

"Yeah, I did, thanks for noticing. I'm still short though."

"With your height, I wonder how you'd do in bed, maybe you're packing since you're very short, I mean, I'm almost as tall as you and I'm five foot three," She teases with a smirk on her face. She likes to joke around.

"Carol, take the pie!" I yell as I giggle at the thought of me and Kelly in bed. I've always wondered.

"Alright, get home safely. We have a date Friday and I don't want you to get mugged before then." She says as she kisses me on the cheek.

"Yeah, I look forward to it. Leave me some of that pie and see you Friday. You know you're distracting to look at?" I say as I get back on my bicycle.

"I know, now go home, you dork. Thanks for the anime, by the way, that stuff is really good," she says as I wave to her and paddle away. I paddle my way through the darkening streets.

Vehicle and pedestrian traffic has reduced now. Uh oh, it's around this time someone usually gets mugged these days, it's been all over the news. I'm late, Kelly is going to kill me. I paddle faster, I see the sun sink into the horizon, I hear a hushed mumble from around me. I paddle faster. So soon? I thought criminals would be late to work or something.

The whispers grow louder, more surreal than before, I hear a faint voice. I take a sharp left to lose the people behind me; I look behind me briefly and see no one but the whispers grow. I feel weird, the world around me goes dark, I abruptly fall and my bike falls a foot away from me. "Ugh, whose there?!" I ask as pain floods in. Shit!

I hear someone talking near me, It's a few metres ahead of me, maybe it's someone who could help. I run towards it. "Hello! Help, I can't see, and I think someone is following me."

"What the fuck, today is my day, isn't it? I get to rob and bone this lady and get to fish some cash off this kid. Who knows, maybe your parents will pay a hefty ransom for your ass. What a score," Someone I assume isn't a good person says.

"Run! Get out of here and call for help.!" I hear the lady scream as she suddenly gets muffled and I feel a sharp pain in my left rib cage as the guy hits me. I fall and the hushes return. I lie there. Maybe I shouldn't have taken so long to paddle to get Carol's. The guy lifts me and my ability to see returns, I see him even in the dark, he looks different from what I expected. I feel stronger, I can see and smell things better. I hear the blood rushing in his veins.

I grab his arm and he shrieks; he let's go off my collar and I don't know what's happening, but I like it. Maybe I should just give in for once and let nature take its course. I surrender to the urge and I hear a voice. "Yes, yes, I think we'll be very good friends. You are a smart boy."

My inhibitors switch off and I tear into the man's left shoulder, my newly formed fanged teeth rip his flesh off and it feels good. He tastes exquisite. After a moment, only a husk of bloodless flesh remains and I toss it aside. I see the lady in trauma shivering in the back of the alleyway. She looks frightened. I saved her. So it's my right to take her too. I move faster than a bullet and in a moment I tear her body open.