“Make sure you don’t put too much stress on that shoulder and you should be fine,” the doctor says.

Barry blinks once. “Really?”

“Yes. I have no idea what sort of treatment Raphael’s giving you, but it’s been working.”

He hands over a form for him to sign. Barry flexes his shoulder slowly before scrawling a hasty signature on the slip.

“That’s that then. Take care, and hopefully I won’t see you again.”

He turns and exits the room. Barry remains seated on his hospital bed, his home for the past two weeks. With Raphael, ANGEL’s resident ‘Doctor’ boosting his recovery every day, his muscle and bone had regrown at a drastic rate. He can’t believe he’s been discharged already.

“Thanks for all your help, Kendra!” he cheerfully says to the nurse as she begins to clear the table.

“It was my pleasure. I’m so glad you’ve managed a full recovery.”

Barry smirks. “Got anything planned after your shift?”

“Boy, I’m old enough to be your mother. Go chase skirts elsewhere.”

In the middle of this exchange, the door opens and a young girl strides through. She’s still dressed in school uniform, and her black hair is tied back into a ponytail.

“There you are,” she says. “I’ve been looking all over for you-“

She freezes as her eyes meet Barry’s.

“Judith?” he grunts in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“You know this person?” the nurse asks.

Judith nods. “He’s a friend of Bran’s.”

“Hold on,” Barry says. “You know each other?”

Kendra and Judith exchange a look.

“I’m her mother,” she finally says.

Barry feels his face heating up. He never would have imagined the nurse he’d been harassing had been his friend’s mother.

“I stopped by the police station again,” Judith says. “They’re still investigating, but it’s pretty clear that they’re prioritizing the recent raids and bombings over his disappearance.”

He’d already heard it from Shizuka. After Bran’s disappearance and Dracula’s return, the vampires had begun terrorizing Ashbrook with attacks aimed at seemingly random locations. Random murders had also begun taking place at night, making the streets unsafe for even grown men. Dracula was waging war with ANGEL, attacking its supply bases and research centres, and petty demons were taking advantage of the District’s missing demon hunter to emerge and join the fray.

Times were changing.

“Damn,” Kendra curses. “I really hope he’s alright…”

“He’ll be right as rain,” Barry cuts in. “I’m sure of it.”

Bran is strong. Barry knows that his fellow demon hunter wouldn’t have died so easily – there’s definitely more going on than meets the eye.

A short silence follows his declaration, before Bran’s mother speaks again.

“What about Alice?”

“Nothing either. At this point, I’m almost certain that she’s with Bran.”

Something scratches at the back of his mind, but he can’t quite put his finger on it so he dismisses it.

“Well, I guess I’m off,” he says. “I’ll leave you two to it. Things to see, people to do - I mean, things to do, people to see.”

He’s already on his feet when Kendra stops him.

“Hang on,” she says, planting an arm on his broad shoulder. “Judith, you’re heading home now, right?”

Bran’s sister nods. “Got nothing else to do. I just dropped by to update you.”

“Walk her home then,” she orders. “And don’t do anything dodgy.”

Barry sighs. It’s not that Judith isn’t attractive – she’s just too pale for his liking.

“Don’t worry ma’am,” he says. “It’s against the bro code to go for a mate’s sis.”

Judith shrugs. “Whatever.”

She swiftly turns on her heel and stalks out through the doorway. Barry scrambles about on the bed, gathering his belongings before rushing after her.

***

Kendra Lietmann wearily wheels the cart down the corridor. There’s never a shortage of work for a nurse like her – with Barry discharged from hospital, her new designated task is to aid her colleagues at the blood donation department. Several clear pouches of blood lie trembling on her trolley, lined up neatly in rows according to type. She is to refrigerate them as soon as possible, where they will later have their plasma components removed and be stored as red blood cells.

She stops in front of the reinforced steel door and swipes her card on the lock, opening it. A blast of steamy cold air billows out, chilling her face.

She shifts her body weight onto the trolley’s handle and wheels it into the cold room. Only a few steps have been taken before she stops in surprise.

Several of the drawers have been pulled open, and their contents removed.

Kendra releases her grip on the cart and heads deeper inside. Every pouch of red blood cells classified under the type ‘O’ is gone. The entire unit has been swept through, not a single one remaining in stark contrast to the other units.

What could have possibly happened here?

A noise draws her attention, and she runs past the shelves towards it. Right there, in the back corner of the freezer, she finds two male nurses with carts similar to hers. Several large boxes are lined along their lengths, and she immediately knows that this is where all the blood has gone.

Before Kendra can cry out, one of them lunges at her and clamps his hand on her mouth while the other moves around her field of view behind her. She desperately struggles, but something hard hits the back of her head and her world fades into nothingness.

***

“Let’s go,” one of the men says. “Before anyone else comes in.”

“Hold on a second.”

Something has caught the other’s eye. He bends down to the fallen nurse’s identification card by her waist, looking at it in interest.

“Kendra Lietmann,” he reads.

“Lietmann? Isn’t he the guy the boss was getting really mad about?”

The man nods. “This could come in handy.”

He rifles through the woman’s clothes and retrieves a purse, placing it into his own pocket.

“What do we do with the body?”

The man shrugs. “We won’t be able to go back to our ordinary lives after this, so it doesn’t really matter. We should just kill her.”

A few moments later, the two male nurses reemerge from the refrigerated room wheeling two carts of sealed boxes. One of them shuts the door, sealing it tightly, before turning the temperature control dial all the way to the right.

***

It’s been several hours since they’ve left the hospital. The journey to Bran’s house consisted mostly of Barry trying to start up a conversation, and Judith killing it with one word answers. It was clear that her mind was elsewhere, so in the end he’d given up and just done his job – escort her safely home.

As he slowly heads back up the road, flexing his stiff shoulder, he wonders what the future will hold. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth districts are now under attack by demons – both vampires and others. He’s already heard from Shizuka – under the command of their new leader, whether willingly or not, the vampires have become a force to be reckoned with. ANGEL has already had to take several steps backwards in terms of their progression in anti-demon warfare, and these victories have begun to inspire previously suppressed parties.

Something needs to be done. No doubt Hector’s working on it, but Barry just wishes he could be on the front lines again, doing something. He was unable to defeat the enemy back at the mall, and as a result all this is happening. His uselessness has done naught but inconvenience ANGEL, forcing them to spread their agents out even more thinly than they already are.

A single snowflake falls from the sky. Several more are behind it, signaling the beginnings of a snowy night. It reminds him of when he first met Bran – they’d teamed up a few winters ago against a family of frost trolls, and he’d single handedly and cold bloodedly slaughtered them all – even the newborns. He didn’t ask for help, and he didn’t show mercy. Despite taking half the reward, Barry had done barely anything. He just couldn’t match the other’s intensity.

Barry lets out a heavy sigh. The Bran he’d met during the shopping centre district had still retained those traits – yet, it felt like something was amiss. There was something not quite right about him, or at least that was what Barry’s gut was telling him. It was almost as if he were in the middle of a metamorphosis.

A large van rumbles past from behind him, covering Barry in a haze of smoke. Coughing, he waves it away from his face and continues to head home. Winter is almost over – Spring is just around the corner.

***

“Thanks for your work today, Max!”

Jordan hands me a sealed envelope – my earnings for today, paid in cash. It was surprisingly easy finding a job around town, even if it wasn’t a particularly great one. At just below the minimum wage, the important factor is that I’m paid in cash, and that it’s enough for Alice and I to get by. At this stage, any interaction with my bank account or anything else for that matter would spell the end for our safety.

‘Bran Lietmann’ is dead to the world.

I look around the rotting wooden docks, long overdue for a revamp. The train conductor wasn’t lying – the several rusted bollards attest to the number of boats that had once been serviced by the port, long ago. Only one of them is used now – to keep Jordan’s weathered fishing vessel in place while I help him prepare his catches for the market.

“Same time tomorrow then, I guess?” I ask. I swat a fly away from my face – they always come flocking to the smell of fish guts.

Jordan is already busying himself with packing up for the day. Shrugging, I begin strolling towards the streets with my day’s earnings securely in my pocket. As I pass the closing stores, I reach a bakery at the top of the slope where a single girl with shoulder-length fair hair waits for me.

“Bran.”

“I’m Max, remember?” I remind her.

“Ah, that’s right.”

We decided to make up the false names ‘Max’ and ‘Mia’ just to be safe. Alice found work in the bakery with relative ease, and business has been blooming for her store in the short two weeks that we’ve been living in this town. Meanwhile, I had to search for a little longer before Jordan finally offered me a job laboring for his ‘business’.

Working pretty much full time now, we’re earning more than enough money for supplies. I actually have no idea what we’re going to do with the extra money.

It feels like we’re not making much progression, to be honest. I’m only working because I don’t know what else to do with my time. The only link we have with Ashbrook is the news, and even then the only things that get mentions are raids and killings at night. Without Shizuka and ANGEL to feed me information, I’m completely in the dark.

One thing I do know for certain though – things are changing, and not for the better.

“Br – Max, are you hungry?” Alice asks as we head along the path out of town. She has a paper bag in one hand, and the overbearing scent of freshly baked bread is wafting from it. Unable to resist, I reach over and grab a bun.

“Thanks,” I say, sinking my teeth in.

We walk in silence as the afternoon sun steadily continues to sink. I don’t know what to do. Here in Port McAubourne, a world away from Ashbrook, we’re safe.

But isn’t that just the same as running away? Are we just going to spend the rest of our lives here?

“Bran.”

We’re far away from town, so she’s gone back to calling me by my real name.

“How do you know if you like someone?”

“Wh-what?”

I stop in my tracks, but Alice continues to walk.

“Are you retarded?” I cry, flustered. “Surely you’d know out of pure instinct?”

The distance between us is steadily increasing. I hasten my footsteps to keep up with her.

“I guess… it just means you can’t stop thinking about them,” I finally mutter. “You want to be with them… maybe hold their hand, do stuff together…”

My voice trails off. For some reason, I feel really uncomfortable. I’m glad she’s in front of me and can’t see my face.

“Huh. I see…”

It’s not long before she speaks again. “Can I ask you something else?”

“What is it this time?” I ask, preparing myself.

“Are we ever going to go back home?”

With that, I’m thrown back into my previous state of thinking.

That’s right. We don’t really belong here, do we?

She read my mind. I’ve been mulling over it day and night over these fourteen days – is there even a reason not to go back? Alice is pretty much at full strength now. If we were to fight Dracula, it would be now or never.

“…We can’t,” I mutter. “Dracula wants you. If you go, you’ll be walking right into his grasp.”

Alice is quiet for a while. The sounds of nature are only interrupted by our footsteps.

“I guess you’re right,” she finally says. “Living here isn’t so bad after all. It’s not as lonely if it’s with you.”

Is it really okay though?

It’s not. I know it isn’t.

Yet, the idea of living out here in the countryside, peacefully… spending the rest of my days with Alice… isn’t such a bad one. But just because it’s an appealing idea doesn’t mean it’s the right choice.

I need to protect Alice, but is this really the way to do it?

***

The phone call comes later that evening, when Bob and Betty are out running errands. We’re eating a hastily prepared vegetarian dish in front of the old television when my ringtone goes off, the name ‘Ashley’ displayed as the caller.

I exchange a glance with Alice and answer it. Something must be up, or she wouldn’t call me.

“Hello? Bran?” Ashley’s hushed voice reaches my ears.

“It’s me,” I greet.

“Turn on the TV. Channel Seven.”

A feeling of apprehension suddenly takes over me. Something in her tone tells me I won’t like what I see.

I grab the remote and press the small round button with the number ‘seven’ on it. The television blinks and switches to a scene of a hospital, one that I’d know anywhere.

It’s Ashbrook hospital, where Mum works.

“- was robbed of several blood samples sometime in the early hours of the evening. The body of Kendra Lietmann, a local nurse working at the hospital was found dead at the scene of the crime, frozen to death inside the freezer.”

A chill runs up my spine as I subconsciously move closer to the screen.

Kendra Lietmann. My mother.

The camera pans over to the freezer in question, police in insulating gear crawling all over the place. The door was apparently locked from outside, and the temperature set fatally low. She hadn’t stood a chance.

“ – are now investigating the matter, and whether or not it is linked to the recent raids across Ashbrook. It is worthy to note that the only samples of blood that were taken were O type samples -“

I’m gripping my phone so hard I’m worried I might crush it.

“Bran! Bran, are you alright?”

Ashley’s voice calls out from the speaker. I feel something take hold of my hand and realize it’s Alice. There’s a fierce, yet comforting gaze in her eyes.

“Ashley…”

“That’s not the end of it. Keep watching.”

I shut my mouth and continue to watch, completely mesmerized by the screen. The story goes on, but I miss all the details.

Mum is dead.

Mum. My mother, the woman who brought me into this world, my own flesh and blood… is dead.

“- and now, on to other news… the daughter of the deceased Kendra Lietmann, Judith Lietmann, has gone missing-“

My world stops.

“ – last seen –“

“ – appeared to have been taken from her home by force –“

Judith…

“ – it is unknown if these two incidents are linked –“

My sister…

“With the entire Lietmann family missing, it wouldn’t be a long shot to say that they could be involved in these recent bouts of terrorism –“

…is missing.

“ – will update us on any future developments –“

Mum is dead, and Judith is missing.

Mum is dead. Judith… is missing.

“Bran! Bran…!”

I only just realized that Ashley has been shouting my name this entire time.

“Bran, are you alright?”

“Who… Who did this?” I growl.

“I… I don’t know. I saw it on the news, and immediately called you.”

“This can’t be happening…”

It doesn’t feel like it’s real. It hasn’t sunk in yet.

“Bran…” Alice looks at me with calm and collected eyes. “Keep calm.”

“No…”

“Bran!”

She grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. I try to push her off, but she holds on tight and shoves me to the ground. My phone falls to the floor as we go tumbling in a heap.

“Let me go,” I snarl. “I’m gonna kill them!”

“BRAN!”

She straddles me and pins my arms down with monstrous strength. Her eyes flare red from behind her contact lenses, and she bares her teeth.

“You won’t gain anything by losing your temper now. What’s done is done – don’t jump in without thinking things through.”

“It was Dracula… I bet it was him…”

“Even if it was, charging all the way back to Ashbrook without a plan would be suicide.”

She continues to stare into me, restraining me completely from her position. My breathing slowly stalls, and I look away.

“…Bran, are you alright?” Ashley’s voice repeats from the floor next to us. I have no idea how many times she’s asked that already.

“Ye-yeah,” I shakily reply.

“I’ll go over tomorrow and try and get as much information as possible. Don’t do anything rash-“

Her voice suddenly breaks off as the phone begins to vibrate again. Someone else is calling.

The caller is Judith.

I look at Alice and finally shake her off.

“I’ll get back to you,” I mutter to Ashley, before hanging up.

I take a deep breath and answer Judith’s call, putting it on speaker mode so we can both hear.

“H-Hello? Is that you Bran?”

Judith’s voice comes through. It’s her, no doubt. A feeling of relief washes through me.

“Judith!” I almost scream into the phone. “Where are you-“

Her voice suddenly breaks off into a groan of pain, before another voice takes over.

“Glad to see you’re finally picking up, Mr. Lietmann.”

It’s a male voice – one I’ve heard before.

The voice of Vladimir Dracula.

“What do you want?” I ask, dangerously quiet.

“Oh, I’m sure you already know. Put Alice on the line, please.”

“She’s not with me –“

Our conversation is broken by the sound of Judith screaming in pain.

“Alright! Hold on,” I cry.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page here.”

I look at Alice, who gives me a nod.

“I’m here,” she speaks into the phone.

“Alice, my dear. How are you? Is Bran treating you well?”

She pauses before replying. “Yes.”

“I miss you, darling. I don’t suppose you’d come back to me, would you?”

“…I would never.”

Dracula sighs. “Let me speak to Bran again.”

I twist the phone back towards me. “What do you want with me?”

“Haven’t you realized by now? You’re dumber than I thought you were.”

“Don’t listen to him-” Judith screams in the background, before breaking into a cry of pain again.

“You’ve abducted my bride, so I’m abducting your beloved sister,” Dracula coolly says over the phone. “I’m sure you don’t want what happened to your mother to happen to her, do you?”

“You motherfucker…” I swear. “You’re the one who killed her?”

“Well, not me personally. She accidentally came across us as we were raiding the hospital’s blood supply, and unfortunately paid for it with her life… but not after my men picked up some interesting information. Like the fact that she was your mother, as well as your address among other things.”

“You…!”

“But that’s beside the point. It was unintentional, after all.”

“Fuck… You bastard…”

It feels like my vocabulary has been cut down to just a few words.

“I propose a deal, Mr. Lietmann. You haul your sorry behind back to Ashbrook with Alice, hand her over to her rightful owner, and I’ll give you back your sister. I will give you until noon tomorrow to decide – ring your dear sister’s phone to contact me. And I’m sure you know what will happen if you refuse.”

Before I can say anything, the line cuts short.

“Wait!” I scream, but only silence replies.

I stare at my mobile phone in shock as the seconds tick past. Then, I slowly turn my eyes towards Alice.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

I say nothing.

“We’ll leave tomorrow morning. I’m so sorry you got caught up in all this-“

“No.”

I stop her attempt to leave.

“You’re not leaving. There has to be another way.”

I glance at the clock. Bob and Betty should be coming home soon.

“We’re going to sit down and think this through,” I say. “Something tells me it might not be so easy getting my sister back.”

Alice glances at where I’m grabbing onto her arm. Realizing that I’m hurting her, I let go. The imprints of my fingers in her skin slowly begin to heal.

“I… I won’t let it end like this.”