Alaric was a stout young man with handsome features dressed in stained commoner clothes. Like Sol, he was an orphan of the eradication of the resistance from when they were little more than children. Unlike Sol, he worked at the docks and lived the next room over from Sol. He had a fiery temper and wouldn’t have been able to maintain a job if his employer wasn’t a former member of the resistance.

Sol had been given a cruisier job indoors at a bar as a bouncer. All the patrons knew of his father’s feats and afforded him respect in honour of his sacrifice. Far more of the resistance would have died if his father hadn’t drawn away from the full-blood death squad after killing a significant number of their thralls. Sol rarely resorted to violence in dealing with patrons too far into their cups. The few times he did, Sol earned a reputation as someone not to be trifled with. He had beaten more than one unruly drunk unconscious.

“Stop daydreaming. Let’s go back to my place. We can go find Seda later, once she gets home from work. She’ll be ecstatic to find out you’re still alive. She’s been crying about you all week,” Alaric laughed, playfully punching Sol on the shoulder.

“I wasn’t daydreaming. I was concerned about having to share a room with you. You stink worse than I do,” Sol distractedly replied. He had become distracted watching the vein on Alaric’s neck, rhythmically throbbing in synchronisation with his pulse. He also wasn’t exaggerating. The sickly scent of sweat and sea salt was overpowering. “I wonder if Seda will let me stay with her instead.”

“Haha, I knew it! You were daydreaming,” Alaric chuckled uproariously. He paused to lift his arm and dramatically sniffed the sweat stain under his armpit. “Hey, I don’t stink. Take that back!”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough playing around. We should probably go inside through the back door. If the landlord catches me covered in blood, he’s likely to kick me back out before we even reach your room,” Sol said.

“Here’s the plan. I’ll go in first and check the coast is clear. When I give the signal, you follow,” Alaric suggested.

“Okay, that should work. Lead the way,” Sol replied, gesturing toward a narrow street nearby.

The pair walked around the corner until they came to an alley between buildings connected to the street. The alleyway was a tight fit. Sol could barely walk between the walls with brick rubbing against his shoulders. Alaric wasn’t as fortunate. He could only squeeze through sideways with his hands against the wall. After lots of shuffling and cursing, they arrived at a shuttered window overlooking the alley from the second floor. There were no other entries on this side of the building that could be referred to as the backdoor.

“Can you give me a boost? I hate this part. I’m not as agile as you and Seda. Too bad she isn’t here, she would be able to charm the landlord and keep him distracted for us to get in through the front door. Remind me, why am I sneaking in too?” Alaric complained.

“Don’t ask me. It was your plan. You can go back if you want,” Sol replied with amusement. Alaric always complained like this when they snuck in, despite the fact it was him who discovered the shortcut and broke the latch to the window while they were still young.

Alaric leaned forward to peer over Sol’s shoulder toward the street. He gulped as he considered the distance between the tight walls. Leaning back, he looked up toward the window directly above them.

“Let me see you laughing after you come down to the docks and actually work for a change. Then you wouldn’t be so smug after you can’t fit down here anymore, either,” Alaric retorted.

“Stop your whining, I’m giving you a boost. Hurry up, we haven’t got all day,” Sol replied, dropping to one knee and cupping his hands together into a foothold.

Sighing heavily, Alaric stepped onto the foothold. He gasped in surprise, almost losing his balance when Sol fluidly stood upright, effortlessly lifting the muscular youth above his head.

“What the fuck, Sol. Don’t drop me. Maybe you don’t need to come to the docks, after all. Damn, what have you been eating?” Alaric exclaimed. The last part of what he said was mumbled quietly under his breath.

Alaric wasted no time unlatching the window with practised ease. He pulled it open and poked his head inside, checking in both directions before hauling himself over the sill. He rolled over one shoulder before standing up and leaning out to offer an outstretched hand to Sol. Sol braced both hands out, he carelessly forgot to adjust his newfound strength, pushing the bricks out of alignment as mortar crumbled into the alley. Alaric was frowning down at his display in confusion and suspicion.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you once we’re inside,” Sol promised. Sighing heavily, he dropped all pretences and leapt the distance to direct grasp the ledge and pull himself inside. Alaric retreated from Sol, gazing at him with barely disguised hostility. Sol held his hands up placatingly, carefully reaching inside a pocket and pulling out the silver sunburst. It tingled under his touch, causing a mild discomfort. “Relax. I can’t explain it here. But I’m still me.”

“Lord, Sol. Where have you been? Whose blood is that on you? Fuck, I almost wish you did die. It’d be better than this. Fuck!” Alaric cursed while running a hand through his hair in distress.

Alaric began to pace in place with hands on both hips. Sol anxiously awaited his reaction for what felt like an eternity. He could hear Alaric’s heartbeat racing and smell secreted adrenaline from his skin.

Alaric and Seda both hate vampires more than anything. I'm the same, too. I don't know what Alaric will decide to do next. But I hope he doesn't let his temper get the best of him, and he can listen to what I have to say.

Eventually, Alaric stopped pacing and looked silently at his friend. Reaching into his pocket, Alaric pulled out a small pocket mirror. It had belonged to Alaric’s mother for her make-up. He was popular with the ladies and mostly used the mirror to adjust his appearance.

Flipping the mirror open, Alaric aimed the polished steel toward Sol. Sol looked into the mirror. It showed a shimmering reflection of what he looked like to the outside world. Sol watched as his red sunburned skin healed at a rate obvious to the naked eye. It became a porcelain white colour without any visible flaws. His attractive appearance, which originally paled in comparison to Alaric, had taken on an otherworldly appeal. Sol reached up to tentatively touch his cheek. He had dark hair that contrasted with his porcelain skin. He now possessed an animal magnetism that drew attention to his muscular frame. Remembering something, Sol looked closer into the mirror. Sol took a step back in horror at what he saw.

Beneath his shimmering reflection, there was another layer hidden, revealing Sol's true features. His eyes were sunken deep with pallid skin pulled tight across his face, giving him a bestial appearance similar to a mummified corpse.

A beam of light came in through the open window, refracting off the mirror and blinding Sol despite the blindfold. He instinctively blocked his arm across his face and turned away while hissing in distress. Sol retreated backward when Alaric started to advance toward him.

“I should put you out of your misery right now. The Sol I knew would never want to be a blood-sucking monster,” Alaric declared contemptuously, stepping aggressively toward Sol with a short dagger clutched in his hand.