“What are you doing standing there?” Lord Makai hisses between the blood dripping from his lips, yet somehow the red of his eyes are even more terrifying.

“Clean this up. Now!”

“O-Of course, Your Grace!” I bow, hoping that my stutter is set aside. When he clicks his tongue, I expect a death sentence but thankfully that doesn’t happen.

“Layne, remove the body, and you, to my quarters.”

I’m assuming “you” is referring to Elamir. When I see her bow next to me, that answers the question. Then Lord Makai walks away, and I make sure not to raise my head until after he’s gone.

“A-Are we just going to remove the body and not say anything? What e-even happened?” I whisper to Layne after he brings a sheet and has me help wrap the body. Elamir rushes by with a deep wash bin and a few rags only to disappear into what I’m assuming to be Lord Makai’s bedroom.

“Quiet,” Layne hisses. “Higra told you, didn’t she?”

“Don’t ask questions. Do what you’re told.”

“Yes. Now help me carry this.”

Thankfully Layne holds the shoulders while I take the legs. He’s already covered, blood soaks the sheet and his clothes. There’s blood under his fingernails but he doesn’t even flinch. I’m already feeling sick. The smell is enough to churn my gut.

I expect a commotion or some gasps of horror and despair as we walk the halls, but that doesn’t happen. As Layne and I are walking through the mansion with a corpse in a bloodstained sheet, no one so much as passes us a glance. The only thing that gets a look of annoyance is the trail of blood left behind, followed by some mumbling about cleaning up the tracks.

Ok, but the body? Are we not going to discuss? Lord Makai just killed someone, that I’m assuming attempted to kill him first with that dagger (and why? Because everyone knows that doesn’t work) but still! Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, report this or something?

Is this what Higra meant? I would have to see and do things that unsettle me. Carrying a corpse is part of the job description? I never imagined that!

When we go outside, Layne takes me around back to a room with an incinerator.

“Toss him in,” he says after turning on the machine that roars to life. My eyes widen but Layne gives me that look; the one that says I’m meant to follow the rules, but the rules are fucked and I am very confused.

“What do you mean? Layne, we—we can’t just—”

“What do you think happened, Wallie?” Layne asks with a heavy sigh. Sweat is forming on his brow, same as mine. The room is hot and we just carried a corpse down two flights of stairs so, yeah, we’re both exhausted.

“I think Lord Makai killed someone that attacked him.”

“Yes, and what will happen if he reports it? The immortal vampire no one likes and all wishes to be dead.”

I don’t have a response to that, which is response enough.

All know that nothing will happen. No one will care because Lord Makai can’t die and, if he could, everyone would be thrilled if an assassin succeeded. So it’ll be self defense, out of reason and fear, and no one will probably look into it or care.

“The authorities will be notified, as always, and nothing will be done,” Layne says exactly what I was just thinking. “They won’t investigate. It doesn’t matter.”

“But tossing him out like trash is—”

“Do as you’re told, Wallie. If you can’t, then leave,” Layne says, holding the man by his shoulders and waiting for me to help toss him into the fire.

I don’t want to. Even if I can’t see him within the sheet, I know he’s there. I remember the look on his face, the horror and that split second of pleading with whoever will listen to spare him.

But I have nowhere else to go, and if Lord Makai were anyone different then this man would be a murderer. He knew what he was doing. He knew the risks and his death would have happened either way. And most of all, I know that Lord Makai is not a monster. I’ve seen that proven before...so that’s what I have to tell myself in order to help Layne toss him into the fire.

“Go back to clean up the blood. I’ll stay until this is finished.”

Oddly enough, I prefer the clean up, so with a quiet nod I do as I’m told without question.

It’s a mess. The rug is stained, the wallpaper too. I clean but the smell and stains remain. The once clear water is now red. Even my clothes are ruined and when I wipe the sweat from my cheek with my shoulder, there’s blood on my clothes. It’s everywhere, and I’m reminded of a time I have been trying to forget since I was a child. So I scrub more, either to clean or wash away the memories, I’m not sure.

“That’s enough, Wallace.” Higra is standing next to me and it’s when I look at her that I notice the sun is down.

Have I been cleaning all afternoon?

“You’ve done what you can. We will replace the rest. Get yourself some dinner and head to bed.” She frowns when she gently pats my head. “You did good today.”

That’s the first time she’s ever said such a thing to me. It’s oddly comforting.

“T-Thank you. I’ll get going then.” My body is sore from moving about the floor all day. I don’t have dinner. I can’t stomach it, and I take a quick and steaming bath before heading to bed.

Hael is there. I’m reminded when I see him that we were meant to go into town today. He doesn’t mention it, but when he looks at me I know that he is aware of what happened.

“I told you,” he says with a frown. “He’s a monster.”

I want to argue that Lord Makai was only defending himself, but the man’s death was excessive. Recalling it makes me shiver.

“Care to head to town tomorrow then?” I ask with my back facing Hael as I change.

“Sure, so long as nothing comes up. We can meet out front before lunch.”

Even with the promise of seeing town tomorrow, I can’t sleep. Hael has no issue with what transpired today, judging by what he said he has probably witnessed it before. He sleeps soundly, snoring soft then loud, while my eyes refuse to shut. When they do, there’s only red but I don’t know if it’s the red of today or the past.

I flip onto my side, staring at the plain light blue wall. I wonder if we can get something in town to put up. The room is so bare. A painting or something would be nice. Mom liked paintings, we had a few that were cheap from the market.

Distracting thoughts aren’t all that distracting it seems because I’ve yet to sleep. My body is tense and I wonder what bothers me the most. The excessive death or the fact that no one cares, about either party. No one cares that someone tried to kill Lord Makai, what must that feel like? Knowing all around you would be pleased if it worked but still hate you for defending yourself.

But slaughtering a man and tossing his body out like trash isn’t acceptable either.

I’m simply at a loss, but eventually my body can’t withstand the exhaustion. My eyes are heavy. As they close, I know there will be nightmares. Nightmares of home, of fire and screams and blood, but then there’s a voice. A gentle voice that calls to me with their outstretched hand, “Everything is ok. You’re safe now.”

The nightmares fade away.

♱♱♱