“So, this service station I am driving to literally gives free coffee and snacks to any Dentist. Sure, it might sound very “nice place you’ve got here, be a shame if something happens to it”, but I think it’s a genuine thanks for providing safety, and a nice perk of the job.”

Reginald Liveman was a great guy.

He was similar in height to Ashyer, had short brunette hair rather than his own lighter shade of red, and he (like most Dentists) was on the more athletic side, though not as visibly as Scarlet. He was also older, but then he had been in the job for longer.

The only, teeny-tiny, thing from their brief time together so far was barely worth mentioning- but he was a talker.

Ashyer wasn’t sure how she had done it, though he suspected that it had something to do with feedback that had been provided from the various trainers throughout the academy, but the Dental Superintendent had seemingly paired each of the Cadets with someone who was their complete personality opposite.

Scarlet, athletic and eager for a fight, was paired with someone who was quieter and mentioned something about having a bunch of paperwork to complete, so it would be a while before they left headquarters.

Dragonick, outlandish and outspoken, was joined with someone who favoured the stealthier approach, and so the pair went to go find him a hood to adequately cover his hair.

(“Good luck covering this!” He had cried as they left the briefing room.)

Genith, educated and tactical, was paired up with a giant of a man who could have literally held her in one hand and tossed her through a wall, if need be- so the others prayed that he wouldn’t.

This was likely to provide some training opportunities, but really it seemed more like clashing personalities for the sake of drama.

Hopefully it was entertaining.

“How do you like your coffee? I’m more of a pumpkin spiced kind of guy, but it is June so there’s no chance of that. Maybe something caramel? Like a caramel pumpkin latte- ah, shoot! I did it again didn’t I? The problem is the pumpkins. Damnit!”

Ashyer, self-reflective and liking to take things in, was paired up with Reginald. The talker, but also… he asked questions. He made Ashyer think, and he made him think quickly.

“I’ve got to be honest,” Ashyer said, forcing himself to say something; “I’m… not really a coffee guy. Or a hot drinks guy, really.”

“Nothing?” Reginald said, glancing from the steering wheel at his new colleague; “I’m shocked! I figured- wait, how old are you again?”

“Not really again, I never told you in the first place, but I’m twenty-three.”

“Really? The bags under your eyes- well, let’s just say you have the look of someone who works nights a lot, or someone with a lot of wisdom keeping themselves up. Either that or really bad insomnia.”

“I’ve never known anyone to be flattered by being told they look older than they really are, even in a roundabout way… But, yes, insomnia. That was a thing.”

Reginald nodded in agreement.

He was driving the Dental Car, which was a white, reflective, vehicle. It was built for speed yet with plenty of trunk space for accessories (weapons) and tools (more weapons).

All for the purposes of Vampiric extermination.

Before they had entered, he had shown Ashyer around its various components, gesturing at the back doors for members of the public to enter and the control panel in the front where they could manage the lights, sirens and incoming information.

Presently it moved, silently, through the streets.

When Ashyer had first sat in this particular well-worn passenger seat and taken in where he was, he realised that he had only ever seen this kind of perspective in films and TV.

Actually seeing it with his own eyes though felt… weird, like this was somewhere he shouldn’t be.

That would change with time though, right?

“Trust me when I say, it gets easier. You’ll be so tired tonight when you get home you’ll sleep pretty much straight away. Tomorrow, however, you’ll be amazed at how tired really you are. It will probably be your next rest days where you’ll find that you return back to reality again.”

Reginald smirked as though a long distant memory had flashed into his brain as he turned a corner, and he added; “My first night, wow, I barely slept at all and that wasn’t even for a Night of No Moon. That was a night of… I think, Tuesday? It was the most normal night in the world and, yeah, it was scary because… well, everything, but it was nothing like this.”

“When did you do a No Moon?” Ashyer wondered, watching outside the window.

The trainers had taught them that the passengers role was to keep a look-out for Vampire signs, like figures jumping through the sky or standing outside of public buildings whilst upside down.

“About two weeks later. It was pretty eventful, but then they always are.”

Ashyer felt his nerves come back and, apparently sensing that, Reginald added;

“But eventful doesn’t always mean bad. I mean, I spent a lot of my first night just… driving people home. My first crewmate, nice guy, let me take the lead on making sure everyone we were sent out to made it to their home addresses, and they all did.”

“Is he still in the job?”

“No. He died.”

Reginald glanced at the central console, his eyes checking for something that Ashyer wasn’t able to quite figure out, and then said with a return to jovial form;

“Okay, perfect, we are almost at the service station. Let’s get something energetic in us. After that we’ll make our way out to the real world.”

“Is that okay to do this early?”

“Honestly? Probably the best time, right? I mean, we’re going to be out all night, so let’s take a moment to just… breathe.”

Ashyer didn’t hate the idea and, willing to learn, turned his gaze out the window once more.

They turned into the service station a few minutes later and it was, unsurprisingly, empty. The glowing lights of the interior revealed the shelves of snacks, drinks, and other spontaneous items to purchase whilst also revealing a single man standing at the counter.

Directly above the station was what looked like the upper floors of a house and, as they pulled into a parking space, there was a twitch of a curtain as a likely nervous resident glanced outside to see who had arrived.

“Okay,” Reginald said, turning the engine off; “We’re going outside before we go inside. Do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay in the car?”

“…I want to come with you.”

“Smart choice, let’s go.”

The doors opened in unison and the pair stepped out into the open June air.

Ashyer shivered. It wasn’t cold, he just wasn’t used to the sensation of feeling the dark night on his skin.

It was like entering a sea of sharks without a cage.

Between the car and the entrance to the service station was less than ten steps, but that was ten steps of exposure.

Ten steps of sending out an echo into the night with each footstep, of the beat of their hearts, or their scent.

Anything could be lurking as they walked. Anything could be considering them.

But it was only ten steps, and as they passed through the double doors and into the store the fear vanished.

They were rewarded for their bravery with music, and a casual greeting from the owner.

“Good evening,” he said, reading a book; “The usual, Regi?”

“The usual with an extra, thanks Yim.” Reginald replied, nodding at Ashyer who had already wandered over to a fridge; “What you having?”

“Just a cola, I think.”

“Ah, a sugar man?”

“A caffeine man. The sugar is a bonus.”

“Gosh, you are young…”

“You’re having caffeine as well! With caramel! Surely that’s worse?”

“In no way is that true. Mine is made with love, right Yim?”

The server who, for the record, had merely pressed a button on a branded coffee machine that spat the warm drink out with neither love nor care, shrugged and placed a lid upon it.

“Sure. Love.”

“See? Love. And Yim would never lie to me, I’ve been coming here for how long, Yim?”

Ashyer put his drink on the counter as the older man both shrugged and muttered; “I really don’t know. A few years?”

“What!? You were here on my first day! You gave me this exact drink and said cheer up, kid, and that’s always stuck with me. I did cheer up. Are you telling me that was all a lie?”

“He’s always like this?” Ashyer wondered.

“I guess? Honestly, apart from his name, he makes no impact at all.”

Throwing his arms into the air, Reginald turned to walk away- only to instantly return and grab his drink and then storm out of the service station towards the car.

“Ridiculous.” He said, before leaving; “See if I ever come back here again!”

“I’ll see you later, then?”

“You BET you will!”

Ashyer picked up his can and thanked the server, following back to the car and braving the elements once more.

Throughout his entire life, until these last few weeks, the idea of going outside at night was only ever a consideration in moments of extreme desperation. The idea seemed ludicrous, given the dangers that were creeping in every shadow.

So the idea that he was just… walking, in the dark, on a Night of No Moon no less, it felt like the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.

And he was getting paid for it!

Returning to his side of the car, he saw Reginald was smiling to himself and after Ashyer buckled himself in he started the engine.

“Yim and I are good friends,” he said, adding; “I always feel like I want to check on him though. Particularly on nights like this. Same with the other overnight stations.”

“Aren’t they perfectly safe though?” Ashyer wondered; “I mean, the staff live in the service station, hence why their home is either attached or built on top of the store. Any Vampire that tries to get in would be prevented by law, right?”

“Sure. They are physically safe. But service station owners like Yim end up spending most of their evenings staring out into the darkness. A lot of the time, the only reason they stay open is for us.”

He sipped his drink, expressing satisfaction before continuing;

“Their regular customers don’t come out during the night, especially on nights like this, so they stand inside their store for a long time just… waiting for dawn. Occasionally it gets broken up if we turn up, but they are completely surrounded by darkness all the time. I’ve been told it’s a draining experience.”

“Do Vampires ever give them trouble?” Ashyer wondered, holding the cold and unopened drink in his hands. He’d hate to imagine anyone being scared, even if they knew they were perfectly safe.

“Oh, yeah,” Reginald said; “It’s part of the reason I drive by as well. Vampires will sometimes just stand outside and do all sorts of… gestures, taunts, etc. The staff call us up, obviously, but I don’t want those jerks to ever think they can just hang outside and bother people who stay open to help us out.”

They returned to the open road, the lone lights stretching into the horizon.

It was alone on this particular road..

“They keep us warm, fed, and happy; you know? The least I can do is make sure they are okay in return.”

Ashyer nodded.

It… made sense.

Maybe that was why he had been given to Reginald? Maybe he was being taught by this experienced Dentist the importance of looking after everyone and noticing the other victims at the hands of Vampires- even if they didn’t have any blood drained.

He was about to ask something further, and then Reginald shot a hand out and pointed at the cars central console.

A light was now flashing, bright yellow, suggesting an incoming job and for the pair to stand by for incoming information.

Yellow meant a medium grade, which on a night like this was always going to be the minimum status.

“Look!” He said; “Do you know what that means?”

“I think I do,” Ashyer asked as his colleague activated the flashing lights on top of the vehicle.

“We’re going to go and help someone.”