Oleander felt his courage wither away as he stepped out of the car. Cobalt Street was long and dark with many side-alleys, it was also one of the quieter parts of Dawn, near the docks. He felt his jaw tense as he walked down the street, the cold spring wind nipped at him, making him regret not going back for his jacket. 

"This is fine. It seems quiet enough, even if this place is supposed to have a high frequency of Sorrow sightings," Oleander mumbled under his breath. He wasn't worried about The Sorrows as much as he was worried about hunters. 

He was supposed to investigate The Sorrows, because the steady increase was a mystery to even the all knowing Vampire Council. It had to be a true vampire behind it, since only a true vampire could turn a human into a vampire. Oleander was certain it had to be some true vampire from another city, he knew all the ones that lived in Dawn, and none of them seemed crazy enough to do something that would have them arrested by The Council.

He sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets, the night seemed quiet, empty, like any other night. Suddenly he saw a shape scurry across the street into one of the alleys. Oleander swallowed hard and followed, it was another vampire, he was certain. He stepped into the alley, glancing around quickly before noticing the vampire trying to climb the side of the building. 

"Hey, you," Oleander shouted. 

The vampire stared at him, "I- Um… I was not doing anything," he said sheepishly and jumped back down, he could sense that this was not a normal person. 

"Have you seen any Sorrows around?" Oleander decided to ask. 

The vampire scratched the back of his head, "Sorrows? Now and then, maybe. Not really." 

Oleander squinted his eyes and walked closer, he could sense things better after drinking blood. "You're turned, aren't you? Who turned you?" 

The vampire stepped back, "I- I really don't know. It happened too fast. I didn't see…"

Oleander could see the fear in the vampire's eyes, he didn't want to be feared. No. That was his grandfather's thing, not his. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Ugh." He stopped and looked back at the entrance to the alley, "Would you like to talk some place else?" 

"I- I have to go… I can't stay… Hunters…" The vampire stuttered. 

Oleander's eyes dashed from side to side, "Hunters? Where?" He could feel his own fear building up inside.

"They were following me, but I think I lost them… There was a Sorrow…" The vampire's lip quivered, eyes fixed on the other end of the alley. 

Oleander turned and stepped back as he heard voices that grew louder and a pained whimper coming from the street. He knew the vampire wasn't lying. Those were hunters; their magic flashing in neon colours as bright as the signboards downtown. 

"Crap… We gotta go…" The vampire said softly, urging Oleander to come with him. 

Oleander could feel his courage seep away as footsteps grew closer, swiftly he crouched down behind a dumpster, this was another terrible idea. 

"We still have to clean this up. Don't be stupid," one hunter shouted after the other. 

"You're the stupid one," the other hunter mumbled and clicked his tongue as he entered the alley. 

Oleander could see the hunter from his hiding place, he had shoulder length hair as red as blood, a leather jacket, and a long silvery rifle, his cold eyes squinting as he spotted the vampire trying to climb the building again. 

The vampire seemed desperate yet clumsy as he climbed, terrified of the hunter below. The hunter kept staring at the vampire, seemingly not doing anything, but Oleander could see that he was mumbling words in ancient Lore under his breath. He was clearly preparing a spell of some kind. 

Oleander shifted himself slightly, hiding even more, he wanted no part in what was happening; it reminded him all too much of that night many years ago when his mother had died at the hands of a hunter. His breath tangled up in his chest, a big ball of hurt getting stuck, suffocating. That good feeling he had earlier was long gone, replaced by doom and gloom. 

Darkness flooded the alley, and then a thud. 

The vampire fell to the ground, screaming in agony before silence engulfed him, and he was nothing but dust. 

Oleander held his hand in front of his mouth. For a moment he was eleven years old, watching his mother become dust all over again. He wanted to scream. He wanted to end the hunter. It was as if she had died all over again, and this red haired hunter had killed her, yet he didn't dare move. 

The hunter stood eerily still, his gaze lingering on the dumpster where Oleander hid, wondering if there was someone there…

"What are you doing?" The other hunter barged into the alley, he appeared older with grey hair and a long moustache. 

The red haired hunter clicked his tongue, "There was another one here." He pointed to the dust, "There might be more…" 

"I don't sense anything," the other hunter said confidently and glanced down at the dust, "Remember, we shouldn't stray out of our area too long… It's not safe. We need to report back now." 

The red haired hunter rolled his eyes, "Fine. Whatever. As long as I do not have to do all these useless jobs anymore." His voice was cold and dejected. 

Oleander kept his mouth covered as he watched them. The older hunter whispered words in ancient Lore and a wind emerged, blowing the dust of the vampire away before they both left. 

Oleander's eyes kept going back to where the dust had been. How had the hunter killed him without firing his weapon? He had sensed something dark earlier… He shook his head. Had he actually sensed anything aside from his own agony? 

He bit his lip, some investigator he was. Cowardly hiding while a lead was killed. He sat in silence for a long while, not daring to move, what if they were waiting for him? He couldn't get the red haired hunter's gaze out of his mind. 

Oleander wasn't sure how long he had sat behind the dumpster, it felt like hours to him. With a deep breath he managed to stand up and slowly walk toward the street again. His eyes kept dashing from side to side, his fingers twitching anxiously. 

As he stepped into the street he realised how quiet it was, no hunters, no other vampires. He let out a big sigh of relief and briskly started walking toward the car. Despair was still clutching onto him. 

He sank into silence in the car seat on the way back, streetlights blurred past the car. The night had turned particularly sombre, even more than it had been. He kept seeing the vampire turn to dust as he closed his eyes, which turned into the vision of his mother turning to dust. 

"Stop the car," he suddenly yelled out. 

"Right here, sir?" The driver questioned. 

Oleander sighed, "No. Not here. Old Dawn. Merchant Square. Just for a moment." 

"Again, sir?" The driver said with a concerned tone. 

"Just go." Oleander glanced out the window. 

The driver took a sharp u-turn and a left turn, taking them into Old Dawn. Bumpy, narrow, cobblestone streets greeted them, the buildings were old, picturesque. Not one building taller than six floors. 

The car stopped at a large square with an elaborate fountain at the centre. Oleander stepped into the square, walking straight toward the fountain. He stared into the water, watching the faint glittering of coins at the bottom. An accidental meditation that lasted several minutes. She had died there; next to the fountain. 

He shook his head, why did he torture himself like this? Sulking over the past that was long gone. He turned away abruptly, his gaze strayed back on the fountain as he rushed toward the car. 

Oleander didn't even sense her, and he bumped right into her. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "You lost your… uh… skull?" He picked up what looked like a vampire skull, almost laughing at the irony. 

"I- I'm sorry. It was probably m-my fault," she smiled. 

He handed her the skull, "Is this yours?" 

"I'm so clumsy. Yes. This is my… um- prop," Ellie said awkwardly and took the skull. 

"It's very lifelike," he muttered, glancing at her deep blue eyes, half-mesmerised. 

Ellie felt her cheeks turn bright red, "I- um- I have to get going." She dashed off in the opposite direction. 

"Bye?" Oleander muttered under his breath as he watched her go, "Who was she?"