Page 9 of Before We Burn

The mind games were the worst. They had witches locked up who could enter your mind and make your worst nightmares come true. I watched my family die over and over again so they could laugh at my pain. Benny never talked about what happened in his second week, but I think it hurt him more than they meant to. Sometimes I think he was brainwashed into hating himself for something he never really was.

The blood test was new when we started training, since they didn’t know there was a specific mutation found in witches until a year before that. Now that we know, the government tests everyone at birth to avoid any type of coven rebuild.

I follow Benny out of our barracks, into our vehicle, and watch him carefully. His hands wrap tight around the steering wheel, his tan skin marred with cuts and scars. Growing up, he always took on the brunt of everything—he convinced me it was better that way.

I turn to look out the window as we drive through deserted towns, the boarded up windows the only sign someone was there at some point. This part of the world was silenced a long time ago. Most people stay in what used to be the southern states of the USA—the sun there was sure to keep vampires out. Most people believe witches couldn’t go down there because it was sacred ground—whatever the hell that meant. But up here, in the far north of the same continent called the Dead Zone, no one thrived. Not even the good guys.

I miss seeing kids run and play in the streets. I miss being able to grab a burger at a mom-and-pop shop that had been in the family for generations. War destroyed everything, including me and Benny, and everything changed twenty-eight years ago with the beginning of The Collective—a new world order presented by our Premier Leader.

I would be lying if I said I regret any of it. Our missions in the beginning were mostly the collection of witches and protection for travelers fleeing their vampire and witch-infested cities. But over time, it stopped being about the people and more about collecting witches like they were buried treasure. That’s when the vampires got involved, because we noticed if there was a vampire, there was a witch nearby. It didn’t take us long to realize they were in a pack of some sort, which was unusual but stopped the witch hunts for a while. We couldn’t get past the vampires no matter how much we tried.

That began our transition from capturing witches to hunting and killing vampires. That’s where I earned my title, and that’s what I want to get back to.

Every vampire I’ve killed is another innocent life I’ve saved. Plus, their fangs are worth a pretty penny. The fact that I seem to scare them now adds a bit of excitement, too. Honestly, the bonus in my check for protecting the existence of my people was more than enough incentive.

“Can you fucking say something, man? You’re making it weird,” Benny bites out.

I can tell something is bothering him, so instead of punching him in the head like I usually would, humor seems more fitting.

“Your eyes look beautiful in this light,” I say with a bright smile. He glances at me, his hazel eyes narrowed with annoyance.

“Really, Everett? That’s your ice breaker? You didn’t even ask to take me to dinner or ask my name?” His head shakes in fake outrage. “I thought you would treat me more like a lady.”

He gives me a huff disguised by a laugh I wish he left out. He’s more bothered today than any other, and I can’t tell if it’s because of what I said or because of something else on his mind.

He’s my self-declared brother. He wouldn’t admit it, because the thought of a potential family scared him. Something I relate to heavily.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong so I don’t have to drop ten more bad pickup lines on you?”

His brow creases and heavy shadows cast over his eyes from his brows. He shakes his head, taking a deep breath in then slowly blowing it out. I feel the tension rolling off his body in waves—something is really bothering him.

When he doesn’t say anything, I look out the windshield and a heavy sigh escapes me. It’s dark today—darker than I would like—and the clouds look heavy with snow, or maybe freezing rain. I was more concerned about a run in with vampires, since I didn’t pack any UV bullets or sun bombs. With a sky so dark during daytime, vampires could be walking around, assuming the role of a human.

“I don’t like the way the sky is looking. Then you said the thing about the witches… I’ve just been having a bad feeling about today. ” He shrugs, a worried look marring his features.

I understood how he was feeling. Every day things are changing; our understanding of the war has slowly slipped away, and with that, our minds have made up their own scenarios as to why we were at war with the witches in the first place. It’s obvious the leaders of The Collective have no idea what they’re doing—half the time I think they just sit in their offices holding each other's dicks.

But what do I know? I’m just a dumb soldier who signed up for this shit. I didn’t sign up for raids and patrols. I signed up to protect people while they walk home at night, stopping the vampire attacks before they happen. But now…we’re being told to get the witches—as many witches as possible—and if we kill a couple of vampires while we’re at it, great.

“The sky has been getting darker and darker every day. Winter must be closing in sooner than we thought,” I sigh, shaking my head. “Hopefully there hasn’t been any vampire migration yet. It’s been quiet here, and that’s why they put us on witch patrol.”

The groan from Benny lets me know what he thinks about that. I already want this patrol to be over if this is the version of Benny I’m going to get. I roll my eyes, sinking into the leather seats of the blacked-out, unmarked vehicle and close my eyes.

Closing my eyes is my favorite and least favorite thing to do. I can see the beauty of the world before the chaos—the trees filled with lush leaves, the bright green grass evenly cut. Even the air smelled different then. I can’t remember ever seeing a vampire, never had any fear that one would jump out at me while I was playing games with my friends. It was nighttime I dreaded.

My nightmares are vivid, and most of what I saw was the war and the carnage. It was like their mutilated souls tainted the air and forced me into this hell, remembering the screams and blood. My childhood memories were the worst, remembering long black hair and voices speaking in snake-like tongues. One tried to get the other to stop because they were there for something—I could never listen close enough to hear what.

I open my eyes, taking a deep breath as I look out the window, watching the miles of dead land pass. There’s no greenery left here—no trees with heavy leaves—just death, destruction, and the everlasting feeling of despair.

“Hey ladies, want to hit this spot?” a voice sounds from our radio. It was old—probably made in the late 2020’s—but the vampires rarely checked radio waves, so it was safe.

Benny picks up the talkie, his shoulders slumped and voice thick with agitation. “I don’t want to hit anything, Johnny. Give it to someone else.” He puts the talkie down and the line goes silent for a moment. I thought Johnny had actually given the call to someone else, but then the static comes through along with his voice.

“Stop busting my balls; take the fucking call before you get us all in trouble. It’s only 2.6 miles outside of your position. There was some activity in that area—no more than three potential witches. Make sure to check them for the sign.” The line goes dead.

Benny punches the steering wheel as I lean back in my seat. The GPS pops up on our dashboard—thanks to Johnny—and we ride in silence.

The towns around here are either completely deserted or filled with poverty. The demographic was a mix between children born into the new world order and older folks who are too stubborn to believe their glory days have ended and refuse to leave their homes, even though there is nothing left here.