Adrenaline

The power it gives is like nothing else

With its power you are unstoppable

You can do anything

Wrath is the fuel which gives rise to

The cities of the future

Cities built on vengeance

Both Sides Of The Girl

Chapter Fourteen

He felt like a child who hadn’t gotten what he wanted for the holidays. Had anyone been around they would have thought him mad as he lavished his frustration on his surroundings. His current residence had been entirely destroyed. Bookshelves were on the ground, coffee tables and chairs were smashed. A television was still sparking on its stand and the shoe he had thrown into it sat neatly among the glass. He didn’t know what had come over him at that moment and it killed him because lately it had been all that he was able to think of. Resting his forehead on his front door he pounded it angrily.

Yes. He had been given all the time that he wanted. Yes. He had been presented with more than one opportunity to kill her. No. He hadn’t killed her. He had made excuse after excuse and now it was he who was questioning his own motives. Two months later and nothing had been accomplished. Rumors abounded although his reputation kept most of them silent. Even his boss hadn’t spoken to him about the matter. Everyone trusted him to get this done quickly. Her death would mean the end of an era and the beginning of a new way of life for the creatures of the night. He couldn’t fail. They had been at this for so long.

A time long ago they were all plentiful. No one knew where the dark beings had come from but their appearance had caused an unusual reaction within a select number of humans. These humans acquired powers similar to those of the arrivals. They seemed to be able to manipulate anything around them, all sources of energy bended to their will and followed their direction, they were immune to disease and natural deaths, dark beings avoided being in their presence and most importantly they had superhuman strength and intelligence. These powers went unused and eventually all but the strongest lost their powers entirely. It didn’t matter. They served no purpose anyway.

The dark beings seemed to feed off an outstanding energy source acquired from the air and the people settled into peaceful cohabitation of the earth. But one day a drunken man provoked a dark being. In a sudden moment of rage she lashed out, killing him. As his body lay there she noticed the ether rising from his corpse. Cautiously she tasted it and found it good. Eventually the sparse energy from the air was not enough to sustain them. That was the beginning of the hunts.

As the human population began to dwindle those that would eventually be called Protectors rose up, organized and fought back. Though their numbers were smaller their powers grew with every victory. Additionally they noticed that some daughters of female protectors acquired the same traits and a proud lineage began. Year after year the numbers of the dark ones dwindled while the organized groups of Protectors grew. Soon the powers of a single protector were so great that their mere existence prevented the dark beings from hunting during the day.

There were only two instances of crossbreeding between the dark beings and protectors. One was a young man. After his birth both mother and father were killed and he was taken in by the head of the dark beings. He was stronger than both Protectors and Dark Beings. Like the Protectors, with each victory his powers grew. Unlike Dark Beings he fed only for pleasure and was not hindered by daylight. The other was a female who, according to the history books, was destroyed upon birth.

With this young man the Dark Beings began to gain the upper hand. Eventually there was only one family of Protectors left. The last adult protector was killed without much problem, her body was ripped apart and fed upon in a glorious feast. Only later did they learn about the daughters.

Two were useless; they had shown no signs of powers. One had inherited her mother’s traits and was to be killed. As long as she existed they could not hunt, could not take over the day. The remnants of the “last” protector’s family hid together save for one. Sending the middle child away they hoped to use her as a decoy. She was just a powerless girl but perhaps it would be enough to buy them some time.

The dark beings soon got wind of the middle-daughter. Knowing she was a decoy they hoped to extract some information before killing her. Even killing the descendent of a Protector was a high honor. The young man was given the opportunity but he came back empty handed. She had known nothing. He had not killed her, there had been no need.

The impetuous girl who had inherited powers had refused them with a passion. Soon she realized that the only way to escape her fate was to create another. She ran quickly to the school where she knew the other sister was. It was this sister who would be most receptive to having her powers awakened. The chance that the other girl would be killed was great, but the risk was well worth it. As soon as they realized the girl with powers was gone her family followed her energy to a dingy boarding school dorm. There they happened upon a sight that had never been seen before and was never seen again. The transfer of powers created a vortex that sucked all the inhabitants of the room inside. There they remained for centuries, suspended in time on Earth.

Because the last protector was not destroyed the dark beings found themselves powerless. They could not hunt in the day and there was no way to gain the upper hand. Surviving on what they could at night they became the stuff of legends. They waited for the day that the vortex would spit out the last protector and they could extract their revenge. Years later they had their chance and the still-head of the Dark Beings selected his protégé to complete the task. That task was given to the young man who had been named Ken.

Ken’s wrath was not directed where it should have been. He knew that firing himself up against Avalon would serve him well. If he could just get angry at her he would be able to complete his mission. He would be a hero. Victory would be theirs at last.

Slamming his fist against the door one more time he felt his anger turned inward. Why her? Of all people? Why did she have this effect on him? Why was his thirst for vengeance suddenly gone? All thoughts of revenge had been driven away by her smile. It would not do.

His alarm snapped him out of his reverie. It was almost 9pm and he was late. Breathing heavily he opened and slammed the door behind him. The thought of seeing her again made him leave all anger behind.

Control your wrath

Oh children of darkness

Or it will consume you