AUTHOR'S NOTE: Due to my relative newness within the Twilight canon, this story takes place sometime after the events of the first novel, and as you will see, is a slightly alternate universe (or AU). Some readers may find certain character actions or thematic elements confusing when taking the later Twilight novels into account, hence my initial disclaimer here.
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"Scabs
of the past peeling slowly from a dark and distant memory, emptiness,
whispering menace glinting beneath the skin, consumption in the vast
eternal maw, decaying teeth flickering over the tongue of the
faceless, debasement of eternal torment, dark is the light.
Dark
is the light. And everything is black." - Oren Ambarchi
It was a typically overcast day in Forks, Washington. The threat of rain loomed in the distance, and the sky was swathed in grey, as though the heavens had grown jealous of God's ultimate creation and were attempting to sap it of all color. The air was damp and thick, but this was not only from the condensation. There was something greater at work. Perhaps destiny, its scent ever-alluring, was calling once more?
Of course, such flights of fancy mattered not for our stalwart hero, a one Edward Cullen. As he lay with his love Bella in the treetops, amidst the purity of nature, all he could think of was her.
"…Edward?" asked Bella, hesitant to break the natural serenity they had been basking in.
"Yes?"
"Are you…how long do you think we'll be together?"
Edward sighed. He'd wondered how long it would take for this question to come up. He was extremely tempted to reply with "Until you're dead," though he knew this would bring their affair to an immediate end. Still, the completely literal nature of this reply amused him.
Their relationship had been through quite a tumultuous period, to say the least. Both still bore the literal and metaphorical scars from James' attack a few weeks prior. On the one hand, this strengthened the relationship between Edward and Bella; Edward, in addition to his already strong romantic infatuation, now felt empowered as Bella's protector. On the other hand, the attack had gotten Edward thinking about his role as a vampire.
What, exactly, did being a vampire dictate? There were many ways to interpret this question. Naturally, there came the immortality, and the bloodlust, but what did these facts of life really mean? Some, such as James, looked down on humanity and chose to hunt them for sport. Edward could never bring himself to join in such barbarous acts, but nevertheless he could not help but think of himself as above humanity, even Bella. Despite being mentally impenetrable, she was still a mortal. Edward knew that Bella would one day die, like every human. It didn't matter whether the cause was by his own hand, a speeding bullet, or some horrific illness; her story would end at the grave, a luxury that Edward did not have.
"I already told you. Forever," he said, letting her question hang in the air before answering it. He enjoyed the melodrama, on some level.
"Well, yeah, I know that," replied Bella. "But you're immortal, and you have no plans on making me a vampire. You're really gonna' stick with me until I'm an old woman?"
"Bella, my dear, I've already told you, true love knows no age limits," he replied.
Of course, the option of turning his beloved into a vampire was always there, but Edward wouldn't think of such a proposition. Part of Bella's appeal to him was due to the fact that she was but a mere mortal. It was a rather arrogant way of looking at things, but Edward couldn't help but indulge his own thoughts. The power he exerted over her both mentally and physically; at any moment he could tear her throat out with his bare hands and delight himself with the forbidden fruit that was her blood, and she would never suspect a thing. Edward would never do such a thing, of course; he'd sooner throw himself upon a funeral pyre than betray his lover's trust. Beyond this superiority, however, was a sense of pity. The worst thing he could do to her, worse than even murder, would be giving Bella the curse of his vampirism. Edward wouldn't wish his disease on anyone, even his worst enemy.
There were times before he met Bella that Edward had prayed for death. All too often he was reminded of his status as a walking corpse. Edward often had visions late at night, reminding him of vampirism's more gruesome side effects. He saw his blood, forever frozen in his veins, blackened and thick with coagulation. He saw his skin, pale and as solid as marble, forever doomed to sparkle in the sunlight. Edward wished sometimes that his affliction was as depicted in typical vampire films; he wished he could step outside into the sunlight and burst into flames. He wished he could drive a stake through his own heart, if only to end the malaise that had taken a hold of him. He even thought of drawing the attention of the Volturi, so that they might finally end him.
Such thoughts were persistent and unwavering, until he met Bella. Smart, clumsy, typical teenager Bella. Edward had never thought that a 17 year-old girl would be the one to placate his soul. But then again, who would?
He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped as he heard a noise from down below.
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Being a hunter was tougher than it looked.
For one thing, it meant always being prepared for any possible situation. Cleansing a local chapel full of ghouls, only to find out that one of them is someone you fought alongside with 5 years ago? You'd better be prepared to pull the trigger, or else it meant that your ass was as good as dead. Friends were a short-term investment in this line of work.
Secondly, it meant always having a target on your back. There were always threats looming right around the corner. Some newly-converted vampire barely out of his teens would think he could take down the legendary assassin, and would employ a dozen other people to help him accomplish this goal. He'd seen it all: convoluted plots involving ritual sacrifice, "blood gods," horrific human experimentation. He'd even seen a couple of assholes claiming to be Dracula. Of course, they all fell by the wayside sooner or later, for to fail in this line of work meant failing the world.
There was no shortage of help, at least. That was something he'd always found weird. Despite vampires having seamlessly integrated into the average human population, there was never a shortage of fellow hunters willing to lend a helping hand: everything from old men to young kids with Hollywood movie star looks.
However, this was not the time for questioning one's line of work. The intel he'd gotten from Selene was disturbing, to say the least. There was a major occurrence taking place in Washington State: something about a new breed of vampire, unlike any ever seen before. Selene had even said that this could rival the attempted vampire "final solution" from a few years back. If action wasn't taken soon, the entire world would be at stake.
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"Oh my God…Edward, what the Hell is that thing?!" shouted Bella in shock.
"I have no idea," replied Edward, his voice stern and unflinching.
The thing that approached them was truly horrific, offensive on every possible level. At first it appeared to be nothing more than a normal teenage boy, perhaps one slightly older than themselves. He was deathly pale, one of the lesser side effects of vampirism, but this was not shocking for Edward. Forks had proven to be a popular gathering spot for vampire clans; a newcomer was not exactly unexpected.
Then, they noticed the smell; this boy absolutely reeked of the grave, of wet earth and decay. But again, this was not surprising. Some of the more melodramatic vampires Edward had known chose to sleep in coffins packed with soil, so as to get more in touch with their roots.
However, the creature's approach betrayed its true nature. As it got closer, Edward noticed its eyes were black and depthless, like those of a child's doll. He saw the unflinching smile on the creature's face. He saw the open wounds and sores all over its arms, wriggling with maggots and insects.
And then he heard it laugh, and it was a sound that could send a chill up the spine of any being, living or dead.
Suddenly, the beast lunged, tackling Edward to the ground.
"Oh my God, Edward!" shouted Bella as she attempted to subdue the foul monster, only to be swatted away like a bothersome fly.
The monster opened its mouth, exposing a foul maw full of writing black tentacles. Thick, noxious fumes seemed to emanate from deep in its throat. Edward could only look on in horror as the creature prepared to consume him. It let out a high-pitched, shrieking roar…
…when it was suddenly impaled through the chest by a silver spike.
"Move!" said a voice from behind. Edward was still in a daze, but instinctively leaped out of the way, and watched as the beast was besieged by a hail of bullets. It fell, black fumes seeping from its wounds.
"Shit, haven't got much time," the voice said. Edward could only catch a glimpse of the man as he rushed over to the fallen abomination. He wore a long leather trenchcoat, and carried on his person multiple high tech weapons. The man knelt down and spread the monster's arms and legs out, putting it in a position not unlike that of da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man." He then quickly nailed spikes into the monster's wrists and ankles, pinning it to the ground, before turning to Edward.
"Hand me that gun!" said the man, pointing to a semi-automatic pistol that lay at Edward's feet. Edward could see that the man was black, though his face was still mostly obscured by a pair of sunglasses.
"What is that thing?" asked Edward, complying with his request.
"I'll explain later," said the man as he stood. The beast had awoken now, roaring at the indignity of its condition. It shrieked with a demonic madness until the very end, when the man put a bullet squarely in its head. At this the monster's body began to smolder and burn up; the black fumes became almost overpowering as it was quickly reduced to nothing more than a skeleton.
"You two need to come with me," said the man.
"What is all this?! Who are you?!" asked Bella, overwhelmed by the situation.
"Like I said, I'll explain later. We're short on time as it is and I don't need to get bogged down in exposition. This town isn't safe anymore. Either you and your vampire boyfriend come with me, or I'll leave you for those things," the man replied curtly. There was no malice in his words, only cold certainty.
"How did you know I was a vampire?" asked Edward, astonished.
"I'm a hunter. It's my job to pick your types out from the normal folk," he replied.
At this, Edward clenched his hands in anticipation of battle, so the man continued, as if to ease his suspicions.
"Don't worry; I have no reason to kill you. The clans around here seem to mostly be the non-violent type. I got no problem with that. It's those things-" he said, motioning to the charred remains of the creature "-that I'm after."
"There are more of them?" inquired Edward.
"Yes and their numbers are growing at a rapid pace. I think I know how to stop them, but I need your help, both of you," he said.
"My help?" said Edward, unsure.
"Yes, you, Edward Cullen," said the man, exasperated.
"Okay, look," said Bella. "I don't know what the relationship is between you two guys, or what those things are, or any of that, but I'll do what I can to help out. But before we decide to go off on some big vampire-hunting adventure or whatever, could we at least get your name?"
"Call me…Blade," he replied.
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And that's it for Chapter 1. If you read it, please review it. All comments and criticism are welcomed and encouraged (NO FLAMING).
