So, this is the end. Hope you liked it. The story may be done but I still love hearing from you readers.
It's been eight years and things aren't fixed but have gotten way better. Kick-Ass and I spent many years shaping our city back to the way it used to be. The population began to rise slowly after the rouge population went down. Sasha and her family stayed close to where Kick-Ass and I set up our base. She did end up joining us and was a great addition to all the challenges we had to accomplish. As time passed I didn't really realize the huge changes in Dave until he began to look noticeably older. We never drifted apart but despite his age he was still the same Dave. It was hard for both of us to accept but Dave was adamant in his decision to stay human. I respected his choice even though it killed me inside to know he would be gone someday. I kept myself busy to forget this piece of reality and continued to do what I knew best.
I had to finish our goal with our without him. My thoughts returned to the present as I ran down the still cracked street of our neighborhood with Nightfall by my side. We had just gotten back from raiding an old building for rogues. There weren't as many as before, but along with anyone else causing trouble, we also took care of any rogues that still survived. It would be a difficult task eliminating them all if they continued to bite people. We were now on our way to the base which doubled as our home and where Dave waited for us. He told us not to stay out long because he had a surprise. Nightfall slowed to a stop and I skid to a stop to double back.
"You tired?" I asked. She smirked but nodded anyways.
"Unlike you, I have limited energy," she huffed out. I didn't blame her. We practically ran across the city and back tonight. Including all the fights we were in. I remembered the times when I was always low on energy but with the help of donations, grudgingly supplied at first but now happy to volunteer, I was in way better shape. I was always a tough fighter though. Even when I was young I didn't stop fighting even if I was the one losing. Nightfall straightened up soon and gestured for us to continue. I started forward in a slow jog. While we ran, my mind raced through the years. Once Sasha completed all I had to teach her, she chose a name and a costume. Nightfall, referring to the time of day my kind liked to dwell in, while her colors were black and blue.
Her suit was more tightfitting than mine but also lacked a cape. Her suit had blue across the tops of her arms and shoulders. It made a point at her chest but continued down the middle of her back. She specialized in swords, because like Dave, she wouldn't handle a gun even if we managed to find a properly working one. I was excited by the prospect of needing one again but she wasn't. Her knife skills were impressive and she knew how to use a staff somewhat. Her mask was a skinnier version of my own but unlike me, she let her hair down to her shoulders while I kept mine tied back and died purple.
I told her that even though I still liked to, it wasn't necessary for her to suit up but she refused to listen. At twenty years old, she was so fucking stubborn. She rarely listened but she had a strong sense of right and wrong so I usually let her make choices freely. Her parents had been killed a month after her eighteenth birthday from two starving rogues. We were nowhere near enough to save them and hadn't known. We found them broken in the street. After that she came to live with me and Dave. It made patrol easier, while training became smoother. She threw herself heart and soul into training so that the grief wouldn't catch up to her but I knew how she felt.
"What do you think he has planned?" she questioned me. I shrugged.
"You know Dave. The world could be ending or in our case rebuilding but he has to wish you a happy birthday anyways," I replied sarcastically.
"It's ok, I never really minded his eagerness," she said.
"I know you don't. Here we go," I responded as we slowed down. I looked up at the tall building that was our base. A handful of volunteers also had rooms here in case we needed extra manpower. Our rooms were at the top. We entered the building and were greeted randomly by passerby's going about their business. We greeted them back.
"I hope we don't look too bad. That rogue you killed rained blood," she muttered self-consciously. I only rolled my eyes. Electricity was hard to maintain as of now so not much was running on it yet. We passed the elevators and turned down a hall where stairs awaited us.
"Shit, can't we just use the elevator," she asked in exasperation.
"No, we need that energy; don't be an old lady," I teased. She tensed.
"I am not. You may be stuck at twenty one but you would still be way older than me right now," she retorted.
"But I'm not," I replied simply, starting up the stairs. She followed me with a glare. When we reached the door to our apartment, I paused.
"You want to do the honors?" I asked, gesturing to the door. She stepped forward and pushed it open. The apartment was quiet and the lights were dim. My senses branched out quickly. I easily pinpointed Dave hiding in the closet Sasha was about to pass but I remained quiet. Right when she was clear of the door, it swung open and Dave had her in a headlock. She reacted quick enough to jab Dave in the ribs with her elbow. While he flinched and loosened his hold, she kicked his feet out from under him and threw him to the floor. She stood with a knife in her hand but relaxed when she saw it was just him.
"Fuck Dave, what the hell?" she said, as she put away the knife to help him up.
"I regret letting you hear Mindy's horrible choice of vocabulary when you were younger," he grumbled. For a man of thirty five, Dave kept training and staying in shape so he still looked good. He told me he thought about retiring but I knew deep down that if he was still needed, he would go.
"Was that the surprise?" Sasha asked as she removed her mask and gloves. I followed her example.
"No, I just wanted to keep you on your toes," he replied. He walked into the kitchen and came back with a cake and a small box. When I saw the box I smiled. Dave and I both agreed on her gift.
"Happy birthday Sasha," Dave and I said together. She grinned.
"Thanks guys," she said appreciatively. Dave presented the box to her. She hesitated but took the box from him and unwrapped it. She froze when it was finally open and then pulled out the polished weapon.
"Is this…" she began.
"Yep, the same thing I got from my father all those years ago when I first met Dave," I spoke up. She flipped the blade around using tricks I had taught her. She added the new addition to her belt and hugged us.
"Thank you, it means a lot," she said as she released us.
"It better, we had to raid that broken down safe house to find it. It was my only one so I was pretty sure I hid it well enough and it turns out I did. I wanted to give it to you on your birthday so I made sure it was in working order and didn't say a word ever since," I told her.
"So how does it feel hitting the big two zero?" Dave asked playfully. She swatted his arm and laughed.
"Sucks because I'll be an old geezer like you soon," she replied. Dave frowned and looked down at himself.
"I'm not that old yet," he muttered. I laughed.
"Had I been aging I would be twenty nine by now. I would almost be thirty. Can you believe how lucky I am? I'll never be an old geezer like Dave," I said, joining in the joke.
"I can't believe I put up with you two," he said.
"You love us too much to get rid of us," I said as I draped an arm over his shoulder the best I could. Sasha nodded.
"I know," he responded. We spent the rest of the night lounging on the couch in our pajamas talking while Dave and Sasha had cake. After words, Sasha wished us goodnight, thanked us again for everything, and left to her room. Dave sighed and sat back on the couch.
"You ok?" I questioned him hesitantly. He looked up at me with sad eyes.
"Dave, don't start. You'll make yourself depressed," I warned him for the millionth time.
"I'll just hate to leave you two alone but it hurts me more leaving you," he stated quietly. I walked over to him and held his hand.
"I'll never forget you, and when it's Sasha's time I won't forget her either," I said sincerely. He smiled sadly.
"Come on, you need your beauty sleep," I said lightly, trying to cheer him up. He chuckled. By the time his snores where the only thing I could hear, I was already out the door. I needed to stop by my good friend Dr. Huston. We met during the first days of settling and my condition fascinated him. I bargained with him in those days. I let him study me if he could get me blood without harming anyone. Our deal slowly turned into friendship. He always came to me if he had a question concerning vampires and I asked him freely for blood. He has helped me by supplying me with donated blood for some time now. I walked into his office and he greeted me.
"Usual?" he asked. I nodded and absentmindedly scanned the room. He left and returned with a box.
"Is that all?" he questioned. I nodded silently.
"I will never know what you're truly going through even though you've told me so much, but I do know everything will turn out all right. Don't let this forever thing get to you. Think of it like you will have infinite time to meet new people and make new friends who will always be there to support you. Not to mention help lead us poor drifters until society as we knew it is up and running. We all know you three have done so much for us Mindy," he reminded me. Dr. Huston was the only other person who knew my name besides Sasha and her late parents.
"Yes, I know Doc, don't get mushy on me," I warned lightly. He smiled.
"See you soon," he said as he turned to sit at his desk. I nodded and left the office with the box tucked under my arm. I dropped it off at home and left again to stand in the cemetery. I hadn't come here in a very long time but I felt I owed them. Marcus and Daddy were buried side by side; partners until the very end. When Sasha's parents were found, we buried them nearby. We never had time to bury Dave's father but I knew if we had, he would be here as well.
I sat on a boulder and gazed up at the darkening sky. The stars lit it up like never before when the smog congested the atmosphere. I had been taught by my father to fight and became a hero. Through that occupation, I became a monster. Only with the love of my close friends could I ever see myself as something more. I've helped raise a civilization from the brink of destruction and learned to care for another person when I thought I couldn't. To think it all started with my father's revenge. I shook my head and laughed.
"Thank you daddy; even though your teachings have brought me into a life that sometimes is too hard to bear, I would have never experienced what I have without it and wouldn't change a moment," I said quietly. A breeze blew by, creating different sounds at its passing, and then everything was silent again. I turned away from the spot I knew my family now rested, despite the lack of tombstones, and walked back home. Tomorrow was a new day, and I had to be fed and ready to face it. I wouldn't stop fighting until this world was restored back to its formal glory and I will always have friends and loved ones to help me every step of the way.