November 12th, 1991. Oskar woke up early that evening. He was slightly tired but it would wear off soon. He looked down and felt hands on him before looking behind him and smiling. It was Eli. He was hugging him in his sleep. Something they often did. Oskar would normally be the big spoon (on account of being a bit taller than Eli), and Eli would be the little spoon. But this morning they changed it up. Eli usually sleeps in for a while, despite it being 5:10pm, and being dark out. He didn't normally fully get up until 7pm. Avoiding waking him up, Oskar gently removed Eli's arms from his torso and placed a teddy bear in its place. He then slowly got up and walked out of the room. He turned the lights on in their apartment. The apartment was nice and clean. Their old Caretaker got it for them, but he wasn't in the picture anymore. The windows were covered by a tarp. For safety, of course, you can't let any sunlight in. The living room was clean, with a red couch and a carpet. There was a Knight in Shining armor as well. The kitchen was mostly silent. No one usually uses the kitchen. It's mostly there for show. There was a bathroom, and a spare bedroom, but Oskar and Eli stayed in the main bedroom. It had no windows. It was perfect. Oskar walked around the living room for a bit…before he stopped. He noticed something. Sitting on the ledge of the coffee table, next to the TV, was a photograph. But not of Oskar and Eli. It was one of…Oskar and his mother. It was one of the few belongings he took with him when he and Eli ran away together. He picked it up and stared at it. Even after it all…he still somewhat missed her. Then it occurred to him. How long has it been? He walked to the calendar and looked at it. November 12th, 1991. 10 years. It's been 10 years since everything. He did a lot in those 10 years. Ran away with Eli, become a vampire, survive, hop places to live…a lot. He couldn't believe that it was actually 10 years. Oskar looked down at the water dripping into the sink. At first, he couldn't see his reflection. But the more he stared, the more he saw it. He really changed after 10 years, hasn't he? Sure, he hasn't aged a bit, but his body is somewhat different. He's a bit more swole now, he's been working out. He changed his hairstyle as well. He needed a minute. He needed to leave the apartment for a bit, just to collect his thoughts. He got a piece of paper and wrote on it, before leaving it on the table. "Out for a walk, be back soon. -Oskar." The note said. Oskar always leaves a note for Eli if they are still asleep if it happens he is awake first and goes on for a walk, or at least, tells them where he's going if Eli is awake. The first time Oskar went out without telling Eli was a disaster. When he got back, the apartment was a mess. He luckily didn't go out on a killing spree or anything. But he messed up the apartment, tearing it apart. He was also sprinting around the walls of the apartment. To avoid that from happening again, or worse, he promised to leave him a note before he leaves. He opened the door and walked out of the house.
It was a cold night, but Oskar didn't care. Not that he could feel it or anything. He was wearing a simple sweat jacket and pants, with some boots. Not many people stared at him, but a few did. After all, he was still in Sweden and considered a missing person. Probably wondering how he looks like he hasn't aged a bit. "I wonder how mom is doing." Oskar thinks to himself. Then Oskar looked up. Funny, there were a lot more people around before, but now just one man is standing there across from him. He was holding something that Oskar couldn't see. He looked like he was part of a biker gang or something, one of those things you'd see in a movie or TV Show. "Hey, kid." The man said. Oskar stopped. "What?" Oskar asked. The man laughed and walked towards him. "That's not how you talk to a Pal you know." The man continued. "You're not my Pal, I don't know who you are," Oskar said. "You got any money, kid?" The man asked. "No, I got none on me, and even if so, I'm not giving it to you," Oskar said. Another man walked up behind him, holding a baseball hat and having a bandana over his head. "Oh? No money? That's a shame.." The other man said. Oskar turned around, looking at the man as other men seemed to show up almost out of thin air. "I'm not afraid of any of you," Oskar said. One of the men cackled like a hyena. "Oh you should be little man, get him boys!" The leader yelled. The gang members readied their weapons and went to attack Oskar, but he held his own, even without Eli. Usually, he and Eli would work together, but today Oskar was by himself. But still, he avoided killing anyone, just heavily injuring them. It was going well until the gang leader pulled out a gun. "I have to admit, you have a lot more strength than I thought. So I have an offer for you. Come join me and my gang, or get killed right here and now." The Leader said. Oskar shook his head. "I can do this all night," Oskar said. The leader laughed, as more gang members stumbled up, pulling out their firearms. "Alright, suit yourself!" The leader said. They were just about to shoot when they were just..disarmed. By what seemed to be nothing. A gust of wind went by, as someone in the shadows behind them grabbed two of the men and bashed their heads together, causing them to be knocked out. One of the gang members reacted like he just got punched, freaking another out. "LETS GET OUT OF HERE!" One of the gang members yelled. The gang members quickly book it as the knocked-out ones simply just lie there. "You could've gotten hurt kid." A voice said. It was from the person in front of him. "Who are you?" Oskar asked. The person exited the shadows, but even still, they seemed to be covered in shadow. "You'll figure it out soon Oskar." The figure said. Oskar became surprised. "How do you know my name?!" Oskar asked. The figure chuckled, before backing away into the shadow. Oskar ran towards him, only for him to be gone. "Where did he…" Oskar began to say to himself.
Oskar walks into a quiet bar later that evening. There's barely anyone in there, just one man passed out at one of the booths. Probably drunk. He sits at the table and stares into space until he hears a voice. "Excuse me, sir? Can I help you?" The Bartender asks. Oskar looks up and the Bartender becomes surprised. "Wait, I know you, your Oskar Eriksson!" The Bartender said. "Yeah. What about it?" Oskar asked. The Bartender looked around before answering. "You don't look like you aged a day!" The Bartender remarked. Oskar didn't reply, just stared. The Bartender Cleared his throat. "Uh, would you like anything to drink?" The Bartender asked. Oskar wasn't gonna respond at first until he remembered. Water. That's the only thing he CAN drink. He can barely taste it, but it's something. "A glass of water please," Oskar said. The bartender nodded, before walking to the back. Oskar went back to staring into space when he heard someone whistling. He looked in the reflection, only to see nothing but himself. But when he looked to his right, he saw the figure again. "AH!" Oskar yelled. He got startled. "Hello again Oskar." The figure said. "Why are you following me? Who are you?" Oskar asked. "I know what you are. A vampire. You kill to survive. I understand that." The figure said, dodging the question. Oskar began to shiver. For some reason, he felt a bit uneasy around this person. "How do you know this?" Oskar asked. "When was the last time you saw your mother Oskar? 10 years? How about you go visit? Tonight would make a good night." The figure stated. Oskar looked away, thinking before looking back to respond, only to see that the figure was gone. "...I should go say Hi," Oskar said to himself.
It took a while, but the train finally stopped after a few hours. It was 8:38pm by the time it stopped. He got out and looked around. Blackeberg. It's been a long time since he's been here. 10 years. This was his first time returning after so long. He knew he had to avoid walking since most people were aware he was missing and his connection to the bath house murders 10 years ago, so he quickly took to the sky. Eli taught him how to fly a couple of years back. He can't fly for long, only for around 20 minutes. He got away from view before climbing a building, and getting onto the roof. He took a deep breath and sprinted towards the edge of the roof, leaping off and taking flight. It was 10 years since he had been to Blackeberg but he knew the small town like the back of his hand. It felt nice being in the air, looking over everything. That's when he spotted a familiar figure on the rooftop looking up at him. He landed and lone and behold, it was the figure. "I see you took my advice." The figure said, "What are you even doing here?" Oskar asked. "Listen I'm only here to help. I'm here to give you an option." The Figure said. "An option? What do you mean?" Oskar asked. "Listen, there's a chance you're not leaving that apartment if you go in. There's a chance you aren't leaving Blackeberg if you go in." The figure said. Oskar looked down. "...Oh." Oskar began to say. "Here's an idea: Get a piece of paper and pencil and write something down, then, leave it at her door or window. Just, don't let her see you." The figure said. Oskar looked down before looking back up and talking. "Alright, but there's someth-" But the figure was already gone. Oskar ran to the edge of the roof and looked down, no sign of them. "How the hell do they do that?" Oskar thought to himself.
He had to do one thing before he went to his mother's place. He went to a graveyard and after a while, he found it. Heh..10 years ago Eli ended it all. 10 years ago he became free from their torment. The graves of Jonny Forsberg, his brother, and another name that he couldn't make out. The graves of his bullies. Well, most of them. They tried to kill him that night. If it wasn't for Eli…well, who knows what could have happened? He stared at the gravestones for a bit before he heard footsteps walk up to him from behind. "...Do you regret it?" The figure asked. "No. I don't." Oskar replied. "Are you sure?" The figure asked. "...No, I'm not," Oskar said. "I feel a little bit of remorse, but there's barely any." The figure walked up to him, so he was right next to him. "Did they deserve it?" The figure asked. "Yeah, they tortured me for years, they almost killed me that night. If they didn't die then, I sure as hell would have come after them now." Oskar said. The figure reached into its pocket and pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. It popped it in its mouth and lit it. "Interesting. One last question. Are you happy they are gone?" The figure asked. Oskar didn't respond. He just stared. "Yes," Oskar said, turning towards the figure, but he was already gone.
Oskar finally got to his original apartment. He looked through the window of his old bedroom. It still remained the same. After 10 years, it still remained the same, as if his mother was hoping for him to return someday. He looked through the window of the living room to see a woman sitting on the couch, watching TV, a bottle of beer sitting on the table right next to her. He took the note out of his pocket and read it to himself. "Hi, Mom. Its Oskar. I wanted to let you know that I'm ok. But I'm sorry to tell you that I won't be returning home. I have someone else waiting for me, I ran away with them. They are the best thing to ever happen to me. You won't know it, but I will be watching you from afar, just to make sure you're ok. I still love you, mom. Goodbye. -Love Oskar." The note said. He got a rock and placed it on the note, before knocking on the window. He waited until his mother turned towards the window and saw him, before quickly disappearing. From a nearby tree, he watched as his mother read the note and cried, before hearing her yell "OSKARRR!" Into the night. He felt bad, but he knew he couldn't come back. Just tell her that he was safe.
Oskar was sitting on the train back to Gothenburg, thinking about the whole ordeal. The train went through a tunnel, and when it came back, the figure was back, sitting next to Oskar, still smoking the same cigarette. "Huh. Well done." The figure said. Oskar didn't say anything. The figure turned towards him. "What's the matter? You did something good. You should be proud." The Figure said. "I know, but I feel sad. Mom seemed so sad when she read the letter." Oskar said. "I understand. I have a solution. Once a month, you should go visit her. Staying far away of course. Think of it like…being her guardian angel." The Figure said. Oskar looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I think I like that Idea," Oskar said.
Soon, the train stopped. It was 11:43pm by the time he got back to Gothenburg. Oskar got off the train, followed by the figure. "Well Oskar, I'm afraid my work here is done. This is where we part ways." The figure said. Oskar turned to look at him. "Thanks. For everything you done." Oskar said. The Figure didn't say anything and relit his cigarette. "It's nothing. Simply my job. I'm afraid I have to leave now. Goodbye, Oskar." The figure said. The figure turned and began to walk away. "Wait, I never got your name, who are you?" Oskar asked. The figure stopped and turned around. "I go by many names. The Judge, The Shadow, The Figure, Enigma…but you can call me The Spectre." The Figure said. Oskar smiled. "Well, thank you. I hope we'll meet again someday." Oskar said. The Spectre nodded. "We will Oskar. We will." The Spectre said. The Spectre took off its hat and took a bow, before fading away into the night.
Oskar opened the door to his apartment, to see Eli sitting on the couch twiddling his fingers anxiously and looking down, before looking up and seeing Oskar. His frown quickly grew into a smile as he ran up to Oskar with inhuman speed and hugged him. "Where have you been?! You were gone for hours!" Eli stated. Oskar chuckled and rubbed his lover's head. "Out…just out." Oskar said. Eli giggled and snuggled against Oskar. "I love you so much…but please don't be out that long again…" Eli said. Oskar sighed. "Alright Honey, I'll try not to," Oskar said. Eli turned 50 shades of Red. "H-H-Honey..?" Eli asked. Oskar smiled a bit sheepishly. Eli in response kissed Oskar on the cheek. "I love you so much…" Eli said. "I love you too Eli…Hey, you wanna go out for a bit? I heard a new Godzilla Movie is in theatres." Oskar said. Eli beamed with delight. "Yeah! Let's go! The Night's not over yet!" Eli said. Oskar smiled and held open the door as Eli walked through. Oskar grabbed the keys and turned off the lights, before closing the door behind him.