I've been sitting on the railing of this tall building for a while now, watching the people below. They're all the same, so I don't understand why I'm making this so difficult for myself. I could just grab someone and introduce them to Father so this whole ordeal would finally be over.
Suddenly, I sensed a presence behind me.
"Just say the word, Brix. I'll pick one for you," Oscar said as he stood beside me, gazing at the distant crowd. "Just a reminder, Brixton-Father gave you until tonight."
That irritated me even more.
If I didn't choose someone by tonight, Father would make the decision for me. And I knew his taste in humans. He always chose the most annoying ones.
No. I could find someone tonight. I'd make sure of it.
"There!" Oscar exclaimed, pointing at a woman wearing an elaborate outfit and carrying a sword. "Looks like her sword has powers, Brix. Don't you hate weaklings? This is your chance!"
I watched as the woman stopped when a little girl approached her and asked for a picture. She bent down to the child's level, flashed a peace sign, and pouted her blood-red lips.
"That's a costume, Oscar," I said, clicking my tongue.
"It's good enough!" He even gave my shoulder a light punch. "Didn't you say you hated ordinary things? If you pick her, you can make her wear costumes every day!"
I simply shook my head.
"Good thing I've already got one," he added. "Celeste."
In the blink of an eye, a woman appeared beside him. She bowed politely, and the idiot grinned like a king.
Well, that's how it should be. We were vampires, after all. We deserved to be treated like royalty.
Fine. I just needed to get myself a slave, too. I wanted to enjoy having one of my own.
"You smell good tonight," Oscar told her.
Celeste stepped closer and held out her arm. Oscar took it and sniffed her skin repeatedly before he finally gave in to his hunger and sank his teeth into it.
"Damn. You taste fucking good."
I swallowed hard when I saw blood dripping onto the floor. Quickly, I turned away.
"Get a room, Oscar," I muttered as his hands began trailing down Celeste's bare thigh.
"No." He paused before pulling away from her. "Go now, Celeste. Have a good night's sleep, baby. I'll need you tomorrow."
"Yes, Master Oscar."
Celeste vanished in an instant.
Oscar wiped his mouth and turned toward me, but I kept my eyes fixed on the crowd below.
I didn't want to be reckless when choosing my slave. I wanted someone at least a little special. But perhaps they really were all the same.
If I kept being picky, the night would pass, and I'd still be without a slave.
"I see. You've finally made up your mind," Oscar whispered gleefully.
I had no choice.
I studied the people below once more when a woman running at full speed caught my attention. A man was sprinting ahead of her, clutching a bag that clearly belonged to her.
"You see that, Oscar?" I asked, pointing at the woman chasing after her belongings. "That's how stupid humans are. That thief has a knife hidden behind his back. He wouldn't hesitate to stab her just to keep that meaningless bag."
"That bag must have a lot of money in it," Oscar remarked.
"Exactly!" I chuckled, shaking my head. "She's willing to risk her life for money."
I raised an eyebrow when another woman suddenly joined the chase. She tripped the thief, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Then she swiftly snatched the bag and smacked him in the face with it.
"You're huge, and yet you steal?!" she shouted at him.
She turned around and returned the bag to its owner. The woman thanked her and even offered her some money, but she refused.
I couldn't help staring at her smiling face.
My attention snapped back to the thief when I noticed him getting up.
The next thing I knew, the brave woman had collapsed to the ground, a knife buried in her back.
I watched as she struggled to breathe, her eyes blinking hazily. Strangely, though, I couldn't sense any fear coming from her-not the kind of terror a human should feel when facing death.
The other woman screamed for help, but the crowd merely stood there, watching as if they were witnessing a scene from a movie.
"Pathetic humans," I whispered.
My gaze followed the fleeing thief.
"What a hero," Oscar commented.
I stood up and stretched my limbs before jumping off the building. I landed directly in front of the thief, who froze the moment he saw me.
I noticed his trembling hand. The same knife he'd used to stab the woman was still clenched in his grip.
"Why are you shaking?" I asked calmly.
"Don't come any closer!" he threatened.
Before he could run away again, I was already standing in front of him.
I thrust my hand into his chest and ripped out his heart.
If I were anything like my bloodthirsty brothers, this man would have been drained of every last drop of blood by now.
I shook my head in disgust.
I was picky about the blood I drank. And this ugly human? Absolutely not.
The man crumpled to the ground. I dropped his still-beating heart beside his body.
"Damn. Can I have it?" Oscar asked as he caught up with me.
I didn't bother answering.
Instead, I walked toward the stabbed woman, who was still surrounded by a crowd of useless spectators. I gently lifted her into my arms and carried her away.
People stared as I passed, but once I was far enough from the crowd, I broke into a run.
"She's dead," Oscar commented, wiping the blood from his lips.
I gently laid the woman down and placed my hand on her head.
Then I gasped.
As I delved into her memories, fragments of her life began unfolding before me. I witnessed the experiences that had shaped her, the pain she had endured, and the reasons behind her strange calmness in the face of death.
When I finally withdrew my hand, I nodded to myself.
Now I understood why she hadn't seemed afraid to die.
"D-Don't tell me-"
"I found my slave," I declared with a smirk.