Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 1

1

Then…

My stomach wrenches in hunger, twisting and turning, demanding some kind of nourishment. It’s hard not to lose track of the last time I ate anything of substance. there’s little I can do to provide food for myself when the incoming money is scarce. Dirt is flying through the night sky as I dig through the soil of this grave. Buried only a few days ago, this body is an excellent choice to bring to the medical school. They don’t ask any questions, and I don’t give more information than needed.

Unearthing a member of someone’s family should bother me, but it doesn’t. I have grown cold, my heart turned into a useless muscle. But lack of love would do that to anyone eventually.

For as long as I can remember, it’s been only me. I had been delivered to an orphanage within days of my birth, but they were overwhelmed with the number of children they had received and had no room. The nun who ran the organization had a soft spot and took me in. I was only nine years old when she died, ending up alone and put on the street. The silver lining was that finding jobs as a young child was easier than as an adult.

As a child, I was able to sweep chimneys because I was small enough to fit into the tight spaces. Even begging was an easier option for me; people were far less likely to refuse change to a child. At twenty-six with no skills or schooling to fall back on, I have resorted to burglary of most kinds and today it’s the robbing of a corpse.

There’s a thud when the metal head of my shovel hits the wooden casket beneath where I stand. I lean the handle against my make-shift ladder, and pry open the lid of the casket. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the woman lying in the casket takes me by surprise. She looks peaceful, almost as if she’s asleep. I grab the bed sheet that I brought with me off the ladder and toss it into the casket to wrap up the corpse. After wrapping her up, I place her over my shoulder and begin to crawl up the ladder.

The night sky is dark, full of stars, as I walk through the cemetery. I pass by all the headstones, reading the names and dates briefly as I walk by. My shirt, drenched in sweat, clings to my skin as I crawl out of the hole. The summer is suffocating and thick, doing absolutely nothing to help me catch my breath.

There is little distance between where I am and the back entrance of the medical school, so I gently place the body into my wheelbarrow to make the short walk. I’ve always loved the night, where the world is quiet and I am alone with my thoughts. The constant chatter and movement in the city have always been overwhelming and it’s gotten worse with age.

I give the corpse to the doctor in exchange for fifteen dollars. It’s not nearly as much as the going rate, but it will get me at least another month of rent for the boarding house. I can probably afford some food to get me by until I can find my next job, too. After I pay the landlord my monthly dues, I make my way to the staircase leading to the rooms. While I’m relieved to still have a roof over my head, these four walls are really starting to close in on me.

The overwhelming scent of floral perfume invades the space around me. I look up to see Betty walking down the stairs, her red lipstick glistening in the dim light.

“Hey, Finny. How you doin’, baby?” She smiles, her olive-green eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Evening, Betty.” I try to pass her and walk up the stairs, but she puts her hand on my chest and stops me.

“Why you rushing away?” She moves closer to me, her lips hovering just over my ear.

“I’m just trying to get up to my room so that I can sleep.”

I’ve lived in this boarding house off and on for the last eight months. Betty has been here for years, and she is older than a lot of the tenants as well, somewhere in her mid to late forties.

“Do you want some company?”

“No.” I hope my voice is portraying how annoyed I am.

“Oh, come on, baby,” she purrs.

“Betty, I’ve told you before. I’m just not interested.”

“You seein’ someone? She doesn’t have to know.” Her hands begin to drift down toward my stomach.

I grab her wrist, making sure it’s hard enough to help her understand. “The answer is no.” She grimaces when I tighten my hold on her wrist before I release it, where she immediately brings it to her chest. Her eyes are wide as she massages the now-red marking on her skin.

A part of me, a very small part, feels bad for causing her pain. The larger part of me, however, knows if I hadn’t, her hand would’ve kept wandering. I’ve had enough experiences with people like Betty to last me a lifetime and I don’t want to experience it anymore.

I race up the second flight of stairs and slam my door, making sure I lock it behind me. After grabbing a washcloth from my dresser, I put it into my basin of water and clean myself, attempting to get as much of the dirt from this evening off as possible.

My body aches with exhaustion; each of my muscles scream in protest, demanding I sleep. I throw myself onto my bed, landing on my stomach with my legs still hanging off. The musty mattress squeaks beneath me as I land on it. I drift quickly into a dreamless sleep.

The air is unusually thick with heat, even for the summer, as I walk through the city looking for work. Since I overslept, most of the day jobs have already been taken. I sit on the gutter with my face in the palms of my hands and my elbows resting on my bent knees.

“Are you okay?”

I look up and am greeted with a man wearing a bright smile. His hair is so light in color, it’s almost white.

“Yes.” My answer is short, but he is unconvinced and furrows his brows.

“Do you need work?”

“Look, sir, I don’t do that kind of work.”

“I don’t understand what… Oh!” He throws his head back and erupts with laughter. “You mistake my kindness, sir. No, I need a farmhand. Just someone to help me with the day-to-day chores and such. It would include room and board, no funny business. You have my word.”

“What do you get out of it? ”

“The help I need and friendship, I would hope. I’m new to the area and I don’t really know anyone yet.”

“What’s the pay?”

“Whatever you think is fair.”

I chew on my bottom lip while considering. There’s little prospect of work and this man is offering me not only steady employment, but a roof over my head. Of course, I would have to forgo the month I’ve just paid for at the boarding house.

“Sure.” I stand up, dusting the dirt off my trousers.

“Excellent!” His smile radiates through his eyes. Do you have anything you need to retrieve? I’d like time to show you around before dark.”

“No.”

“Surely you must have clothing or personal belongings? Someone who will notice you’ve moved?”

I shake my head. “I never know where I’m going to be, so I travel light. And I don’t really have anyone in my life, so no.”

He looks at me with an empathetic and pained expression. “Well, we will have to get you some clothing then. What's your name?”

“Finnian Sinclair.”

“Hello, Finnian. I’m Asher Lamont.” He holds his hand out to me. I take it in a shake, the chill of his skin taking me by surprise. “Please, my carriage is this way.”

(insert whatever page break you’re using – it would fit better here)

The ride in his carriage was long and we remained quiet for most of it. We go around a mountain, following a path that leads to a cottage near the top of a hill along the mountainside.Asher’s smile is warm and inviting as he states, “Welcome home!”

Home.

He walks through the front door and shows me to one of the rooms. It’s fully furnished with a large, framed bed, blankets, and shelves full of books. I can barely contain my excitement at the wide selection within the shelves. I try to remind myself not to get too comfortable; typically, when things seem too good to be true, it’s because they are.

“Help yourself to whatever you see, Finnian,” Asher explains as he finishes my tour of the bedroom. “This is your home now, too.”

The use of that word again.

“Thank you, Asher. Do you have a list of tasks or something for me?” He looks at me with confusion, so I clear my throat. “The farmhand jobs?”

“Oh!” Asher huffs in jest and waves a hand dismissively. “We’ll talk about that later. Enjoy yourself. There’s dehydrated meats and fresh fruit and vegetables in the kitchen. Please eat, Finnian, you’re nothing but skin and bones.”

And just like that, he turns and leaves, and I am alone in my room.

Even after six months, Asher never told me what exactly he hired me to do. I brought it up every day for the first few weeks, but eventually stopped when I’d get no answer. There were things I did regularly, like maintaining the garden and tending to the animals on the property, but I was never officially given tasks. I never felt unsafe, so there was never a reason for me to leave, especially when I was being fed and housed to basically do nothing.

Asher bought me the nicest clothes and any reading material I could ever want. There were things here and there that I did consider odd, though. Regardless of if I were eating or not, Asher would never eat the meals I prepared. He’d disappear for hours at a time, multiple times a week, with no explanation. But nothing could have prepared me for the truth.

This morning while eating breakfast, Asher surprises me. “Finnian, can we talk?” he asks. I nod in response, my mouth full of an apple which prevented me from speaking. “I am going to be leaving Emolyn Cove,” he explains. “You are welcome to join me, but there’s something you must know first.”

“What’s that?” I ask around the last of my bite of food.

Asher’s face remains stoic as he utters, “I’m a vampire.”

“A what?” I practically choke on my apple. Surely, vampires don’t really exist?

“A vampire,” he repeats. “I drink blood, mainly from humans, but if there are none willing, I drink from animals, I am difficult to kill, I don’t age, must I keep going?”

I shake my head in a daze. He can’t be serious.

Asher clears his throat and continues. “I’m looking to create a coven of my own—a family, if you will—and I’d like to offer you a chance for this life. Family, riches beyond anything you could imagine, and the rest of time.”

My words catch on my tongue as I ask, “What would I have to do… to become like you?”

Family and riches? I’d be stupid to turn it down.

Asher pauses before responding. “I’d have to change you. I’d give you my blood and then kill you.”

“You would k… kill me?”

He dips his head in confirmation. “It sounds scary, and I will not lie to you, Finnian. It will hurt, but not for long.”

I should feel scared, right?

I should want to say no.

But I’m so tempted. So fucking tempted.

I have nothing to lose .

If Asher leaves, I’m once again alone. It’s back to searching for employment, my next meal, the next place to lay my head.

I nod quickly. “Okay.”

His eyebrows raise. “Okay?” Asher seems shocked. “This is a life changing event. Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I reply, nodding vehemently. “Let’s do it. Right now.”

Before I have a chance to change my mind.

“Right now? Oh goodness. Okay.” He takes a deep breath and his canines grow, becoming sharp and elongated. Asher sinks his teeth into his wrist. “Drink,” he commands, lifting his wrist to my mouth. I look at it for a moment, the blood pooling on his wrist. My stomach flips. This can’t be real, can it? I take a deep breath before I wrap my lips around his cold skin.

The sweet tang of it is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. His blood explodes on my tongue, flowing into my mouth and sliding down my throat. There must be something wrong with me because I think it’s absolutely delicious.

Asher starts to pull his wrist away, but I fight against the withdrawal.

“Finnian,” he snaps. “That’s enough.” His voice is stern. Reluctantly, I release my mouth from his wrist. I lick the excess off my lips, savoring every drop and awaiting instruction. “I’m going to kill you now,” Asher explains. He looks…almost remorseful. “When you wake, you’ll be my protégé.”

Everything instantly turns black and my body floats in a sea of emptiness, an abyss of existence.

There was no promise of Heaven waiting for me on the other side. I can’t help but to question… is that because it never existed at all?