Who wants to love someone like me?

​

The shadows clung to her body like a caress. As she walked, the darkness seemed to gather about her, until her form was barely discernible. The streetlights dimmed as if in fear until they were snuffed out completely, only to relight once she was out of range.

​

There was only one light source that did not cringe away from the strange woman. A trail of sparks that danced out from a sword’s tip that she let drag behind her. With only flashes of fire illuminating her steps and the ghastly screeching of steel against concrete, she was a walking nightmare.

​

You wanna love somebody like me?

 

It wasn’t long before a scream rang out through the streets. The woman was already running by the time a guttural growl sounded above the voice. She hoisted her sword up from the ground. A final spark flew up around her calves before she was plunged into darkness.

 

“Somebody help m-“ The voice cut off into another terrible scream.

 

The woman said nothing in return. She made no noise of her arrival. Even when the man’s voice morphed into a low moan, her face remained impossibly serene. It wasn’t until she rounded a corner into an alleyway that she reacted.

 

Her lips curled into a wicked smile. “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to be out at night?”

 

The heaving black mass in the corner froze. A being made of such a pure darkness that the woman felt the shadows around her slink away. As it turned, she caught a glimpse of a red t-shirt. The owner still as death.

Then the creature spoke. It’s voice scraped against the woman’s ears. “This fight does not belong to you. Leave and live to see the day.”

​

The woman raised an eyebrow. The monster simply stared back, taking in her own darkness. From her clothes, to her skin, to the expression on her face. It was a familiar darkness that many of its siblings had encountered…only to perish moments after.

 

“Darliena.”

 

Her name came out as a rasp, a hiss.  Her smile sharpened in response. And before the monster could react, she lunged forward. The silver of her sword caught a flash of moonlight as it arced through the air. Cutting through skin, muscle, bone.

 

The monster reeled back, its roar rattled the brick walls around them. The man jolted awake at the sound, his mouth opening to scream. Darliena cut him a glare as the monster charged at her again. For a second, she didn’t feel the pain, or the wall at her back. Then, stars burst across her vision. A groan fell from her lips as she sunk to the ground, watching as the monster turned back to the man huddling in the corner.

 

It wasn’t until the monster had its back turned to Darliena that she moved. It had assumed that she would stay down. That she was consumed with pain. It had assumed wrong. Darliena lunged forward, pushing the pain away.

As she brought her sword up, the monster turned. It’s eyes, the only things that weren’t black, widened. She had a reputation for a reason. It remembered that a second too late. A growl had begun to crawl up its throat when she plunged the blade into its chest.

 

For a long moment, they stood there, frozen. The man in the corner gasped as he saw the bottom of the monster begin to disintegrate back into shadows. It would have a chance to come back another day, if she had not come prepared. So Darliena, with her sharp smile and even sharper blade, twisted the sword.

​

The monster screamed.

 

The poison that had coated the blade spread through its veins, its blood, until it reached its heart. And in a viselike grip, it squeezed. The monster’s scream hitched into silence as its body broke apart into shadows, and then those broke too. In the world of demons and creatures of the night, shadows were more than just an absence of light. Once they break, so does the life-source of the creature.

 

It had always made Darliena’s shadows nervous.

 

“Y-you…killed it. How d-did you….What are you!?” The man cringed away from her, fear consuming his gaze.

 

“A friend,” she said, “Are you alright?”

 

“N-no! That was a..a…”

 

“Monster. Creature. Or if you’re the religious type, a demon.”

 

The man paused, his voice abruptly steady, “What do you think they are?”

 

Darliena’s lips quirked. “It doesn’t matter to me.”

 

“He…It said your name was Darliena?”

 

She nodded.

 

A flicker of fear passed through his face before he masked it with a smile. “I-I’m Michael,” He rose to his feet, not nearly as steady as his voice, “I think you have a lot of explaining to do.”

​

If you could love somebody like me

 

“So...what…you’re just a…monster-hunter?” Michael asked.

 

Darliena glanced at him and shrugged. “It’s a term that applies, yes.”

 

Michael ran a hand through his hair, looking away. “Isn’t it is dangerous though? You could get killed.”

 

“I could. Especially by ones that disguise themselves as humans. It’s tough work.”

 

Michael stiffened and stopped walking. It was a long time before he said anything. “You know, you’re awfully brave. And, if you don’t mind me saying, beautiful. And you look like you could use a drink.”

​

Darliena hid her smile. She nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. He didn’t seem to notice how late it was, or how odd it was that he would be out at this time. Or how quickly he adjusted to the monster.

​

Some people are just like that.

 

You must be messed up too

Unless, they’re really not.

​

“I find it strange that the monster didn’t kill you,” Darliena said, “You must’ve stalled like nothing else.”

​

Michael straightened, a laugh tumbling from his lips, “I always did have the ability to out-talk people.”

 

“An impressive skill to have.” From behind him, Darliena reached for the hilt of her still dripping sword. Shadows gathered around her, agitated and whispering. They weren’t fond of the human-like ones; it was too dishonest for them.

 

“You should see me at family holidays!” Michael’s voice was just a touch too strained, “I never shut up!”

 

Darliena reached out and touched his shoulder, already wearing a concerned expression. “I can’t believe that I didn’t ask this before, but are you okay? Are you hurt? Most people can’t survive an attack like that, much less get out undamaged.”

 

Michael’s laugh was unnaturally high-strung. “I’m lucky, what can I say? Now if we hurry, we can get to the bar before it closes.”

 

Neither of them mentioned his bloodless clothes or the bruises that weren’t there. And neither of them bothered to mention that where they were headed, there was no bar.

 

“What fight did you have with the monster if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

Michael stopped, and sighed. “I’m sick of this game,” he said, his voice pitching lower than any human’s, “I killed his pack. Though I have to ask, what gave me away?”

 

“Everything.”

Darliena’s sword was through his chest before he even had a chance to turn around.

​