Rowsley

The event that would forever mark his life happened 20 years ago in a country house, along the forest line on the outskirts of the village of Rowsley.

A young boy woke up in the middle of the night. First thing he usually placed his horny teenage eyes on was a huge poster of Natalie Portman as Padme Amidala, but this night she received none of his attention. Strange and disturbing sounds from the garden woke the boy and although he heard similar sounds in porn he 'accidentally' came across once or twice, these sounded menacing in real life. They did not fit in his home. His parents obviously must have had sex but he never heard anything similar from them. He peeked through the window but his view was limited and he couldn't see very much.

As a 13 year old boy he was pretty much aware of what adults did in their spare time but it surprised him these sounds came from outside. It was a warm summer night so maybe someone decided to have some fun. He decided he would go and warn his parents someone was in their garden. As he quietly entered the bedroom he only found an empty bed. So...his parents must have been in the garden, having sex. But why? And what if these sounds were not sounds of pleasure but pain and they needed help? He had to know...

He figured it would be better if he checked the situation from a distance than to jump right in into something...embarrassing. He went past the living room to the main entrance and then around the house to the corner, from which he could see the entire garden.

As he peeked he saw a woman, lying on her back on the grass, and a man between her legs, both moving their hips towards each other. He recognised the woman as his mom, but the man definitely wasn't his dad. He knew what they were doing and he felt disgusted seeing his mother with another man. In a twisted way way the boy hoped he was raping her but she obviously liked very much what he was doing to her. He was kissing her neck and she held on to him, tugging him closer. Her moans were not of pain but pleasure, she sounded the same as the girl in porn. Besides, words like "yes" and "more" didn't sound like resistance at all.

He turned away from the corner and barely prevented himself from vomiting. His mom cheated on his dad right here in the open. He decided he had to find his dad and tell him what he saw. He went back to the house, checked the bedroom again and then looked in the living room. His heart sank as he saw him motionless on the floor in an awkward position.

"Dad?" he whispered. Nothing.

The boy carefully approached, his fears confirmed. The sight of a massive wound on his father's neck and dripping blood made the poor boy freeze in horror. He wanted to scream but he had no air in his lungs, his muscles cramped. He overcame the aversion and fear and took his cold hand. Just as they learned in school he pressed two fingers on his wrist, searching for a pulse. There was nothing, and with the coldness of his dad's skin a chilling conclusion was evident. His father was dead.

Sounds from the garden reminded him of the danger that was still present. That man obviously killed his dad and now had his mother. Survival instincts kicked in and the boy wanted to run away. But looking at the father's corpse he knew he was the only one who could still help his mom. Besides, anger grew in him and a strong need for vengeance with it.

His dad taught him how to shoot for the past few months and the boy knew where he held his rifle. He sneaked to the cabinet, unlocked the lock and took out the gun he was already familiar with. He loaded the gun with bullets and steadily headed outside in a crouching position, just like in his favorite game Medal of Honor. He hid behind the bush and peeked.

His mother was no longer moving but that man was still kissing her neck. The boy saw blood across her body and assumed she was probably dead as well. Tears watered his eyes but he suppressed his urge to cry out loud. Instead, his fingers clenched the rifle, he took aim and stood up. He tried to yell with power but the sound that left his mouth sounded more like mewling, "Stop...ger away from me mum, or I'll blast thee!"

The man lifted his gaze and straightened up, a mocking smile spreading his blooded mouth. As he wiped blood with the back of his hand, he laughed coldy at the boy, revealing his fangs, and threatened him with a sinister voice, "never disturb a vampire as he feeds, boy. You're lucky I don't kill kids but I might make an exception if you don't put that gun down and run away. Get lost now..."

All dots connected now in the boy's mind, his family was attacked by a vampire. Despite the evidence he wanted confirmation for some reason. With a shaking voice he asked, "are...are tha reel a...vampire?"

The man looked annoyed and he barked back, "are you blind or stupid, boy? Why do you people always have to ask this same fucking thing, when it's clear that..."

A flash from the gun and bang silenced the man, while the bullet pierced his chest right near his heart. The force of the shot almost threw him on the ground but he managed to stay on his feet. Just as rage replaced shock off his face and he prepared to jump the boy another bang filled the sky and after him another.

The man was lying on the ground, his torso bullet-riddled, but still alive. In his rage, the boy took the hatchet from the nearby stump and came to the man, bathing in his own blood, struggling to move. He looked at the boy above him, his eyes filled with cold rage. There was no fear in the boy's voice anymore as he growled, "thats for killing my dad. Fockin' monster!"

The boy lifted the axe high in the air and with the full force slammed it down in the middle of the vampire's head, crushing it like a watermelon. He observed the bloody mess in front of him for a moment until his adrenaline began subsiding. He rushed to his mom and looked for life signs. She was still breathing, although faintly.

Boy ran into the house and dialed emergency. As the operator answered he blurted all out as fast as he could. As he finally stopped for a second to catch a breath, the operator took the opportunity and quickly interrupted him with a kind but determined voice: "Alright now, mate. I've sent an ambulance and the police to your address, they'll be there in 10 minutes. Now, let's start from the beginning, nice and calm. What's your name?"

"Ethan."

19 years later

Ethan just left the headquarters of Sanguis Sanctum, the official name of vampire hunters' secret organization, currently located in Italy. Through many years of spotless service as a regular vampire hunter, he was now promoted to elite level, gaining clearance to near unlimited funds and all possible equipment to seek out and eradicate the oldest and most powerful of the vampires across the globe. His newest mission was now in the US, in a city where a well known vampire, Nikolai Konovalov, was reported to reside.

After the events 19 years ago, Ethan made a vow to himself and to the memory of his parents. He pledged to become a relentless force against the creatures that had taken everything from him. His journey as a vampire hunter began shortly after his 19th birthday when he succefully located a minor group of hunters. Guided by a burning desire for vengeance and the need to prevent others from suffering a similar fate he quickly rose through ranks. He trained hard, put all his effort in refining his fighting skill while developing his mental capabilities to such levels he could detect not only vampires in his vicinity but also humans who had been in intimate contact with them.

He didn't win the promotion by a vote of popularity, though. He grew up to become a cold-hearted, merciless killer, who had no second thoughts on destroying vampires and their human donors and aides alike. In his mind, anyone colluding with vampires in any way was a traitor to humankind. Although other hunters respected him for his mental and physical prowess, his ruthlessness made his comrades feel uneasy in his presence. Although a skilled manipulator others sensed his awkwardness over time, a feeling that something was off with him eventually made everyone distanced from him.

With no friends in this world his only obsession were the monsters that destroyed his life and in turn made him a monster as well.