June 1st, 2017

Creatures in the Night

Janus Summerhold flashed his dazzling smile at the bartender hoping to catch her eye. He had been in the bar only ten minutes however he seemed to be constantly over looked.

"Hey!" He shouted trying to be louder than the blaring music in the back ground.

The girl turned to him her eyes finally catching his own, but there was something off about her eyes. They were bright gold only for a moment though before changing to a light green. For a second he thought better of getting her attention. Maybe she was one of them.

What is them? Well no one really knew exactly. Rumours flared about golden eyed people who would take you home and you would never been seen again. All those rumours though the persons eyes had never been any other colour but gold.

Shaking his head slightly he motioned with his hand for her to come closer. Slowly she made her way over. "What can I get you?" She asked. Her voice was quiet yet Janus could hear her clearly. "A rye on the rocks please." He replied. With a nod of her head she gathered the liquor and poured it into a glass. Handing it Janus the bartender took his money and swiftly moved to the next customer.

As the night wore on and with each drink he consumed, Janus began to notice the bartender was more unusual than he thought. She seemed to glide across the floor with a speed that would make him trip. Her eyes weren't the green they were earlier, instead they were now more a golden/orange colour. Her cloths seemed to change also. Instead of her jeans and a super tight shirt. She was wearing a red dress with a hood. Janus laughed lightly as he remembered a fairytale story with a girl dressed in a red cape.

Swaying to the bar once again Janus was determined to find out what she was exactly. Waving his hand slightly the bartender walked over to him. "Another rye on the rocks?" She asked.

Janus backed away from her. Her lips never moved yet he heard the words clearly. "WHAT ARE YOU?!" He shouted.

Many of the patrons turned their heads to see what the commotion was all about. The bartender furrowed her brows. "I think you have had enough sir." She said as she snapped her fingers. Two bouncers stepped threw the crowd and came closer to Janus. He looked at them and screamed. They had the same eyes but were dressed all in white.

The men each grabbed one of Janus's arms and dragged him out of the bar. The whole time Janus tried to fight off the creatures.

"Calm down boy. We don't want to hurt you." The one bouncer had said several times. His words only made Janus fight more. The bouncers signalled a taxi, within seconds Janus was heading off somewhere. His mind going to a million places. "I just want to go home." He kept repeating. But did he want to go home? Did he want these creatures to know where he lived? Did they already know?

The cab stopped at a red light. Janus reached in his pocket and grabbed some cash. He threw it on the seat and jumped out of the car.  He didn't know here he was heading but he needed to get away.

Runing this way and that, Janus came to a dead end in back alley.
"Looky here boys. Lunch" Janus heard behind him. Turning around, Janus tripped over his feet. He heard shuffling and laughing as he tried to stand up. Just as Janus managed to get his balance he was knocked back down.

"Looky here boys. It's little red. Sorry babe we ain't the big bad wolf."

Janus never heard a reply but the sounds of bodies hitting the ground had Janus scrambling to his feet. He turned around. What he saw had him backing up against the wall. He had no way to escape.

On the ground was four big guys. Standing above them was a figure dressed all in red. Slowly the figure turned around.

Janus suppressed a scream as his eyes focused on the red figures eyes. "Please. ... Don't ... Hurt ... Me..." He stammered.

"Hurt you? I just saved you." The figure said. It gestured towards the men on the ground. "They were going to hurt you."

Janus looked at the men. They were big but he could have taken them.

"You couldn't have won." The figure said.

Janus focused back on the figure in red. Once again the fairytale of the girl dressed in a red hooded cape flashed in his mind. The figure laughed lightly. "I am not little red riding hood." The figure said.

Janus blinked. "I didn't say anything." He said finally. He really wanted to leave the alley. He needed to go home and sleep obviously he had drank way too much.

"I told you you had drank to much. And I can help you get home." The figure said.

"Stop that. How do you know what I am thinking?" Janus asked getting more nervous.

"There are many things humans don't know. Come with me and I will get you home safe. I will tell you how as we walk."

Janus looked at the men once again. Then he looked at the red figure. "I don't have a choice do I?" He asked quietly.

"You always have a choice. If you want I can leave you alone."

Again Janus looked at the men. "Why wouldn't I have won?"

The figure looked at the men. She really needed this human to leave so the bodies could be dealt with. "They weren't human." She answered true fully.

Janus blinked several times as his mouth opened and closed. No words would form but the red figure moved closer. It held out it's hand. "Come along. I will explain if you need."

Taking the red figures hand carefully Janus allowed it to drag him away. Once out of the alley Janus relaxed slightly. "Those men were vampires." The red figure said.

Janus nodded not fully listening. He was happy to be out where people could see him.

"I am an assassin in a sense. I am a supernatural being tasked with the job of protecting humans from the evils of this universe."

Janus looked over at the red figure. It's eyes glowed an unnatural shade. He still didn't understand any of what was happening. There were so many questions Janus wanted to ask.

The figure squeezed Janus's hand lightly. "I can hear the questions you have. I can tell you everything. Once I have you have a choice. Join me or allow me to wipe your memory of this conversation."

Janus looked down at the their hands. There was something comforting and scary about what he was feeling. Could he trust this red figure?

"You keep referring to me as the red figure. My name is Bryn. There are many different supernatural beings and meta-humans. There are even aliens, demons, gods and angels. I was human at one point in time. I was created by the gods and demon king. They were tired of always having to come to Earth and stop the rogues from harming humans and each other."

"Are you the only one?"

"No there are around a hundred of us. We are like what you would call police. However my title is assassin. I can pass judgement and kill when needed. I am neutral. Neither good nor bad. I can not kill innocent beings."

That didn't make Janus feel any better. She could say anything to get what she wants. The rumours about the golden eyed people.

This time it was Bryn who stopped walking, she turned to face Janus. Her eyes angry and hurt looking. "Is that what people think?" Janus drop his gaze only to have Bryn lightly lift his chin up. "It is. At first when I saw you at the bar, I was afraid. As I drank the feeling got worse and I needed to get away. Everywhere I looked I could see... Things."

Bryn's eyes shined as she stared at Janus. Her unblinking stare had Janus feeling uneasy again. Finally she blinked. "Come I need to get you home." She turned and lightly dragged Janus along.

A thought had occurred to Janus and he voiced his question. "How am I not stumbling drunk like before? I am sober."

"You aren't sober. As long as I hold your hand you are... sober. I needed you to be clear headed. All your thoughts were giving me a headache. I also needed your mind clear to find your address. Which we are finally here."

Janus looked up at the door of his bungalow. He was so consumed in his own thoughts he never noticed where he was. Bryn laughed lightly. The sound of her soft laugh had him turning to face her again. This time he saw Bryn in a whole new light.

Maybe just maybe Bryn isn't the evil being he had once thought.

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