The fair moonlight above was but a slight respite from the darkness that washed over the empty street, not a light pole or a porch light to be found. I was walking fast yet held my arms tight and close in my jacket, hands stuffed deep in the pockets, the bitter winter breeze wrapping it’s chilled embrace around my tired body. I got off work 2 hours late, trying to finish up some neglected work from the week prior. When I got to my truck, it refused to start, I tried for a whole hour. I’d be walking home alone in the cold dark night again, a routine I was not fond of.

The only thing colder and more bitterly unsettling than the winter breeze in the night air was the overwhelming loneliness I felt day to day. I was just a young man, average at everything I’d ever done, lacking the motivation or vision to transcend my lonely life and become something more desirable, something more acceptable. I’ d tried and failed to forge any meaningful relationships, I had to just watch in melancholic angst as my friends grew into acceptable adults all around me. For me however, fate was a lonely apartment and a promise of more loneliness tomorrow. I crossed the street and took the right turn down the back alley of the residential area I lived in, the backsides of houses with their high gates and their trash cans filed along the side of the narrow back alley road. A familiar site, but not a familiar air to the night. I stopped suddenly, the fine hairs of my body stood up in attention, there was something lurking in the dark, but as a man I refused to let such frightful thoughts dissuade me from continuing my walk home.

On the final stretch before I arrived to my back alley apartment, where there was only one dim street light, I heard a whisper, cold yet inviting, dead yet alive, and then I saw her. Dressed in a gown of dark red, like a fine wine, with black lacy trimmings, a dark red shoulder cloak with the hood up. Her golden blonde hair wisped out from beneath the cloak a bit. I could barely make out her face, but from what I could see, I saw light greyish eyes, piercing and wanting, along with a gorgeous picturesque face. Hers was a gorgeous visage, shrouded in much mystery, bathed in shadow. One could fall in love with such a sight was it not for the precarious happenstance in which I was viewing it for the first time. She stood looking like a figure from an Ann Rice novel. She stood directly in front of the path leading to my apartment door, clutching a large handbag made of black leather and gold buckles.

I composed myself, still wary, still unsure. I was about to speak up to her, but then, there was more movement. To either side of the beautiful, elegant woman in front of me, two shy little eyes peaked out from behind her, holding her close, peering around her side like a child trying to peak out from behind a wall or door frame. The two eyes, were like…mine, brown, dark, yet these two little brown eyes gleamed with an innocence I hadn’t had in a long time. Then, like a mirrored reflection, another set of eyes, peaked out from the other side, these eyes light grey like the beautiful young woman she clutched to. So here were two figures clutching on to the woman from behind , peaking out with intense curiosity. The elegant woman just stared at me, her breathing was a bit shaky, like she was nervous, I could see her breath puff from her pouty lips, as it mixed with the cold air.

The site before me was one of wonder and mystery, I was instantly taken from my lonely mundane meandering and now found myself in the midst of a very profound encounter. The elegant woman, lifted her arms slightly, raising her black leather bag, to chest height in front of her and the two smaller figures, looking to be a pair of teenagers, walked around the woman, still staring at me and stood at her sides, slightly in font of her, the woman let her bag back down and held it in both hands in front of her. The elegant woman looked to be in her late 20’s and she made me feel…strange. I was at a loss, no words could form from my mouth, so instead, SHE spoke, with a sweet voice, in a relieved tone she uttered

“Malakai…we’ve long since left the safety of our home, to find YOU…the only thing that it’s missing….Malakai… It’s after the end of the world, don’t you know that yet?”, tears began softly trailing from her beautiful eyes. I was dumbfounded, I had no idea what was going on and what to even say so I just clumsily blurted out

“Umm, well my name isn’t Malakai”

The woman wiped her tears and pulled her hood back from the top of her head. Now her picturesque face was fully visible, her beauty was otherworldly. She dropped her bag and put an arm around each of the girls next to her and said

“My loves, THIS, is your father, Malakai. His name is Marcus here, but he is one and the same.

The two teenaged girls looked up at the elegant woman and then back at me. Upon looking back at my confused face they both smiled, their smiles were beautiful except for the very noticeable fangs that perked out from their top row of teeth. I took a step back, pondering making a run for it, when suddenly the wind picked up and a large gust flowed harshly through the back alley street and kept bellowing steadily, the clothes of the elegant woman and the two teen girls fluttered wildly in the wind. Then I noticed the look on the woman’s face changed form somber to resolute and fierce. She stared at me, clutching the two girls and said

“You will NOT run from us this time. I will have you, and you will be the father I know you to be.”

In that instance the two teenage girls stood aside and the woman almost as if she was gliding through the air rather than walking, came towards me and instantly appeared in front of me. Her face was now but mere inches away from mine, her eyes were even more beautiful up close, and her large fangs poked from beneath her lips. She gave me a light kiss on my lips, and I blacked out.

When I awoke, I was in a large arm chair, with a blanket wrapped around me, next to me one of the girls sat grinning at me. The other girl sat in a chair in front of me, painting. Every now and then she would peak up at me and back down to her canvas…she was painting me as I slept. Suddenly her eyes lit up, and she shouted out loud, “He’s awake!!” Her brilliant fang filled smile lit up the room in an eerie yet precious way. Suddenly the elegant woman appeared in a white and black gown, and walked towards us from a dark hallway. Her brilliant smile reminded me of the younger girl but was more refined and sure. She smiled at me with a warmness I’ve never experienced before. She put her hands on the shoulders of the girl who was painting and looked to me and said.

“Here now Malak…, Marcus…here now is what your empty heart was missing, your family, your real life. I know you’re a warrior, I know you belong to the True God, but I will always find you, I will always bring you back to us, no matter where the fates may take you…welcome home, my love…”

Short Story written for fun, Thank you for reading.

Written by Marcos Lopez – Nov. 5th 2021 as an r/WritingPrompts post I did.

02/24/2024