The Slane House on Auburn Avenue. Atlanta, Georgia always humming at night. Not loudly. Not like New York.
It hummed in distorted music leaking from cars, like someone rocking in a house downtown. On Auburn Avenue, the streetlights blinked one by one, casting over the apartments and small front lawns trimmed just enough to pass inspection.
Inside one of those houses lived the Slane.
The Family
Viren Slane, nineteen years old, moderate height, athletic physique from track practice and basketball games. His hair was cropped in a clean taper fade with tight curls, styled similar to the well known Miles Morales. His skin was light brown, smooth and warm-toned, and his eyes were a bit unusual, it was blue and always made strangers look twice.
Viren was optimistic in a way that annoyed his cousin. He found humor in awkward silence. He made bad puns on purpose. He believed things would turn out okay even when everything suggested otherwise.
On the other hand, Nicholas Slane, his father, was tall enough that the room sometimes looked like a box when he stretched. Athletic but not bulky. The kind of man who looked like he used to run track in college and might still outrun you if necessary. His hair was thick, black, coiled, and usually messy, especially when he came home late. He worked at a tech company in Midtown Atlanta, designing cybersecurity systems. Nicholas Slane was more of a 'chill guy'..... until he drank.
When he drank, he became a historian of vampires. Marissa Slane, Viren's mother, worked from home as a virtual administrative assistant and bookkeeping consultant. Her short, neat cute bob framed her face perfectly. She was slightly shorter than Viren and carried herself with precision and a little bit of too much seriousness. Her movements were timed. Her tone usually levels down others.
Except when Nicholas came home drunk, Marissa became fired.
And finally…
Tina Brooks, Viren's cousin.
Two years older than him. Tall just enough to remind him every time they stood side by side. Long black hair that fell down her back in thick coils. She sometimes braided on her days off. Tina worked at a coffee shop in Edgewood. She ran shifts, covered for coworkers, sometimes came home smelling like dried coffee and exhaustion.
Tina Brooks had been living with them for nine years since her parents had died in a car accident when she was eight. She wore her anger like a daily costume….. even though she was not all like that. She handed Viren the last slice of pizza when she thought no one was looking.
The Night It started again…
The clock on the microwave read 11:47 PM.
Viren was on the couch, homework open…. though he was mostly staring at the ceiling.
Tina sat cross-legged on the floor, scrolling through her phone, occasionally muttering about how someone ordered a caramel macchiato "with no caramel" and still had the audacity to complain.
Marissa typed steadily at her laptop at the dining table.
The front door opened. The house paused…
Then he stepped inside. His tie hung loose. His button-down was wrinkled. His hair? Completely defeated. He shut the door gently….
"Evening, my beautiful family," Nicholas said, smiling with too much charm.
Marissa didn't look up.
"You're drunk."
"I am moderately historically enlightened."
"You are drunk."
Viren tried not to laugh. Tina did not try.
Nicholas pointed at Viren.
"Son. Come. Sit. It is time."
Viren sighed but skipped over anyway. Tina rolled her eyes.
"Not again."
Marissa's fingers paused over the keyboard. "Nicholas, if this is another vampire story…"
"It is educational," Nicholas interrupted, lowering himself into the armchair like a king addressing a council. "You all deserve to know the truth."
Marissa stood up slowly. "The only truth you need to know is that the trash goes out first tomorrow."
The First Vampire Story was told. Nicholas leaned forward.
"Viren," he whispered, even though the walls were listening. "Do you know how vampires were created?"
"Viren does not need to know," Marissa began.
Nicholas raised a finger.
"The year was 1347."
Tina snorted. Nicholas ignored her.
"A scientist," Nicholas said dramatically,
"in an ancient country"
"Viren," Tina interrupted.
"Ancient countries did not have lab coats or labs."
"They had rhythm and vibes," Nicholas replied immediately.
Viren burst into laughter.
Nicholas continued.
"This scientist was trying to find a cure to a plague. Instead… he discovered something else."
Nicholas leaned closer.
"A cube that surged with dark energy."
He widened his eyes.
"This cube made people who no longer needed food. Who healed instantly. Who developed fangs all from just touching the cube "
He paused.
"And do you know what happened next?"
Viren leaned in.
"What?"
Nicholas placed a hand on his chest.
"I was there."
There was silence. Tina stared at him. Marissa blinked slowly. Viren covered his mouth to stop laughing.
"You," Tina said carefully, "were there. In 1347."
"Yes," Nicholas nodded solemnly.
"I was handsome then too."
Marissa closed her laptop with a soft but dangerous click.
"Nicholas Slane!"
"Yes, my love?"
"If you say you fought a vampire tonight, I am going to fight you."
Nicholas raised both hands.
"Peace. Peace. I was only a consultant."
Viren laughed so hard he nearly slid off the couch. But it kept happening. The stories became a routine. Some nights Nicholas described vampire clans living in underground subway tunnels. Other nights, he insisted they operated tech companies.
"Think about it," Nicholas would say, leaning back with a lazy grin.
"Who else could code that fast? Who else doesn't blink during meetings?"
Tina would groan.
"You're describing Mark from accounting."
Nicholas would whisper, "Exactly."
Marissa would pinch the bridge of her nose. Viren would laugh.
First, Slow Shift, Weeks passed. The humor stayed on. But the repetition grew everyday. Viren would sit through the stories with half a smile, nodding at the right times. Nicholas would get dramatic, stand up mid-story, act out battle scenes against invisible vampires.
One night, he grabbed a mop and used it as a sword.
"Father," Viren said gently, "that's a Swiffer."
Nicholas froze for a while
"it's an enhanced swiffer."
Tina clapped slowly.
"Legend."
Marissa did not clap. She stood in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed.
"You smell like stress itself," she said quietly.
The room shifted. Nicholas's smile flickered. Viren noticed. Tina noticed. Marissa noticed everything.
The Boring Part…
Eventually, Viren began predicting the stories.
"Let me guess," Viren said one night.
"You were undercover…. again."
Nicholas squinted at him. "How did you…"
"And the vampire had red eyes. And you made a deal."
Nicholas slowly lowered himself into the chair. Tina leaned back against the wall.
"Wow. The myth has been decrypted."
Marissa didn't smile. Viren forced a chuckle. For the first time, Nicholas looked… tired. Not dramatic, just tired. A quiet moment…
One night, Nicholas came home earlier than usual. Not drunk. Just quiet. He sat beside Viren on the porch. The air was warm. Insects chirped.
"Have ever told you why I make up those stories?" Nicholas asked softly.
Viren shrugged.
"Because you're weird?"
Nicholas smiled faintly.
"When I was your age, my dad worked all the time," Nicholas said.
"When he came home, he didn't talk. He looked stressed… a lot stressed and his apparel was always messy. He seemed like someone who went to fight a beast. One time he even had blood on his lips. It turned out that he was a…"
Before he could finish, Viren heard his Mom shouting for him, he didn't respond right away. He just sighed at his Dad's words and walked away from him"
The street hummed.
"You don't have to be a vampire hunter to look cool dad" Viren said finally.
Nicholas chuckled.
"No?"
"No. Just be here… with us"
Nicholas nodded slowly. Inside the house, Tina watched through the window, pretending she wasn't.
Marissa stood behind her. Neither said anything. But for once… the house didn't feel tense.
Well… the stories were cut short… permanently Nicholas stopped talking about it. More like he wasn't there to talk about it.
They became a thing of the past when he started staying at work for days… at least that's what he told them. And when he came home, he immediately had to leave after half a day…
It was normal and it went on for some time.
On a weekend's night, at home, he leaned into the kitchen doorway and whispered dramatically…
"Marissa."
She didn't look up. "What."
"The vampires have infiltrated the coffee shop."
Tina froze mid-sip.
"…excuse me?"
Nicholas pointed at her.
"I saw a man order a latte with no milk."
Tina gasped.
"That's evil behavior."
Viren burst into laughter. Marissa tried to stay serious… but she failed. Just a little.
And in the Slane house on Auburn Avenue, the humming continued. But softer now and warmer.
Time flew by….
It was raining. No thunder. Just steady rain. The kind that makes the streetlights blur and the city's noise lower than usual.
11:32 PM.
Marissa stood at the sink, sleeves rolled up, washing a plate that was already clean.
Tina was on the floor again, back against the couch, earbuds in but nothing playing.
Viren sat by the window. Waiting. He didn't say he was waiting. But you could see that he was.
Headlights slid across the living room wall. Then stopped. All three of them froze at the same time. A sound outside caught their attention.
Tina pulled one earbud out.
"That's him."
A car door opened. Closed. Footsteps on wet pavement. It was slow but not drunk-slow. Measured.
Viren stood before he realized he had. The front door unlocked. Opened. Nicholas stepped inside. But something was wrong. He wasn't swaying. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't talking. Rain dripped from his jacket onto the tiled floor in quiet, steady taps. His hair was plastered to his forehead. His eyes looked… alert. Too alert.
"Evening," Marissa said carefully.
He didn't answer. He closed the door behind him. Locked it. Then locked it again.
Tina slowly stood. "Dad?" Viren said. Nicholas looked at him. Really looked at him. Like he was memorizing his face.
"You grew again," Nicholas murmured.
Viren frowned. "I'm nineteen. That's how that works."
Nicholas almost smiled. Almost. Then… he staggered. Not from alcohol. Like something hit him from the inside. His hand to his side.
Marissa moved instantly. "Nicholas."
He waved her back.
"I'm fine."
He was not fine. There was a dark stain spreading through his shirt. Not bright red. Darker. Too dark. Viren's chest tightened.
"Dad…"
"Close the curtains," Nicholas said sharply.
It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. Tina rushed to the windows. The rain suddenly sounded louder. Or could it not have been the rain. Nicholas turned toward the hallway. Then stopped. Like he felt something. The porch light flickered. Once. Twice. Then it steadied.
Nicholas' jaw tightened. "They followed," he whispered.
Marissa went still. "Who followed?"
"You know who"
Nicholas looked at Viren. And for the first time… Viren didn't see a drunk storyteller. He saw someone anticipating an opponent's moves. Someone dangerous.
Then footsteps. Outside. Not on the porch. In the yard. Slow. Intentional. Viren heard it too. How? The rain should have swallowed that sound. But it didn't. He could hear each step on the wet grass. His pulse began to pound.
Nicholas noticed. He looked at Viren again. And something changed in his expression. Not fear… but recognition.
"You hear it," Nicholas said quietly.
Viren swallowed.
"…Yeah."
Another step outside. Then stillness. Nicholas exhaled once. Decision made.
"Marissa," he said softly.
She shook her head immediately. "No."
"Yes."
"No."
Tina looked between them. "What is happening?"
Nicholas reached inside his jacket. Viren tensed… but he only pulled out a small metal object.
A cube.
About the size of a rubik's cube but much smaller. Matte black.
It gave off a weird aura. Not much… but Viren felt it in his ribs. Nicholas pressed it into Viren's hand. It was warm. Too warm.
"Dad, what is this?"
"Your burden… which was once mine,"
Another flicker of the porch light. This time it went out. Darkness swallowed the front yard. Marissa's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Nicholas… don't."
He stepped closer to her. Pressed his forehead to hers briefly. A thousand unsaid things were said in one second. Then he stepped back.
"Viren."
His father's voice was steady now.
"You should know this, your mom and I should have told you"
The front door handle turned. Once. Slowly. But the bolt held. Tina gasped. The handle turned again. Harder. Viren's heartbeat, heard in his ears. Nicholas didn't look at the door. He looked at his son.
"You are not human the way you think you are."
The handle stopped moving. Silence. Rain. Nicholas' voice lowered further.
"I was going to wait."
A soft knock echoed through the wood. Polite. Controlled.
"Slane," a voice called from outside. Calm. Almost pleasant.
"We just want to talk."
Viren's skin prickled. Nicholas' eyes darkened.
"I know you dont" he said to himself
The cube in Viren palm pulsed. The lights in the house flickered. The knock came again. Softer.
"Nicholas," the voice corrected.
Tina's breath caught. Marissa stepped in front of Viren instinctively. Nicholas gently moved her aside.
"Take them to the back," he told her.
"You can't fight them alone," Marissa whispered.
Nicholas gave a faint smile.
"I won't be alone."
Another turn of the handle. This time… The wood around the lock began to crack. Not explode. It just… split. Like pressure was increasing gradually.
Viren's hearing sharpened. He could hear breathing outside. Three different forms. No. Four. Nicholas stepped toward the door.
And for a split second… his eyes shifted. Not glowing. But it deepened. Like midnight swallowing color.
"Dad…"
Nicholas didn't turn.
"Whatever happens," he said calmly,
"do not trigger that cube unless you are ready to know what I am."
The door frame splintered. Wood snapped. Rain blew inward. A tall silhouette stood beyond the broken door. Unmoving. Unblinking.
Nicholas inhaled once. Then stepped forward into the rain. The moment he crossed the doorway…
The streetlights along Auburn Avenue went out. One by one. Darkness swallowed the block.
Tina screamed.
Marissa grabbed Viren's wrist. But Viren couldn't move.
Outside…
Shapes moved in the rain. Fast. Too fast. There was no dramatic yelling. No long speeches. Just controlled violence. Blurs. Impact sounds. The air pressure itself felt increased.
Viren saw his father lift one of them…
With one hand. Not human strength. Not even close.
Then, something flashed. Not lightning. Something sharper. Nicholas staggered. He fell to one knee. Viren felt goosebumps all over. The cube in his hand vibrated violently.
Marissa pulled him back.
"Inside!"
But Viren heard it. His father's voice. Not shouted. Spoken directly into the chaos.
"Viren…"
A typical crashout. A blur of movement. Then… silence, again
The rain continued. The streetlights flickered back on. The yard was empty. No bodies. No father. Only rainwater and broken wood. The front door hung on its hinges. Marissa stepped forward slowly…
"Nicholas?"
Nothing.
Tina's voice trembled. "This isn't funny."
Viren stepped onto the porch. Rain soaked his shirt instantly. He looked left. Right. Empty street. No cars. No figures. Only the hum of Atlanta returning like nothing happened.
And at his feet… a single drop of dark blood mixed with rain. And then it dissolved. Gone…
The cube in his hand went still.
11:47 PM.
The microwave inside blinked. Over. And over.And over. Viren stood in the rain long after his mother pulled him inside. His ears were ringing. Not from sound. From the loud absence. And for the first time… He didn't feel confused. He felt awake… inside out.
While Viren was still trying to figure things out even though his emotions were tangled… Tina tried calling the police but Marissa quickly stopped her. She asked what just happened, and then it was known to them that… Nicholas Slane, was a vampire… not the only one and certainly not just any vampire.
X X X
The rain did not stop. It softened… but it did not stop. Water dripped from the broken doorframe onto the tiles. Tina's phone trembled in her hand. She had second thoughts…..
"I'm not buying that, I'm calling the police."
Marissa grabbed Tina's wrist.
"No Tina, just do as I say."
Tina stared at her.
"Are you insane? He was attacked!"
"I said no." Her voice wasn't loud but controlled. She was Terrified. Viren looked between them.
"Mom… what just happened?"
Marissa closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, she looked defeated and at the same time…. serious. She turned toward the broken doorway, rain rushing in. Then she shut the door as best as she could and leaned a chair under the handle as if that could stop anything. She faced them.
"You deserve to know."
Tina's breathing was uneven.
"Know what?" Viren said.
Marissa's eyes went to Viren.
"Your father actually is a vampire. The stories he kept telling every time he was drunk, the myths, the jokes…. It's all real. Vampires are real, and he's one of them. But not just a vampire."
The word stopped there. Viren felt strangely calm.
"…I figured."
Tina blinked. "YOU FIGURED?!"
Marissa ignored her.
"He didn't decide to be that way. He was chosen. Bound to something older than the stories he told you."
Viren's fingers tightened around the cube. It was no longer vibrating. It felt warm.
"And you, you knew this all this while, and you kept it from us ?," Viren asked quietly.
Marissa nodded.
"Yes… I'm sorry"
"How long?"
"Since before you were born."
Tina took a step back. "You let us grow up in this house with…. with a vampire?!"
Marissa's voice cracked for the first time.
"They are not all monsters."
She swallowed.
"Your father isn't".
Silence settled in the room. Outside, thunder rolled faintly in the distance. Viren looked at the cube.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Marissa walked toward him slowly.
"Because once you know… they will know you know."
That landed, hard. Tina's voice dropped.
"Who are 'they'?"
Marissa hesitated. Then said it.
"The Nyctharyns."
The name felt cold in the air.
"They are not like your father. They believe it is about time humanity ended. They see humans as the great cause of every destruction… the wars, the evolution, the sins… our sins. And they think it should all be put to rest."
Viren looked down at the cube again.
"…This."
Marissa didn't answer. But she didn't deny it either. The microwave blinked again.
11:47.
Again. And again.
1:16 AM
No one slept. Tina sat at the dining table, staring at nothing. Viren sat on the floor near the couch, cube resting in his palm. Marissa was pacing everywhere. Like she was calculating options.
"How are you not surprised, you seem fine with it… like you don't care what happens," Viren said suddenly.
Marissa stopped.
"No."
"You weren't shocked when the lights went out."
Still silent. Viren stood.
"Then what does that make me ?!"
Marissa finally faced him fully.
"You are why they came."
The words sucked the air out of the room. Tina's head snapped toward him.
"What?"
Marissa's eyes softened.
"Viren… your father believed you would be different. That you would live normal. Go to college. Play basketball. Fall in love. Argue about politics at Thanksgiving."
Her voice trembled.
"But bloodlines don't disappear because we wish them to."
Viren's chest tightened.
"What bloodline?"