1

A year ago.

The eyes are opened, but they see nothing, darkness is all around, the night darkness of city premises, devoid of light. After a while, from the impenetrable blackness, at first barely perceptible contours of the walls and objects surrounding the gaze appear. The ringing silence around, slightly presses on the ears, does not give orientation, only touch, while there is no sight - again this. T so real and clear.

- I'm definitely sick.

Thoughts ring in my head, as if someone nearby is speaking in a distinct whisper.

- You have to get up, you have to get up. Write down, no more minute. And to hell with everything . It's night now , but who needs it at all. No, no, I'm getting up . Three , it will be too late.

A hand fumbles over the nightstand next to the bed. In from it is the desk lamp switch, slightly worn and loose. A click, the small bedroom lit up with the light of a small blue-shaded lamp. The bright light of a cold shade painfully cut the eyes, forcing the pupils that were not yet accustomed to the light to instantly contract and squint, grimacing in a displeased grimace.

- So, everything needs to be changed for hell lamp. This is unbearable for the first night. It's okay to write everything down.

The click of an opening laptop, the light of a monitor, the tapping of fingers on the keyboard, clicks and the rustle of a mouse, the rumble of a fan and the crunch of unstretched joints. The silence broke, giving way to these sounds.

A year ago, he began to see it, intermittently and incomprehensibly. From us blurred, but gradually they became clearer and clearer, turning into a free movie every night. A week ago, he began to write down what was happening in his dreams. Events place names.

“ I’ll make a good story out of this, at least some use for sleepless nights.”

Chapter 1 _

The wind, circling in an invisible waltz, brought fragments of intermittent echo. The sound was muffled, but at the same time deep. Small, barely noticeable ripples were spreading along the narrow nook of the quarter, everything that breathed with moisture. Lonely drops of water, resigned to the indifference to their presence of the whole world around them, fell off the roofs of houses, rare corners, garbage cans and other unpretentious furnishings, filled with a subtle rhythm. Cap. Cap. Cap, cap. If you stand in such a place for a long time, then you involuntarily begin to feel this simple, barely perceptible rhythm. It seemed that there was nothing in this typical corridor between the houses. Passing by such a place, you won’t even hold your gaze on it for a long time. The semi-darkness, sparingly illuminated by the light of distant lanterns and advertising signs, reluctantly showed its contents. There was nothing: not a sound, no movement even remotely reminiscent of a living thing. Only the dark, barely noticeable silhouette of a man in a long cloak gave the place a mystery. Who is he? What does he do here? No rustle from the folds of clothes, no noise from movements, no hesitation from breathing. The stranger stood like an idol carved from dark stone. The pale face was motionless, only the eyes betrayed life. They read a clear concentration on something that is not seen or heard, but it exists, and there is no doubt about it. This is indisputable for those who know more than others, and the complete hopelessness of those who do not even guess. The pale face was motionless, only the eyes betrayed life. They read a clear concentration on something that is not seen or heard, but it exists, and there is no doubt about it. This is indisputable for those who know more than others, and the complete hopelessness of those who do not even guess. The pale face was motionless, only the eyes betrayed life. They read a clear concentration on something that is not seen or heard, but it exists, and there is no doubt about it. This is indisputable for those who know more than others, and the complete hopelessness of those who do not even guess.

A trickle of water broke from the roof and, breaking the rhythmic silence, rushed to the ground. A splash and a barely audible rattle, somewhere above. The cloak moved, succumbing to the movements of its owner, the back tensed, the knees slightly bent, the fingers, with unnaturally long nails, took on a menacing shape. Now everything in the form of a stranger spoke of the growing tension inside. The creaking from above intensified, turning into a sharp rattle, at the same moment something large rushed from the roof straight down at the stranger. At such moments, the vision does not have time to focus, and you see only vague images, blurry and not clear. So here, one thing is for sure - the stranger is no longer where he was a second ago. He stands a few meters from this place, where something has fallen from a height. The cloak moves slightly, treacherously betraying a movement that the normal eye is not even able to see. There are two points: where he was and where he is, and the path is only a moment. The face changed into a terrible threatening grimace: the lips parted in a grin, exposing sharp fangs, bestial, completely unusual for a person; eyes took on unnatural hues and shone in depth. An eerie picture; is he human?

The thud and crackle of flying asphalt flesh. Falling from the roof, the creature fixed its gaze in the direction where the stranger had moved. Burning eyes, a huge muscular body covered with hair, a face more reminiscent of a wolf than a human. A creature from human myths appeared in the night alley - a werewolf. Animal grin barely contained the inner rage. A bubbling growl was barely audible from the lungs of this giant, becoming more threatening and louder with every second.

- You're a fool, Alud! I'm not a youngster. My experience is hundreds of years! You're not dumb enough to think you can handle me alone, are you?

There was an undisguised note of contempt in the stranger's words.

- Brook-ta-man, your age is nothing to me! the creature growled. “I am able to tear you apart at any moment, you are well aware of that. I, not a fenced-in dog, - the words breathed strength and confidence in their own viability.

- Well, well, Alud, you are right, I must admit, both of our clans are strong and it is not known who will come out alive if we meet in open battle. What brought you? The furry creature growled.

- If the creatures from your clan once again dare to fill up one of the brothers. On our territory. - both creatures during the conversation moved in a circle slowly and smoothly. This is how sharks swim around their prey, gradually approaching their prey.

- I will personally free your sick mind from the physical shell so that it crumbles into atoms. I'm not warning you, I'll tear you up, - a booming roar swept the sound wave through the walls. In the movements of the werewolf, a monstrous force was felt at any moment, ready to break out. A slight bewilderment ran across the vampire's face for a second, which immediately changed to a grin.

- Hey furry. You're knocking on the wrong gate. We did not touch your dogs, my clan has a lot of worries even without you. Moreover, breaking the contract is not our part. So save the threats for the really serious occasion. - The vampire moved unusually easily, it seemed that the laws of physics exist for everyone except him. The cloak obediently obeyed the movements of the owner. An ordinary person will not be able to do even part of the movements without special training. The vampire moved lightly and gracefully, without tension. Alud looked suspiciously at Brook-ta-man. Shadows of doubt flickered in his eyes, slightly extinguishing the fire of anger.

- Look, you never lied to me. I respect that, but damn it. If you lie to me, I will spit on our "tolerance for each other." says the werewolf.

- Alud, I know everything that happens in my clan. We did not touch your fellow tribesmen. We had a couple of skirmishes with the unclean ones recently, but we didn't touch yours. I swear on my blood.

The huge, waxy creature relaxed slightly. The stance became less threatening. His gaze became childlike.

- I, I don't understand, no one can harm us except you. If it were people, we would know.

I understand your confusion. I myself am at a loss, our elders, - the voice dropped, taking on menacing tones, - only not a word to my own, it's only between us. They are preoccupied with disturbances in the "dark environment" magical currents fluctuate.

The werewolf snarled, swinging its clawed paw against the wall. A booming echo reverberated off the walls and quickly faded away. Deep dents in the wall were accompanied by abundant cracks and crumbling plaster.

- What do I care about your indignation! I care about my family and those who fucked up a couple of strong guys. I'm fucking pissed! And you treat me with your fucking magic!

With quick leaps, the werewolf approached the vampire and with a sharp movement grabbed his throat, pressing his entire body against the wall. The vampire made no special attempts to get out.

The werewolf growled loudly.

- You calm down, furry, I'm just talking about the fact that there are new ones in the city. Judge for yourself.

The vampire deftly threw his furry body away from him and grabbed the werewolf's neck from behind with wild speed.

"Magical currents don't fluctuate just like that, think about it, Alud, there's someone else in the city."

With a powerful jerk, the werewolf threw off the burden of someone else's body with such force that it seemed that death was inevitable. The vampire, regrouping with ease, jumped away from the wall he was pointed at and got to his feet. A self-satisfied smirk spread across his face, collecting pale skin into clear symmetrical folds. The werewolf looked frowningly at the vampire, slightly shaking his mane.

- So you want to direct my gaze into the unknown. Very comfortably. I have known your breed for more than a century, you do not have the honor and valor inherent in true werewolves. You are pursuing some of your goals, which I do not fully understand. So many times you dodged, hiding true intentions, that I have already ceased to trust even the best representatives.

- Oh, you're right, of course. The vampire changed his threatening posture to a light, unhurried gait, as if nothing had happened. - We are capricious and our philosophy of existence is incomprehensible to many. But you are ancient, like me, and therefore I will not lie to you. Old oaths are alive and unquestioningly fulfilled, all ancient ones are bound by them. Even chaos needs order. A self-satisfied smirk spread across his pale face again.

- Well, look Brook-ta-man, if it's all cotton wool, and you decided to fuck me, then I'll spit on the ancient law * and that's all and taboo. I'll start messing around in black, you know me. The werewolf's eyes flashed with anger. Without words, it was clear that these beings do not throw words into the wind and each word is weighed and confirmed by the internal viability of their own realization.

- Hmm, a serious statement, but I'm calm, I didn't lie or even cunning. By the way, I also need these geeks, not because of your murdered brothers of course. The cloak fluttered in the light breeze, changing direction frequently.

- They entered the city and did not report to anyone, neither to you, nor to us, nor to other clans, even the shadows are not in the know, or they are hiding it.

- Mm shadows, have you been to them? So it's really not that simple. - On the shaggy skin, drops slowly flowed quietly, falling from the roof. Water soaked into the wool, enveloping it, forming small sharp spines.

- The dark gift has brought many surprises in my lifetime. Okay Brook-ta-man. This time, the voice sounded without notes of anger and contempt, it acquired an extraordinary depth and calmness.

- Neutrality is still kept blood between us until there is, I said. Werewolves keep their oath.

- Oh Alud. You are wise as always. It is a pity that not all my relatives see this. For my part, I, Viscount Brooke-ta-man, a direct descendant of Walnomak, say that the vampires see no reason or reason to break this obligation and thereby confirm that neutrality is preserved.

- Well, shit, I could just agree. All I went. The huge body, with the lightness of a cat, climbed the wall with powerful leaps, spreading millions of small sprays around it. The vampire stood a little longer, listening to the unique music of the moment the drops landed on the cold asphalt. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed this brief moment of nature's symphony. Vampires are complex creatures, not stupid predators, but let everyone think otherwise, it's profitable and funny. He thought to himself as he started slowly moving towards the big streets. Gradually dissolving, turning into the form of fog.