The Secracy Of A Vampire King

Just Tyler and I

The men were in charge of protection and hunting, which, in my opinion, is sexist. But I never cared to shoot an animal, so I never begged to be a part of a hunting team. Tyler was out hunting now. He hasn't been the same since we came here, but not in a bad way. It's like he thrived here. Back at home, he struggled a lot to find something he was interested in.

He used to just play video games and hide in the house. If I thought anyone was going to struggle with this type of change, I thought it would've been Tyler. But now that I think about it, he did play a lot of games that involved hunting and gathering.

Tyler was due back any minute before the sun went down. I wanted to make sure he eats before he falls asleep for tomorrow. I wasn't able to take care of much, but I could at least make sure Tyler and I were fed. Learning to cook the types of food out here was the hard part.

I had gotten some vegetables and some sand cat meat for dinner. I was currently cooking it over the fire when I heard the cheering.

The men were coming back with their offering. It must've been a good day for them by the sounds of the cheering. I continued cooking the meal as I heard the woman greeting their husband's. It used to bother me how I never had that. Most of the women already had their husband's when they arrived. I was only 16. I barely knew how to speak to a boy then. No one here interested me either. I was too stuck in my day to day errands to even look. But it was no longer something I focused on.

I couldn't help but wonder where I would be right now if the evasion had never happened. College? Good job? Married? Kids? But I knew it was ridiculous to even think about what ifs. I was stuck here till I died, or we were discovered.

"Hey Ugly." Tyler's voice pulled me away from my thoughts. "Whats for dinner?" He asked, sitting on the ground a few feet way.

My brother had shaggy light brown hair and a short brown beard growing in. He used to be a bit heavier, but he's slimmed down over the years. I've heard some girls call him attractive, gross.

"Same thing different day." I told him as I pointed to the meat and vegetable combination.

Tyler chuckled. "I would kill for a burger and fries right now."

I sighed at the thought of real food. "I want a homemade meal. Like pasta or pot roast." I told him while thinking about our moms cooking. He returned a sigh, probably thinking about the same thing. All of us at the dinner table all sharing a meal.

"Did you see Gerald today?" Tyler asked

I nodded. "He isn't looking too good." I whispered softly. I can't believe they did that to Gerald."If that ever happened to me, please just let me die."

Tyler grimaced a bit and seemed to think about it. "Only if you do the same thing for me."

Nodded in agreement. We rather die than lose a limb out here.

"Deal."

I finished cooking the food and plated it. I brought it inside for us to eat to hopefully keep the sand off of it. It was useless, though. We have probably eaten 5 gallons of sand in the last few months. Tyler took his plate, and we ate our food in silence. There wasn't much to talk about anymore. We used to question how long we would be here or when dad would show up. But the longer the months and years went by, the more we stopped asking. I remember Tyler and I got into an argument because I used to ask about dad a lot. He was certain he would've been here by now if he could've been. It wasn't long until I believed him.

I'd always hoped that one day I would look up and dad would be standing there smiling at me. I missed his voice and his laugh. I missed his hugs the most. It's been so long since I had forgotten his scent. He had used the same cologne for years. It was my mom's favorite and always gave it to him for Christmas in his stocking. My dad would jokingly act surprised about it every year until she died. After that, I began buying it for him for Christmas. The first year after her death when he opened his stocking and saw the bottle of cologne. He started crying, wishing her a Merry Christmas while clutching the bottle to his

chest.

My mom passed away from a car accident years before the evasion. I still remember seeing her lying there in the hospital bed with tubes and wires all around her as we said our goodbyes.

We finished eating, and I wet a rag to wipe down the plates. Tyler still sat in the same place, carving designs in the wood of the floor boards with his fingernail. I finished cleaning and was about to go check my sleeping place for creepy crawlys before I laid down when Tyler spoke up again.

"So." He said, looking a bit nervous. "The council wants us to find someone to marry."

"They what?!" I asked. The council is a made-up group of a few older men who built this place. They are in charge of ration control and giving out jobs. But they sure as hell aren't in charge of my life.

"They want us to get married." Tyler said again.

"Why?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

Tyler shrugged, "I guess they find it weird that you and I still live in the same shack. They want people to start having children, I guess."

I started laughing, but it wasn't funny. "They want us to have children? In this type of place?" I asked, pointing my finger outside. "They can barely give medical attention to Gerald, and they want us to give BIRTH!"

This was another reason why I believed a woman should be on the council. Pregnancy is rough as it is. But being pregnant in a place where you have limited resources and no medical care is dangerous. What if someone got Preclampsia or Gestational Diabetes.

Tyler sighed. "I know, Lily. But they're asking us to follow through with it or get out."

I scoffed and grabbed my old duffel bag that lay near my sleeping area. I began to head out the door just to make my point when Tyler stopped me.

"Lily, are you crazy? You'll die out there." He said, grabbing my arm to pull me back in

"Better than being forced to have babies here." I told him.

Tyler scratched his head and groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"What even brought this on?" I asked him, they never did something like this before.

"I guess because more people are dying and they're worried they won't have enough people."

I shook my head in disgust. "They will lose help for at least a year. A pregnant woman shouldn't be working in this heat, and they can't bring a newborn baby out into the sun. They're being idiots." I told Tyler loudly enough that I hoped a council member would hear.

"I will talk with them tomorrow, Lily. Just please don't leave me." Tyler said, looking at me with desperate sad eyes.

I sighed loudly as I dropped my duffel bag back down. I knew I was all he had right now. But I will not find someone just to have babies with. The council can go bury their head in the sand.