"Did you see his face?" Aeli crowed as the pair walked down the alley. "He just went–" She mimed going limp, without a stutter in her footsteps.

"I know!" Erin exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. "Good idea to drag it on; it was pretty funny to see how much pain he was in."

"Way too much of a Softy," Aeli nodded, "He probably hadn't even killed anyone."

Erin nudged her. "That would have been fun to do, make him kill someone."

Aeli matched Erin's smirk. "There's always another Softy, we can do it to the next one." The buildings around them cast dark shadows over their faces. Erin's signature ponytail of inky black hair was threaded with shadows, giving the illusion of pitch black. Aeli's fiery red hair was dimmed in the dark and up in a loose bun. Well-worn and blood-spattered clothes draped their bodies.

"Catalyst above, my mom's gonna coddle me for only killing one person today,"

Erin let out a sharp laugh at her friend's plight, the sound echoing through the homicidal city.

Aeli gave her friend a playful push, a blush colouring her face. The two of them continued their walk, bumping into each other occasionally. The blood had long since dried, leaving a dark brown on their hands. Their knives glinted in the streetlights, covered—like their hands—in dried blood.

The streetlights lit the alley sporadically, bathing some areas in bright light while others were shrouded in darkness. Aeli and Erin stuck to the dark spots; walking in the light meant that you were giving yourself up to be killed.

"My home's here," Aeli said suddenly. They both knew the comment was coming, but Aeli said it anyway.

"I know," Erin began, "But make sure to stab your mom for me."

Aeli gave a sharp grin in return, her teeth glinting. "I'll even use the serrated knife, just for you."

Erin's eyes widened. "You'd be willing to use the serrated knife?"

"Of course," Aeli's smile softened, "You're my best friend, why wouldn't I?"

"I'm gonna slit your throat tomorrow," Erin pointed at Aeli.

Lightly shoving Erin, Aeli laughed, "You wouldn't kill your best friend, would you?"

"I would," Erin promised, "If my kill count's down."

"True," Aeli nodded, "I would do the same."

Erin glanced quickly at her watch before doing a double-take. "Shit, I gotta go, see you tomorrow?"

"Don't forget to slit my throat."

"I won't!" Erin gave one last wave before her figure melted into the shadows.

Fingering the knife looped in her belt, Aeli turned to her apartment, no farther than two blocks away. Walking towards it, she stayed in the shadows, not even daring to speak as she no longer had the safety of someone walking next to her. When she had her foot on the first step of the stairs leading to her apartment, she heard a scream. Then a loud bang sounded from the street outside.

Laughing lightly, she muttered, "Another Softy gone. Cruel Catalyst, they're a parasite in this city."

Aeli pulled out her knife as she climbed the stairs, tossing it in the air again and again. The blade glinted in the light filtering from the street outside, casting quick bursts of light along the stairwell.

The air was silent—completely silent. No rumble of cars outside or hum of lights. Just pure, encompassing silence. But that was normal. When the sun went down, the Hunters went out. And the Hunters could manipulate. They could twist your mind until you forgot who you were, they could stop you from breathing.

The Hunters generally went after Softys. Softys were easy kills; weak and easily manipulated. Softys were the curse of Ravale. Possibly a result of genetics, but they persevered through generations. They were prey. And the Hunters loved to play with their prey.

Stopping on the fourth floor, at the door of her apartment, Aeli flipped her knife one last time before putting it away and fishing the key out of her pocket. The fourth floor didn't have the best view of the city, but the lower floors always felt more dangerous. The door of her apartment was full of imperfections. It was old and worn along the edges. Peeling paint and grooves from countless weapons littered its surface.

The lock on the door had that flaky feeling of old metal, leaving a residue of the fingers of whoever touched it. The key didn't exactly fit into the lock, but if Aeli jiggled it around a little, it would unlock.

Whistling lightly, Aeli stepped inside her apartment, kicking off her shoes. Her apartment was most definitely not clean and pristine. A light pink coated some sections of the walls – areas where blood had been cleaned – and some darker stains littered the floor. There was a grand total of one painting in the entire apartment, if it even counted as a painting. It was a printed-out picture of the Mona Lisa that had started as a joke but was now taped on the wall just outside the kitchen.

The apartment wasn't small exactly, but it wasn't that big either. There was enough room for two people, but three would have been pushing it slightly.

Flopping down on the rickety couch, Aeli rested her aching legs on the armrest. Staring at the ceiling, her eyes traced the cracks, a small smile on her face.

Today had been a day well spent.

"Hey, sweetie," A voice sounded from one of the two rooms. "You're home from your hunt kinda early, everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, mom," Aeli called back, shifting to try and stop her knife from digging into her side. Eventually she gave up and tossed it at the wall, hearing the satisfying shiink and thunk when it sunk in, blade first.

Her mom stuck her head out of a room, her glasses on and her red hair framing her face. "You sure? Because usually you and Erin tend to stay out 'til sunrise? You're still friends with Erin, right?"

"Everything's fine, mom," Aeli repeated, "Erin just had to go early."

"Oh," Mara said, stepping out. "How many kills today?"

"A few."

Mara crossed her arms. "Not an answer, Aeli."

"One?" Aeli's voice tilted up at the end.

"Oh honey, is everything okay? You usually have at least five," Mara's arms uncrossed as she walked over to sit by Aeli's head.

"Nah, just a stubborn Softy."

Mara let out a soft laugh, stroking Aeli's hair. "That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one."

Aeli involuntarily leaned into her mom's hand, hating herself for it.

Sighing, Aeli muttered, "Oxymorons are never good, are they."

Mara said nothing, only giving Aeli a soft smile and continuing to stroke her daughter's hair.

Mara's smile quickly hardened into something a bit more sinister, and she stood up. Crouching by Aeli's head she threaded her fingers through Aeli's hair giving it a sharp tug, and whispered, "One isn't enough. We need to rid Ravale of Softys and killing one a day doesn't work for me. Or the rest of the Hunters."

Aeli sighed, turning on her side to face her mother. "I know Mom, and I'm sorry."

"Good." Mara straightened, before pressing a kiss on her daughter's head. "Now don't get killed while I'm out."

"Will do, but the same goes to you."

Mara smirked. "Oh, but you know me. No Softy would dare kill me."

"Yes, yes, I get it Mom. Now go."

As soon as the door slammed shut, Aeli was scrambling towards the kitchen.

After grabbing a bag of chips, Aeli pulled a tired chair over to the floor-length window overlooking the city. Looking out at Ravale, Aeli was reminded of those Softy romance stories that very rarely had violence. It felt like the sad montage of someone with a broken heart.

The crinkle of the bag ruined the moment– if it could be passed off as a moment. Grabbing a handful of chips, Aeli looked at the cityscape around her.

Ravale was a... tall city, to say the least. Neon skyscrapers reached for the stars, displaying various advertisements while dark alleys weaved their way through the maze of buildings.

There was usually the constant sound of gunfire– or at least fighting. When there wasn't any noise, something big was coming.

The last time Ravale was silent was when the Hunters warred against the Archers in the Killing War. For the Hunters, it was an outstanding victory that changed their lives for the better. But for the Archers, the landslide failure banished them from the streets of Ravale, never to be seen again.

Aeli was told that her father had been an Archer. Born a Softy, he had been a blemish on Mara's record up until the day that she killed him.

Mara never liked talking about Aeli's father, but whenever she did, she described him as weak-willed and spineless. Their romance, albeit brief, was unexpected and secret. Aeli's father had managed to con Mara into believing. Believing he was a Hunter, believing he was there for her alone.

But he stabbed her in the back. He didn't manage to get far before she returned the favour, this time with an actual knife.

Aeli's parents had been one of the rarer couples. Neither of them cheated. Both were faithful to the point that it even made Aeli suspicious.

Aeli had been six when Mara killed her father. Who was she to say what was right and wrong at that age?

But that was all in the past. Now, they were happy, they were thriving. Softy numbers all throughout Ravale had been declining faster than they had in years; there was no trace of the Archers.

Reaching into her shirt, Aeli pulled out a necklace with a small charm of a bow and arrow. A reminder.

Looking out over the city again, Aeli grinned.

Startling at a loud bang that reverberated throughout the entire apartment, Aeli's fingers flew to her knife. Throwing it quickly towards the figure standing in the doorway of her room, she jumped up.

As her vision cleared, she saw Aspen.

"Asshole," Aeli muttered.

"Hey Aeli," they smirked, slinking in to sit next to her on the rickety mattress she called a bed.

Aeli scoffed, pulling out her phone, "Next time maybe let me know before barging in like a barbarian."

Aspen tossed their head back in harsh laughter. "Me? A barbarian? Aeli, you of all people should know that I'm a Roman through and through."

"Ok Nero, but at least text me before you act like you're here to kill me and overtake the Hunters."

"You believe I would do that?" Aspen gasped dramatically, "Aw Aeli, I knew you loved me."

Aeli tried her best to suppress a smirk before replying sarcastically, "Oh darling, you caught me! We're going to overtake the Hunters together!"

"In all seriousness though, I was hoping to do something... irregular," Aspen said, their smile fading.

"Who're we killing?" Aeli scorched closer to Aspen in excitement. "Erin?"

"Nope."

"My mom?"

"I mean," Aspen's grin grew again, a dark look glinting in their eyes to match their dark roots, a stark contrast to their short bleached-blonde hair. "Mara's always an option."

Aeli pressed a few buttons on her phone before putting it to her ear. When the call connected, she started talking before the other person could. "Hey mom, can I kill you?"

"Cruel Catalyst Aeli, I'm working," came the staticky reply through the phone.

Aeli bit her lip, thinking for a second before breathing "Oh, sorry mom" softly and hanging up.

There was silence for a bit, Aeli staring at her phone and Aspen fiddling with the bracelets on their wrist. They had five bracelets in total: two green ones, one blue, one yellow, and one purple. Aeli didn't actually know why Aspen had those bracelets; she had never asked.

"Do you ever wonder why we live in a world like this?" Aspen asked out of the blue.

Aeli tilted her head towards Aspen in confusion, putting down her phone. "Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, like," They gestured, trying to explain, "Like, why are Softys bad and why do we try to kill them."

"Don't we kill them because they weaken society as a whole?"

Aspen pursed their lips. "But like, why is it so bad that they weaken society?"

"I," Aeli paused to think, fiddling with her phone, "I don't really know. That's just how it is."

Humming, Aspen got up and walked to the window. Aeli scrambled up after them, reaching the window a few minutes after them. The two of them looked over Ravale in the early hours of the morning, watching the shadows weave between the streetlights. Every day it was a different pattern, every day it was a work of art. The shadows gave the city life; they nurtured it.

"If the world were different, maybe there wouldn't be as much killing," Aspen mused, watching a Hunter twirl a knife in the flickering luminance of a light post.

"If the world were different, life would be boring," Aeli retorted, "Killing gives life excitement."

"But society is behind," Aspen said, running their fingers along the peeling window frame.

"How." Not a question, exactly, but not a statement either.

"Old ideals, no room for growth," Was the response.

Aeli pulled Aspen's hand away from the frame gently. "But we are improving, we improve every day. Every day brings lower numbers of Softys, and lower numbers mean progress."

"But numbers mean nothing!" Aspen snapped, yanking their hand out of Aeli's grip and whirling around.

"Numbers mean everything!" Aeli said harshly, "Why can't you see?"

"See what? What is there to see?!"

"What do you mean?" Hissed Aeli, "See that the only way is to continue our progress."

Aspen stepped up to Aeli, their faces inches apart. "But is it really progress if it doesn't matter in the end?" They whispered.

"What do you mean by that?" Aeli demanded.

"None of it matters," Aspen whispered, expression softening, "Because a revolution is coming."

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Part 1! I wrote this so long ago, I honestly don't remember much about what's in it... But yeah, I really like this story :D

Published: March 17, 2022