Winter had already begun its march southwards, sending icy Artic winds across Canada. The threat of snow was in the air; each thick heavy cloud that drifted menacingly in the sky above Harper Rock could be the one that finally unleashed its freezing payload of frozen flakes upon the city, transforming the modern commercial conurbation into a blanket white scene of tranquillity from a picturesque winter wonderland that could have been dragged straight from the pages of a Charles Dickens novel. A layer of crisp snow, a dusting of nature’s frosty icing sugar, could mask a multitude of sins, cover up a whole world of weird and bizarre activities. It was fair to say that the medium-sized Canadian city harboured a veritable smorgasbord of strange and often sinister pursuits, undertakings more often than not linked to its rather peculiar underworld society: the vampires.
The long dark nights that accompanied the chilly temperatures were, in theory, helpful for the majority of the vampire population that inhabited the mysterious city. The lengthened hours of blackness acted as a shroud for those undead souls who had an aversion to sunlight. They were able to go about their dealings, shady or otherwise, behind the opaque veil of elongated nights. Potentially, the winter months were the most productive time of year for such sun-shy creatures, as they could roam around more freely. Conversely, it could be argued that these lengthy spells of darkness presented an increased level of danger to the human population that coexisted alongside their vampire neighbours.
Aaron Hunter didn’t fear the prolonged nights, but neither did he fear the potentially harmful rays of the golden sun. In fact, the daywalking vampire didn’t fear much at all, perhaps with the exception of the stylus on his record player breaking while he was spinning a rare vinyl punk album. Aaron was an affable, easy-going kind of guy. Not much phased him, and he always attempted to stay positive, whatever crazy circumstances were thrown in his general direction. He was happy, content with his life - or should that be unlife - as a vampire. Aaron had his music, he had his lover, and he had a roof over his head. The vampire wanted for nothing.
Flipping up the collar of his old black leather jacket, Aaron proceeded to pull the woolly hat that was perched atop his head further downwards until it covered his ears. The bitter cold night air had no real negative effects on the vampire’s constitution, but he could still sense the chilly teeth of the wind nibbling at his exposed skin. Rubbing his strong hands together, Aaron gazed up into the blackened sky, a few twinkling stars poking through the canopy of clouds that hung high up above the city. He exhaled deeply, producing a plume of water vapour that had a vague resemblance to smoke being expelled from the jaws of a ferocious dragon. Aaron had done this since he was a small child, believing that he was a powerful magical beast that could breath fire. For all intents and purposes, Aaron was a mighty mythical monster, but he’d not yet mastered the art of flamethrowing through his lips. Not yet.
Striding purposefully out into the streets, Aaron made his way towards the Stag Heath district of the city. It was a dodgy district of the town, littered with grubby characters who lurked in the shadows. It was certainly not the most salubrious neighbourhood of Harper Rock, and people needed to stay alert, be vigilant while they walked through the dimly-lit alleyways. The potential danger exited Aaron. The uncertainty of who or what lay hidden behind the next shadowy corner gave the vampiric adventurer a certain rush. Tonight, Aaron was ready for whatever came his way. He had learned to expect the unexpected when walking on the wild side.
The long dark nights that accompanied the chilly temperatures were, in theory, helpful for the majority of the vampire population that inhabited the mysterious city. The lengthened hours of blackness acted as a shroud for those undead souls who had an aversion to sunlight. They were able to go about their dealings, shady or otherwise, behind the opaque veil of elongated nights. Potentially, the winter months were the most productive time of year for such sun-shy creatures, as they could roam around more freely. Conversely, it could be argued that these lengthy spells of darkness presented an increased level of danger to the human population that coexisted alongside their vampire neighbours.
Aaron Hunter didn’t fear the prolonged nights, but neither did he fear the potentially harmful rays of the golden sun. In fact, the daywalking vampire didn’t fear much at all, perhaps with the exception of the stylus on his record player breaking while he was spinning a rare vinyl punk album. Aaron was an affable, easy-going kind of guy. Not much phased him, and he always attempted to stay positive, whatever crazy circumstances were thrown in his general direction. He was happy, content with his life - or should that be unlife - as a vampire. Aaron had his music, he had his lover, and he had a roof over his head. The vampire wanted for nothing.
Flipping up the collar of his old black leather jacket, Aaron proceeded to pull the woolly hat that was perched atop his head further downwards until it covered his ears. The bitter cold night air had no real negative effects on the vampire’s constitution, but he could still sense the chilly teeth of the wind nibbling at his exposed skin. Rubbing his strong hands together, Aaron gazed up into the blackened sky, a few twinkling stars poking through the canopy of clouds that hung high up above the city. He exhaled deeply, producing a plume of water vapour that had a vague resemblance to smoke being expelled from the jaws of a ferocious dragon. Aaron had done this since he was a small child, believing that he was a powerful magical beast that could breath fire. For all intents and purposes, Aaron was a mighty mythical monster, but he’d not yet mastered the art of flamethrowing through his lips. Not yet.
Striding purposefully out into the streets, Aaron made his way towards the Stag Heath district of the city. It was a dodgy district of the town, littered with grubby characters who lurked in the shadows. It was certainly not the most salubrious neighbourhood of Harper Rock, and people needed to stay alert, be vigilant while they walked through the dimly-lit alleyways. The potential danger exited Aaron. The uncertainty of who or what lay hidden behind the next shadowy corner gave the vampiric adventurer a certain rush. Tonight, Aaron was ready for whatever came his way. He had learned to expect the unexpected when walking on the wild side.