14 - ‘Come gentle night…’

When Kemp said nothing in reply, Trevor was tempted to just let the kid be and leave. Only the fact that he might be signing the kid’s death warrant if he did that made him try one more time. “Do you have a name,” he asked, “or do I just call you Kid?”

“Kemp. Kemp Marston.”

“OK, Kemp it is, though I was kind of looking forward to calling you Kid. It fits the way you’re acting.”

“Meaning what?” Kemp asked, suddenly angry at this man who presumed to try to tell him what he should be doing.

“Meaning,” Trevor replied, fingering his vampyre fang earring, “that you have to start growing up and accept your fate. What you are is not going to vanish just because you want it to, or are afraid of it. You have untapped powers in you, as all dhampir do, that can be used to rid the world of the kind of vermin we dealt with tonight.”

Trevor shook his head when Kemp looked away, staring off into space as if he wasn’t there. But he obviously wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“What do you think would have happened if they hadn’t run into you, and I hadn’t been in the neighborhood? Those three would have gone on feeding off innocent people, undoubtedly killing at least a few of them, possibly even turning one or two to join their little coven. Is that what you want to see happen kid?”

“Kemp,” he growled. “Not kid.” He turned to look at Trevor. “This thing, this need to kill them that I’ll have if I allow what I am to take hold… What’s to prevent me from trying to slay my father, my brother, all the friends of my father’s that I grew up around?”

“I’m presuming you have a conscience, Kemp, and a working, probably inquiring mind. Your conscience will say, ‘What if?’ and your mind will ask, ‘How can I find out if this one should die or not’.”

“But you said you didn’t question until just recently. It sounds as if it took you that long, however long, to learn to do that.”

Trevor smiled bitterly. “Yes and no. My hatred came from my childhood when my father tried to kill me because of what I am, and killed my mother in the process. After that I think I didn’t really have a conscience, just a burning desire to destroy every vampyre in existence.” He stared at the ground for a long while before continuing. “Then, just recently, I met one that I planned on killing. He managed to convince me that he at least had a decent streak in him. It didn’t slow me down though. Not until I slew one who I found out soon after was truly a good…person.”

Kemp watched him as he talked, seeing the pain on his face. “And then what happened?”