Mercy by Rhiannon Paille

nitrogen being fed into his veins. He shuddered and held his hands in front of the heater, welcoming the warmth. As a Vulture, all he knew was the cold, an endless sea of it, except when feeding. Human souls were full of sunshine. It was one of the reasons the hunger became so intense, it was connected to the idea of being warm.
    In that world, warm never lasted long.
    And in the body he possessed, death was only another moment away.
    He couldn’t expect to live forever.
    Elwen turned at the lights. The town rolled into view, nothing but dilapidated buildings, commercial stores and bungalows on treacherous hills. Elwen stayed on the Seventeen until it became Main Street, the only quaint setting in the dismal town. Elwen pulled into one of the stalls on the street itself, in front of the Candy Corner. The strip had a bank, restaurants, and vintage clothing shops lined up along it. Storefronts saluted as though in uniform. Beside the Candy Corner was a store window with a big “For Lease” sign, the phone number in giant blue letters. Elwen went for the glass door beside the Candy Corner; “One Hundred Five” stamped on it in and unlocked the tumbler. Beyond the door was a double flight of stairs leading to their second story flat.
    Krishani followed Elwen up the yellowing steps, the walls clad in unfinished drywall until they reached the short hallway and their off-white door. Elwen unlocked two tumblers and turned the knob, shoving his shoulder against the door. His loafers didn’t make a sound as he crossed the wood finished floor and dropped his briefcase on the back of the beige couch.
    Krishani didn’t expect Elwen to say anything about what happened in the forest, but there was a reason Krishani made him pull the car over, a reason he made him wait while Krishani searched the area. His lungs threatened to collapse recalling the violet-rimmed hazel eyes. He hastily unzipped his combat boots and left them, trudging across the floor and falling onto the couch, his head in his hands. He listened as Elwen busied himself in the kitchen, turning on the tap, filling a kettle.
    “Was it her?” Elwen finally asked.
    Krishani groaned feeling nauseous. He tried to stave it off, and clenched his teeth. “Yes.” He didn’t have to look at Elwen to see the look of triumph and arrogance on his ancestor’s face. Elwen was right, the girl was there.
    Elwen neared the back of the couch and put his hand on it but Krishani refused to meet his eyes. “Does it hurt?”
    Krishani took his head out of his hands and stared straight ahead at the flat screen, the Xbox, the short bookshelves, and the latticed windows. He felt like his heart was tearing in two it hurt so much. He took a deep breath. “Yes.”
    Elwen patted the couch. “Good.” Krishani heard footsteps retreating and the sound of the fridge opening. “Are you hungry?”
    Nausea got the better of him. “No,” he said as he bolted off the couch and down the hall to the bathroom, pushing the seat up and vomiting. His arms shook as his stomach heaved, another mouthful erupting from him. He closed his eyes and tried to regulate his breathing but his whole body trembled as his knees buckled and he slid to the floor, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He fell against the wall, his eyes finding the ceiling until he had the strength to move. Bracing himself on the toilet seat he pushed himself up, slammed the seat down, and flushed. He turned to the sink and shoved on the cold water, using his hand to cup a mouthful. He spit it out and braced on the sink with both hands, fingers alive with tremors.
    He dared a glance in the mirror at himself: bloodshot blue eyes, sickly pallid face, wildly tangled shorn black hair. “Don’t die,” he told his reflection, hoping he could hang on long enough. She had no idea what kind of danger she was in.
    O O O
    Elwen stared after Krishani as he slammed the bathroom door. The white walls were jaundiced from the previous