Father stood up from the table and began gathering the dishes.
"Get some rest. Check your amulets and salt. We head out in a couple of minutes."
Dinner ended quickly and in almost total silence.
Ethan had barely touched his food. Every bite of pasta felt tasteless, as if it were getting stuck in his throat. He didn't even want to listen to Gina trying to joke and cheer him up.
His sister was saying something about "tonight's fun," but he only nodded, not lifting his eyes from the plate. His thoughts were far away,in dark alleys, in the basement where they trained on dummies, and in that tent where they had just given blood.
David barely ate either. He just sat there, looking at his children and remaining silent.
When the plates were cleared, Father gave a short nod.
"I'll be waiting for you."
The children silently went up to their rooms.
In his small room, Ethan quickly pulled off his clothes, decided to wear something else, and began to get ready. He put on a dark hoodie with a deep hood, sturdy black pants with many pockets, and his most comfortable running shoes.
"Today I'll see a real one... Not a picture, but a living monster!"
He hung a silver amulet around his neck,a small one, engraved with a cross and a rune of protection.
In the next room, Gina was getting ready faster. She chose her favorite, battered leather jacket,the one with reinforced inserts on the shoulders and hidden pockets.
Under the jacket, she hid a short, well-sharpened wooden stake and a small silver knife. She also hung a silver amulet around her neck, just like her brother's, only slightly larger.
When they stepped out into the hallway, both looked completely different,not like ordinary teenagers, but like young hunters ready for the chase.
Gina looked her brother up and down and gave a slight smile.
"You look okay," she said.
"Almost like Uncle Fergus in his youth!"
"Oh, yeah, go ahead! Compare me to that guy..." the boy grumbled, frowning.
Gina laughed.
David came out of the kitchen. He was also dressed in dark clothes now, with a small bag slung over his shoulder. His face remained serious and focused.
Ethan stood before a small mirror in his room and stared silently at his reflection.
He slowly raised his hand and squeezed the amulet in his fist. He looked into his own eyes, very intently, almost demandingly. In the reflection was a sixteen-year-old guy with a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, and a weapon in his hand. The same boy who, just a few hours ago, had been giving blood in a medical tent.
"Who am I?" he asked his reflection mentally.
"The one who is afraid? Or the one who must learn not to be?"
David called out to them quietly from the hallway.
"Children, it's time."
Ethan was the last to leave his room. Gina and Father were already standing in the hallway. David inspected them both carefully, checking their gear.
On Ethan's back hung two stakes and a small pistol loaded with salt rounds. On Gina's belt was a compact pistol with silver bullets (a training version, but real nonetheless). Both were dressed in dark, comfortable clothing, ready for anything.
David adjusted the strap on Ethan's shoulder, then checked if Gina's pistol was sitting securely.
"Remember the rules," he said in a low, serious voice.
"Don't move a single step away from me. Stay together. If you see anything strange, say so immediately. No taking initiative. Today we are only watching, but if something happens, we act instantly."
He looked first at his daughter, then at his son.
"You aren't just going for a walk. You're going to see what we have to live with. And what we might have to fight."
Gina nodded, clenching her jaw. Ethan silently adjusted his strap.
David opened the door.
"Let's go."
Beyond the threshold, the night awaited them,the night in which they were to see monsters for the first time.
They left the house at exactly 19:30. David went first, confident and fast, keeping to the shadows. Gina followed him, then Ethan. No one spoke. Only the quiet rustle of footsteps on the asphalt, and then on the ground as they turned off the road into the forest.
The trees stood thick, branches intertwining overhead, letting almost no moonlight through. Dry twigs and fallen leaves crunched underfoot.
After a few minutes of walking, David slowed his pace and began to speak very quietly and clearly, making sure every word reached the children.
"Listen carefully and remember," he said without turning around.
"You cannot make noise in the forest without a reason. Don't scream. Don't run unless you're sure you're being pursued. If you see something strange, freeze and observe. It's better to let it pass by than to give yourself away."
Gina walked just behind her father, listening intently. Ethan walked last, trying to keep up. Every rustle underfoot made him flinch.
"Besides vampires, many other monsters exist in this world," David continued. His voice dropped lower.
"And some of them are far more bloodthirsty. At least vampires sometimes follow rules. But there are creatures that know no rules and recognize no laws. They don't hunt for anyone's sake. They hunt for sport and pleasure."
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine. He gripped the strap of his pistol holster tighter.
"Here, in this forest," Father gestured toward the dark thicket, "there is an old cabin. About a kilometer and a half from here."
"By strange coincidence, people go missing there every year. Travelers, mushroom hunters, those who decided to take a shortcut."