Sleepers

It was snowing again, but then…it was always snowing in Russia. The steam from the subway grates rose up in zigzag patterns, my eyes following sluggishly. He was gone. I would never see him again. The thought sent shivers up my spine, and I hugged myself for some kind of warmth but no heat came from this frozen body so I leaned my head back against the damp brick wall. I took a long drag of my cigarette, watching the bright red tip and thinking back to that terrible time. A time when the frozen wasteland of home would have been paradise…


-Prague, Czechoslovakia 1910-

A shrieking woman ran past, the bright fire engulfing her, and illuminating a pale face. Sweat dripped down the sides of his face, as he cast furtive glances up and down the dirt corridor. He just had to make it to the surface, and he would be safe. Inching down the hall, he kept his body pressed close to the walls. As he peeked around the corner, he nearly threw up at the image before him.

The Wakers stood over a male Sleeper’s body, ripping his flesh to shreds and disemboweling him while he was still alive. The screaming was so loud that it pierced his eardrums like a sharp knife. Quickly, he ran across to the other side of the doorway so as to not be seen by the brutalizing Wakers.

‘How did it come to this?’ Lucian thought.

The Sleepers were once a proud race, and now they had come into this sickness. They were no longer proud at any rate. He rushed to the main chamber. From there he would be able to get up into the Old Town Square, and escape. All around him he saw the broken bodies of his brothers and sisters. They weren’t his blood but they were his clan and it hurt to survive when they had not.

Shock came over Lucian as he came to a sudden stop at the main chamber’s door. “You?!”

“Me.” A twisted grin slid across the face of the clan leader.

“..Ilya, you bastard!” Lucian snarled.

The smaller Sleeper launched himself at leader only to be caught by the throat with his bear paw-like hand. He gasped for air as the man squeezed his hand closed just to be funny. They stood there like that for a while before Ilya let go of his fragile neck.

Lucian just regarded him for a moment before rasping out, “..I…don’t understand.”

“Tsk, tsk. Little Lucian, are you really that slow? I’m giving you a chance to get out with your life. I like you. If you’re still alive, we can play later.”

Ilya gave the boy a slow once over that made him sick to his stomach when he realized what the older man meant by such. Was this the only reason the man had not called the Wakers to dispose of him? Lucian gave a shudder. It was too much to think about right now.

“You betrayed us! What could you have possibly gained from them that would make you forsake your clan!? We all loved you! You were our leader!”

Ilya paused for moment, “…They said they’d find a cure but only if I killed all of you. You have to understand, little one. I did it for all of us.”

“But--..”

His pleadings were cut off as the loud shouts of a mob came from the dark corridor to the left of him. The leader’s eyes looked almost regretful for a moment before he roughly grabbed the young man and shoved him into the sewer opening, shutting and locking the grate behind him. Lucian took one last look at the leader before turning his back and running down the tunnel. He ran faster away from the blood-curdling screams he could hear now, knowing full well who’s they were. A single tear fell in remembrance of the fallen people but he could not get weepy now.

Lucian climbed the slippery, and slime covered ladder quickly and pushed the metal grate up. He peeked his head through and a dank alley came into view. Perfect. His thin frame made it easy to climb out of the small hole, and then he covered it back up. At the opening of the alley, Lucian took one last sad look at the place he had appeared from. He would never see it again. He had to leave this city as quick as possible.

A deep breath, or two, was taken before he stepped out into the light, for once not knowing how the day would end.


-Moscow, Russia - A couple weeks after the incident in Prague-


The community was in uproar and it was giving him a headache. The news of recent demolishes of entire clans of Sleepers was causing his clan to practically riot in fear and anger.

He stomped out the cigarette he had been smoking and moved over to the crowd of his kind. His eyes flicked from side to side, not really listening to their leader, but instead watching the others. Something wasn’t right, not at all.

A out of place figure slid through the upset people with ease that could only come from someone who had something more important to do. His eyes flicked to the tall Sleeper who seemed to be looking over his way. A lopsided smirk fell across his bearded face.

‘His eyes! Shit!’ Sleeper eyes’ pupils weren’t black but a darker color of their iris. A Waker was in their midst, and Dmitri realized too late. The cave exploded. Everything was a jumble of heat and pain and Dmitri lost consciousness quickly. Seemingly hours later, his eyes opened only to see a mass of grey blocks on top of him. The cave had collapsed. He slid out of the debris and the sight that greeted his waking moments caused reality to return quickly. Letting out a furious yell, he swiveled this way and that, hoping that Waker bastard was still there but obviously he had not stayed to see the damage.

His entire clan was buried under the debris. He could hear cries for help but he knew he couldn’t help them. One Waker meant more were on their way, and he couldn’t risk being killed as well. He took a glance down at himself. He looked like he had been through a mine field, bleeding in places, and his arm felt broken. That could all be fixed later.

Taking out another cigarette with his good arm, Dmitri lit it and left the cavern for the train station.


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Author's Notes: So far so good right? I have the next chapter or so written out already so if this recieves good review or any really, I'll post the next. Thanks for looking. If any of you recall, I'm the same author who had a gore-y Batman story up about Hatter/Alice/Joker.