The walk back to his apartment building felt different with Marcus trailing three steps behind him like a well-dressed shadow. People gave them a wider berth than usual, though Kaine couldn't tell if it was because of the scythe on his back or the pale man in the expensive jacket who moved with the mechanical precision of something that had forgotten how to be human.
"You don't have to follow so close," Kaine said as they climbed the stairs to his floor.
Marcus said nothing, but maintained the exact same distance.
"I'm not going anywhere, you know."
Still nothing. Marcus just followed, his pale eyes fixed on the back of Kaine's head with unblinking attention.
'This is going to take some getting used to.'
Mrs. Kowalski's door cracked open the moment they reached the fourth floor, like she'd been waiting by the peephole. Her gray hair was down for once, hanging around her shoulders in a way that probably looked good forty years ago.
"Kaine, honey, there you are." She stepped into the hallway wearing a bathrobe that had seen better decades and left very little to the imagination. "I was starting to worry about you."
"Just working late, Mrs. K."
Her eyes shifted to Marcus, taking in his expensive clothes and pale complexion with the calculating look of someone who'd been sizing up men since the Eisenhower administration.
"And who's this handsome fellow?"
Marcus stood perfectly still, staring at her without expression. Not hostile, not friendly, just... empty. Like looking at a mannequin that happened to be breathing.
"Marcus. He's my... cousin. From out of town."
"Cousin?" Mrs. Kowalski stepped closer, and Kaine caught a whiff of cheap perfume mixed with something that might have been gin. "Funny, you two don't look much alike."
She reached out like she was going to touch Marcus's arm. He didn't react at all—didn't pull away, didn't acknowledge her presence, just stood there like a statue while her fingers brushed against his jacket.
"Strong silent type, huh?" She smiled up at him. "I like that in a man."
Marcus continued staring at nothing, completely unresponsive to her attention.
"Different sides of the family," Kaine said quickly, unlocking his door with more force than necessary. "He's staying with me for a few days."
"Well, isn't that nice." She tried to catch Marcus's eye, but he was already turning to follow Kaine. "You know, I've got a pullout couch if your place gets too cramped. Plenty of room for a big strong man like yourself."
Marcus walked past her without acknowledgment, like she didn't exist.
"The offer stands," Mrs. Kowalski called as they escaped into his apartment. "For both of you. I make a mean breakfast, and I'm very... accommodating to my tenants' needs."
The door closed with a satisfying click, muffling whatever else she was planning to say.
Kaine looked around his cramped apartment, trying to figure out sleeping arrangements. Marcus stood in the center of the room, perfectly still, waiting for... something.
"So, uh, do you need a place to sleep?"
Marcus tilted his head slightly—the first real reaction Kaine had seen from him since the warehouse.
"Right. Well, there's the couch if you want it. Or you can just... stand there, I guess."
Marcus remained motionless.
'Definitely going to take some getting used to.'
The next three days fell into a rhythm that was equal parts helpful and deeply unsettling.
Marcus proved to be the perfect roommate in some ways. He didn't eat Kaine's food, didn't hog the bathroom, and never left dishes in the sink. He also didn't sleep, which meant Kaine never had to worry about noise complaints when he came home late.
On the other hand, Marcus had no concept of personal space or normal human behavior.
The first morning, Kaine woke up to find Marcus standing beside the fold-out couch, staring down at him with those pale, unblinking eyes.
"Jesus Christ!" Kaine bolted upright. "What the hell are you doing?"
Marcus said nothing. Just stared.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Silence.
Kaine sat up, running a hand through his hair. The pale eyes tracked his movement but Marcus's expression never changed.
"Look, you don't need to watch me sleep. I'm fine. The apartment is secure."
Marcus tilted his head again, like a dog hearing a strange sound, but offered no response.
The second morning was worse. Kaine woke up to find Marcus in the exact same position, but now he was holding a cup of coffee.
'Is he supposed to be able to do that?' Kaine thought immediately he saw the cup of coffee. Because for all hr knew Marcus was supposed to be only as smart as a two year old now, right?
"Where did you—" Kaine started outwardly, then noticed his coffee maker was already cleaned and put away. The cup was perfect—two sugars, minimal cream, exactly how he liked it.
Marcus extended the cup toward him without expression.
"Thanks," Kaine said, accepting the coffee. It was the perfect temperature.
'How the hell did he know how I take my coffee?'
By the third morning, Kaine was getting used to opening his eyes and seeing Marcus standing vigil like some kind of pale guardian angel. It was weird, but there were worse ways to wake up. At least the coffee was always perfect.
People in the neighborhood definitely noticed the changes. Tony from the pizza wagon kept staring at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Although Kaine didn't need to eat as much as before. Hell, he did not need to at all. But to maintain a semblance of normalcy, he still did.
"You look different, man," Tony said when Kaine stopped by for lunch. "You sick or something?"
Kaine caught his reflection in the wagon's metal surface. His skin was definitely paler, almost gray in certain light. Not the porcelain perfection that vampires had, but definitely not his usual color either.
"Just been working nights. Not getting much sun."
"Yeah? Well, you should get that checked out. My cousin looked like that right before he got diagnosed with some liver thing."
'Great. Now I look like I have organ failure.'
Marcus stood three feet behind him during the entire conversation, motionless and silent. Tony kept glancing at him nervously.
"Your friend okay? He hasn't blinked once since you got here."
"He's fine. Just tired."
"If you say so, man. That's some thousand-yard stare he's got going."
The evening news was its usual parade of disasters and political theater. Kaine was checking his updated status screen while the anchor droned on about budget hearings and infrastructure spending.
° [DISPLAYING UPDATED PROFILE]
••NAME:•• Kaine Cross
••RACE:•• Lich
••CLASS:•• Grave Knight
••LEVEL:•• 3
°° ATTRIBUTES:
• ••STRENGTH:•• 28(Human Average: 10)
• ••SPEED:•• 33(Human Average: 10)
• ••ENDURANCE:•• 38(Human Average: 10)
• ••INTELLIGENCE:•• 19(Human Average: 10)
• ••CHARISMA:•• 17(Human Average: 10)
• ••HEALTH POINTS:•• 380/380
• ••MORTAL ESSENCE:•• 505/550
°° RECENT COMBAT ANALYSIS:
••TOTAL ESSENCE ABSORBED:•• 505 ME
- 3x Fourth Generation Vampires: 140 ME
- 3x Third Generation Vampires: 345 ME
- Combat Efficiency Bonus: 20 ME
••LEVEL UP ACHIEVED:•• +30 Base Stats Distributed
••ESSENCE CAPACITY INCREASED:•• 100 → 550 ME
••HEALTH REGENERATION ENHANCED:•• +30 HP Maximum
°° SPECIAL ABILITIES:
- Shadow Step (Active)
- Death Sight (Passive)
- Ghoul Command (Active)
- ••[NEW]•• Combat Instinct (Passive) - Enhanced battle awareness
- ••[LOCKED]•• ??? (Requires Level 5)
°HOLLOWS COMMANDED: (1/5)
°° INVENTORY:
- Soulrend (Cursed Blade) - •Soul Drain: Active•
- ••[NEW]•• Vampire Blood Residue x3 - •Crafting Material•
'Level three already. And I can command up to five Hollows now.'
Marcus stood by the window, perfectly still for the past hour. He didn't fidget, didn't shift his weight, didn't even breathe visibly. Just stood there like a statue waiting for orders.
The news switched to a story about a "successful Shadowguard operation" in the warehouse district. Commander Stone stood behind a podium, explaining how her tactical teams had eliminated a dangerous vampire nest with "minimal civilian casualties."
"Minimal casualties my ass," Kaine muttered. "They probably showed up after everything was already dead."
Marcus's head turned slightly toward the sound of his voice, pale eyes focusing on him with that empty attention.
"They're taking credit for work they didn't do. Par for the course with those assholes."
Marcus tilted his head, processing the information with whatever passed for thought in his simplified mind.
The phone rang, cutting through Commander Stone's prepared remarks about "enhanced operational efficiency." Kaine muted the TV and picked up his ancient landline.
"Cross."
"Is this Kaine Cross, the hunter?" The voice was female, nervous, with the kind of money accent that came from private schools.
"Depends who's asking."
"My name is Victoria Ashford. I... I need help. Someone gave me your number."
Kaine leaned back on his couch, already calculating rates in his head. Private clients paid better than government contracts, but they also expected results that didn't always align with reality.
"What kind of help?"
"It's my husband. He's been acting strange lately. Staying out all night, coming home with... with blood on his clothes. I think he might be involved with those creatures."
'Husband's probably turned, or feeding them information, or both.'
"Mrs. Ashford, what I do isn't marriage counseling. If your husband's been compromised by vampires, there might not be anything left to save."
"I understand. I just... I need to know for certain. And if he's become one of those things, I need someone who can handle the situation."
The euphemisms rich people used for murder never failed to amuse him. 'Handle the situation' sounded so much cleaner than 'put a blade through his heart.'
"My rate is five thousand for investigation, another ten if it requires permanent resolution. Half up front, half on completion."
"Money isn't an issue. When can you start?"
"Tonight. Give me the address."
Victoria Ashford rattled off an address in Beacon Hill, old money, the kind that had been buying politicians and covering up scandals since before vampires came through the dimensional rift.
"I'll be there around ten," Kaine said. "Stay somewhere public until I call."
"Thank you, Mr. Cross. I... thank you."
The line went dead. Kaine hung up and looked at Marcus, who had turned away from the window to face him directly.
"Looks like we're going hunting tonight."
Marcus's pale eyes seemed to brighten slightly, though his expression remained empty.
Just as Kaine was about to start planning their approach, text appeared in his vision.
[WARNING: HOLLOW REQUIRES SUSTENANCE]
[MARCUS - GHOUL VARIANT]
[HUNGER LEVEL: CRITICAL]
[RECOMMENDED FEEDING: HUMAN FLESH]
[TIME LEFT: 6 HOURS]
'Well, shit.'
"Marcus," Kaine said carefully, "when's the last time you ate?"
Marcus stared at him blankly.
"Are you hungry?"
At the word 'hungry,' Marcus's entire posture changed. His head tilted forward slightly, and for the first time since his conversion, genuine interest flickered in those pale eyes. His nostrils flared, like he was trying to catch a scent.
'That's a yes, then.'
The job was going to be complicated enough without worrying about his undead servant going feral from hunger. But finding food for a ghoul in the middle of the city wasn't exactly like hitting a drive-through.
"Right," Kaine said, checking his watch. "Change of plans. We're going hunting, but first we need to get you fed."
Marcus's lips pulled back slightly, revealing teeth that were definitely sharper than they'd been when he was alive. It wasn't quite a smile—more like a predator recognizing prey.
'This is either going to solve two problems at once, or create a whole bunch of new ones.'
Kaine strapped Soulrend across his back and headed for the door. Mrs. Kowalski's television was blaring through the thin walls, some late-night talk show with canned laughter and celebrity gossip.
At least she wouldn't be lurking in the hallway tonight.
Marcus followed three steps behind, moving with the determination of something that had found its purpose.
The city after dark was a different animal entirely, and Kaine had a feeling it was about to get a lot more interesting.