My name is Velmir Reed. I'm currently ten years old, and I live in my family's lovely house with my mother, my father, and my older brother. Even though I'm part of my family, I was born different from them. My mother told me I was born with a rare disease I honestly don't remember its name but my skin can't tolerate sunlight, and it starts to break out in irritation the moment sunlight touches it. That's why every window in the house stays shut during the day, to keep anything bad from happening to me. On top of that, my body can't produce blood on its own, so if I lose some blood, I need to get blood from someone else. Because of that I've been to the hospital many times, which is why I consider myself a vampire.
It's true I look a bit like my grandfather because of my wrinkles, but that doesn't bother me.
I'm not allowed to go outside during the day unless something is really necessary, and even then I have to wear a lot of clothes and glasses to protect my body from the sun. That's rough for me, since kids usually play during the day, and I'm only allowed out at night. But it's fine I have my brother to play with, and he's my best brother and my best friend.
Today went normally. I woke up, ate breakfast, and started on the homework my mother gave me, then went to play. I had lunch and waited for night to fall, then went out to play with my brother before Mom called us in for dinner. And now I'm off to bed.
Hello again, diary. This morning went as ordinary as almost every day, so I won't bother writing it all out again. But something different happened at night, while I was playing with my brother we found a group of kids playing in front of our house. I was thrilled, and my brother and I ran over to play with them.
They were nice and let us join in.
Some of them were puzzled by how I looked and asked why I looked the way I did. I didn't know how to answer them, but my brother explained my condition and told them I had a rare illness. After he said that, I noticed they started looking at me with fascination, and one of the kids said to me, "So you're a vampire that's amazing!" I was confused by that and told him I don't actually drink blood, but he insisted anyway. And a few of the other kids gave me strange looks too. Did I say something wrong? Or is there something about my face? I don't know, but they let me play with them until I went home as usual. The good thing is they're coming back tomorrow to play again I can't wait to play with them once more.
Night has finally come.
I rushed outside, and luckily I found them waiting for me, along with another group of kids. The moment they saw me, one of them pointed my way and they all came running toward me. At first I felt uneasy, but once they reached me they looked at me with amazement, as if I were famous.
It was a wonderful feeling. They started asking me all sorts of questions, like "Can't you go outside during the day?" or "Can you drink blood?" I answered them honestly, which only made them admire me more. Anyway, I played a lot of games with them and had a truly great time.
Oh, I haven't written anything in a week I completely forgot about the diary. Anyway, my new friends are finally coming to visit me. They said they'd come with four others this morning. It's 3:35 now, the time is getting close, and I'm really excited there's so much I want to do with them. Oh! They've arrived! I didn't expect them to come early this is really great!
This really hurts. Every inch of my face is in terrible pain, all because of those kids damn them. I had invited them into my house as friends so we could play and have fun. In the middle of our game they asked me to close my eyes. I thought it would be some kind of surprise, but instead they threw the windows open and let the sunlight pour in.
I felt unbearable pain and started screaming with all my strength, while they just stood there watching me with looks of fear and tension, not doing anything, until my older brother came in and rushed me out of the room.
He took me to our parents, who called an ambulance, and now here I am, sitting in the hospital for three days.
My whole face is wrapped in bandages, and so are my hands, which makes writing really hard.
I also heard that my brother beat up the kids who did this to me. That made me feel a little better.
My brother is the best person I've ever known.
A week has passed since I left the hospital, and everything's gone back to more or less normal. But I haven't played with anyone again except my brother those kids never came back to play here. That's not a problem.
The other kids are bad. All I need is my brother.
Anyway, something strange happened today. I saw my parents in the kitchen talking to each other, but that's not the strange part the strange part is that their faces looked unusually sad, and at times they were shouting at each other. I don't know what's going on, but I hope everything's okay.
What's happening? My father suddenly started taking my things and some other stuff from the house. I heard he's going to sell them, but why? Doesn't he already have plenty of money? I've even started noticing my mother crying sometimes when she thinks we're not around. That worries me a little.
I heard my father on the phone with someone, saying things like the debts are piling up and this is going to bring trouble on the family. I don't know what these debts are, but it seems like they're going to cause us a lot of problems.
A truly strange day. I really do think I'm a vampire after all. Well, I wasn't paying enough attention and fell down some stairs, cutting a small part of my chin, so I kept bleeding more than usual. Luckily my father managed to stop the bleeding. I noticed that, unlike what I was used to, my father didn't take me to the hospital this time he just stood there, worried about something.
There must be something wrong because of those debts, but the strangest thing happened afterward: my father brought me a cup full of blood and told me to drink it.
I hesitated at first, but in the end he made me do it.
Honestly, it didn't taste bad it was a bit salty and metallic, I don't know, I can't really describe it.
My father told me we're moving house tomorrow. Strange what's causing all these things they're doing?
Oh, my diary! I finally found you!
Four years have passed since we moved house. I dropped the diary while we were moving things and couldn't get it back, unfortunately, because of the distance between the new house and the old one.
Anyway, I think I'll write a summary of these four years.
Well, the new house isn't really new it's a bit old and too small. It only has one room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
The area is practically empty; we don't have any neighbors or shops nearby.
And I think I finally understand the reason behind all of this. It turns out my father was the victim of a huge scam by someone he trusted, which is why the debts piled up on him so heavily, and he was forced to sell everything he owned and move to this simple house so he could pay off what was left of the debt.
This is truly sad how did things come to this?
Of course, my brother and I didn't just sit around doing nothing. There were apple trees near the house.
They belonged to a farmer, but we didn't care we'd go there whenever the farmer wasn't around, grab some apples, and run off quickly, then sell them to get a bit of money to give to our father.
They always told me not to wear myself out, but that was the least I could do for them.
Oh, I almost forgot I discovered something new.
Not really new, actually I discovered it a year ago. I found out I can drink animal blood to make up for any shortage in my own blood, and that's great even my mother and father were glad about it, since they no longer had to give me their own blood whenever I had a serious shortage.
Anyway, I heard today that my father has finally cleared his debts, and that's truly wonderful news!
As for how I got my diary back my brother and I took a trip back to our old house. It took us two hours of walking, but we finally got there.
The house was just as it had been, not much had changed, except it had gotten dirtier.
The smell of dust was everywhere, and the place was completely empty of anything.
I felt as if the old atmosphere it used to have had completely vanished.
I went into the kitchen, and all I could think about were old memories.
My mother making me pancakes, her smile full of happiness...
My father, who used to scare me and play around with me, a smile spread across his face...
Things that time had passed over and turned into faint memories...
My brother called me afterward up to our room on the upper floor.
It was full of dust and a few insects, and the walls had deteriorated quite a bit.
My brother put his arm on my shoulder then and handed me something. I looked at what he was holding to find, to my surprise, that it was my old diary.
I can't describe how happy I felt at that moment. I hugged my brother so tightly I felt like I might crack his bones.
And here I am, writing in it while still sitting on the floor inside the house.
A little while ago my brother asked me why I was so attached to this diary. His question really made me think.
Why do I love this thing so much even though I haven't written much in it? After thinking about it for a while, I think I figured out the reason: after my brother, this notebook is the only keepsake left from my childhood and my happy days. Whenever I hold it, I feel as if I've gone back four years, which puts me right back in that same happiness.
I told my brother my theory, and he said it made sense. Anyway, we had to head back before nightfall, since the sun had already started to set.
A beautiful day. I woke up as usual, brushed my teeth, and went to have breakfast. And there I found my mother, for the first time in four years, smiling a genuine, happy smile.
Something good must have happened. After we finished breakfast, Father gathered us around to tell us something.
He'd gotten a good job in the city, and they were going to provide us with a house there for free.
It was the best news the family had heard in a long time, and even better my fifteenth birthday was coming up in two weeks. How wonderful is that!
My brother and I made it to the apple orchard, but it looked like none of the apples were ripe yet, so we headed back to play outside instead.
I went back home and found my mother and father watching the news on TV as usual. My brother and I sat with them, since we had nothing else to do.
And then came the strangest thing I've ever heard in my life. The announcer said that strange creatures had suddenly appeared on the continent of Auric, and within a single month had taken over the entire continent, and within just two years had taken over the continents of Afca and Arif. The spread of these creatures is so fast it can't be controlled, which is why all the northern nations are pooling their forces in an attempt to stop their spread.
So please be careful if you spot any non-human entity nearby, or people behaving suspiciously, please flee or hide and call the number shown on your screen.
I started to feel a bit anxious after seeing this. Even looking at my father and brother, I could tell they were tense too.
It's five in the evening now, and I've started hearing strange sounds outside.
My whole family woke up because of these sounds, so we went out to check what was going on outside, only to be stunned by dozens — no, hundreds of tanks lined up along the road.
And many vehicles full of soldiers heading toward some destination.
The sight was impressive and awe-inspiring it was the first time I'd ever seen a tank in real life. Even so, the worry and tension were clear on my parents' faces.
Anyway, we went back inside and finished out our sleep.
A week has passed, and it's time for us to go to our new house in the city. We packed our bags, got into the car, and set off for the city.
We finally reached our new house.
It's a medium-sized house among a group of similar houses nearby.
I went inside to find the place was actually quite spacious on the inside.
It had two bedrooms and a guest room, plus a small kitchen.
We started unpacking and arranging the house. Everyone worked hard, and even though the work was a bit exhausting, everyone seemed happy — especially my mother and father, whom I hadn't seen this happy in a long time.
My brother kept joking around with me the whole time. And here I am, ready for my first night in this house.
First day in the house no need to repeat it every time, I did my usual routine.
Anyway, my mother asked me to go to the grocery store to buy a few things.
I put on my usual clothes to protect me from the sunlight, then left the house. Everything was normal until I went into the store.
I started picking up what I'd been asked to get, as usual, but the people around started giving me strange looks.
My hat accidentally fell off my head, so I bent down to pick it up normally. When I stood back up with the hat, I found a woman in front of me looking at me with a face full of terror.
She then ran out of the store screaming for help.
Why was she acting so strangely? I know I'm ugly and a bit different, but not to that extent.
After I finished, I went to pay for what I'd taken.
The cashier was also looking at me with fear, and honestly that really upset me.
What's wrong with people today? After I paid and went to leave, I was startled to find a group of soldiers waiting for me at the door, their weapons aimed at me.
I quickly raised my hands so they wouldn't do anything bad to me.
This was the scariest day of my life. One of the soldiers spoke through a loudspeaker and asked if I could understand them, and I answered yes.
Then he went on to ask how I'd gotten here, and I answered that too.
After that he asked if I had an ID card, and I said yes, took the card out of my pocket, and tossed it to him.
He looked at it for a while, then came over and handed it back to me apologetically. According to him, he'd received a report that one of those creatures was in the store, and he thought I was one of them.
Anyway, it all ended fine, and I went home without telling my family anything about what happened. I finished the rest of my day in peace.
But the thing that bothered me most was how those people thought I was a monster, just because I'm different from them.
A week has passed, and now it's my birthday. I was so excited about today that I woke up early, before everyone else, so I'll have to wait until they wake up.
And until then, I'll write a little.
Well, this week didn't go the way I expected. Despite the joy of getting a new house, the people in this neighborhood are a bunch of despicable racists they keep making jokes about how I look and calling me a monster.
Even the nearby shop banned me from entering, so now it's just my brother who does the shopping while I stay home, doing my private lessons and sometimes going out for a walk...
It's so annoying that I haven't left the house in three days...
But I think they'll get used to me over time their fear is understandable, especially with this news going around. Anyway, today's my birthday and I should enjoy it as much as I can. I'll go to sleep until everyone wakes up so the party can start.
What's happening?! I hear the sound of tanks and gunfire! There's no window in my room I can't tell what's happening outside!
Right now I'm with my brother in the corner of the room.
I'm worried about Mom and Dad something bad might happen to them.
A soldier suddenly burst into our room and shouted at us to get out immediately.
I left the house to find dozens of tanks and soldiers spread out along the road.
Every second I hear the sound of cannon fire and gunshots.
I couldn't tell what they were fighting because of how many of them there were.
The soldier grabbed my arm and pulled me toward a military truck waiting outside.
We got into the truck to find a group of men and children packed inside, my father among them.
We squeezed in with difficulty, and one of the soldiers shut the door behind us, and the truck began to move. None of us knew where it was headed, but it seemed the soldiers knew exactly what they were doing.
I looked around and saw fear and worry on everyone's faces, especially the children, who wouldn't stop crying.
My father tried to calm my brother and me down, but we both knew he was scared too.
I felt like I was suffocating inside the truck the air was heavy, and the atmosphere was full of tension.
My older brother asked my father where our mother was, and he told him she was in another vehicle and there was no need to worry.
The truck kept moving for several hours, and gradually the sounds of gunfire faded away.
The truck finally stopped and let us out. Once outside, we found dozens of women waiting for their husbands and children to get off the buses, my mother among them. She rushed toward my brother and hugged him tightly, her eyes full of tears.
Once the families had gathered, the soldiers took us to a simple camp full of military tents.
They led us to our small tent, which could fit four people.
My brother, my mother, and I stayed inside the tent while my father went out to ask the soldiers what was happening.
My brother is sitting beside my mother now, clearly terrified. As for my mother, she's not much better off, but she's trying to hide her worry for our sake.
I don't know how much time has passed while we've been in the tent all I hear is the noise of people from the other tents and their children crying. My father still hasn't come back to the tent.
I think I'll go out and see what's happening.
All I can see are soldiers and fathers around.
But I don't see my father anywhere.
Oh, there he is, in the next tent.
Oh! He's talking to a soldier.
I later found out it was an old friend of his a very kind man. Despite knowing about my illness, he still treated me completely normally, and even gave me some candy.
He just asked me about the book in my hand, and I told him it was my diary, so he smiled warmly and started talking with me for a while about my life, without showing any disgust or fear, which put me at ease.
From what I understood of what he said, those creatures have completely taken over the southern continents, and their spread has now reached us they've already taken three nearby cities, and the army is doing everything it can to limit their spread and save our city along with ten other cities.
So for now, citizens are being moved to scattered camps far from the cities, up in the mountains, to protect them until some progress is made.
Ha! There are sounds coming from the sky! How amazing dozens, no, hundreds of warplanes heading toward the city to fight!
This sight from above is both terrifying and magnificent, and it gives me hope that those creatures will be defeated sooner or later.
I went back to the tent because my father told me to. I found my brother and my mother sitting there in silence, their faces gloomy and tense.
I sat in front of them and told them what my father's friend had told me.
I noticed the look of fear and worry on my mother's face grow even more. But I tried to comfort her by telling her about the planes I'd seen in the sky and that the army would defeat those creatures sooner or later.
Good I see a bit of hope in her face now.
She told me it was possible everything would go back to normal.
Anyway, they gave us food and water. We ate, and then night fell.
And here I am, off to sleep on my first night at the camp.
I tried to sleep but couldn't, because of the soldiers' voices and the planes above us.how is my family managing to sleep through all this noise... Damn it, I can't sleep no matter how hard I try.
I think I'll step outside for some fresh air until I feel tired enough to sleep.
Even though it's night, I'll still put on my clothes to cover my face.
They might think I'm one of those monsters and I'd end up killed by one of the soldiers. Anyway, I managed to sneak out without catching the soldiers' attention, and I found a great spot I can see my whole city from here, even though we're hundreds of kilometers away from it.
The view from here is strange and, at the same time, beautiful.
I can see the explosions left behind by the tanks and planes in the distance.
Like fireworks, but they're not.
A sight I never expected to see as if I'm watching the end of the world.
What? The gunfire in the city suddenly stopped.
Did they win, then? The warplanes are pulling back too! Yes, they must have won!
Wait, hold on. Oh! It's a shooting star! Like a giant star swimming across the sky! I can't even move, it's so beautiful!
Haha, looks like it really is another day humanity wins!
I'm witnessing an event that won't happen again anytime soon. But this shooting star is a bit strange it looks like it's heading toward the city...
What is this?! The air raid sirens suddenly went off! And the soldiers started shouting at everyone to get into their tents immediately.
I need to get back to the camp quickly something must have happened!
What is this?! The whole place is in chaos. Damn it, I can't find my tent.
There's my father, I found him! I reached him and asked what was happening, and he answered me, but he didn't know himself.
Suddenly I heard a soldier shouting, "It's a nuclear strike everyone into your tents!"
But before we could move, a massive explosion roared out like an earthquake striking the ground. Everything around us began to shake violently.
I fell to the ground hard and looked up in terror toward the city. There, a blinding light burst out, as if a sun had descended onto the earth, turning night into day.
A violent gust of wind followed, sweeping through the area.
Even though the explosion had happened dozens of kilometers away from us, the wind was strong enough to pull me backward.
I took one last look toward the city before a soldier rushed over and carried me to safety. The last thing I saw was a giant mushroom-shaped cloud rising over the city, of which nothing remained but ruin and devastation.
The soldier carried me to our small tent and ordered us not to leave it. Now, neither I nor my family can sleep... I still can't believe what I saw...
I think I'll stop writing for now. I need some time to process what happened.
(to be continued)