Darkness is the thing that drives men and women mad. The thing that children fear. The absence of light.

This is what a malnourished, ragged girl with a dirty bandage over her eyes sees.

A world filled with darkness with only the sounds and smells of the dirty slums to further dim her senses.

She walked against a wall with a rusted cup clanging with a minuscule amount of spare change. She felt the walls, allowing them to guide her path ‘home’ when her other senses failed her.

The home smelled more rotten than the rest. With dead vermin rotting, the girl didn’t even have the stomach to puke.

The girl pinched her nose and clicked her tongue. She could almost ‘see’ it. The sound waves bouncing off the walls. She had learned long ago in a book that nocturnal animals like Caligo or Vesper can use such things with their sensitive ears

The girl tried to copy it to a bit of success. Though she has to pinch her nose and cut off another sense to further advance her ears, it’s slowly working. Though, loud sounds like the crowded slums cause her ears to ache.

However, she could ‘see’ the dirty slums with sound bouncing off the wooden and stone walls like the vibrate memories of her past.

Slumber overtook her.

Blood covered the room like a fresh bucket of red paint being tossed. Her parent dead sliced open with cauterized guts and organs visible. A man covered by gore stared at her with a wicked expression. A man with armor of gold and a sword of fire blazing to his side.

His smile was maniacal and his heart a demon’s cloaked in name of Lord of Cider. His lips articulated the words, “Deus le vult.” Before his sword swiped, snapping the girl out of her nightmare.

The bandage across the girl’s eyes absorbed her tears.

The girl followed the same path as she did yesterday with the walls as her guide. Something bumped her roughly, flopping her to the floor.

A smug ugly tone mocked, “Watch it, Vesper.” To the girl, it was a familiar voice. The sound wave bounced off allow her to vaguely ‘see’ a few more thugs.

“Yeah,” Another guy shoved her against the wall, “Fucking vesper.”

The girl said nothing. She could do nothing. Her blindness made her vulnerable and weak, not to mention she hasn’t eaten in days.

She just hoped it would end.

A punch smashed into her stomach. She fell to the ground in groans and pain. “Say something you fucking vesper.” A Vesper is an ugly nocturnal bird and uses echolocation to hunt prey. A foot stood firmly on her head, keeping her down, “Well, boys, it seems vesper here doesn’t want to talk. Let’s make her squeal instead.”

A third voice exclaims with dumb giddiness, “I love making her squeal! It feels so good!” His expression became lustful as he eyed over the girl’s ragged, malnourished body.

The girl’s breathing became harsh and rapid. She didn’t want this to happen, not again. She tried to squirm but she couldn’t under the leader’s boot. “Grab her!” He chucked viciously.

The leader’s two underlings grabbed both arms she rasped, terrified, “No please don’t.” Unable to keep anything more than a whisper.

Sobs, squeals, and shrieks penetrated the slums as it always did. No one helps and anyone passing by ignored the cries and plead of vermin, a vesper.

Vesper limped out with bruises everywhere and blood oozing from her crotch. Her bandage was salty and wet.

The victim cleaned herself up the best she could, but sticky fluid just kept pouring out. She just hoped she doesn’t get an infection.

Vesper guided herself to the dark alleys behind restaurants, hoping for good food to be thrown away as it always does.

She would smell each food and find the least rotten ones.

Despite the terrible day, she was in luck. She found pork that had yet to fully rot. She dexterously took off the rotten bit and hungrily devoured the rest.

The feeling of a good meal motivates Vesper. She made her way to the river and took a bath. Cleaning the liquid and blood that oozed from her crotch.

She got a rusty can and sat criss-cross-applesauce in a more wealthy area of town. Though not much wealthier than the slums, there was at least nicer people willing to give her spare change if their heart was generous enough.

She got a load of cash this time. A passing noble took pity and gave her more than she makes a day. Her luck really was coming around.

She guided her way back to the slums.

A grouped presence followed her.

“Hey, Vesper?” Said the familiar voice, “We saw you were given quite a bit of money from that lord.” He went up to her, breath smelled of alcohol, “Give it to me.”

Vesper turned to where the voice was, “No,” She whispered, terrified.

He turned to his comrades and wickedly laughed, “Well, boys, ready for round two?”

His mates laughed with him. The laughs of hyena screeched through the dark alleys of the slums.

Vesper shivered with fear as the gang of beasts came upon her.