The middle class is the largest social class within a brood and the second most common type of vampire after lower class. Depending on the structuring and leadership of a brood they are either tasked with a little work to justify their presence in the brood and keep them happy or they’re little more than slaves.
Worker vampires are the ones that take care of the needs of a brood of vampires. That being said, given the predatory nature of vampires it’s very hard to convince them to be troubled with things like menial labor.
Some broods through fear, exploitation, manipulation, or outright enslavement can force vampires to fulfill these roles, other broods have developed a system where it’s taken care of by trusted humans or by hiring humans to fulfill the jobs and then promptly consuming them when the task is finished, some get away with requiring menial labor of all vampires in the community on a rotating basis, and a handful of broods may opt to ignore these tasks entirely, but they tend not to last long as most vampires become disgusted by such conditions.
Because of this, smarter broods have Worker vampires focus on tasks they are skilled at or don’t mind doing in exchange for safety, security, and a steady flow of blood. Newer vampires tend to fall into the Worker class as they often have skills carried over from their human days that can serve the broods needs in the modern age.
These jobs can be things like investing, hacking, acting as diplomats for other broods or even the occasional human organization, advising leaders in various ways, human resources, and so on. Worker vampires are important for helping the brood maintain anonymity, amass wealth, and maintain stability within the organization.
Hunters on the other hand serve a different but equally vital role within the brood. They are the foot soldiers, spies, and in some cases slavers tasked with using their predatory instincts and combat prowess to serve the brood’s needs.
Hunters are often older vampires as previous generations tend to be more self-reliant and less capable with modern technology. Occasionally modern vampires will enter these ranks if they served as law enforcers, bodyguards, military, or the like in their human lives. On occasion a worker vampire through enough dedication and perseverance can move over to the Hunter status.
This is the prized role of many vampires as it tasks them with using their vampire strength, speed, and ferocity to protect the brood, fight other broods and humans, tack down rogue vampires, and the most coveted job of all, hunting and capturing humans to provide blood for the brood.
Given their physically demanding job and the common occurrence of injuries they are often given a greater supply of blood rations than their Worker counterparts, another reason for the coveted status. The majority of vampires will obtain a Hunter role and happily fulfill that responsibility for decades if not hundreds of years without complaint.
Ideally all vampires would serve as Hunters, but the requirements of the modern age dictate a large number of desk jobs which necessitates putting vampires in these positions or trusting humans to attend to those needs, either of which come with serious drawbacks.
The most powerful broods will have found a way to keep the majority of vampires in the middle class sated and satisfied as they are necessary to the groups safety, security, and productivity. These vampires may have long-term ambitions that fit within the brood’s hierarchy or even threaten it, but the vast majority of the middle class are content to live their lives doing the absolute minimum to secure a satisfactory amount of blood and comfort.
An example of both the Worker and Hunter vampires can be more thoroughly seen in my Emerging In Darkness series. Through the main character’s eyes you’ll slowly gain insights into how a particular brood maintains power and control in the modern age.
If you want to check it out you can buy the first book in the series Emerging In Darkness: Prologue at many major online retailers. If you’re looking for direct links here’s some that will take you to my favorite platforms:
Thanks for all of your support both on the blog and as I continue to add entries to what’s proving to be a fun series to write. Stay tuned for details on upcoming releases and check back in next Friday where I discuss the luxurious and perilous lives of the Upper Class of vampires, the Generals and Night Lord/Matriarch.