The hunted blood

Every day, a new body was found.

The police kept insisting that it was a virus and that it was spreading rapidly. But how could anyone be sure they were telling the truth?

Every victim was discovered in almost the same condition: pale skin, bite marks on the neck, broken bones, and bodies completely drained of blood.

Sometimes, the victims were found torn to pieces, with parts of their bodies scattered across the ground.

The police blamed wild animals. Others whispered about monsters lurking in the shadows.

But no one really knew what or who was killing these people.

And whatever it was, it was still out there.

Waiting.

It was a dark, lonely night.

Lisa Stones, an eighteen-year-old girl who had recently graduated from high school, was driving home from her part-time job. She was a beautiful mixed-race young woman with long chestnut-brown hair and brown eyes. Tonight, she wore fitted trousers and a simple singlet top.

She was exhausted and all she wanted was to get home, take a shower, and crawl into bed.

But fate seemed to have other plans.

Her old Honda Civic suddenly began to sputter.

The engine coughed once.

Twice.

Then it died.

The car rolled to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

Lisa stared at the dashboard in disbelief.

Lisa: Oh my God! Not again!

She rested her forehead against the steering wheel and let out an irritated sigh.

Lisa: Please, not tonight. I’m too tired for this.

She grabbed her phone, opened the car door, and stepped outside. After switching on her phone’s flashlight, she walked to the front of the car and tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

The road was deserted, and a thick forest stretched along the roadside. Beyond the reach of her headlights, the trees disappeared into darkness.

Lisa was about to open the bonnet when she heard footsteps.

Someone had just walked past her.

She froze.

Lisa: (Looking over her shoulder.) Who was that?

Silence.

She swung her flashlight towards the road, searching for whoever had passed her.

There was no one.

Lisa swallowed nervously and turned back to her car.

Then she heard the footsteps again.

This time, they sounded much closer.

Her heart began to pound.

Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the pepper spray her friend had given her.

Lisa: Who’s there? I’m warning you!

Her voice trembled, but she tried to sound brave.

Lisa: I said, who’s there? I’m not going to repeat myself!

A loud noise suddenly came from the woods.

Lisa spun around, pointing her flashlight towards the trees while gripping the pepper spray tightly in her other hand.

Lisa: I know someone’s there. I can feel it.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a figure emerged from the bushes.

A man.

He was dressed in dark clothing, and the hood of his sweatshirt concealed most of his face. Against the darkness, he looked almost like a shadow.

Lisa couldn’t make out his features, but his height and broad shoulders told her he was a man.

He began walking towards her.

Slowly.

Lisa took a step backwards.

Lisa: Stay back! I’m warning you!

The man ignored her and continued approaching.

Her fingers tightened around the pepper spray.

Lisa: I warned you!

She aimed it at his face and pressed the nozzle.

A stream of spray hit him directly.

But he barely reacted.

He didn’t cough. He didn’t stumble.

He simply kept walking towards her.

Lisa’s eyes widened.

Lisa: What the hell?

The man stepped into the beam of her flashlight.

For the first time, she saw his face clearly.

His eyes were red.

Not brown. Not hazel.

Red.

Before Lisa could process what she was seeing, his lips curled into a sinister smile, revealing two long, razor-sharp fangs.

Lisa stared at him in horror.

Lisa: Ahhhhh!

Her scream tore through the silence.

The man smirked.

Unknown Man: Perfect timing.

Lisa stumbled backwards, unable to take her eyes off his fangs.

Unknown Man: Scream all you want, sweetheart. There’s no one coming to save you.

Terror consumed her.

Then her instincts kicked in.

With trembling hands, she hurled the pepper spray at his face and ran.

She didn’t stop to look back.

In her panic, her phone slipped from her hand and crashed onto the road. Its flashlight went dark, plunging the road into deeper shadows.

But Lisa kept running.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, desperate to escape the monster behind her.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going.

Before she realised what was happening, she had run straight into the woods.

Branches scratched her arms as she pushed through the darkness. The moon provided just enough light for her to make out the trees and the uneven ground beneath her feet.

She could barely see where she was going, but she refused to stop.

Behind her, the man followed.

He wasn’t running.

He was walking.

As though he already knew she had nowhere to go.

Lisa’s breathing grew ragged. Her legs ached, and tears blurred her vision.

Then—

CRACK!

Her foot struck a thick branch hidden beneath the leaves.

She lost her balance and crashed to the ground.

Lisa: Ah!

Pain shot through her leg.

She tried to stand, but before she could get up, a shadow fell over her.

The man had finally caught up.

Unknown Man: I’ve got you now.

Lisa scrambled backwards, desperately trying to put some distance between them.

Lisa: No! Please!

She screamed as loudly as she could.

Lisa: Help! Somebody, please help me!

The man tilted his head, almost amused by her desperation.

Unknown Man: Silly girl. You’re in the middle of the woods. Who exactly do you think is going to hear you?

Lisa stared at him, trembling.

Lisa: What are you? What do you want from me?

His expression darkened.

Unknown Man: Your fucking blood, idiot.

He grabbed her and forced her down against the ground.

Lisa struggled, pushing against his chest, but he barely moved.

Lisa: Let me go! Please!

He struck her across the face.

The slap was so powerful that her head snapped to the side. Pain exploded across her cheek, and for a moment, she couldn’t catch her breath.

She had never been hit like that before.

Her cheek burned as she slowly turned back towards him.

How can someone be this strong? she thought, panic tightening around her chest.

The man watched her struggle and smiled.

Unknown Man: I like the stubborn ones. Their blood always tastes so much better.

Lisa shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

Lisa: Please… I don’t want to die.

Unknown Man: That’s unfortunate.

He wrapped one hand around her neck and lifted her head.

Lisa clawed at his wrist, desperately trying to free herself, but his grip was merciless.

He opened his mouth.

Two sharp fangs emerged beneath his upper lip.

Lisa’s eyes filled with terror as he bent towards her neck.

Lisa: NO!

His fangs hovered just above her skin.

And then

SWISH!

A blade sliced through the darkness.

It struck the man’s neck.

For one brief second, everything seemed to freeze.

The man’s eyes widened.

A thin line appeared across his throat.

Then blood erupted from the wound, splashing across Lisa’s face and clothes.

His grip loosened.

Lisa gasped as she fell back against the ground.

The man staggered away from her, clutching his neck in disbelief.

Lisa stared at him, unable to understand what had just happened.

Who had thrown the blade?

Was there someone else in the woods?

She tried to lift her head, but the world around her began to spin.

Through her fading vision, she saw a dark figure emerging between the trees.

Then everything went black.

Lisa lost consciousness.

⸻

Lisa slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she couldn’t remember where she was. The unfamiliar ceiling above her looked blurry, and a dull ache throbbed through her body.

She tried to sit up.

Lisa: Where am I? Ouch!

Pain shot through her as she struggled into a sitting position.

She looked down and froze.

She was wearing clean clothes.

But she remembered the blood. She remembered it splashing across her face and clothes before everything went black.

Who had changed her clothes?

And how had she ended up here?

Lisa slowly climbed out of bed and approached the door. Just as she reached for the handle, she heard footsteps approaching from the other side.

Her heart began to race.

Without thinking, she rushed towards the wardrobe and squeezed herself inside, leaving a narrow gap through which she could watch the room.

The house looked as though it had stood for centuries. Its walls and furniture were old, yet everything was surprisingly clean and well maintained.

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

A moment later, someone entered.

He glanced at the bed and frowned when he found it empty. For several seconds, he stood still, as though listening for something.

Then he slowly turned towards the wardrobe.

Daniel: You can come out now.

Lisa froze.

How does he know I’m here? she wondered.

Daniel took a step towards the wardrobe.

Lisa: Stay back! I’ll come out!

She slowly opened the wardrobe and stepped outside, keeping her eyes fixed on him.

The man standing before her was tall and handsome, with fair skin, dark hair, and emerald-green eyes that seemed almost unnatural.

But Lisa wasn’t in the mood to admire anyone.

Lisa: Who are you? Who was that man? Why was he trying to kill me?

The questions tumbled from her mouth as she backed away from him.

Then she glanced down at her shirt and touched the fabric, remembering the blood that had covered her clothes the night before.

Daniel: (Smirking.) Don’t worry. The nanny took care of everything. You’ll understand in time. And I’m not going to hurt you.

He paused, studying her carefully.

Daniel: You’re safe here.

Lisa barely heard him. She hurried towards the window and looked outside, trying to figure out where she was.

Lisa: Oh my God! My mum must be worried sick about me. What day is it?

Daniel: Thursday.

Lisa: What time is it?

Daniel: Around five.

Lisa: Five?!

She stared at him in disbelief.

Lisa: Five in the morning or five in the evening?

Daniel: In the evening,You’ve been asleep for a long time.

Panic washed over her face.

Lisa: I have to go home. Now!

She hurried towards the door, but Daniel stepped in front of her.

Daniel: You can’t go outside right now.

Lisa turned to face him, frustration rising in her chest.

Lisa: Why not?

Daniel: It would take you about three hours to get home. Besides, after what you saw last night, I doubt you’d want to find out what’s waiting for you out there.

Lisa stared at him, confused and frightened.

Lisa: Where am I? And where’s my phone?

She searched her pockets, hoping to find it, but it was gone.

Then, like a flash of lightning, the memory returned.

She remembered running through the darkness. She remembered the terror chasing her.

And she remembered her phone slipping from her hand and hitting the road.

Daniel: Come with me.

Without waiting for her answer, he walked out of the room.

Lisa hesitated before following him.

The house was enormous and ancient. As they walked through its corridors, she couldn’t stop staring at the strange statues decorating the walls. Some looked like goblins, while others resembled hideous monsters with three horns.

What kind of people live in a place like this? she wondered.

Daniel finally led her into another room.

A man stood beside a large window, staring out into the distance. From behind, Lisa could tell he was tall, with a perfectly built frame and dark-brown hair.

Daniel: Noah, she’s awake. And she’s very curious.

Lisa stepped closer, hoping this man would finally give her some answers.

Lisa: Who was that man? And where am I?

The stranger slowly turned around.

For a moment, Lisa forgot what she had been about to say.

He was breathtakingly handsome.

His dark-brown hair framed a face that looked as though it had been carved from stone. His complexion was a warm, golden brown, and his eyes—

His eyes were neither ordinary brown nor gold.

They were amber, glowing like liquid gold beneath the light.

He studied her silently, his expression unreadable.

Lisa waited, her heart pounding as she searched his face for some sign that he might explain what was happening.

Finally, he spoke.

Noah: Vampires.