Chapter 1
A Stranger in the Dark
The café was much quieter than usual. The soft clink of a spoon and the faint murmur of voices had disappeared hours ago. The last few customers, lost in their worlds, hadn’t noticed it was past closing time. Astraea absentmindedly wiped the same spot behind the counter, glancing at the door and counting the minutes until she could lock up and go home.
The door creaked open, and the chime jingled—a sound she didn’t want to hear. One last customer. She sighed inwardly, her grip on the rag tightening. The guy from the corner booth. Again.
She knew what to expect before even looking. He sat slouched over a half-empty beer bottle, the dim light casting shadows on his flushed face. He wasn’t the worst customer, but he always made her uneasy.
Forcing a polite smile, she approached. “Hey, we’re closing in ten minutes. Time to head out.”
He looked up, squinting. A lazy grin stretched across his face. “What’s the rush, sweetheart? Just enjoying my drink.” His words were slow, heavy with alcohol.
Astraea’s patience wore thin, but she kept her voice calm. “Last call was five minutes ago. I need to clean up and go home.”
His gaze lingered on her, slow and unsettling. “Oh, I see how it is. Just the two of us now, huh?” He chuckled, low and wheezy.
Her stomach tensed. She had seen this before and knew what was coming. Gripping the rag tightly, she kept her expression calm. “I don’t have time for this,” she said firmly. “You need to leave. Now.”
He stood abruptly, knocking over his bottle. The glass clinked as he stepped closer, smirking. “C’mon, don’t be like that,” he slurred. “I’m just having a little fun.”
Astraea instinctively stepped back, tension coiling in her muscles. She had dealt with worse. She could handle this. Her fingers brushed against the small wine opener in her apron pocket, the cold metal grounding her.
His eyes flicked to it as she pulled it out. He chuckled, mocking. “What, you gonna stab me with that?”
Her pulse pounded, but she held his gaze, steady and unshaken. Something in her expression made him hesitate. He muttered under his breath, then clumsily pulled out his wallet, tossing crumpled cash onto the counter. “Keep the change.”
The bitter taste of the moment lingered, but she pushed it aside. He finished his drink, slammed the bottle on the table, and staggered toward the door. It closed with a dull thud, leaving an uneasy silence.
Astraea let out a slow breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Her hands trembled—just a little. Just another night. Just another drunk. But the weight of the encounter clung to her.
She pocketed the money, knowing she’d never see it by the end of her shift, then grabbed her coat. Outside, the city streets were quieter, distant from the dim glow of the café.
As she stepped into the alley, the night air bit through her coat. The street was emptier than usual, the silence stretching unnaturally. A shortcut she usually avoided now seemed like the fastest way home.
She hesitated.
The door clicked shut behind her, and the air felt different—damp, thick with the scent of wet concrete and something metallic. She quickened her pace, her footsteps muffled by the narrow walls.
Then—
A sound. A low scrape, followed by what could have been a growl.
Astraea froze, breath caught in her throat. The shadows shifted. Then she saw it—a hunched figure, too thin, too pale against the darkness.
Her stomach twisted. It was feeding.
She barely processed the blood pooling beneath the lifeless body. The creature’s mouth was latched onto the man’s neck, its sharp features contorted into something unnatural and monstrous.
Then it stopped.
Its head snapped up, eyes locking onto hers. Ancient. Hungry.
She couldn’t move.
It rose with eerie grace, each movement deliberate. It stepped forward. Then again. Its stare pinned her in place, terror rooting her to the spot. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but she was frozen.
Then it lunged.
Astraea’s body reacted before her mind did. She stumbled back, heart hammering, panic surging through her. She ran, feet pounding against the pavement.
But the alley was cruel.
She turned a corner—
A dead end.
Astraea’s breath caught. She whipped around, heart pounding. The creature stood there, watching—ready to strike. She tensed, knowing she had nowhere left to run.
Then—a sharp whistle cut through the air.
Thud!
A silver bolt buried itself in the creature’s chest. It let out a harsh hiss, recoiling. Its eyes flickered between Astraea and something behind her. Then, with one last snarl, it disappeared into the night.
Astraea trembled, unable to calm the chaos in her mind.
A steady voice broke through her fear.
“You’re safe now.”
She turned. A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, his presence intimidating and oddly comforting. A crossbow rested on his shoulder, its silver bolt gleaming in the dim light.
“Who… who are you?” Her voice shook.
The man glanced at her ID and gave a slight nod. “I’m a hunter. You don’t need to worry anymore.”
His reassuring words only made things feel more unreal. Astraea struggled to process what had just happened.
‘Hunter?’
“That thing… what was it?”
The man glanced toward where the creature had vanished. “One of many,” he said.
Astraea swallowed hard. Her mind wanted to deny it, to explain it away. But she had seen it.
And deep down, she knew nothing would ever be the same.
The man took a step back, his form blending into the darkness. “Go home,” he said. “Lock your doors. Stay out of the dark.”
And then he was gone.
Astraea stood frozen. The city stretched before her—vast, shadowy, unfamiliar.
And for the first time, it didn’t feel safe.
