His Crimson Claim

In another life, Hannah Cross quietly wished she had been born into a loving family, or at least to parents who loved each other. Maybe then she wouldn’t have had to fend for herself. Maybe she wouldn’t have had to live the way her father always said she would:like a trash.

She was an only child, but she never knew her mother. And her father, who seemed ashamed of her existence, had a new family now.

Hannah left home at nineteen and it’s been two years since then, she disappeared into a part of the town where the streets are narrow and twisted and the sun rarely touched the ground. It was always dark and quiet there, except when it wasn’t. When some mornings, instead of birds she was greeted with sirens, screams, and the sound of people being chased.

Crimes were common, but the rent was cheap.

It was the kind of place she wouldn’t mention in polite conversation, not out of pride, but shame. Still, it was all she could afford. All she deserved, maybe.

She didn’t have friends, just herself and the black cat she fed outside her run-down apartment.

Who would even want to be friends with someone like her?

A girl around her age should’ve been focusing on school. She could’ve been studying to become a doctor, a professor, or something more. Instead, she crashed parties, put any substance she could find into her body, stole things, and had even stabbed a few people before.

When she walked down the street, people whispered. She was the kind of girl no one wanted to get involved with. Probably the perfect example for any mother to point out to their children—someone they’d end up like if they take the wrong path.

But today was a different day with Hannah, instead of wasting her life away, she was on her way home from another job hunt. She traced the tracks on the road, the same ones the government never bother to fix since she moved here. She used to be scared of these streets, always looking over her shoulder. But now, they feel familiar, like she belong here.

She glanced to her side and noticed a flashing neon sign:We’re Open.It was the new bar that had opened just a few days ago. It was connected to a four story building.

Then she spotted a smaller sign taped to the window.

Wanted: Bartender

Signs like that always caught her eye. In a life like hers, they felt like chances. This one was just a few blocks from her apartment, and the owner probably didn’t know her blood-stained reputation. Not yet.

Without a second thought, she pushed the door open and called out, “Hello?”

But no answer.

The bar was completely empty.

It was strange.A bar shouldn’t be this quiet, especially not one that was hiring,she thought to herself.

She was just about to leave when a deep voice sounded right behind her.

“Are you here for the job?”

She spun around quickly. A man stood in front of her, she hadn’t even heard him approach.

He was tall and lean, with shoulder-length hair and skin so pale it almost glowed under the fluorescent lights.

Hannah nodded slowly.

“Follow me,” the man said, his voice calm but firm.

Without a word, she followed him as he led her behind the bar, down a narrow passage, and into a small room tucked away in the back.

Hannah stepped in first. The man entered right after and closed the door behind them.

She looked around. Only then did she realize, it didn’t look like an office. There was no desk, no papers, nothing official. It looked more like a stock room.

She had a hunch that something was off, but she didn’t turn around. Deep down, she already knew what she’d walked into.

Then, from behind, she felt the man’s hands settle on her shoulders.

“Get off me!” she shouted, trying to jolt his arms away.

But he was too strong.

“What do you want?” Hannah whispered, breathing heavily.

“I’m hungry,” the man murmured, his breath warm against the side of her neck. “I just need a little snack.”

Then she felt a sharp and excruciating pain. Like two nails driving deep into her skin.

She’s good at defending herself, given from all the troubles she’s gotten herself into. But this time, she froze. It was like her body wasn’t responding.

Then came a sucking sensation, followed by a hollow kind of ache.

Was he sucking my blood?

Her body gave out almost instantly, but the man caught her. One arm wrapped tightly around her waist, the other cradling the back of her head.

“Stop...” she tried to scream, but her lips barely moved. Her voice was nothing more than a thin air.

Then everything went black.

She don’t know how much time passed but when she woke, she was still in the room, but now it was completely dark.

The room was quiet and no one seems to be around, it’s just herself and the pounding in her chest.

Her skin felt cold and clammy. And there was a dull, aching burn on the side of her neck. When she reached up to touch it, her fingers came away with a faint smear of blood.

She stumbled to the door and grabbed the knob but it rattled, like it was locked from the outside.

She slammed her fists against the door, shouting until her throat went raw.

“LET ME OUT! PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”