Vivi the Vampire

10 years ago, in a remote village in Norway -

The valley was dark and quiet, cloaked in shadows.

Tall, dark mountains with sharp, jagged tips loomed on either side of the lonely valley, isolating the small village from the world. Almost everyone was asleep, yet still a few lights shown in the sleepy village.

It would have been a clear night but luckily thick clouds obscured the full moon. ‘All the better’, Emma thought, ‘no one will see me’.

Usually, Emma loved the woods. Having grown up in the valley, she’d played in the forest since she was a child and knew her way around blindfolded. But tonight was different.

As she made her way through the forest to the arranged meeting place, she felt an uneasy chill run up her arms. She hugged herself, shivering slightly in her thin, white nightgown. It was a warm night yet she felt a strange coldness as though a winter frost had settled over the forest.

The dense, dark trees towered above her, standing shoulder to shoulder, like silent sentinels watching her. Shadows filled the night. She squinted into the dark, lighting the ground with her phone.

The wind had died. The forest was deathly still. Nothing moved, no owls hooted, not even a leaf rustled. It was as though everything was frozen, scared, holding its breath.

She stopped and glanced back. Between the dark trees, warm, friendly lights shone from the small village in the valley below, glowing like fire flies in the dark. Usually, she was happy to get away from her home, away from her oppressive parents, from her stern father, and her annoying siblings, but tonight she almost regretted sneaking out to meet Jules.

Something was wrong. Why did the forest make her feel so uneasy tonight? She glanced around, suddenly noticing how quiet everything was. Usually, the forest was alive with sounds of night animals - owls hooting, crickets chirping and rustles in the bushes as creatures snuck by.

But tonight, a heavy, menacing darkness hung over the forest. It wasn’t the regular calm silence that filled the peaceful nights, this was a deep, suffocating darkness. A darkness that creeps into your mind and fills your body and soul. An evil, unnatural darkness, that watches, and listens, and waits.

She was almost tempted to return to the village when just then, her phone BLEEPED loudly startling her slightly. A message from Jules! A smile lit up her face, and she felt no longer afraid. “where r u?” Cheeks flushed with excitement, she hurriedly texted him back. “on my way!”

The chill left her body as warm memories of Jules filled her mind. Forbidden kisses under the stars, his hands all over her body, his hoarse sexy whispers in her ear, and his warm breath on her neck. She flushed, eyes shining, and jogged through the wood to meet him.

The clouds drifted slowly apart, and a faint glowing moon lit up the dark forest.

Emma entered the clearing and glanced around. It was abandoned. No Jules insight. Where was he? then she spied his backpack leaning against the old oak tree where they usually met.

she crossed the clearing and looked around, once more cold, hugging herself.

She listened and the forest listened back.

Where was he? Had something bad happened to him?

Lighting the ground with her phone, she faintly made out a trail of footsteps leading to the backpack but none leading away. She shone her phone up into the tree’s branches. Was that prankster hiding up there? No. Just leaves and branches and some grumpy bird blinking down at her. Where was he? Feeling more and more uneasy, she flashed her phone’s light erratically around the trees, lighting their tree barks and the dark ground.

She hesitated then called out in a gentle, hesitant voice “Jules?”

Something RUSTLED behind her. She spun around, terrified. Her eyes darted around the dark trees, trying in vain to penetrate the shadows. What was that? Was that a shadow there in the dark?

Her phone’s light flickered and WENT OUT as the battery went down to 1%.

Horrified she tried to turn it back on again, “No no no! Don’t do this to me!” Dead. The screen went black. ” Shit!” How had the battery emptied so fast? She was sure it was at 40% before. Luckily, the moon had come out of the clouds and faint moonbeams lit the forest.

Another faint RUSTLE almost like someone had carefully lowered a foot onto dry leaves. A twig snapped.

Her heartbeat quickened. She was tense, alert. Where was it coming from? Was it a wolf? If only she’d taken a knife with her.

A long silence. Then - another rustle to her left. She spun, scared.

“Jules?” she wanted to sound brave but her voice came out as a small, scared whimper.

No reply. She stood frozen, listening, for what seemed like ages. Then suddenly - A DARK SHADOW BURST OUT OF THE FOREST BEHIND HER!

Arms grabbed for her. She SCREAMED as something HURLED her to the ground, tackling her.