ａｃｔ １ 『x』 ｅｎｃｏｕｎｔｅｒ
I SHIVERED,
As the breeze of the night was cold against the back of my neck. The unsteady rhythm of my clumsy footsteps as I walked on the snowy pavement betrayed my lack of balance. I cussed at myself for wearing high heels today. Still, I had trouble not to wear any. I got less remarks on my height when I wore them.
And god knows how pissed it makes me when people bring my height up.
I slipped one time too many on an ice sheet and was about to meet the ground like a sack of potato when a strong hand caught me right on time.
“Thank you, sir !” I chuckled nervously, still trying to recover my balance and my bruised pride.
My smile disappeared from my face when I noticed I was now circled by three men. The man who was still seizing my arm voiced a sinister laugh, uncovering pointy canines as I shifted my eyes on him.
“You’re very welcome.” he crooked a smirk that made me want to puke.
Before I could even flinch, the three of them seized me. One of them shoved a gag into my mouth, muffling my screams. I tried to struggle as vehemently as I could, kicking and pounding my fists, but their grasp was too strong. They dragged me into a van, and threw me in the back. I cussed at them through my gag so hard I strained my voice.
Several women were tied and gagged, their mascara was running down their face. Horror was plastered on their face. I, too, ended up tied, my arms against my back. The men climbed in the back with us.
“You think we got enough ?” the boy with the longest canines spoke.
“Getou said it wasn’t quantity, but quality that counted, Yuji.” the black haired man answered.
The engine roared as the minivan started, making me realise how bad all of it was. How fucked I was. I never thought I would get kidnapped. Me. I thought that my 10 years of martial arts would give me enough strength to protect myself in those kinds of situations. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“The King refused every meal we presented to him. It’s been several months he hasn’t fed and he barely sleeps.” Yuji inquired. “What if he dies ? Who will protect us against our enemies ?”
My blood ran cold at the word “meals”.
They are referring to us as meals.
My heart began to pound against my chest as a rush of adrenaline poured into my body.
A well-built man with light-brown and glasses, who was casually on his phone until now, lifted his head. “Pure bloods can’t die from hunger. They just get weaker.” He sighed.
“My point exactly, Nanami !” exclaimed the boy named Yuji. “Same thing.”
The whimpers of the women grew in intensity as we kept getting farther to freedom, ticking off the kidnappers.
“Can someone make the food shut up ?”
“Well...Shut up, food !” Yuji yelled which had no effect whatsoever except from making the guys sigh and facepalm at the same time.
“Hey Megumi, look at this one.” Yuji pointed at me. “This one isn’t crying.”
“Huuuuh. Brave.” remarked the dark haired man called Megumi. “Or maybe she doesn’t understand what is happening to her.”
That fucker was right, it was exactly what was happening. I couldn’t wrap my head around what these men were saying, or why on earth I was stuck in the back of a minivan. The more the boys talked, the more unreal it got. I couldn’t believe my ears. Everything they said led me to two hypotheses. Either they were completely out of their mind, or they were vampires.
But vampires don’t exist.
Cold sweat formed in the back of my neck as what I thought to be impossible became the most rational explanation I could come with as my kidnappers kept talking between them, as if the other women and me weren’t there. As if it didn’t matter that we were listening.
As if we would be dead soon, anyway.
The minivan stopped and Nanami took the lead.
“Blindfold them before we open the door.”
Yuji and Megumi blindfolded us one by one. Someone lifted me up and carried me over his shoulder. I struggled, moving as much as I could to make him flinch or drop me, but nothing I was doing was fazing him. I heard a door open, and felt like we were going down stairs. Another door opened.
“Do we present them to him all at once ? Like a buffet ?” I heard Yuji ask.
“Getou instructed us to store them.”
My insides churned every time they were talking about us as if we were just meat.
Soon enough, I was roughly thrown on a cold floor. They closed the door without a word.
I could hear the sobs of the women next to me. This wasn’t how I wanted to go down.
This was not me.
I had to do something, anything, so I crawled on the hard floor until I bumped into a girl. From there, I searched for her tied hands with my head. The girl understood, and undid my blindfold, then my gag.
I took a deep breath. My jaw was sore from the strain of the gag.
“Thanks.” I breathed out. She nodded, with fear in her teary eyes.
I put my back against hers, and she untied my hands. They didn’t do a great job at tying us up, they probably thought that even if we were to be untied, it would change a thing. Once freed, I untied every single one of us.
I should have maybe let their gag on, because they were sobbing loudly.
“Shush !” I exclaimed in a whisper. “Don’t make so much noise, they’ll hear !”
Their eyes were wide and puffed from the never ending stream of tears running down their face.
“Get a grip !” I stood up and walked to the door.
I undid a pin in my hair and started to crochet the lock. I gasped in surprise when I noticed that the door wasn’t actually locked.
Did they forget to lock it ?
I turned around to face the girls. “Let’s get out.”
“Are you crazy ? Didn’t you see ? They are monsters !”
“They’ll catch us and... and...”
“And what do you think exactly is going to happen if we stay here ?” I remarked.
“Maybe they’ll show mercy.” A woman in the corner mumbled.
I couldn’t understand how they could think like this. They had already surrendered. I could see on their face that they weren’t going to fight, and it revolted me.
I decided to walk out, alone. I needed to take any chances I could. I didn’t want to die, I wasn’t ready to die yet.
And if my time was coming, I wasn’t going to die without a fight.
I sneaked out the room, giving one last glance at the pitiful women defeated on the floor before I closed the door behind me.
I walked as fast as I could without making a sound. At the end of the dark corridor, I arrived in a huge hall. Ginormous marble stairs were placed in the center of the room, and there were doors, everywhere.
I didn’t know where to go, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where the exit was in this gigantic mansion.
My heart skipped a beat when I heard footsteps coming down from the stairs. I hid in a dead angle, hidden from their sight behind a pillar, and held my breath.
“...Please, Gojo-sama. At least see the food we gathered and stored for you. They are all top notch quality and –”
“Getou ~ how many times do I have to tell you ?”
I couldn’t help, but sneak a peek at who was talking. A tall man with long black hair was standing beside an even taller man with hair as white as snow.
He was depraved from his sight by a black blindfold and he wore what seemed to be a long dressing gown, trailing behind him. He yawned and brushed his eyes through the black fabric covering them.
The King...?
“I know, but still – everyone is worried about you and –”
“Boooooo-ring.” he pouted.
As they arrived down the stairs, the man named Getou grabbed the hand of the white haired man.
“Just drink a little –” Getou started before a slender finger met his lips, shushing him. The fact that I clearly could see him blush made me feel like I was prying on an intimate scene. I looked away for a second.
“I - told - you.” Gojo articulated playfully, his face inches away from the now frozen black haired man. “Feeding isn’t fun anymore. Everything is so bland.” he sighed.
“I might have lived for too long... Maybe if I don’t feed for years, I will finally die.” he said with a wide smile.
Getou was livid. He yelled at him so loudly it startled me and I almost let out a gasp.
The blindfolded man burst into laughter. “You’re so easily triggered.” he chirped as he patted Getou’s head.
“But Getou...” the white haired man whispered, his tone shifting from playfulness to seriousness. “Didn’t you tell me that you stored the food ?”
The question surprised me as much as it surprised Getou.
“Well, Nanami did.”
“Well... Can you explain to me why a human girl is hiding behind this pillar over there ?” he hummed, pointing right at me, still facing Getou.
My heart was beating in my temples.
How did he see me ? His eyes are covered and he never looked my way –
“I’ll get her.” Getou said.
“Don’t move until I command you.” Gojo ordered.
“Come on out human girl.” he playfully chimed.
I wanted to stay hidden forever. I was in a nest of vampires. Vampires that I thought only existed in movies and books.
“Don’t make me come and get you, because you won’t like it.”
The way he spoke sent shivers down my spine. His tone was shifting so fast between silvery and deep, slow spoken – it creeped me out. I clenched my fists, and step into their field of view. They both were facing in my direction.
“Getou.” Gojo elbowed him. “Are you sure she is human ? Look at her, she’s so tiny !” he exclaimed with his mouth forming a ‘o’ shape.
“You can’t even see me with your stupid blindfold... dumbass... !”
...I gasped at my own words.
I hated myself for being so easily triggered.
Getou’s eyes widened, and he flinched in my direction.
Fuck fuck fuck.
“Getou.” the white haired man voiced in a flat tone that chilled my blood. “Tell me, how long has it been since someone defied me ?”
“I – I can’t even remember.” Getou mumbled, still under shock.
I took a step back, and another, and another, slowly. I didn’t know what to do anymore, I was cornered like a prey and my predator had the sharpest fang I had ever seen.
His steps, so light on the ground, were taking him to me. In a snap, he appeared right in front of me. I gasped, and almost stumbled.
“I don’t need to use my eyes to see you...”
“...I can sense how the air shapes around your body...”
“...I can hear your heart pumping your blood throughout your veins.”
He leaned on me. His lips were an inch from mine. I felt his breath brushing my lips and I couldn’t help but blush from the proximity. His presence was intimidating, and tantalising.
“What would you do if I were to ...” he uttered, almost touching my lips. I could see his long canines at every of his words.
“...pierce your skin with my fangs...” His breath tickled my neck and when his nose touched my skin, electricity bolted in my body.
“...right here, right now...”
“Get the fuck away from me !” I spat out, pushing him back as hard as I could. My face was flushed from the anger in the heat of the moment.
He puffed before bursting into a full out laughter.
“Getou, did you see that ? The– the chibi human actually pushed me.” he guffawed, holding his belly as he was laughing his ass off.
“You’re being fucking rude for a king.” I muttered.
He hummed before his hand reached for me. His long and slender fingers wrapped around my neck and squeezed, slightly. I instinctively put my hands on his wrist. My eyes were fixed on his lips partly parted, uncovering his canines.
“You’ve got a foul mouth, teacup human.”
“Fuck y–” my voice was strangled as he tightened his grip around my neck. I gasped for air.
“Fine, Getou. You won.” The vampire king smiled. “I’m getting hungry.”
