Prologue
ear 1814
Her footsteps sounded off the walls of the alley. The hurried steps against the pavement showed her panic. Her breath was coming out in heavy puffs, and she tried to calm her anxiety but couldn’t. She looked down at her watch to see the time, but darkness blinded her. The alley had two lampposts, but they were a distance apart. She had to wrap her scarf around her nose to keep out the smell of rotten garbage.
Her mother always warned her to stay away from the dark alleys, especially at night. But she didn’t have a choice. The other roads were closed off. She clutched her bag more closely and kept walking. She was so close to the end of the alley. A few more steps and she would reach the main road.
A sudden noise behind her caused her steps to falter. She looked left and right over her shoulder but didn’t see anything. She heard it again. It sounded like footsteps. Angry ones. It made her skin crawl. She shuddered against the cold wind and her growing panic and picked up the pace.
Right there. She could see the light of the main roads. She walked faster and faster, but the steps got closer and closer. She ran until she reached the mouth of the alley then onto the main roads. The steps had stopped. The alley was quiet all of a sudden. She leaned against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
As she stepped away from the wall, a strong hand clamped onto her arm. She shrieked but no sound escaped as another hand went to cover her mouth. She struggled against the stranger’s hold but to no avail. She was dragged back into the dark alley and pushed to the ground. Her eyes closed on the impact but reopened. She thought she was having a nightmare because red eyes were staring at her. Red glowing eyes. The man hissed and she saw long fangs protruding against his lower lips. She screamed against the hand on her mouth but it was no use. No one could see her. No one could hear her. No one was coming to save her because death had come sooner than expected.
