As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the bustling streets of Dim City, Kevin and James hurried home, their footsteps echoing on the pavement. The news of another mysterious murder hung heavy in the air, a grim reminder of the city's dark underbelly.

"Woah... That's close to our place," Kevin muttered, his voice tinged with concern.

James nodded, quickening his pace. "Yeah, we should hurry up and get home. It's getting late anyway. I bet you'd be kidnapped before you knew it, Kevin," he added with a nervous chuckle.

As they rounded a corner, a familiar voice called out, "Hey guys, going home so soon?"

They turned to see Nick, their classmate who had been conspicuously absent from school lately. Kevin's eyes widened in surprise. "Nick! Where have you been? You've been missing school a lot lately."

James smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Let me guess, it's some new lady friend of yours?"

Nick shuffled his feet, looking uncomfortable. "What? I wish. It's just a lot of work."

"You get paid a lot?" James pressed, his curiosity piqued.

Kevin chimed in, "What's your job anyway?"

Nick hesitated, then quickly changed the subject. "Umm... did you guys hear about what happened in Vance City? A group of people attacked the city in super suits, and some other guy around our age stopped them."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Kevin replied, his interest momentarily diverted from Nick's evasiveness.

James glanced at the darkening sky, a hint of urgency in his voice. "Damn, the sun's going down. We should get going before it gets dark."

Kevin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Mom would ground us if we're late."

As they parted ways, Nick called out, "Alright guys, see ya tomorrow then."

"Adios," James replied, already walking away.

"Later," Kevin added, casting one last curious glance at Nick before hurrying after James.

An hour later, as the street lights flickered to life, casting a warm glow over the quiet neighborhood, James suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"Wait! Let's go to the store real quick," he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with sudden enthusiasm.

Kevin's face fell, his brow furrowing with concern. "What!? But we can get in trouble if we're late."

James waved off his brother's worries with a casual gesture. "The house is just down the block and it will be real quick."

Kevin let out a resigned sigh, knowing there was no point in arguing. "Fine," he muttered.

A triumphant grin spread across James' face. "Good, let's go."

The brothers ducked into the small convenience store, the bell above the door chiming softly as they entered. They quickly grabbed their snacks and made their way towards the cashier. As they approached the counter, James nudged Kevin with his elbow.

"Hey, you see her?" James whispered, nodding towards the cashier.

Kevin glanced at the girl behind the counter. "Yeah, what about her?"

A mischievous glint appeared in James' eyes. "She's cute, right?"

"Huh? Keep it down!" Kevin hissed, his cheeks flushing. "And stop staring at her."

James squinted, studying the cashier's face. "Wait a minute, she goes to our school."

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"Shut up!" Kevin pleaded, mortified.

Ignoring his brother's discomfort, James stepped up to the counter with a confident smile. "Hello. This will be all."

The cashier rang up their items. "That will be $7.96," she said politely.

James leaned in, his voice dropping to what he clearly thought was a charming tone. "Can I ask you your name?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's Rose."

James' face lit up. "So  Rose! Do you have a boyfriend?! My little brother needs a girlfriend!"

Rose's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth forming a small 'o' of confusion.

Kevin felt his face burning with embarrassment. "What the hell, man!" he spluttered. 

Turning to Rose, he added hastily, "I'm so sorry, Rose. We will be going now."

Without waiting for a response, Kevin grabbed James by the arm and practically dragged him out of the store. As they continued their walk home, Kevin's face still red and James chuckled to himself.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the quiet suburban street. Kevin's face was etched with worry as he glanced at his watch.

"Great, the sun is down and now we're going to be late," he muttered, his voice tinged with frustration.

James, ever the optimist, gave his brother a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll deal with Mom."

As they approached their house, an eerie silence enveloped them. James knocked on the door, but no answer came. With a growing sense of unease, he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open. The brothers stepped inside, only to be greeted by a scene of utter chaos.

The living room was in disarray, furniture overturned and possessions scattered. But it was the trail of blood leading into the kitchen that made their hearts stop. James and Kevin exchanged a horrified glance before cautiously following the gruesome path.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they found in the kitchen. Their parents lay on the floor, their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. Standing over them was a man with eyes that glowed an unnatural red.

"No..." James whispered, his voice barely audible.

Kevin stood frozen, unable to process the nightmare before him.

The red-eyed man turned to face them, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "You weren't supposed to see this," he said, his voice unnaturally calm. "I guess it got a little messy."

James found his voice, anger and disbelief battling for dominance. "What the fuck! How are yo-"

Before he could finish, the man moved with inhuman speed, grabbing James by the mouth and lifting him off the floor as if he weighed nothing.

"I didn't say you can speak," the man growled, then sniffed the air. "One of you smells like a rich AB blood type."

His gaze shifted from James to Kevin, their eyes locking for a brief, terrifying moment. Without warning, the man threw James across the room and lunged at Kevin.

Kevin's world exploded into pain as the man's teeth sank into his neck. Through the haze of agony and shock, he noticed the man's eyes had turned completely black, with only pinpricks of red where the pupils should be.

"Ahhh... delicious," the man moaned, his voice thick with satisfaction.

Kevin's scream pierced the night air as he struggled against the iron grip.

The man pulled back, blood dripping from his chin. "You seem surprised," he said, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "I understand... How could you have known? You could never have guessed... That you would meet  a vampire!"

With a burst of adrenaline, Kevin broke free and ran out the door, his mind reeling. The vampire's laughter echoed behind him as he gave chase.

"Ha ha... Come back!"

Kevin's thoughts raced as he ran, his body moving on pure instinct. "What was that...?! 

What was that? What was that? What was that...?! What did he say?!"

His flight was cut short as the vampire caught up, knocking him to the ground with terrifying ease.

"Got you," the creature hissed, his eyes gleaming with malice. "You've never felt a vampire's claws before, have you? Relax. I'll gouge out your insides gently."

Just as Kevin braced himself for the end, a look of surprise crossed the vampire's face. 

A knife protruded from his chest, and as he turned, they saw James standing there, his face a mask of determination and fear.

With a final, desperate lunge, James drove the knife into the vampire's back, piercing its heart. The creature's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What...?" it gasped, before crumbling into dust before their eyes.

James rushed to his brother's side, checking for injuries. Kevin had lost consciousness, but to James' amazement, the vicious bite on his neck had already healed, leaving no trace of the attack.

Pushing aside his confusion, James gathered his unconscious brother in his arms and carried him back to the house. After settling Kevin into bed, James faced the grim task of burying their parents.

As he stood over the freshly dug graves, tears streaming down his face, James whispered a final goodbye. "Goodbye... Mom... Dad."

The night air seemed to grow colder as James turned back to the house, knowing that nothing would ever be the same again.