It was a rainy night. The steady hum of the car's engine echoed through the dense forest as George and his wife, Nora, sped down the winding road. Towering teak trees loomed on either side, their shadowy forms both beautiful and haunting.

The rain lashed against the windshield, making the already horrifying path feel like a narrow escape. Something about the night felt heavier than the storm itself.

George's hands gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles white as his legs trembled slightly on the pedals. His only goal was to reach the hospital in town as fast as possible

On the back seat, Nora lay curled up, her cries of pain echoing through the roar of the storm. Her swollen belly heaved with every laboured breath. She was nine months pregnant, but there were still days left before the doctor's estimated due date. The sudden, searing pain had come without warning, and now it consumed her.

The urgency in her voice broke through George's spiraling thoughts.

"George... please, hurry..."

He clenched his fist, pushing the accelerator harder, the wipers struggling to keep the windshield clear. In that moment, the forest seemed endless, and the road ahead felt like a fragile thread holding their lives together.

He kept glancing at Nora, who lay on the back seat, struggling in pain. Each of her cries pierced his heart like endless needless, making him silently curse his decision to move to this remote village for the sake of his research.

Still had half an hour to go to the hospital, but for a moment he felt that things were getting out of hand. His mind was racing that something unexpected was about to happen.

Every time the car hit a pothole, Nora's scream of pain pierced the air, Increasing George's anxiety. Each jolt seemed to stretch the time between them and the hospital, and with every passing second, his fear grew.

As they drove further, George suddenly saw someone standing in the middle of the road. He slammed on the brakes hard, but the car hit the figure slightly, sending it tumbling to the side of the road

George suddenly stopped the car. He had forgotten to take a breath for a moment. It was such a sudden incident. He quickly got out of the car, after closing his eyes for a moment he regained his composure. When George got out of the car and approached the figure, his heart raced. The person was lying motionless on the side of the road, and George couldn't tell if they were injured or unconscious.

"What's up, George? Has something happened?"

Nora asked in a low, strained voice, her pain was clear in her tone.

"Don't come out, Nora. I will see to it,"

George said firmly, stopping her from trying to open the door. His heart raced as fear began to rise in his mind.

When he looked again at the place where the figure had lain, it was empty. A chill ran down George's spine, but he quickly pushed it aside, hiding his growing fear. He walked back to the driver's seat, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling.

George froze, his hand still on the car door. The hot breath on his neck sent a wave of terror through him. His heart raced, and every instinct screamed at him to turn around, but his body refused to move.

Suddenly, he turned around and saw a tall figure wearing a black shirt and pants, staring at him. George stepped back, knocking on the car door. The man appeared to be around 40 years old. George's gaze first went to his red, mysterious eyes, which were locked onto him.

He suddenly remembered, "Didn't he get hit by the car earlier?".

"I'm sorry, I didn't brake in time. Please, get in the car, we're heading to the hospital anyway."

George said this without thinking, his nervousness taking over. He didn't even stop to consider how the man had ended up alone in the middle of this dark, rain-soaked road at such an hour.

But the man remained motionless, standing still in front of George, his expression unreadable.

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George felt something was off about the man's gaze. A cold fear crept over him, sweat starting to form on his forehead and neck. In a panic, he quickly opened the car door to get inside. But before he could, the man grabbed George's hand and throw him aside with surprising strength.

George stumbled backward and fell hard, his head striking a sharp stone at the side of the road. "Ah, mother..." The pain was immediate and intense, and before he could stop himself, he called out in distress.

He opened his eyes with great effort, his vision blurred. Blood dripped from his forehead, staining the ground beneath him. As he lifted his gaze, he saw the man standing still, staring at him. His eyes were locked on the blood dripping from his forehead, like a wolf eyeing its prey.

George felt as though he might faint from fear. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Nora, who had been watching the scene from the car, felt her throat dry up. Without realizing it, a word escaped her lips. The pain in her stomach intensified once again, and a loud moan slipped from her mouth.

George struggled to push himself up from the ground, the pain and weakness making it almost impossible to stand. When he managed to look up again, the spot where the man had been was now empty.

Nora slowly opened the car door and approached George with trembling steps. Both of them were shaking with pain and fear. She pressed her face against his chest and broke down in tears.

"No... Nora, quickly get in the car. It's dangerous here. I don't know what's happening, but every moment we stay here is a risk,"

George said, pushing her gently away from his chest before using all his strength to walk towards the car.

"George, I... I'm very afraid. Our baby..."

Nora stuttered, her voice trembling.

"Don't worry, Nora. Believe me, nothing will happen to our baby,"

George said, trying his best to ease her fear.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Nora by her hair, yanking her backward until she fell hard onto the road. George was frozen, unable to react in time.

"Aah... aahhh!" Nora's screams pierced through the silence of the forest. Her body began to lose its strength, her cries growing weaker.

George, frantic, dropped to the ground and pulled Nora into his lap. He slapped her face repeatedly, desperate to bring her back, but there was no response. Panic surged through him. In a desperate attempt, he grabbed a nearby wooden stick and swung it forcefully at the man in front of him.

The wood shattered on impact, but the man didn't flinch. He stood there, his grin widening, unshaken by the blow.

The man's attitude shifted suddenly. His eyes grew even redder, the color almost unnatural. From his mouth, two sharp fangs protruded, like dark, jagged straws. He smiled at George, a twisted grin that sent a shiver down his spine.

The sound of his muscles tightening echoed through the silence of the forest, a deep, unsettling noise that seemed to vibrate in George's bones. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but his body was frozen, gripped by an overwhelming fear.

George's limbs trembled uncontrollably, and he could feel the cold sweat trickling down his back as his fear consumed him.

George was jolted back to reality by Nora's muffled voice, her unconscious form lying on the ground. He struggled to regain his composure, summoning whatever strength he had left. With a desperate cry, he reached out to strike the man again, but the figure grabbed his wrist with an iron grip and twisted it painfully.

Sharp nails dug into George's neck, the pressure making him gasp in agony. The scent of his blood, mingling with his screams, only seemed to fuel the man further. His eyes flashed with red, black, and white an unsettling mix that sent a chill deep into George's bones.

The man's twisted grin grew wider as he tightened his hold, savouring every moment of George's suffering,slowly the struggles became less and less.

After tossing George aside like a ragdoll, the man turned toward Nora. His bloody hands reached out and gently cradled her head, placing it on his lap as he smiled down at her. His touch was slow, almost affectionate, but there was something deeply wrong about it. As Nora regained consciousness, her eyes fluttered open, disoriented.

"Plea...Please don't...do anything...our baby...my George...please spare our lives,"

Nora begged, her voice trembling with fear and desperation.

Her words, however, seemed to only fuel the man's twisted desire. A dark gleam passed through his eyes as he slowly stood up, his grin widening. Without warning, he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her roughly, dragging her along the road. The sound of her cries echoed in the night, but the man seemed to take pleasure in every desperate struggle she made.

Nora writhed in agony, her body trembling as she cried out in pain. Her voice grew louder, more desperate, as if every cry was pulling her closer to the edge of death. The man, however, seemed to draw strength from her suffering, his body filling with an unnatural energy.

He roughly pushed her against the back of the car, forcing her to sit. His eyes gleamed with dark satisfaction as he leaned in, his face burying itself into the crook of her neck. Slowly, his sharp teeth sank into her flesh, the sensation of it sending a cold shiver down her spine as the blood began to flow.

Her voice faltered, and no sound escaped her lips. She felt life slowly draining from her body, the pain fading into a numbness she couldn't escape. With trembling hands, she pressed them against her swollen belly, silently praying for her baby, her final wish.

Her gaze shifted towards George, lying motionless on the side of the road. She could barely make out his figure in her blurred vision, but her heart ached knowing that he was too far to help her.

As the last breath escaped her, her body grew still, the light leaving her eyes.

At the same time, the man saw a truck approaching. As the headlights from the vehicle cut through the darkness and flashed into his eyes, he immediately released his grip on Nora and quickly darted into the forest, vanishing into the shadows.

(Continues....)