Chapter 1: The meeting

The sound of loud music still made his ears ring as he walked outside the club. The smell of cigarettes now clung deeply to his clothes, causing him to frown in disgust. His head felt heavy as he steadied himself against the wall.

"Urgh,"

The sound of someone emptying their stomach in the alley made him cringe inwardly.

"I knew I shouldn't have come," the young man grumbled in annoyance as he tried to shake away the dizziness.

His fingers fumbled for his phone to check on his ride when a sudden breeze made him shiver subconsciously. His gaze moved back to the dim alley.

"Hey, you good there, buddy?" He couldn't help but ask.

The man, who had undoubtedly drunk too much, was now collapsed on the ground, unmoving. No response followed.

Ethan glanced at his phone. The ride was still ten minutes away. He sighed as he looked at the drunk man. He could see something red pooling on the ground.

"Hey, are you okay?" He called out once more, but the man was unresponsive.

His gaze wandered to the entrance of the club, where two bouncers were busy handling a rowdy guy. Looking back at the collapsed man in the dark alley, part of Ethan's mind told him to ignore him.

But for whatever reason, he decided against his better judgment to approach the man. He pulled out his phone, ready to dial 911, as he saw the man's face caked in blood.

A shark hiss escaped his mouth as he cringed inwardly at the sight. He could only hope the man was still breathing. It looked like he took a nasty fall, he assumed.

He didn't want to move him in fear of accidentally doing any damage to the guy. And so he was about to call 911 when a sudden voice surprised him from behind.

"Found you."

Ethan hastily turned around and came face to face with a beautiful woman. Her silver hair was unusual, and her deep crimson eyes caused a shiver to run down his spine.

Lenses? It's already past Halloween.

"Do you know this man? He's hurt. I was just about to call an ambulance," Ethan spoke as he dialed 911.

The woman, impossibly pale, approached him with a wide grin. Ethan took a step back, almost subconsciously, but somehow she was already in front of him. His eyes widened slightly as he raised his hand, "What-"

The woman didn't give him any time to react. Her hand moved like a blur, and snatched his phone before she hung up.

"Lady, I don't know what's your problem, but I'm going to need my phone back," Ethan frowned, the cold February wind causing him to slightly sober up.

The silver-haired woman didn't reply and instead, she continued to look at him with her creepy grin.

"Hello! Can't you see the guy is hurt?!" Ethan quickly lost his patience and lunged for his phone.

The strange woman's figure suddenly turned into a blur that disappeared and reappeared, squatting in front of the collapsed drunk guy.

"He's dead already," she answered with a shrug. Her voice cold and emotionless.

"W-What the fuck," Ethan stuttered as he saw her disappear and reappear.

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I'm not that drunk. Did she teleport?!

"D-Dead?" He questioned, his eyes darting between the entrance of the alley and the creepy woman.

His heart almost skipped a beat as she stood up and turned to him, her crimson-colored eyes akin to those of a predator.

"Ah, fuck this!"

Faced with her gaze, Ethan did what any rational person would do. He turned around and ran. The woman was not normal, and he wasn't planning on staying behind to find out how exactly.

He quickly made it out of the alley and darted toward the club.

"Help! Help!" His shouts quickly drew the attention of the bouncer standing by the entrance.

"Woah woah woah, calm down. Had one too much to drink, buddy?" The bouncer quickly raised his hands to stop him. It was already three in the morning, and the line to the club was now nonexistent. The only people at the entrance were a few drunk guys laughing together, along with a couple of people, waiting for their rides back.

"There's a dead body in the alley over there! And some creepy lady, call the cops!" Ethan hastily spoke, his eyes glancing at the alley in worry. His heart was still beating wildly in his chest, and he forcefully tried to calm his breathing.

Hearing his words, the bouncer frowned and asked, "A dead body?"

"Yeah, man! Look, can you just hurry? That crazy bitch took my phone, call the cops!"

"Buddy, how many drinks did you have tonight?" The bouncer asked, his frown deepening.

"Brother! What part of there is a dead body in the alley did you not hear?!" Ethan was practically shouting by the end.

It was then that the second bouncer came back from inside.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"This guy says something about a dead body and a crazy woman in the alley."

A sigh escaped from the second bouncer's mouth, "This night just keeps on getting worse," he muttered in annoyance, "Stay here. I'll go check it out."

"Come on, show me where's this dead body," He said as he turned to Ethan.

Ethan felt reluctant to go back there, so he quickly pointed the man toward the alley. "Just the one right there."

The bouncer nodded and cautiously made his way toward it. Ethan felt his breathing pick up as he watched the man turn and disappear around the corner. After a few seconds, the man reappeared and motioned for him to come.

Anxious, Ethan hesitated before ultimately making his way to the bouncer.

"There's nothing here except that small pool of blood," the bouncer said, "Your man probably drank too much and knocked himself out. I guess he woke up and left."

"Huh?" Confused, Ethan scanned the dim alley, finding no signs of the man. "What about the woman? Did you see a silver-haired woman?"

The bouncer shook his head and patted Ethan's shoulder, "No, there was no one. But since the guy already left, you should probably get home and get some rest as well," The bouncer added and turned around to leave.

"But how?" Scratching his head, Ethan stood in the alley in shock for a few moments, when the unmistakable ring of notification came from the ground. His hand moved to pick up his phone with a frown.

His driver was already there.

"Did I really drink too much?" He muttered to himself, his eyes resting on the small pool of blood.

Shaking his head, Ethan turned away to leave, casting the alley one final glance.

His lift was already waiting for him, so after a quick confirmation, he hopped in and leaned his head back on the car's backseat. A long sigh escaped his mouth. Thankfully, the driver didn't speak much except to confirm his destination. Something he greatly appreciated since he'd very much rather the silence over the meaningless small talk.

It took another ten minutes before the car stopped in front of his house. Ethan thanked the driver and stepped out. The cold breeze caused him to pull his coat tighter around his neck as he rushed to the comfort of his home.

He tapped his pockets in search of his keys. While his eyes habitually scanned the neighborhood. It was eerily silent at this time of the night, but Ethan never felt unsafe before, that is, until tonight.

The memory of that woman's predatorial eyes still haunted him as he unlocked the first-floor door. He quickly scurried inside and made sure he closed it before he made his way to the elevator.

"Last time, last time I'll go out with that jerk," he cursed under his breath as the ding of the elevator sounded.

He went inside and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

"Go out clubbing he said. It will be fun he said," He continued to grumble under his breath. "Damn asshole, told him I'm on a tight budget this month," He continued the curse as the elevator door opened.

Another sigh escaped his lips as he tousled his short, curly hair. With the keys in hand, he opened the door to his apartment, reaching for the light switch as he immediately removed his coat.

Ethan was tempted to go straight to bed, but the smell caused him to frown in disgust. "A quick shower, then."

                                                        *****

Stepping out of the shower, Ethan wiped the foggy mirror and studied his reflection. Short black curly hair, deep brown eyes, and a slightly pale complexion. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to countless sleepless nights working two jobs to cover rent and basic expenses.

How long am I going to continue living like this?

Taking a deep breath, Ethan forcefully pushed down the surge of emotion that tried to overwhelm him.

"It's okay, you got this! We got this! We can do it! I... I can do it, even if I'm alone," He lightly slapped his cheeks and nodded before leaving the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Took you long enough," A sudden familiar voice made him freeze as soon as he walked to his room.

Sitting on his bed was the same creepy woman from earlier. Her crimson eyes locked on him making him feel like prey.

"Cute place you got here," She said as she scanned the room.

Ethan's brain, meanwhile, was going on overdrive. How the fuck did she get here?!

His eyes looked toward the open window and slightly widened. Impossible! This is the fifth floor!

As soon as she stood up, he ran toward the kitchen. Her light-hearted laughter brought him goosebumps as he hastily searched for a knife.

"What are you doing?" She asked her voice right behind him.

"Ah! Fuck off!" Ethan turned wildly and slashed with the knife in panic.

The woman, however, was undisturbed. She calmly flicked her wrist and disarmed him with inhuman speed.

"Look, look! Wait! Let's talk, okay?" Ethan spoke as he anxiously raised his hands.

The woman was now mere inches from his face. The knife in her hand shone with a dangerous light.

"You're cute," She smiled and lightly grabbed his chin.

"Look, lady, I don't have any money! I'm not even sure I can cover for my rent this month-"

"Shush," she gently touched his lips and then rested her hand on his heart. "I don't want your money," she chuckled.

"W-What the hell do you want?"

"Your life," she said with a wide grin, her mouth opening to an unnatural degree.

Her fangs were the last thing Ethan saw as he closed his eyes in fear before darkness consumed him.

"Fu-"