Beams of crimson flared from her eyes like the color of blood. The speed of a vampire was uncanny, with an image being produced. Tripping over myself by her advance, I hit my back against the wall with a loud thud. My weapons were by my bed; I needed to duck and roll underneath her strike.

A painful graze across my cheek was all I had endured by my evasion. The blood trickled down my cheek. My fingertips rubbed along the sheath of my blade, and the handle was just but a few inches away before a tight grip held onto my legs, quickly dragging me away from my only salvation.

"Stay still, boy! Let me savor you!" Her lust and hunger completely corrupted her mind. I felt a well of fear build within my stomach. I didn't dare to think about her fangs plunging into my body for a moment. I didn't want this to be my end by her hands. I would fight to live. To protect Lukia and whoever is in danger.

A heavy strike to my back with her knee, I felt my spine vibrating throughout my body. A gasp for air as it was released from my body. Her hands yanked on my shoulder and head, exposing my neck, the veins ripe with blood coursing through them. Slimy drool oozed from her lips, and her tongue hung low as she creased it along in a line. I felt disgusted, and my body responded in turn. I felt her hands grip tighter on my head and yanked it back further. My neck was on the verge of snapping from her grip.

Without any option, I reached my hand out to grab the wooden leg of the bed and kicked my legs up to get my stomach off the ground. She held on tightly and wrapped her legs around my waist to prevent me from knocking her off. I didn't care as long as I could move. I turned my body when I could roll with her toward my dagger sitting on the dresser. Bashing my entire body into it caused it to fall over onto my head. The stinging sensation allowed me for a moment of clarity to reach for the dagger.

Grasping the handle, I drew it with no remorse for safety. My hand hit the bed's metal as I swiped at the creature. It had no choice but to jump away from the attack. Air returned to my lungs to normal, and I held the blade at her. An extended cut across her chest bled a little before it started to heal rapidly. She didn't care for the wound. I reached for my sword and unsheathed it.

I stepped forward to attack, but the creature slipped under and slashed my chest with her claws before kicking me to the side. With gasps of air between strikes, I held my own momentarily, but I had the disadvantage in the room with such a powerful creature. Any mistake would cost our lives. The blood from my cheek trailed down my jaw and had started to bleed again.

The vampire looked around for a moment before taking in a large whiff of the aroma from my blood gave her. She shuttered and let out a soft moan of pleasure. "This scent is what I crave! Nothing better than this!" The flames of her lust embodied her overwhelming strength and speed. She must have been starving for a long while. She only got to feed on Lukia for a short time, and my presence only encouraged her actions more.

Tempest in hand, I twirled the blade just to avoid striking Lukia or hitting the wall and shoved the pommel into her chest. The edge pierced, but she shrugged it off with a slap of her hand. Ducking low, twirling up with the blade, it slashes through the chest of the vampire. She cries in agony and grits her teeth. Frustrated with the prolonged absence of blood, she rushed forward, gripping my throat and chest.

The fangs scrape across my sword, and sparks bounce off the friction. I held the sword firm and pushed forward. The edge of the blade sawed through the creature's open mouth. I bit down hard to force the blade back. The strength within those jaws wrestles the blade away from my grasp, and a pair of hands strike my entire body in quick succession. Bones, rattled by the onslaught, she grabs my arm and tosses me to the other side of the room, and slams into the wall next to the exit door.

The strength in my body fades quickly as the aching pain from my wounds becomes unbearable. A soft but sinister laughter pours through her lips. "Hahaha...! Working for one's food is special! Oh, what a treat! I get to have a feast!" Painful moans continue to pour from her mouth as ecstasy fills her mind. She gropes her chest and thighs in a select manner. I try to grab another weapon to defend within her moment of bliss, but the moment I move, she reacts. Drawing close with her fangs aimed at my throat, I wait for my demise.

There is a moment of silence before a string or cords of some kind vibrate in the air. I open my eyes as the vampire has stopped just mere moments before my throat. Frozen in place, her eyes frantically look around for the cause of her paralysis. Blinking momentarily, the moonlight glares into the room, revealing a mass of wires wrapped around the vampire. They dig into her skin, causing droplets of blood to seep through the opening wounds they cause.

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"I knew there were monsters lurking in my staff. I should have taken care of you before you had the chance to act." The voice was familiar. However, it was deeper and filled with animosity for the creature he was speaking to. The wires begin to tighten, and blood continues to pour from the wounds. She cries in pain, bringing her down to her knees.

"Who's there...?" I call out, trying to confirm my suspicions. The moonlight just barely highlights the outline of the figure standing at the doorway. The wires are protruding from her hands.

The figure steps slowly into the light, revealing the young doctor of the clinic, Rys. His white coat and attire are now attuned to the color of the night sky. His stature is much more refined in his demeanor. He pulls the vampire back and strings her up with his wires.

Upon closer inspection, he wears a special type of gloves that supplies the wires he produces. Around his fingers are the wires he can manipulate effortlessly and without tearing into his skin. He adjusts his glasses as he gazes upon me before looking at the creature.

"I tried to return as quickly as I could when I noticed movements occurring. Seems like my intuition was right." Rys cracks his knuckles by flexing his fingers, causing the wires to tighten. She screams in pain as her right arm is torn to shreds. Blood splatters across the floor.

"ARRAAHHH!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" She struggles with no progress made. Rys continues to stare her down before raising his hands. His gaze never leaves her, and she looks at him for pity, but there is none within his soul.

"Now I know that your kind rests in this town, that manor; my time here is complete. Sorry for dragging you into my affairs; I promise to make it up to you, Caleb. But first, this creature must be destroyed." Without hesitation, he clenches his fists, causing the wires to completely tighten around the vampire, and they split her apart, the sharp steel that they are made from now a deep dark crimson. The sounds of gushing blood, crushed organs, and limbs crash onto the floor.

"She's dead..." Falling to my knees, I feel the intense pain my body suffers from my wounds. Dark bruises on my neck from her powerful grip remain. Rys clears his throat and retracts his wires back into his gloves. He quickly wraps a bandage around Lukia's bite and takes out a vial of liquid to pour down her throat.

"That creature was nothing but a pawn using this clinic as a way to feed. Thankfully, I placed sigils on all the doors before leaving to prevent her from attacking any of the patients. I had my suspicions since she disliked being outside when it was daytime. Any contact causes them to feel weak and drained by its light."

"I know about their disposition for daylight. But why are they doing in this town?" I cough a bit before Rys turns his attention to me.

"Ever since the war broke out, many more places like this have been occurring for refugees or wounded travelers. Vampires have been clever to take advantage of the situation and take these people without issue just to feed or turn them into servants. The manor that was constructed only recently was the work of one such as a lord who used his servants to construct such a place while he rested. I pledged my services under the intention of finding out if my suspicion of vampirism. Your companions were directed to that place, but I ran into your leader before they arrived. I made sure to place sigils in their room to help wade off danger, but it won't last forever. Especially if they leave and the sigil is broken."

"Gale and the others are in danger?" I stand on my feet, shaking at the knees. I grab my gear and start to put it on.

"What are you doing?" Rys speaks with a low tone.

"I need to help them; whatever I can do, I will ensure they won't be harmed." My hands are shaking. Even if she was a pawn, her strength, speed, and tenacity were beyond frightening. They are masters of the night. Their strength draws upon being in the darkness. I didn't want to face another one if I could help it, but I needed to do something against such a threat.

"I've been preparing myself for these creatures for a long part of my life. You'll only get in the way. Stay here while I place a sigil on this room until it becomes daytime. I should be able to save whoever is left in the manor and defeat the lord."

"Regardless, I am joining you." Wiping the blood from my cheek, I set into my armor and placed my sword back into my sheath before strapping it to my side.

"Caleb, I won't stop you from helping your companions, but I'd rather not have your death be in vain. Just listen to me-"

"No! I won't listen! I won't let fear stop me from doing what I can! Now get out of my way; I'm going!"

"Stop." His hands wrap around my shoulder. I shrug him off and continue forward. Until his hand grasps my shoulder, and he tugs back, pulling me to him. I grab his hand and force it away, but he holds onto my arm.

"Let me go."

"Enough of this. Fine. If you are dead set, just don't get in my way. If you can escort your friends and anyone else, we find, I guess it would make my job easier." He lets me go; I nod in response. After placing a new protection sigil, he leads the way out of the clinic. On our way out, I notice a mass of blood and gore on the floor. Clearly, it is the remains of the previous vampire that I saw before being attacked by the one in my room.

"Umm...are you sure we can leave their bodies like this?"

"Once the sun rises, any traces of their remains will turn to nothing. Any blood, bone, and flesh will return to nothing."

"That works." We exit the clinic; the moon lights a path toward the manor sitting in the distance. I let out a sigh before continuing to walk with Rys. In the back of my mind, I begin to ponder the stroke of bad luck that occurred throughout the month of the journey we have traveled. With little rest we gain, more trouble we continue to face. Just like Rys said, we arrived at the wrong time, which caught us in this mess. It is up to us to stop it once and for all...