“Freeze! You're under arrest!” Mia barged in the room, with a strong kick on the door, catching the gangsters in the act. Her colleagues entered in after her.

After a brief scuffle among them which ended with a gunshot wound on one of the gangsters, the rest surrendered.

“Misha, Nika, cuff them up. I'm going to call for backup in a minute.” Mia went out of the room, picking her phone from her pocket.

‘Finally, after two months, it all ends tonight.’ While waiting to receive the call, Mia heard screams from behind the door.

Upon noticing the blood flowing outside the door, she flung the door to open see the walls and windows crudely painted with blood. On the floor lied Mia's colleagues, their necks torn apart, gushing with blood, their eyes- lifeless and tearful.

The scene sent Mia into a frightful frenzy, frozen stiff with her mind fluctuating between awareness and numbness.

Suddenly, Mia's awareness won her over when she felt her ankle grabbed. She looked down to see her colleagues, emaciated and feral. "Why did you leave us...?" Their grumbles were filled with agony and betrayal, pitiful to listen to.

Mia fell down, barely putting any efforts to escape. How could she, when Fear gripped her tightly by the neck?

Mia could not utter a single word, helplessly crying as her colleagues- her dear friends snaking over her, cursing her, blaming her for running away. For abandoning them to the vampires, just to save her own skin.

Mia braced herself as one of her friends morphed her teeth into fangs and sank them into her neck, forcing her to open her eyes out of pain.

She looked around to see the cabinet around her. Luca sitting beside her, holding her fists. The morning sky. The sound of the rotor blades was taken by her ears. The cool streams of wind reminded her face wet with tears.

All of these told Mia one thing- it was a nightmare.

Normally, nightmares are simply brushed off. But for her, this is a waking call. That her normal life as she knew about, ended last night.

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“Are you okay?” Luca asked. Mia could sense he is concerned.

“I… I-I'm fine.” She tried to assure him, shakily.

“Phew, glad to hear that. We're almost to the base. Just hang on for awhile, okay?” He notified.

“Okay, but… could you let go of my hand?” Mia asked sternly.

“Oh! Sorry about that!” Luca laughed nervously, feeling flustered about holding her hands. Mia's calm stare behind him did not help calm down.

Luca's watch ticked 9 when the helicopter finally reached the base, a manor built in the middle of a forest.

Stolen story; please report.

After getting off the vehicle, Luca escorted Mia into the manor. She noticed the manor's nameplate read 'Sanguine Hall'. Luca's earpiece rang, notifying him of an incoming call. After attending it, he led her to the top floor, to the room of the caller.

The room is a study, whose resident is sitting behind the desk. The large chair turned about to reveal a beautiful young girl with pink eyes, looking at the visitors.

“Ah~, welcome, Ms. Kazuma! I've been expecting you! The girl appeared instantly in front of Mia and greeted her by handshake, which spooked her a bit.

“Showoff…” Luca grumbled under his voice.

“My name is Lydia. I know you must be weary since last night, but may I have word with you? Please, just a little bit.” She requested.

“Umm, sure, why not…?” Mia agreed reluctantly.

“Wonderful! Take a seat, please!” Lydia went back to her seat instantly, again. “Luca, why don't you wait downstairs?”

> “Alright, I'll go play games then!”

>

> “No, standby for orders.”

“What?! No! I'm gonna play, you can't stop me!” Luca was adamant, which earned him a telekinetic wallop from Lydia.

“Ouch! That hurts, you hag!” Lydia smiled at the insult, but her fingers said otherwise. One snap made him tumble across the hallway, as he was beaten telekinetically, drawing out cries of pain.

This scene let Mia know that she must be careful with Lydia from now on.

“Now, where were we?”

----------------------------------------

After the discussion, Mia stormed out of the study with a heating scowl. She ran down the stairs, accidently bumping into a maid, causing her to fall down.

“I'm so sorry! Should've seen you coming!” Mia helped the maid get back up. Her curiosity flared up when she noticed a big bolt jutting out of the maid's head.

‘Is this… a cosplay prop? Huhu, Nika'd be… No, Nika'd have been friends with her. She used to take her hobby seriously.’ Mia wanted to check the maid but instead let out a gasp of fear.

The maid's face is nothing more than a half-eaten, half-rotten skull, with bone exposed to the air. ‘Is this what I think it is?!’

“Ah~, you've met Zizi!” Mia turned towards the source of the voice, Luca, who is drinking juice with a straw.

“Zi…zi?”

“Yeah! Zizi, the zombie maid! Don't worry, she won’t bite!” Mia knew better than to take chances and backed away from her, her shock still stirring her from within. But Luca found it a bit amusing, sipping his juice.

“I'm really on the other side, huh…” Mia started to accept her environment at a snail's pace

“Yep, you better get used to it. I'll slice any doubts you have in mind. Go on, ask me!” Luca was combing his red hair with his hand, getting into his Teacher persona.

“Okay, I've a question. Back in the forest, those… vampires… said you're one of them. But how come you look normal?”

“Oh, this? That's because I'm not full-fledged like those bloodsuckers out there. You see this?” Luca pulled his cheek aside to show a canine, lightly tinted with red. “This is a vampire's Fang. The pulp within it has the vampire's blood. Helps me to do whatever a vampire can do, without side effects! Well, you hear some voices occasionally…”

“What?”

“What?” Luca flipped the doubt around, ready to receive more.

“So, you're a half-vampire?”

“Pseudo-vampire, to be exact. You're talking about dhampirs, which is a whole another ballpark! Any more stuff you wanna ask about?” Luca slurped on his juice, waiting for Mia's response.

“I'll let you know… Um, Lydia said there's a room for me…” Mia reluctantly put out her request.

“Oh! I'll take you there! After getting lost in this manor a few more times, you'll get used to it. Did she give an earpiece, by the way?” Mia took the earpiece from her pocket.

“Good. Give it to me.” After checking and prodding it a bit, Luca gave the earpiece back to her and asked her to wear it. “Hello~”

Mia can hear his voice through the earpiece now.

“Now, we're connected. Just give a holler when you need me, yeah?” Luca smiled.

Mia nodded and was taken to her given room. She thanked Luca for the help and entered the room. Throwing the earpiece on the bed, she opened the bathroom, gazing at her reflection.

The red streak of her hair, dyed with her blood, reminded once again of her friends' deaths. And the harsh reprimands from Lydia.

Thinking back about her discussion made her brimming with anger, unable to control her tears and slid down, weeping and mourning.

[To be continued]