The dictionary defines sane as "(of a person) of sound mind; not mad or mentally ill." Taking that definition to account, I'll say I'm the sanest person I know. The people around me could be described with one word, insane. Their views and philosophies were nowhere near mines, the sanest person I knew, so I concluded that they were all insane. I'M SANE, THEY'RE INSANE! The word "insane" could have been a bit much to describe them, but I always believed that they are two types of people, sane ones and insane ones. So using such a word to describe them was entirely accurate for me. My name is Yuu Nakamura; currently, I am a high school student at a private magic academy with no intent to interact with others. I used to have many hobbies such as different kinds of sports but recently came to the realization that activities such as sports were nothing but a mere waste of time. Instead, I invest all my time studying and reading.

Despite trying to keep a low profile, I was a target for bullying. I always thought the reason I was sought out to be made fun of was I was different in other words, sane; they were practically insane, seeking out people who were different from them to belittle them. Finding the bullying annoying, I often kept myself in check, so I didn't do anything rash. Since I knew that the people around me were too insane to let me do anything foolish, and if I could, I was too weak to seek revenge. I learned the hard way back in junior high, some of my upperclassmen began to nag me every day on how I was worthless or how I was better off dead. So I just did the thing any sane person would have done, I charged at them with all my might. I ended up losing the battle and the war since I was then sentenced to a two-month suspension. The principle was insane exacting such a punishment on me since all I was doing was carrying out my well-deserved revenge like any other sane person. Now I just try to avoid confrontation like that no matter how hard it may be.

It was a cloudy Monday mourning, I was getting ready for another uneventful day. Following my daily routine to the exact movement, preparing myself for what awaited me at school. The world I currently live in is split into 2 races: vampires and humans. Vampires are basically humans but with modified genes of some sort. But due to the human race habit of seeking conflict, the two races don't get along well, causing segregation. Practically for discrimination, the towns are usually split in two, one side for one race. But actually compared to vampires, we weren't much different from one. The only noticeable difference was that vampires were able to live longer than us, are usually physically more durable, and have rapid healing, but humans possessed magic. Magic was mainly used for day to day stuff, such as giving us the convenience of washing and drying clothes faster. It could also be used in fields such as combat and medicine. There were other races such as elves and orcs, but they mainly kept to themselves, plus they were still pretty primitive, so they viewed more as a more intelligent version of animals.

Starting my commute to school on foot, I usually take a shortcut through the market, which was located at the border separating the humans and vampires. There was no actual wall between us, more like a do not cross line that wasn't strictly enforced. Probably because everyone knew to stay within their boundaries to avoid unwanted trouble. But around the market area, things were pretty different. It's one of the only places where the two races met up with each other, a somewhat peaceful place where citizens can sell and buy goods. Most of the time, the environment stayed peaceful, so it was not a place to be feared, but occasionally arguments or fights break out for unknown reasons.

Even though it was still really early in mourning, the market was packed with people haggling for reasonable prices or exchanging the daily gossip. This time usually had more vampires around than usual since the sun had barely peeked over the horizon. Often contact with the sun for them usually resulted in fatigue or headache; the worst-case scenario is that they get a high fever.

"Yeah, there were about 10 cases so far in this area."

"Didn't they mention something about the corpses having no blood left."

Usually, the gossip was just nothing but gossip, so it wasn't you should heed. Walking through the market, trying to keep my head low as if I was avoiding unwanted attention. Due to my small build, the crowd managed to shove me around as if they were in a huge rush to get their goods. DIE! The words echoed through my mind as I was trying to regain my balance. JUST GO DIE, WAS IT NECESSARY FOR ALL OF YOU TO PUSH ME AROUND LIKE THAT! GO DIE! The thoughts raced through my head, showing no sign of stopping. I quivered where I stood to suppress myself from acting on those feelings raging inside of me. I'M SANE! Those words managed to snap me back to my senses, and I continued with my commute to school. I'M SANE, I'M SANE, I'M SANE, I'M SANE, I'M SANE, I'M SANE!

Finally, making it out of that crowd, I sighed with a breath of relief. Still trying to stop me from acting to my dark desires. Since I knew that nothing good came out from exacting revenge. Or does it. Not being able to hold it in much longer, I rounded up to the nearest alley and began expressing my desires into the wall. DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! The thoughts ringed throughout my mind as I punched the wall with everything I got. Despite knowing my knuckles were bleeding, I didn't stop until the thoughts faded away. DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! Soon the thoughts faded away, and I stopped attacking the reduced wall. Looking at my destroyed knuckles, I couldn't help but grin at the site. Since this felt like proof that I was able to control at least one thing in my life, that was the emotions inside of me.

Coming fully prepared with bandages since this occasion seems to happen every three times a week. No one seems to notice that I wear these all day since I usually wore overly sized hoodies making the sleeves able to hide my knuckles. While applying the bandages, I heard a noise coming somewhere deeper in the alleyway. Since the sun wasn't entirely up in the sky, it was hard to make out what was happening. All I could make out was a silhouette of a man looking holding something rather huge. My body overcome with curiosity. I inched my way towards the man. Little by little, starting to notice more details until- Frozen in my tracks, I realized what I was looking at. The earlier conversation echoed through my head, 10 cases, having no blood left. In front of me stood a man around his fifties, licking the blood of a corpse. Situations like this have happened multiple times a year, where vampires get a disorder where they have a large amount of blood lust specifically for human blood. The blood splattered all around the area, showing that this death had happened recently, indicating that the victim struggled for a bit but soon overpowered. My mind told me to run far away, but my body refused to do anything and stood there, shaken with fear.

"More, More, More, More!" The man started muttering something in a soft voice, licking faster and faster around the man's body and trying to drink each and every blood splatter on the ground.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"MORE! MORE! MORE!" The mutter then turned into a scream echoing through the alleyway. But due to the loud conversation happening in the market, the shouting just drowned out before anyone, but I could have heard. The man started frantically shoving his face into the wall to get the mini blood splatters scattered around it. Trying to run away but my body defied any movement until it was too late. From the moment I got my courage together, he then locked eyes with me. His eyes bloodshot, filled with nothing but insanity and blood lust. Instinctively I started to back away, still overcome with fear I couldn't move my body as fast as I intended to. Then I broke out in an all-out sprint screaming hysterically.

"HELP! SOMEONE HE-"

I was cut short as I felt someone grabbing onto my leg, feeling its nails slowly digging into my skin. Before I could let out another cry for help, I tripped over a crack on the ground, causing me to land on the back of my head first onto the stone, cold ground. Only being able to let out a little squeal. The claws started grasping higher atop my body as if he was slowly climbing atop of me. Moving frantically on the ground, trying to loosen his grip on me. Looking down, I was greeted with him pinning me down on the ground by shoving me harder and harder at the same time with his nails digging into my chest. With no warning, he began clawing faster and faster all around my chest, each scratch digging deeper and deeper until all you could see was blood covering my entire torso with a puddle forming around me.

Not being able to hold in his blood lust anymore, he started licking off the blood of my chest. KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! The thoughts raged in my mind as I struggled to free myself, still unable to cry for help since I found it harder to breathe by the second. And seemingly muttering one word would cause me to run out of breath. Unable to hold it any longer, I immediately scanned the area, finding myself a palm-sized rock. BASH HIS HEAD OPEN! The moment these thoughts appeared, I grabbed hold of the stone then weakly raised it above his head. My vision started to blurry as he continued to claw his way into my chest deeper and deeper. Glancing around my body, all I could see were pools of blood-forming around my chest.

KILL! Not being able to hold it in any longer, I then swung the rock across his head. CRACK!

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” The man led out blood-curdling scream holding onto the side of his face dripping in blood, but still, due to the conversations happening outside, no one seemed to notice. That could have been the perfect moment to escape, but- KILL! My inner voices still yelled at me, demanding that they have their way. This time I didn't bother to hold back my desires. Instead, I thrived on them, letting them get control over me. Picking back up the rock, I then slammed it at his head once again. And again, and again, and again, and again. The blood began splattering around the walls as well as myself. 

DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! I couldn't help but smile as I attacked him, I felt that I was in control for once in my life. The blood all over my hands and wall, I now couldn't help but feel satisfied looking at the blood on my hands. Similar to looking at a finished project, you just feel good about your accomplishment. Finally, feeling satisfied with what I have done, I dropped the rock and tried to wash off the blood from my hands. The man seemed to be knocked out since he made no movement after a few swings. IS HE DEAD! Brushing away that thought instantly, I then gathered my stuff and began to head out of the alleyway. Before standing up, I felt teeth sink into my neck. In my peripheral vision, I could make out that the man was now biting down onto my neck with his now lifeless eyes. Instead of having the feeling of losing blood, I felt that more blood started rushing into my body. Instead of being frozen in fear, I was physically frozen in place. He then loosened his bite and collapsed onto the ground.

"He's dead, He's dead, He's dead!" These words I muttered weren't in fear but instead in relief. I felt that after many years I was now able to redeem my revenge. Again I thought that I was the sanest person alive; in other words, I felt free, without weight pressing down on my mind. My happiness didn't last for long. My muscles began to cramp up as if I was flexing every muscle in my body. KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD!

My mind started screaming inside my head, repeating those two words over and over again. My muscles began to tighten harder to the point where moving caused excruciating pain. KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! I couldn't think of anything else besides those two words, as if my mind was getting rewritten to only seek those things.

“RAAAAAAAGH!” I screamed out loud, trying to express my pain and drown out the words echoing throughout my head. After a while, the pain in my muscles subsided, now making me feel strangely powerful. But the voices in my head never ceased to sop. KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! KILL! BLOOD! I banged my head onto the wall, thinking that anything else would be better than listening to the words inside my head. Covering my ears as if I thought I heard a loud as well! Glancing down onto the dead body that lay beside me, I suddenly got an idea. I JUST KILLED SO NOW ALL I NEED IS… BLOOD! I then lowered myself down to the pool of blood around the man's face and began to feast on all the blood covering the ground and face. I then noticed blood on my hands and began to lick each and every single drop until my hand was once again completely clean-ish. Until the noises in my head subsided, I was once again in peace.

I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! I'M SANE! Yeah, of course, I was, I was just following my instincts to survive like any other sane person. It would be insane if you do stuff that leads to you being dead. I embedded those thoughts into my mind, picked up my thoughts, dragged the body more in-depth into the alley so it would be harder to notice, and continued on my way to school once again until I saw-

"Wait, wasn't I wounded on my chest." Upon saying those words, I lifted up my shirt to find no scratches. To test something out, I then punched the wall with all my might, and there it was a few cracks in the wall. Glancing down, I noticed that the scratches on my knuckles were also gone. Rapid healing and better strength, the two main traits of a vampire. Realizing that once I once learnt that when a vampire bites into you and injects their blood, you have a high chance of living or dying depending if your blood type is similar. If it was not the blood from the vampire would slowly overcome your body, your body won't recognize it as blood or something, and you will die or something like that. You won't die immediately, you would start to feel your muscles begin to… cramp up as a sign that they lack blood flow. It hit me, I experienced this right after the vampire bit me. Meaning I was going to die.

I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE! The thought screamed through my head.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" My face covered with nothing but mucus and tears, I cried out in agony knowing the inevitable fact that I was going to die soon. Despite having nothing to live for, no friends, family, and ambition. I still felt scared that my death was soon. Was it instinct to be scared before death? Slowly picking myself and my belongings up, I brushed off the mucus and tears off my face, still shaken up by the fear deep down. I reached the conclusion that I wanted to spend the rest of my depleting life completely sane!