"Everyone outside, quickly. George, make sure no one enters this place," William ordered without waiting for his companions to move and stepped outside himself.

The hut, which Will now referred to as the "Hunting House" for orientation purposes, was a short distance from the main village. According to the boar's memory, there were facilities nearby, such as a special wooden frame for drying hides, suggesting that the area had long since been abandoned by civilization and almost entirely reclaimed by nature. The house was surrounded by the trunks of centuries-old trees. From the semi-darkness of the forest, a crowd of naked, confused, bloodthirsty people approached, previously attracted by the tantalizing smell of blood, which now dissipated, leaving the boar's carcass like a desiccated mummy.

The first people to step out into the grass and weeds of the courtyard seemed confused. Just a few minutes ago, they had forgotten their humanity and followed the call of the intoxicating aroma. Now, coming to their senses, the employees and other occupants of the office building looked around in confusion.

William watched as more people gathered in the small clearing. Those who arrived first began to shift nervously, searching for the object of their desire.

Watching the newcomers, William saw their confusion and growing fear. People were getting nervous, and without intervention, panic and a real stampede could ensue.

The young manager took a deep breath and decided to act. He stood in front of the entrance and said loudly:

"Everyone, listen up! Come to me, follow the sound of my voice! Come on, don't just stand there!" William watched as hundreds of eyes turned to him. "Those of you in front of me, form a semicircle around the house! Bring the newcomers closer!"

His voice was confident and clear, cutting through the silence of the clearing. People slowly began to gather around him, seeking answers in his presence. William felt dozens of eyes on him, filled with expectation and confusion.

It was then that he realized the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. These people, once ordinary inhabitants of a great metropolis, had now been transformed into something else. He slowly scanned the assembled faces, seeing in each a mixture of curiosity, fear, and misunderstanding. William knew he had to explain their new reality.

When no more bipeds emerged from the forest, Will paused for a moment, listening and smelling. His newfound abilities told him that everyone was here.

As the young manager lost himself in his senses, someone put a hand on his shoulder. It was Malcolm Harrington, the deputy director. Known for his deviousness and cunning, he also possessed a unique leadership talent that had saved the company several times in critical situations. This ability made his colleagues tolerate his presence in the workplace.

William's companions, who had left the booth before everyone arrived, stared at their boss. George stood in the doorway, leaning against it with an aloof demeanor as if the unfolding events didn't concern him.

Harrington patted the manager on the shoulder and turned to face the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm and listen to me," Malcolm began with dignity. "I understand your confusion. Like you, I have no idea what has happened. We are in an extraordinary situation. Let's try to figure this out together, especially since we're all here. Many of you know me, I'm Malcolm Harrington, Deputy Director. We're faced with something anomalous, in a very delicate situation.

"This is the punishment for our sins! We've been judged by the Almighty! We will all perish and end up in hell!" Before he could finish, Serena Morey, his assistant known for her emotional outbursts and intrusive behavior, emerged from the crowd. Her appearance evoked mixed feelings: modest, with unkempt hair, her naked body seemed even more repulsive than her perpetually discontented expression.

Despite her appearance, she was an invaluable assistant to Harrington, known for her zeal and sometimes overly fiery behavior. She was notorious for her sharp and often unwarranted emotional outbursts, which made her colleagues tense. Morey regularly conducted departmental audits, never missing an opportunity to provoke conflict and report the problems she discovered to her boss. She was considered a scourge by her colleagues, but Malcolm valued her for her loyalty and unconditional support under all circumstances.

"Serena, dear, I would be immensely grateful if you would allow me to continue..." Malcolm began.

"Mr. Harrington, don't you understand..." Morey began indignantly.

"No, I don't understand and I insist... No, that's not right. I demand that you be silent!" Harrington's voice carried a note of determination that underscored his utmost concentration.

Even in the most difficult of circumstances, the Deputy Director always remained calm, smiling and communicating with benevolence. Today, however, even Serena Morey, whom he usually coddled, irritated him.

"I believe you just said we're all in this together," a tall man from the third row interjected. "If we're in the same situation, what right do you have to tell a woman to shut up?"

"Hey, calm down. You'll have a chance to discuss who's right, who's wrong, and how to talk to women in a more appropriate setting," said a middle-aged man as he made his way to the front rows with his wife. "Excuse me, sir, but I didn't catch your name. You're absolutely right. Panic and infighting is the last thing we need. The most important thing right now is to decide what to do next.

The big man replied with a grunt of dissatisfaction. "What to do, what to do. Nothing! We wait for rescuers."

With a venomous grin, the deputy director turned to the couple.

"To you, I am Mr. Harrington, thank you for your 'assistance', but I can handle this myself." Malcolm then turned back to the crowd. "I understand that you all think the best option is to just wait for help. But allow me to point out that we are all completely naked and without food or water. If we get stuck here, that could become a problem."

Harrington looked at the crowd, and for a moment the corner of his mouth twitched upward. Everyone listened intently.

"Right now, our main priority is to find other people as quickly as possible. There are over three hundred of us. If we spread out in small groups, like a chessboard, so that we can help each other at any time, someone is bound to find rescuers. No doubt they're looking for us right now. The authorities can't possibly ignore such a massive disappearance of people."

The people nodded in agreement and began to discuss who they should ally themselves with.

William, standing aside, agreed with the first part of Malcolm's idea, but had doubts about the last statement. Indeed, such an event could not be ignored, but where would one look for it? The nearest forest was a hundred kilometers away, and those small thickets could hardly be called a real forest. Considering the surroundings, it definitely wasn't near their town.

But William didn't really want to argue with Malcolm about the rescuers. He didn't want to take away people's hope or cause more panic. Especially since he probably wasn't the only one thinking about this problem. The idea of a mass march seemed more critical.

It was hard to imagine how several hundred unprepared and naked people would make their way through the forest. It was clear that everyone in the room was used to city life and had only seen the wilderness on the Discovery Channel or, at most, through a car window.

"Mr. Harrington, how do you picture this? This is the wilderness, not a city park."

Malcolm approached William, trying to be more imposing. But the deputy director was a head shorter.

"Willie, first of all, I want to thank you for getting everyone together. Your initiative is commendable, but let me remind you. Right now, as senior leader, I am responsible for everyone here."

"But we must be rational. We need fire, water, and shelter. It's not wise to wander through the forest without knowing where we're going."

"Wait, fire and water - that's a good idea. But as for shelter..." the man who had come with his wife interjected again, obviously not expecting much from the rescuers either, "Water, yes. Fire, yes. Shelter? No. Why build anything when our first priority should be to find help as soon as possible?"

"You're probably right. But we don't have to build anything. There's an abandoned settlement nearby. While we decide how to reach civilization - we can settle there."

"Exactly!" The tall man from the third row raised his hand, attracting attention. "I woke up in that village, it's literally two hundred meters from here."

"Will you all shut up and listen to me?" Malcolm could not stand the obvious undermining of his authority as leader. "Here and now, I am in charge and you must follow my orders. Otherwise we will not be able to handle this situation!"

"There is no need to silence us," said the woman standing next to her husband, "We are all in the same situation, and no one elected you as leader. I understand that you're used to leading, but there are other people here who are capable and knowledgeable. Your idea of marching through the forest together is really stupid and doesn't stand up to scrutiny. You can no longer be the leader! Your very first decision is complete idiocy; even this young man has proven to be more insightful."

"Madam, I beg you! No, I insist on silence here!" Harrington began to shout, but clearly not out of an excess of feeling or emotion, but to perform for the audience, "In emergency situations, there should be only one leader, and that will be me, since about half of the people present here are my direct subordinates. Based on this fact, I demand compliance with my decisions".

"Watch your language, your idea to split up and go who knows where..." the lady's companion tried to interject.

"Let Mr. Harrington speak," Serena interrupted the man, "who are you to interrupt here and what do you think you're doing! Waving your... around here..."

The woman made a broad gesture with her hand, indicating the man's groin area. "In case you haven't noticed, we're all naked here. I'm sorry if my genitals offend you, but I don't have any clothes to cover myself with," the man mocked clearly, but Serena didn't even notice.

"Then cover yourself with your hands! Why should I, an unmarried woman, have to look at your jingle bells? I'm going to report you to the police! Let's see how you like it in jail!"

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

The man completely ignored her words and demonstratively scratched his groin. This action angered Morey even more, and she began screaming something indistinct and spitting saliva.

"Silence! Now, we're going to divide into groups and move in a checkerboard pattern toward..." Malcolm hesitated for a second, then simply pointed in one direction - "This way.

"In case you haven't noticed, there are women and children here. How are they supposed to find their way through the wilderness?"

There seemed to be families with their offspring in the building. Some had entered the café to enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. Others were eager to get to the photographer's studio for a family portrait. William's patience was wearing thin.

"We're going to move slowly!" Malcom continued to persist.

"Have you ever walked through a forest?"

The hunting lodge was surrounded by a small, waist-high wooden fence tangled with weeds and other plants. Emotionally charged, William punched it with his fist in frustration. He knew the blow would be powerful, but he didn't expect it to be so powerful. The wooden fence was struck as if by a giant hammer, and the wood simply exploded. Splinters flew in all directions, showering the people around them. Fortunately, the fence had been there for many years and had rotted away, so the splinters only contaminated the crowd. But the effect was significant. Everyone fell silent and just stared at William.

"I think everyone understands that moving naked in unfamiliar territory in an unknown direction is not the wisest idea. I suggest we start gathering firewood and fire immediately, and look for water. And although my idea for shelter isn't the best, it would be better for us to occupy this abandoned village and try to get the houses into some semblance of order, at least patch the roofs. If the rescuers are delayed, sleeping naked under the open sky, especially when it rains, is not the most pleasant activity. And while you're all doing that, I'm going on a reconnaissance mission."

The crowd muttered in agreement. Some of the company's employees looked at the deputy director in confusion. The habit of obeying the orders of a senior manager doesn't disappear in a few minutes, even in such an emergency situation. Most of the employees clearly agreed with their young colleague's thoughts, but they continued to stand indecisively.

"You're taking a lot on yourself, young man," Harrington finally managed to clear the debris of the rotten fence from his face and looked at Will, "You're going on reconnaissance? And why not me? Or Johnson for that matter? He's from Logistics. He should be better at it."

"That's the second thing we have to deal with," Will hesitated, unsure how to continue the conversation, "besides our unusual displacement in space and our unusual appearance..."

He struggled to find the right words, mentally rehearsing each sentence, trying to think of the best way to break the news to the humans. How to explain to everyone that they were not just naked, in the woods and in an unknown place.

"You've probably noticed that our bodies have changed, absolutely all of us," as he said this the people began to inspect themselves and their neighbors, "No, we haven't grown tails, hooves, or webbing on our hands. We have none of the physical defects that were there an hour ago. Notice that our skin is virginally clean. But the most important thing, our sensations - listen to them!"

"Hey, where are my fillings?" A tall man from the third row stood in shock. Apparently, he had decided to check his entire body, and his mouth was no exception.

Absolute silence fell over the forest. Several hundred people stopped making sounds, even breathing became almost silent. However, everyone could hear their own lungs expanding with each breath, as well as those of their closest neighbors.

"Notice how clearly we see the surroundings, how sharply we hear even the slightest rustling, and how clearly we can identify scents. How many there are around us.

"Indeed. I hadn't even thought of that," the man who had been arguing with Malcolm crouched down and began to sniff the fern at his feet, "I can absolutely sense all the scents!"

"Exactly. But that's not all. Try to remember what exactly brought you here?"

The humans were puzzled, trying to figure out what had recently brought them out of the state of shock after landing in the wild forest and heading toward a specific destination. Will realized that this was the perfect moment to share his thoughts. He had captured the attention of the crowd, and the fire of interest after the fence breach had not yet died in their eyes.

"I will answer for all of you," Will said, gaining confidence, "Blood! Blood forced you to come here. My companions and I also came here at the call of blood. But we came first, so there's nothing left."

The fear and horror in the eyes of the people in the front rows gave him a strange satisfaction, though he had never felt it before. William had always found it distasteful to frighten others and tried to avoid such behavior.

"You see, blood attracts us. It is as if our own bodies crave it. Therefore, I ask you to control yourselves. Blood is absorbed even through the skin. And also... How can I explain this? It gives us the memories and energy of the victim."

He paused to allow the people to digest such exotic information.

"Are you out of your mind, William? What nonsense are you talking about? Are you on drugs?" the assistant director could not resist such an opportunity. Malcolm wanted to regain control of the crowd and these schizophrenic stories from the manager became an excellent opportunity.

"No, Will is telling the truth," George, who had been standing at the entrance of the cabin the whole time, decided to join the conversation, "The same thing happened to me. I felt a wild power fill my body."

"What power, what memories? Are you drunk or high? Is Ethan here? Ethan!"

A natural tank began to make its way through the crowd, and soon a huge man approached the speakers. Ethan Westwood - a giant of transportation. A man of extraordinary kindness and strength. It was amazing how quickly Harrington could make decisions in certain situations.

"Ethan, this guy is high and claims he has superpowers like some kind of Peter Parker. You're the strongest person I know, please show everyone that William is out of his mind."

"Boss, but why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why should I hit Will? I don't want to and I won't," Ethan was as big as a bear and not very smart. But everyone knew Westwood was a kind soul.

"For God's sake, nobody has to hit anybody!"

The manager got tired of listening to the tirade. He just walked up to Ethan and grabbed his ankle, then suddenly lifted Westwood, who momentarily weighed over two hundred and eighty pounds.

It looked like a ballet. William stood, his arm stretched over his head, holding Ethan, who was trying to keep his balance and not fall head first.

"What in the world..."

But William didn't let his boss finish. The manager released the hapless Westwood and the bruiser crashed to the ground.

"I urge you to take my words with the utmost seriousness. We need fire, water and shelter from the elements. Furthermore, when you succumbed to instinct and came to the smell of blood, you acted like... vampires?"

"Scoundrels! Vampires? How dare you..." Serena Morey, who had been silent until that moment, suddenly burst out, "You are the vile fiend, the villain, the apostate!"

"Serena, I ask you, less expression," William grimaced in displeasure, "What do you want from me? Do you have better suspicions? I can't explain the reasons for what happened to us. I don't have all the answers. So let's just deal with the situation as it is." "Ah, you sick bastard!..."

The hysteria was interrupted by the sharp sound of a slap.

"Pull yourself together, this is not the time or place for hysterics," the same woman who had reacted so harshly to the argument with Malcolm stopped her.

"And I still insist that we go to the rescuers..."

"Mr. Harrington, take charge of the people," William interrupted, "find water, make a fire and organize their placement in the camp. I will go on reconnaissance. And heed my warning about the vampires."

Malcolm was filled with indignation. This boy was not only giving him orders, but appointing him leader! As much as he liked the last, he couldn't just let that go.

"Will, don't lecture me. Damn you and your delusions. If you want to scout, go where you want. We're staying here. I'll count the people and organize them. I don't need your advice. You're too young and obviously sick in the head to give me orders."

Malcolm turned to indicate that the conversation was over. Then he began giving orders, trying to coordinate the people's actions. Despite what was happening, they listened to him: he was the boss of half the people there, and the others followed the majority. Confused and frightened people needed someone confident to lead them.

When William saw that things were getting back to normal here and that the crowd was moving toward the village, he stood next to George at the entrance to the hunting house. He cleared the threshold, pulled out some weeds, brushed off the dirt and sat down. He needed to collect his thoughts.

Soon, all of his pool-playing friends and a few others were sitting next to him. Oliver - Will's close friend - inevitably joined them. Oliver had been late for work that morning and missed the coffee hour. He was in the elevator when the catastrophic event and didn't see what happened.

"Are you sure you didn't eat a mushroom?" Oliver looked into Will's eyes, trying to gauge the condition of his pupils. "They're everywhere around here, who knows, maybe there are some fun and magical ones."

"So that's what you think of my mental abilities, mate," Will patted his colleague on the shoulder, "whenever I teleport into an unfamiliar forest, I always stuff the first mushroom I see into my mouth."

"How should I know, maybe you stress eat." Oliver relaxed a bit. His friend seemed fine, as far as he could tell.

Besides his colleagues, the barista and the girl who had been nearby during the strange teleportation and had managed to drink wolf blood were also present. Unexpectedly, the couple who had argued with Malcolm followed this group.

The man looked at William for a while as he sat down. "What you said about the blood, is it true?"

"Yes."

Everyone around, except Oliver, nodded in agreement, supporting Will's words. As the man asked about the blood, excitement and desire were reflected in the eyes of the participants. The taste of the viscous liquid seemed to touch their taste buds lightly. They felt a slight dryness in their mouths.

"I'm Arthur, and this is my wife, Rosa," he introduced himself, extending his hand. "It's hard not to believe you, looking at Lucas' regrown leg. How are you, buddy?"

The barista nodded in confusion. The poor guy still couldn't process what had happened. Too wide a spectrum of feelings and emotions raged through his soul. But the joy of regaining the ability to walk normally for now outweighed the fear and confusion of the situation. Arthur was the owner of the cafe downstairs.

"My name is Amelia. I'm sorry, I don't know what else to tell you about the blood," the girl paced in front of the hut's entrance, looking for a suitable material for a loincloth, "everything seems foggy, and memories are not of images but of sensations. I remember the burning liquid in my mouth, but not the process."

The girl wasn't the only one with that problem. The only one who fully remembered the dismemberment of the unfortunate animal was Will. Maybe because he watched the event after he had eaten his fill.

"Alright, you keep an eye on Mr. Harrington here and I'll check out the situation."

"Won't you get lost?" Oliver obviously wasn't as confident as his friend.

"Everything will be fine. With the strength and skills I now possess, I won't get lost," William twirled a boar tusk. Unexpectedly, the manager realized that he had been holding the animal's tusk all along. Now it was clear why Westwood had decided not to confront him physically.

"It would be a shame if we were all just hallucinating. So be careful!" Everyone looked at Oliver.

"And indeed. We can't leave because this could all be a mass hallucination," Arthur was the first to break the silence, "Who knows - maybe the military was testing something and we're all delirious now."

"And we all saw the same thing?" Richard was tidying up the hunting lodge; he noticed something resembling a stove in the cabin and cleaned the dirt away. "That can't be."

"Or maybe we inhaled a gas that affects the nervous system and the brain," Arthur also began clearing the future campsite of debris while gathering kindling. "And became suggestible. Someone said something and we immediately believed it and visualized it as reality. You talk about drinking from a boar. Where's the blood? Absorbed into you? Conveniently. Maybe you just believed that you did it. In reality, this carcass has been lying here for several years, completely desiccated."

"It's quite possible, what the gentlemen chemists wouldn't concoct to carry out a government order," Rosa poked a stone at some sticks lying nearby. "All right, look for a branch of something hard, like oak. I've already found some soft wood. We'll build a fire using the plow method."

"I never thought your passion for hiking would help us so much," Arthur winked at his wife.

As soon as the group began to offer rational theories, from their perspective, about what was happening, William stopped listening. He concentrated on his task.

"Whether we're delirious or not, we need to scout. No one will look for us here, and it's unclear where to go..."

"You're right, Will, we have to go. But why do you want to go alone? Wouldn't it be more logical to scout in pairs?"

"Because you served in the army. I never wore the uniform, didn't read any fancy books on tactics," Will felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Wandering alone, naked, through the wild forest wasn't the most pleasant activity. "Since this is your initiative, Deputy Chief of Security, you're coming with me to watch my back."

"Watch your own shiny back. Or you'll end up on a branch on the way."

Nodding, William rose from the threshold and dusted off his bare buttocks. He smiled awkwardly at those around him and followed the former soldier, who was already disappearing into the woods.

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Illustration of the first gathering of vampires in school textbooks.

[https://i.ibb.co/gRNWhrM/Meating1.png]