Vampire in the Town

I stand in the square with my body frozen in shock.

"They got him."

"How could this happen?"

"In the middle of the day..."

I swallow hard. My stomach tightens.

"Look."

"A mark of fangs."

"Where?"

"On his neck."

A wave of armored personnel arrives at the scene, pushing the people in the crowd aside.

"He's dead."

"Poor guy."

"Th-this can't be."

"He's been drained."

"All of his blood."

A gut feeling takes over. The noises turn into distorted hums—my vision blurs.

"Who could have done this?"

"There's no doubt. It was—"

I can hear my heart's sound as it pumps into my ear, growing louder and louder, twitching faster and faster, accelerating my breath.

"A vampire!"

Hearing the word, my pupil shrinks, like a star collapsing into a black hole. But then—

I feel a touch on my shoulder. In an instant, the overwhelming sensations disappear. I'm still in shock, but present.

"Kaito," I hear a familiar voice from behind. "What's going on here?" it calls with a hint of alarm.

I take a glance over my shoulder slowly. It's Lucien. The features on his face curl into tense wrinkles at the sight of the corpse. I can feel his hand shake as he grasps my shoulder firmly.

"H-he was killed..." I mutter, "By a vampire."

The guards begin sealing off the area, shouting for witnesses to stand aside.

A short, very distinguishable figure arrives at the scene. She's dressed in a long-sleeved brown coat and a hat of similar color. Her long hair rests on her chest, bouncing as she moves. As she turns to one of the guards, a single pointy ear peeks through the hair—an elf. Standing on tiptoe, she whispers something to the guard.

"Right, this seems to have happened very recently. The culprit might still be here in this very square," the guard speaks loudly.

"You've heard it!" another of them shouts, cornering the witnesses. "Nobody dare leave!"

This is bad news! I start panicking. A drop of sweat falls from my forehead. Huh, wait... I have my permit, so I can't...

Lucien turns to me, lowering his voice.

"We must leave, Kaito. Now. If they see you, they’ll start asking questions soon, and you’re new to this city," he looks me in the eyes. "You've got someone waiting for you, right? If they take you into custody, who knows when you might see them again?!"

That's right, I must get back to Sylvienne...

But I hesitate. "I just got my permit. Shouldn't I—"

Lucien grabs my wrist firmly.

"Do you think if you have a permit, they'll just let you off the hook?!" he raises his other hand, grasping the scroll. "Vampires can forge these, Kaito! You are a foreigner, and that raises suspicion."

I clench my teeth. What the hell have I just gotten myself involved with?

I glance toward the guards forming a cordon around the body, barking orders. One of them is pointing towards the city walls.

"Close the gates, too! Nobody shall leave this city until the vampire is caught!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.

Suddenly, my gaze meets the eye of the guard. He runs towards the elf, mouthing something to her, pointing in my direction.

"Come on, let's bounce!" Lucien tightens his grasp on my arm and drags me with him, running away.

By the time the guards look our way, there's nothing to see there. We've left the scene without a trace.

We stop deep within a nearby alleyway. I'm panting. Lucien exhales sharply, checking both ends of the alley. His expression hardens.

"Good, nobody followed us..." he says, relieved.

"So what now?" I ask, my heart still pounding from exhaustion.

 "This alleyway leads to a side path that eventually leads to the main road," he explains. "From there, you shall get back to wherever you're staying in no time.

He pulls his coat tighter around him as he steps deeper into the shadows. I hesitate for a moment, glancing back toward the square. The image of the corpse flashes in my mind—those bite marks, the pale skin, eyes still open in terror. I can not get it out of my mind.

"Lucien, that person—the vampire... Do you think he's fled the scene?"

Lucien's steps come to a halt for a moment. "Certainly. Vampires never linger in the same place for long. Especially after they'd preyed..." He looks over his shoulder at me. "Honestly, those guards are fools to think they can catch them so easily."

That's a bit... Unsettling. A cold runs down my spine. So the vampire is probably still lurking around in this city.

I follow the steps of Lucien as we slip through a crooked alleyway, stepping over the small puddles and crates. The bell on the tower of the Residence Office starts ringing loudly, rippling its waves of sound across the city, bouncing from wall to wall as it echoes around.

"H-hey, Lucien... Why are you helping me, a stranger?"

Lucien doesn’t stop walking. He leaps over a puddle, his steps letting out cracking sounds as he steps into a small, dusty crate.

"You seem like a good guy. I do not want you to get dragged into this trouble. You wouldn't deserve it."

Good thing! That elf has got me into enough trouble so far. I scratch my head. Then I remember the promise about the sweets. I smile. Right, there's more trouble awaiting me if I don't get back to her in time...

Soon, we finally reach the side street that connects to the main road.

"It's better if we split up here. You go that way, as we discussed," Lucien says.

I nod goodbye to Lucien.

"Beware of the vampires, Kaito. They'll use deceiving tactics to get you," he says as he turns his own way.

I weave through the roads. I can almost see the main road when suddenly, a person looks my way. It's a guard! I am trying to lean against the wall, but it's too late. He's walking my way.

"Hey, you!" he shouts in my direction. "Stop right there!"

This is bad... What do I do?

A wave of panic blasts through my body. I turn back and start running, even though my knees already hurt. Damn it! I should have never skipped leg day...

"Hey, did you hear me?! I said stop!" the guard shouts angrily.

I turn sharply into a narrow lane, slipping over a crate. As I fall, I'm met with a wall at the end of the road. Dead end?! I look behind my back as I try to stand up. 

Suddenly, a hand reaches out to me from the doorway next to me, pulling me inside.

The door slams shut behind me. 

"Th-thank you," I say, holding onto the hand as I try to stand up.

Then I look up. My eyes widen as I see the person who pulled me in.

"Langwar?!"

"Are you okay, buddy?"