“So… he ran off and left you here alone. What a shame. He looked much sweeter. I was hoping for good blood after so long… but I’ll manage with you. Why aren’t you saying anything, girl?”
She stared back at the vampire, her hands trembling but her eyes burning with hatred. “I have nothing to say to a monster who kills people and drinks their blood.”
The vampire fell silent before letting out a wicked laugh. “A monster, you say?”
He took a slow step toward her, the snow crunching beneath his feet. “You humans love that word. But you should understand something.”
His smile widened.
“To us… you are nothing more than livestock.”
“.....!”
Before she could react.
In the blink of an eye, the vampire appeared right in front of her. His claws sliced her stomach.
Pain exploded through her body as blood burst from the wound, splattering across the white snow. Her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed to the ground.
The vampire looked down at her calmly, as if he merely brushed aside an insect.
“What a shame. I was hoping for a longer conversation before the fun part.”
“.....”
“Well, girl, you might have lasted a few minutes longer if you’d kept talking. What a waste.”
Hum. Hum. Hum. Hum.
“What the…?”
The sound came from the glowing red gem embedded in the pocket of his long black coat. Irritated, he placed his hand over it. The gem dimmed immediately, and the ringing stopped.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“What do they want now? Calling a meeting at a time like this…”
He exhaled sharply, then his red eyes drifted back toward the girl lying in the snow. Blood had spread across the ground beneath her, turning the white snow dark red.
“It seems I won’t get to drink your sweet blood today. But it would be a shame to waste it after all this.”
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“Should I drink it quickly…? It won’t matter if I go a little late to the meeting.”
He thought for a moment longer, then shook his head. “No… I suppose not. I should go as soon as possible.”
He gave her one last indifferent glance.
“Well then, girl. Farewell. Though I’m surprised you’re still breathing. But I doubt you’ll survive the hour.”
And then he vanished. In an instant, he was gone, as if he had never been there at all.
The forest fell silent again. Only the cold wind moved across the snow.
***
The light in her eyes slowly began to fade. Her vision blurred as the cold snow soaked into her clothes and the warmth of her blood slowly left her body. The world around her darkened.
Tears slipped quietly from the corners of her eyes. The only thing she could think about now… was her little brother.
Memories surfaced one after another.
The days they spent growing up together after losing their parents.
The days she played with her little brother in the fields behind their home.
The way Wox used to follow her everywhere, clinging to her sleeve.
Her vision was almost completely gone now, but in her mind she could still see her brother’s face clearly. The way he would smile at her with those bright, innocent eyes whenever she cooked their meals, waiting for her to tell him it was ready.
A quiet sadness settled inside her. Not because she was dying. But because… from now on, how would her little brother live without her? How would he survive in this world alone? Who would protect him? Who would hold him when he gets scared?
But beneath the sadness, there was also relief. Knowing that she had protected her little brother from the monster who had feasted on the villagers, it was the only comfort she needed. A small, warm feeling that spread through her chest even as the cold claimed the rest of her body.
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