A loud roar echoed from the heavens, followed by a flash of lightning that split the sky in two. Raindrops began to fall, first a gentle sprinkle, then quickly turning into a heavy downpour.
The world grew darker under the weight of the storm, as though the sky itself mirrored her sorrow. Ayesha ran blindly, her tears mixing with the rain, away from the very people who had destroyed her home and family.
Her vision blurred, her chest heaving as she finally slowed to catch her breath. Though her tears had ceased, her mind remained clouded with the memory of what she had just encountered.
Her eyes burned with rage but soon shifted into confusion as she realized she had wandered into an unfamiliar alley. Shadows swallowed the narrow path, and the pounding rain masked every sound around her.
She turned back, hoping to retrace her steps, only to realize she no longer remembered which way she had come.
"I thought that beggar was just a sham…" she muttered, frowning as she
"I thought that beggar was just a sham…" she muttered, frowning as she recalled the persistent old man who had insisted on reading her fortune.
Shaking her head, she turned aimlessly and chose a random path. "Bad luck and good luck are just cycles. Maybe I'll get lucky finding my way home," she whispered, trying to convince herself.
As she walked further, a crunching sound came from a nearby path. She froze at the intersection, then noticed a man crouching in the shadows.
"H-Hey…" she called softly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Do you know the way back to the main road?"
The man rose slowly to his feet. It was then that she saw what lay before him—
The man chuckled, his face flushed with a disturbing delight. "You've got nowhere left to run."
She scrambled backward until her spine pressed against the icy wall. Her body shook as realization struck—this was the end.
He reached for her, his cold hand brushing her skin. She tried to resist, but he slammed her head against the wall, the world spinning into haze.
Her vision dimmed, and she felt the sting of fangs sinking into her neck. Warm blood trickled down her skin before everything went black.
A low groan escaped her lips as pain burned deep in her throat.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up suddenly, clutching her neck.
'Was it just a dream?' she thought desperately. Vampires shouldn't exist—yet the bite still throbbed with sharp pain.
"But where… am I?" she whispered.
Her vision cleared, revealing a room she didn't recognize. Strange, unfamiliar walls surrounded her.