The wind howling next to her ears was cold and sharp, intertwined with the clock counting behind, but louder than either was the question circling in her head: What was that!? It was obvious what they were, yet some part of her still refused to believe she had actually stumbled into one of them, let alone an entire nest.
Jane pulled her head back to the real problem. The dorm was the first thing that popped up in her mind, but the academy was practically a maze, and Jane had never been good with directions. She might just run around the school grounds until he caught her.
Storming into a crowded place wasn't an option either. Jane doubted anyone here would help. She needed somewhere hidden, somewhere that would be a disadvantage to both of them.
The forest.
Surprisingly, her arms were the first part to give up, aching from pulling up the dress as she ran. The thought of ripping it crossed her mind, but there was one big reason not to: it was borrowed.
Jane stripped down to the slinky dress beneath and left the gown on a bench before running for her life.
The forest opened in front of her. In daylight, it seemed like the perfect hideaway, but at night, it became a vast, gaping mouth waiting for her.
Jane hesitated, but she didn't dare to stop. Her strength was draining fast. Every muscle was screaming like it had been bitten by thousands of fire ants.
Sooner or later, she'd be caught if she kept running aimlessly. Her eyes scanned around the forest, looking for a hiding spot.
There it was: a hollow tree.
Jane crawled inside; the space was barely wide enough to cradle a single body. Small spaces usually irritated her, but tonight, the rough wood pressing against her back gave her a place to rest.
The tree filled with the sound of her heartbeat and her effort to control it. She stared into the darkness beyond the opening, waiting for something to break the silence. The sharp edges of the rock put a mark on her palm before it could hurt anyone else.
In that moment, Jane hoped that, magically, someone would come and save her. She missed her mom, her dad, and even their arguments every time they were stuck in the same room too long.
Every dream came to an end.
From a distance, the sound of crushed leaves tore through the silence, followed by the voice of a loud intruder. His legs glided on the ground in an unusual rhythm, like a patient cat circling around the corner. The once perfect suit now hung looser, buttons undone down to his chest.
No one would mistake this for a gentleman wandering the woods in search of his Snow White.
"Leaving the pin behind was cute," his head tilted, a little smirk pasted on his face, "but we never need it."
"Besides, you smell so…" He closed his eyes and faced his head up to the sky like he was savoring the word before it left his lips. "… delicious."
When those eyes opened again, they were no longer wandering; they were fixed on one single direction.
One step.
"Where are you, little lamb?"
Two steps.
"If you don't come out, I will have to find you."
Three steps.
Everything went silent.
The tree shuddered. A soft rain of leaves drifted down in front of the hole, bringing Jane back to when she was sitting by the classroom's window, watching the autumn leaves fall.
A drop of tear ran down from her eye and blended into the sweat on her cheek. There was nothing else to do, nor did any magic happen.
The instant the light at the entrance shifted, she took a deep breath and jumped out of the tree. It wasn't exactly smooth, more like an old robot moving its body or a grandma testing her joints, but at least she didn't trip this time.
Jane's body slammed into his with every ounce of strength left in her. Her hand swung forward with the rock clutched tight.
Taken by surprise, he could only tilt his head to the right. The sharp edge slashed across his left eye, putting an end to his smug face.
She immediately went in for a second strike, but her attack was blocked by his arm. Before she could even think of running, his legs raised up and his hip twisted to one side.
The world took a turn.
Her back hit the ground, creating an aching pain in the chest like someone just knocked a hammer on it. His weight pinned her down, and she couldn't move.
This wasn't just the difference between men and women; it was human against something beyond.
She could only widen her eyes as the wound she had carved began to stitch itself together. The shredded eye slowly reformed, leaving only a burning red pupil, a single reminder of her little resistance.
"I didn't plan on killing you," his voice brushed over her ear, "But now… I might just savor every drop of fear as you realize you're dying."
Jane felt a sharp pain as he tore open her flesh, no surprise there. What did astonish her was the immediate wave of comfort that followed.
She had never touched a single drug, yet nothing could rival this indescribable feeling. Her pupils enlarged, the world dimmed, sensation faded away, even the gritty dirt she had been gripping onto lost its texture.
Everything was blurry, except for the constant slurping sound right next to her ears. A small, breathless laugh escaped through her lips.
All that threatening, and he still ate like an animal.
Although he would be disappointed to find there wasn't even a drop of fear left in her blood.
But there was grudge. She refused to die like this, pinned to the ground helplessly as her life drained away. Yet all she could do was twitching her fingers, desperately trying to regain control of her body.
And there was regret. She regretted wasting all that effort just to buy a few miserable and frantic minutes. She regretted ever coming to this school, only to get herself killed on the first day.
And God, everything she'd hidden away in her room. Would someone go through it after she was gone?
Jane slowly closed her eyes. The moon tonight was beautiful, a full moon, she guessed as its light spread everywhere... lifting her off …
****
Jane woke up to the dull thud of something hitting the ground.
Her head spun everywhere, trying to make sense of how she was still on earth and not heaven.
From afar, two figures were fighting, their movements casting flickers of light in the dark. The smaller shadow began to move more slowly; each strike was weaker than the last.
A red flower bloomed on his chest, turning her whole world red too.
Jane recognized that outfit...and that grunt she heard whenever his joints acted up. She forced herself to see through the dizziness. Her arms trembled as they pushed her body halfway off the ground.
"D-Dad…? What are you doing here???"
He turned toward the voice; pain carved into every wrinkle on his face. One arm dragging, the other clawing at the dirt until he reached the vampire's feet. With the last of his strength, he held on.
The same man who had reminded his daughter to live with a straight back was now on his knee, begging for her life.
"Run…" he rasped through clenched teeth. "Jane, run."
It felt like someone was squeezing her heart.
Through the tears and trembling, Jane kept running. Her palms and knees scraped against the ground as she forced her body forward. Rocks and dirt tore into her skin, but nothing hurt more than the burning ache spreading through her chest.
She should have run the other way. She knew that. But her legs gravitated toward him, just like every time of the year when he returned from his business trip.
"No… No, no, no— Please... don't."
Everything happened so fast.
The vampire turned to her. She could see its smirk even from this distance. Without hesitation, it reached down to grab the old man by the collar and lifted him up into the air. His legs kicked up and down, searching for ground. His fingers hopelessly clawed at the creature's grip, desperate to break free.
Then—
CRACK.
His arms and feet dangled in the air. His neck bent to one side, forming an unnatural lump beneath the skin. His eyes were still open, and till the end, they had never once left sight of his daughter.
"NOOOOO!"
Jane reached him just in time to catch his body. A dagger sank deep into his chest; the same one she had always insisted he carry. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, but she couldn't let them fall.
Not yet.
"Even heaven knows better than to strike at mealtime."
The words might have sounded like a joke once, but now his voice carried no warmth. His eyes had recovered to their original form, with a darker and wider pupil. The calm veneer had cracked, revealing the monster beneath, waiting to break free.
He moved first, fast and ruthless, toward the girl who was still bowed over her father's lifeless body.
"What the—"
A hand grabbed around his neck, trapping his words inside his throat, lifting him off his feet. His eyes came across a pair of eyes, filled with so much anger that every hair on his body stood up, telling him to get out.
Then the wish to flee was granted.
His body was thrown away until it slammed into a tree. Leaves fell everywhere like the first time he entered this forest. Only now the role had changed.
He dropped to his knees; one hand clutching his chest as a wet cough of blood sprayed the earth.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
The vampire rose from the ground, his gaze locked onto her with a caution he hadn't shown before, at least not to any victim.
Jane went forward before he could brush off the dirt. Her body moved faster than her thoughts. Each strike was wild but lethal, as if there was nothing left inside of her.
The vampire weaved around her swing, left, right, until he caught both her arms and locked them against his ribs.
She froze for only a second. Then her head pulled back and slammed into his face.
A crunch echoed, the sound of bone against bone. Blood ran down from her temple and all over his mangled nose.
He stepped back, covering his nose as if pressure alone could chase the pain away. That pain did more than hurt; it snapped him out of his manic state, leaving only one broken mind in the room.
Every time he moved, she moved faster. Every time she missed, she repaid with another punch, each one thrown like she wanted to shatter herself too.
There was nothing to predict. She dodged when she could, and when she couldn't, she took the hit and kept swinging.
Jane slipped behind him and ended the "cat and mouse" game with a stomp to his knee. The crack was loud, dropping him to the ground. Blood spilled from his mouth, and this time... he didn't heal fast enough.
She didn't stop.
Her hands gripped his collar, dragging him across the dirt toward her father. Her body was full of wounds, her breath ragged, but her eyes stayed determined.
If the vampire could see, he might have seen the unnatural light burning in them.
"He didn't even get to die with closed eyes," she said, the words escaping through the small gap between her teeth.
Her eyes turned red with veins and sparkled with water. It was the only moment during their whole battle that reminded him she was a human.
"And you will pay for it."
The dagger went through his heart.
The push of a living body, the wet tear of flesh, the sick sound of blood and bone. It all pressed against her senses but was soon forgotten as his body burned to ash.
One less body to bury now.
"Hatchu!" she sneezed. Even dead, he could still find a way to haunt her nose. The corner of her mouth rose upward, then slowly dropped.
She didn't forget what she had done. She couldn't; her hands were still burning from gripping the dagger.
Dad was still staring at her. In all their years, they had never held eye contact for this long.
She had cried before, over the idea of his death. Jane didn't know why she kept making scenarios in her head; she was bored. But one consequence was clear: now that the thought became reality, she had no tears left.
Jane reached out to his eyes. The faint brush of his lashes against her palm sent a shiver down her spine.
How could she explain this to anyone? One night, two people were gone. What would she tell her mom? Would she just end up in prison?
A strange funeral took place that night, deep in the woods, with one mourner, one cold body, and no speech.
When Jane was small, she had a bird. Mom and Dad were too busy, so she wrapped its body in a handkerchief and buried it herself. That was how she learned what death felt like, stiff and cold.
That feeling didn't appear when she touched his body. It was still soft, slightly warm. He looked almost as if he were sleeping, though even in sleep his face still frowned.
Jane broke down, sobbing as she clawed at the dirt with her bare hands. Sweat and tears ran down her face, smearing a trace of dirt and dried blood across her skin. She was tired, and the soil kept getting underneath her nails.
It hurt.