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In the cold, damp autumn night, you stroll leisurely through the dim-lit street. The soft, orange glow danced off your skin as you walked past the lamps. A puff of clouded air escaped your lips the further you went, unbeknownst of the figure following you in the shadows.
Soon, you approached a small tunnel underneath a cobblestone bridge above. The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end as you stepped into the dark passage. A high-pitched melodic whistle stopped you in your tracks. You flinched and turned around, but nothing was there. “Maybe it was just the wind…,” you whispered, trying to think of an explanation.
The tunnel, while short, grew drearier the further you went. Your spine shuddered, not just from the cold, it was from this cobblestone under passage, how endless it appeared as the light at the end grew dim. Grating metal on rock jarred your eardrums. Your head jerked upward as you covered your ears, wincing from the shrill noise. It stopped the moment you opened your eyes. Heart hammering in your chest, you frantically looked around. Still, nothing around. Not even the pitter-patter of a mouse scurrying on by.
“Wh-who’s there?” You stuttered, heavy puffs of air escaping your lungs. Each intake stung like knives as the air grew unbearable. Tap, tap, tap. Your ears perked to the growing sound to your left. Your eyes saw a flash of yellow when suddenly, someone grabbed your right arm, twirling your body into them. You yelped, trying to pull your hand away when a glove covered finger was placed against your lips. “Ssshhh, it’s alright little mouse. No need to be frightened,” the tall figure said. You stiffened, feeling oddly calm despite the rapid heartbeat hammering in your chest. The man took in a breath and let out a rumbling sigh. “What’s a beautiful thing like you doing in a place like this? Are you lost?” You stayed still, didn’t utter a single sound. Just studied him and his alluring aura.
The figure wore rather odd clothing: a dark yellow overcoat covering most of his slim body, a top hat with a feather sticking out, and a rather strange mask obscuring his face, adding more to his mysterious yet dangerous aura. You noticed he smelled of freshly burnt incense.
His finger pulled at your bottom lip, trailing down to your chin. Your whole form shivered, teeth chattering, unsure of what this man had planned for you. “W-what do you want?” You cried, pupils dilating as your fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. The man released your hand, shifting to grasp the mask that left your eyes to only imagine what was behind it. An icy wind shot through the tunnel, piercing your skin as you stumbled into him. You warily peered up towards his face, the white mask sliding off, revealing a set of hungry, chestnut brown eyes accented by the holes in the balaclava. The man grinned at your meek presence, opening his mouth to reveal a row of pearly-white fangs. Your eyes widened in terror, knowing exactly what he was. Your breath left your body, unable to move as your feet were frozen to the damp stone.
You noticed his face lit up, almost enough to trust, though the gaze in his eyes remained only to set your hairs on end. “Oh! Where are my manners?” He professed, taking off his hat and bowing before you. “The name is Atsuhiro. Didn’t mean to frighten you.” His tenor voice soothed your ears. It was a ploy, you told yourself. Atsuhiro lifted himself upright, placing his hat on his head.
Suddenly, he disappeared. Your legs shifted, knowing you could move again as you stumbled towards the end of the tunnel. Adrenaline coursed through your veins, rushing towards the light, towards salvation. You cried in happiness, relieved to finally escape this horrid place. The darkness faded to light, the exit to the outside welcoming you. But of course, fate wasn’t so kind. After a few steps, your shoe caught one of the edges of the stones causing you to trip. You hissed and hoisted yourself up, noticing a small scrape on your wrist with a few drops of blood seeping out. Your stomach began to churn as all color left your body. “No…no…why?”
A rush of wind swept behind you. Atsuhiro had returned, wrapping an arm around your waist, holding you into him. He took a sharp inhale, letting out a low rumble as his head lowered towards your neck. It was inevitable. ‘Why did I go this way?’ You thought.
Atsuhiro’s cold breath tickled the skin of your neck, goosebumps rising to the surface. His lips lightly kissed the shell of your ear as he whispered, “you poor, fragile little mouse.” Chestnut eyes shift, staring at your wound. His voice was calming yet your body remained stiff with a churning sensation rising in your stomach. “I intended to let you go at first but,” he sniffed your neck, exhaling with a low growl, “you just smell so delectable.” His slimy, wet tongue traced circles against your neck. You let out a cry, trying to pull yourself from his grip but it was no use. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes. Defeated, you whimpered, “let me go…please..”
Atsuhiro only chuckled, “alas my dear, I shall let you go but only after this meal.”
Chills ran through your whole body, trembling against his strong one as your breath began to stutter. You wanted to run, to go home, away from him and his sickeningly alluring presence. The wet muscle left your neck as his left hand grasped your chin, angling it for better access to your pulsing veins.
You closed your eyes, bracing for what was to come. A sharp pain seared through your neck as your screams echoed throughout the dreary, dark tunnel. Atsuhiro sucked at your neck, taking in your sweet, metallic tasting blood. You shivered, breath shuddering as your screams died down to nothing. The sheer pain of your life force escaping your body made you feel faint. Your eyes began to droop as your body wobbled, weak at the knees. “I was right,” he licked the blood streaming down his lips, “you really are a treat to behold,” he sneered.
Atsuhiro licked the throbbing mark on your neck, sealing off the wound. You whined weakly at the sensation, at this man who feasted off you. He let out a soft moan in content, sliding an arm under your knees and picking you up. “I’m terribly sorry about this my dear,” he paused, “you see, I only get like this when I haven’t eaten in days.” Atsuhiro stared at you lovingly from what your blurry vision allowed you to see. The sight alone made you want to hurl before his sickening, soothing voice put you in a trance. “However, you are the most delightful meal I’ve ever had in the last hundred years.” He exclaimed, “I think I’ll just have to keep you forever.”
In the midst of his confession, you blacked out, limp in his arms, only to awaken to the horrors of being trapped in the vampire’s keep until the sweet release of death took you. That is, unless he decided to truly keep you for eternity.