The wind moved slowly through the narrow streets of Ashwood.
Night had already taken over the town. Streetlights glowed weakly through the fog, turning the air a dull golden color. The city felt strangely quiet, like everyone was holding their breath.
Eva, Nora, and Zoe walked quickly along the sidewalk.
Then they heard it.
Police sirens.
Loud.
Sharp.
And close.
Nora stopped.
"Not again…"
Zoe looked toward the flashing lights ahead of them.
A crowd was gathering at the end of the street.
Eva's heart began to beat faster.
"Come on."
The three girls pushed their way through the people standing behind the police tape.
Whispers filled the cold air.
"Another one…"
"Third murder this month…"
"Something is wrong in Ashwood."
A police officer lifted a white sheet slightly while another wrote something in a notebook.
For a brief moment the victim's neck was visible.
Eva froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Two marks.
Two deep punctures on the side of the neck.
Blood had dried along the collar of the victim's shirt, dark and heavy.
Zoe stepped closer beside Eva.
Then she saw it too.
"Oh my god…"
Nora looked over their shoulders.
Her face went pale.
"It's the same."
Eva couldn't move.
Her mind was already connecting the image to another memory.
Lana.
Lana lying on the ground.
Lana whispering her last words.
The same wound.
The same place.
The same marks.
Eva whispered,
"The neck."
Zoe nodded slowly.
"That's exactly how Lana died."
The wind shifted the sheet again.
This time Eva noticed something strange.
She leaned slightly closer, studying the scene carefully.
"There's still blood."
Nora frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Eva pointed toward the ground.
"If a vampire attacked someone…"
She paused.
"There wouldn't be this much blood left."
Zoe crossed her arms nervously.
"So what are you saying?"
Eva looked again at the puncture wounds.
They were perfect.
Almost too perfect.
Like they had been placed there deliberately.
Her voice became quiet.
"I'm saying someone wants us to think this is a vampire."
Nora stared at the body.
"But why?"
Eva didn't answer immediately.
The flashing red police lights reflected in her eyes.
"Because whoever did this…"
She looked back at the two marks.
"…wants the town to be afraid."
A police officer suddenly pulled the sheet completely over the victim.
The body disappeared.
But the image was already burned into their minds.
Nora wrapped her arms around herself.
"This is exactly like Lana."
Zoe spoke slowly.
"And Lana was meeting someone."
Eva knew the name before Zoe even said it.
"Julien Kane."
The three of them fell silent.
The fog thickened around the streetlights.
Nora shook her head.
"Think about it."
"Lana was secretly seeing him."
"And right after she dies, people start showing up with vampire bites?"
Zoe's voice became tense.
"And nobody has seen him since."
Eva stared at the police cars.
Everything felt like pieces of a puzzle.
And all those pieces were pointing to the same person.
Julien Kane.
Nora looked directly at Eva.
"You think he's doing this."
Eva didn't answer at first.
She could still hear Lana's weak voice from that night.
Leave Ashwood…
But the marks on the neck…
The disappearing man…
The strange murders…
Eva slowly exhaled.
"I don't know what he is."
Her eyes hardened.
"But we're going to find out."
Zoe nodded.
"We start with the one place everyone says he goes."
Nora looked up.
"Ashwood Bar."
Eva turned back toward the dark street.
Somewhere in this city…
Julien Kane was hiding.
And if he really was behind the murders…
They were going to make him answer for Lana.
The wind moved through Ashwood again.
Cold.
Silent.
Watching.
Because the truth was far more dangerous than they knew.
And the marks on the neck…
were only the beginning.
Night had fully settled over Ashwood.
Fog drifted slowly through the streets, wrapping itself around the old buildings like a silent ghost. Neon lights flickered above narrow sidewalks, and somewhere in the distance music played from an open doorway.
Eva, Nora, and Zoe stood across the street from a building glowing with warm golden light.
Above the entrance hung a wooden sign.
ASHWOOD BAR
Nora looked at the building carefully.
"So this is the place."
Zoe crossed her arms, staring at the windows.
"Everyone in town says he comes here."
Eva took a slow breath.
Then she pushed the door open.
Inside the Bar
Warm light spilled across polished wooden floors.
The bar looked older than the rest of Ashwood, but not abandoned. Dark wood panels lined the walls, and old photographs of the town hung in black frames. A long counter stretched across the room, with tall stools and a shelf full of bottles behind it.
The atmosphere reminded them of something classic and familiar—like a place people had gathered in for years.
Soft music played in the background.
A few people sat at tables talking quietly.
Some laughed.
Some stared into their drinks.
But the moment the girls walked in, several heads turned.
Ashwood was not used to strangers.
Eva walked slowly toward the counter.
Nora leaned closer to her.
"This place feels… different."
Zoe whispered,
"Like everyone here knows something."
Eva didn't respond.
Her eyes were scanning the room.
Every corner.
Every face.
Looking for one person.
A Man in the Corner
At the far end of the bar, near a dim window, a man sat alone.
He had been there for nearly an hour.
Watching.
Listening.
Julien Kane.
He sat quietly with a glass in front of him, his dark coat resting on the chair beside him. The soft light above the table cast shadows across his face.
His expression was calm.
But his eyes were focused.
He noticed the three girls the moment they entered.
Eva Carter.
Nora Wells.
Zoe Harper.
He had seen them before.
At Lana's grave.
Julien lowered his gaze slightly as they moved toward the counter.
He didn't want to draw attention.
But he listened.
Every word.
The Questions Begin
Eva rested her hands on the wooden counter.
The bartender looked up.
"What can I get you?"
Eva shook her head.
"We're actually looking for someone."
The bartender raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
Nora spoke before Eva could answer.
"Julien Kane."
The name floated across the bar like a sudden storm.
Julien felt his fingers tighten slightly around his glass.
Behind the counter, the bartender hesitated.
"Why are you asking about him?"
Zoe leaned forward.
"Because he knew our friend."
Eva continued.
"Her name was Lana."
The bartender's expression changed slightly.
He glanced around the bar before answering.
"Julien used to come here sometimes."
Eva caught that word immediately.
"Used to?"
The bartender nodded.
"Yeah."
"Haven't seen him in about ten days."
Nora frowned.
"Ten days?"
Zoe whispered,
"That's exactly when Lana died."
At the corner table, Julien closed his eyes briefly.
He could hear everything.
Every suspicion.
Every accusation.
Eva continued questioning.
"Does he live nearby?"
The bartender shrugged.
"No one really knows."
"He came to town around five years ago."
"Quiet guy. Keeps to himself."
Nora crossed her arms.
"So nobody knows where he went?"
The bartender shook his head.
"Nope."
"Just disappeared."
Zoe looked at Eva.
"That's not suspicious at all."
Eva said nothing.
But her mind was already building the same conclusion.
Julien Kane was hiding.
Julien Listens
At the far corner table, Julien slowly finished the drink in front of him.
His eyes moved briefly toward the girls.
They were serious.
Determined.
And angry.
He understood why.
Lana's death had shaken all of them.
But hearing his name spoken like that…
Like he was a monster…
It tightened something in his chest.
Julien stood quietly.
No one noticed at first.
The music continued playing softly.
The bartender turned to grab another bottle.
And the girls kept asking questions.
Julien placed money on the table.
Then he walked toward the exit.
His footsteps were calm and silent.
Just before opening the door, he glanced once toward the bar.
Eva Carter.
Nora Wells.
Zoe Harper.
Still searching.
Still blaming him.
Julien pulled his coat over his shoulders.
Then he stepped outside into the fog.
The door closed behind him with a soft sound.
And he disappeared into the night.
The Realization
Back inside the bar, Zoe sighed.
"This is useless."
"Everyone says the same thing."
Nora rubbed her forehead.
"He vanished the day Lana died."
Eva stared at the empty tables around the room.
Something suddenly caught her attention.
A glass.
Still half full.
On a table near the window.
And the chair beside it was still warm.
Eva walked slowly toward it.
Nora followed.
"What is it?"
Eva looked at the drink.
Fresh.
Recently poured.
Zoe looked around the room.
"Someone just left."
Eva turned toward the door.
Her voice became quiet.
"Not just someone."
Nora's eyes widened.
"You think—"
Eva nodded slowly.
"He was here."
Zoe rushed toward the entrance and pushed the door open.
Cold fog rushed into the bar.
But the street outside was empty.
Julien Kane was already gone.
Nora stepped beside Zoe.
"So he is still in Ashwood."
Eva looked into the dark street.
Her voice was calm but determined.
"Yes."
"And now we know one thing for sure."
Zoe asked,
"What?"
Eva's eyes hardened.
"He's hiding."
The wind moved through the empty street.
Somewhere in the darkness of Ashwood…
Julien Kane walked alone.
And he knew one thing now.
The girls were coming for him.