The television hummed in the background, its flickering glow painting the walls with pale, distorted shadows. Words, meaningless and manic, spilled from the screen, filling the quiet room with chatter that meant nothing.
A famous I-Tuber was live, basking in the adoration of millions.
*"Thank you guys for helping me reach 10 million followers on I Tube! It's a blessing to live comfortably, to own all this land, to care for my family. Thank you so mu—"*
CLICK.
The screen went black. Silence followed like a hammer to the chest.
And then, breaking the silence, her own voice whispered back, ragged, venomous:
*"I don't want to be here."*
*"I'm going to die here... in this shitty world. I don't belong... with these liars, these egomaniacs, these rotten politicians and useless excuses I call friends. No one would care if I died."*
Her body slumped into the bed, shadows swallowing her form, the room thick with the smell of dust and her despair. From the corner, the faint but sharp click of teeth against teeth—the sound of a frustrated, enraged teenage girl—punctuated the suffocating silence.
*"Why? Why was I born here? I don't want to die here... I don't want to grow old in heaven, nor burn in hell! I don't... I'm not human... this isn't me!"*
The words dissolved into a trembling whisper:
*"I'm done."*
She curled into herself, small and fragile, like an infant hiding from ghosts. When her eyes reopened, the familiar darkness of her room was gone. There was... nothing. Absolute black, stretching infinitely. She was falling, weightless, into a void.
Then, she felt it—a presence. Watching. Patient, unrelenting.
Two eyes emerged from the void. Crimson, dripping with hunger, with pupils that seemed to swallow her entire being, anchoring her gaze in a nightmare she could not escape.
*"Lamia... Lamia... Lamia!"*
A voice, distant yet familiar, broke through her paralysis.
*"Huh? What's up?"*
*"You were about to walk into the road... you almost died, Lamia. Are you okay?"*
She blinked. A boy—Kise—stood there, hand extended, uncertain. Nervous energy radiated off him as he scratched the back of his head, trying to make her smile, trying to tether her to reality.
*"I'm... fine. Yeah... fine."*
The sun warmed her skin as they walked together. February 14th, 2025. The breeze carried scents of blooming flowers and faint smoke from nearby streets. Lamia felt hunger gnawing at her stomach, yet she kept quiet, unwilling to burden him.
Then... a shadow.
A tall, skeletal figure emerged, mouth stretching impossibly wide, nails like shards of obsidian, forehead nonexistent, limbs too long, moving with a grotesque, unnatural grace.
*"EVERYONE... RU—"*
**SPLAT.**
The air became heavy with the stench of blood and smoke. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the demon manifested, a predator born of Shinigami energy, feeding on human souls.
*"KRRRRR."* Its teeth ground, each sound like a hammer smashing eardrums.
Shockwaves tore through the street, hurling civilians into debris, smashing buildings, crushing anything in their path. People screamed, blood painting the asphalt in glistening arcs.
*"Come, Lamia! Follow me!"* Kise shouted, yanking her hand, pulling her through the carnage. Rubble scraped against her skin, dust filling her lungs, screams echoing with each step.
SWOOSH! SPLAT! A sickening rhythm of death surrounded them. The demon's clawed feet hit buildings with a crunch that split the concrete.
Then—BOOM.
A shockwave threw them back. Lamia landed hard on the asphalt, the taste of iron on her tongue. She turned, stomach dropping, stomach twisting.
Kise. His body... obliterated. Limbs scattered, innards spilling across the street, yet one hand... still clutched hers, impossibly intact.
*"Kise..."*
Before she could mourn, the demon's gaze pierced her. Crimson eyes assessing, hungry, predatory.
*"Interesting,"* it hissed, voice scraping the air.
*"Are you... demon too?"*
Her answer died in her throat as the demon's claws plunged into her stomach. Pain unlike anything she had known tore through her. Limbs severed. Blood sprayed like paint, warm and sticky, coating the demon's hands.
*"Kil... m—"* she whispered through gritted teeth.
*"You... want death?"* The demon grinned, savoring the terror.
*"K-kill me..." Lamia begged.*
And then—without warning—giant jaws clamped around the demon, ripping it in half. Windows shattered. Cars were flipped. Concrete crumbled under the shock of its strength.
A figure, hulking and exasperated, stepped forward.
*"This is disgusting as shit,"* the savior muttered, wiping gore from his hands. *"And of course, I get sent to all the shitty assignments."*
He looked down at her, breathing ragged, survival flickering in her eyes.
Sympathy... perhaps. But also caution. He extended a hand, energy coiling around it, ready to put her down, end her suffering.
But Lamia's instincts took over. Hunger flared. Eyes burning with crimson fire, she lunged, sinking her teeth into his neck. Shock flashed across his face.
*"Ah, fuck... one thing after another,"* he groaned, slapping her hard to knock her unconscious.
Her body began to knit itself back together, flesh reforming, bones mending, a sinister, unnatural vitality.
Lamia was no ordinary girl.
She was a vampire.