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Niran was new to the vampire-hunting scene. He managed to complete the training and was now sent out to search for vampires and eradicate them.
His first mission—it’d be a lie to say he wasn’t a nervous wreck. Vampire hunting was still a dangerous job, which is why most hunted in groups.
He kept double—triple—quadruple-checking to make sure he had all his gear. Even then, he kept checking just in case. He felt like a fool for being so nervous, but what if something happened and he couldn’t help? There were many worries on Niran’s mind that he couldn’t ignore.
One of the group members noticed Niran’s anxious fidgeting and patted him on the back. “Toughen up, newbie. You don’t gotta worry about anything. We don’t get many vampires in these parts,” they tried to reassure him, but Niran just awkwardly smiled.
“I just can’t help but feel nervous. This is my first time vampire hunting,” he quietly said.
“Everyone else here and myself have been doing this for a while. You’ll be fine as long as you stick with us.” They patted his back again before walking forward to get the mission going.
Those reassuring words didn’t lower Niran’s anxiety at all. He took a deep breath and went with the group into the woods.
Everything will be okay, right? There was nothing to worry about.
If he stayed with the group, they’d have his back. You can do this, Niran.
Niran stayed behind the group but still close enough to warn them of danger. He wasn’t sure how these things normally went, but seeing the other members seem to be at ease when a vampire could attack at any moment? Can’t say it didn’t freak him out a bit. How can you be so carefree when danger lurks?
He often turned his head left, right—even looked behind him. The fears certainly weren’t going away. They were chatting, making jokes, laughing—he thought they were supposed to find a vampire, not treat this like a casual walk in the woods.
He sighed as he followed along. It seemed rather boring. Even with his fears, he wanted the excitement of capturing a vampire and getting rid of it. What a first-day bummer.
Suddenly—a strange sound echoed through the woods. That was something that got the other members to stop the chatter and pay attention.
But that just led to something Niran disliked even more: an argument.
They kept bickering about the sound, trying to use their “expert knowledge” to identify it before even finding it. Automatically, they assumed it was a vampire as they identified which kind it was—something Niran could understand. Figuring out which vampire it was made it easier to kill it.
Niran wanted to speak but couldn’t find a moment to get his words out. Then again, they’d probably ignore him.
Eventually, the debate led to the group splitting up and heading in different directions.
“Wait—guys—who do I go with?” No one bothered turning to answer him. Niran was left alone… in the woods.
That didn’t help his fears one bit. The number one safety rule was to remain in numbers—stray in groups, even if it’s just two. Vampires usually attack those who are alone.
Which gave Niran the thought that this was a plan and he was the bait. Just wanted to make him cry, but what was the point? He had to suck it up and prove to them that just because he was a newbie, he still had confidence.
Hopefully.
Niran took a deep breath and began walking in the woods—alone. It was dark and seemed colder than before… probably because he was alone. The world around him seemed to crumble. If a vampire was nearby—and if he was bait—this would be the last time he saw the world again.
There was still so much he had to do before he died. Now he certainly was going to, all because he thought being a vampire hunter would be worth it—
He stopped walking and looked around. He heard the sound of trees rustling. Was it a vampire or the members playing a prank on him? Niran had no clue, but he certainly was terrified.
“H-Hello? Guys?” Niran quietly called out. He wasn’t sure how loud he should be, but he wasn’t taking any chances to draw attention to himself.
He continued to push forward and keep walking. There could be a chance he’d find one of the split-up groups. He was used to being alone, but like this? It was like he was in a horror movie—and the character that dies first, which then leads to the other characters figuring out something’s wrong.
Niran walked slowly, trying to remain silent as he moved through the woods. Though if the vampire was smart, it wouldn’t make a difference. He heard the sound of rustling again and decided to ignore it, picking up the pace and walking a bit faster.
He glanced up at the trees then—what the?
There was definitely something in the trees. Niran swore he saw it. With the darkness of the night, it was difficult to see what was up there. Hopefully it was just a bird… nothing more…
He kept walking as he glanced around him before looking straight ahead—and almost bumped into someone. He almost screamed but quickly covered his mouth.
The woman just stood there. She was pale… too pale, with red eyes—a vampire.
Niran was face-to-face with a vampire. His fight-or-flight decided to go with the third option: freeze. He stared at the vampire woman in disbelief. This was certainly the end for him. Doesn’t matter how quick he was to get his gear—if the vampire realized he was planning to attack, they’d do it first. And faster.
"Don't hurt me…" Niran said quietly but the vampire didn't budge, just standing there—staring at him.
Niran wasn't sure what this vampire wanted from him or what it was trying to do. Probably suck his blood and he was willing to accept that fate right now.
The vampire took a step closer to him and he took a step back. She just kept staring at him, it was a little nerve-racking. The vampire's mouth began to open, Niran shut his eyes just waiting for the attack on him, but instead of teeth sinking into his skin, he heard words instead.
"Niran? Is that you?" the vampire spoke, her voice low. Niran opened his eyes and looked at it a little shocked.
"How… how did you know my name?" He asked. There wasn't any part of vampires knowing ones name so suddenly. It was strange.
"Don't you remember me?"
"This is the first time I've seen a vampire so… no?" He wasn't sure if this was some sort of manipulation tactic vampires use. Probably trying to let him put his guard down and attack when he least expects it.
She took a few steps back, allowing him to see her clearly. "Look at my face, surely you'll remember."
Niran did so, following the vampire's command for the sake of his safety. His eyes narrowed at her face, studying it. What was he suppose to recognize?
The memories of every person he's met flood through his mind, surely the vampire was one of them. Maybe. Or this was a trick, who knows?
But with the vampirism characteristics, it didn't make her seem human enough to be recognized.
He sighs, "I'm sorry but I have no clue who you are—"
"Have you been with Vishkar before?" she said.
Niran's eyes widened. "First my name, and now you mention Vishkar… are you some sort of mind reading vampire?"
The vampire woman got closer to him, "It's me, Satya. Remember?"
Satya? He hadn't seen her in years.
What happened during the time they were separated that she became a vampire? He had completely forgotten human-turned vampires existed.
"Satya…?" his face flushed with sadness. "What happened to you? You're…"
"A vampire? I'm aware, Niran." she crossed her arms over her chest.
There's no way. This can't be the same Satya he knew all those years ago. This just wasn't her. Satya was a human, not… this.
"What happened to you?" he asked with concern.
"An accident happened one day, Vishkar threw me out once they realized I was transforming into a vampire." she briefly told him the backstory.
"How long have you been a vampire?"
"Almost four years now." at least she was a human for a few more years after he left.
If anything, he wanted to hug her. But who knows if her vampire urges will take over. Four years a vampire, her humanity was long gone. Does she feel any emotions? Happiness, sadness, anger, love… any at all?
Niran wished he didn't leave back then if he knew at some point this would happen to her. He wanted to protect Satya but now… he had no choice but to kill her. If the others found out he found a vampire, they'd quickly want to get rid of it. Call him a traitor for not taking action against the vampire.
He doesn't have the status or reputation in the vampire hunting community to let a vampire loose. He'd be an outcast in an instant.
"I wish I could take you with me… but I can't." he gave her the look of care he once gave all those years ago. "Can I… hug you, Satya? I've missed you, even though I left."
Satya nodded and allowed Niran to hug her. It took her a moment before giving into the hug, wrapping her arms around him.
Niran wanted to cry, he desperately wanted to cry. But he had to stay strong in the moment.
"I miss you so much, Satya. I wanted to come back to you someday, I promise I wanted to… but now you're… this. You've lost your humanity and—"
"I did not lose my humanity." she cut him off and pulled away from the hug. "You don't know how hard I'm trying to not bite you, Niran. I'd gladly attack you if you were a strange, but you are my friend. I do not want to hurt you, Niran. That is why I haven't done anything."
As he spent this short amount of time with her again, he could see it was his Satya. She's still the same even if she was a vampire. He had feelings that still lingered in his heart, but how could he be with a vampire?
She was trying so hard to not take his blood. Niran wanted to let her have his blood, she was probably suffering during this encounter. What more did he have to lose?
"Take my blood, Satya." he boldly suggested. Satya's eyes widened hearing it.
"I will not, Niran. You can't just—"
"I don't have anything to lose. You're suffering, you probably need the blood more than I do. Take my blood." he kept insisting.
"Are you hearing yourself right now?"
"Take it!" He raised his voice but lowered it, "Take it." he repeated.
She hesitated, glancing at his pleading eyes and the crook of his neck. He was demanding, yes. But Satya feared what she could do with him. There were only two fates that Niran could have once she sunk her teeth into him.
He would either die or turn into a vampire.
Satya hadn't bitten anyone in the years she was a vampire, just drink blood from small capsules. She wasn't sure herself what fate she'd give Niran.
The urge for blood kept creeping up on her. She couldn't bring herself to take Niran's blood even if he offered… but he did offer it… maybe just a little bit of blood…
She pushed Niran against a tree and opened her mouth slightly, revealing her fangs. Niran took a few breaths and closed his eyes as he prepared himself for the sharp feeling once she bit him. The distance between her mouth and his neck decreased as she got closer.
Then finally, her fangs were revealed as she bit down on Niran's neck. He let out a small groan as he felt her teeth dig into his skin. The warm red liquid being sucked out of him as she drank his blood.
It felt… so nice… to finally have blood straight from a human. That human being the man she was once friend's with all those years ago. His blood actually tasted nice—or it was just Satya's bias giving her that idea.
But she didn't want to take too much blood from him, she didn't want to accidentally kill him. She found him again, she didn't want to lose him.
She stopped and pulled away from Niran's neck, blood in her mouth and on his neck. Satya checked his face, his pulse, she wanted him to still be okay.
"You have a bandage don't you? We should stop the blood." she said. She could check the gear he had on, but she didn't want to accidentally harm herself. He did have hunting gear, after all.
Niran opened his eyes slightly, trying to regain the strength to speak. "In the… small bag… near my hip…"
Satya nodded and saw the small bag at his hip, removing it off his belt and opening it to see a few first aid items. She cleaned up the blood from his neck and bandaged it to stop any more blood from leaking through.
"I'm sorry, Niran… I hope I didn't take too much blood…" she apologized. Satya felt extremely bad, never did she want to take blood straight from a human. "I'm sorry, I really am—" she was cut off as she was pulled into a hug.
Niran held her close, almost like he was going to lose her. He used the current strength he had just to hug her. "It's fine… Satya, it's okay…"
She began to panic, "Niran please don't—I'm sorry please don't go… not again—please.." If she could cry she would, but there were no tears to reveal the human still inside her. "Please… you can't go, not yet…"
"I won't… I'll still be here with you, Satya."
"But—" Niran put a finger to her mouth and weakly smiled.
"In spirit, I'll be with you." he moved his finger away and closed his eyes.
"Niran—Bua?" she put her hands on his shoulders, trying to shake him awake. "Bua, open your eyes! You can't just go like this!"
No matter how hard Satya tried, Niran was gone. She knew it was her fault.
How could she be so selfish? She should've persisted more in not taking his blood, not biting him.
It was her fault.
Again.