Chapter Text
It had been many years since Two Time had stepped foot in this forest. You wouldn’t expect a vampire to grow so accustomed to the city—the hum of streetlights, the distant echo of late-night traffic, the steady pulse of human life—but somehow they had. The wilderness, once familiar, now felt like an old memory resurfacing in fragments: the scent of damp earth, the whisper of leaves overhead, the quiet that pressed in too close.
Vampires in this town weren’t the kind told about in stories. No dramatic capes or castle towers—just careful disguises and practiced restraint. They hid in plain sight, blending seamlessly into everyday life. Two Time was no exception. Red eyes dulled behind tinted contacts, claws and fangs tucked away unless absolutely necessary, their pale skin easily dismissed as a side effect of long winters and grey skies. For years, they had lived as nothing more than another twenty-year-old drifting through town, unnoticed and unremarkable—and that was exactly how they preferred it.
The town itself was small, the kind of place where everyone thought they knew everyone. It made it oddly perfect. A single, unassuming house held their little group of five—an unconventional family bound more by survival than sentiment, though traces of both lingered. Days were spent wandering libraries, lingering too long in quiet aisles, or slipping through shops with a mischievous boldness that flirted with exposure but never quite crossed the line. It was a game to them. A controlled kind of chaos.
But tonight was different. The forest loomed tall and endless as Two Time stepped beneath its canopy. Leaves crunched underfoot in uneven rhythms, and the chirping of crickets stitched the silence together. The air was cooler here, heavier somehow, clinging to their skin in a way that felt both familiar and unsettling. Usually, this place cleared their mind—washed away the noise of town life. Tonight, it only sharpened their thoughts.
They weren’t here to wander aimlessly. A restless energy coiled inside them, sharp and insistent. What kind of trap would be worth setting? Which creature wandering these woods would prove just naive enough? What small act of chaos might finally satisfy the itch beneath their skin? The forest, though vast, felt dull compared to the unpredictable pulse of town. Nothing here reacted quite the same way.
Still, they pressed deeper, boots brushing aside fallen branches, senses stretching outward for anything unusual. For a while, there was nothing—just darkness and the steady rhythm of the forest breathing around them.
Then, a flicker. Two Time paused. A light glowed faintly ahead, steady and unmoving. Not a lantern carried by a traveler, not the wavering dance of someone walking. Something fixed. Something waiting. At first, they assumed it might be a person. But the longer they watched, the less it made sense. The light didn’t shift, didn’t dim. Curiosity pricked at them, quickly overtaking caution. Fear had never held much weight in their decisions anyway—if anything, danger was an invitation.
They moved closer. The trees thinned just enough to reveal it: a cabin. Two Time tilted their head slightly, confusion flickering across their features before giving way to intrigue. A cabin this deep in the forest wasn’t impossible—but it felt out of place, like something set deliberately rather than built to belong. And that alone made it interesting.
They stepped out of the tree line, boots meeting the gravel that ringed the structure. The soft crunch echoed louder than expected in the stillness. A breeze slipped through the clearing, carrying with it a faint chill that tugged at their clothes and stirred the quiet into something almost watchful.
For a moment, the place felt wrong—like a scene from a story meant to warn rather than welcome. A haunted house dressed as something ordinary. The kind of place people whispered about but never approached.
Yet, visually, it was almost… charming. The cabin was well-built, its structure sturdy despite its isolation. Soft curtains hung in the windows, their patterns blurred by old, slightly warped glass. A small porch extended from the front, where a wooden rocking chair swayed gently, moved only by the wind. Draped over its back was a velvet blanket, deep in color and worn at the edges, as though it had been used often.
Creak. The chair shifted again, the faint sound cutting through the quiet just enough to catch their attention.
Two Time stepped forward, gravel snapping underfoot like brittle cereal. Each step brought them closer, their curiosity tightening into focus. When they reached the porch, the sound beneath them changed—wooden planks groaning softly under their weight, a slower, heavier rhythm than the gravel below.
The wind brushed against their skin, cool and familiar. Comforting, even. They had always preferred the cold—the way it sharpened everything, made the world feel clearer. Vampires in general found the cold more appealing.
Up close, the cabin felt less like a coincidence and more like a question. And Two Time had never been good at leaving questions unanswered. They pear in through the window, old and smudged. Even leaning as close as they could and yet nothing became visible.
Two Time listened, ignoring the chair and the wind. They waited for noise, any sign of a presence inside. Their nose had always been more reliable than their ears, but both senses were much greater use than any human.
They waited a moment longer, silence. Until they caught the scent. Human. Very human. Perhaps this night will go well after all. They hadn’t had any real human blood in around a year. Perhaps that wasn’t too long ago, considering how many years they’ve been alive for. But to them, a year was too long.
Two Time tears their eyes away from the window, turning towards the front door. What are the chances that the owner left it unlocked? Probably close to none. Forests were often considered dangerous around small towns. It made sense, since those rumours were often correct. Dangerous creatures always wandered the forests, especially during the late hours.
As expected, the door was locked. Two Time gripped the doorknob, giving it one hard final twist, as if that would change anything. It was just their luck that often homes had other ways inside. Two Time stepped back, their gaze scanning the cabin for another way in.
Everything seemed secure. No open doors or windows. But they’d be damned to let a door stop them from tonight's entertainment. A game that could well become dinner.
Two Time walked around the sides, looking for anything that stood out. The gravel crunched under their feet, but the sound was too quiet to actually alarm the human inside. Two Time walked even slower, just to be extra sure.
CRASH
Two Time stopped in their tracks, their heart stopping for just a moment. In fear? Surprise? Had they been caught? Their eyes darted towards the direction of the noise, immediately something vile filled their senses. What was that… awful smell…?
No matter how great Two Time’s senses were, they couldn’t depict the scent. But it smelt ROTTEN, as if something had died. The foul scent had them almost vomiting in their throat. It sure wasn’t pleasant. They had to cover their nose, trying to block it out.
Two Time peaked their head out to the back of the cabin – where the noise had come from – though nothing was there. Their expression turned confused. Were they dreaming? No, impossible. They stepped into the small clearing, looking for anything that could’ve caused the racket.
Finally, their eyes land on the shattered vase under a small window of the cabin. The window was closed, no evidence it had been open. However, the placement of the vase looked as if it had been dropped. The contents of the vase had mixed in with the dirt, now looking like a pile of dust.
Two Time stepped closer, only to back away as the scent got stronger. The strange contents of the vase had to be what was causing the abominable smell. Yet, Two Time couldn’t tell what it was exactly. The remains blew with the wind, disappearing into the night. Two Time’s red eyes followed the dust as it began to drift away, staring daggers as if the dirt had personally offended them. Which wasn’t exactly wrong, since they had been in utter disgust by just the smell of it.
“What are you doing here?” A voice spoke from behind Two Time, and their eyes immediately snapped toward the sound. The human. How had they not sensed them? Were they too distracted by the vase that the human was able to sneak away? Though clearly, the human had no intention of running.
The person held a shotgun. Two Time’s eyes widened when they saw it pointed directly at them. So they had been caught, AND outsmarted by a human. How had they managed to pull this off?
The human was a male, and much taller than Two Time. He had pale almond skin and bright yellow hair that reminded Two Time of the sun. The one star all vampires could all agree was a pain in the ass. The man wore pajamas and had the biggest bed head ever seen. Two Time found themself admiring his physique as well, though they’d never admit to it.
“Hello?” The man repeated, and Two Time reluctantly snapped out of their daydreaming. The man was obviously a hunter. No regular human would’ve heard them coming. It made sense now why he had been living in a cabin in the woods. Suddenly they found themselves thinking of a reason to be wandering so late at night.
“Uh… got any food?” It was the first thing that came to mind, but it was the worst excuse possible. The man raised an eyebrow, making Two Time’s stupidity as clear as ever. They couldn’t eat the food even if the hunter had any.
“What are you, homeless? If so, you’re in the wrong place.”
“How come?” Another stupid response from an idiot.
“You really thought you’d find food in the woods? Make it believable at least. You look like you haven’t killed an animal in your life! How old are you, kid?”
Kid? Really? Two Time almost scoffed, but stopped themself. The hunter thought they were human. The innocent look to them doing wonders. The gun was slightly lowered, proving that the man thought they were just a hungry kid scavenging the woods for scraps. The thought was almost laughable, but Two Time kept their lips tied.
“Well, I found you, didn’t I?” Two Time acted as the smartass, their hidden grin aching to be shown. They crossed their arms, body relaxed even when a gun had just been pointed at them.
“By chance. I have nothing for you.” The man said. His voice was stern and unforgiving. He didn’t even try to soften his tone around Two Time.
“Well, if you won’t help me, at least tell me your name.” Two Time acted annoyed, though they were having fun with this more than they thought they would.
“Elliot. The name is Elliot.” The man said, his patience seemingly wearing thin. Two Time kept pushing, they didn’t care for the attitude. In fact, the reactions they were getting were rather thrilling.
“Elliot… right.” Two Time repeated, letting it roll off their tongue, tasting the word from their mouth. “You live here?”
“Yes. My job is to protect these woods from rabid predators. And you shouldn’t be here, it’s dangerous.”
The care made Two Time want to laugh. They could very much take care of themself, but it’s not like Elliot knew that. They were honestly surprised by how oblivious this hunter was. Wasn’t he supposed to have some sort of sense, or just a way to know in general? Perhaps not, it didn’t matter. Two Time was just sticking around to enjoy the game.
“Oh really? What could possibly harm me if I’ve got you around?” Two Time teased, and Elliot scoffed, facing the gun down completely. The wind seemed to grow louder for a moment.
“Are you serious? Werewolves, Vampires, Witches. Anything?! Are you out of your mind, kid?”
It’s been a while since Two Time had encountered another creature besides a vampire. At least in this town, those creatures never seemed to stick around for long. Two Time always assumed it was because of the miserable weather — the endless drizzle, the muddy roads, the skies that stayed heavy and gray even in the middle of the day. But maybe they had been overlooking another answer entirely.
Creatures roamed Robloxia everywhere. Not always in plain sight, but beneath the noses of ordinary people, hiding in crowded streets and quiet neighborhoods alike. Vampires were only one kind among many, blending into society with practiced ease. Most preferred places where the sun rarely broke through the clouds, where long coats and pale skin didn’t attract too much suspicion. Two Time and their small family — if that’s what you’d even call the strange arrangement they had — lived in a sleepy little town tucked between forests and small bodies of water, pretending to be regular humans with regular lives. Though “regular” had never really suited Two Time.
Now that they thought about it, had there ever been any other creatures living around this town? Werewolves would’ve been obvious eventually. They carried a scent impossible to fully mask: wet fur, iron, earth after rain. Two Time was certain they would’ve noticed by now unless the beasts had somehow learned to hide themselves better. Sirens, on the other hand, were harder to track. The region was littered with lakes deep enough to swallow boats whole, their dark waters stretching endlessly beneath layers of fog. It would make sense for sirens to settle somewhere nearby, luring careless travelers to the depths when no one was watching.
Maybe Two Time should search for another outcast someday. Someone else was forced into hiding just like them. But that was a task for another night.
Right now, Two Time was far more entertained by the hunter standing in front of them. An oblivious hunter at that. It had been almost embarrassingly easy. One innocent look, one carefully softened expression, and suddenly Elliot saw them as nothing more than a wandering kid lost in the woods. Who knew hunters could be so painfully stupid?
“Those things don’t exist,” Two Time lied smoothly, shrugging their shoulders. “They’re just myths made to scare people.” The reaction was immediate, and delicious.
Elliot’s jaw tightened. Irritation flickered across his face so openly that Two Time nearly laughed. Seeing him get worked up over a few simple words was oddly satisfying, like poking at a bruise just to watch someone flinch.
“Well, aren’t you a smart one?” Elliot muttered bitterly. He dragged a hand over his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose as though fighting off a headache. Every movement screamed exhaustion and frustration. “Go run off now, kid. I gotta get some rest. And you should be doing the same.”
Two Time tilted their head slightly, forcing down a grin. So now he was trying to dismiss them. The whole situation was almost pathetic in the funniest way possible. For a brief moment, they even forgot about the dull ache gnawing at their stomach. Instead, their mind drifted toward a far more entertaining thought: just how much more could they push Elliot before he finally snapped?
“So what do you hunt then, huh?” Two Time asked innocently. “Rabbits? Bears?” They watched carefully as the redness in Elliot’s face deepened.
“Oh my TELAMON! Would you just leave?!” Elliot shouted. The outburst tore through the quiet forest. Birds burst from nearby trees in startled flocks, wings beating wildly against the cold night air. Somewhere deeper in the woods, branches rustled from frightened animals fleeing the noise.
Two Time’s conscience wanted nothing more than to break into laughter right then and there. Barely holding themself together, they bit the inside of their cheek instead.
Still, something about Elliot lingered strangely in their mind. Maybe it was his reactions — the way irritation flashed across his face so easily, the way he wore every emotion openly without realizing it. Or maybe it was something else entirely. Something Two Time didn’t care enough to figure out yet. The question lingered anyway. Who cared?
The only thing that mattered was entertainment, and Elliot was proving himself to be the perfect source of it. It wouldn’t be entirely impossible to let him live for a few more nights. Just long enough to come back and bother him again.
Maybe they’d lurk around his house unseen, scratching softly at windows just to watch him panic. Maybe they’d leave little signs in the woods to make him doubt himself. Maybe they’d simply sit nearby and listen to him rant into the empty forest like a madman. The possibilities were endless. And for the first time in a while, Two Time found themself genuinely excited for what tomorrow night might bring.
“Fine. I’ll leave,” Two Time finally said. “Hope to see you again soon!” The sentence landed somewhere between a farewell and a threat, stretched wide beneath their impossible grin. Though Two Time didn't leave as they said they would - instead they stepped closer, much to Elliot's disliking.
“You know,” Two Time continued, tilting their head, “you seem to really believe in all those myths.” Their voice had gone lighter now, almost playful. “So which one’s your favourite, huh?”
Elliot let out a slow breath through his nose. “No. I’m not doing this with you.”
His hands curled into fists at his sides. He hated how calm Two Time looked, like this was all a game only they understood.
“None of these are myths,” Elliot snapped. “And you’ll be sorry once you get caught in the jaws of one.”
For the first time, the grin on Two Time’s face twitched.
The wind picked up the moment the words left Elliot’s mouth, sweeping through the trees hard enough to make the branches creak overhead. Dry leaves scraped across the dirt. Somewhere deeper in the woods, something knocked against bark with a hollow clack. The entire forest suddenly felt darker, as though the night itself had leaned in to listen.
Two Time rolled their eyes at first, trying to hold onto that same smug expression. But something cold crawled slowly up their spine anyway. Not because of Elliot’s warning. At first it was barely noticeable. A distant disturbance hidden beneath the whistle of the wind. Heavy. Rhythmic. Like something large forcing its way through underbrush.
Two Time’s smile faded by a fraction. The sound came again.
Thud. Crack. Thud. Far away, but moving quickly. Very quickly.
Elliot went silent immediately. Every trace of irritation vanished from his face, replaced by sharp concentration. His head snapped toward the trees bordering the clearing, eyes narrowed. The hunter slowly raised the gun in his hands while taking one careful step backward.
“Get behind me,” he ordered. Two Time almost laughed at that. Protection? From a human hunter with a bad temper and a superiority complex? They could tear Elliot apart before he even blinked. But maintaining appearances mattered more than pride right now. So with an exaggerated sigh, they stepped behind him anyway, boots sinking slightly into the damp mud.
The noise grew louder.
Branches snapped in rapid succession now. Bushes shook violently in the darkness. Whatever was out there wasn’t sneaking. It was charging straight toward them with reckless speed, crushing dead leaves and wet earth beneath heavy paws.
The scent reached them before the creature did. Wet fur. Rot. Blood. A massive wolf burst through the trees in a spray of mud and broken branches, landing at the edge of the clearing with enough force to shake the ground beneath them. Its ribs heaved with frantic breaths, saliva hanging in thick strands from its jaws. Its yellow eyes locked immediately onto the ashes near the cabin.
The remains of the burned corpse. It must have smelled death from miles away and come running for an easy feast.
Two Time grimaced in disgust. Wild creatures were always so predictable. The wolf prowled forward slowly at first, nose twitching as it neared the ashes. Then it noticed them. Its posture changed instantly.
The beast stiffened. Its lips peeled back from enormous teeth, low growls vibrating from deep within its chest. Hunger shifted into aggression in a heartbeat. Now they were the prey.
“STOP!” Elliot shouted. The command cracked through the clearing like lightning. To Two Time’s surprise, the wolf actually froze.
For a brief second, hunter and beast stared at one another in complete stillness. Elliot held the gun aimed perfectly between the creature’s eyes, his posture rigid and practiced. But Two Time noticed something else. Sweat rolled slowly down the side of Elliot’s face. Not from exertion. Fear. Their eyes narrowed. Why wasn’t he shooting? The wolf was standing perfectly still. One pull of the trigger would end it immediately.
Unless—
Ah.
Two Time nearly smiled.
No ammunition.
The realization settled into place beautifully. So the fearless hunter had marched into the woods, pointed a gun at a stranger’s head, and threatened them without a single bullet to back it up. Bold. Reckless too. But now this little bluff had teeth.
The wolf growled louder, muscles tightening beneath its fur as it prepared to lunge. Elliot instinctively stepped back, one arm pushing Two Time farther behind him protectively.
“I will shoot,” Elliot warned, voice strained. “Leave.”
The wolf’s ears flattened. It knew. Maybe not fully, but animals sensed weakness better than humans ever could. It must have noticed the hesitation. The scent of panic. The fact Elliot still hadn’t fired. The creature crouched lower, ready to spring.
Two Time sighed softly. Honestly, humans were exhausting. Discreetly, they extended one hand behind Elliot’s back. Their sharpened nail slid across their palm with practiced ease, opening a thin line through pale skin. Dark blood welled instantly from the cut.
Elliot never noticed. His attention remained fixed entirely on the wolf. Good. Two Time curled their fingers subtly, focusing.The blood lifted from their palm unnaturally, hovering in the air like liquid thread. It twisted and compressed soundlessly, hardening piece by piece into the shape of a bullet. Blood manipulation they called it. Their specialty.
One of the rarest gifts among vampires, and certainly one of the deadliest. Most could barely control another creature’s pulse for a few seconds before collapsing from exhaustion. Two Time could shape blood into weapons as easily as breathing. Though they usually preferred not to show off.
The bullet finished forming with a faint metallic sheen. Quickly, before Elliot could turn around, Two Time pressed the newly made ammunition into his free hand. Elliot blinked in surprise. For the first time since meeting them, genuine confusion crossed his face, but gratitude followed immediately after.
Without wasting another second, he snapped open the chamber and loaded the bullet. The wolf saw everything. Its eyes widened, and then it lunged. The clearing exploded into motion.
Mud sprayed beneath massive paws as the beast launched forward with terrifying speed, jaws wide enough to crush bone. Elliot planted his feet and fired at the exact moment the creature left the ground.
BAAM!
The gunshot shattered the night. Birds erupted screaming from the trees overhead. The wolf jerked violently midair before crashing into the dirt only a few feet away from them. Its body rolled once, twice, then fell still.
Silence followed. Heavy, Complete. Smoke curled from the end of Elliot’s gun. Then the corpse began to change. Fur receded back beneath skin. Bones cracked and shifted with sickening pops. The enormous wolf slowly shrank inward until a human body lay motionless in the mud instead.
Young. Too young. Not fully transformed for long enough to hide the traces of the beast beneath the skin. A werewolf. And not an experienced one either.
Two Time and Elliot exchanged a long look. That changed things.
Elliot finally exhaled shakily before lowering the gun. He dragged one hand down his face and leaned heavily against the side of the cabin, exhaustion replacing the adrenaline keeping him upright.
“That…” he muttered quietly, “…was awful.”
Two Time chuckled under their breath. Now that the danger had passed, Elliot looked less like a hardened hunter and more like a man one inconvenience away from collapsing entirely.
After a moment, he glanced toward them again. “Where’d you get that bullet?” he asked.
His voice had changed. The anger was mostly gone now. Suspicion remained, but it sat beneath layers of exhaustion and reluctant appreciation.
“The ground,” Two Time replied smoothly. A blatant lie. But Elliot merely stared at them for a second before giving up entirely. He looked far too tired to argue anymore.
“Right,” he muttered flatly. “Go home, kid.”
Turning away, he shoved open the cabin door and disappeared inside, slamming it behind him hard enough to rattle the walls. The clearing fell quiet again. Wind whispered through the trees. Blood still dripped slowly from Two Time’s palm. And finally, they grinned. A real grin this time. Sharp. Interested.
This had been the most entertaining night they’d had in decades. Maybe staying a little longer wouldn’t be so bad after all.