08: Wounded

   The hamlet of Greyfleur lay to the west of the capital, about five miles away from the Outskirts. Far from the main road, it was a small settlement, partially hidden away by a deep green forest. Wide cobblestone paths intertwined through the modest brick buildings, with all roads leading to an open central plaza that boasted a beautiful travertine water fountain. On any given weekend, the square would be full to the brim with travellers and citizens alike, all perusing the many stalls that would line the sides, selling all sorts of goods.

   On the outer fringes of Greyfleur lay a small none-descript house made of dark red bricks and ebony framed windows, the latter shrouded in translucent curtains. It was a detached house situated next to the countryside, a decent distance from it prying neighbours. With a soft popping sound, Luhan appeared on the front steps and hastily opened the door, dragging Sehun inside. He propped his unconscious cousin against the wall and shut the front door behind him, careful to check out of the windows for any watchful eyes. Satisfied that they hadn’t been seen, Luhan once again turned his attention to his cousin.

   Grimacing with exhaustion, Luhan carried Sehun to the back of the house where the infirmary was. With a grunt, he hauled Sehun onto one of the two beds. Even though vampires were more resilient than humans, they had no magical powers; the only thing they had was a faster cell regeneration rate to aid their healing, but even that had a cost. Luhan was no stranger to recovering here, and neither was Sehun. Bounty hunting was often a challenging career choice. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Luhan examined Sehun’s wound. It was still bleeding heavily, pulsating angrily with his heartbeat. Rushing over to the fridge, Luhan grabbed three blood packets from the shelf before stumbling back to his injured cousin. Roughly, he pinched Sehun on the arm until he stirred.

    Sehun growled, baring his fangs, his eyes opening to reveal his dark red irises. Out of instinct, Sehun’s hand shot up to attack whoever had woken him but Luhan deflected his hand with ease.

   “Don’t be stupid, it’s me,” Luhan muttered, “Come on, drink this.”

   As consciousness spread throughout Sehun’s body, a low groan of pain escaped his lips. He winced as he moved, taking the small package from Luhan’s hand. Roughly, he tore an opening and began gulping down the contents, letting blood spill down his cheek. Meanwhile, Luhan rummaged through the cupboards for the medical supplies that he needed and plopped them onto a small surgical table. By the time he returned to Sehun, the latter was already onto his second blood packet.

   “How long was I out?” croaked Sehun.

   Luhan gestured for Sehun to sit up so that he could remove the latter’s blood-soaked clothes.

   “About fifteen minutes,” Luhan replied. With a small thump, he sat himself down besides Sehun’s bed and began working on cleaning the wound, “Does it hurt a lot?”

   “Well… I’ve had been better days, I guess,” joked Sehun with a weak smile.

   Luhan felt a smile flicker across his tired face. It was rare to see Sehun be so glib. Perhaps it meant that hi