Excitement glimmered in his eyes as a fearful smirk played on his lips. "It's meal time," he announced, leaping off the top of the tower. 

 

Upon landing with a little thud on the ground, he vanished into thin air and reappeared in yet another secluded area - the alley. He hid in the dark and waited for a potential prey to arrive right before him.

 

"Come here, lady," he cooed, using an alluring tone. "Come to me."

 

The young woman who had been sashaying down the path in a leisure manner came to an abrupt halt and floated towards the source. Following the voice, she walked straight into a trap. The dark figure stepped into her view.

 

Come here. With just these two words, she fell into the arms of a terrifying creature.

 

His long fingers reached for and the tender skin. "I'm here..." he drawled. Tugging a fair bit of the fabric, he breathed in the scent of fresh blood. "...to take your breath away." The only barrier that was getting in his way to feed was just a thin layer of skin. He her neck and sank his sharp, pointed teeth into her flesh. His lips were ling hungrily at her delicate neck. The ticking of the blood rhythmically slipping into his throat could be heard in the eerie quietness of the street.

 

Almost immediately, the victim was flooded with the most intense sensation of...comfort... she had ever experienced. She knew that if she did not resist, this moment, would be her last. However, she could not struggle against this feeling. It was not a lack of strength; it was a lack of will. She knew that the monster was draining away her heart's blood and yet, she did not care. The problems which caused her sleepless nights. The days which went by without any peace. The constant worries which made her feel restless. It all began to evaporate as each drop of blood she lost.

 

The attacker had pulled his mouth away. She slumped against his chest. "I...almost...could not stop," he said, wiping his dark red lips with the corner of his sleeve.

 

Slipping his free hand into his pants pocket, he brought out a knife. He pressed it against her neck and slid the blade over the two holes which he made. After laying her down on the cold concrete floor, he took two steps back and bounded over to the other side of the lane.

 

Under the dim light, she was there, motionless, in a growing pool of blood.

 

*****

 

A girl was holding an exercise book that had her school name and her name, Song Soojin, printed on it. When she arrived in front of her house, she fished into her pocket. Then, she took her key out and slid it into the keyhole. With a light twist of the key, the door clicked open.

 

"Umma, I'm home," she said, closing the door behind her.

 

"Welcome home!" her mother welcomed her. "Dinner will be ready soon. Go and take a bath first."

 

Soojin nodded and proceeded upstairs. Thirty minutes later, she came down and helped her mother set the table.

 

"Soojin-ah, go and call your father to come down," her mother instructed.

 

Without a word, she went up the stairs again and came back down with her father beside her. Dinner began. It was a typical day which a normal and warm family sat next to each other, enjoying a meal that seemed to be the most natural thing.

 

After dinner, the trio sat on the couch to catch a repeated sitcom. When the show ended at the , all of them groaned in unison. Then, the news started.

 

"This is the seventh case," A picture of a girl was revealed on the screen. "17 years old. Her body was found in the alley this morning." The part about this incident ended with precautions that needed to be taken.

 

"Umma..." muttered Soojin, gripping the hem of her mother's shirt.

 

Mrs Song placed her hand over her daughter's. With eyebrows furrowed in worry, she said, "Come home as soon as can. Don't stay out late... And avoid secluded area." 

 

Soojin's mother was desperate to reassure herself and her daughter that she would be safe.

 

"Umma... The method of killing is the same. A serial killer is still on the loose."

 

Soojin's father inched closer to them, resting his arms on their shoulders. 

 

"You'll be safe," he repeated over and over again.