Blood Velvet

This story is focused on the lives of the five members in Red Velvet. In this story, every member is in high school. Yeri is a Sophomore, Joy is a Junior, and Seulgi, Irene, and Wendy are Seniors.

 

    Irene sat, squished in between the two younger ones who continuously bounced around to the beat of the music that boomed through the car’s speakers, and tried to focus on the view she could see through the windshield. She wasn’t at all a fan of vacations but when her friends showed up to her house with suitcases prepared, what could she have done? It wasn’t that Irene didn’t know how to say ‘no’, but rather she didn’t want to disappoint the younger ones, who seemed to shake with excitement at the mere thought of going on a vacation without their parents.

 

    Of course, Irene’s parents had said ‘yes’. The five of them had been friends for a few years now and their families were all close - Irene would even go as far as considering all of them her sisters. But, sisters or not, Irene disliked the beach. And the beach was exactly where they were headed. Wendy was the one who got the invitation to this ‘vacation without parents’. Her cousin’s family owned it and allowed Wendy to bring her friends along.

 

    “This is so exciting!” Yeri said through her wide smile as Wendy lowered the volume of the music. Irene hummed and reached forward to adjust the air conditioning. It was steaming hot outside and the more Yeri and Joy jumped around, the more hot it got inside the car. She could feel the sweat begin to accumulate on her forehead. Her jean shorts were already sticking to the bottom of her thighs. Irene brought a hand up and began to fan herself using the other hand to tap Seulgi on the shoulder. The black haired girl turned in her seat.

 

    “Could you turn the A/C up, please?” Irene asked. Seulgi smiled and nodded before she pressed a couple buttons on the car’s dashboard. The cool air immediately hit Irene with a tad bit more strength and she mumbled a quick thank you to the younger girl up front. Wendy moved the rearview mirror, eyes focused on everything all at once. Yeri stuck her forehead to the car window, eyeing the bare land.

 

    “Where are we right now?” The youngest one questioned with curiosity in her tone. Irene turned her head to look out the window Yeri was looking out of, seeing nothing but desert. Now that Irene thought about it, they hadn’t seen another sign of life for almost an hour. (Unless you count the dead fox they saw at the side of the road thirty minutes ago.)

 

    Wendy shrugged nonchalantly. “Somewhere.” Seulgi quirked an eyebrow.

 

    “That’s reassuring.” She deadpanned, a hint of amusement in her words.

 

    The driver rolled her eyes. “Calm down. This isn’t the first time I drove to Sooyoung’s beach house, alright? We have to go through this mini desert thing to get there.” She explained.

 

Wendy’s reassurance did nothing to calm the queasy feeling that formed in Irene’s chest, but it sure did for the other three girls, who all began to talk at the same time. The oldest one took a deep breath and tried to remind herself to let loose and have a little fun.

 

When the sun began to set, Yeri and Joy’s energy level went down with it. Seulgi snickered as she looked back towards Irene. The sight was enough to make anyone smile. Yeri had curled up into a ball with her head on Irene’s thigh meanwhile Joy’s head rested upon Irene’s shoulder.

 

“Having fun back there, Irene?” Seulgi teased, quiet enough not to wake the two girls. Irene scowled. Wendy hummed lowly as she continued down the road. Her eyes peeked down towards the car’s front dashboard and she whistled.

 

The moon started to come out. “We might have a problem.”

 

Irene’s stomach tightened. “What do you mean?” She asked worriedly. Wendy pulled over to the side of the road. (Though she didn’t really need to, considering the absence of any other human life on the street.)

 

“Low gas.” Wendy answered.

 

Seulgi peered over. “So, what do we do?”

 

Wendy then smiled proudly. “I came prepared.”

 

Irene’s chest felt cold. “How so?”

 

Wendy unlocked her seatbelt and opened the car door, the hot air from outside coming in. “I brought an extra gas can.” She said before she shut the door and walked to the back of the car, opening the trunk. Irene felt Yeri stir, her hands moving up to her face as she rubbed her eyes.

 

“Why did we stop?” The youngest asked. “Are we here?”

 

“No, we aren’t.” Irene replied. She patted Yeri’s head. “Go back to sleep.”

 

Yeri breathed deeply and nodded. “Okay.” She turned over and buried her face into Irene’s waist. Seulgi sighed and opened her car door.

 

“My legs are killing me.” She got out of the car and stretched. Irene just played with Yeri’s hair, waiting for the two same aged friends to get back into the car so they could be on their way again. Irene was known for being paranoid and overly worried about every little thing, but something about this whole trip just felt off. She gulped down the lump in as the two entered the car again. Wendy spoke.

 

“The gas will last us long enough to get to a gas station nearby.”

 

“And if it doesn’t?” Irene replied.

 

Wendy shrugged. “Then we call Sooyoung and send out an S.O.S.”

 

“Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey.” A voice stirred Irene out of her slumber. The girl opened her eyes and blinked a couple times to get her vision straight. Joy shrugged the shoulder Irene was resting her head on. “You sleep like a baby.”

 

“She is a baby.” Seulgi retorted as she opened the car door. Irene ignored her friends and looked around.

 

“Where are we?” It was dark outside, so dark that Irene could barely make out where they were. Though, the dimly lit words ‘Gas and Diner!’ showed up enough for her to assume they were at a diner which included a gas station. Joy tugged on Irene’s hand. “Come on.” Irene could feel the soreness in her legs as she stood up, stretching. Yeri got out from behind her.

 

“I’m starving.” She grumbled. Wendy rolled her eyes and Irene stuck close to Joy, using the younger girl as a heat source.

 

“We only have like a couple hours left to drive. Can’t you wait until we get there?”

 

Seulgi softly nudged Wendy. “Hey, we can take a small break. Let’s all get something to eat.” She suggested, giving a small smile. The older one sighed. “Alright. Let’s go get something to eat and then leave. This place is so deserted it gives me goosebumps.”

 

The five friends entered the small diner, the waft of food hitting them immediately. Yeri’s eyes lit up as they walked towards one of the booths, hands grabbing at the menu. Irene looked around, scanning the small building with both hands still holding onto Joy. She sees a young girl - someone no younger than Seulgi and Wendy - walk out from behind a door with a smile on her face. For some reason, the smile seemed too friendly. It gave Irene’s stomach a quick flip - and not the good kind.

 

Wendy gave a light slap to Yeri’s thigh. “I’m not made of money, Kim Yerim. Go easy.”

 

“I know.” Yeri replied with a smile as the waitress walked up to them.

 

“Welcome! Would you like to order yet?” Irene analyzed the girl. Her eyes seemed focused on something. Irene just wasn’t sure what. It looked like she was just looking at her friends, but to her, it seemed something a little deeper than that. Her hair was blonde, lighter than Wendy’s. Her eyes were dark brown and her features were sharp and defined. Joy squeezed her hand.

 

“Irene, are you gonna eat anything?”

 

With the attention on her, the waitress’ eyes turned to look at her. A chill rain down Irene’s spine. Feeling uneasy, she shook her head. “I’m fine.”

 

The waitress cocked her head, eyes changing slightly. It was like she could sense Irene’s displeasure. “We have a really killer cheeseburger.” The waitress said with a smile, her teeth pearly white. Irene shook her head once again. “I’m not hungry.”

 

“Suit yourself.” Wendy shrugged. The rest of her friends ordered and she sat, her leg bouncing up and down in nervousness. She told herself to calm down and not to overthink things, but that waitress was just… creepy. Plus, with it being two in the morning, the darkness did not help ease any of Irene’s tension.

 

When their food came out, all the girls dug in. The hand she had been holding onto had slipped away in order to grab at a hamburger. Irene clutched her own hands, nose scrunching in disgust for some reason. She didn’t like this place. Not at all.

 

“This is so good.” Yeri mumbled with a mouthful. Irene eyed all the food on the table, heart nearly beating out of her cage. She stood from the booth.

 

“I’m going to wait in the car.” She announced, though her friends seemed too busy with the food to even acknowledge her. She huffed and took the car keys from the table and hurried out. She was stopped when the creepy waitress spoke to her. “Could you please help me?”

 

Irene froze in her steps and turned her head. “What?”

 

“I have something I need to do in the back but I need - “

 

“Don’t you have another worker to help you? I’m not a worker here.” Irene was scared now.

 

“I said,” The waitress stared at Irene with a little less friendliness, “I needed help.” She enunciated each word. Irene was about to refuse once again until she saw the girl’s eyes flash red. Her blood ran cold, her rapid heartbeat clearly heard in her eardrums. Irene attempted to console herself and tried to come up with a list of reasons why the hell someone’s eyes would flash bright red like that but to no use. Whatever this waitress was, Irene knew she had no chance of running away. And she couldn’t just leave her friends. She took in a shaky breath and walked towards the waitress, whose eyes turned back to a normal shade of brown.

 

“Thanks.” She said in that eerie voice of hers. Irene didn’t reply as they walked towards the door where the waitress had come out of in the first place. When Irene walked in, the blonde walked back out, shooting a quick, “Stay right here.” over her shoulder. Petrified, Irene stood still, waiting for the girl’s return. She came back after a few minutes, the door opening with a slam. Once the swinging door stopped moving from behind her, the waitress appeared in front of her and popped Irene’s personal bubble. “What the hell are you?”

 

Irene’s eyes widened as she tried to take a step back, failing as the girl grabbed her wrist, keeping her in place. “W - What? What are you talking about?”

 

“You know what I am, don’t you?” The girl cocked her head, seeming all too innocent.

 

Irene had never felt more confused and terrified at the same time in all of her life. “I - I don’t know… What are - “

 

Her eyes flashed bright red and she bared her teeth. Irene’s breath hitched as she saw sharp fangs.

 

“Stop playing innocent.” She demanded. “What are you?”

 

The shorter girl tried to push away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! Let me go!” The grip on her wrist only tightened, causing Irene to whimper.

 

“I could bite you right now but I think your blood will kill me. So, I guess ripping your limbs off will do.” Irene stopped struggling against her. She wanted to punch herself for thinking that the girl - or whatever she was - who was threatening her life was much prettier up close. Now was not the time for such thoughts. “Unless,” The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, “You tell me what you are and who sent you.”

 

Irene, although still scared out of her mind, was getting fed up with this creepily pretty waitress. “I told you already.” She gritted her teeth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Who sent you?”

 

“I’m on vacation with my friends and we’re going to a beach house. In reality, I didn’t even want to go in the first place.” Irene narrowed her eyes. “Speaking of my friends, they should be done eating by now. Will you let me go?”

 

The girl let out a scoff and released Irene. “Go. Check on your friends.” Irene rubbed her red wrist and turned to walk out towards the door. She gasped when the blonde appeared in front of her within a split second. “Just a heads-up, they didn’t finish eating.”

 

Irene’s heart began to race quicker. “What did you do to them?”

 

“I did nothing.” She shrugged. “They ate the food themselves. Question is, why didn’t you stop them?”

 

“Stop them? They were hungry, why would I stop them?”

 

“Because you knew all along that the food had blood in it. Why did you let them eat it?”

 

Irene snapped. “What are you talking about?!”

 

“You’re special.” She said. “I can smell it.”

 

Irene sneered. “Smell my , then.” The blonde showed her fangs again, but Irene was more annoyed than scared by now. “Let me see my friends.” The taller one stepped aside and Irene shoved past her. She was greeted to any empty booth. Irene her heels, only to feel a breeze pass by and a voice whisper into her ear from behind. “They’re not here.”

 

Irene turned. “Where are they? What did you do to them?”

 

The blonde smiled.

 

“Remember? I didn’t do anything.” The smile on her face was getting less and less attractive the more Irene saw it.

 

“Where are they?”

 

“Wanna see?” She asked. Irene nodded but then she hesitated once the blonde began to walk. Should she really follow her? “Don’t even think about running.” The girl laughed. “The cells are this way.”

 

At the word ‘cells’, Irene’s fingers curled into a tight fist. She followed the blonde girl who moved an old jukebox out of the way, revealing a hidden staircase. Irene followed her down multiple sets of stairs until they reached the bottom. The blonde girl’s red eyes glimmered in the pitch black. “You can’t see anything, can you?” The taller girl asked in amusement. “ being human, doesn’t it? Oh wait. You aren’t.”

 

Irene ignored her despite her brain going wild at the thought of her not being human. What the hell was she, then? Then, it popped up in her brain. A mental lightbulb went off in  Irene's head. She was a vampire. “Where are my friends?”

 

“You’re looking at them. You just can’t see them.” She snickered. Irene then heard a small voice call out.

 

“I - Irene?” It was Joy.

 

“Joy! Joy! Where are you?” Irene reached her arms out in front of her and walked towards the girl’s voice, relieved that her friends were at least alive. Her hands found cold cell bars.

 

“Irene… I - I can see you perfectly fine… Can’t you see me?” Her voice sounded confused.

 

That’s when it sank into Irene’s brain. She clenched her jaw. “You turned them?!” She turned her head and yelled into the darkness, knowing that the blonde girl was there somewhere. “Why would you do that?!” She could feel her veins throbbing. She couldn’t see anything, but she could hear footsteps and shuffling. She could sense the blonde girl in front of her.

 

“I needed more people in my pack. I was the last of us.”

 

Irene was pissed. “We’re all only high school students. Yeri… Yeri’s only sixteen.” She spoke through her teeth.

 

“Irene? I’m scared…” There was a sniffle. “What’s going on?” It was Yeri this time.

 

“Everything’s fine, Yeri.” Irene tried to comfort the youngest.

 

“And she’ll stay sixteen for the rest of her life.” Bright red eyes showed up in front of Irene, who stared straight back at them. “If only I could turn you… I could use a tough nut with me.”

 

“I’m hungry…” That was Seulgi.

 

Irene just needed to hear Wendy’s voice to make sure they were all alright.

 

“You just ate.”

 

There she was.

 

The blonde’s red eyes dimmed. “It’s starting.”

 

“What?” Irene asked. “What’s starting? What’s going on? Mind you, I still can’t see anything.”

 

“They’d burn into ashes if any light source came down here. They’re fragile at this state.” Her voice was less creepy now. “They’re getting hungry… I need to get animals for them. I need to fully transform them.”

 

“No!” Irene grabbed the blonde. “Don’t do it! Don’t turn them! Please!” She was begging now. The girl shoved Irene off, teeth baring. “It’s too late. They already ate the blood. If I don’t give them something to eat then they’ll just die.”

 

Irene started to tear up, shaking her head. “You’re ed in the brain.”

 

Irene could feel the smile on the blonde’s face as she spoke. “Then that makes two of us.”

 

Irene sat on the cold concrete floor in front of the cells - which she still could not see - and waited for the return of the blonde girl. For all she knew, this could all be some kind of sick prank and really, they were all doomed to die in this basement as the blonde would never return. Irene sighed, realizing that there was no use in blinking because nothing in her vision changed. It was pitch black. The oldest girl sat in silence, assuming that all of the other girls were asleep.

 

She should get some sleep as well but her brain was up and running, making it impossible to even think about getting some slumber.

 

Suddenly, Irene heard a yelp of pain. She stood up, head snapping towards the sound. It had been Yeri, knowing that Yeri’s cell was on the far right side. “Yeri? What’s wrong, Yeri?”

 

There was no response, only a groan. But it wasn’t from Yeri.

 

“Joy?”

 

“What’s happening?” Seulgi questioned, voice muffled as if she had her hands holding her face. Yeri started to breath heavily.

 

“Guys…” Wendy trailed off, sounding out of breath. Irene gasped and took a step back as one pair of yellow eyes began to light up each cell. It was like a screwed up version of a christmas tree. Irene’s vision began to blur with tears at the sight.

 

“What.. What happened?” Yeri looked at Irene, seeing the panic in her face. She turned to look at the other girls and gasped. “J - Joy… You have yellow eyes…”

 

Joy gulped. “You do, too.”

 

“You all do.” Irene stated, taking a step back. She sat back down, pulling her knees close to her chest. For some reason, she felt like she was responsible for this. She was the oldest between all of them. Their parents had entrusted each of them under her security. She placed her face between her knees and sniffled.

 

“What… What are we?” Wendy asked.

 

“Vampires.” It was the blonde’s voice. “Get up. I brought food.” Irene could hear scampers of small paws across metal cages before she could hear her friends standing up from their spots in the cells. She stayed put on the ground. A foot nudged her. “Move.”

 

“ you.” Irene hissed.

 

“Such vulgar language.” The blonde clicked her tongue. “Don’t make me break every bone in your body.”

 

“If you wanted to kill me then you already would’ve.” Irene snapped back. Red eyes flared.

 

“You’re right.” The blonde dropped the cages in her arms. She leaned close to Irene and the girl could feel the blonde’s breath on her earlobe. “Only because I really want you in my pack.” Irene pushed her back.

 

The taller one straightened her back. “I just need to find a way to turn you, seeing as biting and blood eating won’t work.”

 

“I don’t want to turn.”

 

“Well, your friends have already. You’ll be the only one in the friend group to grow old and die. Wouldn’t that be sad?” Her voice took on a pitiful tone but Irene knew she was smirking. The blonde turned and grabbed one cage, walking towards Yeri’s cell.

 

“What is that?” Yeri asked, scared of the creature.

 

“A fox. Ever seen one?” The blonde replied in amusement.

 

“A dead one…”

 

“Well, you’ll be killing this one, so it’s not much of a difference.” The blonde tossed the cage into the cell. “Have fun. Try not to get too much fur in your mouth.”

 

“She’s just a kid!” Irene yelled out, shocking all of her friends but only making the blonde girl laugh.

 

“She’s sixteen.” The red eyes turned to look at her.

 

“How old are you?” Irene asked, watching the eyes grow larger as the blonde grew closer.

 

“Me? I’m a few hundred years old. No biggie.”

 

“Yeri would never hurt a fly… How do you expect her to kill that fox?” Irene clenched her jaw. The blonde grabbed another cage and headed towards Joy’s cell.

 

“She’s gonna have to unless she wants to die painfully. The vampire blood is already running through her veins. If she doesn’t get animal or human blood in her soon, the vampire blood will overtake her entirely.” She tossed the cage, making Joy flinch. “So she better drink up.”

 

She threw the other cages into Seulgi and Wendy’s cells. “They all better drink up.” She said, loud and clear. Yeri looked up at the blonde, eyes bright yellow.

 

“H - How?” She asked. Irene gritted her teeth.

 

“The neck.” The blonde answered. “Hold the animal down and bite the neck.”

 

“I can’t do it.” Joy shook her head violently.

 

“You’d rather die?” The red eyed girl hissed. Joy nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

The blonde sat down next to Irene, laughing. “Suit yourself.”

 

A pained squeal came from the cell at the far left. Irene heard the blonde chuckling. “That one’s already feeding. At least I have one out of four.” Irene tried not to get angry at Wendy for killing the fox. She knew that it was a do or die. The blonde nudged Irene. “Are you not gonna persuade your other friends to drink? They’re gonna die in about half an hour if not.”

 

Irene still couldn’t see anything, but she could hear the slightest whimper coming from Wendy’s cell. It came from Wendy, who started to shuffle around on the dirty concrete floor before sitting with her back against the wall, crying.

 

“Irene?” Seulgi whispered. Irene stood, turning and looking for the staircase so she could leave but it was black everywhere. All she could see were four pairs of yellow eyes and one pair of red eyes. She stopped her pacing and looked at the red eyes. “Try.”

 

“Excuse me?” The blonde quirked an eyebrow.

 

“Try me. Try to turn me.”

 

“And risk losing my own life? No way.” The blonde said in amusement. Irene grew frustrated. She wanted to stay with her friends. She didn’t want to be the only one who died. “Do you know for sure that my blood will kill you?”

 

“No. But I’m not - “

 

Irene grabbed the back of the girl’s neck and pulled her closer, towards her own neck. “Then, try!” Irene commanded. “Do it!” She yelled in desperation. The blonde held Irene’s waist.

 

“I’m not about to die trying to turn you.” Her breath was cold against Irene’s neck. “Have your friend try to turn you, instead. Seeing as she won’t feed off the fox.” The blonde led Irene to Joy’s cell. “Don’t drain her.” The blonde instructed the younger one. Irene nearly tripped over the cage the fox was in until she felt Joy grab onto her. She gasped at the lack of heat the younger girl had. “Go on.” The blonde stood by the cell door, watching. “Try her.”

 

“Irene…” Irene was close enough to see Joy’s face, close enough to see the tears filling those glowing yellow eyes. “I don’t.. I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

“She’ll moan eventually.” The blonde stated. Irene turned. “What?”

 

“Our saliva is full of endorphins that gives pleasure. It not only makes the bite less painful, but the chemicals keeps the blood flowing as we drink it.”

 

“It won’t hurt?” Joy asked.

 

“Oh, it will.” The blonde replied, making Irene’s heart race. “It will hurt a lot at first, but it’ll feel good after the first initial of blood.”

 

“Are all vampires this ual?” Irene questioned. The blonde smirked and Irene had no idea how she knew that she did, but she knew. “Yes.”

 

Irene turned her head to focus on Joy’s eyes that began to flicker between brightness levels.

 

“Time’s running out. You all better feed soon.” The blonde said to Yeri and Seulgi, though her eyes were still focused on Joy. “Go.”

 

Joy hesitated but Irene coaxed her closer, wrapping her hands around the back of her neck.

 

“Going slow will hurt her less. You have to be careful. Don’t let the blood lust get to your brain. You’ll kill her.” The blonde warned Joy, who had her eyes on Irene’s neck vein. “Go ahead.”

 

Joy shakily placed her hands on Irene’s waist, pulling her closer as she lowered onto the girl’s smooth skin. Irene felt the tip of Joy’s sharp fangs scraping across the neck. She gulped and leaned her neck out to the side, giving Joy more access.

 

“Breathe, Irene.” The blonde said. It was the first time she said Irene’s name. Irene didn’t have time to register that fully in her brain for Joy’s teeth pierced her skin. Irene gasped, feeling all out of breath with that one puncture. Her hands tightened around Joy’s neck. “Breathe.” The blonde reminded her. Irene tried to. She really did. But the pain travelled all over her body, pins and needles making her legs weak. Joy held her up as she began to lightly on the smaller girl’s blood. Irene’s eyes shut tightly, open as she gasped for breath.

 

After a couple seconds, Irene felt the moist feeling of Joy’s tongue between the two bite punctures. She sighed shakily.

 

“Drink more.” The blonde ordered from off to the side. Her voice was an echo in Irene’s mind, the words all slurring together. “Slowly.”

 

Joy began to drink more of Irene’s blood, her tongue frequently flicking out to ease the girl’s pain. If Irene were in her right mind, she would blush at the amount of mewls that spilled from her lips at the simple contact of Joy’s tongue against her wounds, but she wasn’t. She couldn’t think properly. This went on for a few minutes, seeing as Joy didn’t want to get too ahead of herself, taking small sips every now and then to make sure Irene wasn’t severely hurt.

 

“Okay. That’s good.” The blonde spoke. “Carefully pull out. Carefully.”

 

Joy held onto Irene tightly, sliding her fangs out. Irene collapsed in Joy’s arms, knees buckling beneath her. While Irene had never felt weaker in her life, Joy had never felt so energized. “Irene, are you okay?” Joy asked, holding the barely conscious girl in her arms. Joy her lips, cleaning the excess blood off .

 

The blonde girl took a step closer. “You’re not dead. That’s good.”

 

Seulgi felt her stomach growl in hunger. The blonde turned to look at the girl who still had not yet fed. “Feed already.” She said before looking over to Yeri. “You, too.”

 

Irene’s eyes opened and closed slowly. A rushing pain flew towards her brain and she yelled, closing her eyes tightly. Her eyes stung so much it felt as if acid was dumped into her eye sockets. The soreness of the bite had not passed by yet and Irene was already thrown into another wave of pain. Joy held onto her, hugging her.

 

“Can’t you do something?!” Joy asked the blonde who simply shook her head, watching Irene with curious eyes. “It’s beyond anybody’s control at this point.”

 

Irene grabbed her head, tugging at the roots of her hair. The blonde noted that Irene was experiencing much more pain than the other four girls. Meaning she was either dying or that she…

 

The pain all of a sudden disappeared and she lifted her head, still leaning on Joy. Her eyes opened, causing everybody to gasp.

 

“You’re…” The blonde girl took a step back as she stared into glowing pink eyes. “You’re the alpha…” She breathed in disbelief. Irene looked around, hands still holding onto Joy. She could see. She could see so bright it were as if somebody had flicked a switch in her brain. She connected eyes with the blonde.

 

“What the hell does that mean?” Irene narrowed her eyes, the pink orbs still very visible through small slits.

 

“The strongest of the strong… The wisest of the wise…” The blonde was still in shock.

 

Wendy interrupted. “Sorry, did you just call Irene ‘strong’?” She laughed a little. “She’s the most fragile person I know.”

 

The blonde shook her head. “Not anymore…”

 

Irene could feel power flowing through her veins and it scared her. She glanced over to Yeri, who sat on the floor looking up at her, then over to Seulgi, who stood, looking through the cell’s bars. “Will you two please eat? We’ll talk afterwards.”

 

Yeri focused on the fox in the cage. It was awake, wide eyes staring at her. Maybe it was just Yeri’s imagination, but the fox looked terrified, the same way a human would - frozen with open, alert eyes. It’s ears were perked up stiffly. Yeri opened the cage, and the fox got as far away to the opening as it could, stuffing itself into the corner of the cage. Yeri’s eyes began to water. “I can’t.” She shook her head, looking up at Irene. “I can’t do it.” She whispered.

 

“Then die.” The blonde replied in annoyance. Irene hissed at her, causing the taller girl to flinch.

 

“Go help her.” Irene ordered. The blonde obeyed instantly, making a smirk form on Irene’s lips. “By the way, you never told us your name.”

 

The blonde girl kneeled down next to the cage, grabbing the fox by the ruff of it’s neck and pulling it out. “Nowadays, I go by Krystal.” She answered in a mumble, holding the fox’s mouth closed as she laid it in front of Yeri. She pointed to a spot in the fox’s neck. “Bite here.” She said to Yeri, who looked at the poor fox in front of her.

 

“Yeri…” Irene called softly. Yeri looked over to her friend, who gave her a small smile. “Just do it, okay? Do it once.”

 

At the other cell, Seulgi sank her fangs into the animal’s neck. “I’m gonna puke.” She muttered with a mouthful of fur, starting to the blood from her victim. Wendy watched her with yellow eyes. “It is gross.” She commented as Seulgi continue to rapidly from the fox’s blood.

 

Yeri leaned down and bared her fangs, right above the spot Krystal had pointed to.

 

“Go on.” Irene said gently.

 

The fox whimpered as Krystal held it down harder. Yeri closed her eyes tightly as she bit down, trying hard not to let the loud yelp from the fox make her pull away. She started to , doing it quickly so she could get it over with.

 

“That’s good.” Krystal said after a minute. Yeri shot back immediately, spitting out the excess fur and blood she had on . She wiped at with her hands, staring at the lifeless corpse on the cold floor. Her bottom lip began to tremble with each passing second.

 

Krystal took the fox’s body and the cage out of the cell as Yeri began to cry. She collected the rest of the cages and their foxes while Irene walked into Yeri’s cell. She sat in front of the girl and pulled her into a hug. Yeri, practically sitting on top of Irene’s lap, shook with quiet sobs. The three other friends had no clue what to do, all staring at each other as the youngest one broke down.

 

The six girls sat on the ground in a circle, tension enveloping them as the sounds of Yeri shuffling closer to Irene seemed to echo in their brains. Irene placed a hand on Yeri’s lap, speaking first.

 

“Will you please explain everything?” She asked the blonde girl, who leaned back on two hands. Krystal turned her head to the side.

 

“Everything?” She responded with a smirk. “That’s a lot to explain. We only have so much time.”

 

“So much time? Until what?” Irene narrowed her eyes. Krystal sighed, her smile disappearing. It felt colder all of a sudden.

 

“Until they come back.” Krystal said. “They as in the ghouls.”

 

“Ghouls?” Seulgi asked, hand interlocked with Wendy’s. “As in…”

 

“Yeah, ghouls. Demons, monsters - whatever you wanna call them.” Krystal nods. “They’re what wiped out my last pack.” She said in a tone of sadness - the first real emotion she’d shown since the group of friends encountered her. It was nice to see some humanity left in her. The girls listened carefully, slightly terrified. “They’re cannibalistic - at least, that’s what I’ve been told - but each time they come around... their group seems to have grown.”

 

“It’s been going on for hundreds of years. Every six months they travel through this desert, to and from whatever destination they go to. I don’t know where they go, and I don’t want to.” Krystal stared at the ground as she spoke. “They attack the diner. This place turns into a total warzone once they’re here.”

 

“Then why don’t you leave?” Wendy inputs. Krystal’s eyes snapped up to Wendy, eyes glowing.

 

“This is my home.” Krystal replied in a growl, teeth gritting. “And I’m not gonna let some zombie-demon hybrid piece of destroy it for their stupid migration.” Irene saw her clench her fists. “Besides,” Krystal regained her composure, fists loosening, “me - a vampire, trying to make it in the mortal world?” She scoffed. “Yeah, right.”

 

“What? So we’re your new military squad?” Irene hissed. “We didn’t sign up for this.” It was a clash of bright red eyes with flashing pink eyes.

 

“Are you gonna leave?” Krystal sneered. “Are you gonna go back to your families?” She continued, leaning closer to the girl in front of her. “Are you gonna pretend to not know why the you’re not getting any older and why you suddenly want to eat meat raw?” The blonde returned to her position, sitting up straighter. “You have no choice. You’re with me now.”

 

“Actually,” Joy cut in, “You’re with her now.”

 

“What?” Krystal snapped. Joy pointed to Irene.

 

“She’s the alpha.”

 

“Yeah, and she became a vampire two seconds ago whilst I’ve been one more than your family generation has been running. What’s your point?”

 

“If the five of us leave, you have to go with us.” Joy said. “We don’t have to help you fight these things.”

 

Krystal laughed, a loud laugh that startled the girls. “Fine. Leave. I’ve fended those little rats off for twenty years now. I can do it for some more.” She quirked an eyebrow. “Just tell me how well you do back in the human world when you know you’re throbbing to sink your teeth into each and every one of those puny humans. Tell me how well you do when you’ve ousted yourselves, getting a pack of vampire hunters on your back. Or, better yet, some of those ghouls. They especially like our blood.” She stood. “Tell me how fun it is getting prodded with sticks and put into experiments by some sick scientists who think they know everything. I’ve heard it’s much more painful nowadays. They’re gotten smarter.”

 

Irene shot a glance around the girls who still sat in the circle. She furrowed her eyebrows, lost in her thoughts before getting up. “When’s the next group coming through?” She asked Krystal. Krystal smirked.

 

“In a few weeks.”

 

Wendy shot up, gripping onto Irene’s arm. “You’re not seriously considering staying here, right?” One by one, each girl stood, staring at their alpha - their leader. Irene sighed.

 

“She has a point.” Irene said, her tone calm but serious. “We don’t know anything about ourselves anymore. We don’t know how to survive. Even if we do leave, where would we go? Huh? Where?” She looked around, waiting for one of the girls to respond. None of them did. Her eyes landed on Krystal. “Teach us everything you know.”

 

“It’d be my pleasure.” Krystal smiled - not as evil-looking as she had been. “But first, your new eyes need to settle. It’ll take a couple days until you can all come up.” She pointed to Irene. “Except you.” Irene raised an eyebrow. “Alpha eyes don’t need time to adjust. It’s been adjusting all your life.” Krystal explained. “You have it in your blood.”

 

“So,” Krystal clapped her hands once, “You can help me gather more foxes for them to feed off of.” Yeri’s eyes met Irene’s. The older one then turned to Krystal. “Is there… any other animal they can feed off of? Do they have to the blood? Can we just… give them a cup of blood?”

 

Krystal crossed her arms. “You’re asking me to babify a normal vampire action?”

 

“Just for now?” Irene pleaded.

 

“They’re going to have to learn to get used to it sooner or later, Irene.” Krystal pointed out.

 

Before Irene could argue, Yeri spoke. “It’s okay.” She said shakily. “She’s right. I have to get used to it.” She tried to smile, failing miserably. Irene sighed.

 

Krystal nudged her. “She could still feed off you.” She nodded her head towards Joy. “Your blood doesn’t kill her. It’s rare for that to happen.” Joy and Irene looked at each other. “I’ve only seen it happen between mates.” They both quickly looked away. Krystal laughed at their reactions. “Let’s go find some foxes.”

 

“And what do we do?” Seulgi asked. Krystal shrugged as she gathered up the cages, putting the dead carcasses all into one cage. “Hang tight. I’ll get you a pack of cards or something.” Irene followed the girl up the stairs. Krystal seemed a lot less scary to Irene now. Or maybe it was just the alpha blood talking.

 

“You and her have something?” Krystal asked as they neared the top, the brightness taking a while for Irene to adjust to. She squinted, holding a hand in front of her eyes.

 

“Pardon?” Irene replied.

 

“You and… what was her name? Joy? You and her?” Krystal questioned bluntly, opening the diner’s door to the outside world. Irene cleared .

 

“Something… like that.” She ignored the flaming sensation on her cheeks. Krystal grinned back at her, not saying anything else.

 

The two of them walked through the desert in silence, keeping their eyes out for foxes or any other mammal. Krystal suddenly shot her arm out in front of Irene, causing the girl to stumble back. “What? What is it?”

 

“Right there.” Krystal looked straight ahead. Irene saw what she was looking at. It was a car. Irene cocked her head. “What? What about them?”

 

“That’s what they’re gonna feed off of.”

 

Irene widened her eyes. “Krystal, no.” She said sternly. Krystal shot her a look. “Irene, yes.”

 

“No.” Irene shook her head. “Yeri won’t be able to.”

 

“But - “

 

“I said no.” Irene growled. Krystal narrowed her eyes. She may have more experience, but she didn’t have more power.

 

“Fine.” She grumbled. “Let’s keep walking.”

 

“Look alive, kiddos.” Krystal chirped as she walked down the last few stairs. Irene, walking behind Krystal, held a small lamp in her hands. Krystal put down the cages. “Take whichever. I don’t care.” Each girl walked forwards, grabbing their own cages - except Joy, who was left with no cage.

 

She looked confused. “You only brought down three?”

 

“I figured you’d just feed off Irene.” Krystal shrugged. Joy’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. “I… I don’t wanna hurt her.”

 

“Trust me, a bite is nothing to her anymore.” Krystal took the lamp from Irene, placing it into the center of the dark room. The brightness made everyone’s eyes sore. “It’ll practically be like .” She smirked. Both girls blushed.

 

Seulgi let out an immature ‘ooooooooooh!’ that made Irene glare at her. Wendy laughed and Yeri actually managed a smile.

 

The atmosphere died down once Wendy opened her cage. Krystal began to walk back up the stairs. “I’ll be back down to check on things later. I still have a diner to run.” She smiled. The girls got silent, each of them waiting for the others to do something.

 

“Seul - Seulgi…” Yeri stuttered, staring at the fox in front of her. Irene examined her posture, noticing how tense she was. She disliked the fact that she couldn’t help Yeri in a way. She hated that they had to do this. “Can you hold it down for me? The same way… the same way Krystal did?”

 

Seulgi immediately nodded. “Of course.” She took the fox, pinning it down. Yeri winced as she held the fox whimpering. The poor creature obviously knew that those five girls were not humans. Not anymore.

 

Irene felt a tap on her shoulder. She saw Joy blinking at her, pupils golden. “I’ll make it quick.” She muttered. The older girl shot a look over to Yeri, who seemed to be getting encouragement from Seulgi, before nodding towards Joy. “Alright.” She tugged on Joy’s wrist, pulling her closer as she leaned on the wall behind her. “I don’t think it’ll hurt as much as it did last time.” Irene stated. Joy nuzzled the girl’s neck, placing a soft kiss where the bite wound from yesterday had been. It was gone now - the healing process is much quicker for vampires than that of a human.

 

“I kind of feel bad.” Joy whispered. “They have foxes and… I have you.” Irene patted her arm. “Just bite me.” She smiled gently, leaning her head on Joy’s shoulder.

 

Krystal led all five of them up to the surface. Irene was at the back of the line, keeping a hand on the small of Yeri’s. Seulgi paused in her steps. “It’s too hot.” She said. Krystal looked back. “It’s going to be.” She replied. “You’ll get used to it. Now come on.” She ordered. Seulgi continued upwards, her body heat increasing with each stair she walked up.

 

“I’m sweating.” Wendy stated. Irene could sense the uneasiness pouring out of her friends.

 

“Krystal, do you think it’s too early for them to go up?” Irene voiced her worry. Krystal shook her head. “That’s nonsense. It’s always like this.” She walked up one more step before looking back at the group. “Squint your eyes.” She warned them. She moved the jukebox out of the way. Groans and gasps could be heard as the bright dining room lights hit the four of them. Irene held Yeri up as she stumbled back in surprise.

 

“It’s too bright!” She turned around and stepped onto the stair Irene was on, burying her face into the girl’s chest. Irene hugged Yeri, looking at Krystal with furrowed eyebrows. Krystal narrowed her eyes at the youngest, tugging Seulgi and the others up the last stair. “You’ll get used to it.” She said. “Hurry up.”

 

“Yeri.” Irene called gently. “Come on, let’s go.” The two of them made it up the last few stares with Yeri still clinging onto her. All the girls got situated at one of the booths - Irene passed Yeri into Wendy’s hold. Joy had her palms over her eyes whilst Seulgi laid her head on the table. Krystal pulled Irene into the kitchen. “Get them cold towels. I’ll get them medicine.”

 

When the two of them walked back out, Yeri was still hiding behind Wendy’s shoulder. Wendy was squinting, though she looked like she was holding up pretty well compared to the others. Irene gave two towels to Wendy and placed one on the back of Seulgi’s neck. She tended to Joy last, gently wiping away the sweat glands accumulating on her temple. Krystal walked out with glasses of water. She gave each girl one pill along with a cup. “Drink this. It’ll help with the heat and the brightness.”

 

Upon hearing about the effects the pill would give, Seulgi lifted her head and drank the pill instantly. Wendy helped Yeri and Joy helped herself. Irene’s forehead wrinkled in worry and distress. “This is normal?” She asked Krystal, continuing to wipe Joy’s sweat.

 

“Yeah.” Krystal watched Yeri drink the cup of water with her eyes tightly shut. “It’s normal.” The blonde girl pulled a chair up to the table, sitting at the end of it. “I’ll give you guys a day to rest and then we start training.” She kept her eyes on Yeri. “I think she might need to start early.”

 

Irene gave her an incredulous look. “Don’t you think she might need to start later?”

 

Krystal leaned back, giving a calm shake of her head. “No. I mean earlier.” She crossed her arms. “She’s already slacking. She’s going to need all the help she’s gonna get.” She stood, walking closer to Wendy who pulled Yeri tighter into her hold upon seeing her advances. “Give her to me.” Krystal held out her hand.

 

“No.” Wendy narrowed her eyes. (Though they were already very much narrowed due to the brightness.) Irene let Joy hold onto the cold towel as she intervened. “Krystal, this is too much.”

 

“It’s better to start now.” Krystal glared at her. “I’m not being cruel - I’m being realistic.” She looked back to Wendy. “Give.” Wendy shot a helpless look towards Irene who just sighed. Yeri started to whimper as she felt Wendy’s hold on her loosen. She cried out when she felt Krystal’s cold hand on her arm - a hissing sensation felt at the combination of hot skin and cold skin, and called out for her friends when she felt herself being tugged out of the booth. Irene looked away while the other girls looked at Irene.

 

“Shouldn’t… shouldn’t you go watch them?” Seulgi asked, watching Krystal drag a crying Yeri out of the diner. “To make sure Krystal doesn’t do anything?” Irene sat down with a thump, leaning her head onto Joy’s shoulder. “She won’t do anything.” She responded tiredly, eyes closing.

 

“Irene, do you trust Krystal?” Wendy questioned with a tone of disbelief. Irene thought about it for a second. She shrugged. “We’re gonna have to, right?”

 

“Let me go!” Yeri screamed, hoarse as Krystal continued to pull her through the desert. Yeri’s body felt like it was set on fire, her insides felt like they were melting. Her eyeballs felt as if they were being scalded by hot water; the tears that left the corner of her eyes were burning hot. She shot daggers towards Krystal through her yellow eyes. Krystal finally stopped walking but she did not let go of Yeri.

 

The younger girl was a mess, her breaths coming out in short pants and her hair similar to a bird’s nest. Krystal stared at her - observing her. Once Yeri caught her breath, Krystal slackened her grip on her wrist.

 

“Start running.” She commanded. Yeri furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Krystal tightened her jaw. “Go.”

 

Yeri obeyed, running in the opposite direction of Krystal. She didn’t get very far - Krystal caught up to her within seconds, pulling her back to their starting point. Yeri gave her a pointed look. The blonde girl simply gestured for her to keep running - only to pull her back to the start when Yeri hadn’t even gotten far. This went on for nearly half an hour until Yeri had enough.

 

Panting, Yeri looked at Krystal. “What do you want?” She questioned, eyes burning from the scorching sunlight hitting her already-sensitive orbs..

 

“I want you to not die.” Krystal retorted. gently pushing Yeri forward. “I’m doing this for your own good. Now run.”

 

Yeri emotions reached their limit. “My own good?!” She yelled, taking a step forward. “This is for my own good?!” She pushed Krystal with both of her hands, causing the blonde girl to take a couple steps back. Her voice was cracking all over the place and it hurt to even breathe. “Turning me into a monster against my own will is all for my own good?!” She screamed, gasping for breath at the same time. Yeri started to punch Krystal’s shoulder with as much strength she could muster. Krystal, who started to actually wince at the pain Yeri was inflicting, had enough of it. In a one swift move, she tackled Yeri onto the desert floor, causing sand to disperse and fly into the air.

 

Yeri let out a cry of pain, eyes shut tightly as she tried to free her wrists from Krystal’s grip. “Stop it!” She gasped in pain as Krystal tightened her grip. She opened her eyes, staring into bright red ones. Krystal clenched her teeth, her eyes starting to water as she stared at the girl below her. Yeri squirmed, the ends of Krystal’s long blonde hair falling next to her cheeks - grazing her skin. “And you think…” Krystal began. “You think I wanted to become like this?” She angled her head. “That I wanted to be beaten and bitten over and over again by my own sister and her sick friends?” Yellow eyes flickered between red eyes. Yeri was no longer struggling against the older girl who seemed to be on the verge of tears. She gulped down the lump in , a sharp whimper escaping her lips as Krystal unconsciously tightened her hold. The older one let go, pushing herself off of Yeri and standing up. She blinked away her tears. Yeri still lay on the desert floor, curling herself into a ball as she gripped her red wrists.

 

The blonde girl eyed the younger one. She began crouching down only to see Yeri flinch away. For the first time in a long time, Krystal felt guilty. She sighed and looked around. “I was your age, you know?” Her voice was raspy but much softer than the tone she had used before. “Technically, I still am.” Yeri peered over, her wrists held protectively by her hands. Krystal couldn’t look into her eyes as she spoke, so she looked at the sand on the hot ground. “I just don’t want you to be as unprepared as I was when I was your age.” Krystal admitted. “I was beaten and tossed around and experimented on. Nobody was there to teach me. I nearly died.”

 

“What about your sister?” Yeri questioned quietly, sniffling.

 

Krystal’s face turned grave. “She ran off after realizing what she had done to me... I haven’t seen her in centuries.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Yeri apologized, scanning the older girl’s face. Krystal looked up, eyes connecting with Yeri’s. She gave a little smile, shrugging her shoulders. “Nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I should be the one apologizing.” She clapped her hands once and stood. “Let’s head back, yeah?” Yeri got up, only to fall back down. Her legs had been pushed far beyond their limit. Krystal glanced at her before taking a deep breath and bending down in front of Yeri. Yeri looked at her. “What?”

 

“Get on my back.” Krystal looked over her shoulder, pushing a strand of blonde hair away from her face. Yeri blinked. “What?” She repeated. Krystal rolled her eyes. “Just hurry up.” There was a sizzling noise was let out as Yeri’s skin touched Krystal’s. It hurt for one second but then Krystal’s freezing cold skin felt like an ice pack against her burning skin. It was comforting.

 

 

The girls looked up as the chime of the bell attached to the front door rang. Irene ran over when she saw the unconscious Yeri on Krystal’s back. “What happened?” She asked worriedly. Krystal shushed her. “Nothing happened.” She said with her eyebrows furrowed, worried that Yeri might wake up. “She’s just sleeping.” She said. “She’s tired.”

 

Seulgi gave Wendy a look and Wendy looked at her right back. If they weren’t mistaken, that was genuine worry Krystal was showing. Irene shot a glance over her shoulder towards the other girls, surprising on her face as well. Krystal headed towards the kitchen and Irene called out to her, her voice at a lower volume. “Where are you going?”

 

“My bedroom.” Krystal answered. Joy raised her eyebrows. “You have a bedroom?”

 

The question was left unanswered as Krystal opened the door with one hand, her other hand holding both of Yeri’s wrists that were locked around her neck. Yeri stirred slightly before burying her face deeper into Krystal’s neck. Krystal let out a breath of relief, entering the kitchen. She walked to the far back and soon entered the place she called her bedroom. It was really just a mattress on the floor but it was a comfy mattress. She carefully sat down, trying to uncurl Yeri’s hands at the same time. Yeri let out a whine.

 

“Yeri, go back to sleep.” Krystal whispered, taking Yeri’s hands off of her. Krystal’s back was all wet and sweaty thanks to the girl but she didn’t care. She turned and laid Yeri down gently. The girl’s eyes opened, her vision blurry. Her whole body felt hot again. She let out a small cry. Krystal sighed and looked around for something that could cool Yeri down such as a fan but she forgot that she had thrown away such electronics - seeing no use for them. “Yeri, stay here. I’ll go get you a cold towel.” As Krystal stood, Yeri grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her down next to her. Krystal, slightly shocked, felt the girl turn so her back was towards her. She curled her body in such a way that Krystal found cute. She seemed so small. “You’re colder.” Yeri stated in a mumble, waiting for Krystal to hug her.

 

Krystal heard a hushed whisper at the door and saw the other three girls peeking inside. Her eyes flashed bright red at the group before returning to a softer shade, eyes focusing on Yeri. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Krystal murmured before laying down, pulling Yeri closer by the waist. She heard Yeri sigh contently, her body fitting snug against Krystal’s. With a vampire’s hearing, Krystal could hear all the ‘aww’s’ being whispered by the girls at the door. She rolled her eyes, trying hard to keep her ‘cool’ and ‘scary’ image. Yeri placed her hand on top of Krystal’s arm, eyes closed shut. “Thank you.” She whispered. Krystal’s stomach fluttered - something that hasn’t happened in years - and she pulled Yeri closer, allowing herself to close her eyes.

 

Joy wrapped her arm around Irene and spoke in a hushed voice. “Did that seriously just happen?” Wendy nudged Joy, her hand interlocked with Seulgi’s as the four of them sat at the booth. “Krystal’s totally cuddling with Yeri.”

 

“Should we be worried?” Seulgi asked in a confused tone, looking towards Irene for an answer. Irene blinked. “Why do you always look at me?”

 

“You’re the leader.” Seulgi replied simply. The word made Irene shiver. “Please don’t call me that.”

 

“But it’s true.”

 

Irene sighed. It’s gonna take a while to get used to everything.

 

She looked back towards the kitchen door. “I don’t think we should be worried.” She shook her head. “Krystal isn’t… that bad.” Besides the fact that she was the reason for their turnings, Irene didn’t find Krystal that bad of a person - vampire. Her temper seemed a little off, yeah - but Irene can see the girl Krystal used to be in her eyes whenever she genuinely smiles. She could see a young soul trapped behind those red pupils.

 

Irene turned back to the group.

 

“We shouldn’t be worried.” She confirmed.

 

The next day, Krystal lead the girls through the desert. Yeri was glued to her side and it didn’t seem like Krystal cared. Joy pointed towards the two girls and quirked an eyebrow at Irene, who just shrugged and continued to follow behind.  Eventually, they all stopped. Krystal cleared and her heel. “First step,” She spoke clearly, “you all need to learn how to control your speed.”

 

“And how do we do that?” Wendy asked.

 

Krystal shot a knowing look towards Yeri, who was lightly grasping her forearm. “You run.” Yeri made a face, forehead wrinkling in discomfort.

 

“It’ll kick in - your speed.” Krystal tore her eyes away from the shorter girl and looked among the other four. “You’ll feel a rush down your spine before you realize you’re going much faster than you thought you ever could.” She felt Yeri’s hand slide down her arm to interlock with her own. Krystal cleared , focusing on the task at hand. “You’re lucky I brought you out here in the wide open. It could be dangerous if you don’t know how to control it.”

 

Yeri’s lips curved up into a teasing smile, eyes staring at the blonde girl. “Did you hit something when you first tried this?” Krystal felt her cheeks warming up and she cursed herself for thinking that way. Irene could hear Krystal’s inner thoughts and it made her smile. Stop it, heart. You’re going too fast. I’m supposed to be dead! Irene could hear Krystal’s voice inside of her own head - a perk she found out back at the diner that she had. She could communicate with the others through her thoughts. She replied to Krystal with a teasing tone. Awwww, how cute.

 

Krystal shot her a scary look and Irene simply smiled at her. Yeri squeezed her hand.

 

Krystal coughed a little. “Yeah.” She answered, eyes slowly trailing over to look at a smirking Irene. “I slammed right into a lamp post.” She admitted, making her eyes flash the way they do.

 

Yeri giggled. “Stupid.”

 

Krystal released Yeri’s hand and clapped twice. “Anyways,” She said, “start running.”

 

Seulgi blinked at her. “Just run?”

 

“Just run.” Krystal nodded. Wendy narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”

 

Krystal smiled, drawing a line into the sand with the tip of her shoe. She pointed to the line. “I will continuously pull the four of you back right to this line if you do not manage to tinker in to your new super cool vampire speed.”

 

Yeri rolled her eyes. “This is what I did before.” Krystal patted her shoulder, looking towards the other girls.

 

She quirked an eyebrow. “Start.”

 

Soon enough, they were a tough pack of vampires. Irene more than the others but they were all powerful. Some more in certain aspects such as Seulgi in speed and Wendy in strength. Yeri was the jack-of-all-trades and so was Joy. Hell, even Krystal gained some skill from training the group. She felt much more energized now that she had a pack again. Just between her and Irene (only because Irene could tune in to her thoughts at any time), she was glad that the group came in that one night.

 

And now it was the waiting game. They spent three weeks training until their backs were drenched in sweat and their limbs felt like falling out. Krystal trained them to fight against her, but it was still worrying to think that they’d fight the ghouls. What if something happened to them and Krystal couldn’t do anything? She had only just gotten another pack - another family. She didn’t want them to leave her again because, truth be told, she hated being alone.

 

She could hear Seulgi and Wendy jumping around outside, could hear Joy teasing Irene for being short, but she couldn’t hear what Yeri was doing. The blonde girl looked around the diner from the booth she was sitting at. “Yeri?” She called out. She stood when she got no response, walking to the kitchen where she assumed Yeri would be. Krystal looked around and saw that the hatch above the ladder was open. Her heartbeat calmed down as she could now hear the soft humming coming from the girl on the roof. She climbed the ladder and saw Yeri swinging her legs back and forth off the side of the building.

 

“Hey.” Krystal greeted, taking a seat next to Yeri. The younger one smiled over to her. “Hey.” She replied.

 

“What are you doing up here?” Krystal asked, staring at the girl’s side profile. Yeri shrugged. “Nothing. I just like it up here.”

 

“It’s really hot up here.” Krystal stated. Yeri laughed, the sound resonating inside Krystal’s brain. “Yeah, it is - but you can see a lot from here.” Her eyes focused on the seemingly endless desert. “It’s pretty.”

 

Krystal stared down to the girls on the desert floor who were all messing about. Seulgi and Wendy were playing tag and Joy was poking Irene. All of a sudden, they stopped. Seulgi shot a look to Wendy, who instantly looked towards Irene. The alpha turned to look up at Krystal, who began to hear what the others were hearing. Loud, high-pitched screeches and the sound of hundreds of bare, rotten feet hitting the dead desert floor. Yeri glanced at Krystal. “Is that - “

 

“Yes.” Krystal nodded, climbing down the side of the building. “Okay. Just as we practiced.” She gathered the group of girls as the sound increased in volume. “Don’t let them bite you, don’t get near their claws, and do not try to anticipate any of their movements.” Krystal looked deep into each and every one of their eyes. “Remember - they are completely unpredictable and will act out randomly. Just try to go for their heads, that’s the only way we can kill them.” Her red eyes glowed. “Please don’t get hurt… I don’t want to lose any of you.” She said quietly.

 

One specific screech was louder than the others - causing all the girls to wince.

 

Krystal shot a distressed look towards the direction it came from. “That was their leader calling to tell them that we’re here.”

 

Wendy gulped. “I’ll get the knives.” She dashed into the diner. Seulgi followed suite. Irene and Joy stood into the distance, waiting to see the horde of dark black shadows rise. Krystal looked down to the girl next to her. She took hold of Yeri’s wrist.

 

“You can stay with me.” Krystal ordered. Yeri was scared, Krystal could tell. Not just because of the way her eyebrows curved up or because of the way her yellow pupils seemed to shake, but because she just knew Yeri. Yeri reminded her so much of somebody in her own pack. Somebody she had taken a specific liking to… Krystal had glanced away for two seconds and Sulli was gone.

 

She won’t let that happen with Yeri.

 

They’re here. Irene’s voice echoed through all of their heads. Seulgi and Wendy handed out the weapons and the six of them stood in a line, staring at the creatures a few miles down. “We have to drive them away from the diner.” Krystal said, speaking calmly. “Attack the left side and push them right. Don’t let them hit this building.” She commanded. The girls all nodded. “Seulgi and Wendy take the backside, Joy and Irene take the left.” The hand grasping onto Yeri’s wrist slid downwards in order to interlace their fingers. She looked down to the girl as she squeezed the small hand in her own hold. Yeri looked up at her. There was so much trust in her eyes that it made Krystal’s heart tighten. She looked away to the other girls. “Yeri and I will take the front.”

 

It was so loud and yet it was deathly silent. Krystal spoke again, eyes switching between different pairs. “Do you all understand me?”

 

“Yes.” They replied. Krystal nodded. “Alright.” She took a deep breath.

 

“Start.”

 

They ran quickly to get to their positions. The stench of the monsters’ hit their noses instantly, they smelled like burning rotten flesh. Irene’s fangs began to come out as they got closer. “Be careful.” She told Joy, who nodded right before one of the ghouls lunged at her. With precise aim, Joy sliced the creature’s head off. The detached body fell with a thud before it exploded in small flames. There was no time for Irene to gape at Joy’s first kill for they were in battle now - the smell of death and blood hanging over their heads with immense density. The pounding of the ghouls’ feet sounded like continuous thunder.

 

Not being fond of loud noises, Irene felt more angered about it than anything else. Her pink eyes glowed and she pushed multiple ghouls back, causing a chain reaction seeing as most of them were still in movement. Joy aided in the killing as they successfully got the group to veer to the left. Seulgi and Wendy sliced at the groups’ backside, attempting to slow them down. It worked because lots of ghouls stopped running and turned to look at the pair, mouths instantly opening in a screech.

 

Their breaths were so foul that Wendy had to hold in her breath. And then they all lunged. Seulgi grabbed Wendy’s arm and pulled her away just in time. The two ran a few steps back, faster than the ghouls. “Get ready.” Seulgi squeezed Wendy’s arm and tightened her grip on her knife. Wendy gulped and nodded. “Stay safe.” She replied.

 

“I’ll try.” Seulgi shot her a quick smile before bringing her knife just in time to stab one of the ghouls in the throat. She shifted her knife in order to fully kill the monster - its remains combusting in flames. She coughed, getting distracted for a split second, which allowed one of the ghouls to slice her across the hip. She yelled out at the stinging sensation. “!”

 

Wendy heard Seulgi’s cry and her heart hammered in her chest. She wanted to go over and check on Seulgi but she couldn’t - there were too many - she was surrounded by her own group of ghouls. She hoped that Seulgi was alright because Seulgi was always alright - at least, in her eyes Seulgi was.

 

With her unused hand, Seulgi placed it over the gash, teeth gritting. It wasn’t long before she killed most of the ghouls that were attacking her, leaving her only with one. The last ghoul managed to attack her from the back, getting her onto the ground. She narrowed her eyes at the creature on top of her who was about to lunge at her. Right before the teeth could snap her neck in half, Seulgi bashed the side of its head with the back of her knife. The creature rolled off with a loud scream that’ll haunt Seulgi’s dreams forever. She silenced the creature with multiple stabs at its throat, only stopping when she felt Wendy grab onto her shoulder. “Seulgi!” She cried out. “Seulgi, stop!”

 

Seulgi looked up, dazed. Wendy took a step back for she’d never seen Seulgi like that - with her eyes shining so bright yet seeming so dark.

 

“Let’s go.” She gulped. Seulgi stood shakily, nodding absentmindedly with the pain of her hip numbing her thoughts. The two of them looked up and saw the rest of the group already far ahead with Joy and Irene doing a good job at diminishing the side of the group and veering them off of their track. Krystal and Yeri were somewhere in front of the monsters but Wendy couldn’t see them. “Let’s go.” She took Seulgi’s arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, helping the girl run. “Are you okay?” She asked. Seulgi nodded, eyes out of focus.

 

At the front of the group, Yeri and Krystal were in constant motion to avoid the ghouls from trampling them. Krystal had Yeri behind her, stabbing at the creatures violently - pushing them back when they got too close. Yeri felt scared less - but not as much as she would be without Krystal being so protective over her.

 

When it all got too much, Krystal grabbed Yeri’s hand and they ran back further, putting quite some distance between them and the ghouls. Krystal was panting, her face drenched in sweat and a streak of blood lining her cheek. Yeri eyed her worriedly. “You’re overexerting yourself.” She stated. Krystal looked up as Yeri cupped her cheek, wiping off the blood from the ghouls she had killed.

 

“Let me help.” Yeri pleaded.

 

Krystal’s eyebrows furrowed and Yeri already knew she was gonna deny her offer.

 

Before she could even say anything, Yeri stood on her toes and kissed her lips, pulling back quickly.

 

“You can’t say no.” She said.

 

Krystal was out of breath - and it wasn’t because of all the movement she had been doing. She looked into Yeri’s eyes. “Please be careful.” She whispered.

 

“I will.” Yeri nodded.

 

There was a scream and all the girls could tell it wasn’t from the ghouls. Krystal lightly pushed Yeri, an uneasy feeling in her chest. “Bring whoever’s hurt back to the diner.” She ordered. Yeri nodded and ran off, finally feeling useful in the situation but her mind racing in fear of her friends being injured. Krystal watched her run off before charging forward with her knife prepared.

 

When Yeri got to the scene, she saw Wendy desperately pushing ghouls back from a figure curled up onto the ground. “Get away, you ers!” Wendy cursed, slicing at the necks of the creatures. Yeri gulped and ran closer, seeing Seulgi on the floor with blood seeping through her shirt. Yeri put her arms under Seulgi’s legs and under her arms, lifting her up with slight difficulty. Seulgi’s breaths came out in pants. “That hurts.” She whined. Wendy saw Yeri at the corner of her eye and continued to fight, much more energized than before. Yeri started to run towards the diner, as fast as her short legs could bring her. “I’m sorry.”

 

Seulgi lay in the booth with the gash in her hip larger than it had been earlier. She gasped for breath, she skin paler than Yeri had ever seen it. Yeri dabbed at it with a wet towel, unsure of what to do. “Seulgi? Seulgi, I’m gonna wrap the bandage around your waist.” Seulgi’s tightly shut eyes opened in fear, her head shaking. Yeri pulled Seulgi’s shirt up higher. “Please, I need to put pressure on it so it won’t keep bleeding!”

 

“Yeri, no!” Seulgi gasped. Yeri felt her eyes burn with hot tears, “I’m gonna start.” She warned the girl, who closed her eyes as she felt the bandage start to curl around her waist, touching her injury. Yeri could see Seulgi’s veins straining against her skin as she yelled out. Yeri kept her tears at bay as she finished up her job. “I”m sorry.” She kept saying over and over as one of her best friends experienced incredible pain. She knotted the bandage and pulled Seulgi’s shirt down as the girl cried with tears running down her cheek. “Should I stay with you…?” Yeri asked cluelessly. She looked out the diner window and saw the group. No matter how far they thought that had pushed the ghouls away, the ghouls would only return to their original path.

 

“The basement.” Yeri mumbled to herself. “Seulgi. Seulgi, can you stand?” She asked the girl laying down as she ran over to the jukebox, pushing it away to reveal the stairs. Seulgi heard Yeri’s voice but paid no attention to it. Yeri rushed back over to Seulgi. “Okay. Okay. I’m gonna… I’m gonna carry you like I did earlier, is that okay?”

 

Seulgi was quiet and it scared Yeri. She took her silence as a ‘yes’. Yeri tried to lift the girl, making it proved difficult not to touch her gash. The bandage was already soaked with blood. Yeri could see the ghouls getting closer and her heart began to race with nervousness. Wendy ran through the diner’s doors and ran to Seulgi, the tears already escaping from her eyes. “Oh no.”

 

“Wendy, help me bring her downstairs!” Yeri yelled over the booming stomps. Wendy nodded. As they got ready to lift Seulgi, the other three girls burst in. “They’re coming.”

 

“The basement!” Yeri screamed. “Go to the basement!” The stomps were getting loud. Joy helped with lifting Seulgi and they were the first four to descend down the stairs. Irene looked at Krystal, who seemed indecisive whether she should go down with them or stay and defend her home. “Krystal.” Irene said. The blonde girl looked over, red eyes lined with tears. They stood there for a few seconds as the tears escaped Krystal’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

 

Irene grabbed her hand and made a dash for the stairs, pushing her into the darkness first. She pushed the jukebox back into place just as she heard the loud shattering of glass windows. Irene felt a cold body try to push past her. “No!” Krystal yelled. Irene grabbed her by the waist, pushing her backwards as Krystal struggled against her, completely losing her cool. “That’s my home!” She screamed with a raspy voice. Irene kept pushing her backwards more than Krystal pushed her upwards. It was a tug-of-war between them with the stairs. “They’re gonna destroy it!” She cried. Irene won the tug-of-war as they finally reached the basement. Irene let go of Krystal with her chest heaving. The blonde girl made a break for the stairs only to be stopped by Yeri, who wrapped her arms around Krystal’s waist. The younger girl laid her head on Krystal’s back. “Don’t go up there, Krystal.” She mumbled in the hollow silence filled with Seulgi’s broken breaths.

 

“My home…” Krystal whimpered before breaking down. She crumbled onto the ground, Yeri following her with small whispers of apologies. Irene looked away from the two and over to the other pair at the other side of the room - their condition equally as heartbreaking as the other. Seulgi’s head was placed on Wendy’s lap as the older one cried quietly, fingers running through the girl’s hair. “You’ll be fine.” Wendy murmured with shaky lips. “You’re always fine.” Her voice quivered. Joy stood in the corner, her shoulder rested up against the wall. She caught Irene’s eyes. The older girl took slow, dragging steps over to Joy. The taller one wrapped her arms around Irene’s frame and Irene took comfort in Joy’s hold, her hands squeezing at Joy’s sides.

 

A couple days passed with their thirst for blood more evident than it ever had been - Krystal especially. But the girl refused to even get up.

 

Irene and Joy were the first ones to ascend, not totally surprised to see the entire diner in ruins. They had to push stones out of the staircase in order to actually reach the top. It looked like a tornado had come through. There was a doorframe, but barely a trace of the walls that used to be there. There was rubble everywhere and shattered glass on the floor. They were the ones to clear everything up and get animals for the others to feed on - seeing as they were the ones best in shape after the fight.

 

Seulgi had gotten better after the first day of rest - her cut healing fast (as it does when you are a vampire). That calmed Wendy’s nerves, but she still never left Seulgi’s side. It was as if she were scared that the wound might suddenly open up again. But it wasn’t long until Seulgi was back to her normal self. Well, as normal as you could get after nearly dying. Wendy was always so cautious with her whilst Seulgi would just simply brag about how cool the scar on her hip looked.

 

“It looks badass.” Seulgi said, lifting up her tattered shirt to show off the scar. Wendy pulled her shirt down. “Stop it.” And it only made Seulgi laugh.

 

It wasn’t long until Krystal and Yeri were the only ones left in the basement.

 

Yeri held down a fox in front of Krystal, who stared blankly at the ground, her red eyes seemingly losing its color. “Krystal, please.” Yeri begged, ignoring the fox’s whimpers - something that would’ve bothered her before all of this.

 

Krystal didn’t reply.

 

“Krystal.” Yeri said in a louder tone.

 

Yeri didn’t want to leave Krystal alone with the fear that she might run away or hurt herself. She knew that what Krystal was doing was killing her. “Please.” She whispered, eyes watering.

 

There was still no reply.

 

Yeri let go of the fox. It ran off and up the stairs.

 

Her lips quivered and she stood.

 

“Fine.” Yeri sniffled, staring down at the blonde girl who still made no movement.

 

Krystal moved her eyes to look up at the girl with golden eyes. After weeks of trying to get Krystal to communicate with her, this was the most reaction she had gotten.

 

“I give up.” Yeri clenched her fists.  

 

Krystal didn’t say anything.

 

“I give up on trying to stop you from giving up.” She said exasperatedly. Yeri stared into the eyes that were no longer red - but instead, a dark grey.

 

“It must be all poetic, huh? Dying with your home?” She asked quietly, her tone stone cold.

 

There was a flicker of pale red in the grey eyes.

 

“Go ahead and die with your home.”

 

Yeri knew she was hitting Krystal’s nerves. That was her plan.

 

“I don’t care.”

 

The dim red stayed in Krystal’s eyes, a light flicker in them. Yeri took a step back only to be pulled back to where she had been.

 

“You’re a liar.” Krystal leaned against Yeri for support as she held the girl close, mouth next to Yeri’s ear. “You’re lying.” She said weakly.

 

Yeri breathed out a sigh of relief. “I know.”

 

She wrapped her arms around Krystal’s waist, a single tear escaping her eye.

 

“I know.”

 

“Where are we going?” Krystal asked as Yeri picked up a stick and flung it against a tree. She gave Yeri a ‘what the hell?’ look and the shorter one simply shrugged her shoulders. Irene spoke over her shoulder. “Anywhere but where those stupid ghouls are.”

 

“So, we’re living in the forest now?” Krystal swatted a fly away from her ear.

 

“I wouldn’t mind it.” Seulgi said as she stared at a tree snake, intrigued by it’s seemingly pitch black eyes. Wendy, who was holding her hand, saw the creature and pulled her away from it. “Yeah, well, I do.” She scowled. “Can’t we just live in the city?”

 

“And pretend to be human?” Joy shot back. “Admit it, Wendy. It won’t be that easy.”

 

Wendy muttered something under her breath that made Seulgi laugh. Krystal rolled her eyes. “Oh my god.” She complained, voice high pitched. “Let’s just get, like, super rich and, like, buy a bunch of ! That’d be fun.” She said in a mocking tone.

 

“Sounds like a plan.” Irene shrugged.

 

“I’m down.” Yeri commented.

 

“I wasn’t serious!” Krystal yelled in anger. Yeri giggled and Irene smirked, head turning as she shot Krystal a look over her shoulder.

 

“We know you were, Krystal.” She said.

 

The blonde girl blushed and crossed her arms. “Whatever.”

 

“But, I do have a plan.” She stopped walking at one small opening in the forest. The girls all gathered around their leader. “Let’s just travel.” Irene suggested with a smile. Krystal narrowed her eyes. “Just travel?” She questioned.

 

Irene quirked an eyebrow. “You got a better idea, Ms. Grumpy Pants?”

 

“No.” Krystal grumbled. Irene smiled. “Then there’s that.”

 

“Cool.” Seulgi nodded. She then tapped Krystal’s shoulder. “Krystal’s It.” She said cheekily before racing off. In a few seconds, Krystal was the only one standing in the opening, all the other girls had run off to avoid getting tagged. “You’re all actual children.” She commented, knowing all the girls could hear her despite their distance. She stood still for a minute before teetering on her feet. “I can’t believe I’m gonna do this.”

 

She then took off running.

 

Irene, who was hiding in a tree, nearly fell off when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the blonde girl with glowing red eyes smile at her. “You’re It.”

 

She took off with a loud laugh, exclaiming that Irene was tagged. In which Yeri yelled back out, “You’re lying! She’s lying!”

 

Irene’s smile increased in size as she stared across the forest. She felt a warmth spreading throughout her chest as she heard Krystal’s laughter and Yeri’s squeals. She heard a splash off to the side and then she heard Wendy yelling at Seulgi for pushing her into the pond. She knew that the game of tag was over even though it had just started and she took a deep breath.

 

She felt Joy’s presence next to her and she leaned her head on the girl’s shoulder, hugging her arm.

 

“I could get used to this.” Joy said, lips pressed against Irene’s temple. Irene closed her eyes.

 

“Me, too.”

 

They heard three more splashes before hearing their names being called. “Lovebirds, come join us!” Surprisingly, it was Krystal who had exclaimed that. Irene glanced at Joy, who smiled and held her hand out to Irene to help her get down. It wasn’t long before all six of them were in the pond in all of their clothes, screaming and laughing with pure happiness. For one second, Irene stopped in the middle of their splashing war and stared at the five girls in front of her, all of them with big smiles on their faces and laughs leaving their mouths.

 

Yeah. Irene thought. I could really get used to this.