The man’s shadow danced over the asphalt when he got up, the movement fluid and faster than Jisoo had expected. Recoiling, the monk lifted his crossbow, its weight not as reassuring as he wanted it to be. "Stay where you are!" It was embarrassing how much his voice was shaking.

The vampire seemed to have the same thought; his chuckles rang through the street as he straightened out his jacket. Cold sweat began to accumulate on Jisoo's hairline; that was definitely not a class three vampire.

It was too late to regret the choices that had led him into this situation - but the monk cursed himself anyway. If he had listened to Seungcheol and had ignored the woman, he wouldn't be in trouble now.

Where was his partner anyway? Some help would be greatly appreciated.

Unsettling long canines got revealed when the vampire smiled at him. Despite his eerie, bright-red eyes and the blood caked around his mouth, he was not bad-looking; high cheekbones and a sharp jawline gave his otherwise average face a certain appeal.

"You smell pretty good," he stated in a surprisingly normal voice - Jisoo had secretly expected some sort of manic cackling. "Are you a hunter?"

Swallowing his saliva, the monk pondered what to answer. Would the vampire attack if he said yes? Or would he search for an easier victim? "I am," he finally said after weighing his options for a few seconds. To support his claim, he waved his crossbow. "You're surrounded, don't try anything funny!" The monk was praying that his voice had sounded confident enough.

His hopes got shattered instantly by another low chuckle. "You think I wouldn't be able to smell them? What do you take me for. And what's with that scared expression? Are you some sort of hobby hunter?"

Jisoo forced himself not to falter. If he showed his fear, the Being would attack for sure. Before he could think of a good response, a growl permeated the air, drawing his attention. The woman was writhing on the dirty ground behind the vampire, her hands clawing at the asphalt. Several of her nails had already broken, leaving her fingers bloody, while her stockings tore more and more with each kick of her legs. She didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she was in too much pain to stop.

The impulse to run to her side hit the monk but ultimately, his rationality won. This wasn’t simply a reaction to getting injured. No. This was the birth of a class three vampire. He needed to get away before the transformation was complete, otherwise he would stand not even the ghost of a chance.

"Go on. Run. It's more fun that way." The smirk of the male vampire had widened and a erse glimmer of mirth was sparkling in his red eyes. The growls behind him were rising in volume.

Jisoo's brain was working frantically to come up with a plan. Something. Anything to survive. There were three bolts currently cocked in the crossbow. After that, he would have to reload which would take time he didn't have. He also carried wormwood essence and the dagger with him, but Seungcheol had said that wormwood was useless against class one vampires and using the dagger required him to get close to the Being - which was something he definitely wanted to avoid. The van was armoured but it probably wasn't strong enough to withstand a frontal assault. And even if it did, what stopped the vampire from picking it up and shaking the living daylights out of him? The apartment buildings all had security doors that only opened with key cards but hiding outside was risky since his natural human scent seemed to attract the undead Being. His only chance of survival was to contact Seungcheol - but how could he do that with a vampire hot on his heels?

He needed to buy time. And if his partner didn't decide to pay him a surprise visit - which, unfortunately, was unlikely - he would almost certainly die.

A sickening feeling rose in his stomach when he reached that conclusion.

Silence suddenly settled over the street. The screams and growls of the woman had subsided, her defiled body had stopped convulsing. An overwhelming sense of dread gripped Jisoo at the sight of the man’s sneer. The transformation was over.

The monk took a step back. He couldn't panic now; it would only make everything worse. His hands tightened around the crossbow. If he managed to shoot them, they would get slowed down due to the pain of the silver. But how big was the chance to hit two vampires with a weapon he knew basically nothing about? And he only had three shots.

But it was his only way out.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, a lame attempt to divert the man's attention.

The vampire looked completely relaxed, his bright red eyes sparkling in the otherwise human face, because, really, what was there to fear? Certainly not the shaking Human with his flimsy crossbow. "I'm hungry, obviously. Isn't it normal to get something to eat when you're starving?" he asked back, a mocking lilt in his voice.

Jisoo took another step back. One more step until he reached the corner of the house. "How can you possibly be hungry after killing so many people?" He almost added 'you sick ' but stopped himself just in time. Insulting an origin vampire probably wasn't a smart move.

To his surprise, the vampire’s forehead furrowed. "What are you ta-" His words got cut off by a loud snarl. Out of nowhere, the woman jumped to her feet, her red irises even brighter than the eyes of her creator. Strands of hair had slipped out of her formerly tight bun and tears had ruined her makeup; it was smeared over her face in dark streaks. A crazed expression was painting her features, a hint of confusion in her wide eyes. The gruesome bitemark on her neck stood in stark contrast to her overly pale skin.

The man turned to look at his creation and Jisoo took the chance.

A quiet hiss filled the air when the silver bolt cut through it with lightning speed - and then a sharp twack followed when it burrowed into the wall behind the two vampires.

Jisoo's heart skipped a beat.

He had missed.

Both Beings had focused their attention back on him. The man wasn't smiling anymore while the woman seemed unable to comprehend what was happening. She was clearly still overwhelmed by the sudden transformation, her movements shaky and uncertain, but Jisoo wasn't planning to give her the chance to come to her senses.

Another hiss filled the air, the bolt this time directly on target. It had almost reached her body when the male vampire pulled her aside, his movement so fast, Jisoo could barely see it.

The second bolt was gone and both vampires were still completely unharmed. Terror rushed through the monk.

"You little...," the man growled with flashing eyes. "I thought you'd be fun to play with but now I just want to rip you apart."

It took all of Jisoo's willpower to keep his hands from shaking. Running wasn't an option, they would catch him in a heartbeat, but he would be damned if he couldn't strike at least once. "Try it, I won't make it easy," he hissed through clenched teeth and the vampire snarled in response.

Then the Being threw itself forward, leaving the woman behind.

Jisoo watched him draw nearer.

Closer.

Closer.

A little bit more.

If he had to die, the least he could do was plant that ing stake right through the vampire's brain.

Adrenaline pushed any other thought away.

Jisoo was so focused on the approaching Being that he didn't feel the hum of power running through his veins like electricity. Neither did he notice that everything had slowed down.

The wooden handle of the crossbow was pressed against his cheek; his eyes were intently focused on the man's distorted face.

A little bit closer.

Seconds stretched, longer and longer, but he paid it no mind. It was probably the adrenaline.

A little bit closer.

Now.

He pulled the trigger.

The last bolt left the crossbow and Jisoo closed his eyes to pray.

Thump.

The muffled sound was different from the sharp twack of before. He expected a howl of pain or a screech to follow but everything remained unnaturally silent. Therefore, he braced himself for the coming attack, his grip on the weapon tightening enough to be painful.

One second passed.

Two.

Five.

Ten.

The silence persisted and Jisoo grew restless. Something was wrong. He dared to take a peek and his stomach immediately clenched.

The sharp clack of the crossbow hitting the ground cut through the silence like a whiplash but Jisoo didn't register the sudden sound in the otherwise deathly still world. One hand pressed against his belly, he his heel and used the only chance he would get to flee.

The skin of the male vampire had turned grey. Dark lines were accumulating around the deep hole in his forehead while he weighed the silver stake in his hand, indescribable fury painting his distorted features.

The female vampire had crept closer to her creator, jittery, with jerky movements. Shrieking, she recoiled when he threw the stake at her, hitting her in the shoulder.

"What the hell are you waiting for?!" he bellowed. "Find him!"

Snarling at the agitation in his voice, she sniffed the ground where the Human had stood before he had vanished. It didn’t take her long to pick up a trace of his sweet scent. Saliva dripped down her chin, onto her formerly white blouse, and she left to give chase.

It took the male vampire two attempts to finally climb to his feet. His limbs were shaking and he had trouble keeping his balance. His unfocused gaze fell on the silver stake that was lying innocently on the ground. A murderous gleam made his bright red ey