Screaming. They’re all screaming.

Who’s screaming?

Why are they screaming?

I can’t breathe…

There’s something filling my lungs, it’s not air…

Please, somebody help me…

I open my mouth to shout, but no sound follows. My lips are dry, my throat hurts. It’s burning. Everything is burning inside of me… What’s happening? I can’t see… It’s so dark.

Why…?

What is… That?

Fire… Fire!

I gasp and smoke fills my mouth and nose. It burns and hurts my lungs.

There’s a fire!

Why can’t I run…? Why am I…?

Ah… I’m trapped…

Someone… Help me… Someone please help me…

“Xiumin!”

Someone is calling my name!

But, that’s not my name? Is it?

“Xiumin! Xiumin!”

That voice is so soothing… So comforting… Who are they? Do I know them?

“Xiumin!”

I can’t see, there’s too much smoke…

“Xiumin!”

“Baekhyun!”

Is that his name? I don’t… What did I say? I don’t remember… What did I say?

“Xiumin! Hold on! I’m coming for you!”

Baekhyun, please help me! Please find me! Save me!

Who are you…? Why do I know your name?

It’s getting darker… I can’t see anything anymore… Inhale… I can’t. Exhale. I… Oh. What’s this? A cold, dark feeling filling me from the inside… I… Am I…?

Am I dying?

I’m dying.

Someone’s arms are wrapped around me. They’re so warm… So nice… I wonder who this is... What’s that wetness dropping against my face…? Tears? Is… Is this person crying?

“Xiumin! Xiumin, open your eyes! Open your eyes for me, PLEASE!”

I can’t respond. I want to… But…

I love you, Baekhyun...

“SAVE ME!!”

The scream that carried those words ripped through the stillness of the night and filled a rather lonely apartment. Kim Minseok was lying in his bed, covered in sweat, drops of it running down his face and chest. His hair matted to his forehead, his eyes wide open in terror. His heart pounded against his chest as he gasped for air. He swallowed hard and let go of the tight hold he had on his sheets.

He took one side glance to the clock, still panting as he tried to catch his breath. The red glow of the digital clock read ‘3:17am.’

Minseok let a sigh pass through his lips as he slumped back into his bed against the wet pillows. He frowned to himself, ‘another nightmare...’

***

“Whoa, you don’t look so hot this morning.”

“Please don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” Minseok muttered as he sat down at his cubicle.

“Sorry,” the person in the next cubicle replied, “Another nightmare?”

“COFFEE, JONGDAE.” was Minseok’s annoyed response.

Jongdae shook his head with a suppressed laugh, “I just put on a fresh pot. Should be ready about now.” He raised a curious eyebrow at Minseok, “And then will you care to tell me about that dream?”

There was no response. Minseok had already made a dash for the staff kitchen to grab a mug of coffee before it was all gone. Office workers have a tendency to be drawn to coffee when they smell it and there’s always a war for the last drop. Minseok was having none of that today. He knew that he would probably rip the head off of whoever got in between him and his caffeine, especially this morning.

Minseok pulled open the door to the kitchen and his eyes widened in horror at the sight. Wait a minute. That’s… That’s the last drop of coffee! Minseok came to sudden realization as he entered the kitchen that someone had beat him to the coffee pot and was pouring it into an oversized mug. He felt his heart sink and opened his mouth to start cursing profanities at the man until he turned around and gave him a cheerful smile.

Oh God… No…

“Good morning, Minseok,” the man said and then he took a better look at him, “Wow… You look… You look awful this morning.” a frown replaced the smile that had grown on his face.

Minseok couldn’t argue with him. Not that he ever would - this was Kim Junmyeon after all, his boss. That and there was no lie in what Junmyeon said. Minseok knew for a fact that he looked terrible this morning. His hair was disheveled no matter how much he’d tried taming it that morning and there were very heavy dark circles under his baggy eyes. When he looked in the mirror of his bathroom he almost jumped at the sight of his reflection. He was ghostly pale and that concerned him a bit.

“Have you been sleeping enough?” Junmyeon asked, worried.

Minseok nodded firmly and tried to look at his boss in the eyes, but it was impossible to see past those large sunglasses he wore to work everyday, “Yes, Sir. I’ve been getting plenty of rest,”

Junmyeon raised an eyebrow in disbelief the peered over his thick black sunglasses and smiled handing his ‘World’s Greatest Boss’ mug to his employee, “Take it. You look like you could use it more than me this morning. I’ll just get the intern to do a run for me.”

“I can’t take that, Sir…” Minseok said, his voice wavering as he stared at the coffee and the smell that came with it.

Junmyeon laughed and shoved the cup into his hands, “Yes you can. And that’s an order.” he placed a hand on Minseok’s shoulder gently as he walked by, “If there’s anything you need to talk about, you just let me know, alright?”

Minseok gave a weak nod as Junmyeon left him standing there in the kitchen by himself. He could hear him yell out to the intern as he walked towards his office. He felt bad, almost, but he was more concerned about waking himself up.

“Hm,” Jongdae smirked as Minseok took his seat, half the coffee already gone, “Did you get promoted?”

“What?”

Jongdae pointed his pencil accusingly at the mug sitting on his desk, “You’re the World’s greatest boss now?”

“Oh.” Minseok rolled his eyes, “Junmyeon gave me the last drop of coffee.”

Jongdae let out a long exaggerated sigh, “I wish he’d dote on me the way he dotes on you.”

“Oh shut up.”

Jongdae sighed, almost dreamily, “He’s not so bad, you know… For a vampire.”

Minseok scoffed in response, “You’re ridiculous.”

“Are you going to tell me about that nightmare then?”

Minseok groaned, “Fine.”

“Could you two do your work for once?” a nosy co-worker asked, peeking over the top of the cubicle so the two friends could see the annoyance in his eyes.

Jongdae grumbled, “Tell me later tonight then.”

***

“You should probably see someone about that.” Jongdae said taking a bite of his sandwich, “It’s probably not good for your health.” he said with his mouth full.

“Could you stop doing that.” Minseok said, putting on a look of disgust.

Jongdae scrunched up his nose and swallowed, “I’ll think about it. But seriously,” he took a sip of a drink, “Those dreams are taking a real toll on you. When did you start getting them again anyway?”

Minseok sniffled and looked down at his hands, “After I broke up with him.”

“Ah,” Jongdae nodded in understanding, “It was around the same time, you’re right… Maybe he’s the reason you’re having nightmares. We should hook you up with someone else.”

Minseok almost snorted with laughter, “Please, worry about your own love life first.”

“I’m just saying! It could be good for you to get back out there, you know?”

“No thanks.”

“Oh come on! It could be fun to go out downtown again, you know?”

“Downtown? Oh yes, we’ll meet plenty of civilized people there.” Minseok said sarcastically, rolling his eyes for emphasis.

“No, no!” Jongdae said suddenly jumping from the couch, “I think this is it, Minseok! We’re going downtown! Tomorrow night, you and me. What do you say, friend?”

Minseok blinked several times slowly. One night couldn’t hurt…

“Alright…” He reluctantly agreed, but there was a small flutter in his heart that made him anxious. As much as he’d hate to admit it, there was something thrilling about the idea.

***

NOPE.

I regret this. I regret this so much.

“Can we please leave?” Minseok shouted over the loud noises of the club. He was being blinded by the bright lights coming from the dancefloor, deafened by the beat of the… Could this even be called music? Worst of all, he was being grinded on by perfectly random strangers who were getting a little too close for comfort.

“We only just got here!” Jongdae yelled back, “Let’s get some drinks!” he called over his shoulder, grabbing Minseok’s wrist and dragging him to the bar.

They sat down on two empty stools, squished between the crowds of people. Jongdae looked about the room and shuddered at the sight. There were plenty of people here, but there were also plenty of them here too. Vampires.

“I hate vampires,” Jongdae muttered as he spotted one in a booth drinking blood from a small girl who was seated on his lap, her blonde curls covered most of her face, but her red cheeks were evident. “Can’t they do that in private?”

Two beer bottles were slammed onto the table before him and he nearly jumped from his seat. The bartender wore a frown despite his expressionless eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Jongdae and flashed his fangs, grazing his tongue over one of them lightly. Jongdae’s face blanched.

Minseok chuckled, “Easy there, Sehun, you’re scaring him.”

Jongdae shuddered and chugged half of his beer in one go. He did a quick survey of the club, looking for someone that might be suitable for his relatively quiet friend. He is wearing too much leather. Not him either, he looks like trouble. And he… Is he staring at me? No…

“Minseok,” Jongdae leaned over and shook his friend’s shoulder trying to get his attention, “Minseok, hey.”

“What?” Minseok asked in annoyance, pulling himself away from the conversation between himself and Sehun.

“Look,” he whispered harshly, “That guy there in the corner. He keeps staring at you.”

Sure enough, in the corner of the dimly lit club, Minseok could just barely make out a the face of a man who stared at him so intensely. It caught him off guard and he looked away quickly, but not before getting a full look at him. The man was beautiful, perfectly pale and flawless skin, deep, mysterious eyes that looked like stars in the night sky and raven black hair that fell perfectly against his white complexion. He was wearing all black and certainly did not look like he was meant to be in a club like this. It was obvious to Minseok that this man was a vampire.

There was something so strangely familiar about him though. Something that bothered Minseok greatly. It made him uncomfortable and he squirmed a little, fidgeting with his beer. I know him from somewhere... Minseok thought to himself as he squinted trying to remember. I know him...

“He’s a vampire,” Minseok whispered, embarrassed by the fact the man had been staring at him of all people, even with the men and women that flocked to him at his table.

Sehun shifted his eyes in the direction of the man and looked back at Minseok almost surprised, “I didn’t see him come in.”

“Who is he?” Jongdae asked curiously, daring to take another glance. He was still staring at Minseok, even as he talked to a woman beside him. Jongdae diverted his eyes quickly.

“He’s Byun Baekhyun. He’s a rather old vampire. One of the oldest, I was told.” Sehun wiped down a glass and replaced it on the rack above him.

“Baekhyun…” Minseok repeated, the name was familiar on his lips, like he’d said it a million times, as if he somehow knew it by heart.

“I heard he was almost a thousand years old.” Sehun interrupted Minseok’s thoughts with those words.

“One thousand?!” Minseok gasped and a few people sitting at the bar turned their curious eyes to him in confusion. He turned from their gaze and lowered his voice to a whisper, “One thousand years old?”

Sehun nodded, “I know everyone, Minseok. I’m pretty old myself, but he’s been around for much longer. He’s powerful, that way, you see. They say he was among the very first turned by the virus.” Sehun leaned across the counter, bearing his fangs once more, “No one gets themselves involved with him. No one.”

Minseok risked another glimpse from the corner of his eyes as he took a cautious sip of his drink. He was surprised to see that the man had disappeared from the booth. He let out a sigh of relief as he turned his eyes back to his friends. Jongdae was finishing off his beer and slammed the bottle down on the counter. Sehun raised an eyebrow at him as he abruptly stood from his stool.

“I’m going dancing,” he decided, “Coming with?”

Minseok shook his head and sipped at his third beer of the night, “Not in the mood.”

“Suit yourself,” Jongdae shrugged and found his way out into the crowds of bodies.

The night began to grow hazy. Minseok lost count of his drinks, but he wasn’t planning on having anymore. It was already getting pretty late and his best friend wasn’t planning on going home any time soon. He made up some excuse to get out of there when he found Jongdae on the dancefloor. He was being pushed up against him and Jongdae couldn’t hold back his laugh at the befuddled expression on Minseok’s face.

“I’m getting out of here!” Minseok yelled.

Jongdae frowned, “Want me to take you home? You don’t look so good!”

Minseok shook his head, “You enjoy your night! I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

It didn’t take long for Minseok to stumble out of the club and into the fresh air of downtown. He took a deep breath and smiled to himself. His head felt a bit fuzzy, but he figured he could walk home if tried really hard. He took one wobbly step forward and felt rather pleased with himself that he hadn’t fallen over. Convinced that he could definitely walk home without fault, he began his uneven and unsteady steps along the sidewalk.

A cold gust of wind blew past him and he shivered, pulling has jacket tight around himself. Something felt strange… It felt like someone was… Watching him? At the thought, goosebumps raised all across his skin, his hairs stood on end and he felt a very uncomfortable shudder travel down his spine. It couldn’t be... He checked over his shoulder and thought that, in the shadows, he could see someone standing there, watching his every move.

Shocked by the discovery, Minseok stumbled sideways and out into the streets. He fell rather ungracefully onto the pavement, knees scraping hard against the rough surface and hands sprawled out before him on the ground to keep his face from hitting the road. He let out a sigh of relief, but there was a stinging pain in his hands and knees. And there was an awful sharpness in his right ankle. Minseok sat back on his knees and winced in pain. His hands were covered in blood and there were little rocks stuck to his palms from the impact. There were holes in the knees of his black jeans, he noted, as he wiped his hands onto his thighs, hoping to rid them of the gravel.

Minseok carefully raised himself onto his feet, biting his lip and shutting his eyes tight at the pain in his ankle. He realized that he must have twisted it when he fell. He couldn’t hold himself up and the pain he was feeling caused him to lunge forward and brace for another impact. In the briefest of moments between getting up and falling yet again, he heard a terrified scream from a bystander and noticed two bright lights shining on him. He looked to his left and saw two headlights coming towards him as he slowly fell towards the street. There was no time for him to register what was happening, but he knew that nothing good could come of this.

Bracing himself for the unpleasant harshness of the ground, or the car, whichever came first, Minseok shut his eyes against the world. He waited for the collision. And waited some more… Where was it?

Instead of the crash that Minseok had expected, he felt two arms wrapped tightly around his body. They were warm and they felt familiar somehow. Slowly he opened his eyes and blinked at the blurriness before him. There was a face in front of his, he knew it, but he couldn’t make it out exactly. He blinked a few more times, willing his eyes to adjust and then saw him. A gasp escaped Minseok’s lips as he wiggled himself out of the man’s grip.

“You really ought to be more careful.”

That voice...

“You really ought to be more careful, Baozi.”

“I can’t help it!” I sniffled and held back my tears as the man in front of me placed a band-aid on my forehead.

He gently cupped my face and kissed the top of my head, “I love you.”

“I love you too, Baekhyun.”

“Do I know you?” Minseok asked, shaking away the images that had just come into his mind.

“No,” the man said sternly, letting Minseok go and swiftly turning away from him, “But I know you.”