The ballroom was lit by the gloomy light of the moon. The moonlight streamed through its tall, cracked windows. The gloomy moonlight pointed it's rays at the pianist. Sarah asked herself who was this man? "One half of its face lighten up, and the other half of it is consumed by darkness.
His presence was divine—almost too perfect to be real. High cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and piercing eyes that seemed to glow faintly reddish. His long, dark hair, stood out clearly against his pale skin. He was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Like something out of a dream—or a nightmare.
Like the sky wanted to join the pianist's melody, it gently whispered a song of its own. Soft droplets slipped through the timeworn, ornate ceiling, tapping onto the floor in perfect harmony. Embrace of night Firefly dancing in the moon's pale blue light. The light entered through tall cracked windows. The fireflies glowing their spines. Bathed in the moonlight. Together, it makes a quiet memory which sarah couldn't forgot.
Sarah's breath became heavy, "He was just sitting there, playing the piano menacingly," sarah murmured with a confused look. Her rational mind telling to run from the unknown. But she couldn't move her feet are freezed. Out of her curiosity she gathered some courage to move forward, towards the unknown man. As she took her few steps. The man Stop on his mid-note.
His head tilted slightly, as though sensing her presence.
Then in a blink of an eye it vanished.
Wait, what happened? Did i imagine all this?
With a panicked tone sarah murmures "am i hallucinating all this?" The soft tap of the rain and the creak of the old mansion were the only sounds left, but the weight of his presence still lingered, pressing down on her chest.
Before she could collect her thoughts, a soft hand brushed her shoulder. Another gently touched her cheek. A tender voice whispered from behind her,
"And who might you be?"
Sarah didn't waste a single second. Adrenaline surged through her veins as she bolted, abandoning all sense of journalistic curiosity. She didn't bother to look back.
She sprinted through the mansion's darkened halls with all she had, her steps echoing in her every steps, unnervingly behind her. The heavy front doors came into view like a beacon of salvation. She threw them open with all her strength, dashed through the overgrown yard, and vaulted over the walls.
Fumbling with her car keys, she yanked the door open, threw herself inside, and locked it. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, and she speed off, the mansion fading into the distance in her rearview mirror.
She threw the driving rules out of the windows and drove as fast as possible to get out of the Ashen hill's woods. The rain pelted against the windshield, but it wasn't enough to drown out the chaos in her mind. Who was that man? What was that music? And how had he disappeared so suddenly?
Her thoughts were drifted away as a movement in her rearview mirror caught her eye. Lit by a flash of lighting.
There he is..
Sitting calmly in the backseat of her car.
The same man from the mansion, his glowing reddish eyes fixed on her.
Sarah screamed and slammed her foot on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop on the wet road. Sarah's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from her chest. She turned, fully expecting to see him still there.
But the backseat was empty.
Her hands trembled on the steering wheel. For a moment, she just sat there, the hum of the engine the only sound in the stillness. She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. "What was that... Sarah?" she muttered to herself. "Maybe just my imagination... It has to be. God, I'm so stressed out."
She forced herself to keep driving, each mile putting more distance between her and the mansion—she barely escaped.
By the time sarah arrived in the parking lot of her apartment complex, her hands were still shaking in terror. She killed the engine, sat back in her seat, and tried to steady her breathing. Rain continued to patter against the windshield, blurring the outside world. Sarah's heart hadn't slowed, and the memory of the man's reflection refused to leave her mind.
"No no no....this can't be real? You are just stressed. Yeah that's right," she muttered to herself. "You've been working too hard."
Gathering her belongings, she stepped out of the car. The cool night air bit at her skin . As she sprinted up the stairs to her apartment. Her neighbor, Mrs. Kline, was taking out the trash and paused to watch Sarah's frantic dash. Kline looked at her curiously as she bolted past, but Sarah didn't bother to stop and explain.
She rushed up the stairs her heart pounding .she fumbled with her keys at the apartment door as if the darkness behind her might catch up to her at any moment. Once she was inside, she locked the door, slid the deadbolt into place, and leaned against it, exhaling deeply. Huh, Safe. For now... Atleast. A sort of relief can be seen in her face as she realised the sense of safety.
She lives in a single-bedroom apartment, but it's still quite roomy. In front of her was the kitchen, and next to it sits a dining table. The bedroom is on the left side. She put her bag and gear on the table, as she heads toward her bedroom. She collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as her mind raced with questions. What had i seen? Was it real? Was my exhaustion playing tricks on me? Guess I will never know.
"fine," she whispered to herself, putting a effort to convince and relax her own mind. "its too much , I'll deal with it tomorrow."
She closed her eyes, hoping sleep would clear her mind. But as she lay there, her body refused to relax. Her hand reached toward the small table beside her bed. She pulled open the drawer, fumbling inside in search of cigarette. In the meantime, she buried her face in the pillow. Her fingers brushed against the all unwanted textures.
Then, without warning, a hand emerged and passed the packet to ciggerate to sarah's hand. She snatch the packet of cigarettes from the unknown hand.
"Thanks," Sarah mumbled, her mind too clouded with fatigue to process. As she takes her lighter sit up—and lit a cigarette and brought it to her lips. While taking a sip sarah giggled. "I can't help it— it's the only thing make me feels alive —technically it's killing me though." It wasn't until she'd taken a few drag, that realization struck her.
She lived alone.
Sarah eyes wide open, her body jolting upright. Her eyes darted around the room looking for the owner of the hand. But there's no there. Sarah's jaw drop but no sound coming from her mouth, cigarette fumbling. "How can it be?" i know I touch someone's hand so how come there could be no one?"
Her heart was in her throat. She scrambled to her feet, clutching the cigarette like a lifeline. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice trembling.
The silence was deafening her endurance. Her hands trembled, her legs gave out, and she slid down the wall, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. She felt tears falling onto her thighs. "I can't take this anymore" she whispered, her voice breaking with her sobs. The terror of the night, the stress, the inexplicable events—all of it came crashing down in a flood of tears.
Then as the faith didn't toyed with her enough, another hand appeared from the shadows. This time, it held out a tissue box.
Sarah froze mid-sob, staring at the hand and the innocuous offering it held. Her mind swirled with disbelief and the sheer absurdity of the gesture. Was he serious? She let out a shaky breath, eyes still wide, then—almost against her own will—sniffled and reached for the tissue, dabbing at her face like it might make sense of any of this.
Her eyes traveled upward, following the arm to its source.
Standing before her was a man. Or rather, something similar to a man. His features were strikingly beautiful, almost too perfect to be real. His piercing eyes seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. What are you? Sarah murmured with a look of curiosity in her eyes.
Sarah's breath hitched. As if sensing the danger she scrambled backward, pressing herself against the wall. "I'm soo sorry!" she blurted out, her voice high-pitched with panic. "I'll never go back to that mansion again! Please don't kill me! Spare my life" ohh god I am too young to die now please don't call me. ln her mind she prayed to God with all her faith.
The man—looked genuinely confused. He held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Kill you?" he repeated, his voice smooth and melodic. "Why would I —kill you? absolutely not, there's no way i would kill a beauty like you"
Sarah blinked. That was not the response she'd been expecting. "Do you abduct women for making your own Harem" a weird question has been delivered by sarah. A blush came on the man's face "absolutely not" he screamed. She pointed a shaky finger at him. "If not that, you're a vampire? Right" "Isn't that what you do? Killing people" she mumble. "Who are you?"
The vampire sighed, his expression shifting into one of theatrical disappointment as he crossed his arms. "huh ! My name is Lucien, Lucien Ashcroft and— yes I am a vampire. And I don't kill people." Sarah confused "a vampire" she mumble.
However Lucien semmes a little upset "Honestly, you humans these days. So quick to label, so ready to assume. You know, it's a kind of racist, don't you think? Judging me based on what I am instead of who I am?"
Sarah, still pressed against the wall, blinked rapidly. "R-Racist?!" she stammered, her voice rising an octave. Her nerves were shot, and this conversation was spiraling into absurdity. "You broke into my apartment! What was I supposed to think, huh? And beside you are a vampire and a child of a gangster."
Lucien's brows knit together, and for a second, his usually composed face twisted in playful offense. He narrowed his sharp eyes, and even puffed out his cheeks a little in a mockingly cute show of frustration.
"Broke in?" he repeated, his voice full of disbelief. " Remember? You are the one who was screaming show your self, come to me, out of your lung. That's an open invitation in some cultures!"
Sarah's mind reeled, her breath hitching as she tried to form a coherent response. "W-What?!" she finally managed, her voice cracking.
With a dramatic sigh. Lucien held back his hand reached to his coat's pocket. As he pulled out a wallet. He gently throw the wallet towards sarah, with a smirk. pointing on the wallet "You left this in my home, by the way,"his expression a perfect mix of mild annoyance and smug.
Sarah stared at the wallet, her confusion mounting. Her shakey hand reached out to take it, but as her fingers brushed against the leather, she hesitated, her eyes pointing back to Lucien's face.
"I… I.. dropp this?" she asked dumbly, her brain struggling to catch up.
"Yeeessssssss," he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You know, for someone so quick to judge me, — you're awfully careless with your stuffs "
Sarah stared at the wallet, her fear eaten by confusion. Her hands still trembling, she flipped it open. The familiar photograph of her brother caught her breath—a memory from happier times. For a moment, she couldn't tell if she should feel relief or dread. The soft ache in her chest had nothing to do with the supernatural horrors surrounding her.