Inside the dimly lit carriage of the train, the faint golden glow from a single flickering bulb struggled to pierce the shadows. Lucas tilted his head slightly, his eyes catching the wall clock above the compartment door.
8:23.
"Fifteen minutes left..." he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible against the quiet hum of the train wheels clattering over iron rails.
An unsettling silence filled the entire carriage. It wasn't just the kind of silence that came with night travel—it was thicker, heavier, as if the air itself was holding its breath. The passengers seemed to share an unspoken understanding, their whispers gone, their breathing shallow, all waiting for something... or trying not to attract it.
Then came the sound—footsteps.
At first soft, distant, but growing louder with every second. The rhythm was uneven, like someone stumbling, running for their life. Lucas tensed, gripping the handle of the kitchen knife in his hand.
And then—a voice.
"Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"
The desperate plea was filled with sheer terror. Heavy, panicked footsteps echoed down the narrow corridor, each thud more frantic than the last. But behind it... came another sound. Slow. Calm. Methodical.
The pursuer wasn't rushing. He moved like a predator—one who enjoyed the chase.
Lucas quietly shifted his position closer to the compartment door, his instincts sharpened. His muscles tightened, his breathing slowed to a whisper.
Then—
Boom!
Something—or someone—slammed hard into the sliding door. Lucas reacted instantly, stepping back just in time. The door splintered, wood fragments scattering across the floor. A huge crack split open the frame, revealing the chaos outside.
Through the gap, Lucas saw a man's hat tumble to the floor, rolling to a stop beside a blood-stained shoe. The man himself—tall, dressed in a crumpled suit—collapsed against the shattered door. His golden curls fell loose, his face pale and terrified. Blood poured from his mouth as he stared toward the corridor, eyes wide with horror.
He wasn't looking at Lucas.
He was looking past him—toward something in the dark.
The system in Lucas's vision flickered alive:
> [Modeling...]
[Risk assessment based on host strength: Passenger Asgard – Low Danger]
"...Asgard?" Lucas murmured, recognizing the trembling man's name from the ticket list.
Following Asgard's terrified gaze, Lucas turned toward the shadow at the far end of the corridor.
Something—someone—was standing there.
A slender figure stepped out of the darkness, illuminated by the weak flicker of the train light. The first thing Lucas noticed was the unnatural color of his skin. Even under the dim glow, the paleness was wrong, almost translucent.
He wore a sharp, dark suit, immaculate despite the eerie setting. His head was completely bald, but the bone structure of his skull seemed sharper, the edges unnaturally defined, almost knife-like. And when the creature raised his head—
Black eyes. Entirely black.
Not a hint of white, just endless void. Lucas felt an instinctive chill crawl up his spine.
Asgard whimpered, dragging himself backward. "Please... please don't kill me…"
The man in the suit tilted his head slowly, his lips curling upward. His smile stretched too wide—unnaturally wide—revealing a row of razor-sharp black teeth. The smile was grotesque, inhuman, and yet disturbingly calm.
The system flickered again:
> [Modeling...]
[Risk assessment based on host strength: Vampire of Dogtown – Intermediate Danger]
Lucas frowned. "...Your vampires look like that?"
The creature ignored him, focusing entirely on Asgard—the scent of blood overpowering its restraint. Lucas stayed silent, watching carefully.
"How did it throw someone that far?" he whispered to himself. "That man was launched against the door…"
Even though the system marked it as "intermediate danger," Lucas wasn't reckless. He stayed still, observing, trying to understand its method before making a move.
Asgard broke down completely, crawling on his hands and knees. "Please! I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"
The vampire's smile widened again, his black gums stretching grotesquely. Then, from between his teeth, a long, needle-like appendage slid outward—a mouthpart, almost mechanical in precision, pulsing faintly like it was alive.
The end of it opened into a suction tip.
Before Asgard could scream again, the mouthpart shot forward, stabbing deep into his neck.
A horrifying slurping sound filled the carriage. The tube pulsed rhythmically, draining the man's blood in seconds. Asgard's body convulsed, his skin shriveling as if life itself was being sucked out.
Within moments, he was nothing more than a husk, his eyes sunken and empty.
The system beeped coldly.
> [Corpse of Passenger Asgard: No Danger]
Lucas exhaled quietly. "So that's how it feeds…"
The vampire withdrew its mouthpart, licking the last drops of crimson from its lips. Its nose twitched, savoring the air, and then it whispered, voice silky and cruel:
"Fresh human blood... always satisfies me."
And then—
A familiar chime echoed in Lucas's ear.
> [System prompt: Player Lucas triggers a side mission]
[Mission Objective: Protect all passengers within the carriage.]
Lucas's eyes hardened. He glanced once more at the clock.
8:25. Thirteen minutes left.
He raised his hand and tapped the blade of his kitchen knife against the door frame. Clink. Clink.
The metallic rhythm echoed faintly in the silence.
The vampire paused mid-step, turning its head toward the sound. Through the gaping hole in the door, its black eyes met Lucas's calm stare.
For one tense moment—neither moved.
Then suddenly, with a hiss like a snake, the vampire spat out its mouthpart, launching it like a spear straight toward Lucas's throat.
But Lucas was faster.
In one motion, he caught the mouthpart midair. His fingers wrapped tightly around the pulsating tube. The suction end opened wide, still trying to bite him, its sharp ridges snapping hungrily.
Lucas grimaced. "Disgusting."
He shoved the kitchen knife straight into the suction mouth—and twisted.
A blood-curdling scream tore through the corridor. The vampire writhed, clawing at its own mouth as dark ichor splattered across the walls. Lucas didn't hesitate—he yanked hard, dragging the creature closer as the door frame splintered further.
Kicking the broken door aside, Lucas stepped out into the aisle.
Both sides of the corridor were lined with sealed compartment doors. No passengers dared peek out; everyone had heard the scream but chose silence over curiosity.
Then the system updated again:
> [Car No. 8: Advanced Danger]
[Car No. 10: Advanced Danger]
Lucas's brows furrowed. "The smell of blood... is attracting more of them."
He could feel it now—multiple presences approaching from both directions.
The vampire still attached to him was thrashing wildly, driven mad by pain. Its strength was monstrous; even injured, its body pulsed with unnatural vitality.
It lunged forward, but Lucas braced himself, pulling the mouthpart tighter. The creature stumbled, losing its balance, and Lucas kicked it square in the abdomen.
It doubled over, but before it could recover, Lucas stepped on its chest, pinning it down. The wood beneath them creaked under the force.
"You're really troublesome," Lucas muttered.
Whether he was talking to the vampire or to the entire situation wasn't clear.
The creature clawed at his leg, hissing in fury, but Lucas tightened his grip. Muscles straining, he pulled with both hands.
Squelch.
The sound was wet, revolting. The vampire's scream turned into a gargle as the mouthpart ripped free, dragging with it strings of dark flesh and viscera.
The body convulsed once—then went still.
> [Vampire Corpse of Dogtown: No Danger]
Lucas released the tube, which was nearly half his height. The glistening surface pulsed faintly like a living organ before finally going limp.
He stared at it, expressionless. "What a strange body structure... almost parasitic."
The train rattled onward, oblivious to the carnage within. The carriage lights flickered, casting the walls in alternating patterns of light and shadow. Somewhere in the next car, a faint scream echoed—then silence.
Lucas adjusted his grip on the kitchen knife, dragging the long, blood-slick mouthpart behind him. The metallic clang of his footsteps filled the hall.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. There were still other vampires ahead. The system's warnings glowed faintly in his vision, red markers pulsing like hearts.
He had thirteen minutes to protect the passengers.
And now... the hunt had just begun.
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