"Just die already, you damn monster!"
A voice yelled in a ruined, empty street covered in true darkness. The sound of grinding metal against flesh followed the yelling.
A young, pale man dressed all in black — hoodie and torn trousers. His whole body was covered in bruises and blood stains. He held a chainsaw that was currently grinding the body of a monster that looked like a crossbreed of a wyvern and a jaguar.
The street he was standing on was currently destroyed. The buildings that were built out of chrome were destroyed. Occasional sparks from destroyed electrical poles were present. Screams and roars echoed in the vast expanse of the street.
Up in the sky, there were flying abominations. Some resembled the one the young man was killing, and the others came in different forms. The only similarity was that they didn't look like normal birds, as far as birds went.
Above this city was a large veil swallowing the city into darkness.
Finally, the abomination convulsed and died.
Scarlet fell flat on the ground, panting, his dark hair brushing the uneven ground. His pale, almost white skin contrasted with the darkness, but he felt invisible because his clothing covered most of his body. His deep crimson, scarlet-like eyes stared into the darkness above with a tired expression.
"I guess I'll stay here for a while and wait for the Island Defense to get here. These bastard flying lions don't react to artificial sound, and they can only see in true darkness. I make sure not to yell. I am good at whispering," he muttered under his breath, barely above a whisper.
Yes, the abominations weren't attacking him because of his dressing, but...
He turned his head to where most of the screams were coming from with the same tired expression.
".. But what of those damn ones?"
He smiled faintly, revealing bloody teeth with two upper sharp fangs where the canine teeth should have been. Slowly, the fangs turned into less sharp ones, the canines.
"... I'll just find blood to drink and kill those damn monsters. I hope they've killed more humans. Or else my resting and planning to wait for them to get to me will be for nothing."
He turned his gaze back to the darkness that stretched down the horizon and raised his hand, then formed a fist.
"To think I survived as a vampire amongst humans," he whispered, almost to himself.
"I was born here, grew up here… and humans… they leave blood in a Blood Bank. And sometimes there's flesh at a place called a mortuary. I don't really understand it… But maybe they mean it as food?"
He sighed, with a small, calm smile crossing his face. "I don't have anyone. But if this is how humans give food… then thank you. I'll take it. It helps me stay alive."
Scarlet looked back toward the dark horizon, raising a hand and forming a fist. "I'll just wait. And I'll do what I need to survive."
Some time later, he heard hurried footsteps, feet away, heading in his direction. Though the footsteps were still far away, he heard them, and that was because, as a vampire, he possessed heightened senses and a stronger body compared to that of a mundane human.
Yet, his body had its limits of strength and resilience. Without the chainsaw, he could have been among the ones screaming and turned into monster food.
He lifted himself in a weird stance and pointed the chainsaw in the direction from which the footsteps came.
A large stone debris that protruded from the ground and a large chrome structure stood in the way, though.
Well, that didn't stop the unknown human… monster? The stranger just leapt from the other side and landed on the ground.
Scarlet lifted his head and finally noticed the figure that had just landed on the other side of the debris. She was a girl.
She looked about his age, maybe a little younger. Dark hoodie, black pants, long dark hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. Her eyes glinted in the dim light, sharp and alert. She was injured in her elbow, with blood streaming down her hand.
"…A teenage girl? Really?" Scarlet muttered under his breath, his expression twisting into a mix of surprise and mild disgust.
The girl's gaze met his, unflinching.
"I heard that," she said flatly, her voice carrying a hint of challenge. She didn't look scared, not even a little.
Scarlet studied her for a moment. She didn't seem like one of the monsters, but then, neither did he. Her posture was tense, ready for anything.
He straightened slightly, raising the chainsaw with a shrug of caution.
"Well, you're in the middle of a war zone. Don't get yourself killed."
She smiled confidently. "I can't get killed. I have the strength of a woman."
Scarlet stared at her with a deadpan expression.
"Are you a blockhead? What in the world is women's strength? Yes… You're definitely a blockhead."
The girl frowned and suddenly grew tense with anger. Then she broke Scarlet's number one rule.
She yelled as she pointed her bloodied hand forward.
"Damn you! How dare you?! Huh?! Tell me, don't you value women, and how dare you call me a blockhead?! Don't shush me! I'll make you pay!"
He heard the flapping of wings rushing towards them. Soon, one abomination — this one looking like a vulture with a sharp beak and five tails — appeared just an inch above them. The abomination targeted the girl.
The girl looked at the abomination, her previous confidence gone and replaced with horror and surprise. She couldn't move; the bird was just a finger away from biting her head off.
Time seemed to slow. No, before the bird achieved its aim, a gust of dust swept past the girl and carried her away. The bird's beak cracked the uneven ground, sending debris and stone into the air, which was illuminated by a rumbling sound.
****
Scarlet's crimson eyes narrowed as the abomination lunged, beak snapping just inches from the girl's head. Without a second thought, he sprang forward. His sudden, unnatural leap generated the gust of wind that carried his vampire-enhanced speed and strength, propelling him past the creature.
He caught her mid-air, holding her firmly against his chest as the abomination screeched and crashed into the uneven street, missing them by mere inches. Scarlet landed a few meters away, rolling to absorb the impact, the girl still clutched tightly in his arms.
She blinked up at him, eyes wide with shock and a hint of fear. "W-what… what was that? Did you just super-speed?" She stammered, trying to push herself upright.
Scarlet set her down gently, though his grip was firm enough to prevent her from stumbling. He glanced at the abomination, assessing it quickly.
"Don't move too much. It's not done yet."
The girl looked at him, confusion and awe mixing on her face. "You… you carried me?"
He gave a faint shrug, expression unreadable. "You were in the way. I couldn't have you dead before the fun started. Besides, I am starving."
Her eyes widened further, a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "Fun…? Hungry?"
Scarlet's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Yeah. That thing…" he said, nodding toward the five-tailed vulture-like abomination circling above, "wants to eat you. I don't like sharing my food."
The girl blinked, baffled. "Heh? Food? What —"
Before she could finish, Scarlet raised his chainsaw, revving it with a sharp, mechanical roar. "I'll handle it. Don't touch it. You'll get in the way."
She opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it. Standing frozen, she realized she was completely outmatched. This boy… this Scarlet… he wasn't just a normal teenager trying to survive. He was something else entirely.
With a sudden, violent motion, Scarlet lunged at the abomination. The chainsaw cut through the air with a hiss of metal and sparks. The creature screeched, twisting mid-air as Scarlet's strike grazed one of its tails, making it falter.
Scarlet pivoted, swinging the chainsaw in a wide arc, forcing it downwards toward the ground. Dust, sparks, and debris flew everywhere. The girl ducked instinctively, gripping her arms around herself.
Finally, with a final rev and a brutal downward strike, Scarlet brought the abomination crashing onto the cracked pavement. It twitched once, wings flapping weakly, before lying still.
He let out a sharp exhale and turned to the girl, scarlet eyes calm but alert. "Next time, learn to keep your voice down," he said simply.
"Try nothing stupid. Now that I remember you're a teenager, probably a high school girl, my appetite disappeared."
The girl swallowed hard, nodding. "I… I will, sir. Thank you… for saving me, sir."
…She totally ignored the part where he described his irritation with teenage girls.
Scarlet's gaze drifted toward the horizon, already scanning for the next threat. "Don't thank me. Surviving isn't about thanks. It's about not dying. Got it? And besides, the government has always told us to work with one another when there's an attack. And I really love working with confident, stupid, and weak people. They live longer and are easy prey once I get hungry."
She nodded again, feeling the weight of his words. "Got it."
He gave a small, almost imperceptible nod and muttered under his breath, "Name's Scarlet. Remember it."
"I'm Mira…" she replied softly.
Scarlet didn't answer. Instead, he revved the chainsaw again, eyes scanning the ruined street and the darkened sky. More abominations would come, and they'd have to survive until the Island Defense got there to rescue them...