Marked by the Vampire King

Lingering Shadows

The office looked the same as always when I walked in after my short break for my birthday. Computers hummed, phones rang, and the smell of fresh coffee filled the air. People were busy, but there was also a warmth in the room that made me smile for a moment.

“Selene!” Priya, my seatmate, called out the moment she saw me. She waved both hands in the air like she hadn’t seen me for months. “Finally! Our birthday girl is back.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “It was just a few days, Priya. Don’t act like I disappeared for years.”

Leo popped his head up from behind his monitor. His hair was messy as usual, but his grin was wide. “So? Did you party like crazy? Or did you just sleep all day?”

“Neither,” I said, placing my bag down. “I celebrated a little, that’s all.”

Jordan, our team leader, lifted his head from his papers. “Good. But I hope you’re ready. The Phoenix project is waiting for you.” His voice was calm and steady as always.

I groaned, already feeling the pressure sink into my shoulders. “Thanks for the warm welcome, boss.”

The three of them chuckled, and the office went back to its usual rhythm. I should have felt comfortable, but something in me was restless.

As I typed on my computer, I saw it again… a flicker, a shadow at the edge of my eye. Like someone was standing there, just out of sight. I turned quickly, but there was nothing. Only Priya focused on her screen, Leo sipping coffee, and Jordan flipping through his notes.

“Get a grip, Selene,” I whispered to myself. I shook my head and forced myself to keep working.

By noon, Leo leaned over my desk, grinning. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re skipping lunch. You need to eat something before you fall asleep at your desk.”

Priya giggled beside him. “Yeah, come with us. You can’t survive on coffee alone.”

I gave a small laugh. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

We walked to the canteen together, trays in hand. The room was crowded, every seat almost full. The sound of people talking, trays clattering, and food sizzling filled the air, but it was background noise, nothing unusual. The smell of fried food and spices hit my nose, and my stomach growled faintly.

We found a table for four in the corner and sat down. Leo launched into a story about his weekend, gesturing with his fork like it was part of the performance. Priya laughed, shaking her head, nearly spilling her drink. Jordan, calm as always, smiled politely and sipped his water, listening quietly. I nodded along, smiling, trying to act normal.

We started eating normally while having a conversation. Then, suddenly… I heard someone chewing loudly. It was Leo. But Leo was never a loud chewer, still, every bite sounded sharp in my ears.

What is this? What's happening?

Leo’s quiet chewing felt loud, each bite sharper than it should have been. The scrape of his fork against his plate cut through me. I thought I was imagining things but then I couldn't take it anymore.

“Uh… Leo, could you maybe… chew a little quieter?” My voice trembled.

Leo froze mid-bite, his fork hovering. “What? I’m not even chewing loudly.”

Priya tilted her head, eyebrows pulling together. “Selene… are you okay? You look… weird.”

Jordan gave me a calm, concerned glance. “Everything alright?”

I forced a shaky laugh. “I… I must have heard things wrong. Sorry. Must be my imagination.”

They hesitated, then went back to eating. But I couldn’t settle. Every little noise hit me. Jordan’s slurping, Priya’s laugh, Leo’s soft chews, the scrape of their forks. A distant sigh. A faint scrape of someone’s chair across the floor. The soft thump-thump-thump of a foot under the table.

My chest tightened. My head throbbed. I wanted to run.

I shoved the rest of my food down as fast as I could and muttered something about needing air, leaving the table before anyone could stop me.

Back at my desk, the office felt quieter, or at least it should have, but the sounds had changed. They weren’t background noise anymore. Every small thing was sharp, intrusive, impossible to ignore.

I could hear the keyboard keys striking the letters… the tapping pen on the desk… the footsteps echoing in the hall… the squeak of the wheel rolling down an empty corridor…

There was no cart, no one pushing anything, yet I could hear it clearly, closer with every heartbeat. Each sound pressed against my skull like a drum. My ears burned. My chest felt like it was on fire. My stomach twisted painfully.

“I can't take it anymore…” I whispered, standing so quickly my chair screeched across the floor.

I rushed to the comfort room, ignoring the stares of passing coworkers. Cold water splashed onto my face as I bent over the sink. My makeup ran, but I didn’t care. I just wanted the noise to stop.

My hands gripped the sink tightly. My reflection looked pale, eyes wide and frightened. My lips trembled. Slowly, the sounds began to fade, though it felt like the office was still whispering, breathing, waiting.

I leaned against the wall, whispering to myself, Focus. Calm down. It’s just a reaction. You’ll be okay. When I stepped back into the hall, Priya spotted me immediately.

“Selene,” she said softly, concern in her voice. “You look awful. Are you okay?”

I forced a weak smile. “Yeah… just tired, I guess.”

She smirked teasingly. “So the hangover’s still haunting you?”

I gave a nervous laugh. “Something like that.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further.

Days went by, and it only got worse. My hearing became painfully sharp. I could hear whispers across the office, footsteps long before anyone appeared, and the faint hum of the air conditioner as if it was next to my ear.

The sound of paper tearing felt like thunder. Pens clicking were like gunshots. Even someone breathing beside me rattled my ears, each inhale and exhale amplified like a storm. And that cart wheel, always squeaking, always near, though no one was ever there.

Food tasted wrong. I ate more but never felt full. My body stayed tired, no matter how much I slept. And the shadows, those flickering shapes, never left the edges of my sight.

Priya noticed. “Selene, you’re spacing out again,” she said one afternoon, frowning.

Leo leaned in. “Yeah, seriously. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

I tried to laugh. “N-no, I'm just cold.” I said, acting like everything was normal.

Jordan, calm and steady, finally spoke. “Selene, it’s okay. You can rest after this meeting. Take care of yourself first.”

I nodded, grateful. Thank God, I thought I'm going to die from that sounds.

The intercom buzzed. “Team Phoenix, report to the conference room. Urgent meeting.”

We grabbed our things. My chest tightened with every step toward the room. It’s just another meeting. Focus. Stay professional.

But the moment I walked in, my stomach dropped. He was there. The man who I helped. The man who own that bar.

Caius Mortem Veryan.

Sitting at the head of the table, cold and intimidating. The fire from that night burned again in my chest, spreading fast, uncontrollable. I forced my eyes down to my notebook, pretending to be busy, but I couldn’t stop looking. Every glance I dared stole away my breath.

I slid into the seat between Jordan and Leo. The meeting began. At first, it was going well. But here it comes again. The sounds.

I could hear Jordan's rifling through papers, each page tearing through the quiet like a scream. And Leo's heartbeat was beating fast even though he seems fine.

Every sound overlapped, creating a cacophony inside my head. My ears burned, my chest tightened, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed to stretch and flicker, teasing the edge of my vision.

Am I really going insane?

The meeting was already underway. Leo had finished presenting the report, and now Caius’s sharp eyes scanned the table, focusing on the finer details.

“Can you explain this section in more detail?” Caius asked quietly, his voice precise, measured, and cold.

My chest tightened immediately. The pen clicks, paper flips, Leo’s soft chewing, Priya’s gentle hum… all of it felt magnified, hammering at my ears like nails on metal.

My hands gripped my notebook tightly. My pulse raced. The squeak of that imaginary wheel outside the hallway drilled into my mind. Just breathe… just breathe…

Leo cleared his throat, pointing at his papers. “As I explained, the section covers the projected costs and timelines. I’ve updated the numbers according to the latest revisions.”

Jordan nodded calmly. “Looks thorough.”

Caius’s eyes swept over the table, sharp and unrelenting. When it landed mine, I immediately pretended to look at Jordan's paper. My chest burned. My hands shook. My ears ached with every tiny sound.

As soon as the meeting ended, Caius stood and left, his movements calm and deliberate, not once glancing back. The heat in my chest became unbearable. Without thinking, I excused myself and hurried toward the bathroom, my stomach twisting with every hurried step.

Inside, I splashed cold water on my face, bending over the sink. My hands trembled. Makeup streaked down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. The sounds of the pen clicks, paper flips, Leo’s chewing, hums, footsteps, heartbeats. Even the phantom squeak of the wheel, started fading, just slowly enough for me to breathe.

I leaned back against the wall, gripping the sink tightly. “Okay… okay…” I whispered to myself. “Just a reaction… just a reaction. I’ll be fine.”

I just wanted to go home. To lie down. To pretend none of this was happening. But when I opened the bathroom door. He was there.

Caius. Waiting.