A Curse written in blood

Chapter 3

I run toward the door, twisting the knob as hard as I can—but it’s locked. My palms are sweaty, my breath shallow. I glance around frantically and spot a window. Hope sparks for a second, and I rush to it but it sealed tight too. s**t!

My chest tightens. My heartbeat is all I can hear, hammering in my ears like war drums. What should I do? I can’t let that thing find me. I can’t let it suck my blood again. No way.

I look around for anything—anything that could help me escape—but everything is shut, locked, trapped like me. Desperation rises in my throat. My vision blurs with tears, hot and heavy, rolling down my cheeks as fear swallows me whole. I'm so affraid.

Then—

Click.

The door creaks open.

I freeze. My breath catches as a tall figure appears in the doorway. He steps closer, and I back away instinctively, trembling. Even in the dim light, I recognize him. That face. That voice. That monster.

My heart drops. “No… please, don’t come any closer.” My voice cracks, barely a whisper.

He keeps walking toward me, slow and steady, until his face comes into view. The same beautiful face that haunted my mind—the one I wished I’d never seen. His sharp eyes lock on me, dark and cold, and for a moment, I forget how to breathe. There’s something about his gaze—it draws me in, hypnotic and dangerous at the same time. My fear melts away, replaced by confusion and… something else.

“You’re awake,” he says softly, almost too calm. “How was your sleep?”

That voice snaps me back to reality. I swallow hard. “Who are you? What do you want from me? Please… just let me go,” I beg, forcing the words out between shaky breaths.

But he only smiles. That smile—it’s cruel and beautiful at once.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he says, brushing his fingers against my neck, exactly where the bite marks are. “This is where you belong now.”

I jerk back, eyes wide. “You! You were the one who did this to me. You’re not human, are you? What are you?”

He doesn’t answer. Just keeps that same quiet smile, but this time it feels colder. He takes a step closer, leaning down, his face just inches from mine. I can feel his breath against my skin—warm, steady, unsettling.

“You’re the source of my life,” he murmurs, his voice calm, too calm. “I wouldn’t survive in this world without you. From now on, you’ll stay with me.”

His words send a chill through me. Source of his life? What does that even mean? I stare at him, disbelief twisting my thoughts. For a split second, his eyes flash red before returning to normal. My stomach churns.

“What do you mean?” I whisper, my voice trembling. “You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t even know you! Why are you saying this? Why me?”

He doesn’t blink. His eyes pierce through me, deep and dark, and I feel my body go numb. There’s something strange—whenever I look at his eyes, I stop being afraid. It’s like he’s casting a spell on me.

And then it hits me. A terrible realization.

This feeling… this moment… it’s familiar. Too familiar.

My breath hitches as I whisper, “No way… this can’t be happening.”

Because everything—the way he looks, the way he talks—is exactly like the character I wrote in my novel. The same face. The same voice. The same monster.

“I need your blood to live,” he says suddenly, breaking my thoughts.

The words hit me like a thunderclap. My knees buckle. My head spins. “What…?”

He steps closer. I can barely hold myself up. “Are you saying… you’re a bloodsucker? A vampire?” I stammer. My heart races so fast it hurts. “No. No, that’s impossible. You’re not real. You can’t be.”

But then his eyes turn red again. Slowly. Beautifully. Horrifyingly.

He reaches for my hand, and I can’t move. I just stare as his canines emerge—sharp, glinting under the dim light.

“Please don’t…” I whisper, but the words dissolve into silence.

He brings my hand closer to his mouth. I squeeze my eyes shut. And then—

Pain. Sharp and sudden.

I gasp, too shocked to scream, frozen as his fangs sink into my skin.

“Mom!!”

My eyes fly open. I’m in my bed. My heart’s pounding, sweat drenching my body. My hands are shaking uncontrollably.

“What was that?” I whisper to the empty room. My voice trembles. My neck still burns.

And deep down, I’m terrified to check if the bite marks are still there.