My Vampire Husband

Chapter 5: Is He Planning to Kill Me?

I was deep in self-doubt, spiraling into a dark pit of anxiety. The more I dwelled on it, the scarier it got. And to make matters worse, I had a tendency to let my imagination run wild.

Then there was that phone call a few days ago—the first time we talked—and I distinctly heard a woman scream in the background.

Combined with recent news reports, it all seemed to add up: the number of victims, the genders involved.

The idea sent shivers down my spine.

I had stumbled into something I shouldn’t have. Could he possibly be planning to silence me permanently?

As my mind raced, Alec kept watching me through the rearview mirror.

His blue eyes were mesmerizing, but his smile—

It was unsettling and sent chills down my spine.

My heart raced. Could I really be this unlucky, caught up in something so dangerous? All I wanted was a simple married life—why was that too much to ask?

Life can take a wild turn at any moment.

Suddenly, he broke the silence, "What’s wrong? You look pale."

I shook my head and grabbed my phone to message Chris. I needed more information about this man.

I could deal with a guy with weird hobbies, but not a psycho series killer!

But Chris seemed preoccupied; she sent a voice message instead of texting back. My hand slipped, and it started playing loudly in the quiet car.

In the silence, her voice seemed deafeningly loud.

She was clearly in a noisy place, maybe a club or bar.

Her voice struggled against the music, "Just hanging out with him and some other friends before, meals and drinks. Now that you’re married, you should get to know each other better. I don’t know much about his personal life."

Thank goodness I hadn’t been specific about my fear of Alec possibly being a serial killer. I would’ve died of embarrassment right then and there.

Alec continued staring at me. The car felt like a tomb. I felt like I should be under it, not inside it.

I probably looked worse than if I had been crying.

Before I could say anything, he spoke again, "My personal life is clean. If you regret marrying me, just say so. If you have questions, ask me directly. Marriage is a serious thing."

I couldn’t bring myself to say it. How do you casually accuse your husband of being a serial killer?

Seeing me stay silent with my head down, he smirked, "You said we could grow to love each other after marriage. If you have any issues with me, just say it."

His directness caught me off guard.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down.

Maybe I was being paranoid, jumping to conclusions about Alec being a serial killer based on flimsy evidence.

I’m good at talking myself down. A few rational thoughts and I started to feel better.

Once home, Alec waited kindly for me to enter before leaving.

To ease my mind, I searched online for news, trying to verify the timeline of the victims’ deaths.

What I found nearly knocked me over.

The family had been killed the same night I first called Alec. The timing was spot on. It couldn’t just be a coincidence.

I racked my brain, trying to recall that night. I distinctly remembered hearing a man, a woman, and a child crying.

It all fit perfectly.

I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and messaged Alec: [What horror movie were you watching the other night?]

If the plot of the movie matched what I heard, I would know I was overreacting. If not...

He replied quickly with the movie’s title and asked why I was still awake.

Shortly after, he sent another message inviting me out for a drink.

At 2 AM, going out for a drink... the memory of that horror movie sent a chill down my spine.

I replied, “No, thanks,” and found that movie on my pad. It was a vampire movie, and there was a plot like a family of three was attacked by a vampire.

I turned off my pad, feeling like a fool. How could I let myself entertain such ridiculous suspicions?

I’d had bad luck, but running into a serial killer is like hitting the jackpot—a rare occurrence.

Feeling relieved, yet guilty for doubting my husband, I decided to make amends.

The next day, I closed my shop early and baked cupcakes and cookies as a peace offering for Alec’s tattoo parlor.

But when I arrived, the place was cordoned off by police tape.

"The tattoo shop owner? Unfortunately, he was the thirteenth victim of a serial killer. May God rest his soul," said the convenience store owner, crossing himself.

My head spun.

The tattoo shop owner was dead. So who was the man I had married and spent the last few days with?

Images of clothes and shoes under the counter flashed through my mind.

Countless terrifying thoughts swirled in my head.

My legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed.

Alec’s voice came from behind me, "Sorry, I’m late."

I screamed, dropping the box of cupcakes from my trembling hands.