The Guy Named Nali

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her trembling hand brushing away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her body quivered. Her chest heaved. She couldn’t keep still. She drew in a deep breath, but the air felt too thin, her lungs straining as if the night itself were choking her. Where… am I? From where she crouched, hidden behind the thick trunk of an ancient tree, she could hear the distant roar of water. Perhaps a river. Perhaps a waterfall. It was pitch-dark. The night sky swallowed everything in shadow, and the light drizzle dampened the soil beneath her. She had taken shelter not only to escape the rain, but to hide. She thought she’d lost them. Her palm pressed against her face, as though she could smother the memory of what she had just seen before the chase began. Blood. In the garage. In the kitchen. Everywhere. Her breath hitched, the images burning into her mind. Two men in black, faces hidden, stabbing over and over again. The sound of the knife tearing through flesh, the wet slap of blood hitting the floor, it all echoed in her skull. She saw every moment. Every scream. Every plea. Her sister, Yalah... her body torn apart, her eyes… God, her eyes… She almost screamed just remembering them. “f**k! You’re so selfish! Why my sister? Why my family?!” she wanted to shout, to let the rage tear itself from her throat. But fear rooted her in place, crushing her voice into silence. “Mom… Yalah…” They were slaughtered like animals. She bit down hard, jaw tight. In the end, they had chosen to protect her instead of themselves. How selfish was she to still be breathing? The grief carved deep lines in her chest. Her fists curled, nails digging into her palms. She wanted to smash something. To kill those monsters with her own hands. It’s all my fault. If I had just listened… if I had just stayed away… they’d still be alive. “I’m sorry, Mom… Yalah.” She clutched her chest and sank to her knees, the cold damp earth soaking into her clothes. A part of her wanted to end it, too. But who was she to throw away the life they died protecting? They chose her. They gave her this cursed chance to live. Throwing it away would be spitting on their sacrifice. “H-help…” She froze. The voice was faint, broken. She covered her mouth, stifling her sobs, pressing herself deeper into the shadows. Two horses passed a short distance away, their riders cloaked in black, blades strapped to their backs. It was them. Her teeth clenched, her breathing shallow as she waited for the dark silhouettes to fade into the night. “H-help m-me…” The voice again. Closer now. Weak. Despite the dread twisting in her stomach, her eyes searched the darkness until they found him. A man slumped against another tree not far from her. The moonlight broke through the clouds just enough to reveal a knife buried deep in his side. “H-help me.” His head hung low, his face shadowed. She hesitated, then stepped forward, still trembling. “Who are you? What happened? I… I don’t know anything about treating wounds,” she whispered, kneeling beside him. He moved suddenly, his cold fingers wrapping around her wrist. “I’m sorry… but I need you.” His voice was deep, almost a growl. Before she could react, he shoved her onto the ground. The knife clattered away as he ripped it from his own flesh. His hand clamped down over her mouth, silencing her muffled cries. Then he leaned in. She felt his breath ghost against her neck. The sharp, sudden pierce of fangs made her whole body go rigid. Pain and shock flooded through her veins. He was drinking her blood. Was this how it ended? Would I die here, in the dark, at the hands of a monster? A vampire? Did they truly exist? Her strength bled out of her with each pull. Her vision blurred, the world tilting. But something didn’t fit. His body was warm. She could hear the steady beat of his heart. Weren’t vampires supposed to be cold, dead things? Then why... Her trembling hand rose, almost without thought, brushing against his hair, pressing him closer. Holding him as though she were embracing her own death. Her lips parted, a soft, broken sound slipping out as the dizziness wrapped its claws around her. Tears slid down her cheeks one last time before the darkness took her. But just before it did, she felt something warm, soft, and fleeting press against her lips. A kiss. From a vampire. “Nali… that’s my name. Always remember that.” TO BE CONTINUED...