Episode 3: The Ones Who Came After
1015 Words
The moment the bell rang, I knew.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
It was pressure.
Calculated. Timed. Tightening.
I didn’t move right away, but every part of me sharpened. The air inside the shop shifted again, heavier than before, pressing against my senses like a warning I couldn’t ignore.
Two.
No… three.
I could feel them now.
Not hiding.
Not subtle.
They didn’t care if I knew.
That was the message.
I turned slowly toward the door.
Three figures stood just inside the entrance.
All dressed in dark coats, their presence swallowing the warmth of the shop in an instant. Their eyes scanned the space, not like customers, not even like hunters.
Like owners reclaiming something that belonged to them.
My stomach tightened.
Vampires.
Not just any.
Enforcers.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath.
Too soon.
Way too soon.
“Crystal Vale.”
The one in the center spoke.
His voice was smooth, almost polite.
That made it worse.
“We’ve been looking for you.”
Of course you have.
I let out a slow breath, stepping slightly in front of the workspace, positioning myself between them and the rest of the shop.
Between them and Kael.
Not that I trusted him.
But this wasn’t his fight.
Not yet.
“You have the wrong person,” I said calmly.
Behind me, I could feel Kael’s attention shift.
Watching.
Listening.
Not interfering.
Smart.
The vampire tilted his head slightly, studying me.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
My fingers curled slightly at my sides.
Old memories stirred.
Voices.
Rules.
Control.
No.
Not now.
“I’m not going back,” I said quietly.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes.
Amusement.
“You don’t have a choice.”
The other two moved.
Just a step.
But it was enough.
A threat.
Clear. Direct.
I felt it again.
That pull inside me.
The thing I had been suppressing since the night I ran.
Cold.
Sharp.
Hungry.
“Last warning,” I said.
My voice dropped.
Not loud.
But it carried.
The air responded.
Subtle.
But enough.
The flowers on the nearest table trembled slightly, petals loosening as if reacting to something unseen.
Behind me, I heard the faint shift of paper.
Kael.
Still there.
Still watching.
“…Interesting,” one of them murmured.
Then—
They moved.
Fast.
Too fast for human eyes.
But not for mine.
I stepped forward, intercepting the first strike, my hand snapping up to catch his wrist before it reached my throat.
The impact cracked through the air.
He paused.
Surprised.
Good.
I twisted.
Hard.
The force sent him crashing sideways into a display table, wood splintering beneath him as flowers scattered across the floor.
The other two didn’t hesitate.
One lunged from the left.
The other from behind.
I felt them before they reached me.
I turned, the air bending sharply as something unseen slammed into the one on my left, sending him skidding across the floor.
The third grabbed my arm.
Cold.
Strong.
Familiar.
My breath hitched for a split second.
Too long.
He pulled me back—
And I snapped.
The world tilted.
Darkness brushed the edges of my vision as something deeper surged forward, breaking through everything I had been holding down.
My grip tightened.
Too tight.
His expression shifted.
From control…
to alarm.
“You shouldn’t have touched me,” I said softly.
Then I moved.
Faster.
Stronger.
My hand slammed into his chest, the force sending him flying backward into the glass window.
It shattered instantly.
Fragments exploding outward into the street.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Broken.
The first vampire stood again, slower this time.
Cautious.
“…You’ve changed,” he said.
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
Because if I did—
I might not stop.
The second one pushed himself up, wiping blood from his lip.
“Orders were to bring you back alive,” he muttered.
A pause.
Then a faint smile.
“But I don’t think they’ll mind if we break you a little first.”
Wrong move.
The air snapped again.
This time, I didn’t hold back.
Not fully.
But enough.
The ground beneath them cracked slightly as pressure dropped, invisible force pressing down, pinning them in place just long enough—
For me to step forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
“Leave,” I said.
No softness left.
No pretending.
Just truth.
For a moment, none of them moved.
Then—
The one in front of me smiled.
Not amused.
Not mocking.
Something else.
“Next time,” he said quietly, “we won’t come this gently.”
And just like that—
They were gone.
Vanished into the open street.
Silence returned.
But it wasn’t the same.
Nothing was.
The shop was worse now.
Broken tables.
Shattered glass.
Flowers everywhere.
Ruined.
I stood there, breathing slowly, forcing the darkness back down where it belonged.
Control.
You need control.
Behind me, I felt it.
His gaze.
Still there.
I turned slowly.
Kael hadn’t moved far.
But he wasn’t pretending anymore.
The calm, casual presence from earlier…
gone.
Now, he was fully alert.
Fully aware.
Of me.
Of what I was.
“…So,” he said quietly, closing his sketchbook.
“That answers a few questions.”
My chest tightened.
This was bad.
Worse than before.
Because now—
He had seen.
Not just hints.
Not just suspicion.
Truth.
“And raises a lot more,” he added.
I said nothing.
Just watched him.
Measured.
Careful.
Because this…
This was the moment everything could shift.
Friend.
Enemy.
Hunter.
Or something worse.
He stood up slowly, stepping closer.
Not aggressive.
Not afraid.
Just… certain.
“You’re not just hiding,” he said.
A pause.
Then—
“You’re running from something big.”
I let out a quiet breath.
“That’s none of your concern.”
His eyes met mine.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
“I think it just became my concern.”
Silence stretched between us.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
And deep down…
I already knew.
This wasn’t the last time things would go wrong.
It was just the beginning.
- Writer
