Chapter 4_ No one Believes Her
1272 Words
No One Believes Her
The scream in the hallway spread through the building like wildfire.
Students rushed toward the classroom door, pushing and whispering nervously.
“What happened?”
“Did someone fall?”
“I heard a crash!”
Crystal grabbed Caroline’s wrist.
“Come on, let’s see.”
But Lorenzo stepped slightly in front of Caroline.
“Stay here,” he said quietly.
Caroline stared at him.
“What?”
His voice remained calm but firm.
“Don’t go into the hallway.”
Crystal frowned.
“Who made you the boss?”
But Lorenzo didn’t even look at her. His attention remained on Caroline.
“There’s nothing there you need to see.”
Caroline felt frustration rise again.
“You keep saying things like that,” she said. “But you won’t explain anything.”
Lorenzo’s eyes hardened slightly.
“Because explanations won’t help you right now.”
Crystal looked between them, confused.
“Okay, seriously,” she said. “Did you two meet before today?”
Before either of them could answer, another shout came from the hallway.
“Call the nurse!”
“Someone get help!”
Caroline’s stomach twisted.
She pushed past Lorenzo before he could stop her.
“I’m going.”
“Caroline”
But she was already out the door.
The hallway was chaos.
Students crowded around something near the lockers.
Some stood on their toes trying to see.
Others backed away nervously.
Caroline pushed through the crowd.
“Excuse me… sorry… let me through…”
Crystal followed close behind.
When Caroline finally reached the front, she stopped suddenly.
A boy was lying on the floor.
He looked about their age.
His skin was pale.
Too pale.
A girl knelt beside him, shaking his shoulder.
“Tyler, wake up!”
But he didn’t move.
Caroline noticed something else immediately.
Two small marks on his neck.
Her heart dropped.
Crystal gasped softly.
“Oh my God…”
One of the teachers rushed over.
“Everyone move back!” she said firmly.
Students slowly stepped away.
Caroline felt her breathing grow shallow.
Those marks…
They looked exactly like the wound she saw in the woods.
Crystal whispered, “Do you think he fainted?”
Caroline shook her head slowly.
“No.”
The teacher pressed two fingers against the boy’s neck.
Checking his pulse.
Her face grew tense.
“Someone call an ambulance,” she said quickly.
A student nearby was already dialing on their phone.
Caroline kept staring at the marks.
The blood around them had dried slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
The vampire had been here.
Inside the school.
Her chest tightened with fear.
Behind her, she felt a presence step closer.
Lorenzo.
His voice came quietly near her ear.
“We need to leave.”
Caroline turned sharply.
“Did you see that?”
“Yes.”
“Those marks”
“I know.”
“So it’s true?” she whispered. “There’s another vampire here?”
Lorenzo didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes scanned the hallway carefully.
Watching the crowd.
Watching the exits.
Finally, he said quietly, “More than one.”
Caroline’s stomach dropped.
Crystal looked between them again.
“Okay, I’m officially lost now,” she said. “What are you two talking about?”
Caroline opened her mouth.
But Lorenzo spoke first.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Crystal frowned.
“You keep saying that!”
Sirens sounded faintly in the distance.
The ambulance.
The teacher began guiding students back toward their classrooms.
“Everyone return to your seats,” she said. “Give the paramedics space.”
Caroline knew this was her chance.
She stepped forward again.
“I saw something,” she told the teacher.
The woman looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
Caroline hesitated briefly.
But she forced herself to continue.
“Last night… in the woods… I saw someone get attacked.”
The hallway grew quieter around them.
“What kind of attack?” the teacher asked.
Caroline swallowed.
“It was… strange.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened slightly.
But he stayed silent.
“I think it might be related to this,” Caroline said, pointing toward the boy.
The teacher’s expression grew serious.
“Stay here,” she said.
A few minutes later, a police officer entered the hallway with the paramedics.
They immediately began checking the boy.
Caroline stepped closer to the officer.
“Excuse me,” she said.
He turned toward her.
“Yes?”
“I need to report something.”
Lorenzo exhaled slowly behind her.
But he didn’t stop her.
The officer gestured slightly.
“Go ahead.”
Caroline explained everything.
The woods.
The man on the ground.
The creature drinking blood.
The glowing red eyes.
When she finished, the officer stared at her for a moment.
Then he sighed quietly.
“Miss, what’s your name?”
“Caroline Bennett.”
“Alright, Caroline.”
His tone was patient.
Too patient.
“Are you sure you weren’t misinterpreting what you saw?”
“No,” she said firmly. “It was real.”
“Did the attacker have a weapon?”
“No.”
“Did you see his face clearly?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re saying he had… red eyes?”
“Yes.”
The officer nodded slowly.
Then he wrote something in his notebook.
“I appreciate the information,” he said.
“But right now we’re focusing on the student here.”
Caroline frowned.
“But it’s connected!”
“We’ll look into it.”
His tone made it clear the conversation was over.
Caroline stepped back, frustrated.
Crystal leaned toward her.
“So what exactly did you tell him?”
Caroline hesitated.
Then she said quietly, “That a vampire did this.”
Crystal stared at her.
For two seconds.
Then she burst out laughing.
Caroline blinked.
“I’m serious.”
Crystal wiped a tear from her eye.
“Oh my God, Caroline.”
“I’m not joking!”
Crystal shook her head.
“You’ve been watching too many horror movies.”
Caroline felt anger rising.
“Why does no one believe me?”
Crystal softened slightly.
“Because vampires aren’t real.”
Caroline turned toward Lorenzo.
“Tell her.”
Crystal raised an eyebrow.
“Tell me what?”
Lorenzo looked at Caroline for a long moment.
Then he shook his head slightly.
“This isn’t the place.”
Caroline clenched her fists.
“This is exactly the place!”
Lorenzo leaned closer to her.
His voice dropped so only she could hear.
“If you keep saying that word out loud…”
His eyes flicked briefly toward the unconscious boy.
“…you might attract the wrong attention.”
Caroline’s anger slowly turned into unease.
“What do you mean?”
But Lorenzo stepped back.
“We should leave.”
Crystal groaned.
“Yes please. This day is already weird enough.”
As they walked out of the building, Caroline felt her mind racing again.
Two attacks.
One in the woods.
One in the school.
This wasn’t random.
Someone was hunting.
Outside, the afternoon sun felt strangely cold.
Students were gathered in small groups, whispering about what happened.
Crystal stretched her arms.
“I’m definitely skipping my next class,” she said.
Caroline barely heard her.
Because Lorenzo had stopped walking.
His eyes were fixed on something across the courtyard.
Caroline followed his gaze.
A tall man stood near the fountain.
Watching them.
His skin was pale.
His smile slow.
And his eyes…
Were glowing faintly red.
Caroline’s heart nearly stopped.
The vampire from the woods had found her again.
- Writer
