Chapter 2_ The Girl Who Saw Too Much
1925 Words
Caroline Bennett did not sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again.
The man lying on the forest floor.
Blood spreading across the wet leaves.
The pale face of the creature lifting its head slowly, red eyes glowing in the dark.
And the stranger.
The one who appeared out of nowhere and saved her.
A vampire.
That was the word he used.
Caroline sat on the edge of her dorm bed, staring at the faint gray light creeping through the curtains. Her phone read 5:42 AM.
She had been awake for almost six hours.
Her roommate, Crystal, was still asleep on the other bed, curled up under a pink blanket with her headphones around her neck.
Crystal looked peaceful.
Normal.
Caroline envied that.
Because nothing felt normal anymore.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached up to touch her neck. She didn’t know why she kept doing that.
The vampire never touched her.
But she still felt strange.
Like something had changed.
“Stop it,” she whispered to herself.
It was just shock.
Anyone who witnessed something like that would feel shaken.
That didn’t mean vampires were real.
Her mind was probably exaggerating things.
People could hallucinate under stress.
Right?
Caroline stood up and walked toward the small mirror hanging beside the wardrobe.
Her reflection stared back at her.
Messy dark hair.
Pale skin from lack of sleep.
Wide brown eyes that looked more frightened than she wanted to admit.
“You imagined it,” she said quietly.
But even as the words left her mouth, she remembered the way the creature moved.
Too fast.
Too unnatural.
And the blood.
So much blood.
Caroline quickly looked away from the mirror.
“I need fresh air,” she muttered.
She grabbed her hoodie again and slipped on her shoes.
Maybe walking around campus in daylight would help clear her mind.
Maybe everything would start making sense again.
The campus looked completely different in the morning.
Students walked between buildings carrying books and coffee cups. Some laughed with friends while others rushed to early classes.
Normal life.
Caroline tried to focus on that.
She walked past the sports field, the same place she crossed the night before.
But this time she didn’t look toward the forest.
Not yet.
She kept walking.
Maybe if she ignored it, the memories would fade.
But then she noticed something strange ahead.
A crowd.
About twenty students had gathered near the edge of the woods.
They were whispering.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked curious.
Caroline’s stomach tightened immediately.
Her feet slowed.
A police car was parked near the trail.
Yellow tape stretched between two trees.
Her heart started pounding again.
“No…” she whispered.
She stepped closer to the crowd.
Two police officers stood near the forest entrance, talking to a campus security guard.
Students were murmuring around her.
“Did you hear what happened?”
“They found him this morning.”
“They say he was attacked.”
“Attacked by what?”
Caroline’s throat went dry.
She pushed through the crowd slightly.
One girl standing nearby shook her head.
“It’s so creepy,” she said to her friend. “They say he lost a lot of blood.”
Caroline froze.
Lost blood.
The words echoed in her head.
“Do they know who did it?” the friend asked.
“No idea. But my roommate said the body looked weird.”
“Weird how?”
The girl lowered her voice.
“Like something bit him.”
Caroline’s knees suddenly felt weak.
This was real.
It actually happened.
The man she saw last night…
He was the one lying somewhere inside those woods.
Dead.
Caroline turned toward the forest.
The trees looked darker now.
Like they were hiding something.
Her chest tightened with guilt.
She should tell someone.
She should explain what she saw.
The police needed to know.
Before she could stop herself, she walked toward the yellow tape.
An officer noticed immediately.
“Miss,” he said firmly, raising a hand. “You can’t go past that line.”
Caroline swallowed.
“I… I need to tell you something.”
The officer studied her.
“What is it?”
Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
“I think I saw what happened.”
The officer’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“You saw something last night?”
Caroline nodded.
“Yes.”
Another officer walked over.
“What did you see?”
Caroline hesitated.
Because saying it out loud suddenly sounded ridiculous.
But the image of the vampire’s red eyes pushed her forward.
“There were two men in the woods,” she said slowly. “One of them was attacking the other.”
“Attacking how?”
Caroline forced the words out.
“He was drinking his blood.”
Silence fell between them.
The two officers exchanged a quick glance.
Then the second officer spoke carefully.
“You mean he was biting him?”
“Yes,” Caroline said quickly. “He had red eyes and—”
The first officer sighed softly.
“Miss, did you see a weapon?”
“No.”
“So the attacker just… bit him?”
“Yes!”
The officers exchanged another look.
This time it wasn’t confusion.
It was skepticism.
Caroline noticed immediately.
“You don’t believe me,” she said.
The second officer folded his arms.
“Were you drinking last night?”
“What? No!”
“Any substances?”
“No!”
“Miss,” the first officer said gently, “sometimes when people see something traumatic, their minds fill in details that aren’t accurate.”
Caroline stared at him.
“I know what I saw.”
The officer nodded politely.
“I’m sure you believe that.”
Her stomach dropped.
They thought she was crazy.
“Someone died!” she said, her voice rising slightly. “And the thing that killed him wasn’t human!”
A few nearby students turned to look.
The second officer sighed.
“Miss, I think it would be best if you returned to your dorm.”
Caroline clenched her fists.
“You’re not even going to check?”
“We will investigate properly,” he replied calmly.
“But for now, please leave the area.”
Caroline felt heat rise to her face.
They were dismissing her completely.
Just like that.
Her chest tightened with frustration and fear.
Fine.
If they didn’t want to listen, she wouldn’t waste her time.
Caroline turned and walked away from the scene.
The whispers of students followed her.
“Did you hear that girl?”
“She said something about red eyes.”
“She’s probably just seeking attention.”
Caroline ignored them.
But the words still hurt.
She walked quickly across campus, trying to steady her breathing.
They didn’t believe her.
Which meant the vampire was still out there.
Still free.
Still hunting.
The thought made her stomach twist.
She slowed as she reached the main courtyard.
Students sat at outdoor tables chatting and eating breakfast.
Caroline scanned their faces without thinking.
Anyone here could be next.
Anyone.
Suddenly, a strange feeling crawled up her spine.
Like someone was watching her.
She turned slowly.
And saw him.
Across the courtyard.
Standing beside a tall oak tree.
The stranger from the woods.
He looked exactly the same as last night.
Dark coat.
Sharp features.
Calm eyes that seemed to study everything.
When he noticed her staring, his gaze hardened slightly.
Caroline’s heart jumped.
Without thinking, she walked toward him.
Students passed between them, but her eyes never left his face.
When she reached him, she stopped a few feet away.
“You,” she said.
He didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he glanced around the courtyard.
Making sure no one was paying attention.
Then he looked back at her.
“You shouldn’t approach me in public,” he said quietly.
Caroline blinked.
“What?”
“You’re drawing attention.”
“I don’t care about attention,” she said. “I want answers.”
His expression remained calm.
“About what?”
Caroline stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you serious?”
“You told me vampires exist,” she said. “And then you just disappeared!”
“That was necessary.”
“Necessary for who?”
“For you.”
Caroline crossed her arms.
“Well it didn’t help, because the police think I’m insane.”
“That was predictable.”
Her frustration grew.
“So you knew they wouldn’t believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you explain anything last night?”
The stranger studied her face carefully.
“Because the less you know, the safer you are.”
Caroline scoffed.
“That’s not very reassuring when people are dying.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“You think you understand what you’re involved in.”
“Then explain it to me!”
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, he spoke.
“What’s your name?”
“Caroline.”
“Caroline,” he repeated slowly.
Then he looked directly into her eyes.
“You saw something you were never meant to see.”
A chill ran down her spine.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” he said quietly, “the creature from last night now knows you exist.”
Caroline’s breath caught.
“And vampires,” he continued, “don’t leave witnesses.”
Fear crept into her chest.
“You said the word again,” she whispered.
“Vampire.”
He nodded once.
“Because that’s what it is.”
Caroline shook her head slowly.
“That’s impossible.”
“You saw it.”
“That doesn’t make it real!”
The stranger leaned slightly closer.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
“You saw the eyes.”
Her stomach twisted.
“You saw the blood.”
Her hands trembled.
“And you saw how fast it moved.”
Caroline’s mind flashed back to the moment the vampire appeared in front of her.
Blocking her escape.
She swallowed.
“What happens now?” she asked quietly.
The stranger straightened.
“Now?”
His expression grew serious.
“Now you try to forget everything.”
Caroline stared at him.
“That’s your plan?”
“Yes.”
“And if I don’t?”
He hesitated.
Then he said something that made her heart skip.
“Then you’ll need protection.”
“From what?”
The stranger looked toward the woods again.
Then back at her.
“From the thing that almost killed you last night.”
Caroline’s chest tightened.
“Are you going to help me?”
For the first time, something uncertain flickered in his eyes.
“I might not have a choice,” he said.
Before she could ask what that meant. A voice called out across the courtyard.
“Caroline!”
She turned.
Crystal was jogging toward her with a backpack slung over one shoulder.
When Caroline looked back—
The stranger was gone.
Just like the night before.
Vanished into the crowd.
Crystal reached her, slightly out of breath.
“There you are!” she said. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”
Caroline forced a small smile.
“Sorry.”
Crystal frowned.
“Why do you look like you didn’t sleep at all?”
Caroline glanced toward the place where the stranger had been standing.
But he was nowhere to be seen.
Because deep down…
She had the strange feeling that her life had just changed forever.
And somehow
The mysterious stranger was only the beginning.
- Writer
