Outside a flickering grocery store, emergency lights painted the street in chaotic flashes of red and blue. Several robed figures moved quickly through the darkness, their steps sharp and purposeful, accompanied by low, guttural growls that echoed like wild animals stalking prey. The air felt thick with danger, every shadow seeming to breathe.
Abraham led the group from the front, his pace steady and unwavering as he pushed toward the store entrance. Behind him, Yin Fu and the others followed closely, their nerves stretched tight as they scanned the darkness for movement.
"Shit…"
Jim's voice trembled as he spotted something shifting in the shadows. A vampire turned its head toward them, its face pale and smeared with fresh blood, its lips pulled back in a grotesque grin that revealed something far from human.
It had already fed.
With a feral roar, the creature launched itself forward, its body moving with the speed and precision of a hunting predator. It closed the distance in a heartbeat, its claws reaching—
A flash of silver cut through the darkness.
Before anyone could react, Abraham moved. His cane split open with a sharp metallic click, revealing a gleaming longsword hidden within. The blade caught the faint light of the eclipse as it swept forward in a clean arc.
The vampire's head separated from its body instantly.
"Oh my God…"
Yin Fu and the others stared in disbelief. The gray-haired old man standing before them moved with lethal precision, his strength and speed completely at odds with his age. There was no hesitation in his actions, no wasted movement—just experience honed over decades.
The grocery store door creaked open as they stepped inside. Abraham's eyes flicked across the interior in a single sweep, sharp and calculating, immediately sensing something was off.
Boom!
He slammed the butt of his cane against a nearby shelf, the sound echoing through the store. Two figures flinched in the corner, their bodies pressed together in fear.
"What are you doing hiding here?" Abraham demanded, his voice cold and direct.
"S-sir, there's a monster outside!" one of the clerks stammered, pointing with shaking hands toward the aisles.
The warning came too late.
A scream tore through the air behind them as Jim suddenly collapsed to the floor. Out of nowhere, a vampire lunged forward, its mouth splitting open as a long, writhing tendril shot out and slashed across his arm.
Even as Jim tried to dodge, he wasn't fast enough.
"Shit!"
Yin Fu rushed forward instantly, grabbing Jim and pulling him back just as the creature lunged again. Before it could strike, a spear shot forward with deadly accuracy, piercing straight through the vampire's skull and pinning it to the ground.
A man stepped into view.
Vasily stood there with an ultraviolet lamp strapped to his back, his grip steady on the weapon. His eyes swept over the group briefly before lingering on Abraham for a moment, as if recognizing something.
"Looking for weapons too?" he asked, his tone calm despite the chaos.
Yin Fu barely heard him. His focus had shifted entirely to Jim, whose face had gone pale with terror. With trembling hands, Jim dug into his wound and pulled something out.
A worm.
It writhed between his fingers, slick and alive.
Vasily's expression darkened as he tightened his grip on the spear. He didn't need to say it aloud. Everyone understood.
Jim was infected.
"Get him up!" Yin Fu snapped, forcing himself into action. He dragged Jim onto a nearby display table, his movements urgent but controlled. "We operate now."
Nora didn't hesitate. Her fear was pushed aside as she moved alongside Yin Fu, grabbing whatever tools they could find from the surrounding shelves. Their hands worked quickly, driven by instinct and training.
Abraham stood nearby, his grip tightening around his silver cane as he watched. His expression was grim, his eyes locked on Jim, who was shaking uncontrollably, sweat pouring down his face.
The procedure began.
Under the harsh glow of the ultraviolet lamp, Yin Fu and Nora worked with precision, cutting into the wound and extracting the wriggling parasites one by one. Each movement was careful, deliberate, as they fought against time itself.
Minutes passed like hours.
Finally, the last of the worms was removed.
Jim lay there breathing heavily, his face pale but alive. Slowly, he looked at Yin Fu, gratitude flooding his expression.
"Th-thank you… thank you…"
Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke, his voice breaking under the weight of it all. Despite everything—despite his mistake—Yin Fu hadn't abandoned him.
Yin Fu let out a long breath, tension leaving his body in a slow exhale. Under the ultraviolet light, Jim's palm showed no signs of abnormality.
For a moment, it seemed like they had succeeded.
Nora allowed herself a small, relieved smile.
But Abraham didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on Jim's face, unblinking.
Vasily stepped forward without a word, raising the ultraviolet lamp and directing its beam toward Jim's face.
The truth revealed itself instantly.
Nora's hands flew to her mouth as a strangled sob escaped her. Tears streamed down her face as she stared in horror at what the light exposed.
Jim froze.
He didn't need to ask. He could see it in their expressions.
Slowly, almost mechanically, he reached for a mirror nearby and lifted it to his face.
Tiny worms crawled beneath his skin.
They moved across his cheeks, writhing just below the surface, countless and unstoppable.
"Shit…"
The word slipped from his lips, hollow and defeated.
"Jim, don't give up," Yin Fu said desperately, his voice cracking as he stepped forward. "We'll try again. We'll start over—"
Vasily pushed him aside.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Jim and turned him around, pulling up his shirt.
Nora shut her eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Jim's back was worse.
The parasites crawled beneath his skin in waves, shifting and writhing like something alive and hungry, spreading through him with horrifying speed.
"Fuck… fuck!"
Yin Fu clutched his hair, his entire body trembling as his composure shattered. This wasn't something they could fix. This wasn't something they could stop.
"Kill me."
Jim's voice was steady.
He pulled his shirt back down and turned to face them, forcing a faint smile onto his lips. His eyes were wet, but there was clarity in them now—a decision made.
"Don't let me turn into one of those things, Yin Fu," he said quietly. "And… I'm sorry. If you can… please take care of my wife."
Yin Fu shook his head violently, refusing to accept it.
"No… no…"
The word repeated over and over, as if saying it enough times would change reality.
A gunshot cut through the room.
Everyone froze.
Vasily stood there, pistol still raised, smoke curling from the barrel.
"Shit! What the hell are you doing?!" Yin Fu roared, slamming him against the wall, rage and grief twisting his expression.
"He was already dead," Vasily replied calmly, meeting his gaze without flinching. "And you heard what he asked for."
Yin Fu's fist tightened, ready to strike.
Before he could move, a strong hand pulled him back.
"This is not the time to fight each other," Abraham said sharply, his voice cutting through the tension. There was a trace of approval in his eyes as he glanced at Vasily.
Yin Fu said nothing. He dragged his hands through his hair, his body shaking as Nora stepped forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace.
"You're a good fighter," Abraham said, his gaze settling on Vasily.
But the gunshot had consequences.
A roar echoed from outside, deep and furious. The vampires had heard.
Everyone tensed as the sound grew closer.
Then—
Crash!
The wall above the store exploded inward as bricks shattered and collapsed. Two vampires dropped from above, landing among the clerks and knocking them to the ground instantly.
Abraham and Vasily moved at the same time, engaging without hesitation. Yin Fu and Nora scrambled toward the shelves, grabbing whatever weapons they could find.
Bang!
The glass doors shattered as more vampires poured in, their movements frenzied and relentless. But a powerful beam of ultraviolet light suddenly flooded the entrance, forcing them back.
Vasily stood firm, holding two ultraviolet searchlights, bathing the doorway in searing light.
"Move!" Abraham shouted, ripping his blade free from a vampire's skull. His breathing was heavier now, but his resolve hadn't wavered. "We can't stay here. We push out—now!"
He stepped through the doorway first, the ultraviolet lamp mounted on his head cutting a path through the darkness.
The others followed.
And then they saw it.
The street was filled with vampires.
They surrounded the store from every direction, their eyes glowing red in the darkness. Blood dripped from their faces, flesh torn and twisted, their bodies bristling with those horrifying tendrils.
There was no escape.
Abraham's expression hardened as his gaze shifted toward a shadowed corner.
"Abraham… still sharp as ever."
A man stepped out of the darkness, dressed in a neat suit, his movements smooth and controlled. His eyes burned with scarlet light, and a twisted smile curled at his lips.
Aihorst.
"Even from a distance, I can smell the rot on you," Abraham said coldly, his grip tightening on his weapon.
"Today, you and your little group will die here," Aihorst replied, his gaze flicking briefly toward Vasily. He licked the blood from his lips slowly, savoring it. "Just like before."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Then—
"Hah."
Vasily laughed.
The sound was calm, almost amused.
"Today… I'm not alone."
Aihorst's smile faltered.
Before he could react, one of the nearby vampires was suddenly launched through the air like a cannonball. Its body slammed into the ground, its head torn clean off before it even registered what happened.
A blur cut through the battlefield.
A figure stepped forward, solidifying out of the afterimage.
A man in a black windbreaker, a western hat casting a shadow over his face.
The moment Aihorst saw him, everything changed.
The arrogance vanished instantly.
Without hesitation, Aihorst turned and fled, his body dissolving into a streak of motion as he disappeared into the darkness.
....
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