ITALY..
Florence was sinking in tourists and shadows.
A brutal heatwave left the city sweating, churches empty, and crypts warm. Inside Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, something ancient stirred beneath its marble floors.
It had teeth.
---
Giulia Ferretti, a cultural archivist and amateur historian, had always been drawn to stories the Vatican suppressed. Her research led her to a forgotten Latin manuscript describing a "Diavolo Rosso"—the Red Devil. A nobleman turned heretic who drank blood and worshipped the eclipse.
He was executed in 1482.
The body was never found.
---
When Giulia's team began restoration work inside the basilica, workers uncovered a sealed catacomb behind the high altar. It wasn't on any records. The door was carved with Latin:
"Quod dormiat, non tangas." (Let what sleeps remain untouched.)
Naturally, they touched it.
---
Inside were bone sculptures and an ornate coffin, wrapped in chains soaked with mercury.
Giulia opened the coffin.
The body inside grinned.
---
At first, it was subtle. Birds vanished. Stray cats died with their throats torn out. Workers developed pale complexions and aversions to garlic.
Then, Giulia's assistant Enzo was found on the roof. Drained.
The footage showed him walking—no, floating—up the side of the basilica at 3:17 AM.
---
The vampire was not the brooding kind. He did not fall in love. He did not sparkle.
He feasted.
And remembered.
---
Giulia confronted it beneath the altar, clutching a relic cross. It didn't flinch.
"Faith is a flavor," it whispered, "and yours is sweet."
She stabbed it anyway. It bled red... then black… then laughed.
---
The Vatican sealed the basilica the next day. Claimed it was for repairs. Giulia's body was never recovered.
But her voice appears on EVPs now, murmuring Latin prayers in reverse.
Tourists still visit.
Sometimes, they leave.
Sometimes, they don't.