I didn't sleep that night.
How could I? Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that woman with the black eyes and sharp teeth. Every shadow in my apartment seemed to move when I wasn't looking directly at it. The blue interface had disappeared after showing me that last message, but I kept expecting it to pop up again.
By morning, I'd almost convinced myself it was all some kind of post-accident hallucination. Trauma-induced psychosis or something. That made more sense than floating blue screens and monsters hiding in plain sight.
Almost convinced myself. But not quite.
I called in sick to work. I knew I should go to the office - I had three client meetings scheduled and a presentation to finish for the Morrison account. But the thought of leaving my apartment, of walking through London streets where creatures like that woman might be everywhere, made my stomach twist into knots.
Instead, I spent the day researching car accident survivors online. Forums full of people talking about near-death experiences, out-of-body episodes, strange visions. Some of it sounded familiar, but none of them mentioned floating computer interfaces or suddenly being able to see supernatural creatures.
Maybe I was just going crazy.
The next morning, I felt better. More like myself. The interface hadn't appeared again, and London looked normal outside my window. Cars, buses, people in suits walking to work. No monsters in sight.
I got dressed, grabbed a coffee, and headed to Blackstone Financial.
The office was the same as always. Glass walls, gray carpets, the smell of expensive coffee and cheap air freshener. My desk was exactly where I'd left it two days ago, covered with client files and a half-eaten sandwich I'd forgotten about.
"Alexander!" Marcus Henley, my team leader, walked over with his usual fake smile. "Glad to see you back. I heard about the accident. Terrible business."
"Yeah, I'm fine now." I sat down and started sorting through my emails. "Just needed a day to recover."
"Of course, of course. Well, when you're ready, the Morrison presentation needs to be finished by noon. And Mrs. Whitmore called about her portfolio three times yesterday."
Marcus was in his forties, balding, with the kind of soft face that came from too many client dinners and not enough exercise. He'd been my boss for two years, and in all that time, I'd never seen him do anything more exciting than eat a particularly spicy sandwich.
Ordinary. Completely ordinary.
I spent the morning catching up on emails and phone calls. Everything felt normal. Boring, even. Maybe I really had just imagined everything.
Around eleven-thirty, I was working on the Morrison presentation when I heard arguing from the break room. Two voices, one of them Marcus, the other I couldn't place. They were keeping their voices low, but there was an edge to the conversation that made me look up from my computer.
"...told you to be more careful," Marcus was saying.
"I know what I'm doing," the other voice replied. A woman, I thought. "It's not my fault the new shipment was late."
"If anyone finds out..."
"They won't. I'm not an amateur."
I probably should have minded my own business. Should have kept working on my presentation and ignored whatever office drama was happening in the break room. But something about their tone made me curious. Plus, I needed coffee anyway.
I walked over to the break room, expecting to see Marcus arguing with Janet from HR or maybe Sarah from accounting. Instead, I found him talking to someone I'd never seen before.
She looked like she was in her early thirties, with short black hair and pale skin. Professional-looking, wearing a dark blue business suit that probably cost more than my monthly rent. She would have been attractive if not for something cold in her expression, like she was calculating the value of everything she looked at.
Including me.
"Oh, Alexander," Marcus said, turning around quickly. "This is Ms. Volkov. She's from our... consulting firm. Helena, this is Alexander Kane, one of our best analysts."
Helena Volkov smiled, showing perfect white teeth. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kane. Marcus has told me so much about your work."
I shook her hand. Her skin was ice-cold, like she'd been standing outside in winter weather, but more than that - it was the kind of cold that seemed to leech warmth from my own skin. Her grip was firm, almost too firm, and I had the strangest feeling that she was testing my strength.
"Nice to meet you too. I didn't know we were using a new consulting firm."
"It's a recent development," Marcus said quickly. "Very specialized services. Ms. Volkov was just leaving, actually."
"Of course." Helena's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I have other appointments today. But I'm sure we'll see each other again soon, Mr. Kane."
She walked out of the break room, her heels clicking on the polished floor. Marcus watched her go, and for just a second, his face showed something I'd never seen from him before.
Fear.
"Marcus?" I said. "Everything okay?"
He turned back to me, and his usual fake smile was back in place. "Fine, fine. Just business matters. You know how these consultant types can be. Very... demanding."
I nodded and poured myself a coffee, but something felt off. Marcus was sweating despite the office air conditioning, and his hands were shaking slightly as he adjusted his tie.
"Who did you say she was consulting for?" I asked.
"Did I say?" Marcus laughed, but it sounded forced. "Various clients. Nothing you need to worry about. How's the Morrison presentation coming along?"
Change of subject. Classic Marcus move when he didn't want to discuss something.
I spent the next hour trying to focus on work, but I kept thinking about Helena Volkov. There had been something strange about her, beyond just the cold handshake and calculating stare. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Around one o'clock, I needed to use the bathroom. The office bathrooms were down a hallway past the conference rooms, in a section that was usually quiet during the day. I was walking back to my desk when I heard voices from Conference Room B.
Marcus again. And Helena.
I should have kept walking. Should have minded my own business and gone back to work. But after everything that had happened in the past few days, I was starting to question what "normal" actually meant.
I stopped by the door, which was slightly ajar, and listened.
"...can't keep doing this during office hours," Marcus was saying. His voice sounded strained, desperate. "Someone's going to notice."
"No one will notice anything," Helena replied. Her voice was different now. Colder, more commanding. "You'll make sure of that."
"Helena, please. I've done everything you asked. The accounts, the transfers, even the thing with the Peterson file. What more do you want?"
"What I've always wanted, Marcus. What you promised me."
There was silence for a moment. Then Marcus spoke again, and his voice was barely a whisper.
"I can't. Not anymore. It's too dangerous. If the partners find out what I've been doing..."
"You should have thought of that before you made our arrangement."
I pressed closer to the door, trying to hear better. What arrangement? What had Marcus gotten himself into? My heart was beating so loud I was sure they'd hear it, but I couldn't pull myself away.
That's when I saw them.
Through the narrow gap in the door, I could see Helena standing near the conference table. Marcus was in front of her, his back to me. And Helena was... changing.
Her eyes weren't brown anymore. They were red. Not just bloodshot red, but actually glowing red, like embers in a fireplace. The transformation was gradual but unmistakable - the brown iris seemed to dissolve, replaced by something that pulsed with its own inner light. And her teeth...
Jesus Christ, her teeth.
Her canines had grown longer, sharper, extending past her other teeth in a way that should have been impossible. They gleamed white against her pale lips, and I could see tiny droplets of saliva coating them. Not enough to be obvious from a distance, but up close, there was no mistaking what they were.
Fangs. Real, actual fangs.
**[TARGET IDENTIFIED: SUPERNATURAL ENTITY]**
**[CLASSIFICATION: VAMPIRE - LOW TO MID TIER]**
**[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]**
**[FEEDING BEHAVIOR: COERCIVE/MANIPULATIVE]**
The blue interface appeared in the corner of my vision, just like it had with the woman at the bus stop. But this was different. This wasn't some stranger on the street. This was someone in my office, talking to my boss, apparently controlling him somehow.
And she was a vampire.
I stepped back from the door, my heart hammering in my chest. A vampire. In my office. In boring, ordinary Blackstone Financial where the most exciting thing that usually happened was someone bringing donuts to a morning meeting.
"Marcus," Helena said, and her voice had changed too. It was softer now, almost hypnotic. "Look at me."
I couldn't help myself. I looked through the gap again.
Marcus had turned to face Helena, and his expression was completely blank. Not just unfocused - empty. His eyes were glassy, like someone had turned off the lights behind them. His mouth hung slightly open, and his shoulders had gone slack. He looked like a puppet waiting for someone to pull his strings.
It was the most disturbing thing I'd ever seen. Marcus might be boring and annoying, but he was still a person. Seeing him reduced to this hollow shell made my stomach twist with nausea.
"You will continue to provide the information I require," Helena said. "You will transfer the funds as directed. And you will forget that this conversation ever happened."
Marcus nodded slowly. "I will continue to provide information. I will transfer the funds. I will forget."
"Good. And Marcus?" Helena smiled, showing those impossible fangs. "If you ever try to back out of our arrangement again, I will do more than just take your money."
She moved faster than any human could move. One second she was standing by the conference table, the next she was right in front of Marcus. Her hand was on his throat, those red eyes burning into his.
"I will take everything," she whispered.
Marcus nodded again, still in that weird trance. Helena stepped back, and her appearance shifted. The red eyes faded back to brown. The fangs retracted. Within seconds, she looked like any other business consultant.
"I'll see myself out," she said in her normal voice. "Have a productive afternoon, Marcus."
I pressed myself against the wall as she walked out of the conference room. She passed within three feet of me, close enough that I could smell something strange - not perfume, but something metallic and cold.
Like old blood.
She walked down the hallway toward the elevators, her heels clicking on the floor. I waited until I heard the elevator doors close before I looked back into the conference room.
Marcus was still standing there, but the blank expression was gone. He was blinking, looking around like he wasn't sure where he was. After a moment, he straightened his tie, picked up a folder from the table, and walked out.
He passed me in the hallway and nodded like nothing had happened.
"Alexander. Good to see you back at work."
"Yeah," I managed. "Good to be back."
He walked away, and I stood there in the empty hallway, trying to process what I'd just seen. A vampire. A real, actual vampire, with fangs and red eyes and some kind of mind control power. And she'd been manipulating Marcus, using him for something involving money transfers and stolen information.
The blue interface flickered in my vision.
**[OBSERVATION: SUBJECT SHOWS SIGNS OF MENTAL DOMINATION]**
**[ENTITY CLASSIFIED AS "HELENA VOLKOV" - LIKELY ALIAS]**
**[INVESTIGATION RECOMMENDED]**
"Investigation?" I whispered. "I'm not investigating anything. I'm calling the police."
**[POLICE INVOLVEMENT NOT RECOMMENDED]**
**[SUPERNATURAL ENTITIES HAVE METHODS TO AVOID HUMAN DETECTION]**
**[YOUR ENHANCED PERCEPTION IS RARE AND VALUABLE]**
"Enhanced perception?" I was talking to empty air, but I didn't care anymore. "Is that what this is? Some kind of upgrade?"
**[CORRECT]**
**[YOUR RESURRECTION HAS GRANTED YOU ABILITIES BEYOND NORMAL HUMAN LIMITS]**
**[THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING]**
I made it back to my desk somehow, sat down, and stared at my computer screen without seeing anything. My mind was racing, but underneath that was a deeper, more unsettling realization.
This place had been my sanctuary. Boring, predictable Blackstone Financial, where the biggest drama was usually someone microwaving fish in the break room. For three years, this office had been my safe space, my normal space. The place where I understood the rules and knew what to expect.
And now it was contaminated. Infected by something ancient and predatory that could turn my boss into a mindless puppet. If Helena was a vampire, and she was using Marcus to steal money and information, what did that mean for the rest of us at Blackstone? Were there other vampires in the company? Other supernatural creatures hiding behind familiar faces?
I looked around the office with new eyes, and suddenly everyone seemed suspicious. Janet from HR, typing at her desk - was that normal typing, or was she sending coded messages to other supernatural entities? What about David from the IT department, who never seemed to eat lunch and always worked late? Or Sarah from accounting, who I was supposed to have dinner with tonight?
Sarah.
Shit. I'd completely forgotten about our date. After everything that had happened, the idea of sitting in a restaurant making small talk felt impossible. But I also didn't want to cancel. Sarah was normal. Human. At least, I hoped she was.
God, what was my life becoming?
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to work, but I kept glancing over at Marcus. He seemed normal - boring, even. Making phone calls, reviewing files, eating a sad-looking sandwich at his desk. No sign of the mind-controlled zombie I'd seen in the conference room.
Which was almost worse. If Helena could make him forget their entire conversation, what else had she made him do? What other "arrangements" did they have?
Around five o'clock, most of the office started clearing out. I packed up my things slowly, waiting to see if Helena would come back. She didn't. But as I was getting ready to leave, Marcus walked over to my desk.
"Alexander, good work today. I know the accident was traumatic, but you're handling it well."
"Thanks, Marcus."
He paused, looking at me with an odd expression. "You know, if you ever see anything... unusual around the office, you should let me know immediately."
My blood went cold. "Unusual how?"
"Oh, you know. People who don't belong, strange behavior, that sort of thing. We've had some security concerns lately." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing to worry about, of course. Just keeping everyone safe."
I nodded, trying to keep my expression neutral. "Of course. I'll keep an eye out."
"Good man." He patted my shoulder and walked away.
I sat there for another five minutes, watching him pack up his own desk. Security concerns. Right. More like vampire concerns.
**[WARNING: SUBJECT MAY BE PARTIALLY AWARE OF OBSERVATION]**
**[RECOMMEND INCREASED CAUTION]**
The blue text appeared and disappeared quickly. Great. So now I had to worry about Marcus suspecting something, on top of everything else.
I left the office and walked to the nearest pub, needing a drink and some time to think. The place was crowded with after-work professionals, all of them looking completely normal and human. I found a corner table and ordered a whiskey.
While I waited for my drink, I thought about what I'd learned. There were vampires in London. At least two that I'd seen, maybe more. They were hiding among regular people, using their powers to manipulate and control humans for their own purposes.
And for some reason, I was the only one who could see them for what they really were.
The bartender brought my whiskey, and I downed it in one gulp. It burned, but it helped calm my nerves a little.
My phone buzzed. Text message from Sarah.
*Still on for dinner tonight? Looking forward to it! - S*
I stared at the message for a long time. Part of me wanted to cancel, to go home and hide in my apartment until this all went away. But another part of me needed something normal, something human.
I texted back: *Absolutely. See you at 8.*
At least Sarah was real. At least she was human.
I hoped.
**[TUTORIAL LESSON TWO INITIATED]**
**[OBJECTIVE: LEARN TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN HUMAN AND SUPERNATURAL ENTITIES]**
**[OBSERVE YOUR DINNER COMPANION CAREFULLY]**
**[REPORT FINDINGS UPON COMPLETION]**
The blue interface flickered and vanished, leaving me alone with my empty glass and a growing sense of dread. The system wanted me to test Sarah. To look at her the way I'd looked at Helena, searching for signs of something inhuman lurking beneath the surface.
Part of me hated the system for that. For making me suspicious of everyone, for turning my world into a hunting ground where anyone could be a predator. But another part of me - a part that was growing stronger each day - was grateful for the warning.
What if Sarah wasn't human?
What if nobody was?
What if I was the only real person left in a world full of monsters wearing human faces?
---
End of Chapter 2