3:12 AM — Same Hospital
Zack didn't go home.
He stayed in the hallway outside Room 14.
Sitting.
Waiting.
His knuckles still tingled where the steel had formed.
He kept flexing his fingers, testing if it was real.
It was.
He kept replaying the message in his head.
UNIQUE EVOLUTION CONFIRMED
Confirmed by what?
By who?
At 3:26 AM, the temperature dropped again.
This time it wasn't subtle.
The fluorescent lights dimmed deeper than before.
Nurses slowed.
Monitors flickered.
Zack stood up instantly.
He felt it.
Different presence.
Heavier.
Smarter.
At the far end of the hallway—
Something stepped out of the stairwell.
This one wasn't thin.
It was tall.
Broad.
Eyes glowing red instead of glass.
Black veins crawling under pale skin.
It looked at the corpse of the first vampire still slumped against the wall.
Then it looked at Zack.
"You killed him."
Not a question.
Zack didn't answer.
The creature sniffed the air.
"You're not fully turned."
Its eyes narrowed.
"But you're not human either."
It smiled.
"Interesting."
This One Moves Different
No slow walk.
No stalking.
It blurred forward.
Zack barely reacted in time.
Steel flashed over his forearms as claws slammed into him.
He was thrown through a supply cart.
Metal trays exploded everywhere.
Pain shot through his ribs.
This one was stronger.
Faster.
More experienced.
Zack rolled up, teeth gritted.
The vampire tilted its head.
"You smell unfinished."
Zack didn't talk.
He charged.
Steel fists formed.
He swung.
The vampire caught the punch mid-air.
Didn't even flinch.
Cracked Zack across the jaw.
Zack hit the wall hard enough to dent drywall.
Message flashed.
DAMAGE RECEIVED
ADAPTATION INITIATING
What does that mean—
The vampire lunged again.
Zack reacted faster this time.
Not by choice.
His body adjusted.
He ducked lower than before.
Swept the leg.
It barely moved.
But that was enough.
He realized something.
It's stronger.
But it's not invincible.
He needed leverage.
Strategy Shift
Zack sprinted down the hallway.
The vampire chased.
Fast.
They tore through the emergency stairwell.
Down one floor.
Zack kicked open the door to Radiology.
Heavy machines.
Metal tables.
Magnetic equipment.
Good.
The vampire rushed in—
Zack grabbed a steel tray and flung it at the MRI machine.
The magnet roared to life.
The vampire's belt buckles, hidden metal fasteners, ripped toward it.
It stumbled.
Just enough.
Zack's body reacted instantly.
Steel covered his entire right arm.
Thicker this time.
He stepped in close.
Hooked his fingers into the vampire's collarbone.
And slammed it face-first into the MRI chamber.
Bone cracked.
It roared.
Zack didn't stop.
He grabbed its skull.
Steel fangs extended automatically.
He bit into its throat.
Metal pierced flesh cleanly.
Blood flooded his mouth.
Hot.
Powerful.
His vision went white for a split second.
Messages stacked rapidly.
ENEMY DEFEATED
HIGH-TIER TARGET
EXP +380
LEVEL UP
LEVEL 3
LEVEL 4
The vampire's body turned gray.
Then ash.
Gone.
Aftermath
Zack stumbled back.
Breathing hard.
Hands shaking.
He looked at the wall clock.
3:41 AM.
Less than thirty minutes since the first kill.
Two vampires.
Level 4.
His reflection in the MRI machine glass—
Eyes brighter now.
Sharper.
More controlled.
He felt stronger.
But something else too.
Hunger.
Not desperate.
Not animal.
But there.
Quiet.
Present.
The hospital lights stabilized.
Footsteps returned.
He wiped the blood off his mouth.
Ran back upstairs.
Room 14.
His mother was still alive.
Still breathing.
He sat beside her.
She opened her eyes slightly.
"You look pale," she whispered.
He forced a smile.
"Didn't sleep."
She reached up weakly and touched his cheek.
Her hand trembled.
"Don't stay too long," she said softly.
He didn't answer.
Because now he knew something.
The first vampire came to feed.
The second came to investigate.
That means—
There are more.
And they know he exists.
End Message
As he closed his eyes in the chair—
A new notification appeared.
Different from the others.
ATTENTION:
YOUR EXISTENCE HAS BEEN REGISTERED
HUNTERS MAY RESPOND
Zack opened his eyes.
Fully awake.
End of Episode 2.