Big wolf!
Big wolf!
Hide! Hide!
Find us! Find us quickly!
Before Grandma Moon comes!
He came! He came!
Run! Jump!
A group of children formed a small circle. They happily circled around, singing a song and waiting for their friend, who was pretending to be a wolf. The singing grew louder as a curly-haired boy jumped through the bushes. He crawled quickly across the wet surface, his claws digging into the soil. However, he was quickly caught by the girl who was pretending to be hunched over.
The other children stopped singing the hum lines, lost in their created joyful yet tense atmosphere.
"Watch out, Grandma is coming!"
"Hurry, Wolf! Hurry!"
"Be careful!"
"Come in quickly, Vano!"
Devano was almost there, but a terrible crash shattered the circle. Something large scattered them. Children's screams echoed in the air.
A real wolf, reddish-brown in color, let out a roar. As it reared its legs, a plaque with the words, 'NO PLAYING IN THE FOREST' fell in front of Devano.
Devano, stunned, his legs trembling, read the writing on the board, though he had difficulty spelling it. He was too afraid to move or even glance back. He could feel the terrifying monster's breath on the back of his neck. Devano cried silently when he realized he was alone. His knees buckled, following the liquid seeping down from under his boxers. The boy then crouched down, burying his face between his knees as if that was the only hiding place.
Vano heard something approaching from the front. Thinking the wolf was behind him, Vano was sure it was help. He immediately looked up, but he saw a jet-black wolf with glowing blue eyes, carrying a woman's corpse with its sharp teeth bared.
"Ahhhh!"
Vano once again lay face down in resignation. He had to cover his ears, muffling the increasing howls of the wolves. Gradually, the sounds faded away. The forest was suddenly silent, except for the rustling of leaves and a soft voice.
"Hi, Kiddos? Do you want me to take you home?"
Devano lifted his head. The older girl who had come to help was incredibly beautiful, a complete contrast to the horrific incident earlier. The only trace of the previous incident was the blue glow now radiating from her eyes, just like the wolf's.
***
Downtown Walles is a constant hubbub of activity, with traffic at its heaviest at dawn.
Jayden Gavian throws a hat over his red hair, which is fluffy. The sound of the pedestrian bridge signal being activated elicits a brief smile from the long-legged man. Jay has the perfect proportions that male models usually possess on magazine covers.
He is MAN OF THE YEAR.
He believes anything that flashes is incredibly annoying, such as camera flashes or car headlights at night. This is one reason Jay believes his choice to work during the day is right, even though it violates vampire sleep rules.
Carrying his bag, Jay continued his pace, slower than the bustling thump of the other people around him. Each time he passed them, his chest heaved as he brushed his tongue across the corner of his lips. He let the incoming air swirl around his nose, absorbing the scent of the people.
Very interesting.
People always apply perfume under their ears, especially on their necks. For Jay, it's like the smell of melted butter at breakfast.
The building with the two red eyes logo seemed to welcome its owner. The glass doors cracked. After Jay had attached his ID card, James Sandreas' gossipy face immediately turned away from the table and wiped off his buzz cut. He tried to act cool as he walked alongside the boss.
"Oh, you're doing it again! Where's your fancy car, Mr. Vampire Billionaire?" James asked, his finger pressing the elevator button without looking away.
The elevator was empty, so Jay seemed to relax his shoulder muscles in satisfaction.
"What's it got to do with you?" Jay hissed, eyeing his friend suspiciously. "You think I'm going to give it to you because I don't use it?"
"Hey! It's not like that, buddy. I'm just curious why you're not taking advantage of your wealth. You're still young," James joked.
"That's all human nature. My job is to help them spend their wealth for happiness. If they're happy, they'll eat more, and then I'll be the one who benefits."
Jay's answer made James grit his teeth as he followed the boss. They observed a brown-walled studio room resembling a private room through the one-way window. There was a medium-sized bed and mattress, a wooden chest of drawers, and yellowish lighting. A man lay on his side, using his arm as a pillow, while his legs extended over the edge of the bed. His thin cheekbones looked sore from constantly smiling into the front camera of his phone, which was propped up on a tripod.
James sighed softly. "We need to add a rule to the Vousme app calls. Vampires don't sleep, but a sleep call from night to morning is not a sleep call. That's slavery! His teeth must be dry."
"Some humans suffer from insomnia," Jay replied, folding his arms under his chest. "Their loneliness levels are much higher. Do you know what that means?"
James exhaled again, as if gasping for breath. "Yeah, yeah, preying on them is much easier."
"Not only that," Jay smiled, then walked to his office. "Making them dependent and giving them everything that matters. RED-EYEZ's assets must increase every year so that... maintenance, we need it."
"That's right, our company must hoard the assets users spend on blind dates! Wait. You never cared about wealth. Does that mean your assets have been wasted all this time? Ah! Did you secretly donate them?"
Jay removed his hat and jacket and plopped down on the plush, wheeled chair.
"Of course, our company does it for the sake of image," he explained, opening one by one the black folders with gold ribbons as a symbol of exclusivity, chosen for the best.
"I mean—" James huffed resignedly. "Ah, that's it. Got your choice of victim?"
"Yeah… I guess so," Jay replied.
Jay radiated a different aura as he opened one of the folders. It was a portrait of a charming girl with long, wavy black hair. Her aqua-blue eyes were wrapped in drooping lids, and her plump lips looked soft...
Jay swallowed hard.
The red ruby necklace around the girl's slender neck glinted against her warm olive skin. The presentation of the 'food' was mesmerizing.
"Oh, right! She's got me distracted!" James pointed out, making Jay slightly uncomfortable as he leaned over his desk.
"Crystal Zetaruby. Twenty-three years old, just a year younger than you. She listed caregiveras a part-time job. She's the perfect target because she doesn't work for a formal company.
Jay read the girl's identity silently.
"She looks beautiful, doesn't she? But look… she has a scar."
Jay followed James's finger. A scar line adorned the center of her nose, resembling a reddened, dried leaf.
Seeing his boss staring at the girl's photo, James asked, "Are you okay?"
Scars that should be avoided are like seasoning.
Jay smiled. "I choose her."