Gabriel thought over it for a moment, and when he heard his doorframe slightly crack, he knew it was only a matter of time before someone broke into his room and pumped him full of holes.
So although he wasn't keen on becoming a vampire, nor did he even want to be in this situation in the first place... Gabriel decided that he wanted to live.
"Alright. I'll come with you."
Rachel's smile widened. The surroundings seemed to shift slightly as a deathly pressure descended onto his room. Not to mention, the faint drop of blood that remained in his wine glass started to float, then vanish.
The last thing that the people outside of his dorm room saw was a volley of blood arrows pierce through the door and sever their heads clean off their bodies. Those who survived froze in terror, but right as they opened their mouths to scream out for help, their heads hit the ground too, dying the whole hallway in red.
Gabriel had no idea what actually happened, only that it was now very silent outside. As for Rachel, though, she coughed once and after standing up, approached his window.
"It'll be faster if we jump out. Trust me, I can fly."
He paused for a moment. "Won't I burn in the sunlight?"
"Hmm? You're not a Lesser Vampire. You won't burn."
'Right, if I was a Lesser Vampire, I would probably be more bloodthirsty. I guess I'm a Regular Vampire then?' He took a deep breath and then approached the window, placed his arm around her waist, and in the next instant, his window shattered as his and Rachel's figures blurred.
By the time he realized what was happening, he was several hundred meters away from his apartment, overlooking one of the gated Vampire Hunter academies he had gone to. There were several dozen wooden spikes planted all over the academy, making sure no vampires could actually enter.
Though he felt a chill run down his spine just because he had never been this high up. Was he actually afraid of heights?
As if realizing that too, Rachel let out a chuckle and sped up. Everything after that was a blur, since he never knew someone could move that fast. Even in the Vampire Hunter academy, the strongest Vampire Hunters who had special scientific enhancements couldn't move this fast.
Once they finally stopped, Gabriel found himself clinging like a baby onto Rachel's thighs. There was also an old mansion in front of him, followed by a few pale maids and butlers tidying up the garden.
But when they spotted Rachel and Gabriel, they ran up to them immediately.
"Miss Rachel! You're finally back!"
"Is this him? Is he the savior our young miss has been talking about for so long...?"
"He looks very weak though?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Leave us alone. Instead, make sure that news of this doesn't reach my parents. I don't want them hounding me over my own choices, okay?"
All the attendants listened to her. Their crimson eyes sparkling as they bowed to show their respect. Finally, once they got one good look at Gabriel, they went back to work, only giving subtle glances toward the two of them.
"Ahem. Ignore their mumbling. Half of what they're saying is false," Rachel said.
Gabriel raised a brow. He didn't believe her one bit. But also, this environment was nothing like what he had heard about. Vampires were usually violent, selfish creatures. Why were there so many willing to work for Rachel?
Were the Vampire Hunters wrong about vampires?
She led him into her home, and while he was still lost in thought, she had picked out a giant room for him, drew the shower, and lastly, set aside a bunch of clothes he could change into at any moment.
And once Rachel was done, she smiled again.
"I know you have a lot on your mind, but I want you to be safe for at least the next 24 hours... Right now, you're not feeling the hunger, but in just two hours, you will. Whatever you do, try to hold back, and if you can't, come to me."
Gabriel had no idea what she was talking about. Still, he mustered up a nod, and then watched as she slipped out of his room and closed the door on her way out.
And now that he had some time to himself, Gabriel slumped down on the bed, his expression blank.
'I really did become a vampire... How am I supposed to face my parents now? No... Will my parents get in trouble because of me? If everyone in my building knew I was a vampire, then trouble will surely reach them.'
He lowered his head slightly, then bit his lip.
"This is why I hate fucking Mondays..."
Just then, he sat up straight and slapped himself across both of his cheeks, snapping out of his depression. He was always the optimistic kind, believing that so long as he followed the wishes of his family, he would never really need to worry about anything.
Well? He was in a situation where the only thing he needed to worry about was survival. At least that beat studying tirelessly just to pass some bullshit exam that had nothing to do with Vampire Hunting.
'Well... I guess I have no choice but to accept this. I bet she'll tell me why she did all of this later, but until then, I should take a shower.'
***
Several hours flew by in the blink of an eye. So far, he had done nothing but think, not even taking the time to test out his new abilities.
But for some reason, ever since half an hour ago, he had this strange ringing in the back of his head. He thought it had something to do with him not eating anything today, so he tried to leave and go to Rachel's kitchen.
Only then did he realize that his door was locked. His windows were also shut tightly and impossible to open. Were they trying to starve him on purpose?
Those thoughts kept plaguing Gabriel's mind, when all of a sudden, that ringing noise from earlier vanished. His mind cleared up instantly, an soon enough, he took a slow, deep breath.
Unlike before, when he smelled nothing but the bath and some scented candles... The only smell that stood out now was the smell of tasty blood.
He tried to hold back, but his hands began to tremble. The doorknob began looking especially alluring, and when he placed his hand on it, he accidentally broke it off, slightly causing the door to open.
And as the hallway with the prominent scent of blood hit his nose, Gabriel felt like he finally lost it as he shattered the doorknob in his grasp and finally entered the hallway.