3

Zuriña stayed back to work after school hours, hunched over her assignment.

Two days later, Roshan burst into the classroom, breathless.

"Zuriña, did you hear?" he asked, and she lifted her head.

"Hear about…?" she replied, puzzled.

"Professor Park…" His voice trailed off. Panic flickered in his eyes.

"What about Professor Park?"

"He… he died."

“What? How?” Her voice cracked, disbelief blooming.

Roshan leaned closer, lowering his voice. "He was murdered… by Brad."

"Brad?" The name felt alien. "The upperclassman we were talking about yesterday?"

"Yes. The same one. He… he murdered Professor Park."

"That’s not all," Roshan added, voice trembling. "I heard he was able to… kill him because… he’s a vampire."

“Vam… vampire?” She swallowed hard, heart hammering in her chest.

A text buzzed into their phones.

Roshan checked his, eyes widening.

“There’ll be a class this afternoon by two. The class governor just texted us.” He looked up. "You’ll come, right?" “Yeah,” she said.

There was no way Brad would get away with this.

She would make sure of it.

Brad puffed smoke as he leaned over the school rooftop.

The police had declared him wanted for Elijah’s murder.

If not for the surveillance camera across the road…

A text buzzed on his phone.

He took a drag from his cigarette, flicked it away, and read the message from an unknown number.

“This should be interesting…” he muttered, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

Roshan and Zuriña left the hall after class. Zuriña felt a weight lift from her shoulders as they walked.

“How far along are you on the assignment?” he asked. “On a scale of one to ten? Six.”

“Wow. Looks like I got a hard worker for a partner.” They laughed.

“By the way,” he added, “I have a few documents at home that could help us as references.”

“Really? Could you bring them tomorrow?”

“Sure—but how about we grab a little bite first?” He grinned. She faked a smile. “Sure.”

The Chanbridge Hall, still under construction, was eerily quiet that night.

Brad walked in, muttering to himself. “Why would someone want to meet here?”

Directions had been marked on the pillars.

He smirked.

 What was this—a prank by the cops?

How dare they.

His claws elongated as he walked, a silent promise of vengeance.

He had fully transformed by the time he reached the silhouette seated in the shadows.

He knew immediately—the sender of the message.

“Who are you?” he demanded as he approached.

“Why did you kill Professor Park?” the figure asked.

Brad scoffed. “Oh… he was your professor?”

The figure stepped forward.

Slowly, the shadows peeled away, revealing a girl.

Her lower face was covered.

“A girl?” he muttered. “The one who sent the message? Whoa… gutsy.”

“You’re yet to answer my question,” she said, voice calm.

Brad laughed, flexing his claws.

“People should know their place. He was a cheap bastard, thought he could look down on others because he had money. Inflated ego, full of himself.”

Zuriña felt her blood boil.

So he had killed Professor Park out of sheer jealousy?

He had no right.

“So that’s the reason?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied casually.

A loud sigh escaped her lips.

“The world’s a scary place because of people like you. Kids can’t play outside. They cower at night. Turn yourself in, apologize to Professor Park’s family, and face the consequences.”

Brad interrupted her with a punch that sent her flying meters across the hall.

He chuckled.

 “Hot damn, that was a hell of a punch. You thought that hurt, didn’t you?”

He spun around to see her standing there—unharmed.

 Not a scratch.

His eyes widened. A wicked smile curled his lips.

“Oh… I get it. You’re a vampire too. No wonder you had the guts to call me here.”

He raked his fingers through his hair, scanning her.

“You must be dying to drink blood… how did you attend classes?” He paused. “Take off your mask… Didn’t your mum teach you it’s rude to cover your face?”

She didn’t move.

Brad tried to provoke her further.

“Oh, I know… you’re hiding your face because you’re messed up. Just take it off. I won’t kill you—I just want to see how pretty you are.”

“You’re jumping to conclusions. I’m wearing this mask for your sake. If you see my face… I’ll have to kill you.”

He scoffed, approaching. “A vampire’s physical ability determines how much damage they can take. You can pretend to be tough, but a girl like you… is going to get your ass kicked.”

He threw a punch that slammed her into a pillar.

He advanced before she could recover, lowering her mask. “You’re pretty… but it’s nothing in front of me.”

Another punch followed.

Riña made no attempt to block him.

She let him display his strength.

A vampire’s strength doubled when transformed—but it still depended on the person’s original power.

Brad’s mind raced.

 He remembered every insult, every failure.

His mother spat on him.

 Lecturers told him he’d be expelled.

Life had been a cage… until the bar, until he had been reborn.

He threw one final punch to her stomach and rose, smiling.

“Like I was saying… girls are as weak as—”

His voice trailed off.

She rose, unharmed. Not a scar.

“Is that all you’ve got?” she asked.

“How is this possible? I… I got some good hits in…”

“Yeah, you did. But are you sure the bones you felt breaking were mine?”

He looked at his hands.

Crooked.

Dripping with blood. 

His blood.

He collapsed to the ground, groaning.

How could she be so strong?

“Help… please…” he whimpered.

“It hurts? Ever think about how much pain Professor Park went through? His family will suffer forever thanks to you. How could you kill your friend?”

He panted, tears in his eyes.

“I was jealous… I must’ve been crazy. My family was well-off… his was poor, yet he had a better life than me.”He tried to rise. “Honestly… he was the only true friend I had. Who else would’ve let me—” He laughed bitterly.

She yanked down her mask.

“I see why your life sucks. You waste every opportunity you get.”

“Why take off the mask when you’re about to die?” he asked, leaping at her.

To his surprise, he slowed as he neared her.

She trailed a finger along his fist.

“Vampires regenerate, sure… but I’ll make sure you can’t,” she whispered. S

he crushed his fist and slammed him down from the fourth floor.

Most of his bones shattered.

Blood trailed down his jaw as he remembered the warning from the one who turned him:

“If you face an ‘Angel of Death’… show respect. They are the kings and queens of the vampire world and if you ever meet a white haired vampire…”

“What’s that?” he had asked.

“You wouldn’t survive one anyway. You’d be as good as dead.”

He turned slowly to see her hair pure white.

The building shook as he crashed into the ground floor.

Riña advanced, unscathed, hell itself in her eyes.

“Please… don’t kill me… I’ll face the consequences…”

She grabbed him by the neck, leaning down. “You want to face the consequences? Then die.” Her claws sank deep.

His screams dwindled.

His body dissipated into the wind.

Riña lowered her head, memories flashing—the innocent words of a childhood friend, echoing Brad’s cruel ones.

She sighed, rising to her feet, and headed home.

The next day, the vampire task force swarmed the scene.

“What’s the use of a vampire task force if corpses vanish without a trace? How can we investigate this?” one frustrated member asked.

“How do you catch a demon?” another sighed.

“Should I call an exorcist?” the first muttered.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes,” another replied, catching sight of the new detective.

“I really wish we could get an exorcist…”

“I think we just found a solution,” whispered the first.

 “Huh?”

“The demon hunter is here.”