People screamed. They scattered like fish after a fisherman shot a harpoon into the river. Somebody ran into Minah as they hurried off like an injured animal, yelling, “Help! Help! Somebody help us!”
Harin pressed close against Subin and grabbed her hand. “You had to keep talking about the poorly maintained lamps,” Harin cried. “You cursed us! It’ll be your fault if a vampire gets us.”
“Curses aren’t real,” Minah said. “Plus, there aren’t vampires here, only in plays and in port cities.” Though she had to admit to herself being in darkness unnerved her just as much as anyone else. Even if there aren’t anything as scary as vampires wandering around this part of the city, there could be other things like shade hounds or simple criminals taking advantage of the frightened pedestrians.
A loud voice thundered through the street. “Stay calm.” Minah stretched to see a paladin riding a horse through the street. A slim lantern hung from his saddle and light up in a small circle around the mount. “It is just a simple technical error that’s affecting the street lights across the neighborhood—nothing to be concerned about. It will be fixed soon. Until then, I advise you all to remain close so that I might protect you in case anything happens.”
Everyone around Minah sagged their shoulders. Harin still fidgeted but said, “We’ll just wait until the next carriage comes. With the paladin here, we’ll be safe.”
Minah shook her head. “If the entire neighborhood is affected, no carriages will come. Drivers will avoid this area if they think it’s dangerous. Even if one is willing to risk it, there’ll be people clamoring to get on.”
Jaeyun crossed his arms. “I think I’ll just walk.”
Subin balked. “You’ll walk?”
“Better than just idling here,” Jaeyun said. “It might be hours before it’s fixed.”
Subin sighed. “Fine. I need to be up early tomorrow for tutoring, and my house isn’t far. I guess I’ll walk too. Why don’t you drop me and Harin off at our houses?”
“What? Both of you? When will I get home?” Jaeyun grumbled.
“Don’t be rude,” Subin said. “You’re a fire mage. It’s your duty to protect others during times like this.”
“But I really need to get home,” Jaeyun said.
Subin scoffed. “If you don’t do it, I’ll tell everyone at school you abandoned a couple of girls in the middle of the night.”
Minah couldn’t tell if Subin actually feared being caught out in the dark, or if she just felt like irritating her friend. But in any case getting on Subin’s bad side would spell doom for sure. “I’d be happy to escort you home,” she offered.
“You?” Subin said. “You might be a passing fighter—“ Minah thought that’s the closest thing Subin’s said to a compliment to anyone, “—but you can’t cast magic, and abominations aren’t often harmed by regular means. You should be worried about getting home yourself.”
Minah recalled the lesson earlier today. Ghouls are immune to stabbing and slicing, as are many of the other corrupted beings. In reality, she’d be at a lost if she encountered one.
Subin extended a deal, “Look, if you and Jaeyun walk us home, I’ll ask my parents to call you a carriage. I’m sure things are normal around my house.”
Since Minah lived in the south of the city, walking the entire route there would be tiring, so Minah liked the sound of that. “Let’s do it, Jaeyun.”
“But—”
“No arguing. The faster we get going, the faster you can get home yourself.”
“Fine.”
While the paladin had his back turned, the four slipped into a different street. “Where do you live?” Jaeyun asked.
Subin squinted at her surroundings. “Hmm. Things look so different in the dark… Oh, I think I recognize that bakery. Follow me.”
Thirty minutes later, Minah, Jaeyun, Subin, and Harin still meandered around enveloped by darkness. The buildings loomed like fingers erupting from the ground, and Minah felt like she stood on the palm as the fingers closed in. No other people could be seen. They had all gone home and locked their doors.
Harin whined, “Why is it still so dark?”
“Perhaps the blackout has spread,” Subin said.
“What if the entire city’s gone dark?” Harin said.
“That hasn’t happened in decades,” Subin muttered.
Minah rubbed her arms, though she didn’t exactly feel cold. She felt just creeped out. “Jaeyun, couldn’t you give us a light?”
Jaeyun moaned, “I’m tired…”
Minah stubbed her toe on a piece of pavement sticking out from the stone. “Ouch!” She opened her mouth to pester Jaeyun again, but after looking at him, she realized he really did walk as if he’d just ran a marathon. It seemed strange. Jaeyun casted a lot of magic today, but he did that almost daily. Even outside of tests, he enjoyed flaunting his fiery talent during their regular training and even casting fancy spells to impress girls at lunch. She hadn’t seen him this beaten up. Perhaps he also hadn’t slept well last night or something.
“Subin, are you absolutely certain you’re leading us in the right direction?” Jaeyun called.
“Yes—Well, I think so,” Subin said. “I’ve past that gift shop riding to school—the Silver Butterfly.”
Jaeyun peered up at the sign above the shop, which appeared as squiggles to Minah, illuminated by nothing but moonlight. “That doesn’t say Silver Butterfly. That says Salty Fish. It’s a restaurant.”
“Salty fish?” Subin said. “I’ve never heard of that.”
“I have,” Minah groaned. “We’re nowhere near where you live! We’re heading toward the school!”
Subin’s footsteps halted. “Oh. Well, how am I supposed to navigate in pitch black?”
“Are you serious?” Jaeyun yelled. “I’m just going to head home.”
“Don’t you dare,” Subin shouted.
Minah tried to calm them. “Look, this isn’t working. I’ll try knocking on someone’s door. Perhaps they could give us directions, or even shelter for the night if they’re feeling generous.” Minah bounded up to a house. She knocked on the door five times.
Nobody came to open it even though light shone through the shutters. Either they fell asleep and accidentally left the light on, or they just couldn’t be bothered.
Minah turned around and headed back to her friend. “Maybe we ought to turn back, find the people at the theater and wait with them—” Minah rushed to catch her friend. “Jaeyun! Do you feel ill?”
Jaeyun had been reclining against a dead street lamp. When he heard Minah talking, he got up then lost his balance, nearly falling to the pavement.
“No, I’m fine.” Jaeyun straightened and took Minah’s hand off his arm. “Let’s just keep moving. We’ll get somewhere eventually.”
“I’m pretty sure we’re lost,” Minah said. “You should sit.” Minah led him to a bench, but he resisted.
“No. I just need to get home, alright?” His voice came out breathy and strange compared to the friendly, upbeat voice that Minah got used to.
Minah pressed her hand against Jaeyun’s forehead. “You’re feverish.”
Subin glanced around. “Is there a guard station nearby?”
Harin whirled around. “Hello? Subin.” She tugged on her friend’s sleeve like a small child getting the attention of their parent. “I thought I saw something.”
Minah spied them too, the shapes moving in an alley. “Is anyone there? My friend and I really need your help.” Minah shouted louder, “Hello?”
“Stop,” Jaeyun said. “I don’t think they’re just folks taking a stroll in the middle of the night. They’re surrounding us.”
The silence lingered. Minah said, “Jaeyun, I don’t hear anything.” Then she contemplated if they’d all been imagining things. Then he suddenly tackled her onto the ground.
Minah fell onto her side with a thud! “Ah! What the heck?”
She craned her neck to see a knife held out in the exact same place she had just been. A man stood grasping it, his face twisted in viciousness. He stabbed again, but Jaeyun swatted his arm off target and grabbed the man’s face. Fire exploded from his palm and seared the man’s skin.
The man screeched, and a repugnant smell filled Minah’s nose.
She scrambled to get up and put some distance between her and the fight, then she felt a hand close around her hair. It yanked her up by her ponytail.
“Got you,” a second man said. He held a knife to her throat. “Just give us your wallets, and you’ll be free to go.”
Jaeyun was already breathing hard as if he’d run a lap around the school grounds. When he spun his head, Minah noticed his skin glossy with perspiration. Behind Subin and Harin, more men appeared, their features hidden by the lack of light.
The blade felt cold against Minah’s neck. “My wallet is in the front pocket of my bag,” she said.
The man reached into Minah’s bag and flipped open her wallet. He flung it onto the ground. “There’s no money in here!”
“I’m broke!” Minah cried.
“Don’t give us that,” the brute behind Harin said. “I recognize your uniforms. You children attend the best school in the city.” He leered at Harin, who shook in fear. “What about you, girl? Even if you aren’t carrying coins, there are other things you could do.”
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Subin stomped over and tried to slap the man, but the man spun around and elbowed him in the face. Subin skidded back, holding her nose.
Gritting her teeth, Minah spat, “You recognize our uniform, yet you still thought you could rob us?”
Bringing her foot up, Minah stomped on the man’s shoe so hard he yelped and dropped his knife, which tumbled harmlessly onto the pavement. She spun—letting him rip a couple hairs out of her scalp—and punched him in the side of the head.
He staggered, but to his credit he remained conscious.
Another man swung at her, but Minah dodged it. She extended her second and third fingers and jabbed the man’s eyes out. His hands planted on his face. “Argh!” he groaned.
Minah snickered. She might not have developed magic once she transitioned into a teenager like the rest of her gifted peers, but she was still a student at Nacheon Academy. “I’ll consider you having made a mistake and give you a chance. Go home,” she said.
Rather than taking her advice, the man who had been holding her picked up his knife and stabbed. Minah jumped back and readied a kick when something suddenly caught her ankle—the first man who she thought Jaeyun defeated.
He lied on the ground, his face partially burned off. He should be unconscious, not latched onto her like a snake!
The men behind Subin and Harin closed in on them. Harin screamed. Subin opened her canteen and casted a whip of water that lashed the men’s faces, drawing drops of blood from their cheeks.
Then the water mage moved her arms and tried to call the water back, but a sixth man stepped over and commanded the water to him. It swirled around him, and he smiled evilly. Subin gasped. “You’re a water mage too?”
As if in answer, the man shaped the water into spears that shot out at Subin and Harin. Jaeyun spit fire at the water just in time, turning it to steam.
Minah struggled to break free, but the half-burned man held onto Minah’s ankle like a drowning dog clutching onto a life preserver.
A knife plunged into Minah’s shoulder. The pain ebbed through her body, and Minah’s knees buckled. “Ouch!” she cried. Her attacker stood face to face with her, the bloody knife in his hand.
He made to stab again. “Jaeyun, help!”
Her friend seemed to snap out of his stupor and flames danced to life in his hands. It burned bright enough to light up their section of the street as if day has come.
The man before Minah immediately set his sights on Jaeyun and dashed at him, knife outstretched. The flames leaped from Jaeyun’s hands, and the man exploded in flames then fell lifeless right in front of Minah, his empty eyes boring into her.
Heat licked at Minah’s face. “Ah!” she cried and scampered back from the corpse on fire.
She’d never seen a man die so quickly, or at all really, outside of a hospital. In fact, the last time she witnessed someone die, it was her father…
Of course accidents happened during magic training all the time, but Jaeyun had never casted magic to kill, and their athletic uniforms are all enchanted to prevent injuries as much as possible.
The man holding her ankle lightened his grip in shock. Minah kicked his hand off and stood up, her shoulder throbbing.
“You see what you’re up against?” Minah yelled. “Leave us alone!”
The sixth man just smiled. He whistled, and tens more thugs filled the streets. Flames lit up in the hands of one of them. A thick bald man held a jug of water. “It’s a good night out,” the fifth man said. “We aren’t going home without a lot of treasure.”
“Jaeyun,” Minah said.
“I can’t,” Jaeyun said out of breath. “I can’t take them all.”
Subin gaped at the lot of them. “Why? You are mages, at least some of you. Why turn settle for being common criminals instead of getting a regular job?”
“Oh,” the sixth man snickered. “We aren’t just thugs, and it’s a lot more lucrative to be on the wrong side of justice.”
“We need to run,” Minah said.
Harin took a deep breath, and a wind blew through, only a slight breeze at first, but it quickly picked up. It ripped posters from the walls of the shops and tugged on their clothing.
While the muggers were distracted, they ran as far as they could. Minah considered herself athletic, but her feet began to hurt as they thumped against the pavement.
“Wait, isn’t that the school?” Subin said, pointing ahead.
They ran up to the campus gates, which are closed. Harin, being the smallest of them, squeezed through with a bit of difficulty. “Open it,” Minah yelled.
Harin darted into the security booth and nabbed the keys. She unlocked the gate and they all heaved the gate open.
Once all four slid through to the other side, they closed the gate and locked it just as the muggers stampeded at the gate and banged their heads against the bars.
“You can’t get us in here,” Minah said. “Give up!”
The sixth man grinned and ordered his minions, “Circle the campus! There must be a weak point in their walls.”
Subin grabbed Minah’s arm. “Come on. Let’s hide in the school building.”
They ran up to their classroom and shut the door. Minah tried the light switch, but nothing happened. Subin dashed to the mini-armory behind the teacher’s desk which all classrooms had and unlocked it using the security guard’s key. She handed out daggers to Harin, and Minah grabbed a short staff for herself.
Jaeyun muttered, “I don’t hear them entering, thankfully.”
“Do you really think they’ll give up?” Harin said.
“So many people to rob four high schoolers,” Minah groaned. “Do they really think it’s worth it?”
“They’re organized,” Subin said. “They weren’t after us for pocket change. My guess is they mean to capture us for ransom.”
Harin whimpered, “I’m scared.”
“We’ll protect you, and this is our school, after all,” Subin said. “We’re defending in our domain.”
Suddenly a strange buzzing noise could be heard, and the lights came on. Minah peered outside. The street lamps all functioned again too. She sighed. “It’s over.”
“Minah, you’re still bleeding,” Harin said, making at face at the blood.
“Oh.” Minah barely felt it, adrenaline pumping through her system. “Jaeyun, the first aid kit is right behind you. Could you get it?”
Jaeyun stood still, gaping at the wound. “Jaeyun?” Minah tried.
Suddenly Jaeyun dashed across the classroom, opened the door, and ran out, leaving the three girls staring after him.
“What’s up with him?” Subin said.
Minah felt equally confused. “I’ll check on him.” She left the classroom and saw him disappearing around the corner. She caught up with him in the stairwell. Hearing his name, Jaeyun paused on the landing, but he didn’t turn around.
Minah descended the steps to him. “Jaeyun, what’s wrong?”
His shoulders rose and fall as he gulped in air. Then he inched around, and his eyes glowed red just like the vampire in the play.
Minah’s heart leaped into her throat. He couldn’t be… No, I’m seeing things. Jaeyun is my friend. Besides, the only place you can see a vampire in Nacheon City is in a play, right? But she couldn’t deny the red eyes boring into hers. Her voice came out unsteady as she called again, “Jaeyun, a—are you feeling ill?”
For a long moment, Jaeyun simply continued staring at her. Then his mouth parted slightly and revealed sharp canines. Minah could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage and suddenly asked herself if Jaeyun could hear it too, his senses being so supernatural and all. It made sense. If Jaeyun had been a vampire all along, he’d naturally have heightened hearing and smelling, and he could see in the dark the same as the day, perhaps better.
So distracted by this realization, Minah didn’t realize Jaeyun had taken a step closed to her. He breathed in deeply and touched his finger to her shoulder. Then he brought his finger back to his mouth and licked the beads of blood off it.
He tried to come closer, and Minah could feel his warm breath on her skin. Minah held him back with her un-injured arm. She tried to dig into her skull for any bit of information about vampires. Being so rare, her teacher rarely talked about them, and they certainly hadn’t come up on any tests, not that she particularly considered herself good at such tests.
Minah tried the only thing she could. “Jaeyun, it’s me,” she said. “Snap out of it, o-okay?”
Jaeyun’s lips grazed Minah’s neck, and he sank his fangs into her skin. “Argh! What are you doing? That hurts!” Minah screamed. She tried pushing him off, but he held her steady. “Get off me, Jaeyun!”
The vampire seemed oblivious to her struggles, moaning as he drank more of her blood. Minah felt her essence being sucked out of her. “Don’t…” She found herself hardly about to speak, weakening as the seconds passed.
Her mind became hazy. She felt her consciousness slipping. She couldn’t die like this. She hadn’t even graduated high school or had her first kiss…
Jaeyun…