"RUN!"

“Where on earth could you be, Inu?” Ashley sighed as her eyes starts welling up again. She’s slowly running out of ideas as to where her beloved dog might be. It has been a week since she last saw him. This is the longest time they’ve been apart ever since she got him from her parents 11 years ago for her 16th birthday. Lying on her bed, she began crying again until she fell asleep unaware that someone is watching her from the roof of the opposite building.

“I guess I really can’t keep you,” Elric told the dog he’s been carrying in his jacket. The dog whimpered, as if it understood they can no longer play anymore. “Don’t worry, I’ll try to visit you at night when she’s asleep. I can only go out at nighttime anyway,” he told Inu. The dog wagged its tail happily.

Elric stared intently at a small piece of paper he got from one of the “MISSING” posters containing Ashley’s contact information; he’s contemplating if he should give her a call. Just the thought of it made his heart pound. After over an hour of talking to himself and thinking of how the conversation may go, he finally decided it will be best to stay anonymous. She won’t accept him anyway, given his entire being.

The following night, he waited for Ashley to arrive at the park since she goes there every night after a day of searching. He planned to place Inu somewhere near Ashley and let him find his way to her. He’s certain she’ll be waiting by the swing.

He was right. All that watching (or stalking?) her actually paid off. He did as he planned, and Inu excitedly ran towards Ashley. Seeing Ashley’s face light up again weighs more to him than his sadness right now. He turned around to leave, but as soon as he took the first step, he shivered at another vampire’s presence. It’s still about 3 kilometers away but is approaching Ashley at an incredible speed. Despite his gut-feel telling him he should run far away, he immediately sprinted towards the same direction. Just in time, Elric was able to snatch Ashley and Inu out of harm’s way, but he knows fully well it’s not yet the end. He continued running, it doesn’t matter where. They just need to get out of there.

Ashley is still shaking when she looked up at the man carrying her in his arms. Of course she’d heard about the vampires, but didn’t think she would cross paths with them. ‘She’s been extra cautious, so why? Why is this happening?’ she thought. She couldn’t hold back the tears, yet she has no other choice but to cling to him tightly. She buried her face into the man’s chest. Elric felt something warm and wet passing through his shirt. “It’s okay, you don’t really know me but I’ll protect you,” Elric tried to comfort the visibly frightened Ashley while running and basically leaping as fast as he can. Ashley is still terrified, but the man’s gentle but stern voice helped her calm down a bit. She felt safe with him, though she didn’t understand why. She felt she knew him. Her thoughts were cut by the fact that the other vampire is already on their heels.

“Tch. I knew we wouldn’t be able to shake him off like this, so here’s the plan,” Ashley heard the man speak again so she looked up. Without looking at her, Elric spoke, “I’ll distract him, and your job is to run towards the busy street. He won’t follow you there. Run as fast as you can, and don’t look back no matter what.” “W-wait, w-why don’t we just go there t-together?” Ashley protested while shaking. “I’d love to, but…I-I can’t go there either. It’s too bright,” the man said softly, a bit of pain in his voice. At that moment, they passed through a dark alley, and that’s when he dropped her off very quickly. He whispered, “Run!” The pursuer didn’t seem to notice this.

Clutching Inu in her arms, Ashley ran as fast as she could towards the well-lit main street, but she can’t keep her mind off the man who is risking his life for her. Even so, she kept running until she reached her apartment door. Once inside, she collapsed out of exhaustion. Inu broke free from her arms and ran straight to her bedroom seemingly excited. This felt odd so Ashley got up slowly, took a knife from the kitchen, and silently approached the bedroom. She was shocked to find that the windows were open. Her gaze dropped to the figure just below the open windows. An injured man who isn’t moving was on her bedroom floor. She was about to scream when she saw Inu wagging his tail and barking at him worriedly and excitedly. Looking at the man carefully, she finally recognized him this time, and immediately ran to his side.

Holding the man in her arms carefully, she spoke to him, “H-h-hey, I’m here, please don’t die,” she told the man as she examined his wounds. There are a lot of scratches, but nothing severe. She felt a bit relieved. “Don’t worry, I won’t die. I just need to rest..for..a..bit..,” the man’s voice trailed as he fell asleep. Ashley pulled some sheets and covered him. She looked at the clock and it read 02:30AM, but she may be a monster if she didn’t have a hard time putting herself to sleep. She decided to watch TV until the sun comes up.

Elric awoke to the smell of something burning. When he opened his eyes, he saw smoke coming from his arms. That’s when he realized he was the one burning, but he can’t exactly move a muscle. His head is throbbing, the pain in his arms where the light hit was excruciating, not to mention his legs are numb. He could no longer bear it, so he screamed. He screamed for his life.

A loud scream woke Ashley up causing her to fall from the couch. When she realized where it came from, she sprinted to the windows to close the curtains. “Sorry about that,” she told the man. Without the burning sensation, Elric managed to sit. He looked at her and said, “Sorry…I can’t think of anywhere else to hide after I managed to shake him off.”

“No, it’s okay, really. I don’t mind,” Ashley reassured him while looking straight to his eyes. His eyes are like the color of a calm twilight sky but it’s not round like a normal human’s. Upon realizing that she’s staring at him, Elric immediately turned his head down. He didn’t want her to see his hideous vampire eyes. “Hey,” Ashley called his attention. Elric slowly turned his gaze towards the sweet captivating voice. They locked eyes, and it’s like all their worries melted away. They both let out a sigh of relief. This is the first time someone looked at Elric like this, it’s like she really sees who he is. Then Ashley spoke again, “Hey, I don’t really know how to say this, but there are definitely no words to describe how thankful I am to you for saving my life.” She paused a little, “And—and for bringing Inu back”

“How did you--?”

“He doesn’t approach just anybody, yet he likes you a lot. I kind of figured,” Ashley smiled at him which made Elric blush a little.

After an awkward silence, Ashley broke the ice again, “I’m Ashley, and you are?”

“I kind of know, heh, m-my name is Elric,” feeling a bit shy.

“Nice to meet you, Elric…would you like to stay forever?”