2 The Vampire (1)

The night sky was clear, the moon, a large silver crescent; its light shimmering on the lake below. The manor was above the city, a ways up the mountain, secluded from many of the other large houses in the area. The bike ride up was killer on Kaito's legs. Unfortunately, Daisuke and himself were still too young to get their driver's license, and Akira had refused to come, meaning they didn't have access to his car and personal driver.

They stopped in front of the wrought iron gate that closed off the entrance through the stone wall that surrounded the 4,000 squared meter property. The darkness of night made the abandoned mansion difficult to see through the trees, but in the distance, he could make out the outline of a building. Parking the bikes outside, he pushed open the gates that swung open without a sound.

As Daisuke and Kaito made their way down the gravel path with their flashlights, Kaito couldn't help but feel something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The mansion itself was unusual. Many of the large estates on the island were large Japanese style mansions. There were a few western style mansions, but they had been built within the past 30 years. This mansion, however, was built over a hundred years ago with late 1800 architecture, before the city grew and appeared on any map, and no one in town ever talked about it or really acknowledged it other than to say stay away.

The nagging feeling in the back of Kaito's head grew with every step, still unable to figure out what was bothering him. The yard was well trimmed and weeded, the seasonal fall flowers were in bloom, and as they got closer, the mansion came into view. The stone exterior was clean and the vines were well controlled, climbing only on the rack assisting their growth. There wasn't anything to be afraid of, yet he still hadn't shaken the feeling even when they approached Nijima, Takumi, and surprisingly Mori, Satoshi.

"What's he doing here?" Daisuke gestured to the additional teen, slouched against a tree. Satoshi was slightly shorter than the rest of them. With his constantly slouched posture, often rumpled clothes, and a constant bored expression, no one would believe he was the number one student and class president. It was his laid-back attitude that made Kaito like him. He was the type that didn't judge until he had all the facts.

"We needed another person to ensure that you didn't chicken out," Nijima said offhandedly, texting on his phone. He sent the message than pocketed the device. "The rules are simple enough that even you two morons should be able to follow them." Nijima received a glare at the jab. "Search every room in the mansion and videotape as you make your way through with your phone for proof. You have to survive for an hour." His eyes landed on Daisuke. "Only Takeda has to remain the entire time. You're allowed to chicken out." His eyes returned to Kaito and a small smirk graced his lips, "And if there is a murderer or evil spirit, you're on your own."

Kaito couldn't stop his eye roll, showing his disdain for Nijima's lame attempts to scare him. "We'll see who chicken's out," he muttered under his breath, meanwhile gesturing his friend to follow him to the front door as he pulled out his phone.

He took a few steps towards the door, stopping when he didn't hear Daisuke following. Turning around to see what was taking so long, Mori, Takumi, and Nijima were already gone. He hated when they disappeared like that. "Well I guess it's just you and me," he trailed off when he noticed the hesitation in his friend's face.

Daisuke was the same height as him with dark brown hair that looked like Daisuke had shaken his head like a dog to dry his hair rather than with a towel. He was often the one wearing a hoodie under his school blazer, the hood dangling out the back. He was as loud and mischievous as Kaito was and probably more energetic. It was when he was quiet that one had to worry, and Daisuke had not taken a single step towards the mansion.

"You don't have to come, Daisuke. It's alright."

His friend looked at the door then back at him. Even in the low light, Kaito could see him tremble. "No," his voice cracked then cleared his throat. "No, I'm fine. I, uh.... there aren't really ghosts here right?"

Sighing, Kaito tilted his head towards the door. "I'm going in. You can stay here. It's no big deal."

It wasn't even a second before Daisuke joined him by his side which made it difficult to hide the smile creeping on Kaito's face. Daisuke was the type who would face anything. Everything except ghosts. A byproduct from their childhood and long nights of watching horror movies.

He must not have been very successful because his friend punched his arm hard. Laughing, he tried the door handle and surprisingly, the double doors opened without a fuss.

"That's not normal," Daisuke whispered, staring at the dark inside.

"Someone broke in earlier, right. It's probably because of them," he offered, though his voice held some uncertainty. Renewing his smile, he slapped his friend's back. "Come on. Worst case, it's just Nijima trying to scare us."

"R-right."

Kaito entered first, intending to lead by example while Daisuke followed sticking close to him. The inside wasn't as dark as he thought. There were several candles lit, illuminating the interior in a faint light. They had entered into the foyer. The floor was made of black and white marble in a checkered pattern. A curving staircase, leading up to the second floor, had a suit of armor beside it, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The large foyer was circular, with two French doors to the right and left, and a long hallway at the other end, stretching into the darkness.

Kaito took a few steps further inside inspecting the armor, noting the deep gashes along the chest plate as if it had been used. "Hey Dai, come look at this."

"Kaito, we should get out of here. Something's not right," he hissed.

Kaito was about to roll his eyes, but then he saw his friend's dimly lit form trembling uncontrollably. The words he had planned to say were swallowed and forgotten. Daisuke had good instincts. He always seemed to know when trouble was lurking around the corner, like a dog sensing something coming, and Kaito had never seen him look so frightened.

"Alright," he said. "Let's g−" a gust of wind blew right past them, extinguishing the lights and the front doors slamming shut, leaving the room in absolute darkness.

Daisuke's heavy breathing and murmuring was the only sound filling the room, a constant chant of "This can't be happening. This can't be happening," coming from his terrified voice.

Kaito himself could almost laugh at the cliché if it were not for the fact it was happening to him like a bad horror movie. "It's probably Nijima," he tried to be reassuring, but his own bad feeling was making his hands shake. "Try the door."

A second later, Kaito could hear the sound of a doorknob being twisted and pulled followed by the sound of the doors jiggling in their door frame when it refused to open. "It's locked!" Daisuke's voice rose in panic.

"How can it be locked? It was just opened?" Kaito was pulled along with Daisuke's rising panic, and then suddenly, like a splash of cold water he understood why. Why he had thought something was strange since he had first entered the property. The soundless gates opening. The trimmed grass. The nice and polished foyer and lit candles. Someone still lived here. For a house that was supposed to have been abandoned for over 100 years, there wasn't a single trace of rot or decay, nothing broken or covered in dust. It all looked brand new, but Kaito knew for a fact no one lived here. Gossip would have flooded the entire island if there was so much as the gate opening or a car heading this direction.

But the candles had been lit, and someone had to light them, and while Nijima was a jerk, this type of prank wasn't his style. He fought with words and the occasional challenge. He would never cheat or use petty tricks no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise.

"We have to get out of here," Kaito tried to keep his voice calm, but his voice wavered at the end. "I really don't want to be killed by evil spirits."

He meant for it to be joking, but the humor failed to be conveyed, panicking his friend even more. "I thought you didn't believe in spirits!"

"I wouldn't call myself a spirit."

Daisuke and Kaito froze. Despite the darkness, they had been friends long enough to know that voice had not belonged to either of them. It was deep, smooth, and almost mocking. It was just a voice, and a person had to be on the other end, yet it made Kaito's heartbeat quicken and sweat form on the palms of his hands. "Who are you?" he demanded, refusing to be controlled by his fear. It was just another person. Just like him.

"Hn, you come into my house and demand my name? You are more of an idiot than I thought," the voice paused as if in thought then said, "But I will humor you." A single candle relit, casting a soft glow on the owner who held it. It was difficult to see with the shadows the candle cast upon the speaker's face, but Kaito could make out pale skin, dark hair, a youngish face, and dark eyes, eyes so dark they looked black. "My name is Himura, Ryunosuke, the owner of this mansion."

Seeing his face somehow didn't make the fear go away. Something about his eyes, made him feel predatory, dangerous. Kaito could hear Daisuke behind him shifting constantly. His friend hadn't relaxed either, further cementing his belief that the sooner they left the better, bet be damned. "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Himura-san," Kaito smiled, knowing there was no way it could be seen. "We thought this place was abandoned and was just messing around. We'll just go and leave a letter of apology in your mailbox by tomorrow morning." Kaito took a step back, nervous about turning his back on this Himura person.

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that. You see, any dinner that walks into my manor is fair game," the owner smiled, a fang peeking out from under his upper lip. "And I am quite famished." As Himura talked, his speech continually slipped into an older speech pattern until his young face felt ill-suited for his voice.

"Kaito," Daisuke hissed, grabbing Kaito's right arm in a deathly grip. "He smells like blood."

The teen's heart was beating wildly, and for a moment, his body was paralyzed as the information sunk in. Daisuke was never wrong. If he smelled blood...

He then recalled Nijima's story, about the murders, and Nijima's insistence that the story was real. This man killed them. He had no proof, but he could not bring himself to believe otherwise. There was no doubt. Himura may not have been a spirit, but maybe something worse, and he had dragged Daisuke into it.

Himura started walking towards them slowly, his heels clicking on the marble floor, each step ringing, echoing, in the large hall.

He needed to get Daisuke out of here. "When I make a move, run," Kaito whispered.

Daisuke grabbed his arm, grasping it tightly. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you with him," he replied, panicking.

"And if you don't, we're both dead, so run fast and come back for me."

Kaito couldn't wait for Daisuke's response. He ripped out of Daisuke's hold, charging towards the man, fist raised.

Daisuke wasted no time trying to kick down the kick down the door. If he worked fast enough, if they had more light to see or found Nijima or Mori, maybe they could team up on the psychopath. Each kick was filled with desperation, aiming each one at the lock that kept it closed. The wood was splintering, and hope surged through his chest. They could make it. Just a little more.

With one more kick, the wood gave way and the doors slammed open. Daisuke turned to tell Kaito then the blood drained from his face. Somehow Kaito had been turned around, his right arm held firmly to his chest and the left arm trapped behind his back, their attacker standing behind him keeping him in place with long slender arms, one arm forcing Kaito's head to the side while the other kept Kaito from moving.

Kaito's blue eyes were glazed over as blood trailed down his neck from the wound caused by Himura's teeth. Himura sucked at the wound, drawing blood into his mouth, causing a soft pained grunt to escape Kaito's lips.

Daisuke was frozen in place, unsure what to do. Should he help him or try to find someone? His eyes accidentally met Kaito's. Kaito looked deathly pale in the moonlight. Even so, the teen managed to softly smile at him and mouthed, "Run."

Daisuke felt his eyes sting with tears as he took a shaky step back, then another. The attacker was watching him but made no move after him as he drank Kaito's blood. The tears fell then Daisuke was rushing down the gravel road.

"Nijima! Mori!" He screamed, almost tripping in his panic. "Get out here! Please! Help us!"

There was no answer. He kept running towards the gate calling out, praying for someone to answer only to receive silence in return. His hopes were dwindling quickly with each second, hearing no reply as he screamed at the inky blackness for someone to come to their aid.

As he neared the gate, he saw the flashing lights of a police car. He picked up the pace, yelling as loud as he could.

The car was pulling away, and he pushed himself harder to go faster. It didn't matter if he couldn't breathe, yelling was more important. It didn't' matter if his legs burned as the car went further and further out of reach. If it would stop for a moment and he could grab their attention, it would be enough.

In his haste, he didn't notice the large branch sticking out onto the road, tearing into his flesh and causing him to fall and tumble several meters down the slope of the mountain, his arm taking the brunt of the fall but still hitting his head against the concrete.

His vision drifted in and out. Had he failed? Was this really it? Kaito was going to get killed just because he hadn't spoken up sooner about his unease. The one time he should have just listened to Akira and talked Kaito out of this entire thing to begin with. Was he going to live knowing that he was only alive because Kaito protected him yet again?

Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the car come to a stop.