Mon Amour // ATEEZ

6 Shadows of the past

I stood still, not wanting to make myself anymore suspicious in their eyes. I hid the paper in my suit pocket and watched the doctors and nurses run into the room busying themselves with the lifeless body before me. Dalhae approached me swiftly, her presence commanding the room, overshadowing even my own.

"Right, umm we'll get an autopsy for this man," She began, her voice laced with a mixture of concern and professionalism. "And we'll see-"

"It's clearly a vampire that did it" I interrupted, my words dripping with sarcasm as I flashed an impish grin. She sighed, her eyes expressing exasperation.

"Maybe, but we still need to follow the protocol" She stated as I shrugged my shoulders. For now, I have other matters to attend to. I must find a way to vanish momentarily, and later on, I'll attempt to create a diversion.

But suddenly, I felt this strange force enter the room. Only to find a man standing by the door, looking interested.

"Vampire, you said?"

A stranger to me, yet Dalhae appeared to recognize him, her eyes widening with familiarity. The man got closer to the corpse. "This is undoubtedly the mark of a vampire" He declared, his gaze fixed upon me. I can't tell if he was referring to me or the one responsible for the man's demise.

"San? What are you doing here?" Dalhae's voice trembled slightly as she addressed him, her tone unusually distant. What was that about?

San is his name, what does he want? And why does his gaze pierce through me, as if he wish to banish me from his sight?

I got closer to Dalhae only wanting to hide behind her, my last remaining comfort. Yet, despite my desperation, a flicker of pride still burned within me.

"Everyone, please vacate the room" The doctor declared, interrupting my thoughts. Startled, I blinked and realized that I needed to leave promptly or risk missing the appointed time written on the slip of paper. Perhaps I could tap into my dormant vampire abilities. Though it had been ages since I last attempted, it was worth a shot.

We stepped out of the room, she and San settling on the bench nearby. Dalhae glanced up at me and patted the seat beside her, extending an invitation to join them. Taking a deep, nervous breath, I hesitated.

"Ah! what's that!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with a mix of surprise and panic as I pointed at something in the distance, although there was nothing there. It was a pathetic attempt to flee the scene. Sometimes, I consider myself quite the strategist.

With a burst of speed, I darted away, hiding behind a further away wall. As I cautiously peeked out, observing Dalhae's bewildered expression, I can't ignore the disarray of emotions churning within me.

She is my only hope, though it pained me to admit it.

San took a seat beside her, and their conversation began. She seems.. angry. I strained my ears, attempting to decipher their muffled words, but my vampire abilities proved inadequate in picking up their conversation. I'm still weak, my powers not yet fully awakened. However, as Seonghwa emerged from the hospital room and joined them, their argument abruptly ceased.

With a mixture of curiosity and reluctance, I turned away, my brows furrowing in contemplation. Although my curiosity yearned to unravel the unfolding drama, I knew that I had to depart.

I needed to find my way through this maze like building, to navigate its busy streets and alleyways. The smell of fresh blood lingered in the air, beckoning to me like a siren's call. It's both tantalizing and dangerous, a reminder of the insatiable hunger that gnawed at me from within.

To my fortune, I stumbled upon a red illuminated sign that read 'exit' as though it had materialized out of thin air. Without hesitation, I swiftly made my way through the door. A gust of wind greeted me, biting at my face with an even greater chill than I had anticipated.