The Turning

(Two)

The high pitch wail of a police siren ripped through the silence. I.M broke from his stress induced trance, getting to his feet. He crouched in front of the stranger, wrapping long arms around his neck. Once he had the stranger situated on his back, he bolted from the alley. The sound of the police siren faded into the background as he left the alley behind.

Humans rarely got involved with vampire attacks, but occasionally, one citizen would make a call to the police. He was certain that some human saw them and contacted the authorities. Despite this realization, he wasn't too worried about being seen. He had no plans to return to the same alley. He rushed toward home, balancing the still body on his back. If he had been human, the trip from Geumcheon to Gangnam district would have taken longer. He guessed there were some perks that came with being a vampire.

As he arrived at his destination, he kept thinking about the situation he had gotten himself into. He turned a human. There was a great chance that the stranger would descend into madness and become the uncivilized beast vampire society was worried about. In three to four days, the stranger, he took pity on, could kill thousands and thousands of humans because of an uncontrolled blood lust.

He stood before his clan's home, red eyes focused on the illuminated building. A couple walked past hand in hand, laughing about a movie they had seen in the theater. The woman eyed him for a second before grabbing onto her companion, eyes wide. He frowned. Maybe he should have cleaned up before he left the alley, but there was no time. He didn't want to stick around to chat with the police. The council members weren't the only individuals who knew about the rule and he knew the police wouldn't hesitate to report him to them.

As soon as the human couple disappeared, he rushed past the human doorman and through the gilded lobby. He ignored the shock on the faces of the human staff. There would be talk in the morning about the 'reckless vampire who brought home his kill', but he couldn't do anything about it. Once in the elevator, he took the time to relax. He almost had to take a ride up with a human businessman, but he was quick to hit the close button for the elevator doors. He wasn't even a little sorry for his rudeness.

The rich scent of iron and roses was barely detectable by the time he reached their floor. The transition was in full effect. I.M groaned, disappointed in his inability to stay out of trouble. He didn't regret saving the stranger from a lonely death, but he did regret how he came to the solution. Maybe if he had thought more about a solution, he would have figured something out.

I.M keyed in their door combination and waited for the familiar buzz. Vampires couldn't breathe. There were no working lungs within their chest, but he wished he could take a deep breath. He pushed the door open and was greeted by the sight of his clan sitting on their leather couch looking at him. Their eyes drifted to his new companion draped along his back. Shownu's head tilted to the side, brows furrowed. All the others had varying expressions of horror and concern on their faces. He gulped.

"Is that blood?" Wonho asked, gesturing toward his clothing.

He frowned, glancing at the reflective surface of their large glass table. A large red stain circled around his mouth and an even larger stain stretched from his collar down to the middle of his shirt. He should have cleaned up before returning to them, but he realized he couldn't hide the truth even if he tried. Instead, he faced his members. He readjusted the boy on his back, ready for their questions.

"Yes, it is blood."

Wonho's eyes widened, lips trembling. I.M lowered his gaze to the ground, unable to witness the look on the older vampire's face. Humans always had these preconceived notions about vampires. He knew if they every met the older vampire, they would be more open-ended mind about their kind. Out of all the clan members, Wonho was the most sensitive. He had chosen to keep a stronger attachment to his emotions despite the general opinion on the matter. Most vampires tried to distance themselves from their emotions. The MX clan and Aghase clan were the only clans to keep their emotional reactions as close to human as they could.