The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night
Chapter 32: Blood predator

Chapter 32: Blood predator

Kaiser broke the silence, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "It’s Ben, guys. We know him. We’re not gonna put him down like some monster. We’ll talk sense into him, find a way to bring him back."

Hassan nodded, but his eyes betrayed his doubt. "Yeah... we gotta try."

Yuki snapped the glossary shut with a sharp clap. "We grab weapons. Something to subdue him—not kill him—in case words don’t work."

They rummaged through the shelves, hands brushing over blades, chains, and vials filled with liquids—among them, even holy oil. Hassan grabbed a steel dagger. Yuki chose a pair of throwing knives with polished bone hilts. Kaiser, with a smirk, opted for a curved dagger, twirling it like a toy. Carter, meanwhile, paused in front of a wooden bat wrapped in barbed wire and rusted nails.

Hassan raised an eyebrow, eyeing the weapon. "You seriously planning to beat him to death with that?"

Carter sighed, hefting the bat. "I just hope I don’t have to use it, man."

Yuki double-checked that his sister wasn’t nearby, then led the group back upstairs. They piled into the Ford, the atmosphere still tense but resolved. Hassan revved the engine, roaring toward the park.

Night had fallen, the deserted streets bathed in the moon’s silver glow. The park loomed ahead, its towering pines and winding paths now sinister. The jogging trail—where bloodless bodies had been found—was their destination.

Ben was out there somewhere, transformed into an uncontrollable predator.

---

The forest bordering the jogging path was swallowed by an almost tangible darkness, the pines casting jagged shadows under the pale moonlight. The group moved cautiously, weapons clenched in sweaty hands. The night’s silence was oppressive, broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot and their hushed, strained whispers.

Carter, his spiked bat resting on his shoulder, shot nervous glances around him, his shallow breaths betraying his fear. "We sure he’s here?" he muttered, voice shaky. "This place is creeping me the hell out."

Yuki, at the front, advanced with cold determination, his throwing knives sheathed at his belt. "Hugo said Sabrina brought him here," he replied, eyes scanning the dark. "If Ben’s really a vampire, it’s the perfect hunting ground."

Kaiser, still riding the tail end of his L-dopa high, smirked, his dagger spinning in his hand. "Great, now you sound just like your genocidal ancestors!"

Hassan, silent, trailed slightly behind, his dagger tight in his fist. His glasses reflected the moonlight, but his face remained unreadable, thoughts locked away.

Carter tripped over a root, swearing under his breath. "Goddammit, why me? Should’ve stayed in the car. If that thing gets me, I’m dead!"

"Quit whining," Yuki growled without turning. "We’re all in the same shitstorm."

Kaiser snorted. "Yeah, Carter, chill. Ben had plenty of chances—he’s not starting now."

Carter shot him a glare. "Go fuck yourself, junkie."

...

High in the treetops, Ben perched, motionless, his crimson eyes piercing the dark. His transformed body bore no trace of humanity. His skin was corpse-pale, streaked with pulsing black veins. His claws—long, sharp as obsidian—glinted in the moonlight. His elongated ears twitched at the faintest sound. His fangs, slick with thick saliva, gleamed.

He was hunting.

Even if he didn’t yet grasp the full extent of his new abilities, one thing was clear: the primal hunger burning in his chest was uncontrollable. He wanted blood. Rivers of it. And after that, he’d tear out the guts of that bastard circling Lynn.

A heartbeat snagged his attention. Then another. His head turned, his vision reducing the distant figures to blurred shadows, each marked by a throbbing red heart. His lips peeled back in a carnivorous grin. Without a sound, he leaped to a lower branch, movements fluid and unnatural, then lunged toward his prey.

The group had paused near a jogging trail sign, their whispers dying as dread prickled their spines. Carter gripped his bat so hard his knuckles whitened. "Don’t like this," he whispered. "Feels like we’re being watched."

"Shut up," Yuki breathed, senses flaring. "Something’s coming."

Then—a rustle.

Too fast to be natural.

A figure tore through the shadows like a bullet.

—"LEFT!" Yuki screamed.

Too late.

Ben was already on them.

...

This wasn’t Ben anymore.

It was a thing with bloodshot eyes, fangs dripping saliva, fingers elongated into claws black as obsidian.

—"Prey..." it rasped, its voice a mix of guttural snarls and inhuman breath. "I’ll drain you... drop by drop."

Yuki moved first, his blades crossing Ben’s claws in a metallic clash. Sparks flew, briefly illuminating the vampire’s face—twisted with hunger.

—"Ben, stop! It’s us!" Yuki strained, arms shaking under the pressure.

Ben answered with a lightning kick to his chest, sending him flying.

Kaiser intervened, his fist slicing air—but Ben vanished, reappearing behind him with supernatural speed.

Ben struck, movements so fast they defied physics. If an average Wunder pushed human limits, Ben had shattered them entirely.

Claws raked the air. Kaiser blocked at the last second, but the impact drove him to his knees, his forearm split to the bone.

—"Fuck!" he spat, blood spurting between his fingers.

Carter, panicked, swung his bat with a yell. Ben dodged effortlessly, pivoting to drive his foot into Carter’s ribs.

*CRACK. *

The sound of breaking ribs was drowned by Carter’s scream as he hurtled into a tree. He crumpled, vomiting blood.

—"Carter!" Yuki sprinted to him, checking his pulse. "He’s breathing, but it’s bad. We need to get him out!"

Ben turned to Hassan, who tried a sneak attack from behind. But Ben twisted impossibly, seizing Hassan by the throat, lifting him like a doll. His jaws gaped, fangs poised to strike—

Yuki reacted instantly. Two knives whistled through the air. Ben dropped Hassan, backflipping away, landing in front of Kaiser.

Kaiser, teeth gritted, grabbed a handful of dirt and hurled it into Ben’s eyes.

—"Eat shit, asshole!"

Ben blinked—a split-second of blindness. Enough for Kaiser to tackle him, pinning him down.

*STAB. STAB. STAB.*

—"The hell, Kaiser!?" Hassan coughed, scrambling up.

Kaiser panted, arm trembling.

His dagger plunged into Ben’s chest again and again, but—

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