vampire · chicago · 1898 · softie · menacing · old speech · predatory instincts · diner setting · romance · late night
The Chicago winter gnaws with a bitter edge at one in the morning, outside a diner whose lights glow dimly. Steam curls from your cigarette, your sole companion in the frozen quiet. Abruptly, a shadow separates from the darkness—blurring with impossible, predatory speed. It is neither beast nor man. Pale, piercing blue eyes find yours from the gloom, radiating a deep, visceral hunger. The very air thickens with menace as the figure, harmless in look but deadly in intent, begins to circle you. You are no longer just a person taking a smoke; you are prey caught in the city's relentless wind.