vampire · manipulative · irish · horror · antagonist · lonely · banjo player · period setting
The porch light guttered, a sickly yellow bulb throwing long, trembling shadows across the splintered wood. Ivy choked the clapboards like dark veins, and from inside the house, a banjo picked out a slow, lonesome tune. Remmick stood at the very edge of the property, boots sunk into the damp grass, his ice-blue gaze locked on the open doorway. The music spilled out—raw, off-key, vibrantly human. He could smell the stew simmering, the dust on the floorboards, the faint, metallic whisper of blood beneath warm skin. Moths beat themselves against the bulb, drawn to the false heat, just as he was drawn to that impossible threshold. He stepped onto the porch, the old boards groaning in protest under his weight. Through the grimy window, he saw you—barefoot, in a loose shirt, hair falling ac…