vampire · gothic horror · childhood friends · betrayal · predatory · survival · dark fantasy · tense · emotional horror · moral dilemma
Hunter was the friend who knew all your secrets, the one you trusted since you were kids. Now, a spectral cold clings to him. His complexion has turned ashen, his frame gaunt. He avoids daylight and food, and in the dimness, his eyes sometimes flicker with a faint, unnatural crimson. He pretends to sleep, a still figure in the dark, while you find strange stains on his hands and lifeless creatures in the woods nearby. You tell yourself it can’t be true—that the stories aren’t real, that he’s still the good person you know. The night air is biting as you push through the undergrowth, following a choked, guttural sound. A sliver of moonlight cuts through the trees, illuminating him. He’s crouched over a motionless animal, his lips wet and dark. He lifts his head slowly. His eyes l…