Chapter Text
A Crimson moon began to rise above Oakhurst, a town now destroyed, a town that once stood with pride fueled by its community. A town haunted by plague, death, famine. Or as some may say, Vampires. Foul creatures who lurked only when the sun cowered behind the horizon, picking off their victims one by one, their victims, those foolish enough to leave the safety of their homes after sunset or those kind enough to invite the creatures into their homes. But that was all old folk tales. Creatures who lurked in the night sucking blood? The closest thing in reality was a mosquito or a flea. Vampires don’t exist. The supernatural isn’t real.
~*~
Ren was only a teenager, 14 years old. Not old enough to have done anything notable in his life. Only really old enough to have lived, still not knowing the harshness of the world. His family was by no means rich, but they had a roof over their heads and dinner at the table every evening, so Ren would call that a win. He had heard horror stories of children his age starving and wasting away on the side of the street, the nobles, the people that could make a change in these poor children's life not even batting an eye at them, on scoffing as if these dying children were nothing more than an inconvenience for them.
And here sat Ren, alone outside his front door, the winter chill biting at his bare arms. The moon was rising above the house opposite him, it was full, shining brightly down at Ren as if smiling at him. Ren had always loved the Moon, in a life where he didn't have much, little more than a roof over his head and food on the table, all his parents' money put towards that. Never school. Ren could hardly read the title of the weekly paper. But he never complained he knew his parents worked hard, and that was how he ended up here alone outside his front door. His parents must have picked up late shifts tonight leaving Ren stranded in the bitter cold. And yet the Moon was a silent joy, always there, an always comforting presence, Always beautiful.
Ren pulled himself to his feet, there was no use waiting outside his home, it would be a good few hours till his parents arrived back. He might as well have a walk around, explore, just so he isn’t bored out of his mind. He stared at the Moon again and smiled at it, a warm comforting smile, a present to the Moon for all the times it comforted him. His footsteps echoed across his town, the streets eerily quiet, the winter was fast approaching and no one here wanted to risk hypothermia, knowing they would likely die from it or all their life savings would be lost trying not to die. Death was common around these parts. Ren tried not to dwell on it. It always made him upset.
“Oi Moron! What on earth do you think you’re doing!? You’ll freeze out there!”
A voice thankfully broke him from his thoughts, albeit still making him jump. It came from a person a little older than him, they had this fiery ginger hair that seemed slightly unkempt, their hands were coated in dirt as if from a long day of farming.
“Thanks for your concerns but I’ll be fine!”
Ren said while walking, never stopping to catch a proper glance at the person's face, the interaction almost immediately leaving his mind, never paying it a second thought, he knew it was cold, hell he could definitely feel it, but at least he wasn’t freezing bored out of his mind in front of his house. Maybe the extra exercise would put some extra heat into his bones, slow down the hypothermia, so maybe he could get home alive, isn’t that a nice thought. But he could only hope, and hope he did as he continued down the path.
As he reached the end of the road the houses were more sparsely placed, the gaps becoming larger and larger, unlike where he resigned where all the houses were closely packed together trying to conserve space, to make sure the poor don’t take up too much space. Valuable space that could be used for the noblemen. Ren wrapped his arms around himself and gazed at the houses as they got bigger and grander, the sort of house he would never get to live in, it was almost a privilege that he got to look at these houses. Even if it made tears swell up in his eyes. The idea of a life he will never have.
He forced his eyes away from the houses and focused on the end of the road where a forest sat, he was always warned never to enter them after sundown. Warnings of the wolves that lurked in them, he could always hear them howl from his house,from the safety of his bed, the noise a constant, a familiarity. The moon now appeared above the forest, shining bright, beckoning him into the woods, to follow it, to bask in its light. And Ren was a simple man and who was he to disagree. And with the Moon's silent request he was now heading straight for the woods.
~*~
He felt like he was being watched. The forest was silent but sometimes as he was walking it felt like his footsteps were double. Surely that was just the echo, right? Ren could feel his breath quickening. He’s sure the whole world could see his breath quickening in his cold. His chest felt unbearably tight. This couldn’t be his end surely. He had so much to live for. Didn’t he? Sometimes it feels like he's done nothing with his life. Like his only reason for continuing is the idea that things will get better. And sometimes he's not even entirely sure of that. He's not even literate. How is his life supposed to get better if he can’t even read. Maybe the Moon was beckoning him in for, to give him an easy way out.
Ren had made it to a clearing, the footsteps never straying too far. The Moon was on full display now, perfectly framed by the trees. Yet now the moon had a red glow to it, as if a warning for what was about to happen, yet it was still beautiful. It was rare he ever got to see a full moon this clear. And something makes him think this will be the last Moon he will ever see. A howl erupted from nearby, the sound sharply cutting through the silence. He could hear the footsteps clearly now, they were coming closer to him. Closer and closer. From right in front of him.
Fuck. He was dead. He was going to die. He was going to actually die.
Ren couldn't breathe now. His throat was too tight. His lungs too full of red hot fear to even consider breathing right now. His heart racing like never before. His whole body hurt. His eyes shot open. He didn’t even realise he had closed them. The fear had completely taken over his body, puppeteering him, bending him to its will.
A figure stood before him. Not the figure of a man. A figure of a creature, a monster. Way taller than any man he had seen before. It took a step forward into the moonlight, the red light of the moon engulfing the figure before him, all its features now becoming terrifyingly clear. Its body was caked in fur, jutting out at awkward angles, a mixture of mud, leaves and sticks tangled in it. As if it had been left out in the woods for days on end. Its mouth snarled at him, lined with what seemed like thousands of tiny razor-sharp teeth, stained with a sickly yellow. And its yellow eyes pierced through him watching his every move, daring him to run.
Ren's mouth was dry. Eyes impossibly wide. And he ran. His legs numb. His mind barely hadn’t caught up with his body yet, still replaying the image of the creature before him. The creature's wolf-like ears twitching with each gust of wind, and it let out a howl towards the moon and began to chase. The familiar sound of footsteps now following Ren, catching up way quicker than Ren would like. He could almost feel the creature’s steps thudding in his heart, making running harder and harder as his legs began to screen with pain, mimicking his heart's scream of terror.
Then white hot pain exploded throughout his back, and he came cascading down to the floor, hitting his nose in the process causing it to break with a sickening crack. His breath was lost once again. His body curled in on itself, desperate to protect his vital organs. All attempts were fruitless though as the creature ripped his body into a more ideal position, its claws sinking into the soft flesh of Ren’s stomach, leaving him practically immobile with fear and sheer force. Ren let out a strained cry. Out of pain. Out of desperation. And Out of sheer sadness. His life, ever so meaningless, was over. He was sentenced to die in the cold, completely and utterly alone.
The beast's teeth shone in the moonlight, the red hue making it seem like they were coated in the blood of victims before. And all Ren was was more blood to add to the horrible mixture, not even significant in death. The jaw of the beast opened with a snarl and instantaneously clamped round his neck with a crunch. Ren could see his own blood squirt up into the air, it made him wanna throw up. A heartwrenching sob squeezed its way out of Ren, as everything went black. And with that the pain was over.