The loud noises outside pulled Ethan from his heavy slumber - the kind only possible after a night of horror.
Ethan opened his eyes and let out a long yawn. He wasn't fully awake yet. He wanted to go back to sleep, but the dream had already slipped away, leaving him unable to return.
Still lying in bed, Ethan glanced around the room.
It was a small room, with a ceiling low enough that he felt like he could touch it just by standing up and reaching one arm. Even the only window in the room was tiny. Sunlight peeked faintly through the slats of a rolled-up blind, letting him know it was already broad daylight.
The room's furnishings were extremely simple, featuring two single beds placed in the center. A plain white curtain separated the beds.
Beside Ethan's bed was a small nightstand. He noticed his phone sitting neatly on top, plugged into the wall socket nearby and charging.
Everything in the room - from the walls and floors to the furniture - was a pristine, clinical white. Even the clothes Ethan was wearing were white. A faint smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, and that was when Ethan remembered - he was inside the Field Hospital.
He sat up and checked his phone first. Seeing that the battery was full, he unplugged it and turned it on.
7:00 AM.
So he had only gotten about four hours of sleep. Not exactly enough for a full rest, but still better than nothing. He felt much more awake now.
The arguing outside his room grew louder by the minute. Ethan hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but the voices carried so clearly that the words reached his ears whether he wanted to hear them or not.
"From the beginning of August until now - it's been over two months. And already, fifty civilians have turned into Infected. Out of those, we were forced to eliminate ten - because they couldn't be saved… Do you have any explanation for this, Mr. Richie?"
The voice was harsh, sharp with anger, coming from a man clearly in his middle age.
"Mr. Fidelis, don't forget that we've taken heavy losses too. Those kids doing the night patrols… Some of them barely made it out alive."
In stark contrast to the fiery tone of the man called Fidelis, the man named Richie replied with a deep, calm, almost melodic voice - as if he were singing.
"And since last week, your side has found a clue. It's clear that the culprit could be one of the female Vampires currently attending Harmony High. And yet, you still haven't identified which girl is responsible? Or are you people deliberately covering for each other?"
"I've interrogated and even had the fangs of every Vampire your humans suspected removed. Even my own beloved daughters weren't spared. You were there during the interrogation, remember? You saw with your own eyes our fangs being ripped out - including mine."
"That doesn't convince me. I know your kind can grow your fangs back soon enough."
"But as you can see - more humans have been turning into Infected this past week, the very same week we weren't able to bite anyone. That proves the culprit is definitely not among the Vampires you've been suspecting!"
Ethan frowned. He stepped closer to the door and pressed up against it, trying to catch every word of the argument more clearly.
And he found himself quite curious about Mr. Richie. Somehow, Mr. Richie had managed to make Mr. Fidelis believe that simply being bitten by a Vampire could turn someone into an Infected.
Putting himself in Mr. Richie's shoes, Ethan felt a bit of sympathy. If Mr. Fidelis actually knew the real mechanism of the Infected transformation, he might go so far as to demand that Mr. Richie and his daughters drain all their blood just to prove they had an alibi.
"Then I want you to finish interrogating the rest of the Vampires in town."
Mr. Fidelis made his demand without backing down.
"No. Absolutely not… How ridiculous! You humans always shout about human rights when it's about yourselves. But you show zero regard for the rights of another kind of human. Neither I, nor you, nor any Elder on the Council has the right to interrogate Vampires who show no signs of suspicion whatsoever."
Mr. Richie's voice was starting to turn icy. In response, Mr. Fidelis launched into a full tirade:
"No signs of suspicion? Don't make me laugh. There isn't a single Vampire in this town of Harmony that doesn't drink human blood! Why can't your kind switch to drinking synthetic blood - or even animal blood - like the Vampires in the neighboring town? That would make you all look less suspicious, at least!"
"There are already too many Vampires in Harmony Town. I have no issue with your kind continuing to reproduce. But this constant intake of outside Vampires into town is unacceptable."
"If you people can't manage the fangs of your own kin, then you should send them back to wherever they came from. Or if you love them so much, why don't you just leave Harmony Town and follow them out of here altogether?"
Mr. Fidelis's fury seemed to have reached its peak. Meanwhile, Mr. Richie remained silent, as if he had run out of arguments.
"Hmm. Mr. Fidelis, how old are you this year?"
Mr. Richie's question didn't seem to have much to do with the argument they were having.
"Huh? I'm 45."
"Your grandfather, little Justus, is almost 90 now, right? Still doing well, I assume?"
"Little…? What do you mean by that?"
"Talking to brats like you is truly aggravating. You know nothing about the biology or the history of our kind, and yet you think you're qualified to be an Elder?"
Mr. Richie sneered. He made no effort to hide the sarcasm in his tone. He was clearly treating Mr. Fidelis like a child - no, like a child's child.
"You should go home and ask your grandfather - little Justus - about the Covenant between your kind and ours. Once you fully understand how much you benefit from us being here, then we can talk again."
"What? How dare you…!"
"Goodbye, little Fidelis. I've got somewhere to be."
Mr. Richie swept away like the wind, leaving Mr. Fidelis trembling with rage. All he could do was take it out on the wall next to him, punching it in frustration.
From afar, the sound of a rolling cart approached. The wheels came to a stop, followed by a clear, angelic voice.
"Elder, what happened to your hand? Do you need me to help bandage it…?"
"The only thing you people can do to help me is to stay away from me!"
Mr. Fidelis snapped, barking his harsh words at the owner of that angelic voice before storming off.
There was a knock at the door. A moment later, Autumn stepped into the room, pushing a cart full of medical supplies.
"How long have you been awake, Ethan?"
Autumn beamed, bringing warmth to the otherwise sterile room.
"I just woke up too."
"How's your cheek… holding up?"
She glanced with concern at the faint mark still visible on Ethan's left cheek - the fading trace of the hard slap he'd taken from the landlady a few hours ago.
"Oh, I don't feel anything. But… what's with the nurse outfit? Are you allowed to be a nurse?"
Autumn looked more feminine than ever in her crisp white nurse's dress, which hugged her petite frame.
"Sigh… Here, let me show you my licenses."
She sat down beside Ethan's bed, showing off a dizzying collection of certificates on her phone. Though only sixteen, Autumn already held professional qualifications in nursing, mixology, personal training, physical therapy…
"Of course, these certificates are only valid within Vampire Communities. My mom made me study all these so I could legally earn money - and buy human blood - when I really need it."
"I see. That makes sense."
"You sit tight, okay? I need to get back to work."
Autumn stood and pushed her medical cart to the bed beside Ethan's.
It was only then that Ethan noticed the other bed was occupied - not by someone just crashing for the night like he had, but by a real patient.
Curious, Ethan followed Autumn over.
And he was utterly shocked…
…Lying on the bed was Felix Hoang.
More than a month ago, Ethan had witnessed with his own eyes how Felix Hoang died - his throat torn open, heart crushed beyond repair, lying in a pool of blood.
Now, although the boy looked pale and pitifully weak, there was no denying it…
… Felix Hoang was alive!