Caine wandered through the shopping center and entered a tall building that offered a clear view of the human base in the distance, its position betrayed by the faint flicker of torchlight in the gloom.
Sergeant Granger's shambling undead form stationed itself directly behind him, followed by the rest of the undead, who shuffled into formation and stood silently, awaiting his command.
There was no going back, not alone and certainly not with a procession of undead trailing his every move.
"Sigh..." He exhaled a hot breath that steamed in the cool night air, his fingers gripping the windowsill so tightly that they began pressing into the wood.
CRACK...
The windowsill splintered under the pressure, startling Caine and nearly causing him to lose his balance. His attention snapped to the red silhouette he spotted in the distance, prompting him to squint for a better look.
Far off, he could just make out a clearly feminine figure moving with slow, deliberate purpose toward the human encampment. It would not be long before the watchmen noticed her, and given the circumstances, they would likely shoot on sight.
Caine started to head down the stairs but stopped, realizing it would take too long. "This is going to hurt..." he muttered, turning back toward the open, slightly cracked windowsill.
Using a doorframe for leverage, Caine launched himself forward like a human rocket, reaching and then surpassing maximum human speed before leaping with all his strength out of the window.
The gentle rain turned into a torrent as he plummeted toward the street below, where a group of zombies shuffled about, seeking their next meal.
BOOM!
One zombie was crushed into a gruesome pulp as Caine landed hard on its shoulder and back. The impact sent the remaining three staggering, but before they could recover, Caine was already sprinting toward the soft, glowing light.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Gunshots echoed as he dashed through a nearby alley leading to the street he needed. Emerging on the other side, with the fading moans of zombies behind him, he abruptly came to a halt.
She was close enough now that the details ceased to be mere suggestions and solidified into undeniable truth.
Her skin was pale, but not the pallor of illness. It was luminous, almost glass-like in its smoothness, as though veins and imperfections had never been allowed to mar its surface. The rain did not cling to her; it slid away in pristine sheets, unable to find purchase, as if her very essence rejected anything impure. Purity and predation seemed to coexist within her skin.
Her hair cascaded in long, loose waves of deep crimson, darker than the clinging fabric of her dress. It was a shade not found in the living, unnatural and unyielding, as if crafted from blood and tempered in firelight. Each strand seemed to move with a life of its own, drifting purposefully rather than at the mercy of the wind.
Her lips were soft and nearly colorless, touched by only the faintest blush of vitality on a face sculpted with an impossible youth. Not childlike, there was nothing innocent in that face, but young enough to unsettle him, young enough to stir an ache in his chest that he thought had long since died.
And her eyes—
He had no words for them.
They were like black holes, absorbing all light and reason, pulling him into their depths with no hope of escape.
As he stood there, captivated by her unnatural beauty, his teenage heart betrayed him.
THUMP!
The sound of his heartbeat, louder than it should have been, echoed through the alley where he stood. The dangerous, mesmerizing creature turned her head sharply toward the sound, her arm, poised to strike the guard's neck, hesitating mid-motion. Her gaze locked onto the strange young man standing at the entrance of the alleyway. A devious glint flickered in her otherwise shadowed eyes, sending a chill racing down Caine's spine. Without a second thought, he spun on his heel and fled down the alley as fast as his legs could carry him.
He had momentarily forgotten about the undead ravenously pursuing him earlier, and as he reached the end of the alleyway, the crushed zombie emerged from the shadows. It clawed its way toward him, seized Caine, and tried to sink its decayed yet jagged teeth into his thigh.
Before the zombie's rotting but sharp teeth could pierce his flesh, a silver-black fluid seeped from his pores. The fluid swiftly solidified into a plate-like armor, integrating with a conveniently placed bone spike. The zombie lunged forward, impaling itself on the spike, its body going limp as the spike penetrated its brain stem.
Caine stared in astonishment as the bone armor that had materialized to shield his thigh began to warp and dissolve, gradually merging back into his flesh. "I need to master control over this power," he muttered under his breath. "Relying on instinct alone won't be enough."
STEP!
The sound of a single soft step, somehow loud enough to echo through the alley, snapped Caine's attention to its source. At the opposite end, the woman in red stood motionless, her predatory gaze locked onto him.
"Shit..."
Caine cursed under his breath, spinning around abruptly. Power surged through his legs as he focused every ounce of strength into them. His pants strained against the force, nearly tearing, as he propelled himself forward with explosive speed. A zombie that staggered into his path was tossed aside like it had collided with a speeding vehicle, its body crumpling into a broken heap, writhing in incomprehensible agony.
He vaulted over a car obstructing the street, adrenaline fueling his movements. For a fleeting moment, he dared to believe he had escaped. But when he glanced back, she was there, directly behind him. His already pale complexion turned ashen, the blood draining from his face. Her hand, outstretched with deadly intent, reached for his neck. Caine could not evade her grasp in time. Her fingers clamped around his throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air. Using the remaining momentum, she smashed Caine into the bed of a massive semi-truck.
BOOM!
Caine's neck had been obliterated, but the nanobots that predominantly replaced his undead blood worked tirelessly to repair the damage. The woman in red looked on in awe as strands of tissue wove themselves together, forming a seamlessly smooth neck.
Her blood-soaked hand rose to her lips, and Caine was compelled to watch as she licked her fingers with the relish of someone savoring the remnants of a bag of cheesy snacks. When his blood touched her tongue, her eyes closed, and she appeared to enter a trance, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. The sight made her even more captivating, despite the undeniable danger she posed.
As soon as his throat fully healed, Caine tried to slip away quietly while the woman remained entranced. However, the moment he shifted his arm, the sudden shift in weight caused the metal beneath him to creak loudly. The sound shattered her reverie, and she turned to him, her expression a mix of ravenous hunger and perplexity.
"Who... What are you?" she demanded before shaking her head decisively. "Doesn't matter, you won't be here much longer!"
With supernatural speed, she lunged forward, her figure blurring in Caine's vision before he was once again lifted off the ground, powerless against her grip.
Her teeth hovered over his neck, poised to pierce his soft flesh, but once more a bone plate materialized to shield him, this time lacking the protective spike.
"Trying to stop me?" she teased, her shadowy eyes gleaming with the thrill of the challenge. "Good luck!"
Her teeth clamped down on the bone armor, and Caine expected the jagged surface to resist, to splinter her fangs upon its steel-tough composition. But what followed widened his eyes in disbelief.
CRACK!
CRACK!
SHATTER!
Even with its remarkable tensile strength surpassing steel, the bone armor fractured under the pressure of her bite, breaking apart as her teeth sank deeper.
Moments later, her fangs pierced his neck, and his nanobot-laced blood surged into her mouth like the juice of a ripe fruit. The taste sent her into a euphoric trance, while Caine writhed helplessly, his enhanced strength utterly futile against the overwhelming power of this unstoppable predator.
Caine eventually fell into unconsciousness, his body going limp in the red woman's arms as she continued to drink copious amounts of blood from the wound on his neck.
As the woman in red drank from Caine, she remained unaware that the blood she consumed was no ordinary blood but laced with nanobots. These microscopic machines, upon entering her system, began to suppress her undead cravings and gradually unveiled the remnants of her human nature. Under the influence of these profound changes, she abruptly ceased drinking and was overcome by an overwhelming sense of drowsiness. Lacking the strength to pull herself away, she collapsed onto Caine, succumbing to unconsciousness.
Her dress, which flowed like an ever-present ocean of blood, began to wrap around the two like a cocoon protecting them from any sneaky undead while they slumbered.
As hours slipped by, the soft rhythm of the nighttime rain gradually subsided, replaced by the warm glow of sunlight filtering through, prompting Caine to stir from his slumber.
Caine's eyes fluttered open to the dim light filtering through the ruins of the building. His body throbbed with pain, but the first thing he noticed was the warmth and weight pressing against him. The woman in red lay sprawled across his chest, her breaths rapid and uneven, her shadowed, predatory eyes fixed intently on him.
For a fleeting moment, Caine froze, caught between the fear coursing through him and the undeniable allure her presence always seemed to provoke. She leaned in closer, her face just inches from his, her warm breath brushing against his skin.
"Mine," she murmured, her voice low, possessive, and sending a shiver down his spine. Before he could react, her lips captured his.
The kiss was nothing he could have imagined. It was soft, sweet, and delicate, like savoring the ripest, most luscious strawberries melting on his tongue. It carried an unexpected warmth, curiosity, and tenderness that sharply contrasted the fierce, predatory violence she had displayed moments earlier. Caine's hands hovered uncertainly, torn between pushing her away and surrendering to the strange pull drawing him in.
As their lips lingered, the cocoon of her dress flowed back effortlessly, folding and twisting around her form like liquid silk, veiling her modesty in an instant. The deep crimson fabric enveloped her completely before Caine could catch a glimpse of anything more, leaving only her scent, her warmth, and the lingering sweetness of her kiss to haunt his senses.
She pulled back just slightly, her eyes locking with his, a faint, knowing smirk gracing her lips. "You're mine now," she murmured, her voice low and resolute, before resting her forehead gently against his.
Caine's mind swirled, caught between awe, dread, and an unfamiliar yearning, realizing that whatever peril she embodied, a connection had already taken root between them, binding him inescapably to her. From this moment forward, there would be no escape.
Even the thought of hiding in the deepest trench of the ocean seemed futile, she would find him regardless. The idea of eternal pursuit sent a shiver down his spine, though he couldn't help but think, "I guess it could be worse; she is stunning, after all." His teal eyes roamed over her seductive yet elegant figure, lingering on her slender neck and collarbone, her now-dark crimson lips, and those captivating eyes that seemed to draw him in with an irresistible gravitational pull.
Caitlyn Cross leaned in closer, exuding the effortless confidence of a predator certain her prey had no chance of escape. Her dark eyes, framed by an otherworldly crimson glow, smoldered like embers in a dying fire. They carried a patient, almost teasing hunger, underpinned by an intense curiosity that sent a shiver racing through Caine's chest.
"I suppose an introduction is in order," she purred, her voice a low, velvety caress that wrapped around him like smoke drifting through a shadowed room. "You've already given me so much… of yourself."
Caine's thoughts spun into chaos. He should move, resist, do something, anything, but he remained frozen, ensnared by the lingering taste of her kiss and the way her presence seemed to drain the air from the room.
Her fingers skimmed along his jawline, a touch as tender as it was possessive. The muted glow of the rain-drenched evening flickered in her eyes, making them gleam like obsidian streaked with molten gold.
"My name," she whispered, each word spilling from her lips like a spell being cast, "is Caitlyn Cross."
The name struck him with the haunting familiarity of a memory just out of reach, flashing back to days, or was it weeks, ago, when an enchanting woman named Vivienne Cross had introduced herself to him.
Her gaze held his, shimmering with expectation. She didn't speak again. She didn't need to.
She waited.
Not forceful.
Just… waiting.
A predator coaxing her prey to step willingly into her jaws.
His throat constricted. His pulse pounded against his skin, so loud it was a drumbeat she could hear, proof of life thundering through an undead body.
Her hand glided to his chest, settling directly over his heart.
"Tell me yours," she breathed, like a queen commanding a knight to kneel, "so I may speak it… and claim it."
Caine swallowed hard. Fear, reverence, and an irresistible pull churned within him. Her voice coiled around his spine like barbed silk. His lips moved before his mind could intervene.
"…Caine," he murmured. Then, firmer, "Caine Williams."
Her lips parted. Not in shock, but in triumph.
As though his name completed some hidden, ancient ritual.
"Caine…" she echoed softly, letting the sound linger, relishing it like a forbidden pleasure. "Caine Williams."
A tremor coursed through him at how intimately she shaped his name, as though she had already etched it into the core of her being.
Her crimson-dark lips curled into a slow, predatory smile.
The smile ignited a surge of terror and exhilaration through his veins, his heart pounding with renewed vigor.
Without warning, she pressed her hand firmly against his chest, pushing him onto his back. Her lips parted as she murmured, "Hungry..." Her mouth opened wider, exposing razor-sharp fangs as her eyes sparkled with anticipation. She leaned closer toward Caine's carotid artery, clearly eager for another taste of his ambrosial blood.
Caine's head swam, dizziness overtaking him as his blood seemed to rush to another place entirely.
Suddenly, Caitlyn's eyes widened as she felt something hard press against her hip, and she looked up to find Caine completely flushed with an embarrassed and apologetic expression on his face.
Caitlyn's eyes flashed with a hungry light, and her seductive pouty lips turned into a knowing smile, her face slowly nearing his as she crawled on top of him.
"Is that a weapon in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" she whispered into his ear, the soft and warm air sending electrical signals through his body.