For long centuries, I lived in secret, hiding among the shadows, far from the eyes of humans. I was never supposed to return home. I know the risks, but I have no choice—I must to know her.
A figure, with dark and indistinct features, thought to himself as he stood on the rooftop of a house, staring into the darkness of the night. He leapt from the four-story roof and landed effortlessly on his feet without a sound, then vanished in a blur of speed, heading toward the forest.
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Meanwhile, a couple was driving calmly along a road surrounded by the silent trees of the forest.
"Darren, are we there yet?" Monica asked her husband in boredom.
"Be patient, my dear, we're almost home," Darren replied cheerfully.
Darren and Monica were an ordinary couple with one teenage son, sixteen years old. They lived in West Virginia, specifically in a small town called Mystic Falls.
Darren and his wife had gone on an important work trip for three days away from home, and now they were heading back to their town after exhausting days.
"I wonder what Jacob is doing right now," Monica said with concern.
Darren glanced at his wife and said, "Don't worry, my dear. His uncle Jake will take good care of him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble."
"I hope so, but you know Jacob, Darren. He's a very mischievous boy—Jake might not be able to control him."
Darren opened his mouth, about to respond, but stopped when he saw someone lying in the middle of the road.
Darren slammed on the brakes.
Monica looked at him in confusion and said, "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
"Something's not right. Stay here in the car, and I'll check it out," Darren replied, staring anxiously at the figure lying on the road.
Monica looked in the same direction Darren was staring and also saw someone lying there. For some reason, fear and anxiety rose in her heart the moment she saw him.
Darren opened the car door and was about to step out, but he stopped when he felt Monica grab his hand.
"Don't get out, Darren. I have a bad feeling about this," Monica said with a worried, fearful expression.
Darren held his wife's hand and said, "Don't be afraid, Monica. I'll be back quickly." Then he pulled his hand away and stepped out of the car.
He approached the person and said, "Hello, my friend. What are you doing there? Do you need help?"
Suddenly, a strange white fog rose and covered the area. Darren could no longer see anything except the headlights of his car.
"What the hell?" Darren said in confusion as he took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
He aimed his phone toward the spot where the person had been lying, but found no one there.
"What? Where did he go?"
"Darren! What's happening?!" Monica shouted in panic as she stepped out of the car when the fog surrounded her husband.
"Aaaagh!!!" Darren screamed in pain, then silence fell over the place.
"Darren!!" Monica screamed in fear and panic, trying to run toward her husband—but she froze when she heard something land heavily on their car.
She slowly turned in terror and saw the corpse of her beloved husband, covered in blood, lying lifeless on the roof of the car, his neck torn open.
"Darren!!"
Monica screamed in anguish and ran toward him, crying and trying to wake him.
"Don't cry, my dear. Too much crying harms your beauty."
Monica heard a mocking voice behind her.
She froze, then slowly turned toward the source of the voice and saw the same man who had been lying in the road, looking at her with a playful smile while her husband's blood dripped from his mouth.
"Hello, nice to meet you too, but I'm a little hungry, so… I'm going to eat you for dinner."
The man grabbed Monica's shoulders tightly as he finished speaking.
"No! Please, don't kill me! I have a son at home waiting for me!" Monica screamed in grief as tears streamed down her face.
She hated this " monster " from the depths of her heart and wished more than anything to avenge her husband, but at the same time she did not want to die and leave her son alone without a family. So she begged her husband's killer in humiliation and despair.
The man paused, then gasped and said, "You have a son? I'm very sorry—I didn't know. I'll leave you now." Then he vanished in a blur of speed.
Monica stared in shock at the man's speed, then looked back at her husband's body. Tears continued to pour from her eyes like a waterfall, but she gathered her courage and moved toward the driver's door, about to get into the car—when she suddenly felt someone grab her forcefully.
She turned quickly and saw the monster who killed her husband holding her tightly.
The man smiled and said, "I was joking. Give my regards to Darren." As he finished speaking, the whites of his eyes turned red with black sclera, dark veins appeared beneath his eyes, and long white fangs protruded from his mouth. He let out a deep, terrifying hiss, then lunged at Monica's neck, biting her and greedily draining her blood.
"Aaaahhhh!!!" Monica's horrific scream echoed through the darkness of the night as the light slowly faded from her eyes.
The man dropped Monica's body, then smiled mockingly as he looked at the corpses he had created.
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In the next day.
"Matt, Max, breakfast is ready!!"
A teenage girl who looked about nineteen called out from the kitchen.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Another teenage boy, seventeen years old, shouted as he hurried down the stairs.
"Matt, hurry up, we're going to be late for school!!"
The older sister urged him impatiently.
Matt rushed over, sat at the dining table, grabbed a piece of bread, and stuffed it straight into his mouth.
He swallowed, then immediately spat it out.
"Vicky! What the hell is this?!"
Vicky crossed her arms and said,
"What do you think it is, idiot?! It's a boiled egg sandwich!"
Matt looked at his older sister with a "Are you serious?" expression and said,
"Then why does it taste like this? I mean, the bread is burnt and the egg is still raw. Are you trying to kill me or what?!"
Vicky glared at her younger brother angrily.
"Well, why don't you try cooking next time?! I'm doing the best I can, so stop whining like a crying baby and eat!"
She grabbed another piece of bread and forcefully shoved it into Matt's mouth as she finished speaking.
"Ogh! You—ah—ack!!"
Matt choked and quickly tried to spit the bread out.
Gasp! He sucked in air sharply after finally spitting it out, then glared at his sister and shouted,
"Are you crazy?!"
Vicky shrugged and said,
"Maybe. Now where's Max? Why hasn't he come down yet?"
"How should I know? He's been locked in his room for months now, ever since Elena left him last summer,"
Matt replied as he reached for another plate and tasted it cautiously.
Vicky shot him a sharp look.
"Elena didn't leave him, Matt. Don't say that again!"
Matt stopped eating and looked at her.
"Really, Vicky? She told him, 'I need space and some time to think,' which in girl language usually means, 'I don't like you anymore, so I'm leaving you.'"
Vicky sighed.
"Her parents died on the same day, Matt. Of course she needed space."
Matt scoffed.
"Trust me, Vicky, I know Elena well. She wanted to break up with Max for a long time, but she was afraid of hurting him. You know how our little brother is—so sensitive."
Vicky opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she heard slow footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked at Matt and whispered,
"Max is coming. Not a word about Elena in front of him, okay?"
Matt shrugged and said nothing, returning to his food.
The footsteps stopped, and a sixteen-year-old boy slowly entered the kitchen.
He had brown hair, brown eyes, thick eyebrows, a sharp jawline, and light stubble. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he was definitely above average.
( The picture in the comments.)
This boy was Max Donovan, the youngest of the Donovan siblings.
Max walked slowly to the table, sat down, and said,
"Good morning."
Vicky looked at her younger brother with concern.
"Good morning, Max. How are you?"
Vicky was the definition of a beautiful girl—slim figure, blue eyes, brown hair, thin lips, and a perfect nose.
Max looked at her and replied in a flat voice,
"I'm fine."
Matt stopped eating and looked at his brother worriedly. He was the definition of an athletic guy—broad, muscular build, very handsome face, blue eyes, blond hair, and features similar to Vicky's.
"Hey, Max, are you sure you're okay? You look like you just came out of a world war, buddy,"
Matt said with concern.
Max had lost over fifteen kilograms during the summer. He looked like a walking skeleton—sunken eyes, heavy dark circles beneath them.
Max looked at Matt and replied,
"I'm fine, Matt. No need to worry."
He picked up his breakfast plate and ate without any interest, despite how bad the food tasted.
Matt and Vicky exchanged worried looks but said nothing.
After fifteen minutes, the three-member family finished getting ready, got into the car, and drove hurriedly toward school.
As they left the house, none of them noticed the television—muted—broadcasting breaking news about a couple killed in an animal attack.
None of them knew this would be the last time they would ever eat breakfast together in peace and safety.
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Max stared out the car window, watching the lined-up houses, crowded streets, and students heading to school just like them.
Nothing has changed in this gloomy town, Max thought bitterly.
"There's supernatural creature near to you!!, you must find it, and revive.....Me!!".
Max blinked as he heard a strange whisper in his mind, Max looked around him in confusion.
What was that?. Max thought, with a slight of fear, then he shook his head, and ignored that voice, and considered as one of the effects of lack of sleep.
The car finally stopped. Max looked forward and saw the large schoolyard filled with students and a parking lot where everyone showed off their fancy cars like it was a car exhibition.
Max sighed and was about to get out when a strong hand grabbed his shoulder.
He turned and saw his older brother looking at him seriously.
"Listen carefully, Max. This is the beginning of a new year—which means a fresh start, without the chaos of the past. Things may not go the way you want, but remember to stay strong. You have a family behind you, ready to support you whenever you need it."
Max looked at Matt for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Okay."
He opened the door, stepped out, and walked toward the school.
Vicky smiled at Matt.
"That was nice of you, Matt."
Matt sighed.
"I'm really worried, Vicky. Max has been depressed since Mom left us last year, and it only got worse after what happened with Elena this summer."
Vicky patted Matt's shoulder.
"Don't worry. He'll get through it. We'll help him every step of the way."
Matt smiled.
"Yeah. We'll always stick together."
"I have to hurry to class now!"
Vicky said before getting out of the car and rushing toward school.
Matt watched her with sadness and affection. She should have been in college by now, but after their mother abandoned them for another man, Vicky became Max and Matt's guardian. The pressure broke her focus, she failed her year, and had to repeat it.
Cold anger rose in Matt's chest as he remembered the night their mother left them behind.
He sighed, locked the car, and headed to school.
Without realizing that this was the last time he would see his sister normal and cheerful.
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Note: Here's a new story for you all. I know, I know, I've got a lot of stories. Actually, I wasn't planning on publishing this one until June 2026, but I thought about it and then I said, why not? But this is my last story, and I won't publish another one until 2027. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned my other stories either, except for *The Rise of All-Might*. I'll put it on hold until mid-2027 because I have a lot of plans for it, and I'm afraid I'll ruin it if I rush it. As for *The Other Gilbert*, I'll try to upload two chapters a week. I'll upload the chapters for the rest of my stories when I have free time, and I have plenty of free time now since my midterms are finally over. But I can't promise continuous uploads. That's all for now. Share your thoughts on this story.