Chapter 2. Another Day Feeling Like Hell

“Ms. Scott, you’re late!” Mr. Steve yelled at Nancy, his brows furrowed. Mr. Steve was Nancy’s boss at the Cast News. He was the director in charge of the day-to-day activities at the Cast News.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Steve,” Nancy apologized, almost going on her knees. There was a remorseful look on her face. Since she had gotten this job as a reporter at the Cast News, she had never been late to the office. However, last night had been a creepy night for her, and she hadn’t gotten any sleep. What she had seen and experienced had scared her to the core, keeping her awake all through the night, locked inside her apartment.

Mr. Steve narrowed a scowling gaze on her. “Get to work, pronto!” he said, letting this slide. This wasn’t like Nancy; she had never been late before.

Feeling tired and sluggish, Nancy knew skipping work would get her fired, and no one would believe her encounter from last night. Walking to her desk, she greeted Dave as she walked past him without even looking at his face.

It was as if her brain had rebooted, and she suddenly became aware of the question that had skipped her mind. She tossed her bag strap over her shoulder onto her desk and walked back to Dave. “Hey, Dave,” she said, fixing her eyes on him. “Your forecast yesterday didn’t include foggy weather at night, did it?”

“No, it didn’t,” he answered without hesitation but looked curious. “Why?”

Dave was the forecaster at the Cast News—always accurate with his weather forecasts. In as much as he worked at Cast News, he hardly associated with his colleagues. He was a very private person.

“Nothing,” she said, putting up a fake smile. “Just needed to double-check,” she lied. No one would believe it if she told them it was foggy outside her apartment. The weirdness of last night was too much to accept, and she had found her way back into her apartment and stayed awake throughout the night.

She sluggishly walked back to her desk unfulfilled. She had expected Dave to say the forecast report from yesterday was wrong. Looking troubled and, most importantly, needing some sleep, she knew she couldn’t get it here. It was unhealthy for her job if she got caught sleeping. All she did was fight off the sleep, but it kept coming back stronger and hitting harder until she unconsciously shut her eyes. Her head nodded thrice repeatedly, and sleep overtook her.

“Hey,” a voice whispered behind her, followed by a poke on her back to get her attention.

She was startled, thinking it was Mr. Steve. With haste, she sprang up to her feet. Her eyes were blurry, and she looked groggy. When she turned, she saw a profile of a Viking-gold-haired young man flashing a dazzling smile at her, his eyes filled with triumph.

“Hey,” the word came again in a more soothing voice. “I’m Rick.”

Nancy smirked to herself. “Phew… I thought you were Steve,” she whispered. “Hey, Rick, I’m Nancy,” she said, breaking into a soft, flirtatious smile and shaking hands with him.

He slowly scratched his hawkish nose as he broke into a fancy, cute smile. “You’re hiding from the boss?” he asked in a refined, soothing tone.

“Couldn’t sleep last night,” she confessed, feeling shy. She tried to look away, but Rick quickly spoke up.

“Don’t be shy. I’m feeling sleepy, too.” He brought his lips closer to her ear and whispered. “If you want to do it, do it where he won’t catch you.”

Nancy’s smile was sly, hinting at his joke. “That will get my ass fired,” she said. “So, tell me, visiting someone here?”

She had been dying inside to ask him this question, so curious about why a good-looking stranger in a fine blue suit would poke her from behind just to say ‘hey’ and then joke with her.

“I work here,” he said without hesitation. “I just got the job.”

“Wow! Congratulations. Good to have you onboard.” Nancy’s smile was radiant, lighting up her entire face with joy. Meeting new people was her thing, and she easily made friends. Rick wouldn’t be an exception. After exchanging a few words, Rick excused himself to use the men’s room. He wasn’t ashamed to tell Nancy he wanted to take a leak.

Rick walked out of the newsroom as he walked down the hallway. It used to be a busy place, but the hallway was so calm that one could hear the sound of a pin drop. All the reporters going for field work were nowhere to be found. Not even the janitor, who usually sat in the hallway, was there. He could hear weird, swift movements in the hallway.

This was the second time he had flicked around, but there was no sign of anyone. He could sense he wasn’t alone. Something wasn’t right about the feeling he was getting.

When he heard the swift movement for the third time, he swirled. There was still no sign of anyone around. He smirked to himself. Only one person in his life would put on this move. “Daryl, I know it’s you!” he said. “Quit messing around!”

He still needed to take a leak, and the men’s room was just a few steps down the hallway. As he continued his walk down the hallway, a fierce scratching sound pierced deep into his ears. Before he could flick around, he was knocked down from behind. Raising his head, he made out the profile of a well-shaved young man standing over his body, snarling at him with pointy fangs that would easily puncture his skin.

The man’s darker clothing and dark hair made him look gothic.

Bending down, he grabbed Rick by his suit and held him against the wall. “I want to have a taste of your blood,” he snarled once more, bringing his pointy fangs closer to Rick’s neck.