Long Lost warmth

Nathan stood at the end of the street, hiding in the shadows of an old building. His eyes were fixed on the house standing firmly before him—the house he had once lived in, the place where he grew up with his family. His heart pounded. This was the first time he had seen the house intact again.

Long ago, this house had burned down in the chaos of the night when the vampires first appeared. Now, everything was just as he remembered. The wooden fence, slightly damaged at the corner, the bedroom window that was always left slightly open, and the scent of jasmine flowers from his mother's small garden.

Nathan swallowed hard. His eyes scanned the front yard, and there they were—his parents.

His mother was watering the plants with a gentle smile on her face, while his father sat on the porch, reading a newspaper, just like he used to. And beside them…

A little boy ran around cheerfully, holding a small stick as if it were a sword.

Nathan froze. That was him.

Seeing his younger self, innocent and unaware of the horrors to come, made his heart feel heavy. He wanted to run to them, hug his parents, and warn them about the future. But he knew he couldn't.

"So, that's you as a child?" Diana whispered beside him.

Nathan had almost forgotten she was there. The girl peeked over his shoulder with bright eyes, looking very excited.

"Yes," Nathan replied softly.

Diana watched little Nathan running around the yard. "You were pretty cute, huh," she said teasingly.

Nathan shot her a glare. "Don't start."

Diana chuckled. "I'm curious… Were you really that innocent as a kid?"

Nathan sighed. "I spent a lot of time playing outside and often got scolded for coming home late."

Diana nodded. "Oh, so you were a troublemaker."

Nathan didn't respond. He just kept watching his family from afar. After a few minutes, he finally exhaled in relief. They were safe.

For now, that was enough.

---

After watching his old home for a while, Nathan and Diana returned to Diana's house. Night had fallen, and the air grew colder, but Diana's home felt warm and comfortable.

Nathan sat in a chair near the fireplace, trying to gather his thoughts. He needed to find a way to uncover the mastermind behind all this. But how? There were no clear clues, and the only thing he knew was that the vampires had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He ran a hand over his face, feeling more frustrated.

That was when a delicious aroma filled the room.

Nathan turned and saw Diana coming from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a bowl of warm soup and a piece of bread. A satisfied smile was plastered on her face.

"Here it is! A special meal for my special guest!" she said proudly.

Nathan looked at her, puzzled. "Special guest?"

"Of course! You're the first person to stay in my house!" Diana placed the bowl of soup on the table and sat across from him.

Nathan stared at the food. The soup looked simple, but its aroma was incredible.

"Why did you suddenly decide to cook?" he asked.

Diana shrugged. "You looked stressed, so I thought some good food might make you feel better."

Nathan was silent for a moment. It had been a long time since someone had cooked for him. All this time, he had only eaten whatever was available—sometimes just dry bread or nearly expired canned food.

He took a spoonful and tasted the soup. The moment the warm liquid touched his tongue, his eyes widened.

"This…"

Diana leaned forward eagerly. "Well? It's good, right?"

Nathan swallowed and nodded slightly. "This… is really good."

Diana's face lit up with pride. "Of course! I'm a great cook!"

Nathan gave her a doubtful look. "Seriously?"

Diana grinned. "Okay, okay, I don't cook often, but I can still cook well! Probably."

Nathan let out a small laugh, something he rarely did. For the first time in a long while, he felt… at ease.

Diana saw the expression on his face and smiled softly. "If you like it, I'll always cook good food for you."

Nathan fell silent. There was something about the way she said that that made his chest feel warm.

After struggling alone for so long, being hunted by bloodthirsty creatures, and living in constant fear… now, there was someone who cared about him.

And that moved him.

After finishing his meal, Nathan stretched his body and let out a satisfied sigh. His stomach was full, his mind was a little calmer, and now all he needed was something to refresh his body.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said, standing up from his chair.

Diana, still enjoying the last spoonful of her soup, nodded. "Okay, the bathroom's down the hall to the right."

Nathan walked toward the bathroom, grabbing a clean change of clothes and a towel before stepping inside. The warm water immediately refreshed him, relaxing his body after everything he had been through today. Once done, he wrapped a towel around his waist before stepping out, intending to grab the clothes he had left outside.

At the same time, Diana also intended to take a shower.

Without thinking, she casually opened the bathroom door.

And froze.

In front of her, Nathan stood calmly, wearing only a towel around his waist. His hair was still wet, and a few droplets of water dripped from the tips onto his shoulders.

Diana's eyes widened like saucers.

Nathan was briefly surprised, but Diana's reaction was far more dramatic.

"UWAHHH?!"

BLAM!

Diana slammed the door shut, her face bright red.

Inside the bathroom, Nathan blinked a few times, still processing what had just happened.

Outside, Diana stood frozen, both hands covering her face. Her cheeks burned all the way to her ears.

"W-What did I just see?!" she muttered in a tiny voice.

Nathan, finally snapping out of his confusion, cracked the door open slightly. "Uh… Are you okay?"

Diana jumped back. "DON'T COME OUT, YOU'RE STILL—"

Nathan sighed and closed the door again. "I was just going to say I'm done. You can use it now."

Diana's face was still burning. "O-Okay! But next time, make sure the door is locked!"

Nathan chuckled. "You're the one who opened it."

Diana couldn't argue with that, so she just grumbled under her breath before quickly stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door firmly.

A few minutes later, when they were both sitting in the living room with clean clothes, the atmosphere was a little awkward.

Diana, who usually talked a lot, was just playing with the hem of her shirt.

Nathan, on the other hand, didn't dwell on the incident too much. But seeing Diana stealing glances at him now and then, only to quickly look away, he found the situation rather amusing.

"So…" Nathan broke the silence, "do you often see men without a shirt?"

Diana immediately choked on air. "N-NO!"

Nathan smirked. "Your reaction is too dramatic for someone who's never seen one."

Diana glared at him. "Y-You're annoying! Don't bring that up again!"

Nathan raised his hands in surrender, a small smile on his lips. "Alright, alright."

Though the moment had been embarrassing, for Nathan, the atmosphere felt lighter. For the first time in a long while, he could experience something close to normalcy—at least, for now.

After the awkward bathroom incident, things were still a bit weird between them. But in the end, they decided to sleep early.

Diana stretched and let out a small yawn. "I'm going to bed now."

Nathan nodded, sitting on the sofa in the living room. "Alright, sleep well."

Diana walked to her room but paused at the door, glancing at Nathan as if she wanted to say something. However, she changed her mind and quietly shut the door.

Nathan sighed and leaned back.

Sleep, huh?

He had grown too used to staying awake at night. Ever since he escaped the vampires, he had never truly slept soundly. Always on guard, always afraid they would appear at any moment.

Now, in this relatively safe place, his mind was still restless.

After a few minutes of staring at the ceiling, Nathan finally got up from the sofa and started looking for something to distract his mind.

Maybe there was a book here?

His eyes scanned the small bookshelf in the corner of the room. A few books were neatly arranged there—some looked like recipe books, while others appeared to be storybooks.

One book caught his attention.

Its cover was dark, with silver lettering in the center: Nocturne.

Nathan raised an eyebrow. An interesting title.

Curious, he picked up the book and began reading under the dim glow of the small lamp on the table.

The story inside… was quite terrifying.

The book told of horrifying creatures—not vampires, but eerily similar. They preyed on humans, turning their victims into beings like themselves. They lurked in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

What was even more unsettling was how the book described their characteristics.

Their skin was slightly pale.

They had strange markings on their bodies, especially in areas covered by clothing.

Nathan paused his reading. His eyes narrowed.

This… was too similar to vampires.

His heart began to race.

Was this just a coincidence? Or did the author of this book know something about them?

Nathan continued reading, hoping to uncover more useful information. However, it was still just a fictional story—there were no historical records or real evidence. But even so… there were too many similarities to ignore.

He kept reading, flipping through page after page, completely absorbed in the eerie tale.

Until, eventually, without realizing it, exhaustion took over.

His eyes grew heavy.

His hand, still holding the book, gradually lost its grip.

And finally, Nathan fell asleep, Nocturne still open on his lap.