Chapter 1. Vampires

The alarm didn't just ring.. it screamed.

Adrian Richardson bolted upright in bed, his heart already racing before his brain had caught up. The piercing blare of his phone alarm drilled into his ears, jerking him from dreams into disorientation. His hand fumbled clumsily on the nightstand until his fingers closed around the sleek, buzzing device.

7:42 A.M.

"Shit," he hissed.

He swung his legs out of bed and yanked on his uniform with one arm while frantically brushing his teeth with the other. "I can't be late again," he mumbled through a mouthful of minty foam. "Professor Ardel's gonna roast me alive."

He tightened his ID lanyard around his neck, shoved books into his backpack with the urgency of a soldier prepping for war, and reached for the doorknob—

The building shook.

Not a little tremor. Not the kind of playful jolt Las Vegas sometimes got during minor tectonic hiccups. This was different. The floor undulated beneath him, the ceiling light swayed like a pendulum, and the window panes rattled as though they might explode inward.

"What the—?"

He froze, his breath catching. Then, slowly, almost cautiously, he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the city.

And he saw hell.

The street below—usually choked with tourists, taxis, street performers, and neon lights—was a war zone. People were running, screaming, stumbling. But it wasn't random panic. No. Some of them weren't fleeing.

They were attacking.

A man lunged at a woman and sank his teeth into her throat. Another chased a child across the intersection, pouncing on him like a rabid animal. Blood sprayed across the pavement. Cars smashed into one another as drivers tried to escape, only to be pulled from the wreckage by feral figures that tore into them like meat.

Adrian staggered back from the window, nearly tripping over the edge of his bed.

"No. No. This isn't real. This can't be real."

He scrambled for his phone and opened Twitter. The feed was a storm of chaos—videos of people being bitten, streets on fire, a woman live-streaming from her apartment balcony as creatures climbed the walls toward her. One caption hit him like a hammer:

#VampireOutbreak #LasVegasFalling

He flipped to Facebook. More of the same. Posts from classmates. Relatives. Strangers. Frantic videos. Live reactions. One message kept repeating:

«They're not human anymore. Don't let them bite you.»

His fingers went numb.

A new video started to auto-play on his timeline. A news anchor, pale as chalk, was visibly trembling.

«We are getting unconfirmed reports that these... things are Vampires. Not metaphorical ones. Real ones. Blood-drinking, superhuman... monsters.»

*

He sat there, frozen. Then, as if shaking himself out of a trance, he opened his school group chat.

Messages were flooding in.

[Rhea]: Holy crap, my neighbor just bit her husband. Literally bit him! Like... took a chunk out of his face!

[Toby]: Bro the sky looks weird. Like it's turning red.

[Elise]: ARE YOU GUYS SEEING THE NEWS? THIS IS HAPPENING IN TOKYO, TOO. MY COUSIN IS THERE.

[Adrian]: Guys, what the hell is happening? Are you seeing this??

A reply came almost instantly from someone named Vince.

[Vince]: It's everywhere. New York's burning. Seoul's blacked out. And dude… look at the school—

A photo attached.

Adrian's mouth went dry. The university courtyard was drenched in blood. Bodies lay motionless—or twitching. A few figures, fast and shadowy, stalked through the grounds, faces obscured by smears of red. One figure was crouched, feeding on someone's neck.

"Raina," Adrian whispered.

He hadn't even thought about her yet.

He checked his messages—nothing from his little sister. His hands moved faster than his thoughts as he dialed his mom.

It rang once. Twice.

Then—click.

"Adrian?" his mother's voice was trembling, but alive.

"Mom! Are you okay?"

"Oh God, thank God. Adrian, where are you? Are you safe?"

"I'm still in the condo. I just saw—Mom, what the hell is going on?"

"We're in the house. Your dad and brothers are locking everything. It's chaos outside—people are turning into… monsters. Adrian, where's Raina? She didn't come home last night. Is she with you?"

Adrian felt his stomach twist into a knot.

"She—she should've gone to school early for her lab practical…"

"School?!" his mother shrieked. "Adrian, your university's on fire! There's blood everywhere! Your sister—"

"I know. I know. I'm gonna try to call her right now."

"Please… please find her. And Adrian—don't be a hero. If it's too dangerous—"

"I'll find her," he said, and ended the call before his resolve cracked.

He called Raina.

No answer.

Again.

Still nothing.

He texted her. "Raina, call me ASAP. Please. Please. Please."

Then turned back to the group chat.

[Claire]: SENIOR HIGH BUILDING IS ON FIRE! I SAW THEM TURN. SOME OF OUR CLASSMATES ARE—OH GOD, I'M GONNA BE SICK.

[Mark]: Sending you pics, Adrian. Don't look if you're squeamish.

He looked.

And regretted it.

The images were unfiltered horror—limbs torn off, blood pooled like puddles, bodies convulsing as their skin twisted and their eyes turned a glassy red.

Adrian clenched his fists. He couldn't sit here. He had to do something.

But then, from the window, he saw something that made everything else feel like a prelude.

It moved on all fours—a hulking, deformed creature with gray, stretched skin, its arms grotesquely long. It vaulted across the street like a beast, its claws slicing through cars like butter. It let out a thunderous howl that shook the air.

Then another shadow passed overhead.

Adrian looked up.

Flying.

It had wings. Pink, sinewy flesh between long, bat-like arms. Its face was skeletal, with tufts of mangy feathers hanging from its crown. It hovered midair for a moment—then dived. Screams followed as it grabbed a man in its talons and vanished into the sky.

Adrian's voice was a whisper. "That's… that's a Man-Bat. What the hell is happening?"

He backed away from the window.

His phone buzzed. Relief surged in his chest.

Maybe it was Raina.

He snatched it.

[NOTIFICATION]: Are you ready to survive the vampire apocalypse? Download "VAMPWAR" now and build your fortress!

"…What?" Adrian muttered. "A freaking game ad? Now?"

He tried to swipe it away, but the ad wouldn't disappear.

[Pop-up]: Don't swipe. I'm literally offering you a way to survive. Accept the reward.

Adrian blinked. His stomach turned cold. "That's not… normal."

His finger brushed the screen accidentally. A soft chime rang out.

[System Installing: VAMPWAR—Preparing exclusive user reward…]

A ripple passed through the room. The lights flickered.

He opened his mouth to curse, but then—

Knock knock knock.

A sharp, deliberate knock on his door.

Adrian froze.

The room fell dead silent.

Another knock. Slow. Heavy.