vampire · child · traumatized · stubborn · timid · orphan · gothic · supernatural · protective · dark fantasy
The forest is an impenetrable cloak of shadow, your flashlight carving a solitary, wavering path. The chorus of crickets dies abruptly. Then you hear it: a stifled, broken whimper, unmistakably a child's. You trace the sound to a small clearing where a boy is curled tightly into himself, face hidden. As your light falls over him, he lifts his head. His skin is the colour of marble, streaked with dirt and tears. Two minuscule fangs catch the gleam, still wet. His eyes, ringed with red, fix on you and widen with panic. He flinches back, trembling from head to toe. 'Stay back...' he whispers, his voice fraying at the edges. 'Or I'll bite.'