“That was a waste of time.” “Don’t worry, we’ll come back,” Peter said and led the way again. “Hey, how come those vampires left us alone back there?” I asked him as I beckoned Carl to follow. Peter shushed me and darted his head around. I was about to ask him what was wrong but suddenly realised how quiet it was. No heartbeats. No couples. Just the three of us and a feeling that someone else was there. Someone with no heartbeat. A figure in black jumped noiselessly from somewhere above down to the alleyway a few metres ahead of us. I screamed and grabbed Peter’s hand. His palm was large and warm; I expected him to shrug me away, but he kept his eyes on the figure before us. After a second, Peter squeezed my hand and slowly let go, taking a half step in front of me and Carl. “I hear you’ve been asking about me,” said the figure. I squinted until my eyes adjusted to the dark and realised it was the vampire who had originally attacked Carl. “It’s him,” I whispered.
