Into The Sea

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The annoying noise kept echoing in her ears. Ji Lingyue frowned, her lips dry as she muttered, “Lan Wu…”

The clattering stopped abruptly. Soon, a head popped out from above the coffin, looking down at her with bright eyes. “Good morning! You’re awake?”

Ji Lingyue grumbled, “You’re so loud.”

“Sorry,” she apologized quickly and added, “But it’s almost noon now. You slept for way too long.”

“Whose fault is that?”

Speaking of this, her anger flared up. Remembering what Lan Wu had put her through last night, she felt her back ache even more and her legs even more sore. She glared at Lan Wu, no longer afraid of the vampire’s threats to drink her blood.

Lan Wu fidgeted, her fingers tapping nervously on the edge of the coffin. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t in my right mind last night…”

“Because of the silver bullet?”

Lan Wu nodded, her voice soft, “Silver bullets make me lose blood continuously. If I lose too much, I become weak, and my mind starts to slip. In human terms, I become… crazy.”

“I noticed.” Ji Lingyue said, wincing as she sat up slowly, her body protesting every movement. “Next time, I should find a silver dagger and stab you.”

Lan Wu laughed awkwardly and handed her the clean clothes she had prepared. Ji Lingyue was stunned and asked instinctively, “Where did you get these?”

Lan Wu pointed to the door. “There’s a clothing store down the street.”

“You went out?”

The girl nodded.

“How could you go out alone?” Ji Lingyue’s voice turned serious. “The person who shot you last night used a silver bullet. Even if they’re not vampire hunters, they’re definitely part of another group targeting vampires. How could you risk going out by yourself?”

Lan Wu asked blankly, “Vampire hunters?”

Ji Lingyue paused, staring at her for a moment, seemingly making up her mind. “You’ve been hiding in that place for so long, you probably don’t know. After the virus outbreak, the conflict between humans and vampires escalated. Even in these times, vampires still need to drink human blood… So, vampire hunters have resurfaced. They hunt vampires, capture them, and… tame them.”

“Tame them?”

Ji Lingyue sighed helplessly. “Haven’t you noticed? The zombies never attack vampires. If they can be tamed, vampires become the most reliable tools against the undead.”

Lan Wu hummed, thinking for a moment. “Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Ji Lingyue paused. “I…”

“I get it,” she said, her face serious. “You wanted me to stay ignorant and defenseless, so I would be easily caught by vampire hunters. That way, you could get rid of me, right?”

“…”

She didn’t expect this stupid vampire to be so smart.

Ji Lingyue closed her eyes, trying to think of something to say. But Lan Wu came closer, her round eyes wide with curiosity. “But you saved me last night. Why did you save me? Why did you let me drink your blood? Why are you telling me about vampire hunters now?”

Ji Lingyue quickly said, “I didn’t let you drink my blood. You forced me!”

Lan Wu nodded. “Then why did you save me?”

“I didn’t save you. I was… I was confused in the chaos and ended up dragging you with me.”

“Then why are you telling me about the vampire hunters now?”

“You…” Ji Lingyue was speechless after a series of questions. Before she could come up with a reasonable excuse, Lan Wu giggled, “Haha, I knew it! Just admit you like me already!”

“…What?”

Lan Wu lifted her chin proudly, “It’s not something to be ashamed of. After all, I’m so likable. I even have the most followers on social media.”

“I don’t like you!”

“Then why did you come to my seventeenth birthday party?”

Ji Lingyue was frustrated. “I didn’t go. I was a waitress!”

“But there are so many birthday parties. Why did you have to come to my birthday party as a waitress?”

“It was a coincidence!”

“You even remember that I have three rumored girlfriends!”

“That’s because it was all over the news! Anyone would remember!”

“You!” Lan Wu’s face turned red with frustration. “If you don’t like me, why did you sleep with me the first time we met?”

“I…” Ji Lingyue clenched her fist. Just as she was about to say something, Lan Wu’s expression changed. She tilted her head, listening. After a moment, she suddenly widened her eyes and jumped up, pushing Ji Lingyue into the coffin and slamming the lid shut.

The light in front of them disappeared, and they were plunged into darkness again.

Ji Lingyue instinctively hugged her waist, asking softly, “What’s wrong?”

Lan Wu: “Shhh.”

She pressed Ji Lingyue into her arms, her palm touching soft, smooth skin. She was momentarily distracted.

Ah… she hadn’t put her clothes on yet.

At that moment, rustling footsteps sounded outside the coffin shop. A muffled voice came. “Did you really see her?”

“Yeah, I was on watch this morning. I clearly saw her go into the clothing store down the street.”

“That’s impossible. I shot her right in the chest. How could she still be alive?”

“Didn’t you see the person with her? She’s probably another vampire…”

There was a pause, then a cold female voice said, “Sniff around. Is your kind here?”

The noisy footsteps seemed to stop at the entrance of the coffin shop. Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened, her heart almost leaping out of her throat. Lan Wu also tensed, preparing for the danger.

“No,” someone said.

“No? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Fine,” the woman said. “Keep looking. They’re injured. They can’t have gone far.”

The voices faded, and the footsteps receded. Ji Lingyue finally let out a breath, releasing her grip on Lan Wu.

But Lan Wu remained tense, sitting up and pushing against the coffin lid, ready to climb out. Ji Lingyue grabbed her arm in alarm. “What are you doing?”

Lan Wu paused, looking back at her. “My kind.”

“What?”

“My kind… they’ve been captured.”