Into The Sea

Soon, night fell again.

Lan Wu finished her shower and slipped into the clean nightgown Ji Lingyue had handed her. She padded out of the bathroom in her slippers, the soft pitter-patter of her steps echoing in the quiet apartment.

After the rain stopped, the clouds had completely dispersed, and silvery moonlight streamed into the living room. She cautiously leaned over the balcony railing and glanced down, only to see a sea of dark, swaying figures below.

There are too many.

She sighed and walked back into the bedroom, where the soft glow of candlelight illuminated the room. Ji Lingyue lay curled up on the bed, motionless. At the sound of footsteps, she turned her head slightly. “What are you doing here?”

Lan Wu replied as of it was obvious, “To sleep.”

“Didn’t I already set up the couch for you?”

“What do you mean?” Lan Wu’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want me to sleep on the couch?”

“What else?”

“That’s not happening. I’m sleeping on the bed.”

Ji Lingyue sighed. “Then I’ll sleep on the couch.”

As she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, Lan Wu grabbed her wrist, annoyed. “No, you’re not.”

Ji Lingyue frowned. “Let go.”

“No.”

“Have you forgotten that you’re still…”

Before she could finish, Lan Wu interrupted, “You mean this collar? I don’t care. Go ahead and activate it if you want, but I’m not letting go, and you’re not sleeping on the couch.”

Ji Lingyue bit her lip, displeased. “Lan Wu, I’m tired. I don’t want to do that tonight.”

“Do what?”

The vampire wrapped her arms around her waist, pressing a leg onto hers. “I’m not some pervert who only thinks about that all day. I’m a very upright vampire, you know.”

As she said this, she clung to Ji Lingyue like an octopus. The girl struggled, but couldn’t move. After a moment, she closed her eyes, exhausted. “Then why do you insist on sleeping with me?”

“Because… I heard my mom say…”

Waiting for the next sentence, Ji Lingyue turned to look at her. “Said what?”

Lan Wu’s pale face was inches away, her eyelashes fluttering so close they almost brushed against Ji Lingyue’s cheek. “Mom said humans are social creatures.”

“So?”

“So… when humans are sad, do they want to rely on their companions?”

Ji Lingyue paused, speechless. After a while, she turned her head away, saying stiffly, “I don’t know about other humans, but when I’m sad, I just want to be alone.”

Lan Wu chuckled softly. “That’s perfect.”

“What’s perfect? Didn’t you hear me? I want to be alone.” She glared, her voice harsh.

“But you are alone.” Before Ji Lingyue could question her, she added cheerfully, “I’m not human.”

“You’re just twisting my words!”

“No, I’m being perfectly reasonable.” Lan Wu pulled her closer, patting her back. “We walked a long way today. You must be tired. Let’s get some rest.”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a moment, then said, “Lan Wu, loosen your grip a little.”

“You still want to sleep on the couch?”

She shook her head, whispering, “You’re holding me too tight. It’s uncomfortable.”

Lan Wu quickly let go, and the girl in her arms exhaled softly. Suddenly, Ji Lingyue flipped over, straddling Lan Wu’s waist. “Lan Wu.”

“Hmm?” She looked up, and saw the candlelight illuminating the girl’s slender face, making her look gentle and vulnerable. “What is it?”

Ji Lingyue met her gaze for a moment, then straightened up, grabbing the hem of her loose T-shirt and pulling it off.

Lan Wu’s eyes widened as the slender, pale body was exposed. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her hands clenched in front of her chest. “What are you doing? I’m… I’m an upright vampire.”

“Does becoming an upright vampire stop you from getting hungry?”

Lan Wu blinked, confused. “What?”

“You haven’t fed today. Aren’t you hungry?” Ji Lingyue tossed her hair and leaned into her arms, offering her pale neck. “You brought me home. You can drink as much as you want tonight.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Lan Wu didn’t say another word. She tilted Ji Lingyue’s head and pressed her cold fangs against the faint blue veins in the girl’s neck. Ji Lingyue trembled, her body tensing involuntarily, her breathing growing shallow.

Lan Wu thought for a moment, then lazily pulled away, yawning. “You’re in luck. I’m not hungry today.”

Ji Lingyue was surprised. “Really? You’re not hungry?”

“Really.” She closed her eyes, mumbling, “I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Ji Lingyue pursed her lips, then relaxed and snuggled into her arms. “Lan Wu, thank you.”

Lan Wu responded after a moment. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

In the middle of the night, a drizzle began to fall, the water droplets creating distorted patterns on the window. Lan Wu woke up to a flash of lightning and frowned, turning over before closing her eyes again, her hand resting on the waist of the person beside her.

Then, a strange sound reached her ears.

Thud, thud…

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she squinted, looking toward the closed door.

It was coming from outside.

Thud, thud, thud…

The sound continued relentlessly. Lan Wu covered her ears, trying to endure it, but eventually, she sat up in frustration. The girl beside her groaned softly, mumbling, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’ll go check.”

She slipped on her slippers and walked out of the room, but the sound had stopped. The vampire frowned in confusion, tilting her head to listen. Aside from the sound of rain, there was nothing.

Was it her imagination?

Lan Wu glanced around the dark living room and was about to head back to bed when a series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Then, something slammed into the door with a loud thud.

This time, the sound was unmistakable. She turned sharply, staring intently at the dark doorway.

Something was on the other side of the door.

She tensed, but couldn’t hear any heartbeat or breathing. Then, a hoarse voice came from behind her. “Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu turned to see Ji Lingyue standing in the bedroom doorway, her long hair disheveled, her entire body radiating exhaustion from being woken up.

“What are you doing?”

She hesitated. “There seems to be something outside…”

Before she could finish, the door was slammed again. Ji Lingyue jumped and exchanged a look with her. Then, she tiptoed over. “Is it a person?”

Lan Wu shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

If it wasn’t a person, it could only be a zombie.

Thud!

Lan Wu flinched, feeling uneasy. “Why would a zombie be banging on the door? We haven’t made any noise.”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

Ji Lingyue grabbed her shovel and carefully approached the door, putting her eye to the peephole. But the moment she saw what was outside, her breath hitched, her blood turned to ice, and she froze.

In the narrow, dimly lit hallway, a bloodstained woman stood swaying outside the door, making gurgling sounds in her throat. As if sensing she was being watched, she slowly raised her unfamiliar yet familiar face, revealing a pair of bloodshot, milky eyes.

Ji Lingyue’s eyelashes trembled, and she stumbled backward, her face pale. “Mom.”