OJTTEG-Chapter 25: Master of Sarcasm

"What do you plan to do now?" An asks, turning her gaze away. She suddenly doesn't want to see the expression on his face, because it reminds her of someone who forcibly gave her a heart.

"The rebar pierced right through my ribs and spleen... cough."

"Are you really dying?" An asks skeptically. "As a resurrected one, is this all you can manage?"

"In the world I used to live in, there were no mystical creatures. It's only natural I don't know much. Congratulations, you win... but before that, you should see this."

Haunter points to a light source nearby, and An finally realizes why she can see in the enclosed ruins around them. The UV lamp had long been crushed; it was the light from a phone illuminating their surroundings. The information displayed on the screen makes her eyes widen.

"See it... cough, there was a massive fire and explosion at 53 First Street in the affluent district. The information has been blocked, but I took a screenshot before it was deleted. I'm guessing there was some sort of attack related to the supernatural."

"53 First Street..."

An's pupils dilate suddenly.

That’s...

"It's your home, where Ormond is."

"But he said he was visiting a friend tonight."

An's voice trembles. The vampire's regenerative abilities are slowly mending her shattered left hand and foot, but the pain of regrowth is excruciatingly slow.

"You can't rule out the possibility that he returned early," Haunter gently shatters her hope.

"You want to save him, don't you?"

"...I do. But I have to wait for my body to recover."

"Open your mouth," Haunter commands firmly, staring intently into the girl's blood-red eyes.

"What are you going to do?"

"The task of saving Ormond is up to you! Girl... ugh..."

Some red chunks fall beside An's head, and she turns her head away as best as she can.

"Ugh, disgusting."

An suddenly feels like laughing, but she can't. "I can't do it. I don't know what to do now."

"You can," Haunter insists, struggling to extend his arm. "Your mouth still works, doesn't it? Bite down."

"Why?"

"Words are a powerful tool. They can easily paint things in a different light. Ormond is a formidable guy... he won't be swayed by this."

"In other words, Ormond is a great teacher. I doubt his student would be any less capable."

Haunter's speech becomes more fluent, as if his injuries have healed.

No, no, this must be a final burst of energy.

Her mother was like this, and so was Dilandra, eyes shining with hope. They all wished for her to live well.

She often sees them in her nightmares, and if Haunter dies today, there might be one more person in those dreams.

"And you, someone who keeps saying you'll kill me over and over, from my experience, you don't really want me dead, but rather..."

"But rather what?"

"You're still... yearning for love," Haunter says slowly. "Although it's a bit embarrassing to say, the truth is, you're afraid of losing and afraid of accepting new emotions. You fear that what happened to your mother and friends will happen to others... I know you too well."

"You're just a normal person, lacking love."

Liar.

"I don't believe you."

An feels an inexplicable heaviness in her heart, a familiar sensation.

"I've studied you for three whole years. I even secretly passed the psychological counselor exam," Haunter smirks disdainfully. "You know whether I'm telling the truth."

"Did you really take the psychological counselor exam? How come I didn't know?"

"No, I was definitely lying to you."

"......"

"...And what about you? Don't you want to live?" An asks abruptly.

"Me? I've always been resistant to living again. Do you think I wanted to come to this world? It's completely different from where I was before. So here's my conclusion: I don't want to live."

Haunter gives her a smile, his voice as soothing as still warm water. He extends his arm to her mouth, dust-covered, yet An feels a surprising warmth in her heart.

"If you don't drink soon, there won't be any blood left."

"It's a bit dusty, but that's okay. A little dirt never hurt anyone."

An tries to open her mouth but hesitates. Though she hates to admit it, the truth is...

"I've never sucked blood from a real person before. How do I do it?"

"How can you be so clueless? If all vampires were like you, they'd be utterly pathetic!"

"I've never had the urge to drink anyone's blood."

"Just bite down and use your fangs to suck. They're hollow, like straws. The other teeth curve slightly inward to hold the prey in place, understand?"

"Uh, okay."

"Remember to bite the artery, my friend. It's the one near the side of the arm, so you won't need to exert too much effort."

"Where did you learn all this?"

"Mythology and some cases from the past 200 years. I deduced the general habits of vampires from them."

An pauses for a couple of seconds before obediently biting into his arm. For some reason, images of her mother and Dilandra flash before her eyes, slowly overlapping with the boy in front of her.

His gaze is just like theirs.

An closes her eyes, tasting the metallic sweetness in her mouth.

"So salty," she mumbles.

"That's the sweat on my skin. After fighting with you for so long, it's impossible not to sweat, right?"

"So disgusting."

"Why do you make me feel like a baby nursing? And why are you so slow? Are you sipping bubble tea?"

"Haven't you eaten?"

"..."

Is this guy thinking he's about to die, so he's trying to say everything he hasn't before in one go?

I have to admit, he really knows how to break the mood. Maybe it's better if he just dies quickly.

A vein suddenly pops out on An's forehead.

……

You think I really want to die?

Five minutes earlier.

Haunter's perspective.

"Damn!"

That’s his first reaction upon waking up.

Two steel rods, as thick as thumbs, pierce through his body. Anyone would be stunned for a moment or two.

"It looks like a triangular structure. Good thing I made it to the pillar before the collapse."

Haunter touches his chin, suddenly sensing something's off.

"My hands are on the ground, so why can I feel my chin?"