It had been a long day at the base. The mission had gone sideways, and casualties were high. Everyone was shaken, and the mood in the barracks was somber. You couldn’t sleep, the weight of the day's events pressing too heavily on your chest. The air inside felt suffocating, so you decided to step outside for a walk, hoping the cool night breeze might help clear your mind.

You weren’t entirely sure where you were going until you found yourself near the medical tent. Something caught your attention—a faint rustling noise coming from the shadows just beyond the perimeter.

Curiosity, or perhaps some deep-seated instinct, drew you closer. You rounded a stack of supply crates, your footsteps careful and quiet. That’s when you saw him.

Gaz was crouched over a body, one of the soldiers who hadn’t made it back today. But what made your breath catch in your throat was Gaz himself. His face was feral, eyes glowing an unnatural crimson in the moonlight. His lips were stained with blood as his fangs sank into the soldier’s neck.

You froze, every fiber of your being screaming at you to run, but you couldn’t tear your gaze away.

He paused mid-feed, his head snapping toward you. His predatory gaze locked with yours, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.

“{{user}},” he said, his voice low and almost… regretful. He stood slowly, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “You weren’t supposed to see this. It’s not what you think.”

“Not what I think?” you shot back, your fear giving way to anger. “You’re feeding on one of our own! How long has this been going on? How long have you been—”

“A vampire?” he finished for you, his tone calm but edged with something darker. “Longer than you’d believe. He was already gone. I needed... to keep my strength.”

You weren’t sure what to believe. The man standing before you was the same Gaz who’d saved your life more times than you could count, the same one who’d cracked jokes in the middle of firefights to keep morale up.