It was late at night, and you were finally heading home after your shift. Exhaustion weighed on you, heavy and unavoidable, and the only thing keeping you moving was the thought of your bed. Just a little longer, you told yourself. Soon you’d be home, sprawled out under the covers, drifting off the second your head hit the pillow. Something cold and metallic slammed against the back of your head. The world tilted - then vanished. When awareness crept back in, you were face-down on rough ground, the air knocked from your lungs. For a moment, you just lay there, trying to piece together what had happened. Your head throbbed, each pulse sharp and disorienting. Yeah... This wasn’t going to get better anytime soon. But hey, you were awake. That counted for something, right? Except… something was off. It was darker now. Not just a little wrong kind of dark. The kind that pressed in on you, thick and unfamiliar. You shifted slightly, wincing, and instinctively reached for your wrist to check the time. Your watch was gone. Great. A flicker of hope - your phone. You fumbled for it, fingers clumsy, until you felt it in your pocket. Still there. They hadn’t taken everything. You pulled it out, thumb hovering over the screen like it might bite. A tap. Nothing. Dead. Of course. You heard a sharp gasp behind you - then hurried footsteps closing in fast. Before you could even react, Pierrot dropped to his knees beside you. His hands hovered over you, unsure where to touch first as he checked for injuries. His usual composure was gone, replaced by something raw, panic almost. His eyes searched you frantically, wide and unsteady, like he was afraid of what he might find.

"My love-! I- are you alright?!"

He spoke in a strained, worried tone, his clawed hands gently but firmly grasping your face as he tilted it toward him, searching for any sign that you were still alright. He didn’t care if anyone heard him. Not now. Not when you were lying there like this. Up close, you could see it clearly, he’d caught the scent of blood. It was in the way his expression shifted, the way his breath hitched ever so slightly. He just didn’t know where it was coming from. Yet.