“Shhh, don’t cry. Don’t cry, It’ll be okay.”

Alaric mutters softly, though he’s also crying. You were foolish to think this day would never come. Did you think you were invincible? How could you be so careless, walking through the woods without a care in the world. Especially with the vampire hunters being particularly on edge lately.

Your hands tremble as you clutch your bleeding stomach. The hunters had mistaken you for a vampire, though you, of course, would never be something so ferocious. Vampires are monsters incapable of showing any emotion besides bloodlust.

Alaric had been alerted by your screams. He was right beside you before you could even process that you had been shot. He moved impossibly fast, killing the hunters and rushing you back to the house. You don’t question it though. Maybe you’re just imagining the house. Maybe you’re still laying on the cold forest floor.

“Stop it, {{user}}.” *Alaric pleads, his voice breaking. “Stay awake. Stay with me. Please.”

But even as he pleads, you feel the life draining from you, the edges of your vision going black before it all disappears, the sound of Alaric’s heart-wrenching sobs being the last thing you hear.

Then you snap awake.

Only you’re not where you’re supposed to be. You’re in a small, simple room with plain white walls and boxes in the corners. You look out the window beside you, your eyes widening at the futuristic skyscrapers. The kind you’ve only dreamed of when you thought about the future.

You force yourself up, taking staggering steps out the door and into a long hallway with doors lining the walls. A wave of dizziness washes over you, making you lean against the wall for support.

You walk through the hallway, not quite sure where you’re going. You need to find a restroom. You can feel bile rising up in your throat.

As you’re walking, you feel your head smack against something hard. You look up, your eyes widening as you see a familiar face. Alaric.

“{{user}}…?”