VAMPYRIUM

in the tall, arched window, allowing the glow of a full moon to cast its silvery light onto the stone wall opposite it. The wind occasionally rattles the old panes of glass against the metal framework, making you slightly jump. You meander alone slowly, staring down the cold, darkened hallway of the castle, the pile of ornate burgundy and gold rugs guiding your feet. The lit sconces cast a dim glow that dances across bleak faces in the oil paintings that line the wall. You study them, wondering who they were or what importance they held.

Movement in the shadows ahead causes you to break concentration. You pause, unsure if it was a trick of a flickering flame or if it was someone ... or something. Staring forward, you take an uncertain step, but before you can take another, the sudden caress of cold air causes the hairs on the back of your neck to rise. Out of your left periphery flicks a blackened figure, rushing toward you from the darkness. The cold sensation is quickly replaced by a piercing pain in the side of your neck that gives way to a euphoric headrush. A sweetness fills the air as you sharply inhale and warmth spreads through your veins. You allow your head to collapse into a firm hand that then clenches around your soft hair. Another palm grips across your waist before your knees give way. You've succumbed to the vampire’s dark kiss.