NAPE - 2

“Ugh, please… don’t do this!! We couldn’t help it! Vampire iron supplements are disgustingly expensive and taste terrible. Besides, in this aging society, is killing a few old people such a big crime? …I’m sorry. I said I’m sorry!”

The crouched vampire groveled, his hands and feet practically turning to dust. There was no dignity left of a predator, only the abject submission of a pathetic beast. Namwon clicked his tongue in disbelief. Under the cold, contemptuous gazes of the two hunters, the vampire sensed there was no hope.

“W-we didn’t do it! Really. Believe us! At least, it wasn’t us directly!”

“Hey, you bastard, if you didn’t do it, then who did? There are bodies right here, and you’re still denying it?”

“It’s true, believe me, please believe me! That, that woman did it!”

The vampire pointed to a large box covered with a heavy tarpaulin. Namwon and Doyoon exchanged puzzled glances. Impatiently, Namwon strode over and yanked the tarpaulin off.

“What the…?”

Namwon’s eyes widened at the unexpected sight. He gasped at the woman inside the cage. He couldn’t even figure out what to be more shocked about.

The woman beyond the bars wore a blindfold over her eyes, a gag in her mouth, and clothes made by cutting holes in a sack. Her limbs were frighteningly thin, as if she were starving, and her hair was severely tangled, as if it had never been brushed in her life.

Most disturbingly, her exposed skin was entirely covered in bruises.

“Why the blindfold and gag? These bastards are complete garbage! Stripping a woman naked and beating her up like this? They should have just eaten her, damn it!”

Namwon erupted in fierce anger at the miserable sight. Killing the elderly was one thing, but capturing a woman and abusing her like this was unacceptable.

The former could be accepted within the context of the food chain and the laws of nature, but the latter could not. Enjoying sadistic acts against the weak was the mark of the worst kind of villain. They deserved to be sent straight to hell.

“N-no, no, that’s not it… There are… circumstances, circumstances!”

While the vampire stammered in terror, Doyoon, who had been standing with an uninterested expression, approached the cage. He peered intently into Bibi’s panting mouth, then took out a cigarette and put it in his own.

“Look closely.”

“Huh?”

“She has fangs.”

Namwon’s eyes widened at Doyoon’s words. Sharp fangs were briefly visible through the gaps in the lips held open by the gag. The woman trapped in the cage with her senses restricted was not human, but a vampire. It was the moment the hunters discovered the hunting dog Bibi.

“...Why would they keep another vampire locked up in here…”

As he tilted his head questioningly, something rustled behind Namwon and darted away. He turned around to see the vampire who had been groveling just moments ago escaping out of the container and running through the grassy field.

“Oh, shit, one of them is getting away!”

Namwon shouted, pointing his gun at the figure disappearing into the dark reed beds. Doyoon nonchalantly gestured with his chin.

“Go get him.”

“What? Me?”

Doyoon gave a calm smile, as if wondering why he would ask such an obvious question. The two hunters stared intently at each other for a moment, engaged in a fierce silent battle.

“I’m your senior, you know.”

Namwon’s face flushed red at Doyoon’s words.

“Fine, I’ll go! Damn it, is a junior supposed to live like this, feeling so wronged?!”

Namwon finally yielded to Doyoon, who had shamelessly invoked the hierarchy. With a curse, he pulled out his motorcycle keys and left to chase after the fleeing vampire, stepping over the ‘corpse’ that was lying on the ground.

Having sent his junior out into the downpour, Doyoon took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the cage. The pathetic female vampire was panting with her mouth open. Her jaw, forced open by the gag, looked painful. Black hair, pale cheeks, and fangs—a creature that looked human on the outside but was a beast within.

“Hello.”

Doyoon greeted the vampire. Although she couldn’t see due to the blindfold, she seemed to sense that someone was speaking to her, as her shoulders tensed up.

I want to see her eyes…

Curious, Doyoon took a step forward, bent down, and reached into the cage. Bibi sensed the approaching presence and bared her fangs. She strongly warned him not to come closer or she would bite him to death.

“Oh, you feisty thing.”

Seeing her fierce hiss, Doyoon withdrew his hand and asked, “Did you do all this with those old corpses?”

Bibi clamped her jaw shut on the gag. As a hunting dog, she couldn’t answer, but inwardly she strongly denied it. At least, she hadn’t killed the humans she hunted.

She knew it would be troublesome, and the blood tasted better when they were alive. So, she usually brought them back in a semi-conscious state for her owners to drink from, and then they would be disposed of. The ones who killed those nine old people… were the owners who couldn’t be bothered with the cleanup.

“Even with the gag, you should be able to make some noise… Judging by how you’re keeping your mouth shut, it seems I’m right. Or do you have no cognitive ability at all?”

Of course, Doyoon had no way of knowing the situation. He roughly concluded the matter and, looking at Bibi, took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

“Why can’t you answer? Can’t you speak?”

“…….”

When he received no answer or reaction from the other side, the interest in his dark eyes rapidly faded.

Click.

Judging her to be a worthless hybrid, Doyoon picked up his gun again. The cold, merciless barrel slowly aimed at its target. His bullets had never missed. This time would be no different.

It was the moment his index finger, resting on the trigger, was about to pull without hesitation. Due to her violent struggles, Bibi’s loosened blindfold slid down her face.

Her crimson eyes were revealed in the air. Pupils that had grown accustomed to the darkness were stabbed by the dazzling light, expressing pain. In the midst of this, Bibi immediately spotted the gun in Doyoon’s hand. Thump.

Her heart dropped heavily. That silver gun… an object that inflicted pain on vampires. Before any memories could surface, her senses reacted first.

“No…”

Bang!

A gunshot that seemed to pierce her eardrums erupted. The smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Swish, swish.

The downpour continued, soaking the winter night.

“…….”

In the violently fluttering air, Doyoon narrowed his pupils sharply and looked into the cage. He stared at the vampire who was still alive. The bars were marked with the trace of a missed bullet, and a thin scratch ran across the woman’s forearm. A shallow groan could be heard, as if she felt a burning pain.

The one at the end of the gun barrel was not dead. Because Doyoon, who had pulled the trigger, had skillfully shifted the trajectory of his hand. He had just heard human speech coming from the vampire’s mouth. The woman had clearly tried to express her refusal.

“...What was that? Say it again.”

Doyoon tried to communicate once more. The vampire didn’t answer, her small body curled up tightly. She simply looked up at Doyoon with a wary expression. He could sense a strong fear emanating from her.

“...Did I hear wrong?”

Doyoon fiddled with his gun, then casually slipped it into the cage. The light from some electronic device shining from somewhere flickered along the barrel.

“Shi, shi… no!”

Bibi flinched again and widened her eyes. Doyoon stopped his movement. The pronunciation was unclear due to the gag, but she had spoken. She had definitely said no. His interest was piqued again. He lowered his head and stared at Bibi.

“Can you say anything else?”

“Hiss!”

Growl.

As Bibi hissed again, a hungry sound came from her stomach. A wrinkle formed on Doyoon’s forehead. He belatedly examined Bibi’s physical condition.

What she was wearing was a large sack. The tattered cloth, which couldn’t even be called clothing, was barely enough to cover her torso. Her outstretched limbs were frighteningly thin, like those of a corpse. Blue bruises and wounds were scattered all over. If this woman were human, he would have called the police for neglect and assault.

“Hmm….”

After a moment of contemplation, Doyoon reached into his pocket and took out a small pill bottle. It contained iron supplements, something vampires who adapted to live in society ate instead of blood. He took out a pill and rolled it into the cage.

“It doesn’t taste good, but it might relieve your hunger.”

“…….”

Bibi glared at the pill with wary eyes.

“Eat it.”

Doyoon urged her firmly. Bibi made her decision.

Whack!

Instead of her bound hands, she used her foot to crush the white pill into powder. A hunting dog never eats anything given by a stranger. That was also a principle.

“Hmm.”

It was the reaction he had expected, so Doyoon stood still and looked down at Bibi. Her heavy, blood-red eyes, like a setting sun, shone particularly beautifully and pathetically, perhaps because of her gaunt eye sockets and unsightly appearance. She seemed to have intelligence… He wondered what kind of story had led her to become a lowly beast in a cage.

Ah, this is annoying. I should just finish this quickly.