rogue vampire

Jerome.

Male.

Born on November 4, 1990.

Originally enrolled in N City F University, in his freshman year.

"Getting more and more irritable,"

A tall boy in a white tracksuit was walking back, holding his backpack. He yawned, feeling a bit itchy in his throat. He took out a cola from his backpack, took a sip, but still felt the itch. He glanced at his left arm, where there were neat rows of bite marks, self-inflicted. For some reason, lately Jerome enjoyed biting things, like how mice enjoyed gnawing.

"Feeling sleepy again, I wonder if it's because of this weather,"

Jerome lifted his head to glance at the sun, its scorching rays forcing him to lower his head and continue walking.

It was June, and only when the weather wasn't hot did Jerome feel relieved. But with age, he found himself increasingly loathing the sunlight. Sometimes, he wished he could live underground like a mouse. Yet, compared to disgusting mice, Jerome might prefer to be a vampire. In his memory, vampires were a highly esteemed and mysterious race, sleeping in coffins during the day and emerging to feed at night. He always felt that along with bloodsucking, there would be some lascivious activities happening, like sex.

Though Jerome attended the local university, he remained a purebred virgin. Apart from watching adult films with his buddies in the past, he had never truly interacted with women, seen their intimate parts. Perhaps this was related to his personality; he preferred solitude and avoided contact with strangers. Handsome as he was, he attracted the admiration of many girls, but he rejected them all. When he dunked a basketball, girls in the entire arena would scream in amazement for him.

What kind of girlfriend does he really want?

Jerome had been pondering this question, but he had no answer. Perhaps his dream lover had not yet arrived. Jerome didn't know if he had completely abandoned his current beliefs in pursuit of blood and sex. Mature women, young women, widows, even young girls, the blood of these women had always been the favorite of vampires. Some advanced vampires even preferred to suck the blood of their own kin, of course, it had to be female.

"I hate this weather," Jerome exclaimed, sticking out his tongue as he pulled out a cola to sip.

Jerome's purpose for this trip was to return home, just a typical journey home. His university, F University, was only about half a kilometer from his house, a walk of just over ten minutes. It was very close, so Jerome usually walked home. By now, the only ones likely to be home were his mother, older sister, and younger sister.

With his mother having two daughters and a son, Jerome considered himself very fortunate.

"Hey, Jerome, catch this!" A girl riding a bicycle passed by Jerome and tossed a love letter to him.

Jerome shouted at the girl in the white dress, "Snow, I'm not looking for a girlfriend! Stop doing this all the time!"

Snow turned back, innocently smiling as the breeze lifted her skirt, revealing a pair of white panties, which caught Jerome's attention for a while.

When Jerome snapped out of it, Snow had vanished, leaving only the love letter in his hand as evidence of her presence.

Jerome looked at the surface of the love letter, where "Snow loves Jerome" in pink letters dominated the page.

"What a silly girl," Jerome said with a faint smile, folding the love letter and tossing it into the nearby trash can out of habit.

After walking for three minutes, Jerome reached his home. It was a typical commodity house with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. The area was not large, and it felt quite crowded to live in. Jerome had his own room, while his older sister and younger sister shared another room, and his parents shared a room. Jerome's mother was a middle school teacher, and his father worked as a pilot for an airline. His father's time at home was very limited, usually returning home only once every two weeks. Sometimes, if Jerome had weekend classes, it could be months before he saw his father again.

As Jerome approached the front door, he intended to knock, but he noticed that the door was not locked.

"Weird, it should be locked," Jerome muttered to himself as he gently pushed the door open and called out, "Mom, are you there?"

There was no response from anyone inside.

Jerome took off his sneakers and slipped into his black flip-flops before entering the house. He first went to the kitchen and found the dishes stored in the thermal container. Then, he headed to his elder sister's and younger sister's room, but neither of them had returned.

"Weird, why haven't they come back yet?" Jerome muttered to himself as he proceeded to his mother's room. He pushed the door open but found it empty.

Entering his parents' room, Jerome noticed a piece of hard paper on the floor. He casually picked it up and his eyes widened in disbelief.

"It can't be?" Jerome exclaimed, his eyes turning slightly bloodshot. "It's impossible, my dad can't be dead, my dad can't be dead?"

Jerome's breathing became rapid, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

The hard paper was sent by the airline company. The main content stated that during the flight, Jerome's father was sucked into the engine while inspecting the ventilation outlet to protect the passengers, resulting in a work-related fatality. In the bottom right corner, there was a seal from the airline company.

Looking at this piece of paper that brought misfortune to the entire family, Jerome crumpled it into a ball and threw it directly on the ground, shouting, "Why doesn't anyone else die? Why does it have to be my dad?"

Jerome covered his forehead, kneeling on the ground, tears uncontrollably streaming down his face. His veins bulged on his hand, and his complexion turned somewhat pale. It was as if he was raging, his mouth slowly opening wider, and his two canine teeth elongating, resembling those of a vampire.

"No, I have to become strong!" Jerome tried to control his emotions as his fangs gradually shortened to resemble those of an ordinary person. Standing up, Jerome slowly walked out of the room. If his mother had seen this paper, Jerome had to find her now. If something had happened to his mother too, then Jerome would be left without parents.

As Jerome exited his mother's room, he didn't know where to go. In his confusion, he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. Jerome's immediate reaction was that his mother was inside. As to whether she was taking a bath, he wasn't sure. Politely, he knocked on the door and asked, "Mom, are you in there?"

As Jerome spoke, the sound of water inside seemed to become slightly erratic.

"Mom?"

Jerome called out again, his emotions complex. If his mother was inside and not responding, he had to see her!

After waiting for a while, there was still no response from inside. Jerome forcefully pounded on the door and yelled, "Mom, are you in there? If you are, please open the door!"

There was still no sound from inside.

Jerome, already in a bad mood after his father's death, now faced another person inside who refused to respond. He stepped back several paces, then charged forward like a wild beast, directly smashing the door open. The door slammed to the side, and Jerome saw his mother, naked and curled up in the corner, crying like an injured child.