The Vampire's Cradle

Chapter 2 Death came

CHAPTER 2: DEATH CAME

Woo Bin's POV

Months had passed since my family was brutally taken from me, and the ache in my chest felt as fresh as the day it happened. The village, once bustling with life and laughter, had transformed into a landscape of shadows and whispered fears. The crime that had shattered my world remained an unsolved mystery, buried beneath a blanket of silence. No one had witnessed the horror that unfolded that day, and no one dared to come forward. The paralyzing fear that gripped the villagers was a heavy weight, leaving me feeling like an outsider in a place that had once felt like home.

I still lived in our old house, clinging to the memories that echoed through its walls. It was a decaying relic of happier times, where laughter once filled the air and warmth radiated from every corner. Now, it felt more like a tomb, a hollow shell containing fragments of a life I could never reclaim. Where could an eighteen-year-old like me go? This place was all I had left, even if it brought only pain. I had no choice but to stay, haunted by the ghosts of my family.

To survive, I took on extra work wherever I could find it. I spent my nights as a dishwasher in a local cafeteria, scrubbing away the remnants of meals that seemed to mock my own hunger. During the weekends, I tended to neighbors' gardens, pruning and planting as if digging my hands into the earth could somehow unearth answers about my family's fate. I was determined to finish high school, even though the thought often felt pointless. What good was a diploma if no one remained to celebrate it? Alone in this world, I battled a persistent sorrow that echoed through every moment of my waking life.

At night, tears streamed down my face, and I didn't know how to stop them. Each sob felt like a betrayal, a crime against the memory of those I had lost. I wished I could turn back time, to stay home that fateful day instead of leaving them behind. Dying alongside them would have been a merciful release compared to this unbearable solitude. Life had turned cruel, its relentless march forward a constant reminder of what I had lost. I found myself often imagining what it would be like if they were still here. How I would hear my mother's laughter, my father's reassuring voice, and Jae-Eun's playful teasing. These memories were both a comfort and a torment.

The haunting image of my sister's lifeless body, the sight of my family being ripped from my life, loomed over me like a dark cloud. It was as if I carried the weight of their deaths on my shoulders, a burden I couldn't shake. I often thought that death might be the only way to escape the agony, but a flicker of determination kept me alive. I would find the people responsible for my family's deaths, no matter the cost. Even if death was the only way to track them down, I would embrace it, welcoming the end as a release from my suffering.

There were nights when the thought of following them into the void crossed my mind, but deep within me, a part clung to the hope of justice. I had no clear plan, but I was resolute in my mission to uncover the truth.

Dusk

It was mid-December of 1954 when I heard heavy knocks echoing through the quiet house, jolting me from my thoughts. I had just begun to prepare for a quick bath, hoping to wash away the grime of the day. Curiosity overcame me as I grabbed some clothes and stepped out of my room, my heart racing at the unexpected interruption.

Opening the door revealed a man in his late thirties or early forties. He stood tall, dressed in a dark coat that seemed to absorb the fading light of the day, and a black hat that cast a shadow over his features. I didn't recognize him; he appeared to be new to the neighborhood.

"Yes, sir? Is there something you need?" I asked, my voice hesitant as I opened the door wider, unsure of what to expect.

"I'm looking for my friend," he replied, glancing down at a small piece of paper. "It says here he lives in this house."