Party 3

Bryce’s fingers tightened around the empty glass as he scanned the room. The party pulsed around him—too loud, too bright—but something was off. The students moved with unnatural grace, their laughter a touch too sharp, their eyes reflecting the dim light in ways that shouldn’t be possible. A girl near the staircase tilted her head back to drink, her throat working as she swallowed—then froze, her gaze locking onto Bryce with an intensity that prickled his skin. Her lips curled, just slightly, revealing the barest hint of elongated canines.

Across the room, a couple pressed against the wall—too close, too feverish. The girl arched into her partner’s grip, her breath coming in sharp, panting gasps. But something was wrong. Her eyes hazed , The boy didn’t flinch. Instead, he laughed—low, gutturalNear the fireplace, another pair tangled in the shadows.

Bryce’s pulse hammered in his throat as he watched the girl by the fireplace tilt her head back, exposing the pale column of her neck. Her partner’s mouth hovered over her skin—too long, too deliberate—before leaning in to her The music throbbed on, laughter rising in drunken waves as the partygoers swayed and pressed closer, their movements too synchronized, too hungry. Shadows clung to them like second skins, stretching unnaturally across the walls. Bryce stumbled back

his shoulder hitting the wall with a dull thud. The air felt thick, syrupy—like breathing through oil. His pulse roared in his ears, drowning out the music, the laughter, the wet, hungry sounds from the corners of the room. This isn’t right. The thought cleaved through him, sharp as broken glass. The girl by the fireplace moaned, her fingers tangled in her partner’s hair as his mouth moved against her throat—not kissing, something that made Bryce’s skin crawl seeing this

Then he saw it—the slow, deliberate pull of the boy’s lips from her skin, the glistening smear of red left behind. The girl shuddered, her eyelids fluttering, her breath coming in shallow pants. Bryce’s breath hitched as the boy’s tongue flicked out, licking the blood from the girl’s throat with slow, deliberate relish. Her knees buckled, but he held her up effortlessly, his fingers digging into her waist like claws. A hand clamped onto Bryce’s shoulder.

"Enjoying the show?" Lena’s voice slithered into his ear

her breath hot against his skin. He hadn’t even heard her approach.Bryce jerked away from Lena’s grip, his back pressing hard against the wall. Her fingers lingered in the air where his shoulder had been, her crimson nails catching the dim light like freshly sharpened blades.

Bryce - “You’re not—”

His voice cracked.

Bryce - “This isn’t—”

Lena’s smile widened, slow and deliberate, her lips parting just enough to reveal the glint of fangs.

Lena- “Not what, Bryce?

She stepped closer, her movements liquid, predatory. Around them, the party’s frenzy deepened—bodies pressed together, mouths trailing down throats, laughter dissolving into wet, gasping moans. Bryce’s gaze darted to the fireplace.

Lena- by the way..im the one that told Cortney about this party

Bryce’s blood turned to ice. Cortney— with his roommate upstairs who also Lena’s grin was a knife twisting in his gut.

Lena- you get now, she's probly already turned at this point

Her fingers traced the rim of his empty glass, her voice a mocking purr.

Lena - "She was so eager. Practically begged for an invite."

A flicker of movement behind her—shadows coiled like living things, figures swaying too close, too hungry.Lena’s fingers curled around his wrist, her grip like steel.

Lena - "You should be flattered," she murmured. "Not everyone gets an invitation to the real party, but cortney extended hers to you

Across the room, the girl by the fireplace slumped, her partner catching her with inhuman speed. Her head lolled, throat smeared crimson, but she was smiling, her pupils blown wide with something between terror and euphoria. Bryce wrenched free, glass shattering as he knocked over a table., and runs upstairs were Cortney was with alexander.

Bryce bolted up the stairs, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped animal. The music faded behind him, replaced by the wet, rhythmic sounds of feeding—licking, swallowing, moaning—that slithered up the stairwell after him. The second-floor hallway stretched too long, the walls warping under flickering candlelight. He skidded to a stop outside Alexander’s room—Cortney’s laughter Bryce threw his shoulder against the door. It didn’t budge like before

The wood groaned but held firm—unnaturally firm. From the other side, Cortney’s laughter dissolved into a wet, shuddering gasp, followed by a low, satisfied hum that didn’t sound human at all. Bryce’s breath came in ragged bursts. He reared back and kicked, the sole of his shoe slamming just above the knob. This time, the door splintered inward with a crack—but what he saw froze him mid-step. Alexander stood silhouetted against the window, moonlight carving his sharp features into something monstrous. His lips were smeared red, his chin dripping. Cortney, naked I his embrace, her eyes black with crimson irses and fangs in her mouth

Cortney, naked in his embrace, her eyes black with crimson irises and fangs in her mouth, turned her head toward Bryce with a slow, predatory grin. Bryce’s breath hitched. His instincts screamed at him to run. Alexander’s head tilted, his grin widening unnaturally.

Alexander-“Bryce,” he purred, voice dripping with amusement. “You’re just in time.”

Cortney licked her lips, stepping forward—too fast, inhumanly fast—her fingers twitching like claws.

Cortney- “You should join us,”

she whispered, her voice layered with something darker, hungrier.Bryce stumbled back, his heel catching on the broken doorframe. Cortney’s fingers flexed—elongated, tipped with nails like shards of bone. She took another step, her bare feet silent on the hardwood.

Cortney- "Don’t you want to stay?"

The words slithered out, sticky-sweet alluring. Alexander wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing red across his cheek

Alexander- . "We saved you a spot," he murmured, gesturing to the bed where the sheets were dark and wet.

Bryce didn’t wait to hear another word. He quickly got to his feet and spun on his heel and ran, slamming into the hallway wall as he careened toward the stairs. Behind him, Cortney’s laughter full of sin The staircase yawned before him, but the steps had changed—too steep, too many, stretching downward into a throat of shadows. He leaped anyway, skidding on the last few treads before crashing into the foyer. The party had dissolved into chaos. Bodies writhed in the dim light, mouths stained, fingers clutching at him as he past.

Bryce barreled through the grasping hands, his pulse roaring in his ears. The front door—just a few more steps—but the hallway stretched impossibly long, the walls pulsing like living flesh. A figure stepped into his path—Lena, her lips slick with blood, her eyes glowing crimson

“Leaving so soon?” she cooed,

reaching for him. Bryce ducked, slamming his elbow into her ribs. She gasped, but her laughter followed him as he wrenched the door open and plunged into the night. Cold air slapped his face, but he didn’t stop running. His dorm. He just had to make it there. Lock the door.