A wave of nausea washed over Aria as consciousness flickered back into existence. Groaning, she blinked her eyes open to the stark reality of her situation. Two burly vampires, their faces obscured by shadows, dragged her down a familiar corridor. The indolence of dust and decay mingled with the metallic tang of blood, a sickening reminder of the horrors unfolding within Devon Manor – her childhood home, now a grotesque parody of its former self.
Recognition flickered in her mind. This was the corridor where countless childhood games played out. Memories of hide-and-seek with her late father, his booming laughter echoing off the opulent walls, were now stained with a macabre twist. A room at the end, its door ajar, offered a glimpse of a monstrous scene – a dozen vampires feasting on a blooded man suspended upside down like a pig in a butcher's shop.
