Samantha's eyes snapped open, her heart racing as if she'd just run a marathon.
Harsh sunlight streamed through the hotel room curtains, intensifying the pounding in her head. For a moment, she lay there, disoriented and struggling to piece together the events of the previous night.
Flashes of memory assaulted her: the enigmatic Black Swan bar, a mysterious man named Marcus, walking home alone through shadowy streets.
But after that, everything blurred into a haze of disjointed images and sensations. A dark alley... a young man in distress... then nothing.
Groaning, Samantha forced herself to sit up, noticing she was still fully dressed in last night's clothes.
That wasn't like her at all. She must have been more out of it than she realized to fall asleep without changing.
As she stumbled to the bathroom, a wave of nausea hit her. Samantha barely made it to the toilet before emptying the contents of her stomach.
Shaking, she pulled herself up to the sink and splashed cold water on her face, hoping to clear the fog from her mind.
That's when she saw it. For a split second, Samantha could have sworn she saw two small puncture marks on her neck, stark against her pale skin. But when she leaned in for a closer look, there was nothing there. Just smooth, unblemished skin.
"Get it together, Sam," she muttered, chuckling nervously at her overactive imagination. "You had a few drinks, walked home, and crashed. That's all."
But as she showered and dressed, Samantha couldn't shake the feeling that something more had happened. Something she couldn't quite remember, but that had changed her in ways she was only beginning to understand.
Pushing her worries aside, Samantha focused on the day ahead. She was back in her hometown for the first time in years, and she had a surprise visit planned for her best friend, Lily.
They'd been inseparable since childhood, but life had pulled them in different directions. While Samantha had moved abroad for her ill-fated marriage, Lily had stayed, building a successful career as a mortician.
Samantha felt a pang of guilt for not keeping in better touch. She'd been so caught up in her own drama – the divorce, the betrayal, the crushing sense of failure – that she'd neglected one of the most important relationships in her life.
Well, she was determined to make up for lost time now.
After leaving the hotel, Samantha made her way to Lily's apartment, stopping to pick up a bouquet of sunflowers – Lily's favorite.
As she approached the door, a mix of excitement and anxiety swirled in her chest. What if too much time had passed? What if their friendship had faded?
Samantha raised her hand to knock, then froze. The door was slightly ajar. A flicker of concern crossed her face. It wasn't like Lily to leave her door open, especially in the evening. Samantha hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed the door open wider.
She moved cautiously through the entryway, her eyes scanning the familiar space. Nothing seemed out of place – pieces of eclectic artwork adorned the walls, and potted plants filled every available surface. But there was an eerie stillness in the air that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
As she rounded the corner into the living room, Samantha spotted Lily. Her friend was seated on the couch, her back to her. A half-full glass of red wine dangled from her fingers, and she seemed to be staring intently at something Samantha couldn't see.
"Lil?" Samantha said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Lily didn't move, didn't even seem to register that she'd spoken. She remained perfectly still, lost in whatever thoughts were occupying her mind.
Samantha took a tentative step forward, unsure whether to announce her presence more forcefully or to retreat and come back later.
Something about the scene before her felt off, like she was intruding on a private moment she wasn't meant to witness.
The floor creaked under her foot. Just as she was about to clear her throat, Lily whirled around.
"Sam! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Lily exclaimed, jumping up to hug her tightly. "What are you doing here?"
Samantha laughed, relief washing over her. "Surprise! I thought I'd drop in for a visit. I hope that's okay?"
"Of course it's okay!" Lily said, pulling her further into the apartment. "I can't believe you're here. It's been so long!"
As they settled onto the couch with glasses of wine, Samantha studied her friend's face.
There was something different about Lily, a tension around her eyes that hadn't been there before. But maybe that was just the passage of time. After all, they'd both changed.
"So, tell me everything I've missed," Samantha said, leaning forward with interest. "Any exciting developments in your life?"
Lily laughed, but Samantha noticed it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, you know me. Same old, same old. Work keeps me busy."
Samantha nodded, taking a sip of her wine. She could almost taste the lie in Lily's words.
Something was definitely going on, something big. But Lily wasn't ready to share yet. That was okay. Samantha could be patient.
As the evening wore on and the wine flowed freely, Samantha found herself genuinely enjoying Lily's company. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to relax, to just be in the moment without constantly looking over her shoulder.
But even as she laughed at Lily's jokes and shared stories about her travels, a part of Samantha remained vigilant. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, that unseen eyes were tracking her every move.
As the clock struck midnight, Samantha held back a yawn. "I should probably head out," she said, stretching. "It's been a long day."
Lily shook her head. "Don't be silly. You're staying here tonight. I won't take no for an answer."
Samantha hesitated, but the thought of walking back to her hotel in the dark suddenly seemed unappealing. "If you're sure it's not too much trouble..."
"Of course not," Lily said, already heading to the linen closet for extra blankets. "It'll be just like our old sleepovers."
As Samantha settled onto Lily's bed for the night, she couldn't shake the odd sensations creeping through her body. She attributed it to the wine and the long day, but deep down, she knew something wasn't quite right.
She tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable but at the same time not disturb Lily sleeping peacefully beside her.
Her skin felt hypersensitive, every brush of the blanket sending tingles across her nerves. The room seemed too bright, even with all the lights off, and she could hear the faintest sounds from outside as if they were right next to her ear.
The night wore on and Samantha's discomfort grew. A dull ache throbbed at the base of her skull, and her gums felt strangely tender. She ran her tongue over her teeth, wincing at the unexpected sensitivity.
By the time dawn broke, Samantha was exhausted and irritable. She hadn't slept a wink, and her body felt like it was buzzing with an unfamiliar energy.
As Lily stirred in the room, Samantha pretended to be asleep, not wanting to worry her friend.
When Lily left for work, Samantha stumbled to the bathroom. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and froze.
Her reflection looked... different. Her skin seemed paler, almost translucent, and her eyes had an unusual gleam to them. For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of red in her irises, but when she blinked, it was gone.
"Must be the lack of sleep," she muttered, splashing cold water on her face.
As if on cue, a wave of nausea hit her, followed by an intense, burning thirst.
Samantha stumbled out of the bathroom, her vision blurring as she made her way to the kitchen.
She fumbled for a glass, filling it with water and gulping it down.
But the water did nothing to quench her thirst. If anything, it made it worse.
Samantha braced herself against the kitchen counter, trying to steady her breathing.
As she stood there, fighting against the strange new urges coursing through her body, a name floated to the surface of her mind:
Marcus.
The mysterious man from The Black Swan.
Something told her he might have answers.
With trembling hands, Samantha reached for her phone. She opened her browser and began searching for The Black Swan bar.
To her growing confusion, she couldn't find any trace of it online - no website, no social media pages, not even a mention in local business directories.
She tried different search terms, checked review sites, and even looked at online maps, but it was as if the bar had never existed.
Frowning, Samantha tried to remember if she had saved the bar's number in her contacts. But there was nothing there either.
Frustrated and increasingly desperate, Samantha decided her only option was to visit the bar in person.
She threw on some clothes and rushed out of Lily's apartment, retracing her steps from the previous night.
But as she arrived at the street where she clearly remembered The Black Swan being located, she was met with an unsettling sight. Where the bar should have been, there was only an abandoned storefront, its windows boarded up and covered in years of grime.
Samantha stood there, staring in disbelief. Had she imagined the whole thing?
The bar, Marcus, the strange events of the night before - could it all have been a vivid dream brought on by stress and too much alcohol?
As she turned away, feeling more lost and confused than ever, an unsettling premonition gripped her.
Despite the apparent impossibility of last night's events, the changes she was experiencing felt all too real.
Samantha sensed that her life was on the brink of a descent far more sinister than she ever thought possible.
She believed she had already reached rock bottom, but deep down, she knew the abyss had no end.
What lay ahead was an unimaginable realm of shadows, peril, and concealed truths, pulling her into a vortex of darkness she was ill-prepared to face.